From Comparison Between Scientists to Gaining Cultural Scientific Knowledge. Leonardo and Galileo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galili, Igal

2016-03-01

Physics textbooks often present items of disciplinary knowledge in a sequential order of topics of the theory under instruction. Such presentation is usually univocal, that is, isolated from alternative claims and contributions regarding the subject matter in the pertinent scientific discourse. We argue that comparing and contrasting the contributions of scientists addressing similar or the same subject could not only enrich the picture of scientific enterprise, but also possess a special appealing power promoting genuine understanding of the concept considered. This approach draws on the historical tradition from Plutarch in distant past and Koyré in the recent history and philosophy of science. It gains a new support in the discipline-culture structuring of the physics curriculum, seeking cultural content knowledge (CCK) of the subject matter. Here, we address two prominent individuals of Italian Renaissance, Leonardo and Galileo, in their dealing with issues relevant for introductory science courses. Although both figures addressed similar subjects of scientific content, their products were essentially different. Considering this difference is educationally valuable, illustrating the meaning of what students presently learn in the content knowledge of mechanics, optics and astronomy, as well as the nature of science and scientific knowledge.

Fundamental ecology is fundamental.

PubMed

Courchamp, Franck; Dunne, Jennifer A; Le Maho, Yvon; May, Robert M; Thébaud, Christophe; Hochberg, Michael E

2015-01-01

The primary reasons for conducting fundamental research are satisfying curiosity, acquiring knowledge, and achieving understanding. Here we develop why we believe it is essential to promote basic ecological research, despite increased impetus for ecologists to conduct and present their research in the light of potential applications. This includes the understanding of our environment, for intellectual, economical, social, and political reasons, and as a major source of innovation. We contend that we should focus less on short-term, objective-driven research and more on creativity and exploratory analyses, quantitatively estimate the benefits of fundamental research for society, and better explain the nature and importance of fundamental ecology to students, politicians, decision makers, and the general public. Our perspective and underlying arguments should also apply to evolutionary biology and to many of the other biological and physical sciences. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Analysing the Role of Business Intelligence, Knowledge Sharing and Organisational Innovation on Gaining Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eidizadeh, Rosa; Salehzadeh, Reza; Chitsaz Esfahani, Ali

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to study the role of business intelligence, knowledge sharing and organisational innovation on gaining competitive advantage. Design/Methodology/Approach: The statistical population of the study was the managers and the specialists of some export companies of which 213 persons participated in this research. Path analysis…

Verbal Final Exam in Introductory Biology Yields Gains in Student Content Knowledge and Longitudinal Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luckie, Douglas B.; Rivkin, Aaron M.; Aubry, Jacob R.; Marengo, Benjamin J.; Creech, Leah R.; Sweeder, Ryan D.

2013-01-01

We studied gains in student learning over eight semesters in which an introductory biology course curriculum was changed to include optional verbal final exams (VFs). Students could opt to demonstrate their mastery of course material via structured oral exams with the professor. In a quantitative assessment of cell biology content knowledge,…

Superior Gain in Knowledge by Podcasts Versus Text-Based Learning in Teaching Orthopedics: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Back, David Alexander; von Malotky, Jennifer; Sostmann, Kai; Hube, Robert; Peters, Harm; Hoff, Eike

Digital learning (e-learning) has become a firm part of surgical undergraduate education. However, there is still a lack in analyzing e-learning tools in experimental settings without potentially biasing curricular influences. This study should compare students' learning outcome with podcasts versus book texts under laboratory conditions in the field of orthopedics. Voluntary medical students were randomly assigned for learning either with a book chapter or a podcast about common orthopedic diseases in an isolated computer room. Before and after intervention, students answered multiple-choice tests and questionnaires about their attitudes and satisfaction. The study was conducted from November 2012 to February 2013. Totally, 130 students were included (55 text users and 75 podcast users, 52 males and 78 females). There was a significant increase in the overall knowledge for both groups (p < 0.001). Podcast users scored significantly better in the posttests (p < 0.021) and achieved a significantly higher gain of knowledge compared to text users (p < 0.001). The evaluation also showed a significantly higher approval of podcasts regarding comprehensibility, teaching efficacy, or fun learning with it (p < 0.05). Females gained significantly more knowledge by the use of texts than males did (p = 0.04), without any sex difference when using podcasts. This study showed a significantly higher gain of knowledge and higher satisfaction from learning with podcasts compared to book texts among students. Podcasts seem to be beneficial when teaching defined orthopedic topics to medical students. Sex plays an additional independent role in the impact of e-learning tools on students' learning outcome. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Amalgamation of Marginal Gains (AMG) as a potential system to deliver high-quality fundamental nursing care: A qualitative analysis of interviews from high-performance AMG sports and healthcare practitioners.

PubMed

Pentecost, Claire; Richards, David A; Frost, Julia

2017-11-28

To investigate the components of the Amalgamation of Marginal Gains (AMG) performance system to identify a set of principles that can be built into an innovative fundamental nursing care protocol. Nursing is urged to refocus on its fundamental care activities, but little evidence exists to guide practising nurses. Fundamental care is a combination of many small behaviours aimed at meeting a person's care needs. AMG is a successful system of performance management that focusses on small (or marginal) gains, and might provide a new delivery framework for fundamental nursing care. Qualitative interview study. We undertook in-depth interviews with healthcare and sports professionals experienced in AMG. We analysed data using open coding in a framework analysis, and then interrogated the data using Normalisation Process Theory (NPT). We triangulated findings with AMG literature to develop an intervention logic model. We interviewed 20 AMG practitioners. AMG processes were as follows: focusing on many details to optimise performance, identification of marginal gains using different sources, understanding current versus optimum performance, monitoring at micro and macro level and strong leadership. Elements of normalisation were as follows: whole team belief in AMG to improve performance, a collective desire for excellence using evidence-based actions, whole team engagement to identify choose and implement changes, and individual and group responsibility for monitoring performance. We have elicited the processes described by AMG innovators in health care and sport and have mapped the normalisation potential and work required to embed such a system into nursing practice. The development of our logic model based on AMG and NPT may provide a practical framework for improving fundamental nursing care and is ripe for further development and testing in clinical trials. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Clinical Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

From self-assembly fundamental knowledge to nanomedicine developments.

PubMed

Monduzzi, Maura; Lampis, Sandrina; Murgia, Sergio; Salis, Andrea

2014-03-01

This review highlights the key role of NMR techniques in demonstrating the molecular aspects of the self-assembly of surfactant molecules that nowadays constitute the basic knowledge which modern nanoscience relies on. The aim is to provide a tutorial overview. The story of a rigorous scientific approach to understand self-assembly in surfactant systems and biological membranes starts in the early seventies when the progresses of SAXRD and NMR technological facilities allowed to demonstrate the existence of ordered soft matter, and the validity of Tanford approach concerning self-assembly at a molecular level. Particularly, NMR quadrupolar splittings, NMR chemical shift anisotropy, and NMR relaxation of dipolar and quadrupolar nuclei in micellar solutions, microemulsions, and liquid crystals proved the existence of an ordered polar-apolar interface, on the NMR time scale. NMR data, rationalized in terms of the two-step model of relaxation, allowed to quantify the dynamic aspects of the supramolecular aggregates in different soft matter systems. In addition, NMR techniques allowed to obtain important information on counterion binding as well as on size of the aggregate through molecular self-diffusion. Indeed NMR self-diffusion proved without any doubt the existence of bicontinuous microemulsions and bicontinuous cubic liquid crystals, suggested by pioneering and brilliant interpretation of SAXRD investigations. Moreover, NMR self-diffusion played a fundamental role in the understanding of microemulsion and emulsion nanostructures, phase transitions in phase diagrams, and particularly percolation phenomena in microemulsions. Since the nineties, globalization of the knowledge along with many other technical facilities such as electron microscopy, particularly cryo-EM, produced huge progresses in surfactant and colloid science. Actually we refer to nanoscience: bottom up/top down strategies allow to build nanodevices with applications spanning from ICT to food

Anatomical knowledge gain through a clay-modeling exercise compared to live and video observations.

PubMed

Kooloos, Jan G M; Schepens-Franke, Annelieke N; Bergman, Esther M; Donders, Rogier A R T; Vorstenbosch, Marc A T M

2014-01-01

Clay modeling is increasingly used as a teaching method other than dissection. The haptic experience during clay modeling is supposed to correspond to the learning effect of manipulations during exercises in the dissection room involving tissues and organs. We questioned this assumption in two pretest-post-test experiments. In these experiments, the learning effects of clay modeling were compared to either live observations (Experiment I) or video observations (Experiment II) of the clay-modeling exercise. The effects of learning were measured with multiple choice questions, extended matching questions, and recognition of structures on illustrations of cross-sections. Analysis of covariance with pretest scores as the covariate was used to elaborate the results. Experiment I showed a significantly higher post-test score for the observers, whereas Experiment II showed a significantly higher post-test score for the clay modelers. This study shows that (1) students who perform clay-modeling exercises show less gain in anatomical knowledge than students who attentively observe the same exercise being carried out and (2) performing a clay-modeling exercise is better in anatomical knowledge gain compared to the study of a video of the recorded exercise. The most important learning effect seems to be the engagement in the exercise, focusing attention and stimulating time on task. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

The assessment of knowledge and learning in competence spaces: The gain-loss model for dependent skills.

PubMed

Anselmi, Pasquale; Stefanutti, Luca; de Chiusole, Debora; Robusto, Egidio

2017-11-01

The gain-loss model (GaLoM) is a formal model for assessing knowledge and learning. In its original formulation, the GaLoM assumes independence among the skills. Such an assumption is not reasonable in several domains, in which some preliminary knowledge is the foundation for other knowledge. This paper presents an extension of the GaLoM to the case in which the skills are not independent, and the dependence relation among them is described by a well-graded competence space. The probability of mastering skill s at the pretest is conditional on the presence of all skills on which s depends. The probabilities of gaining or losing skill s when moving from pretest to posttest are conditional on the mastery of s at the pretest, and on the presence at the posttest of all skills on which s depends. Two formulations of the model are presented, in which the learning path is allowed to change from pretest to posttest or not. A simulation study shows that models based on the true competence space obtain a better fit than models based on false competence spaces, and are also characterized by a higher assessment accuracy. An empirical application shows that models based on pedagogically sound assumptions about the dependencies among the skills obtain a better fit than models assuming independence among the skills. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Fundamental Fraction Knowledge of Preservice Elementary Teachers: A Cross-National Study in the United States and Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Fenqjen; Lo, Jane-Jane; Leu, Yuh-Chyn

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to show the similarities as well as the differences of fundamental fraction knowledge owned by preservice elementary teachers from the United States (N = 89) and Taiwan (N = 85). To this end, we examined and compared their performance on an instrument including 15 multiple-choice test items. The items were categorized…

Fundamentals of the knowledge about chemical additives present in rubber gloves.

PubMed

Oliveira, Hegles Rosa de; Alchorne, Alice de Oliveira de Avelar

2011-01-01

One of the most frequent causes of allergic contact dermatitis of occupational origin are rubber additives, which are present in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The most allergenic additives of natural and synthetic gloves are thiurams, carbamates and mercapto group. To investigate the state of knowledge about the chemical additives used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber gloves. This was a qualitative research study in which professionals working in the manufacture, research, prescription and commercialization of gloves answered an open questionnaire. 30 individuals were interviewed: 4 researchers in occupational medicine, 5 occupational physicians, 2 occupational safety technicians, a rubber workers' union physician, an occupational safety engineer, a pro duction engineer of rubber gloves, 4 importers of gloves, a manufacturer of gloves, 3 businessmen who sell PPE, 3 salesclerks working in stores that sell PPE, 2 businessmen who own stores that sell products for allergic individuals, and 3 dermatologists. Knowledge of the chemical composition of rubber gloves is scant. The labeling of gloves, with the description of their chemical composition, would facilitate choosing the best type of glove for each person. This low-cost action to businesses would be a gain from the standpoint of public health, with huge repercussions for users of rubber gloves.

Tacit Knowledge of Caring and Embodied Selfhood

PubMed Central

Kontos, Pia C.; Naglie, Gary

2013-01-01

The tacit knowledge paradigm is gaining recognition as an important source of knowledge that informs clinical decision-making. However, it is limited by an exclusive focus on knowledge acquired through clinical practice, and a consequent neglect of the primordial and socio-cultural significance of embodied selfhood, precisely what provides the foundational structure of tacit knowledge of caring and facilitates its manifestation. Drawing on findings from a qualitative study of forty-three dementia care practitioners in Ontario, Canada that utilized research-based drama and focus group methodology, we argue that embodied selfhood is fundamental to tacit knowledge of caring. Results are analyzed drawing upon the theoretical precepts of embodied selfhood that are rooted in Merleau-Ponty’s (1962) reconceptualization of perception and Bourdieu’s (1977, 1990) notion of habitus. We conclude with a call for further exploration of the body as a site of the production of tacit knowledge. PMID:19392935

Tacit knowledge of caring and embodied selfhood.

PubMed

Kontos, Pia C; Naglie, Gary

2009-07-01

The tacit knowledge paradigm is gaining recognition as an important source of knowledge that informs clinical decision-making. It is, however, limited by an exclusive focus on knowledge acquired through clinical practice, and a consequent neglect of the primordial and socio-cultural significance of embodied selfhood, precisely what provides the foundational structure of tacit knowledge of caring and facilitates its manifestation. Drawing on findings from a qualitative study of 43 dementia care practitioners in Ontario, Canada that utilised research-based drama and focus group methodology, we argue that embodied selfhood is fundamental to tacit knowledge of caring. Results are analysed drawing upon the theoretical precepts of embodied selfhood that are rooted in Merleau-Ponty's (1962) reconceptualisation of perception and Bourdieu's (1977, 1990) notion of habitus. We conclude with a call for further exploration of the body as a site of the production of tacit knowledge.

Antecedents of Intrinsic Motivation, Metacognition and Their Effects on Students' Academic Performance in Fundamental Knowledge for Matriculation Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibrahim, Mikail; Baharun, Hazleena; Harun, Haliza; Othman, Normah

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study examined the interrelationships between a set of antecedent academic intrinsic motivations and metacognitive strategy such as goal orientation, perceived value and religiosity in Fundamental Knowledge for Matriculation courses (FKM). It also investigated the relationship between intrinsic motivation and metacognitive strategy…

Verbal Final Exam in Introductory Biology Yields Gains in Student Content Knowledge and Longitudinal Performance

PubMed Central

Luckie, Douglas B.; Rivkin, Aaron M.; Aubry, Jacob R.; Marengo, Benjamin J.; Creech, Leah R.; Sweeder, Ryan D.

2013-01-01

We studied gains in student learning over eight semesters in which an introductory biology course curriculum was changed to include optional verbal final exams (VFs). Students could opt to demonstrate their mastery of course material via structured oral exams with the professor. In a quantitative assessment of cell biology content knowledge, students who passed the VF outscored their peers on the medical assessment test (MAT), an exam built with 40 Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) questions (66.4% [n = 160] and 62% [n = 285], respectively; p < 0.001);. The higher-achieving students performed better on MCAT questions in all topic categories tested; the greatest gain occurred on the topic of cellular respiration. Because the VF focused on a conceptually parallel topic, photosynthesis, there may have been authentic knowledge transfer. In longitudinal tracking studies, passing the VF also correlated with higher performance in a range of upper-level science courses, with greatest significance in physiology, biochemistry, and organic chemistry. Participation had a wide range but not equal representation in academic standing, gender, and ethnicity. Yet students nearly unanimously (92%) valued the option. Our findings suggest oral exams at the introductory level may allow instructors to assess and aid students striving to achieve higher-level learning. PMID:24006399

Verbal final exam in introductory biology yields gains in student content knowledge and longitudinal performance.

PubMed

Luckie, Douglas B; Rivkin, Aaron M; Aubry, Jacob R; Marengo, Benjamin J; Creech, Leah R; Sweeder, Ryan D

2013-01-01

We studied gains in student learning over eight semesters in which an introductory biology course curriculum was changed to include optional verbal final exams (VFs). Students could opt to demonstrate their mastery of course material via structured oral exams with the professor. In a quantitative assessment of cell biology content knowledge, students who passed the VF outscored their peers on the medical assessment test (MAT), an exam built with 40 Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) questions (66.4% [n = 160] and 62% [n = 285], respectively; p < 0.001);. The higher-achieving students performed better on MCAT questions in all topic categories tested; the greatest gain occurred on the topic of cellular respiration. Because the VF focused on a conceptually parallel topic, photosynthesis, there may have been authentic knowledge transfer. In longitudinal tracking studies, passing the VF also correlated with higher performance in a range of upper-level science courses, with greatest significance in physiology, biochemistry, and organic chemistry. Participation had a wide range but not equal representation in academic standing, gender, and ethnicity. Yet students nearly unanimously (92%) valued the option. Our findings suggest oral exams at the introductory level may allow instructors to assess and aid students striving to achieve higher-level learning.

Do 2nd and 3rd Grade Teachers' Linguistic Knowledge and Instructional Practices Predict Spelling Gains in Weaker Spellers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puliatte, Alison; Ehri, Linnea C.

2018-01-01

The relationship between 2nd and 3rd grade teachers' linguistic knowledge and spelling instructional practices and their students' spelling gains from fall to spring was examined. Second grade (N = 16) and 3rd grade (N = 16) teachers were administered an instructional practices survey and a linguistic knowledge test. Total scores on the two…

Gain scheduling - Potential hazards and possible remedies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shamma, Jeff S.; Athans, Michael

1991-01-01

A common gain scheduling rule-of-thumb is to schedule on a slow variable. In this work, it is shown how current gain scheduling practice is necessarily limited to slow variations in the scheduling variable. These limitations are revealed to be consequences of fundamental control concepts. Furthermore, it is shown how a formulation of the gain scheduling procedure can lead toward ultimately removing these restrictions.

Is a Little Knowledge a Good Thing? College Students Gain Knowledge, but Knowledge Increase Does Not Equal Attitude Change regarding Same-Sex Sexual Orientation and Gender Reassignment Surgery in Sexuality Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noland, Ramona M.; Bass, Martha A.; Keathley, Rosanne S.; Miller, Rowland

2009-01-01

The gains in knowledge and changes of attitudes of students in undergraduate sexuality courses in two different academic disciplines were compared to those of their peers without college sexuality education in a variety of other psychology courses. All students had similar scores on tests of sexual anatomy, behavior, and health at the start of the…

Geothermal projects funded under the NER 300 programme - current state of development and knowledge gained

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shortall, Ruth; Uihlein, Andreas

2017-04-01

Introduction The NER 300 programme, managed by the European Commission is one of the largest funding programmes for innovative low-carbon energy demonstration projects. NER 300 is so called because it is funded from the sale of 300 million emission allowances from the new entrants' reserve (NER) set up for the third phase of the EU emissions trading system (ETS). The programme aims to successfully demonstrate environmentally safe carbon capture and storage (CCS) and innovative renewable energy (RES) technologies on a commercial scale with a view to scaling up production of low-carbon technologies in the EU. Consequently, it supports a wide range of CCS and RES technologies (bioenergy, concentrated solar power, photovoltaics, geothermal, wind, ocean, hydropower, and smart grids). Funded projects and the role of geothermal projects for the programme In total, about EUR 2.1 billion have been awarded through the programme's 2 calls for proposals (the first awarded in December 2012, the second in July 2014). The programme has awarded around EUR 70 million funding to 3 geothermal projects in Hungary, Croatia and France. The Croatian geothermal project will enter into operation during 2017 the Hungarian in 2018, and the French in 2020. Knowledge Sharing Knowledge sharing requirements are built into the legal basis of the programme as a critical tool to lower risks in bridging the transition to large-scale production of innovative renewable energy and CCS deployment. Projects have to submit annually to the European Commission relevant knowledge gained during that year in the implementation of their project. The relevant knowledge is aggregated and disseminated by the European Commission to industry, research, government, NGO and other interest groups and associations in order to provide a better understanding of the practical challenges that arise in the important step of scaling up technologies and operating them at commercial scale. The knowledge sharing of the NER 300

Geothermal projects funded under the NER 300 programme - current state of development and knowledge gained

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uihlein, Andreas; Salto Saura, Lourdes; Sigfusson, Bergur; Lichtenvort, Kerstin; Gagliardi, Filippo

2015-04-01

Introduction The NER 300 programme, managed by the European Commission is one of the largest funding programmes for innovative low-carbon energy demonstration projects. NER 300 is so called because it is funded from the sale of 300 million emission allowances from the new entrants' reserve (NER) set up for the third phase of the EU emissions trading system (ETS). The programme aims to successfully demonstrate environmentally safe carbon capture and storage (CCS) and innovative renewable energy (RES) technologies on a commercial scale with a view to scaling up production of low-carbon technologies in the EU. Consequently, it supports a wide range of CCS and RES technologies (bioenergy, concentrated solar power, photovoltaics, geothermal, wind, ocean, hydropower, and smart grids). Funded projects and the role of geothermal projects for the programme In total, about EUR 2.1 billion have been awarded to 39 projects through the programme's 2 calls for proposals (the first awarded in December 2012, the second in July 2014). The programme has awarded around 70 mEUR funding to 3 geothermal projects in Hungary, Croatia and France (see Annex). The Hungarian geothermal project awarded funding under the first call will enter into operation at the end of 2015 and the rest are expected to start in 2016 (HR) and in 2018 (FR), respectively. Knowledge Sharing Knowledge sharing requirements are built into the legal basis of the programme as a critical tool to lower risks in bridging the transition to large-scale production of innovative renewable energy and CCS deployment. Projects have to submit annually to the European Commission relevant knowledge gained during that year in the implementation of their project. The relevant knowledge is aggregated and disseminated by the European Commission to industry, research, government, NGO and other interest groups and associations in order to provide a better understanding of the practical challenges that arise in the important step of

Knowledge Gains Following a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Among Urban Students: A Cluster-Randomized Evaluation

PubMed Central

Dauber, Sarah; Tully, Brenda A.; Hamilton, Paige; Smith, Michael J.; Freeman, Katherine

2015-01-01

Objectives. We evaluated a school-based child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention program, Safe Touches, in a low–socioeconomic status, racially diverse sample. Methods. Participants were 492 second- and third-grade students at 6 public elementary schools in New York City. The study period spanned fall 2012 through summer 2014. We cluster-randomized classrooms to the Safe Touches intervention or control groups and assessed outcomes with the Children’s Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire. Hierarchical models tested change in children’s knowledge of inappropriate and appropriate touch. Results. The intervention group showed significantly greater improvement than the control group on knowledge of inappropriate touch. Children in second grade and children in schools with a greater proportion of students in general (vs special) education showed greater gains than other participants in knowledge of inappropriate touch. We observed no significant change in knowledge of appropriate touch among control or intervention groups. Conclusions. Young children benefited from a school-based, 1-time CSA prevention program. Future research should explore the efficacy of CSA prevention programs with children before the second grade to determine optimal age for participation. PMID:25973809

What Do Students Gain by Engaging in Socioscientific Inquiry?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadler, Troy D.; Barab, Sasha A.; Scott, Brianna

2007-10-01

The question of what students gain by engaging in socioscientific inquiry is addressed in two ways. First, relevant literature is surveyed to build the case that socioscientific issues (SSI) can serve as useful contexts for teaching and learning science content. Studies are reviewed which document student gains in discipline specific content knowledge as well as understandings of the nature of science. SSI are also positioned as vehicles for addressing citizenship education within science classrooms. Although the promotion of citizenship goals seems widely advocated, the specifics of how this may be accomplished remain underdeveloped. To address this issue, we introduce socioscientific reasoning as a construct which captures a suite of practices fundamental to the negotiation of SSI. In the second phase of the project, interviews with 24 middle school students from classes engaged in socioscientific inquiry serve as the basis for the development of an emergent rubric for socioscientific reasoning. Variation in practices demonstrated by this sample are explored and implications drawn for advancing socioscientific reasoning as an educationally meaningful and assessable construct.

Women's Reflections on Formal Sex Education and the Advantage of Gaining Informal Sexual Knowledge through a Feminist Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Nichole

2016-01-01

By recognising the limitations of formal sex education, young people are able to seek out alternative material, gaining informal sexual knowledge through their own means and through a wide variety of sources. This paper derives from part of a larger study centred on feminism and heterosexuality in practice which features 17 feminist-identified…

Fundamental biomechanics of the spine--What we have learned in the past 25 years and future directions.

PubMed

Oxland, Thomas R

2016-04-11

Since the publication of the 2nd edition of White and Panjabi׳s textbook, Clinical Biomechanics of the Spine in 1990, there has been considerable research on the biomechanics of the spine. The focus of this manuscript will be to review what we have learned in regards to the fundamentals of spine biomechanics. Topics addressed include the whole spine, the functional spinal unit, and the individual components of the spine (e.g. vertebra, intervertebral disc, spinal ligaments). In these broad categories, our understanding in 1990 is reviewed and the important knowledge or understanding gained through the subsequent 25 years of research is highlighted. Areas where our knowledge is lacking helps to identify promising topics for future research. In this manuscript, as in the White and Panjabi textbook, the emphasis is on experimental research using human material, either in vivo or in vitro. The insights gained from mathematical models and animal experimentation are included where other data are not available. This review is intended to celebrate the substantial gains that have been made in the field over these past 25 years and also to identify future research directions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Examining Information Problem-Solving, Knowledge, and Application Gains within Two Instructional Methods: Problem-Based and Computer-Mediated Participatory Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newell, Terrance S.

2008-01-01

This study compared the effectiveness of two instructional methods--problem-based instruction within a face-to-face context and computer-mediated participatory simulation--in increasing students' content knowledge and application gains in the area of information problem-solving. The instructional methods were implemented over a four-week period. A…

Multi-dimensional stable fundamental solitons and excitations in PT-symmetric harmonic-Gaussian potentials with unbounded gain-and-loss distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yong; Yan, Zhenya

2018-04-01

We demonstrate the parity-time- (PT-) symmetric harmonic-Gaussian potential with unbounded gain-and-loss distribution can support entirely-real linear spectra, stable spatial and spatio-temporal solitons in an inhomogeneous nonlinear medium (e.g., cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the self-focusing and defocusing cases). Exact analytical solitons are derived in both one-dimensional (1D) and higher-dimensional (e.g., 2D, 3D) geometries such that they are verified to be stable in the given parameters regions. Particularly, several families of numerical fundamental solitons (especially the 1D double-peaked solitons, 2D vortex solitons, and 3D double bullets) can be found to be stable around the propagation parameters for exact solitons. Other significant properties of solitons are also explored including the interactions of solitons, stable soliton excitations, and transverse power flows. The results may excite the corresponding theoretical analysis and experiment designs.

A Study of the Competency of Third Year Medical Students to Interpret Biochemically Based Clinical Scenarios Using Knowledge and Skills Gained in Year 1 and 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gowda, Veena Bhaskar S.; Nagaiah, Bhaskar Hebbani; Sengodan, Bharathi

2016-01-01

Medical students build clinical knowledge on the grounds of previously obtained basic knowledge. The study aimed to evaluate the competency of third year medical students to interpret biochemically based clinical scenarios using knowledge and skills gained during year 1 and 2 of undergraduate medical training. Study was conducted on year 3 MBBS…

An evaluation of Hospice New Zealand's interprofessional fundamentals of palliative care program at a single site.

PubMed

Henning, Marcus; Hu, Julie; Webster, Craig; Brown, Hadley; Murphy, Jo

2015-06-01

To study the efficacy of two modules within the Fundamentals of Palliative Care educational program within a single site. The modules included the concepts of Essence of Palliative Care and Pain and Symptom Management. A mixed-methods approach incorporating questionnaires and interviews was implemented. Two phases were included. First, a purposive sample of 22 workshop participants were invited to fill out evaluation questionnaires on two occasions (immediately after the session and four weeks as follow-up). Second, semistructured interviews were conducted and interviews transcribed and analyzed using content analysis. Participants felt they gained further knowledge in palliative patient management and refined their clinical practice. The questionnaire feedback revealed that the Essence of Palliative Care module provided a breadth of content but had difficulties in capturing the diverse needs of all attendees. The Pain and Symptom Management module was perceived as more technical and clinical, and this suited health professionals with an informed background. The interviewee feedback (three nurses, three nurse educators, one manager) suggested that the learning outcomes were comprehensive but needed to be more sensitive to learner needs. The teaching and learning activities were perceived as useful and encouraging. However, learners came from diverse contexts, and it was difficult to suit all learning preferences. Assessment and evaluation processes required more psychometric attention. The piloting of the Fundamentals of Palliative Care program at this single site was of benefit and relevance to participants in their clinical practice. Overall, participants felt the course was useful to them and that they were able to gain valuable knowledge and skills. Several areas could be refined to optimize the learning, including: (1) knowing attendee learning potentialities and prior experiences, (2) considering a more inclusive and formal assessment process, (3) creating

Rapid Assessment and Response Studies of Injection Drug Use: Knowledge Gain, Capacity Building, and Intervention Development in a Multisite Study

PubMed Central

Stimson, Gerry V.; Fitch, Chris; Jarlais, Don Des; Poznyak, Vladimir; Perlis, Theresa; Oppenheimer, Edna; Rhodes, Tim

2006-01-01

Objectives. We evaluated the World Health Organization’s rapid assessment and response (RAR) method of assessing injection drug use and its associated health problems, focusing on knowledge gain, capacity building, and whether RAR leads to the development of interventions reducing the health effects of injection drug use. Methods. Data were derived from RAR studies conducted in Beijing, China; Bogotá, Colombia; Greater Rosario, Argentina; Hanoi, Vietnam; Kharkiv, Ukraine; Minsk, Belarus; Nairobi, Kenya; Penang, Malaysia; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Tehran, Iran. Results. Substantial gains in knowledge and response capacity were reported at all of the study sites. Before RAR initiation, prevention and intervention programs had been absent or inadequate at most of the sites. The RARs resulted in many new or modified interventions; 7 sites reported 24 health-related interventions that were subsequently developed and influenced by the RARs. Conclusions. RARs, which require relatively little external funding, appear to be effective in linking assessment to development of appropriate interventions. The present results add to the evidence that rapid assessment is an important public health tool. PMID:16380578

Fundamental Properties and Practical Application of Active Microwave Metamaterials Incorporating Gain Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-02-22

AFOSR)/ RTB1 Arlington, Virginia 22203 Air Force Research Laboratory Air Force Materiel Command REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form ApprovedOMB No . 0704...Department of Defense, Executive Services, Directorate (0704-0188).   Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no ...mainly due to the intrinsic loss and narrow bandwidth (large dispersion) determined by the fundamental physics of metamaterials. In this program, we

Coupled-mode analysis of gain and wavelength oscillation characteristics of diode laser phased arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, J. K.; Ettenberg, M.; Ackley, D. E.

1985-01-01

The lasing wavelengths and gain characteristics of the modes of phase-locked arrays of channel-substrate-planar (CSP) lasers are presented. The gain values for the array modes are determined from complex coupling coefficients calculated using the fields of neighboring elements of the array. The computations show that, for index guided lasers which have nearly planar phase fronts, the highest order array mode will be preferred. The 'in-phase' or fundamental mode, which produces only one major lobe in the far-field radiation pattern, has the lowest modal gain of all array modes. The modal gain differential between the highest order and fundamental modes is less than 10/cm for weak coupling between the elements.

Knowledge gain and behavioral change in citizen-science programs.

PubMed

Jordan, Rebecca C; Gray, Steven A; Howe, David V; Brooks, Wesley R; Ehrenfeld, Joan G

2011-12-01

Citizen-science programs are often touted as useful for advancing conservation literacy, scientific knowledge, and increasing scientific-reasoning skills among the public. Guidelines for collaboration among scientists and the public are lacking and the extent to which these citizen-science initiatives change behavior is relatively unstudied. Over two years, we studied 82 participants in a three-day program that included education about non-native invasive plants and collection of data on the occurrence of those plants. Volunteers were given background knowledge about invasive plant ecology and trained on a specific protocol for collecting invasive plant data. They then collected data and later gathered as a group to analyze data and discuss responsible environmental behavior with respect to invasive plants. We tested whether participants without experience in plant identification and with little knowledge of invasive plants increased their knowledge of invasive species ecology, participation increased knowledge of scientific methods, and participation affected behavior. Knowledge of invasive plants increased on average 24%, but participation was insufficient to increase understanding of how scientific research is conducted. Participants reported increased ability to recognize invasive plants and increased awareness of effects of invasive plants on the environment, but this translated into little change in behavior regarding invasive plants. Potential conflicts between scientific goals, educational goals, and the motivation of participants must be considered during program design. ©2011 Society for Conservation Biology.

(Lack of) Measurable Clinical or Knowledge Gains From Resident Participation in Noon Conference.

PubMed

Meyer, Nathaniel B; Gaetke-Udager, Kara; Shampain, Kimberly L; Spencer, Amy; Cohan, Richard H; Davenport, Matthew S

2018-06-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether noon conference attendance by diagnostic radiology residents is predictive of measurable performance. This single-center retrospective Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant cross-sectional study was considered "not regulated" by the institutional review board. All diagnostic radiology residents who began residency training from 2008 to 2012 were included (N = 54). Metrics of clinical performance and knowledge were collected, including junior and senior precall test results, American Board of Radiology scores (z-score transformed), American College of Radiology in-training scores (years 1-3), on-call "great call" and minor and major discrepancy rates, on-call and daytime case volumes, and training rotation scores. Multivariate regression models were constructed to determine if conference attendance, match rank order, or starting year could predict these outcomes. Pearson bivariate correlations were calculated. Senior precall test results were moderately correlated with American Board of Radiology (r = 0.41) and American College of Radiology (r = 0.38-0.48) test results and mean rotation scores (r = 0.41), indicating moderate internal validity. However, conference attendance, match rank order, and year of training did not correlate with (r = -0.16-0.16) or predict (P > .05) measurable resident knowledge. On multivariate analysis, neither match rank order (P = .14-.96) nor conference attendance (P = .10-.88) predicted measurable clinical efficiency or accuracy. Year started training predicted greater cross-sectional case volume (P < .0001, β = 0.361-0.516) and less faculty-to-resident feedback (P < 0.0001, β = [-0.628]-[-0.733]). Residents with lower conference attendance are indistinguishable from those who attend more frequently in a wide range of clinical and knowledge-based performance assessments, suggesting that required

Microwave gain medium with negative refractive index.

PubMed

Ye, Dexin; Chang, Kihun; Ran, Lixin; Xin, Hao

2014-12-19

Artificial effective media are attractive because of the fantastic applications they may enable, such as super lensing and electromagnetic invisibility. However, the inevitable loss due to their strongly dispersive nature is one of the fundamental challenges preventing such applications from becoming a reality. In this study, we demonstrate an effective gain medium based on negative resistance, to overcompensate the loss of a conventional passive metamaterial, meanwhile keeping its original negative-index property. Energy conservation-based theory, full-wave simulation and experimental measurement show that a fabricated sample consisting of conventional sub-wavelength building blocks with embedded microwave tunnel diodes exhibits a band-limited Lorentzian dispersion simultaneously with a negative refractive index and a net gain. Our work provides experimental evidence to the assertion that a stable net gain in negative-index gain medium is achievable, proposing a potential solution for the critical challenge current metamateiral technology faces in practical applications.

Knowledge Retrieval Solutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Kamran

1998-01-01

Excalibur RetrievalWare offers true knowledge retrieval solutions. Its fundamental technologies, Adaptive Pattern Recognition Processing and Semantic Networks, have capabilities for knowledge discovery and knowledge management of full-text, structured and visual information. The software delivers a combination of accuracy, extensibility,…

The resources that matter: fundamental social causes of health disparities and the challenge of intelligence.

PubMed

Link, Bruce G; Phelan, Jo C; Miech, Richard; Westin, Emily Leckman

2008-03-01

A robust and very persistent association between indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) and the onset of life-threatening disease is a prominent concern of medical sociology. The persistence of the association over time and its generality across very different places suggests that no fixed set of intervening risk and protective factors can account for the connection. Instead, fundamental-cause theory views SES-related resources of knowledge, money, power prestige, and beneficial social connections as flexible resources that allow people to avoid risks and adopt protective strategies no matter what the risk and protective factors are in a given place or time. Recently, however, intelligence has been proposed as an alternative flexible resource that could fully account for the association between SES and health and thereby find its place as the epidemiologists' "elusive fundamental cause" (Gottfredson 2004). We examine the direct effects of intelligence test scores and adult SES in two data sets containing measures of intelligence, SES, and health. In analyses of prospective data from both the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study and the Health and Retirement Survey, we find little evidence of a direct effect of intelligence on health once adult education and income are held constant. In contrast, the significant effects of education and income on health change very little when intelligence is controlled. Although data limitations do not allow a definitive resolution of the issue, this evidence is inconsistent with the claim that intelligence is the elusive fundamental cause of health disparities, and instead supports the idea that the flexible resources people actively use to gain a health advantage are the SES-related resources of knowledge, money, power, prestige, and beneficial social connections.

Serotonin Affects Movement Gain Control in the Spinal Cord

PubMed Central

Glaser, Joshua I.; Deng, Linna; Thompson, Christopher K.; Stevenson, Ian H.; Wang, Qining; Hornby, Thomas George; Heckman, Charles J.; Kording, Konrad P.

2014-01-01

A fundamental challenge for the nervous system is to encode signals spanning many orders of magnitude with neurons of limited bandwidth. To meet this challenge, perceptual systems use gain control. However, whether the motor system uses an analogous mechanism is essentially unknown. Neuromodulators, such as serotonin, are prime candidates for gain control signals during force production. Serotonergic neurons project diffusely to motor pools, and, therefore, force production by one muscle should change the gain of others. Here we present behavioral and pharmaceutical evidence that serotonin modulates the input–output gain of motoneurons in humans. By selectively changing the efficacy of serotonin with drugs, we systematically modulated the amplitude of spinal reflexes. More importantly, force production in different limbs interacts systematically, as predicted by a spinal gain control mechanism. Psychophysics and pharmacology suggest that the motor system adopts gain control mechanisms, and serotonin is a primary driver for their implementation in force production. PMID:25232107

Temporally evolving gain mechanisms of attention in macaque area V4.

PubMed

Sani, Ilaria; Santandrea, Elisa; Morrone, Maria Concetta; Chelazzi, Leonardo

2017-08-01

Cognitive attention and perceptual saliency jointly govern our interaction with the environment. Yet, we still lack a universally accepted account of the interplay between attention and luminance contrast, a fundamental dimension of saliency. We measured the attentional modulation of V4 neurons' contrast response functions (CRFs) in awake, behaving macaque monkeys and applied a new approach that emphasizes the temporal dynamics of cell responses. We found that attention modulates CRFs via different gain mechanisms during subsequent epochs of visually driven activity: an early contrast-gain, strongly dependent on prestimulus activity changes (baseline shift); a time-limited stimulus-dependent multiplicative modulation, reaching its maximal expression around 150 ms after stimulus onset; and a late resurgence of contrast-gain modulation. Attention produced comparable time-dependent attentional gain changes on cells heterogeneously coding contrast, supporting the notion that the same circuits mediate attention mechanisms in V4 regardless of the form of contrast selectivity expressed by the given neuron. Surprisingly, attention was also sometimes capable of inducing radical transformations in the shape of CRFs. These findings offer important insights into the mechanisms that underlie contrast coding and attention in primate visual cortex and a new perspective on their interplay, one in which time becomes a fundamental factor. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We offer an innovative perspective on the interplay between attention and luminance contrast in macaque area V4, one in which time becomes a fundamental factor. We place emphasis on the temporal dynamics of attentional effects, pioneering the notion that attention modulates contrast response functions of V4 neurons via the sequential engagement of distinct gain mechanisms. These findings advance understanding of attentional influences on visual processing and help reconcile divergent results in the literature. Copyright © 2017 the

Nursing and midwifery students' perception of learning enablers and gains in the first semester of their BSc programmes: A cross sectional study.

PubMed

Redmond, Catherine; Davies, Carmel; Halligan, Phil; Joye, Regina; Carroll, Lorraine; Frawley, Timothy

2018-06-01

The student experience in the first year of university is fundamental to successful adaption to the higher education environment and shapes student engagement with their chosen degree. Students' feedback on this experience is essential when designing or reviewing curricula. The aim of this study was to explore students' perceptions of their learning gains to identify factors that support student learning and identify elements that need improvement if specific learning needs are to be met. A cross sectional descriptive study. A large urban university in Ireland that provides undergraduate nursing and midwifery degree programmes. The study was conducted using the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) questionnaire. This instrument consists of a series of closed questions which explore perceived student gains in skills, cognitions and attitudes. The questionnaire was adapted for a semester rather than a module evaluation. The tool also includes a series of open questions inviting students to comment in each section. Students (n = 206) positively evaluated teaching and learning approaches used. The greatest enablers of learning were clinical skills laboratory small group teaching and support followed by online learning materials and multiple choice formative assessment questions. They reported gains in knowledge, generic skills development and an increase in confidence and enthusiasm for their chosen career. The feedback gained in this study provides valuable knowledge about the elements that support nursing and midwifery students learning and highlights areas that require attention. This is particularly useful for faculty who are involved in curriculum review and enhancement and in student engagement and retention. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Child Characteristics by Science Instruction Interactions in Second and Third Grade and Their Relation to Students' Content-Area Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Reading Skill Gains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connor, Carol McDonald; Rice, Diana C.; Canto, Angela I.; Southerland, Sherry A.; Underwood, Phyllis; Kaya, Sibel; Fishman, Barry; Morrison, Frederick J.

2012-01-01

The associations among second- and third-grade students' content-area knowledge, vocabulary, and reading gains and the science instruction they received were examined in this exploratory longitudinal study. We also asked whether there were child characteristics x instruction interaction effects on students' content-area literacy. Second graders (n…

Losses, gain, and lasing in organic and perovskite active materials (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pourdavoud, Neda; Riedl, Thomas J.

2016-09-01

Organic solid state lasers (OSLs) based on semiconducting polymers or small molecules have seen some significant progress over the past decade. Highly efficient organic gain materials combined with high-Q resonator geometries (distributed feedback (DFB), VCSEL, etc.) have enabled OSLs, optically pumped by simple inorganic laser diodes or even LEDs. However, some fundamental goals remain to be reached, like continuous wave (cw) operation and injection lasing. I will address various loss mechanisms related to accumulated triplet excitons or long-lived polarons that in combination with the particular photo-physics of organic gain media state the dominant road-blocks on the way to reach these goals. I will discuss the recent progress in fundamental understanding of these loss processes, which now provides a solid basis for modelling, e.g. of laser dynamics. Avenues to mitigate these fundamental loss mechanisms, e.g. by alternative materials will be presented. In this regard, a class of gain materials based on organo-lead halide perovskites re-entered the scene as light emitters, recently. Enjoying a tremendous lot of attention as active material for solution processed solar cells with a 20+% efficiency, they have recently unveiled their exciting photo-physics for lasing applications. Optically pumped lasing in these materials has been achieved. I will discuss some of the unique properties that render this class of materials a promising candidate to overcome some of the limitations of "classical" organic gain media.

Crystal oscillators using negative voltage gain, single pole response amplifiers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleinberg, Leonard L. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

A simple and inexpensive crystal oscillator is provided which employs negative voltage gain, single pole response amplifiers. The amplifiers may include such configurations as gate inverters, operational amplifiers and conventional bipolar transistor amplifiers, all of which operate at a frequency which is on the roll-off portion of their gain versus frequency curve. Several amplifier feedback circuit variations are employed to set desired bias levels and to allow the oscillator to operate at the crystal's fundamental frequency or at an overtone of the fundamental frequency. The oscillator is made less expensive than comparable oscillators by employing relatively low frequency amplifiers and operating them at roll-off, at frequencies beyond which they are customarily used. Simplicity is provided because operation at roll-off eliminates components ordinarily required in similar circuits to provide sufficient phase-shift in the feedback circuitry for oscillation to occur.

Food-based science curriculum yields gains in nutrition knowledge.

PubMed

Carraway-Stage, Virginia; Hovland, Jana; Showers, Carissa; Díaz, Sebastián; Duffrin, Melani W

2015-04-01

Students may be receiving less than an average of 4 hours of nutrition instruction per year. Integrating nutrition with other subject areas such as science may increase exposure to nutrition education, while supporting existing academics. During the 2009-2010 school year, researchers implemented the Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource (FoodMASTER) Intermediate (FMI) curriculum in 18 fourth-grade classrooms, whereas 16 classrooms served as comparison. FMI is a hands-on, integrative curriculum for children in grades 3-5 that uses food as a tool to teach mathematics and science. Researchers developed a 28-item multiple-choice questionnaire to assess students' nutrition knowledge in 6 content areas. Students were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using independent t tests. Analysis of covariance was employed to control for differences at baseline when assessing the effectiveness of the FMI curriculum to increase nutrition knowledge. A significant improvement was observed in total nutrition knowledge at post-intervention (adjusting for baseline) between groups (F [1] = 128.95; p < .01) and in all content areas post-intervention. Findings from this study suggest teachers were successfully able to integrate science and nutrition to meet multiple academic standards. More specifically, results showed implementation of the integrative FMI curriculum effectively improved fourth-graders' nutrition knowledge compared with students not exposed to FMI. © 2015, American School Health Association.

Doctoring the Knowledge Worker

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tennant, Mark

2004-01-01

In this paper I examine the impact of the new 'knowledge economy' on contemporary doctoral education. I argue that the knowledge economy promotes a view of knowledge and knowledge workers that fundamentally challenges the idea of a university as a community of autonomous scholars transmitting and adding to society's 'stock of knowledge'. The paper…

Knowledge Creation in Nursing Education

PubMed Central

Hassanian, Zahra Marzieh; Ahanchian, Mohammad Reza; Ahmadi, Suleiman; Gholizadeh, Rezvan Hossein; Karimi-Moonaghi, Hossein

2015-01-01

In today’s society, knowledge is recognized as a valuable social asset and the educational system is in search of a new strategy that allows them to construct their knowledge and experience. The purpose of this study was to explore the process of knowledge creation in nursing education. In the present study, the grounded theory approach was used. This method provides a comprehensive approach to collecting, organizing, and analyzing data. Data were obtained through 17 semi-structured interviews with nursing faculties and nursing students. Purposeful and theoretical sampling was conducted. Based on the method of Strauss and Corbin, the data were analyzed using fragmented, deep, and constant-comparative methods. The main categories included striving for growth and reduction of ambiguity, use of knowledge resources, dynamism of mind and social factors, converting knowledge, and creating knowledge. Knowledge was converted through mind processes, individual and group reflection, praxis and research, and resulted in the creation of nursing knowledge. Discrete nursing knowledge is gained through disconformity research in order to gain more individual advantages. The consequence of this analysis was gaining new knowledge. Knowledge management must be included in the mission and strategic planning of nursing education, and it should be planned through operational planning in order to create applicable knowledge. PMID:25716383

Improved knowledge gain and retention for third-year medical students during surgical journal club using basic science review: A pilot study.

PubMed

Williams, Austin D; Mann, Barry D

2017-02-01

As they enter the clinical years, medical students face large adjustments in the acquisition of medical knowledge. We hypothesized that basic science review related to the topic of journal club papers would increase the educational benefit for third-year medical students. Students were randomized either to participation in a review session about basic science related to the journal club paper, or to no review. After one day, and after three months, students were given a 10-question quiz encompassing the basic science and the clinical implications of the paper. Twenty-six of 50 students were randomized to basic science review. These students scored better on both sections of the quiz one day after journal club, but only on basic science questions after three months. Students who participated in basic science review had better knowledge gain and retention. Educational activities building upon foundational knowledge improves learning on clinical rotations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources, topics and use of knowledge by coaches.

PubMed

Stoszkowski, John; Collins, Dave

2016-01-01

In recent years, the value of social learning approaches as part of the design and delivery of formalised coach development initiatives has gained credence in the literature. However, insight is currently lacking into the fundamental social dimensions that underpin coach learning. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore coaches' perceptions of their actual and preferred methods of acquiring new coaching knowledge, the types of knowledge they currently acquire and/or desire, and their application of new knowledge. Responses to an online survey, completed by practicing coaches (N = 320) in a range of sports and contexts, were analysed descriptively and inductively. Results revealed that coaches preferred, and mostly acquired, coaching knowledge from informal learning activities, especially when these permitted social interaction. Notably, however, formal coach education courses were also reported relatively frequently as a source of recent knowledge acquisition. Nevertheless, critical justification for and application of acquired knowledge was largely absent. Based on the findings, we suggest that, before social learning activities such as mentoring schemes and communities of practice are placed at the centre of formalised coach development provision, coach educators must put in place the support structures to better enable coaches to recognise and deal with the potentially mixed influences of the social milieu on coach learning, aiming to ensure that their informal development is sufficiently open-minded, reflective and critical.

Profiting from Knowledge Circulation: The Gains from University-Industry Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Sijde, P. C.

2012-01-01

In this paper the concept of knowledge circulation is explored and placed in a social systems approach that distinguishes four types of "capital": cultural, strategic, network and economic. Knowledge circulation is a form of university-industry interaction that accommodates the objectives of what are, in many respects, unequal partners and…

5 GHz fundamental repetition rate, wavelength tunable, all-fiber passively mode-locked Yb-fiber laser.

PubMed

Cheng, Huihui; Wang, Wenlong; Zhou, Yi; Qiao, Tian; Lin, Wei; Xu, Shanhui; Yang, Zhongmin

2017-10-30

A passively mode-locked Yb 3+ -doped fiber laser with a fundamental repetition rate of 5 GHz and wavelength tunable performance is demonstrated. A piece of heavily Yb 3+ -doped phosphate fiber with a high net gain coefficient of 5.7 dB/cm, in conjunction with a fiber mirror by directly coating the SiO 2 /Ta 2 O 5 dielectric films on a fiber ferrule is exploited for shortening the laser cavity to 2 cm. The mode-locked oscillator has a peak wavelength of 1058.7 nm, pulse duration of 2.6 ps, and the repetition rate signal has a high signal-to-noise ratio of 90 dB. Moreover, the wavelength of the oscillator is found to be continuously tuned from 1056.7 to 1060.9 nm by increasing the temperature of the laser cavity. Simultaneously, the repetition rate correspondingly decreases from 4.945874 to 4.945496 GHz. Furthermore, the long-term stability of the mode-locked operation in the ultrashort laser cavity is realized by exploiting temperature controls. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest fundamental pulse repetition rate for 1-μm mode-locked fiber lasers.

The Particle Adventure | What is fundamental? | Fundamental

Science.gov Websites

fundamental The atom Is the atom fundamental? Is the nucleus fundamental? Are protons and neutrons fundamental decay What is the Mechanism giving mass to fundamental particles? What is the Mechanism giving mass to fundamental particles? Part 2 How Does the Higgs Boson get its Mass? Finding the Mass of the Higgs Boson

Effects of perturbation relative phase on transverse mode instability gain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zervas, Michalis N.

2018-02-01

We have shown that the relative phase between the fundamental fiber mode and the transverse perturbation affects significantly the local transverse modal instability (TMI) gain. The gain variation is more pronounced as the core diameter increases. This finding can be used in conjunction with other proposed approaches to develop efficient strategies for mitigating TMI in high power fiber amplifiers and lasers. It also provides some physical insight on the physical origin of the observed large differences in the TMI threshold dependence on core diameter for narrow and broad linewidth operation.

Fundamental insights into interfacial catalysis.

PubMed

Gong, Jinlong; Bao, Xinhe

2017-04-03

Surface and interfacial catalysis plays a vital role in chemical industries, electrochemistry and photochemical reactions. The challenges of modern chemistry are to optimize the chemical reaction processes and understand the detailed mechanism of chemical reactions. Since the early 1960s, the foundation of surface science systems has allowed the study of surface and interfacial phenomena on atomic/molecular level, and thus brought a number of significant developments to fundamental and technological processes, such as catalysis, material science and biochemistry, just to name a few. This themed issue describes the recent advances and developments in the fundamental understanding of surface and interfacial catalysis, encompassing areas of knowledge from metal to metal oxide, carbide, graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and transition metal dichalcogenides under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, as well as under realistic reaction conditions.

Introducing Therioepistemology: the study of how knowledge is gained from animal research.

PubMed

Garner, Joseph P; Gaskill, Brianna N; Weber, Elin M; Ahloy-Dallaire, Jamie; Pritchett-Corning, Kathleen R

2017-03-22

This focus issue of Lab Animal coincides with a tipping point in biomedical research. For the first time, the scale of the reproducibility and translatability crisis is widely understood beyond the small cadre of researchers who have been studying it and the pharmaceutical and biotech companies who have been living it. Here we argue that an emerging literature, including the papers in this focus issue, has begun to congeal around a set of recurring themes, which themselves represent a paradigm shift. This paradigm shift can be characterized at the micro level as a shift from asking "what have we controlled for in this model?" to asking "what have we chosen to ignore in this model, and at what cost?" At the macro level, it is a shift from viewing animals as tools (the furry test tube), to viewing them as patients in an equivalent human medical study. We feel that we are witnessing the birth of a new discipline, which we term Therioepistemology, or the study of how knowledge is gained from animal research. In this paper, we outline six questions that serve as a heuristic for critically evaluating animal-based biomedical research from a therioepistemological perspective. These six questions sketch out the broad reaches of this new discipline, though they may change or be added to as this field evolves. Ultimately, by formalizing therioepistemology as a discipline, we can begin to discuss best practices that will improve the reproducibility and translatability of animal-based research, with concomitant benefits in terms of human health and animal well-being.

A zero-knowledge protocol for nuclear warhead verification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaser, Alexander; Barak, Boaz; Goldston, Robert J.

2014-06-01

The verification of nuclear warheads for arms control involves a paradox: international inspectors will have to gain high confidence in the authenticity of submitted items while learning nothing about them. Proposed inspection systems featuring `information barriers', designed to hide measurements stored in electronic systems, are at risk of tampering and snooping. Here we show the viability of a fundamentally new approach to nuclear warhead verification that incorporates a zero-knowledge protocol, which is designed in such a way that sensitive information is never measured and so does not need to be hidden. We interrogate submitted items with energetic neutrons, making, in effect, differential measurements of both neutron transmission and emission. Calculations for scenarios in which material is diverted from a test object show that a high degree of discrimination can be achieved while revealing zero information. Our ideas for a physical zero-knowledge system could have applications beyond the context of nuclear disarmament. The proposed technique suggests a way to perform comparisons or computations on personal or confidential data without measuring the data in the first place.

The acquisition and transfer of knowledge of electrokinetic-hydrodynamics (EKHD) fundamentals: an introductory graduate-level course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascal, Jennifer; Tíjaro-Rojas, Rocío; Oyanader, Mario A.; Arce, Pedro E.

2017-09-01

Relevant engineering applications, such as bioseparation of proteins and DNA, soil-cleaning, motion of colloidal particles in different media, electrical field-based cancer treatments, and the cleaning of surfaces and coating flows, belongs to the family of 'Applied Field Sensitive Process Technologies' requiring an external field to move solutes in a fluid within a fibrous (or porous) domain. This field incorporates an additional variable that makes the analysis very challenging and can create for the student a number of new problems to solve. A graduate-level course, based on active-learning approaches and High Performance Learning Environments, where transfer of knowledge plays a key role, was designed by the Chemical Engineering Department at Tennessee Technological University. This course, where the fundamentals principles of EKHD were taught to science, engineering and technology students was designed by the Chemical Engineering Department at the Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN. An important number of these students were able to grasp the tools required to advance their research projects that led to numerous technical presentations in professional society meetings and publications in peered-reviewed journals.

Competence with Fractions Predicts Gains in Mathematics Achievement

PubMed Central

Bailey, Drew H.; Hoard, Mary K.; Nugent, Lara; Geary, David C.

2012-01-01

Competence with fractions predicts later mathematics achievement, but the co-developmental pattern between fractions knowledge and mathematics achievement is not well understood. We assessed this co-development through examination of the cross-lagged relation between a measure of conceptual knowledge of fractions and mathematics achievement in sixth and seventh grade (n = 212). The cross-lagged effects indicated that performance on the sixth grade fractions concepts measure predicted one year gains in mathematics achievement (β = .14, p<.01), controlling for the central executive component of working memory and intelligence, but sixth grade mathematics achievement did not predict gains on the fractions concepts measure (β = .03, p>.50). In a follow-up assessment, we demonstrated that measures of fluency with computational fractions significantly predicted seventh grade mathematics achievement above and beyond the influence of fluency in computational whole number arithmetic, performance on number fluency and number line tasks, and central executive span and intelligence. Results provide empirical support for the hypothesis that competence with fractions underlies, in part, subsequent gains in mathematics achievement. PMID:22832199

Competence with fractions predicts gains in mathematics achievement.

PubMed

Bailey, Drew H; Hoard, Mary K; Nugent, Lara; Geary, David C

2012-11-01

Competence with fractions predicts later mathematics achievement, but the codevelopmental pattern between fractions knowledge and mathematics achievement is not well understood. We assessed this codevelopment through examination of the cross-lagged relation between a measure of conceptual knowledge of fractions and mathematics achievement in sixth and seventh grades (N=212). The cross-lagged effects indicated that performance on the sixth grade fractions concepts measure predicted 1-year gains in mathematics achievement (ß=.14, p<.01), controlling for the central executive component of working memory and intelligence, but sixth grade mathematics achievement did not predict gains on the fractions concepts measure (ß=.03, p>.50). In a follow-up assessment, we demonstrated that measures of fluency with computational fractions significantly predicted seventh grade mathematics achievement above and beyond the influence of fluency in computational whole number arithmetic, performance on number fluency and number line tasks, central executive span, and intelligence. Results provide empirical support for the hypothesis that competence with fractions underlies, in part, subsequent gains in mathematics achievement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Indirect flat-panel detector with avalanche gain: Fundamental feasibility investigation for SHARP-AMFPI (scintillator HARP active matrix flat panel imager)

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

Zhao Wei; Li Dan; Reznik, Alla

2005-09-15

An indirect flat-panel imager (FPI) with avalanche gain is being investigated for low-dose x-ray imaging. It is made by optically coupling a structured x-ray scintillator CsI(Tl) to an amorphous selenium (a-Se) avalanche photoconductor called HARP (high-gain avalanche rushing photoconductor). The final electronic image is read out using an active matrix array of thin film transistors (TFT). We call the proposed detector SHARP-AMFPI (scintillator HARP active matrix flat panel imager). The advantage of the SHARP-AMFPI is its programmable gain, which can be turned on during low dose fluoroscopy to overcome electronic noise, and turned off during high dose radiography to avoidmore » pixel saturation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the important design considerations for SHARP-AMFPI such as avalanche gain, which depends on both the thickness d{sub Se} and the applied electric field E{sub Se} of the HARP layer. To determine the optimal design parameter and operational conditions for HARP, we measured the E{sub Se} dependence of both avalanche gain and optical quantum efficiency of an 8 {mu}m HARP layer. The results were used in a physical model of HARP as well as a linear cascaded model of the FPI to determine the following x-ray imaging properties in both the avalanche and nonavalanche modes as a function of E{sub Se}: (1) total gain (which is the product of avalanche gain and optical quantum efficiency); (2) linearity; (3) dynamic range; (4) gain nonuniformity resulting from thickness nonuniformity; and (5) effects of direct x-ray interaction in HARP. Our results showed that a HARP layer thickness of 8 {mu}m can provide adequate avalanche gain and sufficient dynamic range for x-ray imaging applications to permit quantum limited operation over the range of exposures needed for radiography and fluoroscopy.« less

Primary School Teachers' Interviews Regarding Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and General Pedagogical Knowledge (GPK)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sothayapetch, Pavinee; Lavonen, Jari; Juuti, Kalle

2013-01-01

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and General Pedagogical Knowledge (GPK) are fundamental types of knowledge for a teacher that he or she must use in order to plan, teach in the classroom, and assess students' learning outcomes. This paper investigates experienced primary school teachers' PCK and GPK while teaching science in Finland and in…

Hidden Expert Knowledge: The Knowledge That Counts for the Small School-District Superintendent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyle, Adrienne E.; Ivory, Gary; McClellan, Rhonda L.

2010-01-01

Using Bereiter and Scardamalia's (1993) hidden expert knowledge, we explored what knowledge counts from the perspectives of working small school-district superintendents and the ways in which they gain that knowledge. This qualitative study used focus groups as its primary data collection method. Participants were 37 superintendents of districts…

[Gaining new knowledge in clinical practice].

PubMed

Martin, P; Rautanen, K; Thomsen, A S; Hjalt, C A; Jónsson, A; Löfroth, G

1999-01-30

A study of the diffusion of knowledge about Helicobacter pylori and gastrointestinal disease among Norwegian clinicians is reported. A questionnaire about when and how research results on Helicobacter pylori and gastrointestinal disease were taken up by doctors in their practice was sent to 200 general practitioners and 200 medical and surgical gastroenterologists. This Norwegian study is part of a comparative study of the uptake process in the five Scandinavian countries which is planned to be published in an international journal. The specialists both heard of research results and started using new treatments earlier than the general practitioners. The main sources of information for the general practitioners were the national medical journal and courses or conferences, whilst the specialists obtained their information mainly from international journals and courses or conferences. The general practitioners were more likely to treat Helicobacter pylori positive dyspepsia and to use serology as a diagnostic tool, whilst the specialists were more likely to use breath tests and had a greater belief in the role of Helicobacter pylori as a cause of gastric cancer. The great majority of both groups knew of Helicobacter pylori as a cause of peptic ulcer disease, used antibiotics in its treatment, and preferred (referral to) endoscopic biopsy as the main diagnostic tool.

Elaboration and optimization of tellurite-based materials for raman gain application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guery, Guillaume

absorption in the transmission bandwidth in the near infrared (NIR). A reduction of 90 % in the OH content in candidate glasses was realized and core-only optical fiber drawn from this glass exhibited optical losses lower than 10 dB/m (either at 1.55 mum or 2.0 mum). This optical attenuation in a high Raman gain material represents a first in the design of both material attributes. The role of the glass modifiers on the glass structure has been investigated by a combination of vibrational spectroscopic methods, including IR absorption, as well as Raman and hyper-Raman scatterings. Following examination of fundamental vibrations present in the paratellurite crystal alpha-TeO2, these results were extended to interpret the structure of multi-component tellurite glasses. It has been verified that the transformation of the tellurite entities TeO4→TeO3+1→TeO3 is directly related to the percentage and type of glass modifiers present in the various tellurite glass matrix. The dramatic disruption in the continuity of Te-O linkages in the tellurite glass backbone's chains during the introduction of the modifier zinc oxide, leads to a systematic reduction in glass network connectivity. This structural change is accompanied by a significant change in the glass' normalized polarization curve (IPsiV/IHV ), a paramter which quantifies directly the depolymerization ratio (DR). This metric provides direct correlation with a reduction in the ternary glass' polarizability/hyperpolarizability and a decrease in the glass' nonlinear optical properties, specifically its Raman gain response. These results have validated and extended our understanding of the important role of Te-O-Te content and short, medium and longer-scale organization of the tellurite glass network and the corresponding impact on linear and nonlinear optical response and properties. Such fundamental knowledge of the relationship between vibrational response and structure, correlated to linear and nonlinear optical properties

Analysis and design of gain scheduled control systems. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shamma, Jeff S.

1988-01-01

Gain scheduling, as an idea, is to construct a global feedback control system for a time varying and/or nonlinear plant from a collection of local time invariant designs. However in the absence of a sound analysis, these designs come with no guarantees on the robustness, performance, or even nominal stability of the overall gain schedule design. Such an analysis is presented for three types of gain scheduling situations: (1) a linear parameter varying plant scheduling on its exogenous parameters, (2) a nonlinear plant scheduling on a prescribed reference trajectory, and (3) a nonlinear plant scheduling on the current plant output. Conditions are given which guarantee that the stability, robustness, and performance properties of the fixed operating point designs carry over to the global gain scheduled designs, such as the scheduling variable should vary slowly and capture the plants nonlinearities. Finally, an alternate design framework is proposed which removes the slowing varying restriction or gain scheduled systems. This framework addresses some fundamental feedback issues previously ignored in standard gain.

Documentation and knowledge acquisition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rochowiak, Daniel; Moseley, Warren

1990-01-01

Traditional approaches to knowledge acquisition have focused on interviews. An alternative focuses on the documentation associated with a domain. Adopting a documentation approach provides some advantages during familiarization. A knowledge management tool was constructed to gain these advantages.

Elementary Student Knowledge Gains in the Digital Portable Planetarium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carsten-Conner, Laura D.; Larson, Angela M.; Arseneau, Jennifer; Herrick, Robert R.

2015-01-01

Immersive environments hold promise to provide unique and heightened sensory experiences that focus a learner's attention, and thus may be useful learning platforms. In particular, portable planetariums may be useful in advancing conceptual knowledge about the night sky, because they afford learners with Earth-based views of celestial motions,…

Strategies for Mentoring Pedagogical Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Peter

2013-01-01

Fundamental for mentoring a preservice teacher is the mentor's articulation of pedagogical knowledge, which in this research draws upon specific practices, viz.: planning, timetabling lessons, preparation, teaching strategies, content knowledge, problem solving, questioning, classroom management, implementation, assessment and viewpoints for…

Cross-National Analysis of Islamic Fundamentalism

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-20

attitudes, and was fully involved in activities concerning questionnaire design including a new experimental design in the survey, pilot testing, and...possible collaboration with the research design of the panel survey in Tunisia. • Data analysis: Analyses of religious fundamentalism, women’s dress, trust...the Event History Calendar and the best methods to ask about knowledge and experience of past events. The group designed a series of cognitive

Class-A mode-locked lasers: Fundamental solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalev, Anton V.; Viktorov, Evgeny A.

2017-11-01

We consider a delay differential equation (DDE) model for mode-locked operation in class-A semiconductor lasers containing both gain and absorber sections. The material processes are adiabatically eliminated as these are considered fast in comparison to the delay time for a long cavity device. We determine the steady states and analyze their bifurcations using DDE-BIFTOOL [Engelborghs et al., ACM Trans. Math. Software 28, 1 (2002)]. Multiple forms of coexistence, transformation, and hysteretic behavior of stable steady states and fundamental periodic regimes are discussed in bifurcation diagrams.

Information gains from cosmic microwave background experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seehars, Sebastian; Amara, Adam; Refregier, Alexandre; Paranjape, Aseem; Akeret, Joël

2014-07-01

To shed light on the fundamental problems posed by dark energy and dark matter, a large number of experiments have been performed and combined to constrain cosmological models. We propose a novel way of quantifying the information gained by updates on the parameter constraints from a series of experiments which can either complement earlier measurements or replace them. For this purpose, we use the Kullback-Leibler divergence or relative entropy from information theory to measure differences in the posterior distributions in model parameter space from a pair of experiments. We apply this formalism to a historical series of cosmic microwave background experiments ranging from Boomerang to WMAP, SPT, and Planck. Considering different combinations of these experiments, we thus estimate the information gain in units of bits and distinguish contributions from the reduction of statistical errors and the "surprise" corresponding to a significant shift of the parameters' central values. For this experiment series, we find individual relative entropy gains ranging from about 1 to 30 bits. In some cases, e.g. when comparing WMAP and Planck results, we find that the gains are dominated by the surprise rather than by improvements in statistical precision. We discuss how this technique provides a useful tool for both quantifying the constraining power of data from cosmological probes and detecting the tensions between experiments.

Knowledge Valorisation: A Route of Knowledge That Ends In Surplus Value (An Example of The Netherlands)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hladchenko, Myroslava

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons of the success of the Netherlands in knowledge valorisation: what are the actors that participate in knowledge valorisation process and what are their functions; what is the route of knowledge in valorisation; what "surplus value" does knowledge gain in the valorisation…

Al-Faruqi's Fundamental Ideas and Philosophy of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahman, Tasnim Abdul; Yusof, Wan Sabri Wan; Rashid, Zuriati Mohd; Amir, Ahmad Nabil

2015-01-01

This paper discusses the fundamental ideal and philosophy of education advocated by Ismail Raji al-Faruqi (1921-1986) in realizing the Islamization of knowledge (IOK) project. The concept and perspective of education projected by al-Faruqi was constructed on the worldview of tawhid that reflected the essence and intrinsic philosophy and paradigm…

Gaining customer knowledge: obtaining and using customer judgments for hospitalwide quality improvement.

PubMed

Nelson, E C; Caldwell, C; Quinn, D; Rose, R

1991-03-01

Customer knowledge is an essential feature of hospitalwide quality improvement. All systems and processes have customers. The aim is to use customer knowledge and voice of the customer measurement to plan, design, improve, and monitor these systems and processes continuously. In this way, the hospital stands the best chance of meeting customers' needs and, hopefully, delivering services that are so outstanding that customers will be surprised and delighted. There are many methods, both soft and hard, that can be used to increase customer knowledge. One useful strategy is to use a family of quality measures that reflect the voice of the customer. These measures can generate practical and powerful customer knowledge information that is essential to performing strategic planning, deploying quality policy, designing new services, finding targets for improvements, and monitoring those continuous improvements based on customers' judgments.

Knowledge Searching and Sharing on Virtual Networks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helokunnas, Tuija; Herrala, Juha

2001-01-01

Describes searching and sharing of knowledge on virtual networks, based on experiences gained when hosting virtual knowledge networks at Tampere University of Technology in Finland. Discusses information and knowledge management studies; role of information technology in knowledge searching and sharing; implementation and experiences of the…

Neural Net Gains Estimation Based on an Equivalent Model

PubMed Central

Aguilar Cruz, Karen Alicia; Medel Juárez, José de Jesús; Fernández Muñoz, José Luis; Esmeralda Vigueras Velázquez, Midory

2016-01-01

A model of an Equivalent Artificial Neural Net (EANN) describes the gains set, viewed as parameters in a layer, and this consideration is a reproducible process, applicable to a neuron in a neural net (NN). The EANN helps to estimate the NN gains or parameters, so we propose two methods to determine them. The first considers a fuzzy inference combined with the traditional Kalman filter, obtaining the equivalent model and estimating in a fuzzy sense the gains matrix A and the proper gain K into the traditional filter identification. The second develops a direct estimation in state space, describing an EANN using the expected value and the recursive description of the gains estimation. Finally, a comparison of both descriptions is performed; highlighting the analytical method describes the neural net coefficients in a direct form, whereas the other technique requires selecting into the Knowledge Base (KB) the factors based on the functional error and the reference signal built with the past information of the system. PMID:27366146

Neural Net Gains Estimation Based on an Equivalent Model.

PubMed

Aguilar Cruz, Karen Alicia; Medel Juárez, José de Jesús; Fernández Muñoz, José Luis; Esmeralda Vigueras Velázquez, Midory

2016-01-01

A model of an Equivalent Artificial Neural Net (EANN) describes the gains set, viewed as parameters in a layer, and this consideration is a reproducible process, applicable to a neuron in a neural net (NN). The EANN helps to estimate the NN gains or parameters, so we propose two methods to determine them. The first considers a fuzzy inference combined with the traditional Kalman filter, obtaining the equivalent model and estimating in a fuzzy sense the gains matrix A and the proper gain K into the traditional filter identification. The second develops a direct estimation in state space, describing an EANN using the expected value and the recursive description of the gains estimation. Finally, a comparison of both descriptions is performed; highlighting the analytical method describes the neural net coefficients in a direct form, whereas the other technique requires selecting into the Knowledge Base (KB) the factors based on the functional error and the reference signal built with the past information of the system.

Knowledge gained from analyzing mercury speciation data monitored in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, L.; Cheng, I.; Gay, D. A.; Xu, X.; Wu, Z.

2017-12-01

This presentation summarizes knowledge gained in several recent studies through analysis and application of mercury (Hg) speciation data monitored in North America. Annual Hg dry deposition to vegetated surfaces in the rural or remote environment in North America was dominated by leaf uptake of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), contrary to what was commonly assumed in earlier studies which frequently omitted GEM dry deposition as an important process (Zhang et al., EST, 2016). Dry deposition exceeded wet deposition by a large margin in all of the seasons except in the summer at the majority of the sites. Based on the gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) concentrations predicted from measured Hg wet deposition using a scavenging ratio method, multi-year average GOM concentrations collected using Tekran speciation instrument were likely biased low by a factor of 2 at about half of the studied sites (Cheng and Zhang, EST, 2017). A decline in the number of source regions impacting ambient GEM and GOM was found from 2005-2014 at an eastern U.S. site through concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis (Cheng et al., JAS, 2017). Source contributions decreased by up to 20% for GEM, greater than 60% for GOM, and 20-60% for PBM in 2011-2014 than in 2006-2008, largely due to power plant Hg emission reductions since 2009. A study comparing Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and Principal Components Analysis (PCA) receptor methods identified similar sources impacting Kejimkujik National Park, Canada, including combustion, industrial sulfur, photochemistry and re-emissions, and oceanic sea-salt emissions. Improving the quality of the Hg data used in receptor methods by imputation did not improve the PMF results, but reducing the fraction of below detection limit data was effective (Xu et al., ACP, 2017). PCA results using reactive mercury (RM=GOM+PBM) or excluding low GOM values were similar to those using the original data. Source contributions from CWT analysis were more

Hearing in noisy environments: noise invariance and contrast gain control

PubMed Central

Willmore, Ben D B; Cooke, James E; King, Andrew J

2014-01-01

Contrast gain control has recently been identified as a fundamental property of the auditory system. Electrophysiological recordings in ferrets have shown that neurons continuously adjust their gain (their sensitivity to change in sound level) in response to the contrast of sounds that are heard. At the level of the auditory cortex, these gain changes partly compensate for changes in sound contrast. This means that sounds which are structurally similar, but have different contrasts, have similar neuronal representations in the auditory cortex. As a result, the cortical representation is relatively invariant to stimulus contrast and robust to the presence of noise in the stimulus. In the inferior colliculus (an important subcortical auditory structure), gain changes are less reliably compensatory, suggesting that contrast- and noise-invariant representations are constructed gradually as one ascends the auditory pathway. In addition to noise invariance, contrast gain control provides a variety of computational advantages over static neuronal representations; it makes efficient use of neuronal dynamic range, may contribute to redundancy-reducing, sparse codes for sound and allows for simpler decoding of population responses. The circuits underlying auditory contrast gain control are still under investigation. As in the visual system, these circuits may be modulated by factors other than stimulus contrast, forming a potential neural substrate for mediating the effects of attention as well as interactions between the senses. PMID:24907308

Fundamentals of Structural Geology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollard, David D.; Fletcher, Raymond C.

2005-09-01

Fundamentals of Structural Geology provides a new framework for the investigation of geological structures by integrating field mapping and mechanical analysis. Assuming a basic knowledge of physical geology, introductory calculus and physics, it emphasizes the observational data, modern mapping technology, principles of continuum mechanics, and the mathematical and computational skills, necessary to quantitatively map, describe, model, and explain deformation in Earth's lithosphere. By starting from the fundamental conservation laws of mass and momentum, the constitutive laws of material behavior, and the kinematic relationships for strain and rate of deformation, the authors demonstrate the relevance of solid and fluid mechanics to structural geology. This book offers a modern quantitative approach to structural geology for advanced students and researchers in structural geology and tectonics. It is supported by a website hosting images from the book, additional colour images, student exercises and MATLAB scripts. Solutions to the exercises are available to instructors. The book integrates field mapping using modern technology with the analysis of structures based on a complete mechanics MATLAB is used to visualize physical fields and analytical results and MATLAB scripts can be downloaded from the website to recreate textbook graphics and enable students to explore their choice of parameters and boundary conditions The supplementary website hosts color images of outcrop photographs used in the text, supplementary color images, and images of textbook figures for classroom presentations The textbook website also includes student exercises designed to instill the fundamental relationships, and to encourage the visualization of the evolution of geological structures; solutions are available to instructors

Transmitter and receiver antenna gain analysis for laser radar and communication systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, B. J.; Degnan, J. J.

1973-01-01

A comprehensive and fairly self-contained study of centrally obscured optical transmitting and receiving antennas is presented and is intended for use by the laser radar and communication systems designer. The material is presented in a format which allows the rapid and accurate evaluation of antenna gain. The Fresnel approximation to scalar wave theory is reviewed and the antenna analysis proceeds in terms of the power gain. Conventional range equations may then be used to calculate the power budget. The transmitter calculations, resulting in near and far field antenna gain patterns, assumes the antenna is illuminated by a laser operating in the fundamental cavity mode. A simple equation is derived for matching the incident source distribution to a general antenna configuration for maximum on-axis gain. An interpretation of the resultant gain curves allows a number of auxiliary design curves to be drawn which display the losses in antenna gain due to pointing errors and the cone angle of the outgoing beam as a function of antenna size and central obscuration. The use of telescope defocusing as an approach to spreading the beam for target acquisition is compared to some alternate methods.

Molecular Imprinting: From Fundamentals to Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komiyama, Makoto; Takeuchi, Toshifumi; Mukawa, Takashi; Asanuma, Hiroyuki

2003-03-01

Molecular imprinting, the polymerization of monomers in the presence of a template molecule which imprints structural information into the resulting polymers, is a scientific field which is rapidly gaining significance for a widening range of applications in biotechnology, biochemistry and pharmaceutical research. The methods and tools needed to distinguish target molecules from others by means of tailor-made receptors are constantly growing in importance and complexity. This book gives a concise and highly up-to-date overview of the remarkable progress made in this field in the last five years. The material is comprehensively presented by the authors, giving a thorough insight into fundamentals and applications for researchers in both industry and academy.

Electropharmacological effects of antiarrhythmic drugs on atrial fibrillation termination. Part I: Molecular and ionic fundamentals of antiarrhythmic drug actions.

PubMed

Calò, Leonardo; Sciarra, Luigi; Lamberti, Filippo; Loricchio, Maria Luisa; Castro, Antonio; Bianconi, Leopoldo; Pandozi, Claudio; Gaita, Fiorenzo; Santini, Massimo

2003-07-01

In the last few years many studies have been performed with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the pathophysiological nature of atrial fibrillation. These recent observations provide new insights into the initiation and perpetuation of atrial fibrillation, underlying the importance of the pulmonary veins as major sources of atrial triggers and introducing new concepts such as the atrial electrical remodeling and the spatial heterogeneity of the electrophysiological characteristics of this arrhythmia. The increasing knowledge about the cardiac ion channel structure and function and about the electrophysiological actions of the antiarrhythmic drugs may contribute to a better comprehension of the mechanisms of the pharmacological termination of the arrhythmia. In part I of the review we try to give a unified vision of the old models and new concepts about the molecular and ionic fundamentals of antiarrhythmic drug actions.

Gains in Astronomy Content Knowledge an ASSET to East Texas Secondary Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Cale; Miller, S.; Foster, A.; James, C. R.

2014-01-01

Recent analysis of SAT performance nationwide has demonstrated that Texas ranks 46th out of the 50 states in math SAT scores, and that statewide, only 42% of all 11th graders meet the minimum recommended level of standards in standardized science aptitude. Walker County, within the Piney Woods region of East Texas, is populated by rural, poorer school districts with a large percentage of minority students. Due in part to a lack of resources not only for the students, but also for the educators, students in this region suffer poor science education skills. In attempt to build these skills, we designed a NASA funded workshop, Astronomy Summer School of East Texas (ASSET). ASSET aimed to: (1) develop a suite of inquiry-based activities that guide rural East-Texas high school teachers and pre-service teachers to a better understanding of the tools and methods of astronomy and, (2) train current and future educators on the methods of science. ASSET focused on inquiry-based lessons and hands-on activities that engaged the teacher participants, supplemented by content lectures. We gauged the effectiveness of each lesson by administering a pre/post content survey, and calculated the normalized gain, , for each question. While many questions imply mid- to high-normalized gain for each concept, we find the highest gains for questions directly related to activities that strongly engaged the participants. We also found through an evaluation survey a discrepancy between the concepts where participants rated themselves as improving in understanding versus the concepts where high levels of improvement actually occurred. This project is supported by the NASA Science Mission Directorate Education and Public Outreach for Earth and Space Science (EPOESS), which is part of the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), Grant Number NNX12AH11G.

Knowledge Management and Global Information Dissemination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umunadi, Ejiwoke Kennedy

2014-01-01

The paper looked at knowledge management and global information dissemination. Knowledge is a very powerful tool for survival, growth and development. It can be seen as the information, understanding and skills that you gain through education or experience. The paper was addressed under the following sub-headings: Knowledge management knowledge…

Knowledge Management: A System Dynamics Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saurabh, Kumar

2005-01-01

In the present day market scenario of intense competition, organizations need to know what they know and be able to leverage on its knowledge base to gain competitive advantage. In this knowledge era, organisations can create and sustain competitive advantage through initiation of appropriate knowledge management processes. The organisations that…

Knowledge-Driven Creative Destruction, or Leveraging Knowledge for Competitive Advantage: Strategic Knowledge Arbitrage and Serendipity as Real Options Drivers Triggered by Co-Opetition, Co-Evolution and Co-Specialization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carayannis, Elias G.

2008-01-01

In today's globalizing and hypercompetitive marketplace, knowledge and learning are the only capabilities that can provide sustained competitive advantage. "Knowledge" is the content of learning, and a firm gains competitive superiority either by knowing something that its competitors do not know or by having a certain type of knowledge that…

Perceptions of Science Graduating Students on Their Learning Gains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varsavsky, Cristina; Matthews, Kelly E.; Hodgson, Yvonne

2014-01-01

In this study, the Science Student Skills Inventory was used to gain understanding of student perceptions about their science skills set developed throughout their programme (scientific content knowledge, communication, scientific writing, teamwork, quantitative skills, and ethical thinking). The study involved 400 responses from undergraduate…

Knowledge Management Systems: Linking Contribution, Refinement and Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Ting-ting

2009-01-01

Electronic knowledge repositories represent one of the fundamental tools for knowledge management (KM) initiatives. Existing research, however, has largely focused on supply-side driven research questions, such as employee motivation to contribute knowledge to a repository. This research turns attention to the dynamic relationship between the…

Fundamental Vocabulary Selection Based on Word Familiarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Hiroshi; Kasahara, Kaname; Kanasugi, Tomoko; Amano, Shigeaki

This paper proposes a new method for selecting fundamental vocabulary. We are presently constructing the Fundamental Vocabulary Knowledge-base of Japanese that contains integrated information on syntax, semantics and pragmatics, for the purposes of advanced natural language processing. This database mainly consists of a lexicon and a treebank: Lexeed (a Japanese Semantic Lexicon) and the Hinoki Treebank. Fundamental vocabulary selection is the first step in the construction of Lexeed. The vocabulary should include sufficient words to describe general concepts for self-expandability, and should not be prohibitively large to construct and maintain. There are two conventional methods for selecting fundamental vocabulary. The first is intuition-based selection by experts. This is the traditional method for making dictionaries. A weak point of this method is that the selection strongly depends on personal intuition. The second is corpus-based selection. This method is superior in objectivity to intuition-based selection, however, it is difficult to compile a sufficiently balanced corpora. We propose a psychologically-motivated selection method that adopts word familiarity as the selection criterion. Word familiarity is a rating that represents the familiarity of a word as a real number ranging from 1 (least familiar) to 7 (most familiar). We determined the word familiarity ratings statistically based on psychological experiments over 32 subjects. We selected about 30,000 words as the fundamental vocabulary, based on a minimum word familiarity threshold of 5. We also evaluated the vocabulary by comparing its word coverage with conventional intuition-based and corpus-based selection over dictionary definition sentences and novels, and demonstrated the superior coverage of our lexicon. Based on this, we conclude that the proposed method is superior to conventional methods for fundamental vocabulary selection.

The Tyranny of the Temporal Dimension: Learning about Fundamental Values through the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexandersson, Mikael; Runesson, Ulla

2006-01-01

In this article we report on one of four schools involved in a research project aiming to develop knowledge about the way in which teaching knowledge is conveyed with the help of information and communication technology. A particular interest was issues of fundamental values. Two classes in Grade 9 of Swedish compulsory school were studied, by…

Exploring the Relationship between Secondary Science Teachers' Subject Matter Knowledge and Knowledge of Student Conceptions While Teaching Evolution by Natural Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucero, Margaret M.; Petrosino, Anthony J.; Delgado, Cesar

2017-01-01

The fundamental scientific concept of evolution occurring by natural selection is home to many deeply held alternative conceptions and considered difficult to teach. Science teachers' subject matter knowledge (SMK) and the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) component of knowledge of students' conceptions (KOSC) can be valuable resources for…

Emotion Processes in Knowledge Revision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trevors, Gregory J.; Kendeou, Panayiota; Butterfuss, Reese

2017-01-01

In recent years, a number of insights have been gained into the cognitive processes that explain how individuals overcome misconceptions and revise their previously acquired incorrect knowledge. The current study complements this line of research by investigating the moment-by-moment emotion processes that occur during knowledge revision using a…

The critical success factors and impact of prior knowledge to nursing students when transferring nursing knowledge during nursing clinical practise.

PubMed

Tsai, Ming-Tien; Tsai, Ling-Long

2005-11-01

Nursing practise plays an important role in transferring nursing knowledge to nursing students. From the related literature review, prior knowledge will affect how learners gain new knowledge. There has been no direct examination of the prior knowledge interaction effect on students' performance and its influence on nursing students when evaluating the knowledge transfer success factors. This study explores (1) the critical success factors in transferring nursing knowledge, (2) the impact of prior knowledge when evaluating the success factors for transferring nursing knowledge. This research utilizes in-depth interviews to probe the initial success factor phase. A total of 422 valid questionnaires were conducted by the authors. The data were analysed by comparing the mean score and t-test between two groups. Seventeen critical success factors were identified by the two groups of students. Twelve items were selected to examine the diversity in the two groups. Students with prior knowledge were more independent than the other group. They also preferred self-directed learning over students without prior knowledge. Students who did not have prior knowledge were eager to take every opportunity to gain experience and more readily adopted new knowledge.

Waking Up from Four Decades' Long Dream of Valorizing Agro-Food Byproducts: Toward Practical Applications of the Gained Knowledge.

PubMed

Domínguez-Perles, Raúl; Moreno, Diego A; García-Viguera, Cristina

2018-03-28

The late 1970s was the onset of literature about the first research outputs on alternatives to create added-value to agro-food byproducts focused on the reduction of the dependency on raw materials and, simultaneously, helping to reduce the environmental impacts of the agricultural activities. This trend, increased over the years and during the past decade, has been boosted by the growing concern of the socio-economic impact of wastes from agro-food activities, however, with little success of the proposed applications. Throughout four decades an array of studies have emerged, aimed to gain evidence on the relevance of innovation in the agro-food industry, as well as to overcome this situation. To our knowledge, only a few cases, summarized in the present perspective, represent the main alternatives currently available for the valorization of agro-food byproducts, with indications of some constraints that need to be addressed, in the coming years, to obtain a real profit from these products.

Excitonic Gain and Laser Action in Zinc Selenide Based Quantum Confined Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Jian

1992-01-01

Successful doping (both n and p type) and the knowledge obtained through optical pumping studies of ZnSe/ZnCdSe quantum well laser structures have led to the successful realization of ZnCdSe/ZnSe/ZnCdSSe and ZnCdSe/ZnSe injection diode lasers at temperatures above 200K, so far under pulsed excitation, where ZnSe/ZnCdSe quantum wells (single or multiple) are used as the gain media. One of the key design issues in optimizing such diode lasers for eventual room temperature, continuous-wave (cw) operation in technological applications (such as high density optical memories) is the question about the microscopic mechanism responsible for gain and stimulated emission. In other words, are there departures from the standard degenerate electron -hole pair picture which is rooted in population inversion models e.g. for the III-V semiconductor lasers, including quantum wells (QW). That some closer consideration may indeed be appropriate is suggested by the strong excitonic effects which have been recently observed in the optical properties of ZnSe based QW's. In particular, it has been demonstrated that for the type I (Zn,Cd)Se/ZnSe QW system, the quasi-2 dimensional (2D) confinement of electron-hole pairs leads to enhancement of the exciton binding energy E_{rm x}, such that it exceeds the longitudinal optical (LO) phonon energy hbaromega_{sc LO }. In striking contrast to bulk ZnSe, strong, distinct exciton absorption features can be seen well above room temperature. The question hence arises whether exciton effects might also be of fundamental and practical consequence in laser structures. In this thesis, we present experimental evidence to argue that excitons indeed do play a central role in the formation of gain in the (Zn,Cd)Se/ZnSe QW's which have emerged as the prime candidates for diode lasers in the blue-green portion of the spectrum. By employing both steady state and picosecond spectroscopy, we show that the origin of gain and laser action in (Zn,Cd)Se/ZnSe quantum

Mercury Detection with Gold Nanoparticles: Investigating Fundamental Phenomena and Expanding Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crosby, Jeffrey Scott

Mercury is a pollutant of grave concern with well documented neurological and developmental health impacts. Better sensing methodology would improve detection and control of mercury and thus reduce its health burden. Gold nanoparticles provide a sensing medium with potential advantages in sensitivity, selectivity, robustness, and cost over established techniques. Mercury readily adsorbs onto the surface of the gold changing the localized surface plasmon resonance which is measured as a shift in the peak optical absorbance wavelength. This shift is dependent on the mercury concentration and predictable with classical electromagnetism. This work investigates some of the fundamental relationships driving sensor response. The effects of mass transfer and surface kinetics on mercury/gold nanoparticle adsorption are determined with analytical models and experimental results based on impinging flow geometry. To decouple mass transfer and surface kinetics adsorption, electrical analogy models are constructed and fit to the experimental data. The models can account for variations in flow conditions and surface coatings on the nanoparticles. These models are generalizable to other systems. Results from these fundamental investigations are used to improve and extend sensor performance. The time response or collection efficiency is optimized depending on system requirements. Using the knowledge gained, the applicability of gold nanoparticle mercury sensors is extended to a fiber optic based system and aqueous detection. Nanorods deposited on the surface of a fiber optic cable have a linear response with concentration and are able to detect mercury down to 1.0 mug/m3. The modification of an established oxidation/reduction scheme for use with the sensor allows for the detection of ionic and organic mercury from water samples which ordinarily would not be reactive with gold nanoparticles. The aqueous sensor was able to detect mercury below the EPA's drinking water limit.

Developmental Foundations of Children's Fraction Magnitude Knowledge.

PubMed

Mou, Yi; Li, Yaoran; Hoard, Mary K; Nugent, Lara D; Chu, Felicia W; Rouder, Jeffrey N; Geary, David C

2016-01-01

The conceptual insight that fractions represent magnitudes is a critical yet daunting step in children's mathematical development, and the knowledge of fraction magnitudes influences children's later mathematics learning including algebra. In this study, longitudinal data were analyzed to identify the mathematical knowledge and domain-general competencies that predicted 8 th and 9 th graders' (n=122) knowledge of fraction magnitudes and its cross-grade gains. Performance on the fraction magnitude measures predicted 9 th grade algebra achievement. Understanding and fluently identifying the numerator-denominator relation in 7 th grade emerged as the key predictor of later fraction magnitudes knowledge in both 8 th and 9 th grades. Competence at using fraction procedures, knowledge of whole number magnitudes, and the central executive contributed to 9 th but not 8 th graders' fraction magnitude knowledge, and knowledge of whole number magnitude contributed to cross-grade gains. The key results suggest fluent processing of numerator-denominator relations presages students' understanding of fractions as magnitudes and that the integration of whole number and fraction magnitudes occurs gradually.

Constructing cardiovascular fitness knowledge in physical education

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tan; Chen, Ang; Chen, Senlin; Hong, Deockki; Loflin, Jerry; Ennis, Catherine

2015-01-01

In physical education, it has become necessary for children to learn kinesiological knowledge for understanding the benefits of physical activity and developing a physically active lifestyle. This study was conducted to determine the extent to which cognitive assignments about healthful living and fitness contributed to knowledge growth on cardiorespiratory fitness and health. Fourth grade students (N = 616) from 15 randomly sampled urban elementary schools completed 34 cognitive assignments related to the cardiorespiratory physical activities they were engaged in across 10 lessons. Performance on the assignments were analyzed in relation to their knowledge gain measured using a standardized knowledge test. A multivariate discriminant analysis revealed that the cognitive assignments contributed to knowledge gain but the contribution varied assignment by assignment. A multiple regression analysis indicated that students’ assignment performance by lesson contributed positively to their knowledge growth scores. A content analysis based on the constructivist learning framework showed that observing–reasoning assignments contributed the most to knowledge growth. Analytical and analytical–application assignments contributed less than the constructivist theories would predict. PMID:25995702

Fundamental Activity Constraints Lead to Specific Interpretations of the Connectome.

PubMed

Schuecker, Jannis; Schmidt, Maximilian; van Albada, Sacha J; Diesmann, Markus; Helias, Moritz

2017-02-01

The continuous integration of experimental data into coherent models of the brain is an increasing challenge of modern neuroscience. Such models provide a bridge between structure and activity, and identify the mechanisms giving rise to experimental observations. Nevertheless, structurally realistic network models of spiking neurons are necessarily underconstrained even if experimental data on brain connectivity are incorporated to the best of our knowledge. Guided by physiological observations, any model must therefore explore the parameter ranges within the uncertainty of the data. Based on simulation results alone, however, the mechanisms underlying stable and physiologically realistic activity often remain obscure. We here employ a mean-field reduction of the dynamics, which allows us to include activity constraints into the process of model construction. We shape the phase space of a multi-scale network model of the vision-related areas of macaque cortex by systematically refining its connectivity. Fundamental constraints on the activity, i.e., prohibiting quiescence and requiring global stability, prove sufficient to obtain realistic layer- and area-specific activity. Only small adaptations of the structure are required, showing that the network operates close to an instability. The procedure identifies components of the network critical to its collective dynamics and creates hypotheses for structural data and future experiments. The method can be applied to networks involving any neuron model with a known gain function.

School Principals' Sources of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, Arland Early

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine what sources of professional knowledge are available to principals in 1 rural East Tennessee school district. Qualitative research methods were applied to gain an understanding of what sources of knowledge are used by school principals in 1 rural East Tennessee school district and the barriers they face…

Cultural border crossing: The interaction between fundamental Christian beliefs and scientific explanations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elimbi, Celestine Nakeli

The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction between people's fundamental Christian beliefs and scientific explanations. When people with fundamental Christian beliefs encounter scientific explanations, such explanations may interact with their deeply rooted beliefs in a way that is likely to produce tensions. It is expedient to understand the classroom/professional experiences of such individuals and how they manage these tensions. I will apply Jegede's collateral learning theory as a lens to look at how individuals manage the tensions between their religious and scientific worldviews. Gaining insight into people's experiences in the classroom/work place and how they manage these tensions will potentially inform classroom instruction and ways by which we can help students with fundamental Christian beliefs maintain their pursuit of science related careers by easing the nature of the borders they cross. Sources of data will include participant reported perspectives of how they manage the tensions and observations of real-time resolution of potentially conflicting explanations from their religious and scientific worldviews.

Design Process of a Goal-Based Scenario on Computing Fundamentals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beriswill, Joanne Elizabeth

2014-01-01

In this design case, an instructor developed a goal-based scenario (GBS) for undergraduate computer fundamentals students to apply their knowledge of computer equipment and software. The GBS, entitled the MegaTech Project, presented the students with descriptions of the everyday activities of four persons needing to purchase a computer system. The…

Measuring Student Learning in Social Statistics: A Pretest-Posttest Study of Knowledge Gain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delucchi, Michael

2014-01-01

This study used a pretest-posttest design to measure student learning in undergraduate statistics. Data were derived from 185 students enrolled in six different sections of a social statistics course taught over a seven-year period by the same sociology instructor. The pretest-posttest instrument reveals statistically significant gains in…

Exploring Preschool Children’s Science Content Knowledge

PubMed Central

Guo, Ying; Piasta, Shayne B.; Bowles, Ryan P.

2014-01-01

Research Findings The purpose of this study was to describe children’s science content knowledge and examine the early predictors of science content knowledge in a sample of 194 typically developing preschool children. Children’s science content knowledge was assessed in the fall (Time 1) and spring (Time 2) of the preschool year. Results showed that children exhibited significant gains in science content knowledge over the course of the preschool year. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicated that the level of maternal education (i.e., holding at least a bachelor’s degree) significantly predicted children’s Time 1 science content knowledge. Children’s cognitive, math, and language skills at Time 1 were all significant concurrent predictors of Time 1 science content knowledge. However, only Time 1 math skills significantly predicted residualized gains in science content knowledge (i.e., Time 2 scores with Time 1 scores as covariates). Practice or Policy Factors related to individual differences in young children’s science content knowledge may be important for early childhood educators to consider in their efforts to provide more support to children who may need help with science learning. PMID:25541574

Parental Strategies for Knowledge of Adolescents’ Friends: Distinct from Monitoring?

PubMed Central

Miller, Brenda A.; Duke, Michael R.; Ames, Genevieve M.

2012-01-01

Parental monitoring is defined as a set of behaviors used to gain knowledge about an adolescent’s whereabouts, friends and associates, and activities. However, can knowledge of adolescents’ whereabouts/activities, and friends all be attained through the same strategies? Or do they require their own strategies? This study used qualitative interviews with 173 parents of older adolescents from 100 families. Emergent themes described strategies by which parents gain information about their adolescents’ friends and the substance use of those friends. The strategies included direct interaction with the friend, gaining information from the teen, using second-hand sources, and making assumptions. Some of these strategies were consistent with previous research, while others raise new questions and provide interesting new directions to pursue. Primarily, additional consideration needs to be given to assessments of parental monitoring that include strategies for gaining knowledge of adolescents’ friends and their substance use. PMID:23209361

Knowledge acquisition for temporal abstraction.

PubMed

Stein, A; Musen, M A; Shahar, Y

1996-01-01

Temporal abstraction is the task of detecting relevant patterns in data over time. The knowledge-based temporal-abstraction method uses knowledge about a clinical domain's contexts, external events, and parameters to create meaningful interval-based abstractions from raw time-stamped clinical data. In this paper, we describe the acquisition and maintenance of domain-specific temporal-abstraction knowledge. Using the PROTEGE-II framework, we have designed a graphical tool for acquiring temporal knowledge directly from expert physicians, maintaining the knowledge in a sharable form, and converting the knowledge into a suitable format for use by an appropriate problem-solving method. In initial tests, the tool offered significant gains in our ability to rapidly acquire temporal knowledge and to use that knowledge to perform automated temporal reasoning.

The Case for Creative Abrasion: Experts Speak Out on Knowledge Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowley-Durst, Barbara; Christensen, Hal D.; Degler, Duane; Weidner, Douglas; Feldstein, Michael

2001-01-01

Five knowledge management (KM) experts discuss answers to six fundamental issues of KM that address: a definition of knowledge and KM; relationship between business and KM; whether technology has helped the knowledge worker; relationship between learning, performance, knowledge, and community; the promise of knowledge ecology or ecosystem and…

Deaf Learners' Knowledge of English Universal Quantifiers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berent, Gerald P.; Kelly, Ronald R.; Porter, Jeffrey E.; Fonzi, Judith

2008-01-01

Deaf and hearing students' knowledge of English sentences containing universal quantifiers was compared through their performance on a 50-item, multiple-picture task that required students to decide whether each of five pictures represented a possible meaning of a target sentence. The task assessed fundamental knowledge of quantifier sentences,…

Digital Storytelling and the Nature of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Michael; Lee, Shu-Shing; Hung, David W.

2014-01-01

While storytelling pedagogy presents novel perspectives and affordances to educators, a fundamental question that bears attention is the match between storytelling pedagogy and the nature of knowledge. Quite simply, the problem may be posed thus: is storytelling the optimum means for teaching all forms of knowledge? While rather obvious matches…

Relativities of fundamentality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, Kerry

2017-08-01

S-dualities have been held to have radical implications for our metaphysics of fundamentality. In particular, it has been claimed that they make the fundamentality status of a physical object theory-relative in an important new way. But what physicists have had to say on the issue has not been clear or consistent, and in particular seems to be ambiguous between whether S-dualities demand an anti-realist interpretation of fundamentality talk or merely a revised realism. This paper is an attempt to bring some clarity to the matter. After showing that even antecedently familiar fundamentality claims are true only relative to a raft of metaphysical, physical, and mathematical assumptions, I argue that the relativity of fundamentality inherent in S-duality nevertheless represents something new, and that part of the reason for this is that it has both realist and anti-realist implications for fundamentality talk. I close by discussing the broader significance that S-dualities have for structuralist metaphysics and for fundamentality metaphysics more generally.

Historical account on gaining insights on the mechanism of crown gall tumorigenesis induced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

PubMed Central

Kado, Clarence I.

2014-01-01

The plant tumor disease known as crown gall was not called by that name until more recent times. Galls on plants were described by Malpighi (1679) who believed that these extraordinary growth are spontaneously produced. Agrobacterium was first isolated from tumors in 1897 by Fridiano Cavara in Napoli, Italy. After this bacterium was recognized to be the cause of crown gall disease, questions were raised on the mechanism by which it caused tumors on a variety of plants. Numerous very detailed studies led to the identification of Agrobacterium tumefaciens as the causal bacterium that cleverly transferred a genetic principle to plant host cells and integrated it into their chromosomes. Such studies have led to a variety of sophisticated mechanisms used by this organism to aid in its survival against competing microorganisms. Knowledge gained from these fundamental discoveries has opened many avenues for researchers to examine their primary organisms of study for similar mechanisms of pathogenesis in both plants and animals. These discoveries also advanced the genetic engineering of domesticated plants for improved food and fiber. PMID:25147542

Developmental Foundations of Children’s Fraction Magnitude Knowledge

PubMed Central

Mou, Yi; Li, Yaoran; Hoard, Mary K.; Nugent, Lara D.; Chu, Felicia W.; Rouder, Jeffrey N.; Geary, David C.

2016-01-01

The conceptual insight that fractions represent magnitudes is a critical yet daunting step in children’s mathematical development, and the knowledge of fraction magnitudes influences children’s later mathematics learning including algebra. In this study, longitudinal data were analyzed to identify the mathematical knowledge and domain-general competencies that predicted 8th and 9th graders’ (n=122) knowledge of fraction magnitudes and its cross-grade gains. Performance on the fraction magnitude measures predicted 9th grade algebra achievement. Understanding and fluently identifying the numerator-denominator relation in 7th grade emerged as the key predictor of later fraction magnitudes knowledge in both 8th and 9th grades. Competence at using fraction procedures, knowledge of whole number magnitudes, and the central executive contributed to 9th but not 8th graders’ fraction magnitude knowledge, and knowledge of whole number magnitude contributed to cross-grade gains. The key results suggest fluent processing of numerator-denominator relations presages students’ understanding of fractions as magnitudes and that the integration of whole number and fraction magnitudes occurs gradually. PMID:27773965

Information Gain Based Dimensionality Selection for Classifying Text Documents

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

Dumidu Wijayasekara; Milos Manic; Miles McQueen

2013-06-01

Selecting the optimal dimensions for various knowledge extraction applications is an essential component of data mining. Dimensionality selection techniques are utilized in classification applications to increase the classification accuracy and reduce the computational complexity. In text classification, where the dimensionality of the dataset is extremely high, dimensionality selection is even more important. This paper presents a novel, genetic algorithm based methodology, for dimensionality selection in text mining applications that utilizes information gain. The presented methodology uses information gain of each dimension to change the mutation probability of chromosomes dynamically. Since the information gain is calculated a priori, the computational complexitymore » is not affected. The presented method was tested on a specific text classification problem and compared with conventional genetic algorithm based dimensionality selection. The results show an improvement of 3% in the true positives and 1.6% in the true negatives over conventional dimensionality selection methods.« less

Development and Preliminary Validation of a Comprehensive Questionnaire to Assess Women’s Knowledge and Perception of the Current Weight Gain Guidelines during Pregnancy

PubMed Central

Ockenden, Holly; Gunnell, Katie; Giles, Audrey; Nerenberg, Kara; Goldfield, Gary; Manyanga, Taru; Adamo, Kristi

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an electronic questionnaire, the Electronic Maternal Health Survey (EMat Health Survey), related to women’s knowledge and perceptions of the current gestational weight gain guidelines (GWG), as well as pregnancy-related health behaviours. Constructs addressed within the questionnaire include self-efficacy, locus of control, perceived barriers, and facilitators of physical activity and diet, outcome expectations, social environment and health practices. Content validity was examined using an expert panel (n = 7) and pilot testing items in a small sample (n = 5) of pregnant women and recent mothers (target population). Test re-test reliability was assessed among a sample (n = 71) of the target population. Reliability scores were calculated for all constructs (r and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC)), those with a score of >0.5 were considered acceptable. The content validity of the questionnaire reflects the degree to which all relevant components of excessive GWG risk in women are included. Strong test-retest reliability was found in the current study, indicating that responses to the questionnaire were reliable in this population. The EMat Health Survey adds to the growing body of literature on maternal health and gestational weight gain by providing the first comprehensive questionnaire that can be self-administered and remotely accessed. The questionnaire can be completed in 15–25 min and collects useful data on various social determinants of health and GWG as well as associated health behaviours. This online tool may assist researchers by providing them with a platform to collect useful information in developing and tailoring interventions to better support women in achieving recommended weight gain targets in pregnancy. PMID:27916921

Analysis of beam propagation characteristics in gain-guided, index antiguided fibers with the beam propagation method.

PubMed

Ai, Fei; Qian, Jianqiang; Shi, Junfeng; Zhang, Machi

2017-10-10

The transmission properties of beams in gain fibers are studied with the complex refractive index beam propagation method (CRI-BPM). The method is checked by comparison with an analytic method. The behavior of a gain-guided, index antiguided (GG-IAG) fiber with different gain coefficients is studied. The simulation results show that the signal can transfer in the fiber with almost no loss when the gain coefficient reaches the threshold of the fundamental mode, and the shape of output spot will have no major changes when the gain coefficient is over the thresholds of high-order modes, even when the mode competition is not obvious. The CRI-BPM can predict the changes in light power and light mode at the same time, and will be very useful in the designing of fiber amplifiers and lasers with complex structures. More factors will be considered in this method to provide reference for practical application in our further research.

Characterizing and Representing Student's Conceptual Knowledge of Chemical Bonding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yayon, Malka; Mamlok-Naaman, Rachel; Fortus, David

2012-01-01

Chemical bonding knowledge is fundamental and essential to the understanding of almost every topic in chemistry, but it is very difficult to learn. While many studies have characterized some of the central elements of knowledge of this topic, these elements of knowledge have not been systematically organized. We describe the development and…

Determining knowledge and behaviour change after nutrition screening among older adults.

PubMed

Southgate, Katherine M; Keller, Heather H; Reimer, Holly D

2010-01-01

Two education interventions involving personalized messages after nutrition screening in older adults were compared to determine changes in nutrition knowledge and risk behaviour. Of 150 older adults randomly selected from a local seniors' centre, 61 completed baseline screening and a demographic and nutrition knowledge questionnaire and were randomized to one of two groups. Group A received personalized letters plus an educational booklet, and Group B received personalized letters only. All materials were sent through the mail. Forty-four participants completed post-test questionnaires to determine change in knowledge and risk behaviour. Both groups had reduced nutrition risk scores and increased knowledge scores at post-test. After the intervention, a significant difference was observed in knowledge change by treatment group. Group A participants experienced greater gains in knowledge, with a mean gain of 5.43 points, than did those in Group B, who had a mean gain of 1.36 points (p=0.018). Screening and education with print materials have the potential to change risk behaviour and nutrition knowledge in older adults. A specially designed booklet on older adults' nutrition risk factors plus a personalized letter provide an effective education strategy for older adults after screening.

Collaborative Research Seed Grants for Integrating Knowledges and Creating New Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freitag, Amy

2015-01-01

Incorporating different ways of knowing in research and management has the potential to bring creativity to environmental problem-solving through integrating ways of knowing and innovation via co-producing knowledge. To gain these benefits, North Carolina Sea Grant Extension offers small annual grants called Fisheries Resource Grants to paired…

VIIRS day-night band gain and offset determination and performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geis, J.; Florio, C.; Moyer, D.; Rausch, K.; De Luccia, F. J.

2012-09-01

On October 28th, 2011, the Visible-Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) was launched on-board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) spacecraft. The instrument has 22 spectral bands: 14 reflective solar bands (RSB), 7 thermal emissive bands (TEB), and a Day Night Band (DNB). The DNB is a panchromatic, solar reflective band that provides visible through near infrared (IR) imagery of earth scenes with radiances spanning 7 orders of magnitude. In order to function over this large dynamic range, the DNB employs a focal plane array (FPA) consisting of three gain stages: the low gain stage (LGS), the medium gain stage (MGS), and the high gain stage (HGS). The final product generated from a DNB raw data record (RDR) is a radiance sensor data record (SDR). Generation of the SDR requires accurate knowledge of the dark offsets and gain coefficients for each DNB stage. These are measured on-orbit and stored in lookup tables (LUT) that are used during ground processing. This paper will discuss the details of the offset and gain measurement, data analysis methodologies, the operational LUT update process, and results to date including a first look at trending of these parameters over the early life of the instrument.

Age differences in suggestibility to contradictions of demonstrated knowledge: the influence of prior knowledge.

PubMed

Umanath, Sharda

2016-11-01

People maintain intact general knowledge into very old age and use it to support remembering. Interestingly, when older and younger adults encounter errors that contradict general knowledge, older adults suffer fewer memorial consequences: Older adults use fewer recently-encountered errors as answers for later knowledge questions. Why do older adults show this reduced suggestibility, and what role does their intact knowledge play? In three experiments, I examined suggestibility following exposure to errors in fictional stories that contradict general knowledge. Older adults consistently demonstrated more prior knowledge than younger adults but also gained access to even more across time. Additionally, they did not show a reduction in new learning from the stories, indicating lesser involvement of episodic memory failures. Critically, when knowledge was stably accessible, older adults relied more heavily on that knowledge compared to younger adults, resulting in reduced suggestibility. Implications for the broader role of knowledge in aging are discussed.

Combustion Fundamentals Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Increased emphasis is placed on fundamental and generic research at Lewis Research Center with less systems development efforts. This is especially true in combustion research, where the study of combustion fundamentals has grown significantly in order to better address the perceived long term technical needs of the aerospace industry. The main thrusts for this combustion fundamentals program area are as follows: analytical models of combustion processes, model verification experiments, fundamental combustion experiments, and advanced numeric techniques.

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation:Knowledge Gain and Knowledge Gap after 40 years of research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thenkabail, P. S.; Huete, A. R.

2012-12-01

This presentation summarizes the advances made over 40+ years in understanding, modeling, and mapping terrestrial vegetation as reported in the new book on "Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation" (Publisher: Taylor and Francis inc.). The advent of spaceborne hyperspectral sensors or imaging spectroscopy (e.g., NASA's Hyperion, ESA's PROBA, and upcoming Italy's ASI's Prisma, Germany's DLR's EnMAP, Japanese HIUSI, NASA's HyspIRI) as well as the advancements in processing large volumes of hyperspectral data have generated tremendous interest in expanding the hyperspectral applications' knowledge base to large areas. Advances made in using hyperspectral data, relative to broadband spectral data, include: (a) significantly improved characterization and modeling of a wide array of biophysical and biochemical properties of vegetation, (b) the ability to discriminate plant species and vegetation types with high degree of accuracy, (c) reduced uncertainty in determining net primary productivity or carbon assessments from terrestrial vegetation, (d) improved crop productivity and water productivity models, (e) the ability to assess stress resulting from causes such as management practices, pests and disease, water deficit or water excess, and (f) establishing wavebands and indices with greater sensitivity for analyzing vegetation characteristics. Current state of knowledge on hyperspectral narrowbands (HNBs) for agricultural and vegetation studies inferred from the Book entitled hyperspectral remote sensing of vegetation by Thenkabail et al., 2011. Six study areas of the World for which we have extensive data from field spectroradiometers for 8 major world crops (wheat, corn, rice, barley, soybeans, pulses, and cotton). Approx. 10,500 such data points will be used in crop modeling and in building spectral libraries.

Developing Learning Progression-Based Teacher Knowledge Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Hui; Shin, HyoJeong; Johnson, Michele E.; Kim, JinHo; Anderson, Charles W.

2015-01-01

This study developed learning progression-based measures of science teachers' content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The measures focus on an important topic in secondary science curriculum using scientific reasoning (i.e., tracing matter, tracing energy, and connecting scales) to explain plants gaining weight and…

Human white matter and knowledge representation.

PubMed

Pestilli, Franco

2018-04-01

Understanding how knowledge is represented in the human brain is a fundamental challenge in neuroscience. To date, most of the work on this topic has focused on knowledge representation in cortical areas and debated whether knowledge is represented in a distributed or localized fashion. Fang and colleagues provide evidence that brain connections and the white matter supporting such connections might play a significant role. The work opens new avenues of investigation, breaking through disciplinary boundaries across network neuroscience, computational neuroscience, cognitive science, and classical lesion studies.

Planets and satellites: A survey of fundamental facts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kopal, Z.

1972-01-01

An account of the fundamental properties of the planets of the solar system and of their satellites including their masses, dimensions and distances is presented. The observational uncertainty in present knowledge of planetary masses and dimensions (or mean densities) is discussed critically. The fact is pointed out that the initial scale of the solar system may have differed appreciably from the present one. Observed phenomena which can furnish empirical information on the internal structure of the planetary globes will also be reviewed.

Valuing Local Knowledge: Indigenous People and Intellectual Property Rights.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brush, Stephen B., Ed.; Stabinsky, Doreen, Ed.

Intellectual property enables individuals to gain financially from sharing unique and useful knowledge. Compensating indigenous people for sharing their knowledge and resources might both validate and be an equitable reward for indigenous knowledge of biological resources, and might promote the conservation of those resources. This book contains…

Unconscious knowledge: A survey

PubMed Central

Augusto, Luís M.

2011-01-01

The concept of unconscious knowledge is fundamental for an understanding of human thought processes and mentation in general; however, the psychological community at large is not familiar with it. This paper offers a survey of the main psychological research currently being carried out into cognitive processes, and examines pathways that can be integrated into a discipline of unconscious knowledge. It shows that the field has already a defined history and discusses some of the features that all kinds of unconscious knowledge seem to share at a deeper level. With the aim of promoting further research, we discuss the main challenges which the postulation of unconscious cognition faces within the psychological community. PMID:21814538

ICT and Information Strategies for a Knowledge Economy: The Indian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghosh, Maitrayee; Ghosh, Ipsheet

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the progress India has made in its move towards a knowledge-based economy with details of how the Indian Government has demonstrated its commitment to the development of fundamental pillars of knowledge sharing infrastructure, knowledge workers and a knowledge innovation system. Libraries are…

Assessing the Science Knowledge of University Students: Perils, Pitfalls and Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Susan M.

2014-01-01

Science content knowledge is internationally regarded as a fundamentally important learning outcome for graduates of bachelor level science degrees: the Science Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) recently adopted in Australia as a nationally agreed framework include "Science Knowledge" as TLO 2. Science knowledge is commonly assessed…

Human white matter and knowledge representation

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Understanding how knowledge is represented in the human brain is a fundamental challenge in neuroscience. To date, most of the work on this topic has focused on knowledge representation in cortical areas and debated whether knowledge is represented in a distributed or localized fashion. Fang and colleagues provide evidence that brain connections and the white matter supporting such connections might play a significant role. The work opens new avenues of investigation, breaking through disciplinary boundaries across network neuroscience, computational neuroscience, cognitive science, and classical lesion studies. PMID:29698391

Reconstruction of Pedagogical Education--The Fundamental and the Applied in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asadullin, Rail Mirvaevich; Teregulov, Filarit Sharifovich

2015-01-01

Authors propose a new approach for the development of educational sphere, where philosophical categories of fundamental and applied knowledge are considered as two counter processes of reality and pole cognition, between which project-technological activity is carried out. This fact allows to treat any pedagogical project as a compromise decision,…

Unintended knowledge learnt in primary science practical lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jisun; Abrahams, Ian; Song, Jinwoong

2016-11-01

This study explored the different kinds of unintended learning in primary school practical science lessons. In this study, unintended learning has been defined as student learning that was found to occur that was not included in the teachers learning objectives for that specific lesson. A total of 22 lessons, taught by five teachers in Korean primary schools with 10- to 12-year-old students, were audio-and video recorded. Pre-lesson interviews with the teachers were conducted to ascertain their intended learning objectives. Students were asked to write short memos after the lesson about what they learnt. Post-lesson interviews with students and teachers were undertaken. What emerged was that there were three types of knowledge that students learnt unintentionally: factual knowledge gained by phenomenon-based reasoning, conceptual knowledge gained by relation- or model-based reasoning, and procedural knowledge acquired by practice. Most unintended learning found in this study fell into the factual knowledge and only a few cases of conceptual knowledge were found. Cases of both explicit procedural knowledge and implicit procedural knowledge were found. This study is significant in that it suggests how unintended learning in practical work can be facilitated as an educative opportunity for meaningful learning by exploring what and how students learnt.

Changing the Spatial Scope of Attention Alters Patterns of Neural Gain in Human Cortex

PubMed Central

Garcia, Javier O.; Rungratsameetaweemana, Nuttida; Sprague, Thomas C.

2014-01-01

Over the last several decades, spatial attention has been shown to influence the activity of neurons in visual cortex in various ways. These conflicting observations have inspired competing models to account for the influence of attention on perception and behavior. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) in human subjects and showed that highly focused spatial attention primarily enhanced neural responses to high-contrast stimuli (response gain), whereas distributed attention primarily enhanced responses to medium-contrast stimuli (contrast gain). Together, these data suggest that different patterns of neural modulation do not reflect fundamentally different neural mechanisms, but instead reflect changes in the spatial extent of attention. PMID:24381272

Optimal Financial Knowledge and Wealth Inequality*

PubMed Central

Lusardi, Annamaria; Michaud, Pierre-Carl; Mitchell, Olivia S.

2017-01-01

We show that financial knowledge is a key determinant of wealth inequality in a stochastic lifecycle model with endogenous financial knowledge accumulation, where financial knowledge enables individuals to better allocate lifetime resources in a world of uncertainty and imperfect insurance. Moreover, because of how the U.S. social insurance system works, better-educated individuals have most to gain from investing in financial knowledge. Our parsimonious specification generates substantial wealth inequality relative to a one-asset saving model and one where returns on wealth depend on portfolio composition alone. We estimate that 30–40 percent of retirement wealth inequality is accounted for by financial knowledge. PMID:28555088

Refinement of an Instrument to Assess Readiness for Knowledge Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

knowledge from an Aristotlean view of the five types of knowledge: scientific, skills-based, experiential, intuition and theoretical knowledge of...al., 1999). Other researchers have explored the creation of new knowledge in organizations and a number of theories exist that seek to describe how...Holt, Bartczak, Clark, & Trent, 2004; Prusak, 2001), I am not aware of any comprehensive effort that integrates the fundamental theories of

Evaluation of an Intelligent Tutoring System in Pathology: Effects of External Representation on Performance Gains, Metacognition, and Acceptance

PubMed Central

Crowley, Rebecca S.; Legowski, Elizabeth; Medvedeva, Olga; Tseytlin, Eugene; Roh, Ellen; Jukic, Drazen

2007-01-01

Objective Determine effects of computer-based tutoring on diagnostic performance gains, meta-cognition, and acceptance using two different problem representations. Describe impact of tutoring on spectrum of diagnostic skills required for task performance. Identify key features of student-tutor interaction contributing to learning gains. Design Prospective, between-subjects study, controlled for participant level of training. Resident physicians in two academic pathology programs spent four hours using one of two interfaces which differed mainly in external problem representation. The case-focused representation provided an open-learning environment in which students were free to explore evidence-hypothesis relationships within a case, but could not visualize the entire diagnostic space. The knowledge-focused representation provided an interactive representation of the entire diagnostic space, which more tightly constrained student actions. Measurements Metrics included results of pretest, post-test and retention-test for multiple choice and case diagnosis tests, ratios of performance to student reported certainty, results of participant survey, learning curves, and interaction behaviors during tutoring. Results Students had highly significant learning gains after one tutoring session. Learning was retained at one week. There were no differences between the two interfaces in learning gains on post-test or retention test. Only students in the knowledge-focused interface exhibited significant metacognitive gains from pretest to post-test and pretest to retention test. Students rated the knowledge-focused interface significantly higher than the case-focused interface. Conclusions Cognitive tutoring is associated with improved diagnostic performance in a complex medical domain. The effect is retained at one-week post-training. Knowledge-focused external problem representation shows an advantage over case-focused representation for metacognitive effects and user

Evaluation of an intelligent tutoring system in pathology: effects of external representation on performance gains, metacognition, and acceptance.

PubMed

Crowley, Rebecca S; Legowski, Elizabeth; Medvedeva, Olga; Tseytlin, Eugene; Roh, Ellen; Jukic, Drazen

2007-01-01

Determine effects of computer-based tutoring on diagnostic performance gains, meta-cognition, and acceptance using two different problem representations. Describe impact of tutoring on spectrum of diagnostic skills required for task performance. Identify key features of student-tutor interaction contributing to learning gains. Prospective, between-subjects study, controlled for participant level of training. Resident physicians in two academic pathology programs spent four hours using one of two interfaces which differed mainly in external problem representation. The case-focused representation provided an open-learning environment in which students were free to explore evidence-hypothesis relationships within a case, but could not visualize the entire diagnostic space. The knowledge-focused representation provided an interactive representation of the entire diagnostic space, which more tightly constrained student actions. Metrics included results of pretest, post-test and retention-test for multiple choice and case diagnosis tests, ratios of performance to student reported certainty, results of participant survey, learning curves, and interaction behaviors during tutoring. Students had highly significant learning gains after one tutoring session. Learning was retained at one week. There were no differences between the two interfaces in learning gains on post-test or retention test. Only students in the knowledge-focused interface exhibited significant metacognitive gains from pretest to post-test and pretest to retention test. Students rated the knowledge-focused interface significantly higher than the case-focused interface. Cognitive tutoring is associated with improved diagnostic performance in a complex medical domain. The effect is retained at one-week post-training. Knowledge-focused external problem representation shows an advantage over case-focused representation for metacognitive effects and user acceptance.

The Fundamental Lifestyle of a University Community: A Case Study of Higher Education in a Malaysian Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdullah, Melissa Ng Lee Yen; Mey, See Ching

2012-01-01

This study identified the fundamental lifestyles adopted by a university community in Malaysia. Rapid growth and expansion of higher education in Malaysia is inevitable as the country moves from a production-based economy to one that is innovative and knowledge-based, requiring the development of a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce.…

Altered reward anticipation: Potential explanation for weight gain in schizophrenia?

PubMed

Grimm, Oliver; Kaiser, Stefan; Plichta, Michael M; Tobler, Philippe N

2017-04-01

Obesity and weight gain are severe complications of mental illness, especially schizophrenia. They result from changes in lifestyle and nutrition, side effects of medication and other, less well-understood factors. Recent studies suggest that obesity and weight gain are linked to psychopathology. Specifically, severe psychopathology is associated with greater weight dysregulation, typically weight gain. However, our knowledge about the neuroscientific basis of weight gain in schizophrenia is currently limited. We propose that altered reward anticipation, which in turn is related to striatal dopaminergic dysregulation, may explain why obesity is more prevalent in individuals with mental illness. We review evidence that reward anticipation and weight change are linked by a core deficit in dopaminergic striatal circuits. Several lines of evidence, running from animal studies to preclinical and clinical studies, suggest that striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission is a major hub for the regulation of eating behavior and that dopamine links eating behavior to other motivated behavior. From this perspective, the present review outlines a unifying perspective on dopaminergic reward anticipation as a theoretical frame to link weight gain, medication effects and psychopathology. We derive important but open empirical questions and present perspectives for new therapeutic concepts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fundamentals of microfluidic cell culture in controlled microenvironments†

PubMed Central

Young, Edmond W. K.; Beebe, David J.

2010-01-01

Microfluidics has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach cell biology research. The dimensions of microfluidic channels are well suited to the physical scale of biological cells, and the many advantages of microfluidics make it an attractive platform for new techniques in biology. One of the key benefits of microfluidics for basic biology is the ability to control parameters of the cell microenvironment at relevant length and time scales. Considerable progress has been made in the design and use of novel microfluidic devices for culturing cells and for subsequent treatment and analysis. With the recent pace of scientific discovery, it is becoming increasingly important to evaluate existing tools and techniques, and to synthesize fundamental concepts that would further improve the efficiency of biological research at the microscale. This tutorial review integrates fundamental principles from cell biology and local microenvironments with cell culture techniques and concepts in microfluidics. Culturing cells in microscale environments requires knowledge of multiple disciplines including physics, biochemistry, and engineering. We discuss basic concepts related to the physical and biochemical microenvironments of the cell, physicochemical properties of that microenvironment, cell culture techniques, and practical knowledge of microfluidic device design and operation. We also discuss the most recent advances in microfluidic cell culture and their implications on the future of the field. The goal is to guide new and interested researchers to the important areas and challenges facing the scientific community as we strive toward full integration of microfluidics with biology. PMID:20179823

Knowledge is power: how conceptual knowledge transforms visual cognition.

PubMed

Collins, Jessica A; Olson, Ingrid R

2014-08-01

In this review, we synthesize the existing literature demonstrating the dynamic interplay between conceptual knowledge and visual perceptual processing. We consider two theoretical frameworks that demonstrate interactions between processes and brain areas traditionally considered perceptual or conceptual. Specifically, we discuss categorical perception, in which visual objects are represented according to category membership, and highlight studies showing that category knowledge can penetrate early stages of visual analysis. We next discuss the embodied account of conceptual knowledge, which holds that concepts are instantiated in the same neural regions required for specific types of perception and action, and discuss the limitations of this framework. We additionally consider studies showing that gaining abstract semantic knowledge about objects and faces leads to behavioral and electrophysiological changes that are indicative of more efficient stimulus processing. Finally, we consider the role that perceiver goals and motivation may play in shaping the interaction between conceptual and perceptual processing. We hope to demonstrate how pervasive such interactions between motivation, conceptual knowledge, and perceptual processing are in our understanding of the visual environment, and to demonstrate the need for future research aimed at understanding how such interactions arise in the brain.

Knowledge is Power: How Conceptual Knowledge Transforms Visual Cognition

PubMed Central

Collins, Jessica A.; Olson, Ingrid R.

2014-01-01

In this review we synthesize the existing literature demonstrating the dynamic interplay between conceptual knowledge and visual perceptual processing. We consider two theoretical frameworks demonstrating interactions between processes and brain areas traditionally considered perceptual or conceptual. Specifically, we discuss categorical perception, in which visual objects are represented according to category membership, and highlight studies showing that category knowledge can penetrate early stages of visual analysis. We next discuss the embodied account of conceptual knowledge, which holds that concepts are instantiated in the same neural regions required for specific types of perception and action, and discuss the limitations of this framework. We additionally consider studies showing that gaining abstract semantic knowledge about objects and faces leads to behavioral and electrophysiological changes that are indicative of more efficient stimulus processing. Finally, we consider the role that perceiver goals and motivation may play in shaping the interaction between conceptual and perceptual processing. We hope to demonstrate how pervasive such interactions between motivation, conceptual knowledge, and perceptual processing are to our understanding of the visual environment, and demonstrate the need for future research aimed at understanding how such interactions arise in the brain. PMID:24402731

Fundamentals of Refrigeration; Air Conditioning and Heating Mechanics 1--Appliance Repair 2: 9013.01 and 9025.05.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

Providing the student with an understanding of the basic refrigeration fundamentals, the course introduces the various types of tools and equipment used in this trade. The course consists of 90 clock hours and is organized into six instructional blocks. The student will gain an understanding of trade terminology, heat and temperature, transfer of…

Analyzing Conceptual Gains in Introductory Calculus with Interactively-Engaged Teaching Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Matthew

2013-01-01

This dissertation examines the relationship between an instructional style called Interactive-Engagement (IE) and gains on a measure of conceptual knowledge called the Calculus Concept Inventory (CCI). The data comes from two semesters of introductory calculus courses (Fall 2010 and Spring 2011), consisting of a total of 482 students from the…

Tether fundamentals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carroll, J. A.

1986-01-01

Some fundamental aspects of tethers are presented and briefly discussed. The effects of gravity gradients, dumbbell libration in circular orbits, tether control strategies and impact hazards for tethers are among those fundamentals. Also considered are aerodynamic drag, constraints in momentum transfer applications and constraints with permanently deployed tethers. The theoretical feasibility of these concepts are reviewed.

Managing Knowledge through "Hoshin Kanri"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tennant C.; Roberts P.

2003-01-01

A fundamental challenge within business organizations (whether manufacturing or service, large or small) is posed by the difficulties associated with managing knowledge to integrate the long-term vision and strategic goals with daily working processes and with people. The traditional Western approach of "Management by Objectives" (MbO)…

The impact of a dedicated Science-Technology-Society (STS) course on student knowledge of STS content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barron, Paul E.

In the last half century, public awareness of issues such as population growth, environmental pollution and the threat of nuclear war has pressured science education to reform to increase student social responsibility. The emerging Science-Technology-Society (STS) movement addressed these concerns by developing numerous strategies and curricula. Considerable diagnostic research has been conducted on student knowledge of the nature of science, but not on the wider scope of STS content (e.g., the nature of science and technology and their interactions with society). However, researchers have not widely studied the impact of comprehensive STS curricula on students' knowledge of STS content nor the nature of STS teaching practice that influenced this knowledge gain. This study examined student success and teacher performance in a special STS course in Ontario, Canada. Research questions focused on the STS content knowledge gain by students completing this course and the impact of the STS teachers' teaching practices on this knowledge gain. Student data were collected using pre-course and post-course assessments of students' STS content knowledge. Teacher data were obtained using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and videotapes. Statistical analysis indicated that, after completing the STS course, students significantly increased their STS content knowledge as measured by the Views on Science Technology Society instrument. Gender and academic achievement had no significant impact on this knowledge gain, implying that this course, as taught by these teachers, could appeal to a wide range of students as a general education course. The second part of the study indicated that detailed research is needed on the relationship between STS teaching practice and student STS content knowledge gain. The small sample size prevents generalizations but initial indications show that factors such constructivist teaching practices and strong teacher STS content knowledge

[The cancer registry is fundamental for the treatment, prevention and control of childhood cancer].

PubMed

González-Miranda, Guadalupe; Fajardo-Gutiérrez, Arturo

2011-01-01

During the last 10 years cancer in the Mexican pediatric population is growing. It is the second leading cause of death (children 1 to 14 years of age). The first step in controlling these diseases by registering the cases. Cancer Registry (CR) is fundamental for gaining knowledge that can be used for planning medical treatment and future research into causal factors and for the prevention. A CR is an information system designed to collect and encode data concerning individuals with cancer, and then to disseminate the compiled epidemiological results to various groups of stakeholders. Data are obtained from a hospital or group of hospitals, with special emphasis being placed on the quality of the data (completeness, validity and timeliness data). It is necessary a group of highly trained individuals called registrars, who are experts in the collection, encoding, and dissemination of internal reports to researchers and medical personnel. There are two main types of registries: those that are hospital based and those that are population based. The categories of data that should be collected are demographic data of the patient; descriptors of the cancer; details of the treatment administered; and details of the outcome of the treatment. It must be emphasized that all data conceming patients with cancer should be held in the strictest confidence.

From Comparison between Scientists to Gaining Cultural Scientific Knowledge: Leonardo and Galileo

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galili, Igal

2016-01-01

Physics textbooks often present items of disciplinary knowledge in a sequential order of topics of the theory under instruction. Such presentation is usually univocal, that is, isolated from alternative claims and contributions regarding the subject matter in the pertinent scientific discourse. We argue that comparing and contrasting the…

Exploring Teachers' Knowledge of Classroom Management and Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayebo, Abraham; Assuah, Charles

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper presents the results of a study that sought to determine teacher conceptions of classroom management and control. The study explored classroom management knowledge of participants, and how the knowledge was gained. It also investigated the extent to which participants held various conceptions, including rule-based, dominance…

The Role of User Control in Adherence to and Knowledge Gained from a Website: Randomized Comparison Between a Tunneled Version and a Freedom-of-Choice Version

PubMed Central

Cyr, Dianne; de Vries, Nanne K

2012-01-01

Background Internet-delivered interventions can effectively change health risk behaviors and their determinants, but adherence to these interventions once they are accessed is very low. Therefore, it is relevant and necessary to systematically manipulate website characteristics to test their effect on website use. This study focuses on user control as a website characteristic. Objective To test whether and how user control (the freedom of choice to skip pages) can increase website use and knowledge gained from the website. Methods Participants older than 18 years were drawn from the Dutch Internet population (in June 2011) and completed a hepatitis knowledge questionnaire. Subsequently, they were randomly assigned to three groups: (1) a tunneled version of the website with less user control; (2) a high user control version of the website where visitors had the freedom of choice to skip pages; and (3) a control group that was not exposed to the website. Participants completed (1) a questionnaire of validated measures regarding user perceptions immediately after exposure to the website (except for the control group), and (2) a hepatitis knowledge questionnaire after one week to test whether participants in the experimental groups only clicked through the website or actually processed and learned its content. Server registrations were used to assess website use. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) using all available data were conducted to determine whether user control increases website use. Structural equation models (SEM) using all available data were constructed to test how user control increases website use—a latent variable derived from number of pages visited and time on website. Results Of the 1044 persons invited to participate, 668 took part (668/1044, 64.0%). One half of participants (332/668 49.7%) were female and the mean age was 49 years (SD 16). A total of 571 participants completed the one-week follow-up measure regarding hepatitis knowledge (571/668, 85

On the Performance Characteristics of Latent-Factor and Knowledge Tracing Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klingler, Severin; Käser, Tanja; Solenthaler, Barbara; Gross, Markus

2015-01-01

Modeling student knowledge is a fundamental task of an intelligent tutoring system. A popular approach for modeling the acquisition of knowledge is Bayesian Knowledge Tracing (BKT). Various extensions to the original BKT model have been proposed, among them two novel models that unify BKT and Item Response Theory (IRT). Latent Factor Knowledge…

Speech production gains following constraint-induced movement therapy in children with hemiparesis.

PubMed

Allison, Kristen M; Reidy, Teressa Garcia; Boyle, Mary; Naber, Erin; Carney, Joan; Pidcock, Frank S

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in speech skills of children who have hemiparesis and speech impairment after participation in a constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) program. While case studies have reported collateral speech gains following CIMT, the effect of CIMT on speech production has not previously been directly investigated to the knowledge of these investigators. Eighteen children with hemiparesis and co-occurring speech impairment participated in a 21-day clinical CIMT program. The Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2 (GFTA-2) was used to assess children's articulation of speech sounds before and after the intervention. Changes in percent of consonants correct (PCC) on the GFTA-2 were used as a measure of change in speech production. Children made significant gains in PCC following CIMT. Gains were similar in children with left and right-sided hemiparesis, and across age groups. This study reports significant collateral gains in speech production following CIMT and suggests benefits of CIMT may also spread to speech motor domains.

Quasi-three level Nd:YLF fundamental and Raman laser operating under 872-nm and 880-nm direct diode pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wetter, Niklaus U.; Bereczki, Allan; Paes, João. Pedro Fonseca

2018-02-01

Nd:YLiF4 is the gain material of choice whenever outstanding beam quality or a birefringent gain material is necessary such as in certain applications for terahertz radiation or dual-frequency mode-locking. However, for high power CW applications the material is hampered by a low thermal fracture threshold. This problem can be mitigated by special 2D pump set-ups or by keeping the quantum defect to a minimum. Direct pumping into the upper laser level of Nd:YLiF4 is usually performed at 880 nm. For quasi-three level laser emission at 908 nm, direct pumping at this wavelength provides a high quantum defect of 0.97, which allows for very high CW pump powers. Although the direct pumping transition to the upper laser state at 872 nm has a slightly smaller quantum defect of 0.96, its pump absorption cross section along the c-axis is 50% higher than at 880 nm, leading to a higher absorption efficiency. In this work we explore, for the first time to our knowledge, 908 nm lasing under 872 nm diode pumping and compare the results with 880 nm pumping for quasicw and cw operation. By inserting a KGW crystal in the cavity, Raman lines at 990 nm and 972 nm were obtained for the first time from a directly pumped 908 nm Nd:YLF fundamental laser for both quasi-cw and cw conditions.

Non-Linear Effects in Knowledge Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purica, Ionut

2007-04-01

The generation of technological knowledge is paramount to our present development; the production of technological knowledge is governed by the same Cobb Douglas type model, with the means of research and the intelligence level replacing capital, respectively labor. We are exploring the basic behavior of present days' economies that are producing technological knowledge, along with the `usual' industrial production and determine a basic behavior that turns out to be a `Henon attractor'. Measures are introduced for the gain of technological knowledge and for the information of technological sequences that are based respectively on the underlying multi-valued modal logic of the technological research and on nonlinear thermodynamic considerations.

Using Concept Mapping to Uncover Students' Knowledge Structures of Chemical Bonding Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Nikita L.; Mooring, Suazette Reid

2015-01-01

General chemistry is the first undergraduate course in which students further develop their understanding of fundamental chemical concepts. Many of these fundamental topics highlight the numerous conceptual interconnections present in chemistry. However, many students possess incoherent knowledge structures regarding these topics. Therefore,…

A Preliminary Model for Spacecraft Propulsion Performance Analysis Based on Nuclear Gain and Subsystem Mass-Power Balances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chakrabarti, S.; Schmidt, G. R.; Thio, Y. C.; Hurst, C. M.

1999-01-01

Rapid transportation of human crews to destinations throughout the solar system will require propulsion systems having not only very high exhaust velocities (i.e., I(sub sp) >= 10(exp 4) to 10(exp 5) sec) but also extremely low mass-power ratios (i.e., alpha <= 10(exp -2) kg/kW). These criteria are difficult to meet with electric propulsion and other power-limited systems, but may be achievable with propulsion concepts that use onboard power to produce a net gain in energy via fusion or some other nuclear process. This paper compares the fundamental performance of these gain-limited systems with that of power-limited systems, and determines from a generic power balance the gains required for ambitious planetary missions ranging up to 100 AU. Results show that energy gain reduces the required effective mass-power ratio of the system, thus enabling shorter trip times than those of power-limited concepts.

Monitoring Knowledge Base (MKB)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Monitoring Knowledge Base (MKB) is a compilation of emissions measurement and monitoring techniques associated with air pollution control devices, industrial process descriptions, and permitting techniques, including flexible permit development. Using MKB, one can gain a comprehensive understanding of emissions sources, control devices, and monitoring techniques, enabling one to determine appropriate permit terms and conditions.

Influence of a Physical Education Methods Course on Elementary Education Majors' Knowledge of Fundamental Movement Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Melanie A.

2005-01-01

With an increase concern for childhood obesity, many individuals and organizations are emphasizing the importance of quality physical education. The need for quality physical education at the elementary level is extremely important as research has shown a relationship between the performance of fundamental movement skills and children's body…

Knowledge Management Formal and Informal Mentoring: An Empirical Investigation in Lebanese Banks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karkoulian, Silva; Halawi, Leila A.; McCarthy, Richard V.

2008-01-01

Purpose: As businesses continue to forge ahead in the twenty-first century, knowledge management (KM) has materialized as a significant differentiator. The process of creating new knowledge, sharing, and preserving such knowledge, is crucial for achieving competitive advantage. To gain maximum benefit from new knowledge, it must be efficiently…

Domestication and Breeding of Tomatoes: What have We Gained and What Can We Gain in the Future?

PubMed Central

Bai, Yuling; Lindhout, Pim

2007-01-01

Background It has been shown that a large variation is present and exploitable from wild Solanum species but most of it is still untapped. Considering the thousands of Solanum accessions in different gene banks and probably even more that are still untouched in the Andes, it is a challenge to exploit the diversity of tomato. What have we gained from tomato domestication and breeding and what can we gain in the future? Scope This review summarizes progress on tomato domestication and breeding and current efforts in tomato genome research. Also, it points out potential challenges in exploiting tomato biodiversity and depicts future perspectives in tomato breeding with the emerging knowledge from tomato-omics. Conclusions From first domestication to modern breeding, the tomato has been continually subjected to human selection for a wide array of applications in both science and commerce. Current efforts in tomato breeding are focused on discovering and exploiting genes for the most important traits in tomato germplasm. In the future, breeders will design cultivars by a process named ‘breeding by design’ based on the combination of science and technologies from the genomic era as well as their practical skills. PMID:17717024

Building the foundation to generate a fundamental care standardised data set.

PubMed

Jeffs, Lianne; Muntlin Athlin, Asa; Needleman, Jack; Jackson, Debra; Kitson, Alison

2018-06-01

This paper provides an overview of the current state of performance measurement, key trends and a methodological approach to leverage in efforts to generate a standardised data set for fundamental care. Considerable transformation is occurring in health care globally with organisations focusing on achieving the quadruple aim of improving the experience of care, the health of populations, and the experience of providing care while reducing per capita costs of health care. In response, healthcare organisations are employing performance measurement and quality improvement methods to achieve the quadruple aim. Despite the plethora of measures available to health managers, there is no standardised data set and virtually no indicators reflecting how patients actually experience the delivery of fundamental care, such as nutrition, hydration, mobility, respect, education and psychosocial support. Given the linkages of fundamental care to safety and quality metrics, efforts to build the evidence base and knowledge that captures the impact of enacting fundamental care across the healthcare continuum and lifespan should include generating a routinely collected data set of relevant measures. This paper provides an overview of the current state of performance measurement, key trends and a methodological approach to leverage in efforts to generate a standardised data set for fundamental care. Standardised data sets enable comparability of data across clinical populations, healthcare sectors, geographic locations and time and provide data about care to support clinical, administrative and health policy decision-making. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

13C-based metabolic flux analysis: fundamentals and practice.

PubMed

Yang, Tae Hoon

2013-01-01

Isotope-based metabolic flux analysis is one of the emerging technologies applied to system level metabolic phenotype characterization in metabolic engineering. Among the developed approaches, (13)C-based metabolic flux analysis has been established as a standard tool and has been widely applied to quantitative pathway characterization of diverse biological systems. To implement (13)C-based metabolic flux analysis in practice, comprehending the underlying mathematical and computational modeling fundamentals is of importance along with carefully conducted experiments and analytical measurements. Such knowledge is also crucial when designing (13)C-labeling experiments and properly acquiring key data sets essential for in vivo flux analysis implementation. In this regard, the modeling fundamentals of (13)C-labeling systems and analytical data processing are the main topics we will deal with in this chapter. Along with this, the relevant numerical optimization techniques are addressed to help implementation of the entire computational procedures aiming at (13)C-based metabolic flux analysis in vivo.

Dealing with Conflicts on Knowledge in Tutorial Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aarnio, Matti; Lindblom-Ylanne, Sari; Nieminen, Juha; Pyorala, Eeva

2013-01-01

The aim of our study was to gain understanding of different types of conflicts on knowledge in the discussions of problem-based learning tutorial groups, and how such conflicts are dealt with. We examined first-year medical and dental students' (N = 33) conflicts on knowledge in four videotaped reporting phase tutorials. A coding scheme was…

Study of Impact on Undergraduates' Entrepreneurial Failure Based on the Model of Psychological Resilience-Knowledge Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jing, Tang; Dancheng, Luo; Ye, Zhao

2016-01-01

Purpose: The entrepreneurship is a course of gaining knowledge from the failure and stimulating positive energy constantly. The entrepreneur's psychological resilience is the key to gain knowledge (positive energy) from failure (negative energy). The education of undergraduate entrepreneurship is one of the priorities these days. Educators shall…

Impact of Energy Gain and Subsystem Characteristics on Fusion Propulsion Performance Balances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chakrabarti, Suman; Schmidt, George R.

2000-01-01

Rapid transportation of large payloads and human crews to destinations throughout the solar system will require propulsion systems having not only very high exhaust velocities (I (sub sp) greater than or equal to 10 (exp 4) to 10 (exp 5) sec) but also extremely low mass-power ratios (alpha less than or equal to 10 (exp -1) kg/kW). Such low a are difficult to achieve with power-limited propulsion systems. but may be attainable with fusion and other high I (sub SP) nuclear concepts that produce energy within the propellant. The magnitude of this energy gain is of fundamental importance. It must be large enough to sustain the nuclear process while still providing a high jet power relative to the massive power-intensive subsystems associated with these types of concepts. This paper evaluates the energy gain and mass-power characteristics required for a consistent with 1-year roundtrip planetary missions ranging up to 100 AU. Central to this analysis is an equation for overall system a, which is derived from the power balance of a generalized "gain-limited" propulsion system. Results show that the gain required to achieve alpha approximately 10 (exp -1) kg/kW with foreseeable subsystem technology can vary from 50 to as high as 10,000, which is 2 to 5 orders of magnitude greater than current state-of-the art. However, order of magnitude improvements in propulsion subsystem mass and efficiency could reduce gain requirements to 10 to 1,000 - still a very challenging goal.

A Haven for Learning: Gaining Professional Knowledge through Sincere Conversation in an Online Reading Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Deborah A.

2014-01-01

As an educator teaching an online course for the first time, I observed that the teachers in my class engaged in meaningful and sincere conversation and gained deep insight and greater awareness about their practice. Sincere conversation obviously differs from brief verbal exchanges operating at the surface level. It is conversation that invites…

Modal gain characteristics of a 2 μm InGaSb/AlGaAsSb passively mode-locked quantum well laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiang; Wang, Hong; Qiao, Zhongliang; Guo, Xin; Ng, Geok Ing; Zhang, Yu; Niu, Zhichuan; Tong, Cunzhu; Liu, Chongyang

2017-12-01

Passive mode locking with a fundamental repetition rate at ˜18.46 GHz is demonstrated in a two-section InGaSb/AlGaAsSb quantum well laser emitting at 2 μm. Modal gain characteristics of the laser are investigated by performing the Hakki-Paoli method to gain better insight into the impact of the absorber bias voltage (Va) on the light output. The lasing action moves to longer wavelengths markedly with increasing negative Va. The light output contains more longitudinal modes in the mode locking regime if the gain bandwidth is larger at a certain Va. Our findings provide guidelines for output characteristics of the mode-locked laser.

Achieving and Sustaining New Knowledge Development in High-Expectation Start-Ups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matricano, Diego

2010-01-01

In markets characterized by strong competition, new knowledge and new knowledge development are generally recognized as the key means for an enterprise to gain competitive advantage. This knowledge-based competitive advantage is critical for all commercial ventures, but is especially so for high-expectation start-ups (technology-based ventures…

Antarctica and Its Ice Sheet: Knowledge Gained During the IGY/IGC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentley, C. R.

2006-12-01

At the end of World War II, the interior of Antarctica, with the exception of the mountains south of the Ross Ice Shelf, was still terra incognita. It was described simply as a nearly continuous high plateau. Even less was known about the ice thickness; the eminent glacial geologist, Richard Foster Flint, believed it "unlikely that the ice thickness exceeds 2000 feet except very locally; probably its average thickness is considerably less." Then in the late 1940's and early 1950's, seismic sounding in Greenland by the Expéditions Polaires Françaises and in Queen Maud Land by the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1949-52, revealed that, inland of the coastal mountains, the beds in both regions lie close to sea level. This led to a reappraisal of the Antarctic ice sheet, such that the prescient glaciologist, Robert P. Sharp, could predict, on the eve of the IGY, that "between 3000 and 4000 meters of ice will be found" in East Antarctica and that "work during IGY will establish an average thickness for Antarctic inland ice in excess of 1600 m." Seismic and gravity soundings on oversnow traverses conducted by eight countries during the IGY and the succeeding IGC showed Sharp to be basically correct, but there were major surprises, such as the vast Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, completely hidden by the ice in central East Antarctica, and the equally vast Byrd Subglacial Basin beneath much of the West Antarctic ice sheet, so deep that roughly half the ice in the region lies below sea level. There were major discoveries on and above the surface too, such as the huge size of the Filchner/Ronne Ice Shelf, and the very existence of the Ellsworth and Pensacola Mountains, the former including the highest peak on the continent. Further, the fundamental difference between the crustal structures of East and West Antarctica became clear. A summary paper published in 1960, looking primarily at West Antarctica where the main U.S. activity lay, could conclude that

Supramolecular chemistry and chemical warfare agents: from fundamentals of recognition to catalysis and sensing.

PubMed

Sambrook, M R; Notman, S

2013-12-21

Supramolecular chemistry presents many possible avenues for the mitigation of the effects of chemical warfare agents (CWAs), including sensing, catalysis and sequestration. To-date, efforts in this field both to study fundamental interactions between CWAs and to design and exploit host systems remain sporadic. In this tutorial review the non-covalent recognition of CWAs is considered from first principles, including taking inspiration from enzymatic systems, and gaps in fundamental knowledge are indicated. Examples of synthetic systems developed for the recognition of CWAs are discussed with a focus on the supramolecular complexation behaviour and non-covalent approaches rather than on the proposed applications.

Leveraging a Sorting Task as a Measure of Knowledge Structure in Bilingual Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Hengtao; Clariana, Roy

2017-01-01

This descriptive exploratory study considers whether a simple sorting task can elicit readers' knowledge structure in learners' first and second language. In this investigation, knowledge structure is considered from a symbolic connectionist viewpoint as the fundamental pre-meaningful aspect of knowledge, where structure is the precursor of…

Advancing Knowledge in Higher Education: Universities in Turbulent Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzgerald, Tanya, Ed.

2014-01-01

Over the last three decades, higher education institutions have experienced massive changes. In particular, institutions of higher education have been positioned as a means to contribute to the knowledge economy and gain a level of competitive advantage in the global marketplace. "Advancing Knowledge in Higher Education: Universities in…

All-optical and broadband microwave fundamental/sub-harmonic I/Q down-converters.

PubMed

Gao, Yongsheng; Wen, Aijun; Jiang, Wei; Fan, Yangyu; He, You

2018-03-19

Microwave I/Q down-converters are frequently used in image-reject super heterodyne receivers, zero intermediate frequency (zero-IF) receivers, and phase/frequency discriminators. However, due to the electronic bottleneck, conventional microwave I/Q mixers face a serious bandwidth limitation, I/Q imbalance, and even-order distortion. In this paper, photonic microwave fundamental and sub-harmonic I/Q down-converters are presented using a polarization division multiplexing dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (PDM-DPMZM). Thanks to all-optical manipulation, the proposed system features an ultra-wide operating band (7-40 GHz in the fundamental I/Q down-converter, and 10-40 GHz in the sub-harmonic I/Q down-converter) and an excellent I/Q balance (maximum 0.7 dB power imbalance and 1 degree phase imbalance). The conversion gain, noise figure (NF), even-order distortion, and spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) are also improved by LO power optimization and balanced detection. Using the proposed system, a high image rejection ratio is demonstrated for a super heterodyne receiver, and good EVMs over a wide RF power range is demonstrated for a zero-IF receiver. The proposed broadband photonic microwave fundamental and sub-harmonic I/Q down-converters may find potential applications in multi-band satellite, ultra-wideband radar and frequency-agile electronic warfare systems.

Social inequalities in adolescent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination: a test of fundamental cause theory.

PubMed

Polonijo, Andrea N; Carpiano, Richard M

2013-04-01

A unique contribution of the fundamental cause theory of health disparities is its ability to account for the persistence of disparities in health and mortality, despite changes in the mechanisms that are relevant at any given time. Few studies, however, have investigated how such mechanisms are created or operate. Examining the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for adolescents-a treatment aimed at preventing cervical and other cancers that typically emerge in mid- to late-adulthood-we empirically trace such a disparity-generating mechanism that is in the process of being latently created, testing whether socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic disparities exist for several facets of vaccination receipt: knowledge about the vaccine, receipt of a health professional recommendation to vaccinate, and initiation and completion of the three-shot vaccination series. Analyses of 2008, 2009, and 2010 United States National Immunization Survey-Teen data (n = 41,358) reveal disparities consistent with fundamental cause theory, particularly for vaccine knowledge and receipt of a health professional recommendation. While parental knowledge is a prerequisite to adolescent vaccine uptake, low SES and racial/ethnic minority parents have significantly lower odds of knowing about the vaccine. Receipt of a health professional's recommendation to vaccinate is strongly associated with vaccine uptake, however the odds of receiving a recommendation are negatively associated with low SES and black racial/ethnic status. Our findings inform fundamental cause theory by illustrating how disparities in distinct stages of the uptake of new treatments may contribute to reproducing existing health disparities-and, in this case of adolescent HPV vaccination, may maintain future disparities in cervical cancer among adult populations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exchange Rates and Fundamentals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engel, Charles; West, Kenneth D.

2005-01-01

We show analytically that in a rational expectations present-value model, an asset price manifests near-random walk behavior if fundamentals are I (1) and the factor for discounting future fundamentals is near one. We argue that this result helps explain the well-known puzzle that fundamental variables such as relative money supplies, outputs,…

Fundamentals and Catalytic Applications of CeO2-Based Materials.

PubMed

Montini, Tiziano; Melchionna, Michele; Monai, Matteo; Fornasiero, Paolo

2016-05-25

Cerium dioxide (CeO2, ceria) is becoming an ubiquitous constituent in catalytic systems for a variety of applications. 2016 sees the 40(th) anniversary since ceria was first employed by Ford Motor Company as an oxygen storage component in car converters, to become in the years since its inception an irreplaceable component in three-way catalysts (TWCs). Apart from this well-established use, ceria is looming as a catalyst component for a wide range of catalytic applications. For some of these, such as fuel cells, CeO2-based materials have almost reached the market stage, while for some other catalytic reactions, such as reforming processes, photocatalysis, water-gas shift reaction, thermochemical water splitting, and organic reactions, ceria is emerging as a unique material, holding great promise for future market breakthroughs. While much knowledge about the fundamental characteristics of CeO2-based materials has already been acquired, new characterization techniques and powerful theoretical methods are deepening our understanding of these materials, helping us to predict their behavior and application potential. This review has a wide view on all those aspects related to ceria which promise to produce an important impact on our life, encompassing fundamental knowledge of CeO2 and its properties, characterization toolbox, emerging features, theoretical studies, and all the catalytic applications, organized by their degree of establishment on the market.

Cladding pumped Yb-doped HOM power amplifier with high gain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abedin, Kazi S.; Ahmad, Raja; DeSantolo, Anthony M.; Nicholson, Jeffrey W.; Westbrook, Paul S.; Headley, Clifford; DiGiovanni, David J.

2018-02-01

Higher-order mode (HOM) fibers have been engineered to allow propagation of linearly polarized symmetric modes LP0,N in a robust way. Compared with the fundamental mode LP(0,1), HOMs exhibits an effective area that can be larger by over two order magnitude, and thus propagating light in these modes could greatly suppress the effect of nonlinear effects. HOM fibers could also be doped with rare earth ions in order to amplify light propagating in these modes, which offers the enormous potential for generating high-intensity pulses. Excitation of HOM gain fiber using cladding pumping with multimode pump source is attractive for ytterbium based amplifiers, because of the availability of low-cost multimode pump diodes in the 975nm wavelength range. One problem associated with cladding pumping which leads to excitation of the large doped core (over 100 μm diameter) is that it could result in a large amount of amplifiedspontaneous- emission (ASE) noise, particularly when the input signal is weak. Optimization of amplifier design is critical in order to suppress ASE and achieve high gain and pump-to-signal conversion efficiency. We conducted numerical modeling of a cladding pumped HOM-amplifier, which revealed that this problem could be mitigated by using a relatively long gain-fiber that allowed reabsorption of the forward propagating ASE resulting in a further amplification of the signal. We demonstrate efficient amplification of a LP0,10 mode with an effective area 3140μm2 in an Yb-doped HOM amplifier cladding pumped at 975nm. We have successfully obtained a 20.2dB gain for 0.95 W 1064 nm input seed signal to more than 105W.

Conceptualizing a Framework for Advanced Placement Statistics Teaching Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haines, Brenna

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to sketch a conceptualization of a framework for Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics Teaching Knowledge. Recent research continues to problematize the lack of knowledge and preparation among secondary level statistics teachers. The College Board's AP Statistics course continues to grow and gain popularity, but is a…

Gaining the Long View: Reforming Organization and Empowering Knowledge Workers to Improve Strategy and Intelligence

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-31

processes. Hierarchal bureaucracies also provide the workforce with a predictable, structured work environment , a sense of status, and other...processes in response to changes in the environment . As they age and acquire a corporate culture, members become more entrenched in their work ...inability of managers and leaders of knowledge workers to foster a work environment that effectively exploits the knowledge worker’s drive to apply his or

Evaluating student learning outcomes in oral health knowledge and skills.

PubMed

Lewis, Adrienne; Edwards, Suzanne; Whiting, Glenda; Donnelly, Frank

2018-06-01

To evaluate whether a set of oral health resources designed for workforce training was relevant for students undertaking an entry-level nursing or aged care qualification. Oral health is one of the most neglected aspects of nursing care experienced by older people. Despite efforts to improve aged care worker oral health knowledge and skills, one-off training and rapid staff turnover have hindered the success of workplace programmes. Inadequate oral health content in entry-level nursing and aged care qualifications has perpetuated this. Kirkpatrick's training and evaluation model was used to evaluate the resources developed by a project called Building Better Oral Health Communities. Students used them as prescribed study materials and completed pre- and postintervention questionnaires. Educators were interviewed to obtain their feedback. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were collated according to relevance to learning, presentation style and interest. Evaluation showed high levels of student and educator satisfaction. Student learning outcomes demonstrated consistently positive attitudes and significant self-reported improvements in oral health knowledge and skills. Irrespective of course type, students gained similar levels of oral health knowledge and skills following use of the resources. Nurses and care workers must be able to provide consistent standards of oral health care as a fundamental part of caring for patients. Validated as an effective learning and teaching package, it is recommended that these resources be used to strengthen the oral health content of entry-level nursing and aged care qualifications. Building the oral health capacity of nurses and care workers is one way of reversing oral health neglect and improving the quality of care provided to older people. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Arguing against fundamentality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, Kerry

This paper aims to open up discussion on the relationship between fundamentality and naturalism, and in particular on the question of whether fundamentality may be denied on naturalistic grounds. A historico-inductive argument for an anti-fundamentalist conclusion, prominent within the contemporary metaphysical literature, is examined; finding it wanting, an alternative 'internal' strategy is proposed. By means of an example from the history of modern physics - namely S-matrix theory - it is demonstrated that (1) this strategy can generate similar (though not identical) anti-fundamentalist conclusions on more defensible naturalistic grounds, and (2) that fundamentality questions can be empirical questions. Some implications and limitations of the proposed approach are discussed.

Fundamentally updating fundamentals.

PubMed

Armstrong, Gail; Barton, Amy

2013-01-01

Recent educational research indicates that the six competencies of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses initiative are best introduced in early prelicensure clinical courses. Content specific to quality and safety has traditionally been covered in senior level courses. This article illustrates an effective approach to using quality and safety as an organizing framework for any prelicensure fundamentals of nursing course. Providing prelicensure students a strong foundation in quality and safety in an introductory clinical course facilitates early adoption of quality and safety competencies as core practice values. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pain management: a fundamental human right.

PubMed

Brennan, Frank; Carr, Daniel B; Cousins, Michael

2007-07-01

This article surveys worldwide medical, ethical, and legal trends and initiatives related to the concept of pain management as a human right. This concept recently gained momentum with the 2004 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Chapters-, International Association for the Study of Pain- and World Health Organization-sponsored "Global Day Against Pain," where it was adopted as a central theme. We survey the scope of the problem of unrelieved pain in three areas, acute pain, chronic noncancer pain, and cancer pain, and outline the adverse physical and psychological effects and social and economic costs of untreated pain. Reasons for deficiencies in pain management include cultural, societal, religious, and political attitudes, including acceptance of torture. The biomedical model of disease, focused on pathophysiology rather than quality of life, reinforces entrenched attitudes that marginalize pain management as a priority. Strategies currently applied for improvement include framing pain management as an ethical issue; promoting pain management as a legal right, providing constitutional guarantees and statutory regulations that span negligence law, criminal law, and elder abuse; defining pain management as a fundamental human right, categorizing failure to provide pain management as professional misconduct, and issuing guidelines and standards of practice by professional bodies. The role of the World Health Organization is discussed, particularly with respect to opioid availability for pain management. We conclude that, because pain management is the subject of many initiatives within the disciplines of medicine, ethics and law, we are at an "inflection point" in which unreasonable failure to treat pain is viewed worldwide as poor medicine, unethical practice, and an abrogation of a fundamental human right.

The Relationship between the Use of Spaced Repetition Software with a TOEIC Word List and TOEIC Score Gains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bower, Jack Victor; Rutson-Griffiths, Arthur

2016-01-01

A strong relationship between L2 vocabulary knowledge and L2 reading and listening comprehension is well established. However, less research has been conducted to explore correlations between pedagogic interventions to increase vocabulary knowledge and score gains on standardized L2 proficiency tests. This study addresses this gap in the research…

Personalizing knowledge delivery services: a conceptual framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majchrzak, Ann; Chelleppa, Ramnath K.; Cooper, Lynne P.; Hars, Alexander

2003-01-01

Consistent with the call of the Minnesota Symposium for new theory in knowledge management, we offer a new conceptualization of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) as a portfolio of personalized knowledge delivery services. Borrowing from research on online consumer behavior, we describe the challenges imposed by personalized knowledge delivery services, and suggest design parameters that can help to overcome these challenges. We develop our design constructs through a set of hypotheses and discuss the research implications of our new conceptualization. Finally, we describe practical implications suggested by our conceptualization - practical suggestions that we hope to gain some experience with as part of an ongoing action research project at our partner organization.

Generation of 103 fs mode-locked pulses by a gain linewidth-variable Nd,Y:CaF2 disordered crystal.

PubMed

Qin, Z P; Xie, G Q; Ma, J; Ge, W Y; Yuan, P; Qian, L J; Su, L B; Jiang, D P; Ma, F K; Zhang, Q; Cao, Y X; Xu, J

2014-04-01

We have demonstrated a diode-pumped passively mode-locked femtosecond Nd,Y:CaF2 disordered crystal laser for the first time to our knowledge. By choosing appropriate Y-doping concentration, a broad fluorescence linewidth of 31 nm has been obtained from the gain linewidth-variable Nd,Y:CaF2 crystal. With the Nd,Y:CaF2 disordered crystal as gain medium, the mode-locked laser generated pulses with pulse duration as short as 103 fs, average output power of 89 mW, and repetition rate of 100 MHz. To our best knowledge, this is the shortest pulse generated from Nd-doped crystal lasers so far. The research results show that the Nd,Y:CaF2 disordered crystal will be a potential alternative as gain medium of repetitive chirped pulse amplification for high-peak-power lasers.

Alumni Networks--"An Untapped Potential to Gain and Retain Highly-Skilled Workers?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

David, Alexandra; Coenen, Frans

2014-01-01

In times of increasing skills shortage, regions and particularly non-core regions, need to attract highly-skilled workers. It is better for these regions to (re)attract highly-skilled workers that gained knowledge and contacts elsewhere and because they once lived in the region for study have already ties to the university region than trying to…

Trends in education gradients of 'preventable' mortality: a test of fundamental cause theory.

PubMed

Masters, Ryan K; Link, Bruce G; Phelan, Jo C

2015-02-01

Fundamental cause theory explains persisting associations between socioeconomic status and mortality in terms of personal resources such as knowledge, money, power, prestige, and social connections, as well as disparate social contexts related to these resources. We review evidence concerning fundamental cause theory and test three central claims using the National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files 1986-2004. We then examine cohort-based variation in the associations between a fundamental social cause of disease, educational attainment, and mortality rates from heart disease, other "preventable" causes of death, and less preventable causes of death. We further explore race/ethnic and gender variation in these associations. Overall, findings are consistent with nearly all features of fundamental cause theory. Results show, first, larger education gradients in mortality risk for causes of death that are under greater human control than for less preventable causes of death, and, second, that these gradients grew more rapidly across successive cohorts than gradients for less preventable causes. Results also show that relative sizes and cohort-based changes in the education gradients vary substantially by race/ethnicity and gender. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How fundamental are fundamental constants?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, M. J.

2015-01-01

I argue that the laws of physics should be independent of one's choice of units or measuring apparatus. This is the case if they are framed in terms of dimensionless numbers such as the fine structure constant, ?. For example, the standard model of particle physics has 19 such dimensionless parameters whose values all observers can agree on, irrespective of what clock, rulers or scales? they use to measure them. Dimensional constants, on the other hand, such as ?, c, G, e and k ?, are merely human constructs whose number and values differ from one choice of units to the next. In this sense, only dimensionless constants are 'fundamental'. Similarly, the possible time variation of dimensionless fundamental 'constants' of nature is operationally well defined and a legitimate subject of physical enquiry. By contrast, the time variation of dimensional constants such as ? or ? on which a good many (in my opinion, confusing) papers have been written, is a unit-dependent phenomenon on which different observers might disagree depending on their apparatus. All these confusions disappear if one asks only unit-independent questions. We provide a selection of opposing opinions in the literature and respond accordingly.

Generalization and Maintenance of Treatment Gains in Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA): A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cadório, Inês; Lousada, Marisa; Martins, Paula; Figueiredo, Daniela

2017-01-01

Background: Cognitive-linguistic treatments and interventions targeting communication have been developed within the context of primary progressive aphasia (PPA), however knowledge about the scope of generalization and maintenance of therapy gains considering PPA subtypes remains scarce and awaits systematic investigation. Aims: To analyse the…

Assessing Students' Learning about Fundamental Concepts of Climate Change under Two Different Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Dianna; Weaver, Andrew J.; Raptis, Helen

2012-01-01

Students from three different British Columbia grade six classes were followed through two weeks of instruction on climate change. Pre, post, and follow-up surveys were used to determine the differences in knowledge gained and retained by students that received direct instruction from their science teacher, and by those who received equivalent…

Knowledge engineering in volcanology: Practical claims and general approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pshenichny, Cyril A.

2014-10-01

Knowledge engineering, being a branch of artificial intelligence, offers a variety of methods for elicitation and structuring of knowledge in a given domain. Only a few of them (ontologies and semantic nets, event/probability trees, Bayesian belief networks and event bushes) are known to volcanologists. Meanwhile, the tasks faced by volcanology and the solutions found so far favor a much wider application of knowledge engineering, especially tools for handling dynamic knowledge. This raises some fundamental logical and mathematical problems and requires an organizational effort, but may strongly improve panel discussions, enhance decision support, optimize physical modeling and support scientific collaboration.

Does child and adolescent mental health in-service training result in equivalent knowledge gain among cadres of non-specialist health workers in Uganda? A pre-test post-test study.

PubMed

Akol, Angela; Nalugya, Joyce; Nshemereirwe, Sylvia; Babirye, Juliet N; Engebretsen, Ingunn Marie Stadskleiv

2017-01-01

Early identification and management of child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) disorders helps to avert mental illness in adulthood but a CAMH treatment gap exists in Uganda. CAMH integration into primary health care (PHC) through in-service training of non-specialist health workers (NSHW) using the World Health Organisation (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) Intervention Guide (IG) is a strategy to address this gap. However, results of such training are not supported by information on training development or delivery; and are undifferentiated by NSHW cadre. We aim to describe an in-service CAMH training for NSHW in Uganda and assess cadre-differentiated learning outcomes. Thirty-six clinical officers, nurses and midwives from 18 randomly selected PHC clinics in eastern Uganda were trained for 5 days on CAMH screening and referral using a curriculum based on the mhGAP-IG version 1.0 and PowerPoint slides from the International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP). The residential training was evaluated through pre- and post- training tests of CAMH knowledge and attitudes using the participants' post-test scores; and the difference between pre-test and post-test scores. Two-tailed t-tests assessed differences in mean pre-test and post-test scores between the cadres; hierarchical linear regression tested the association between cadre and post test scores; and logistic regression evaluated the relationship between cadre and knowledge gain at three pre-determined cut off points. Thirty-three participants completed both pre-and post-tests. Improved mean scores from pre- to post-test were observed for both clinical officers (20% change) and nurse/midwives (18% change). Clinical officers had significantly higher mean test scores than nurses and midwives (p < 0.05) but cadre was not significantly associated with improvement in CAMH knowledge at the 10% (AOR 0.08; 95 CI [0.01, 1.19]; p = 0.066), 15% (AOR 0

Public attitudes to GM foods. The balancing of risks and gains.

PubMed

Hudson, John; Caplanova, Anetta; Novak, Marcel

2015-09-01

In the paper we study the variables influencing attitudes to the use of two biotechnologies related to gene transfer within apples. Using Eurobarometer 73.1 survey data on biotechnology, science and technology, with 15,650 respondents, we study the extent these attitudes are determined by socio-economic and other variables. We found that attitudes to the risks and gains are determined by socio-economic variables and also by the individual's knowledge, scientific background, their parent's education in science and their religion. Perceptions of naturalness and of environmental impact combined with perceived risks and gains in determining overall approval, proxied by views on whether the technologies should be encouraged, for GMTs. However there are substantial differences in attitudes to transgenesis and cisgenesis. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Parental Strategies for Knowledge of Adolescents' Friends: Distinct from Monitoring?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourdeau, Beth; Miller, Brenda A.; Duke, Michael R.; Ames, Genevieve M.

2011-01-01

Parental monitoring is defined as a set of behaviors used to gain knowledge about an adolescent's whereabouts, friends and associates, and activities. However, can knowledge of adolescents' whereabouts/activities, and friends all be attained through the same strategies? Or do they require their own strategies? This study used qualitative…

Teen Financial Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Behavior: A Gendered View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danes, Sharon M.; Haberman, Heather R.

2007-01-01

A social constructionist perspective was taken in the current investigation of 5,329 male and female high school students. Gender differences were investigated in financial knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior after studying a financial planning curriculum. Females gained more knowledge on credit, auto insurance, and investments, although males…

Inter-firm Networks, Organizational Learning and Knowledge Updating: An Empirical Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Su-rong; Wang, Wen-ping

In the era of knowledge-based economy which information technology develops rapidly, the rate of knowledge updating has become a critical factor for enterprises to gaining competitive advantage .We build an interactional theoretical model among inter-firm networks, organizational learning and knowledge updating thereby and demonstrate it with empirical study at last. The result shows that inter-firm networks and organizational learning is the source of knowledge updating.

Knowledge-Directed Theory Revision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Kamal; Leung, Kevin; Konik, Tolga; Choi, Dongkyu; Shapiro, Dan

Using domain knowledge to speed up learning is widely accepted but theory revision of such knowledge continues to use general syntactic operators. Using such operators for theory revision of teleoreactive logic programs is especially expensive in which proof of a top-level goal involves playing a game. In such contexts, one should have the option to complement general theory revision with domain-specific knowledge. Using American football as an example, we use Icarus' multi-agent teleoreactive logic programming ability to encode a coach agent whose concepts correspond to faults recognized in execution of the play and whose skills correspond to making repairs in the goals of the player agents. Our results show effective learning using as few as twenty examples. We also show that structural changes made by such revision can produce performance gains that cannot be matched by doing only numeric optimization.

The "Making" of Knowledge Society in Rwanda? Translations, Tensions and Transformations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knutsson, Beniamin

2012-01-01

In the year 2000, Rwanda launched an ambitious long-term development strategy intended to render a fundamental transformation from an agrarian to a knowledge society by 2020. Knowledge society, however, could be viewed as a "floating signifier" open for a wide range of interpretations. Guided by a policy translation perspective the aim…

A study of the competency of third year medical students to interpret biochemically based clinical scenarios using knowledge and skills gained in year 1 and 2.

PubMed

Gowda, Veena Bhaskar S; Nagaiah, Bhaskar Hebbani; Sengodan, Bharathi

2016-01-01

Medical students build clinical knowledge on the grounds of previously obtained basic knowledge. The study aimed to evaluate the competency of third year medical students to interpret biochemically based clinical scenarios using knowledge and skills gained during year 1 and 2 of undergraduate medical training. Study was conducted on year 3 MBBS students at AIMST University, Malaysia. Clinical scenarios (25) were constructed and administered to student volunteers, making sure at least one question from each system of year 2 was represented. Feedback was obtained on a five-point Likert scale regarding perception of learning biochemistry in MBBS year 1 versus 2. Mean score of test was 18 (72.11%). Performance was comparatively better in questions related to topics learnt in year 1 and reinforced in year 2 compared to those learnt for first time in year 2. In the feedback obtained, 31% strongly agreed and 56% agreed understanding the subject was helped more by learning biochemistry in year 2 than in year 1. Likewise, 36% strongly agreed and 56% agreed appreciating the importance of biochemistry in patient diagnosis was helped more by learning biochemistry in year 2 than year 1. Thirty one percent strongly agreed and 54% agreed that year 1 biochemistry would have been more relevant if case discussions were done simultaneously. Students retain basic science subjects better and appreciate the importance of basic sciences in patient diagnosis if they are reinforced in the context of clinical situations. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Developmental gains in visuospatial memory predict gains in mathematics achievement.

PubMed

Li, Yaoran; Geary, David C

2013-01-01

Visuospatial competencies are related to performance in mathematical domains in adulthood, but are not consistently related to mathematics achievement in children. We confirmed the latter for first graders and demonstrated that children who show above average first-to-fifth grade gains in visuospatial memory have an advantage over other children in mathematics. The study involved the assessment of the mathematics and reading achievement of 177 children in kindergarten to fifth grade, inclusive, and their working memory capacity and processing speed in first and fifth grade. Intelligence was assessed in first grade and their second to fourth grade teachers reported on their in-class attentive behavior. Developmental gains in visuospatial memory span (d = 2.4) were larger than gains in the capacity of the central executive (d = 1.6) that in turn were larger than gains in phonological memory span (d = 1.1). First to fifth grade gains in visuospatial memory and in speed of numeral processing predicted end of fifth grade mathematics achievement, as did first grade central executive scores, intelligence, and in-class attentive behavior. The results suggest there are important individual differences in the rate of growth of visuospatial memory during childhood and that these differences become increasingly important for mathematics learning.

Developmental Gains in Visuospatial Memory Predict Gains in Mathematics Achievement

PubMed Central

Li, Yaoran; Geary, David C.

2013-01-01

Visuospatial competencies are related to performance in mathematical domains in adulthood, but are not consistently related to mathematics achievement in children. We confirmed the latter for first graders and demonstrated that children who show above average first-to-fifth grade gains in visuospatial memory have an advantage over other children in mathematics. The study involved the assessment of the mathematics and reading achievement of 177 children in kindergarten to fifth grade, inclusive, and their working memory capacity and processing speed in first and fifth grade. Intelligence was assessed in first grade and their second to fourth grade teachers reported on their in-class attentive behavior. Developmental gains in visuospatial memory span (d = 2.4) were larger than gains in the capacity of the central executive (d = 1.6) that in turn were larger than gains in phonological memory span (d = 1.1). First to fifth grade gains in visuospatial memory and in speed of numeral processing predicted end of fifth grade mathematics achievement, as did first grade central executive scores, intelligence, and in-class attentive behavior. The results suggest there are important individual differences in the rate of growth of visuospatial memory during childhood and that these differences become increasingly important for mathematics learning. PMID:23936154

The Impact of Leadership Social Power on Knowledge Management Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scovetta, Vincent

2013-01-01

Knowledge is said to be the actionable human quality gained from the capacity to derive mental insight from facts that have been placed in context, analyzed, and synthesized using references of past experience, mental comparison, and consideration of consequences. Knowledge, therefore, provides the key to understanding the world around us.…

The Impact of Attrition on Vocabulary Knowledge among Saudi Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alharthi, Thamer

2014-01-01

This two-year longitudinal study tracks the extent of vocabulary attrition among Arabic-speaking English graduate teachers. Data were collected through pre-post tests of receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. The results showed drastic attrition in vocabulary knowledge soon after the end of formal instruction followed by slight gain,…

Iterating between lessons on concepts and procedures can improve mathematics knowledge.

PubMed

Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Koedinger, Kenneth

2009-09-01

Knowledge of concepts and procedures seems to develop in an iterative fashion, with increases in one type of knowledge leading to increases in the other type of knowledge. This suggests that iterating between lessons on concepts and procedures may improve learning. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the instructional benefits of an iterative lesson sequence compared to a concepts-before-procedures sequence for students learning decimal place-value concepts and arithmetic procedures. In two classroom experiments, sixth-grade students from two schools participated (N=77 and 26). Students completed six decimal lessons on an intelligent-tutoring systems. In the iterative condition, lessons cycled between concept and procedure lessons. In the concepts-first condition, all concept lessons were presented before introducing the procedure lessons. In both experiments, students in the iterative condition gained more knowledge of arithmetic procedures, including ability to transfer the procedures to problems with novel features. Knowledge of concepts was fairly comparable across conditions. Finally, pre-test knowledge of one type predicted gains in knowledge of the other type across experiments. An iterative sequencing of lessons seems to facilitate learning and transfer, particularly of mathematical procedures. The findings support an iterative perspective for the development of knowledge of concepts and procedures.

Higgs varieties and fundamental groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruzzo, Ugo; Graña Otero, Beatriz

2018-06-01

After reviewing some "fundamental group schemes" that can be attached to a variety by means of Tannaka duality, we consider the example of the Higgs fundamental group scheme, surveying its main properties and relations with the other fundamental groups, and giving some examples.

Fundamental Properties of the SHIELD Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannon, John; Adams, Betsey; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Haynes, Martha; Jones, Michael; McQuinn, Kristen; Rhode, Katherine; Salzer, John; Skillman, Evan

2018-05-01

The ALFALFA survey has significantly advanced our knowledge of the HI mass function (HIMF), particularly at the low mass end. From the ALFALFA survey, we have constructed a sample of all of the galaxies with HI masses less than 20 million solar masses. Observations of this 82 galaxy sample allow, for the first time, a characterization of the lowest HI mass galaxies at redshift zero. Specifically, this sample can be used to determine the low HI-mass ends of various fundamental scaling relations, including the critical baryonic Tully Fisher relation (BTFR) and the mass-metallicity (M-Z) relation. The M-Z relation and the BTFR are cosmologically important, but current samples leave the low-mass parameter spaces severely underpopulated. A full understanding of these relationships depends critically on accurate stellar masses of this complete sample of uniformly-selected galaxies. Here, we request imaging of the 70 galaxies in our sample that have not been observed with Spitzer. The proposed imaging will allow us to measure stellar masses and inclinations of the sample galaxies using a uniform observational approach. Comparison with (existing and in progress) interferometric HI imaging and with ground-based optical imaging and spectroscopy will enable a robust mass decomposition in each galaxy and accurate placements on the aforementioned scaling relationships. The observations proposed here will allow us to populate the mass continuum between mini-halos and bona fide dwarf galaxies, and to address a range of fundamental questions in galaxy formation and near-field cosmology.

Modified fundamental Airy wave.

PubMed

Seshadri, S R

2014-01-01

The propagation characteristics of the fundamental Airy wave are obtained; the intensity distribution is the same as that for a point electric dipole situated at the origin and oriented normal to the propagation direction. The propagation characteristics of the modified fundamental Airy wave are determined. These characteristics are the same as those for the fundamental Gaussian wave provided that an equivalent waist is identified for the Airy wave. In general, the waves are localized spatially with the peak in the propagation direction.

Gain weighted eigenspace assignment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidson, John B.; Andrisani, Dominick, II

1994-01-01

This report presents the development of the gain weighted eigenspace assignment methodology. This provides a designer with a systematic methodology for trading off eigenvector placement versus gain magnitudes, while still maintaining desired closed-loop eigenvalue locations. This is accomplished by forming a cost function composed of a scalar measure of error between desired and achievable eigenvectors and a scalar measure of gain magnitude, determining analytical expressions for the gradients, and solving for the optimal solution by numerical iteration. For this development the scalar measure of gain magnitude is chosen to be a weighted sum of the squares of all the individual elements of the feedback gain matrix. An example is presented to demonstrate the method. In this example, solutions yielding achievable eigenvectors close to the desired eigenvectors are obtained with significant reductions in gain magnitude compared to a solution obtained using a previously developed eigenspace (eigenstructure) assignment method.

Temporal Changes in Education Gradients of ‘Preventable’ Mortality: A Test of Fundamental Cause Theory

PubMed Central

Masters, Ryan K.; Link, Bruce G.; Phelan, Jo C.

2015-01-01

Fundamental cause theory explains persisting associations between socioeconomic status and mortality in terms of personal resources such as knowledge, money, power, prestige, and social connections, as well as disparate social contexts related to these resources. We review evidence concerning fundamental cause theory and test three central claims using the National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files 1986-2004. We then examine cohort-based variation in the associations between a fundamental social cause of disease, educational attainment, and mortality rates from heart disease, other “preventable” causes of death, and less preventable causes of death. We further explore race/ethnic and gender variation in these associations. Overall, findings are consistent with nearly all features of fundamental cause theory. Results show, first, larger education gradients in mortality risk for causes of death that are under greater human control than for less preventable causes of death, and, second, that these gradients grew more rapidly across successive cohorts than gradients for less preventable causes. Results also show that relative sizes and cohort-based changes in the education gradients vary substantially by race/ethnicity and gender. PMID:25556675

Understanding Sources of Knowledge for Coaches of Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonald, Dany J.; Beck, Katie; Erickson, Karl; Côté, Jean

2016-01-01

Background: Recent research has investigated development of coaching knowledge; however, less research has investigated the development of coaches who coach athletes with intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to understand how coaches of athletes with intellectual disabilities gain their knowledge. Method: Forty-five Special…

Toward using games to teach fundamental computer science concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edgington, Jeffrey Michael

Video and computer games have become an important area of study in the field of education. Games have been designed to teach mathematics, physics, raise social awareness, teach history and geography, and train soldiers in the military. Recent work has created computer games for teaching computer programming and understanding basic algorithms. We present an investigation where computer games are used to teach two fundamental computer science concepts: boolean expressions and recursion. The games are intended to teach the concepts and not how to implement them in a programming language. For this investigation, two computer games were created. One is designed to teach basic boolean expressions and operators and the other to teach fundamental concepts of recursion. We describe the design and implementation of both games. We evaluate the effectiveness of these games using before and after surveys. The surveys were designed to ascertain basic understanding, attitudes and beliefs regarding the concepts. The boolean game was evaluated with local high school students and students in a college level introductory computer science course. The recursion game was evaluated with students in a college level introductory computer science course. We present the analysis of the collected survey information for both games. This analysis shows a significant positive change in student attitude towards recursion and modest gains in student learning outcomes for both topics.

A qualitative content analysis of knowledge storage in nursing education system.

PubMed

Karimi Moonaghi, Hossein; Ahanchian, Mohammad Reza; Hassanian, Zahra Marzieh

2014-10-01

The need for effective management of intellectual and academic assets is constantly growing. The nursing educational system should be considered as a storage of knowledge since it is deposited in the nursing educational system in the form of intellectual investment. The purpose of the present study was to explore nursing knowledge storage in the nursing educational system. The participants of this study consisted of eight nursing educators and five students. The inductive content analysis method was used in this research. Participants were interviewed through the semi-structured method. Data analysis was done by five stage framework approaches. The trustworthiness of the study was ensured through validity and acceptability criteria. Data analysis showed that nursing educators and students were involve in teaching and learning activities by storing knowledge in subjective and objective forms. Knowledge was gained through the different educational activities of the nursing educators and through contact with their peers. Moreover, the nursing students gained knowledge for better learning and a more knowledgeable and advanced performance with the help of the educators. This study revealed the main components of knowledge storage. An enhanced preservation of explicit knowledge is recommended in the nursing educational system so that in the future, students and educators can easily access the same knowledge from storage sources and not from individuals who might be carrying only a single experience of the subject.

Distinguishing complex ideas about climate change: knowledge integration vs. specific guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitale, Jonathan M.; McBride, Elizabeth; Linn, Marcia C.

2016-06-01

We compared two forms of automated guidance to support students' understanding of climate change in an online inquiry science unit. For specific guidance, we directly communicated ideas that were missing or misrepresented in student responses. For knowledge integration guidance, we provided hints or suggestions to motivate learners to analyze features of their response and seek more information. We guided both student-constructed energy flow diagrams and short essays at total of five times across an approximately week-long curriculum unit. Our results indicate that while specific guidance typically produced larger accuracy gains on responses within the curriculum unit, knowledge integration guidance produced stronger outcomes on a novel essay at posttest. Closer analysis revealed an association between the time spent revisiting a visualization and posttest scores on this summary essay, only for those students in the knowledge integration condition. We discuss how these gains in knowledge integration extend laboratory results related to 'desirable difficulties' and show how autonomous inquiry can be fostered through automated guidance.

University science students' knowledge of fats.

PubMed

Mazier, M J Patricia; McLeod, Sheena L

2007-01-01

Students entering university often lack knowledge about fats; whether students gain such information during four years at university is unclear. Students' knowledge of fat in the first and fourth years was measured and compared. The effect of a nutrition course on knowledge was also examined. A total of 215 science students at a small undergraduate university completed a 15-item, closed-ended questionnaire concerning knowledge of fats in the diet. Fourth-year science students have greater nutrition knowledge of fats than do first-year science students (p<0.005). Given that the majority of first-year students reside on campus and the majority of fourth-year students reside off campus, the purchasing of food and preparation of meals may explain the senior students' greater knowledge of fat. Students who have taken a nutrition course know more about fats than do those who have not (p<0.001). Taking even one course in nutrition greatly increases nutrition knowledge. Universities could encourage undergraduate students to take a basic nutrition course, which should emphasize the identification and understanding of different types of dietary fats.

Quality of Teaching Mathematics and Learning Achievement Gains: Evidence from Primary Schools in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngware, Moses W.; Ciera, James; Musyoka, Peter K.; Oketch, Moses

2015-01-01

This paper examines the contribution of quality mathematics teaching to student achievement gains. Quality of mathematics teaching is assessed through teacher demonstration of the five strands of mathematical proficiency, the level of cognitive task demands, and teacher mathematical knowledge. Data is based on 1907 grade 6 students who sat for the…

Fundamentals of metasurface lasers based on resonant dark states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Droulias, Sotiris; Jain, Aditya; Koschny, Thomas; Soukoulis, Costas M.

2017-10-01

Recently, our group proposed a metamaterial laser design based on explicitly coupled dark resonant states in low-loss dielectrics, which conceptually separates the gain-coupled resonant photonic state responsible for macroscopic stimulated emission from the coupling to specific free-space propagating modes, allowing independent adjustment of the lasing state and its coherent radiation output. Due to this functionality, it is now possible to make lasers that can overcome the trade-off between system dimensions and Q factor, especially for surface emitting lasers with deeply subwavelength thickness. Here, we give a detailed discussion of the key functionality and benefits of this design, such as radiation damping tunability, directionality, subwavelength integration, and simple layer-by-layer fabrication. We examine in detail the fundamental design tradeoffs that establish the principle of operation and must be taken into account and give guidance for realistic implementations.

A Comparison of Student Skill Knowledge Estimates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayers, Elizabeth; Nugent, Rebecca; Dean, Nema

2009-01-01

A fundamental goal of educational research is identifying students' current stage of skill mastery (complete/partial/none). In recent years a number of cognitive diagnosis models have become a popular means of estimating student skill knowledge. However, these models become difficult to estimate as the number of students, items, and skills grows.…

Analysis of astigmatism of gain guided laser with a tapered-stripe geometry

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

Mamine, T.; Oda, T.; Yoneyama, O.

1984-12-01

The astigmatism of the tapered-stripe (TAPS) laser has been analyzed. Calculating the near-field spot size and the radius of curvature in the tapered-stripe region, the astigmatism is determined by using the expression of D = R/sub e/ (1+(lambdaR/sub e// ..pi..w/sup 2//sub e/)/sup 2/)/sup -1/. In our formalism we assume that the gain profile is parabola and the near-field spot size at the facet is determined by the diffusion length of injected carriers. So far as these assumptions are valid, it is concluded that the amount of astigmatism is reduced with the length of tapered stripe, using the refractive index changemore » due to the band-edge absorption of -10/sup -2/. The fundamental characteristics of the gain guided laser with TAPS structure such as the astigmatism, far-field radiation pattern, and the spontaneous emission factor are shown to be controlled by properly designing the stripe geometry and the thickness of the active layer.« less

An analysis of the relationship between teachers' acquisition of physics content knowledge and their level of science teaching efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marion, Virginia Frances

1998-12-01

The goal of Project Inquiry, a two-year long multiphase study, was to transform the delivery of science instruction from a traditional, textbook driven delivery approach to a hands-on, minds-on, constructivist approach. Teachers from a midwestern urban school district were trained in constructivism while learning physics concepts and content through guided inquiry instruction in collaborative groups. The objectives aimed to increase teachers' content expertise and science teaching efficacy, as well as to have teachers become better facilitators of learning. Phase two of the three phases of Project Inquiry was the focus of this study. Fifty-seven teachers participated in Phase two, which began with an intense two week summer institute in 1995. A longitudinal time-series (OxOO), quasi-experimental research design was used to investigate the relationship between science teaching efficacy scores and gains in physics content knowledge. The data consisted of: (a) six sets of pre and post physics content knowledge test scores (electricity, magnetism, matter and balance); (b) three sets of STEBI-A (inservice), Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument scores, a pre to post, pre to follow-up, and post to follow-up; and (c) demographic variables that were used as covariates, grade taught, years of experience, and postbaccalaureate training. Using the general linear model with an Alpha level of.05, and testing the hypothesized relationships, results indicated that although there were significant positive gains in content knowledge (p =.000) and science teaching efficacy (p =.000), the overall average gains in physics content knowledge were not predictive of gains in either Personal Science Teaching Efficacy or Science Outcome Expectancy. Post hoc analysis used individual content gain scores, in regression models that included the three covariates: grade taught, years of experience, and post baccalaureate training, to test the relationship between knowledge gains and

Knowledge Modeling in Prior Art Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graf, Erik; Frommholz, Ingo; Lalmas, Mounia; van Rijsbergen, Keith

This study explores the benefits of integrating knowledge representations in prior art patent retrieval. Key to the introduced approach is the utilization of human judgment available in the form of classifications assigned to patent documents. The paper first outlines in detail how a methodology for the extraction of knowledge from such an hierarchical classification system can be established. Further potential ways of integrating this knowledge with existing Information Retrieval paradigms in a scalable and flexible manner are investigated. Finally based on these integration strategies the effectiveness in terms of recall and precision is evaluated in the context of a prior art search task for European patents. As a result of this evaluation it can be established that in general the proposed knowledge expansion techniques are particularly beneficial to recall and, with respect to optimizing field retrieval settings, further result in significant precision gains.

The search for knowledge and the avoidance of knowledge.

PubMed

Waska, Robert

2007-01-01

In the psychoanalytic setting, patients can develop a strong reaction to the therapeutic opportunity to gain new knowledge about themselves. This reaction to knowledge is manifested in the patient by walling it off, splitting it off, or attacking it and erasing it from one's internal experience. The avoidance of knowledge can be the result of various phantasy states that bring on defensive postures. Knowledge can be experienced as a persecutory threat to be avoided and defended against. Knowledge can also elicit depressive concerns of loss and separation. Issues of dependence and autonomy can be equated with knowledge and therefore learning must be warded off. As a result of any or all of these internal threats, the ego can instigate a moratorium on thinking and creativity, a shutdown on feeling, thinking, and learning. As will be shown in the case material, wanting to know can be offset by a greater defensive need to not know. Through projective identification cycles, knowledge is placed into the analyst and experienced as dangerous, unobtainable, or a gift one deserves to be given rather than earned. The patient in the case example demonstrates a more paranoid experience of knowledge and a more paranoid avoidance of learning and change. When paranoid phantasies drive the patient to destroy object-relational links between self and analyst, the transference becomes colored with the phantasy of knowledge being equal to dangerous dependence that leads to destruction of either self or object. Therefore, curiosity and learning are to be avoided. Change is no longer a safe option. Psychic change can only occur when past and current knowledge are allowed to be part of the ego's self<-->object world. In other words, Psychic change is possible when the ego is less restrictive and open to new self<-->object experience. Therefore, the ego must tolerate conflicted feelings and thoughts about the self and others for knowledge to be allowable and accessible. This is the core

Can traditional ecological knowledge and wilderness benefit one another?

Treesearch

Henry P. Huntington

2002-01-01

Traditional ecological knowledge is the system of experiential knowledge gained by continual observation and transmitted among members of a community. It includes spiritual aspects of the proper relationship between humans and their environment. In this context, the Arctic is considered to be “peopled land.” More recent uses of the term “wilderness” recognize the...

Interpretation of Radiological Images: Towards a Framework of Knowledge and Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Gijp, A.; van der Schaaf, M. F.; van der Schaaf, I. C.; Huige, J. C. B. M.; Ravesloot, C. J.; van Schaik, J. P. J.; ten Cate, Th. J.

2014-01-01

The knowledge and skills that are required for radiological image interpretation are not well documented, even though medical imaging is gaining importance. This study aims to develop a comprehensive framework of knowledge and skills, required for two-dimensional and multiplanar image interpretation in radiology. A mixed-method study approach was…

Effective Knowledge Integration in Emergency Response Organizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gudi, Arvind

2009-01-01

Natural and man-made disasters have gained attention at all levels of policy-making in recent years. Emergency management tasks are inherently complex and unpredictable, and often require coordination among multiple organizations across different levels and locations. Effectively managing various knowledge areas and the organizations involved has…

CODATA Fundamental Physical Constants

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 121 NIST CODATA Fundamental Physical Constants (Web, free access)   This site, developed in the Physics Laboratory at NIST, addresses three topics: fundamental physical constants, the International System of Units (SI), which is the modern metric system, and expressing the uncertainty of measurement results.

Sharing the knowledge gained from occupational cohort studies: a call for action.

PubMed

Behrens, Thomas; Mester, Birte; Fritschi, Lin

2012-06-01

An immense body of knowledge has been created by establishing various job-exposure matrices (JEMs) to assess occupational exposures in community- and industry-based cohort studies. These JEMs could be made available to occupational epidemiologists using knowledge-sharing technologies, thereby saving considerable amounts of time and money for researchers investigating occupation-related research questions. In this paper, the authors give an example of how a detailed JEM can be easily transformed into a job-specific module (JSM) for use in community-based studies. OccIDEAS is operationalised as a web-based software, combining the use of JSMs with an individual expert exposure assessment to assess occupational exposures in various industries according to a set of predefined rules. The authors used a JEM focusing on endocrine-disrupting chemicals from a German study on testicular cancer in the automobile industry to create a JSM in OccIDEAS. The JEM was easily translated into OccIDEAS requiring about 50 h of work by an epidemiologist familiar with the German JEM to learn about the OccIDEAS structure, establish the required set of exposure rules and to translate the JEM into OccIDEAS. Language did not represent an obstacle for translation either. To make the data available in an international context, an interpreter had to translate the German tasks and exposures after they were coded into OccIDEAS. JEMs which are constructed based on identifying tasks that determine exposure can be easily transformed into a JSM. Occupational epidemiologists are invited to contribute to the international scope of OccIDEAS by providing their previously established JEMs to make existing data on occupational exposures widely available to the epidemiological community.

Contrasting Knowledge for Elementary and Secondary Mathematics Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowland, Tim

2012-01-01

This paper describes and analyses two mathematics lessons, one with very young pupils, about subtraction, the other for lower secondary school pupils, about gradients [slopes] and graphs. The focus of the analysis is on teacher knowledge, and on the fundamental mathematical and mathematics-pedagogical prerequisites that underpin teaching these…

Dependence of the Brillouin gain spectrum on linear strain distribution for optical time-domain reflectometer-type strain sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naruse, Hiroshi; Tateda, Mitsuhiro; Ohno, Hiroshige; Shimada, Akiyoshi

2002-12-01

We theoretically derive the shape of the Brillouin gain spectrum, that is, the Brillouin backscattered-light power spectrum, produced in an optical fiber under conditions of a strain distribution that changes linearly with a constant slope. The modeled measurement system is an optical time-domain reflectometer-type strain sensor system. The linear strain distribution is one of the fundamental distributions and is produced in, for example, a beam to which a concentrated load is applied. By analyzing a function that expresses the shape of the derived Brillouin gain spectrum, we show that the strain calculated from the frequency at which the spectrum has a peak value coincides with that at the center of the effective pulsed light. In addition, the peak value and the full width at half-maximum of the Brillouin gain spectrum are both influenced by the strain difference between the two ends of the effective pulse. We investigate this influence in detail and obtain the relationship between strain difference and strain measurement error.

A Qualitative Content Analysis of Knowledge Storage in Nursing Education System

PubMed Central

Karimi Moonaghi, Hossein; Ahanchian, Mohammad Reza; Hassanian, Zahra Marzieh

2014-01-01

Background: The need for effective management of intellectual and academic assets is constantly growing. The nursing educational system should be considered as a storage of knowledge since it is deposited in the nursing educational system in the form of intellectual investment. Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to explore nursing knowledge storage in the nursing educational system. Materials and Methods: The participants of this study consisted of eight nursing educators and five students. The inductive content analysis method was used in this research. Participants were interviewed through the semi-structured method. Data analysis was done by five stage framework approaches. The trustworthiness of the study was ensured through validity and acceptability criteria. Results: Data analysis showed that nursing educators and students were involve in teaching and learning activities by storing knowledge in subjective and objective forms. Knowledge was gained through the different educational activities of the nursing educators and through contact with their peers. Moreover, the nursing students gained knowledge for better learning and a more knowledgeable and advanced performance with the help of the educators. Conclusions: This study revealed the main components of knowledge storage. An enhanced preservation of explicit knowledge is recommended in the nursing educational system so that in the future, students and educators can easily access the same knowledge from storage sources and not from individuals who might be carrying only a single experience of the subject. PMID:25558388

Intelligence: is it the epidemiologists' elusive "fundamental cause" of social class inequalities in health?

PubMed

Gottfredson, Linda S

2004-01-01

Virtually all indicators of physical health and mental competence favor persons of higher socioeconomic status (SES). Conventional theories in the social sciences assume that the material disadvantages of lower SES are primarily responsible for these inequalities, either directly or by inducing psychosocial harm. These theories cannot explain, however, why the relation between SES and health outcomes (knowledge, behavior, morbidity, and mortality) is not only remarkably general across time, place, disease, and kind of health system but also so finely graded up the entire SES continuum. Epidemiologists have therefore posited, but not yet identified, a more general "fundamental cause" of health inequalities. This article concatenates various bodies of evidence to demonstrate that differences in general intelligence (g) may be that fundamental cause.

Metalinguistic Knowledge in L2 Task Performance: A Verbal Protocol Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roehr, Karen

2006-01-01

This paper reports a study employing stimulated recall protocols to investigate how L1 English-speaking learners of L2 German use their metalinguistic knowledge during the resolution of selected form-focused tasks. Verbal report data from 10 university level learners were analysed to gain insight into explicit knowledge in action during controlled…

Supporting the Transference of Knowledge about Language within Teacher Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenwick, Lisl; Endicott, Michele; Quinn, Marie; Humphrey, Sally

2014-01-01

Teacher education is effective when pre-service teachers are able to transfer knowledge from content areas to practice. This study investigates the extent to which curriculum and assessment designs, along with teaching practices, supported pre-service teachers to transfer knowledge gained about language from a first-year course into a second-year…

Improving the fundamentals of care for older people in the acute hospital setting: facilitating practice improvement using a Knowledge Translation Toolkit.

PubMed

Wiechula, Rick; Kitson, Alison; Marcoionni, Danni; Page, Tammy; Zeitz, Kathryn; Silverston, Heidi

2009-12-01

This paper reports on a structured facilitation program where seven interdisciplinary teams conducted projects aimed at improving the care of the older person in the acute sector. Aims  To develop and implement a structured intervention known as the Knowledge Translation (KT) Toolkit to improve the fundamentals of care for the older person in the acute care sector. Three hypotheses were tested: (i) frontline staff can be facilitated to use existing quality improvement tools and techniques and other resources (the KT Toolkit) in order to improve care of older people in the acute hospital setting; (ii) fundamental aspects of care for older people in the acute hospital setting can be improved through the introduction and use of specific evidence-based guidelines by frontline staff; and (iii) innovations can be introduced and improvements made to care within a 12-month cycle/timeframe with appropriate facilitation. Methods  Using realistic evaluation methodology the impact of a structured facilitation program (the KT Toolkit) was assessed with the aim of providing a deeper understanding of how a range of tools, techniques and strategies may be used by clinicians to improve care. The intervention comprised three elements: the facilitation team recruited for specific knowledge, skills and expertise in KT, evidence-based practice and quality and safety; the facilitation, including a structured program of education, ongoing support and communication; and finally the components of the toolkit including elements already used within the study organisation. Results  Small improvements in care were shown. The results for the individual projects varied from clarifying issues of concern and planning ongoing activities, to changing existing practices, to improving actual patient outcomes such as reducing functional decline. More importantly the study described how teams of clinicians can be facilitated using a structured program to conduct practice improvement activities

Comparing gains and losses.

PubMed

McGraw, A Peter; Larsen, Jeff T; Kahneman, Daniel; Schkade, David

2010-10-01

Loss aversion in choice is commonly assumed to arise from the anticipation that losses have a greater effect on feelings than gains, but evidence for this assumption in research on judged feelings is mixed. We argue that loss aversion is present in judged feelings when people compare gains and losses and assess them on a common scale. But many situations in which people judge and express their feelings lack these features. When judging their feelings about an outcome, people naturally consider a context of similar outcomes for comparison (e.g., they consider losses against other losses). This process permits gains and losses to be normed separately and produces psychological scale units that may not be the same in size or meaning for gains and losses. Our experiments show loss aversion in judged feelings for tasks that encourage gain-loss comparisons, but not tasks that discourage them, particularly those using bipolar scales.

Knowledge Acquisition and Job Training for Advanced Technical Skills Using Immersive Virtual Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanuki, Keiichi; Kojima, Kazuyuki

The environment in which Japanese industry has achieved great respect is changing tremendously due to the globalization of world economies, while Asian countries are undergoing economic and technical development as well as benefiting from the advances in information technology. For example, in the design of custom-made casting products, a designer who lacks knowledge of casting may not be able to produce a good design. In order to obtain a good design and manufacturing result, it is necessary to equip the designer and manufacturer with a support system related to casting design, or a so-called knowledge transfer and creation system. This paper proposes a new virtual reality based knowledge acquisition and job training system for casting design, which is composed of the explicit and tacit knowledge transfer systems using synchronized multimedia and the knowledge internalization system using portable virtual environment. In our proposed system, the education content is displayed in the immersive virtual environment, whereby a trainee may experience work in the virtual site operation. Provided that the trainee has gained explicit and tacit knowledge of casting through the multimedia-based knowledge transfer system, the immersive virtual environment catalyzes the internalization of knowledge and also enables the trainee to gain tacit knowledge before undergoing on-the-job training at a real-time operation site.

Understanding the Complexities of Prior Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soiferman, L. Karen

2014-01-01

The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the kinds of prior knowledge students bring with them from high school as it relates to the conventions of writing that they are expected to follow in ARTS 1110 Introduction to University. The research questions were "Can first-year students taking the Arts 1110 Introduction to…

Ecological Knowledge Among Communities, Managers and Scientists: Bridging Divergent Perspectives to Improve Forest Management Outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rist, Lucy; Shackleton, Charlie; Gadamus, Lily; Chapin, F. Stuart; Gowda, C. Made; Setty, Siddappa; Kannan, Ramesh; Shaanker, R. Uma

2016-04-01

Multiple actors are typically involved in forest management, namely communities, managers and researchers. In such cases, suboptimal management outcomes may, in addition to other factors, be symptomatic of a divergence in perspectives among these actors driven by fundamental differences in ecological knowledge. We examine the degree of congruence between the understandings of actors surrounding key issues of management concern in three case studies from tropical, subtropical and boreal forests. We identify commonly encountered points of divergence in ecological knowledge relating to key management processes and issues. We use these to formulate seven hypotheses about differences in the bodies of knowledge that frequently underlie communication and learning failures in forest management contexts where multiple actors are involved and outcomes are judged to be suboptimal. Finally, we present a set of propositions to acknowledge and narrow these differences. A more complete recognition of the full triangulation between all actors involved, and of the influence that fundamental differences in ecological knowledge can exert, may help lead to a more fruitful integration between local knowledge and practice, manager knowledge and practice, and contemporary science in forest management.

Defining the fundamentals of care.

PubMed

Kitson, Alison; Conroy, Tiffany; Wengstrom, Yvonne; Profetto-McGrath, Joanne; Robertson-Malt, Suzi

2010-08-01

A three-stage process is being undertaken to investigate the fundamentals of care. Stage One (reported here) involves the use of a met a-narrative review methodology to undertake a thematic analysis, categorization and synthesis of selected contents extracted from seminal texts relating to nursing practice. Stage Two will involve a search for evidence to inform the fundamentals of care and a refinement of the review method. Stage Three will extend the reviews of the elements defined as fundamentals of care. This introductory paper covers the following aspects: the conceptual basis upon which nursing care is delivered; how the fundamentals of care have been defined in the literature and in practice; an argument that physiological aspects of care, self-care elements and aspects of the environment of care are central to the conceptual refinement of the term fundamentals of care; and that efforts to systematize such information will enhance overall care delivery through improvements in patient safety and quality initiatives in health systems.

Knowledge creation through total clinical outcomes management: a practice-based evidence solution to address some of the challenges of knowledge translation.

PubMed

Lyons, John S

2009-02-01

The challenges of knowledge translation in behavioural health care are unique to this field for a variety of reasons including the fact that effective treatment is invariably embedded in a strong relationship between practitioners and the people they serve. Practitioners' knowledge gained from experience and intuition become an even more important consideration in the knowledge translation process since clinicians are, in fact, a component of most treatments. Communication of findings from science must be conceptualized with sensitivity to this reality. Considering knowledge translation as a communication process suggests the application of contemporary theories of communication which emphasize the creation of shared meaning over the transmission of knowledge from one person to the next. In this context outcomes management approaches to create a learning environment within clinical practices that facilitate the goals of knowledge transfer while respecting that the scientific enterprise is neither the sole nor primary repository of knowledge.

African American and White women׳s perceptions of weight gain, physical activity, and nutrition during pregnancy.

PubMed

Whitaker, Kara M; Wilcox, Sara; Liu, Jihong; Blair, Steven N; Pate, Russell R

2016-03-01

To describe African American and White women's perceptions of weight gain, physical activity, and nutrition during pregnancy and to explore differences in perceptions by race. Qualitative interview study. Two Ob/Gyn clinics in South Carolina, USA. Thirty pregnant women (15 African American, 15 White) between 20 and 30 weeks gestation, equally represented across pre-pregnancy BMI categories (10 normal weight, 10 overweight, and 10 obese). White women more frequently described intentions to meet weight gain, physical activity, and dietary guidelines in pregnancy than African American women. African American women were more concerned with inadequate weight gain while White women more commonly expressed concerns about excessive weight gain. More White women discussed the importance of physical activity for weight management. Regardless of race, few women described risks of excessive weight gain or benefits of physical activity as it relates to the baby's health. The primary cited barrier of healthy eating was the high cost of fresh produce. Several knowledge gaps as well as race differences were identified in women's perceptions and intentions toward weight gain, physical activity, and nutrition during pregnancy. Future interventions should seek to educate women about common misperceptions. It may be necessary to culturally tailor gestational weight gain interventions to optimise health outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Knowledge acquisition in the fuzzy knowledge representation framework of a medical consultation system.

PubMed

Boegl, Karl; Adlassnig, Klaus-Peter; Hayashi, Yoichi; Rothenfluh, Thomas E; Leitich, Harald

2004-01-01

This paper describes the fuzzy knowledge representation framework of the medical computer consultation system MedFrame/CADIAG-IV as well as the specific knowledge acquisition techniques that have been developed to support the definition of knowledge concepts and inference rules. As in its predecessor system CADIAG-II, fuzzy medical knowledge bases are used to model the uncertainty and the vagueness of medical concepts and fuzzy logic reasoning mechanisms provide the basic inference processes. The elicitation and acquisition of medical knowledge from domain experts has often been described as the most difficult and time-consuming task in knowledge-based system development in medicine. It comes as no surprise that this is even more so when unfamiliar representations like fuzzy membership functions are to be acquired. From previous projects we have learned that a user-centered approach is mandatory in complex and ill-defined knowledge domains such as internal medicine. This paper describes the knowledge acquisition framework that has been developed in order to make easier and more accessible the three main tasks of: (a) defining medical concepts; (b) providing appropriate interpretations for patient data; and (c) constructing inferential knowledge in a fuzzy knowledge representation framework. Special emphasis is laid on the motivations for some system design and data modeling decisions. The theoretical framework has been implemented in a software package, the Knowledge Base Builder Toolkit. The conception and the design of this system reflect the need for a user-centered, intuitive, and easy-to-handle tool. First results gained from pilot studies have shown that our approach can be successfully implemented in the context of a complex fuzzy theoretical framework. As a result, this critical aspect of knowledge-based system development can be accomplished more easily.

Fundamentals of metasurface lasers based on resonant dark states

DOE PAGES

Droulias, Sotiris; Jain, Aditya; Koschny, Thomas; ...

2017-10-30

Recently, our group proposed a metamaterial laser design based on explicitly coupled dark resonant states in low-loss dielectrics, which conceptually separates the gain-coupled resonant photonic state responsible for macroscopic stimulated emission from the coupling to specific free-space propagating modes, allowing independent adjustment of the lasing state and its coherent radiation output. Due to this functionality, it is now possible to make lasers that can overcome the trade-off between system dimensions and Q factor, especially for surface emitting lasers with deeply subwavelength thickness. In this paper, we give a detailed discussion of the key functionality and benefits of this design, suchmore » as radiation damping tunability, directionality, subwavelength integration, and simple layer-by-layer fabrication. Finally, we examine in detail the fundamental design tradeoffs that establish the principle of operation and must be taken into account and give guidance for realistic implementations.« less

The Effects of Nine-Week Summer Vacation: Losses in Mathematics and Gains in Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paechter, Manuela; Luttenberger, Silke; Macher, Daniel; Berding, Florian; Papousek, Ilona; Weiss, Elisabeth M.; Fink, Andreas

2015-01-01

Summer vacations interrupt the rhythm of learning and may result in a loss of knowledge and skills. This study investigates summer learning losses in an Austrian sample with nine-week summer vacations. The results show losses as well as gains for students in lower secondary education (182 students between 10 and 12 years old). Students experienced…

Active rc filter permits easy trade-off of amplifier gain and sensitivity to gain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerwin, W. J.; Shaffer, C. V.

1968-01-01

Passive RC network was designed with zeros of transmission in the right half of the complex frequency plane in the feedback loop of a simple negative-gain amplifier. The proper positioning provides any desired trade-off between amplifier gain and sensitivity to amplifier gain.

Application variables and their influence on forest herbicide efficacy and selectivity: gaining understanding and control

Treesearch

James H. Miller

1998-01-01

Available research is reviewed on the interactions of application variables, herbicides, and species. Objectives of this review are to gain insights into why variation occurs with herbicide performance, how current knowledge might be applied to enhance efficacy and consistency, and research pathways that should foster integration of application-efficacy models. A...

Generating Procedural and Conceptual Knowledge of Fractions by Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chinnappan, Mohan; Forrester, Tricia

2014-01-01

Knowledge that teachers bring to the teaching context is of interest to key stakeholders in improving levels of numeracy attained by learners. In this regard, the centrality of, and the need to investigate, the quality of teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching mathematics has been gaining momentum in recent years. There is a general…

Synergy optimization and operation management on syndicate complementary knowledge cooperation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Kai-Jan

2014-10-01

The number of multi enterprises knowledge cooperation has grown steadily, as a result of global innovation competitions. I have conducted research based on optimization and operation studies in this article, and gained the conclusion that synergy management is effective means to break through various management barriers and solve cooperation's chaotic systems. Enterprises must communicate system vision and access complementary knowledge. These are crucial considerations for enterprises to exert their optimization and operation knowledge cooperation synergy to meet global marketing challenges.

Pump-probe spectroscopy in organic semiconductors: monitoring fundamental processes of relevance in optoelectronics.

PubMed

Cabanillas-Gonzalez, Juan; Grancini, Giulia; Lanzani, Guglielmo

2011-12-08

In this review we highlight the contribution of pump-probe spectroscopy to understand elementary processes taking place in organic based optoelectronic devices. The techniques described in this article span from conventional pump-probe spectroscopy to electromodulated pump-probe and the state-of-the-art confocal pump-probe microscopy. The article is structured according to three fundamental processes (optical gain, charge photogeneration and charge transport) and the contribution of these techniques on them. The combination of these tools opens up new perspectives for assessing the role of short-lived excited states on processes lying underneath organic device operation. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Realising the knowledge spiral in healthcare: the role of data mining and knowledge management.

PubMed

Wickramasinghe, Nilmini; Bali, Rajeev K; Gibbons, M Chris; Schaffer, Jonathan

2008-01-01

Knowledge Management (KM) is an emerging business approach aimed at solving current problems such as competitiveness and the need to innovate which are faced by businesses today. The premise for the need for KM is based on a paradigm shift in the business environment where knowledge is central to organizational performance . Organizations trying to embrace KM have many tools, techniques and strategies at their disposal. A vital technique in KM is data mining which enables critical knowledge to be gained from the analysis of large amounts of data and information. The healthcare industry is a very information rich industry. The collecting of data and information permeate most, if not all areas of this industry; however, the healthcare industry has yet to fully embrace KM, let alone the new evolving techniques of data mining. In this paper, we demonstrate the ubiquitous benefits of data mining and KM to healthcare by highlighting their potential to enable and facilitate superior clinical practice and administrative management to ensue. Specifically, we show how data mining can realize the knowledge spiral by effecting the four key transformations identified by Nonaka of turning: (1) existing explicit knowledge to new explicit knowledge, (2) existing explicit knowledge to new tacit knowledge, (3) existing tacit knowledge to new explicit knowledge and (4) existing tacit knowledge to new tacit knowledge. This is done through the establishment of theoretical models that respectively identify the function of the knowledge spiral and the powers of data mining, both exploratory and predictive, in the knowledge discovery process. Our models are then applied to a healthcare data set to demonstrate the potential of this approach as well as the implications of such an approach to the clinical and administrative aspects of healthcare. Further, we demonstrate how these techniques can facilitate hospitals to address the six healthcare quality dimensions identified by the Committee

Improved Gain Microstrip Patch Antenna

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-06

08-2015 Publication Improved Gain Microstrip Patch Antenna David A. Tonn Naval Under Warfare Center Division, Newport 1176 Howell St., Code 00L...GAIN MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST [0001] The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the...patch antenna having increased gain, and an apparatus for increasing the gain and bandwidth of an existing microstrip patch antenna . (2) Description

Elementary Students' Retention of Environmental Science Knowledge: Connected Science Instruction versus Direct Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Upadhyay, Bhaskar; DeFranco, Cristina

2008-01-01

This study compares 3rd-grade elementary students' gain and retention of science vocabulary over time in two different classes--"connected science instruction" versus "direct instruction." Data analysis yielded that students who received connected science instruction showed less gain in science knowledge in the short term compared to students who…

Validating the Learning Cycle Models of Business Simulation Games via Student Perceived Gains in Skills and Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tao, Yu-Hui; Yeh, C. Rosa; Hung, Kung Chin

2015-01-01

Several theoretical models have been constructed to determine the effects of buisness simulation games (BSGs) on learning performance. Although these models agree on the concept of learning-cycle effect, no empirical evidence supports the claim that the use of learning cycle activities with BSGs produces an effect on incremental gains in knowledge…

Study of gain and photoresponse characteristics for back-illuminated separate absorption and multiplication GaN avalanche photodiodes

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

Wang, Xiaodong; Pan, Ming; Hou, Liwei

2014-01-07

The gain and photoresponse characteristics have been numerically studied for back-illuminated separate absorption and multiplication (SAM) GaN avalanche photodiodes (APDs). The parameters of fundamental models are calibrated by simultaneously comparing the simulated dark and light current characteristics with the experimental results. Effects of environmental temperatures and device dimensions on gain characteristics have been investigated, and a method to achieve the optimum thickness of charge layer is obtained. The dependence of gain characteristics and breakdown voltage on the doping concentration of the charge layer is also studied in detail to get the optimal charge layer. The bias-dependent spectral responsivity and quantummore » efficiency are then presented to study the photoresponse mechanisms inside SAM GaN APDs. It is found the responsivity peak red-shifts at first due to the Franz-Keldysh effect and then blue-shifts due to the reach-through effect of the absorption layer. Finally, a new SAM GaN/AlGaN heterojunction APD structure is proposed for optimizing SAM GaN APDs.« less

Self-Assessment of Word Knowledge with Graded Readers: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wan-a-rom, Udorn

2010-01-01

The study investigated how second language (L2) learners self-assessed word knowledge on a page of text taken from a graded reader. The case study subjects were five Thai high school learners of English. They were asked to assess their word knowledge using a page of continuous text. Data gained through observation, interviews, self-assessment and…

The Effect of the States of Prior Knowledge on Question Answering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Betty C.

A study was conducted to gain insight into the question answering abilities of good and poor readers by comparing how well they answered questions when their prior knowledge was at two different levels (high, low) and in four different states. These states of prior knowledge consisted of the ways in which answers to the questions were stored in…

Is Knowledge Shared within Households? Policy Research Working Papers No. 2261.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basu, Kaushik; Narayan, Ambar; Ravallion, Martin

This paper examines whether an illiterate worker's earnings are affected by the literacy of other members of the household. Theory suggests that a member of a collective-action household may or may not share knowledge with others in the household. Shared income gains from shared knowledge may well be offset by a shift in the balance of power…

Whose Knowledge, Whose Development? Use and Role of Local and External Knowledge in Agroforestry Projects in Bolivia.

PubMed

Jacobi, Johanna; Mathez-Stiefel, Sarah-Lan; Gambon, Helen; Rist, Stephan; Altieri, Miguel

2017-03-01

Agroforestry often relies on local knowledge, which is gaining recognition in development projects. However, how local knowledge can articulate with external and scientific knowledge is little known. Our study explored the use and integration of local and external knowledge in agroforestry projects in Bolivia. In 42 field visits and 62 interviews with agroforestry farmers, civil society representatives, and policymakers, we found a diverse knowledge base. We examined how local and external knowledge contribute to livelihood assets and tree and crop diversity. Projects based predominantly on external knowledge tended to promote a single combination of tree and crop species and targeted mainly financial capital, whereas projects with a local or mixed knowledge base tended to focus on food security and increased natural capital (e.g., soil restoration) and used a higher diversity of trees and crops than those with an external knowledge base. The integration of different forms of knowledge can enable farmers to better cope with new challenges emerging as a result of climate change, fluctuating market prices for cash crops, and surrounding destructive land use strategies such as uncontrolled fires and aerial fumigation with herbicides. However, many projects still tended to prioritize external knowledge and undervalue local knowledge-a tendency that has long been institutionalized in the formal educational system and in extension services. More dialogue is needed between different forms of knowledge, which can be promoted by strengthening local organizations and their networks, reforming agricultural educational institutions, and working in close interaction with policymakers.

The role of hardware in learning engineering fundamentals: An empirical study of engineering design and product analysis activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brereton, Margot Felicity

A series of short engineering exercises and design projects was created to help students learn to apply abstract knowledge to physical experiences with hardware. The exercises involved designing machines from kits of materials and dissecting and analyzing familiar household products. Students worked in teams. During the activities students brought their knowledge of engineering fundamentals to bear. Videotape analysis was used to identify and characterize the ways in which hardware contributed to learning fundamental concepts. Structural and qualitative analyses of videotaped activities were undertaken. Structural analysis involved counting the references to theory and hardware and the extent of interleaving of references in activity. The analysis found that there was much more discussion linking fundamental concepts to hardware in some activities than in others. The analysis showed that the interleaving of references to theory and hardware in activity is observable and quantifiable. Qualitative analysis was used to investigate the dialog linking concepts and hardware. Students were found to advance their designs and their understanding of engineering fundamentals through a negotiation process in which they pitted abstract concepts against hardware behavior. Through this process students sorted out theoretical assumptions and causal relations. In addition they discovered design assumptions, functional connections and physical embodiments of abstract concepts in hardware, developing a repertoire of familiar hardware components and machines. Hardware was found to be integral to learning, affecting the course of inquiry and the dynamics of group interaction. Several case studies are presented to illustrate the processes at work. The research illustrates the importance of working across the boundary between abstractions and experiences with hardware in order to learn engineering and physical sciences. The research findings are: (a) the negotiation process by which

Working Memory, Strategy Knowledge, and Strategy Instruction in Children with Reading Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, H. Lee; Kehler, Pam; Jerman, Olga

2010-01-01

Two experiments investigated the effects of strategy knowledge and strategy training on the working memory (WM) performance in children (ages 10-11) with and without reading disabilities (RD). Experiment 1 examined the relationship between strategy knowledge (stability of strategy choices) and WM performance as a function of initial, gain (cued),…

Shifting from Implicit to Explicit Knowledge: Different Roles of Early- and Late-Night Sleep

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yordanova, Juliana; Kolev, Vasil; Verleger, Rolf; Bataghva, Zhamak; Born, Jan; Wagner, Ullrich

2008-01-01

Sleep has been shown to promote the generation of explicit knowledge as indicated by the gain of insight into previously unrecognized task regularities. Here, we explored whether this generation of explicit knowledge depends on pre-sleep implicit knowledge, and specified the differential roles of slow-wave sleep (SWS) vs. rapid eye movement (REM)…

Using program evaluation to support knowledge translation in an interprofessional primary care team: a case study.

PubMed

Donnelly, Catherine; Shulha, Lyn; Klinger, Don; Letts, Lori

2016-10-06

Evaluation is a fundamental component in building quality primary care and is ideally situated to support individual, team and organizational learning by offering an accessible form of participatory inquiry. The evaluation literature has begun to recognize the unique features of KT evaluations and has described attributes to consider when evaluating KT activities. While both disciplines have focused on the evaluation of KT activities neither has explored the role of evaluation in KT. The purpose of the paper is to examine how participation in program evaluation can support KT in a primary care setting. A mixed methods case study design was used, where evaluation was conceptualized as a change process and intervention. A Memory Clinic at an interprofessional primary care clinic was the setting in which the study was conducted. An evaluation framework, Pathways of Influence provided the theoretical foundation to understand how program evaluation can facilitate the translation of knowledge at the level of the individual, inter-personal (Memory Clinic team) and the organization. Data collection included questionnaires, interviews, evaluation log and document analysis. Questionnaires and interviews were administered both before and after the evaluation: Pattern matching was used to analyze the data based on predetermined propositions. Individuals gained program knowledge that resulted in changes to both individual and program practices. One of the key themes was the importance clinicians placed on local, program based knowledge. The evaluation had less influence on the broader health organization. Program evaluation facilitated individual, team and organizational learning. The use of evaluation to support KT is ideally suited to a primary care setting by offering relevant and applicable knowledge to primary care team members while being sensitive to local context.

Inhibitory Control Interacts with Core Knowledge in Toddlers' Manual Search for an Occluded Object

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Sara T.; Gjersoe, Nathalia L.; Sibielska-Woch, Kasia; Leslie, Alan M.; Hood, Bruce M.

2011-01-01

Core knowledge theories advocate the primacy of fundamental principles that constrain cognitive development from early infancy. However, there is concern that core knowledge of object properties does not constrain older preschoolers' reasoning during manual search. Here we address in detail both failure and success on two well-established search…

Individual differences in fundamental social motives.

PubMed

Neel, Rebecca; Kenrick, Douglas T; White, Andrew Edward; Neuberg, Steven L

2016-06-01

Motivation has long been recognized as an important component of how people both differ from, and are similar to, each other. The current research applies the biologically grounded fundamental social motives framework, which assumes that human motivational systems are functionally shaped to manage the major costs and benefits of social life, to understand individual differences in social motives. Using the Fundamental Social Motives Inventory, we explore the relations among the different fundamental social motives of Self-Protection, Disease Avoidance, Affiliation, Status, Mate Seeking, Mate Retention, and Kin Care; the relationships of the fundamental social motives to other individual difference and personality measures including the Big Five personality traits; the extent to which fundamental social motives are linked to recent life experiences; and the extent to which life history variables (e.g., age, sex, childhood environment) predict individual differences in the fundamental social motives. Results suggest that the fundamental social motives are a powerful lens through which to examine individual differences: They are grounded in theory, have explanatory value beyond that of the Big Five personality traits, and vary meaningfully with a number of life history variables. A fundamental social motives approach provides a generative framework for considering the meaning and implications of individual differences in social motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Fundamental performance differences between CMOS and CCD imagers: part III

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janesick, James; Pinter, Jeff; Potter, Robert; Elliott, Tom; Andrews, James; Tower, John; Cheng, John; Bishop, Jeanne

2009-08-01

This paper is a status report on recent scientific CMOS imager developments since when previous publications were written. Focus today is being given on CMOS design and process optimization because fundamental problems affecting performance are now reasonably well understood. Topics found in this paper include discussions on a low cost custom scientific CMOS fabrication approach, substrate bias for deep depletion imagers, near IR and x-ray point-spread performance, custom fabricated high resisitivity epitaxial and SOI silicon wafers for backside illuminated imagers, buried channel MOSFETs for ultra low noise performance, 1 e- charge transfer imagers, high speed transfer pixels, RTS/ flicker noise versus MOSFET geometry, pixel offset and gain non uniformity measurements, high S/N dCDS/aCDS signal processors, pixel thermal dark current sources, radiation damage topics, CCDs fabricated in CMOS and future large CMOS imagers planned at Sarnoff.

Integrating the fundamentals of care framework in baccalaureate nursing education: An example from a nursing school in Denmark.

PubMed

Voldbjerg, Siri Lygum; Laugesen, Britt; Bahnsen, Iben Bøgh; Jørgensen, Lone; Sørensen, Ingrid Maria; Grønkjaer, Mette; Sørensen, Erik Elgaard

2018-06-01

To describe and discuss the process of integrating the Fundamentals of Care framework in a baccalaureate nursing education at a School of Nursing in Denmark. Nursing education plays an essential role in educating nurses to work within healthcare systems in which a demanding workload on nurses results in fundamental nursing care being left undone. Newly graduated nurses often lack knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of delivering fundamental care in clinical practice. To develop nursing students' understanding of fundamental nursing, the conceptual Fundamentals of Care framework has been integrated in nursing education at a School of Nursing in Denmark. Discursive paper using an adjusted descriptive case study design for describing and discussing the process of integrating the conceptual Fundamentals of Care Framework in nursing education. The process of integrating the Fundamentals of Care framework is illuminated through a description of the context, in which the process occurs including the faculty members, lectures, case-based work and simulation laboratory in nursing education. Based on this description, opportunities such as supporting a holistic approach to an evidence-based integrative patient care and challenges such as scepticism among the faculty are discussed. It is suggested how integration of Fundamentals of Care Framework in lectures, case-based work and simulation laboratory can make fundamental nursing care more explicit in nursing education, support critical thinking and underline the relevance of evidence-based practice. The process relies on a supportive context, a well-informed and engaged faculty, and continuous reflections on how the conceptual framework can be integrated. Integrating the Fundamentals of Care framework can support nursing students' critical thinking and reflection on what fundamental nursing care is and requires and eventually educate nurses in providing evidence-based fundamental nursing care. © 2018 John Wiley

A knowledge management-based intranet: asset or EBM liability?

PubMed

Mimnagh, Christopher

2005-01-01

This paper summarises the presentation given at the British Computer Society Primary Health Care Specialist Group annual conference 2004. It outlines the four years of experience gained in implementing a knowledge management-based intranet across a local health community. Consideration is given to definitions of knowledge management and evidence-based medicine. The paper outlines the potential impacts and actual results over the four-year period, with reference to the wider issues involved.

A bilateral integrative health-care knowledge service mechanism based on 'MedGrid'.

PubMed

Liu, Chao; Jiang, Zuhua; Zhen, Lu; Su, Hai

2008-04-01

Current health-care organizations are encountering impression of paucity of medical knowledge. This paper classifies medical knowledge with new scopes. The discovery of health-care 'knowledge flow' initiates a bilateral integrative health-care knowledge service, and we make medical knowledge 'flow' around and gain comprehensive effectiveness through six operations (such as knowledge refreshing...). Seizing the active demand of Chinese health-care revolution, this paper presents 'MedGrid', which is a platform with medical ontology and knowledge contents service. Each level and detailed contents are described on MedGrid info-structure. Moreover, a new diagnosis and treatment mechanism are formed by technically connecting with electronic health-care records (EHRs).

Flynn effects on sub-factors of episodic and semantic memory: parallel gains over time and the same set of determining factors.

PubMed

Rönnlund, Michael; Nilsson, Lars-Göran

2009-09-01

The study examined the extent to which time-related gains in cognitive performance, so-called Flynn effects, generalize across sub-factors of episodic memory (recall and recognition) and semantic memory (knowledge and fluency). We conducted time-sequential analyses of data drawn from the Betula prospective cohort study, involving four age-matched samples (35-80 years; N=2996) tested on the same battery of memory tasks on either of four occasions (1989, 1995, 1999, and 2004). The results demonstrate substantial time-related improvements on recall and recognition as well as on fluency and knowledge, with a trend of larger gains on semantic as compared with episodic memory [Rönnlund, M., & Nilsson, L. -G. (2008). The magnitude, generality, and determinants of Flynn effects on forms of declarative memory: Time-sequential analyses of data from a Swedish cohort study. Intelligence], but highly similar gains across the sub-factors. Finally, the association with markers of environmental change was similar, with evidence that historical increases in quantity of schooling was a main driving force behind the gains, both on the episodic and semantic sub-factors. The results obtained are discussed in terms of brain regions involved.

Association of gestational weight gain expectations with advice on actual weight gain

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To examine pregnant women's gestational weight gain expectations/advice from various sources (i.e., self, family/friends, physician) and the impact of these sources of expectations/advice on actual measured gestational weight gain. Pregnant women (n=230, 87.4% Caucasian, second pregnancy) in a cohor...

Managing the Social Determinants of Health: Part I: Fundamental Knowledge for Professional Case Management.

PubMed

Fink-Samnick, Ellen

PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING(S):: Applicable to health and behavioral health settings, wherever case management is practiced. The SDH pose major challenges to the health care workforce in terms of effective resource provision, health and behavioral health treatment planning plus adherence, and overall coordination of care. Obstacles and variances to needed interventions easily lead to less than optimal outcomes for case managers and their health care organizations. Possessing sound knowledge and clear understanding of each SDH, the historical perspectives, main theories, and integral dynamics, as well as creative resource solutions, all support a higher level of intentional and effective professional case management practice. Those persons and communities impacted most by the SDH comprise every case management practice setting. These clients can be among the most vulnerable and disenfranchised members of society, which can easily engender biases on the part of the interprofessional workforce. They are also among the costliest to care for with 50% of costs for only 5% of the population. Critical attention to knowledge about managing the SDH leverages and informs case management practice, evolves more effective programming, and enhances operational outcomes across practice settings.

Fundamental Structure of Loop Quantum Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Muxin; Ma, Yongge; Huang, Weiming

In the recent twenty years, loop quantum gravity, a background independent approach to unify general relativity and quantum mechanics, has been widely investigated. The aim of loop quantum gravity is to construct a mathematically rigorous, background independent, non-perturbative quantum theory for a Lorentzian gravitational field on a four-dimensional manifold. In the approach, the principles of quantum mechanics are combined with those of general relativity naturally. Such a combination provides us a picture of, so-called, quantum Riemannian geometry, which is discrete on the fundamental scale. Imposing the quantum constraints in analogy from the classical ones, the quantum dynamics of gravity is being studied as one of the most important issues in loop quantum gravity. On the other hand, the semi-classical analysis is being carried out to test the classical limit of the quantum theory. In this review, the fundamental structure of loop quantum gravity is presented pedagogically. Our main aim is to help non-experts to understand the motivations, basic structures, as well as general results. It may also be beneficial to practitioners to gain insights from different perspectives on the theory. We will focus on the theoretical framework itself, rather than its applications, and do our best to write it in modern and precise langauge while keeping the presentation accessible for beginners. After reviewing the classical connection dynamical formalism of general relativity, as a foundation, the construction of the kinematical Ashtekar-Isham-Lewandowski representation is introduced in the content of quantum kinematics. The algebraic structure of quantum kinematics is also discussed. In the content of quantum dynamics, we mainly introduce the construction of a Hamiltonian constraint operator and the master constraint project. At last, some applications and recent advances are outlined. It should be noted that this strategy of quantizing gravity can also be extended to

Whose Knowledge, Whose Development? Use and Role of Local and External Knowledge in Agroforestry Projects in Bolivia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobi, Johanna; Mathez-Stiefel, Sarah-Lan; Gambon, Helen; Rist, Stephan; Altieri, Miguel

2017-03-01

Agroforestry often relies on local knowledge, which is gaining recognition in development projects. However, how local knowledge can articulate with external and scientific knowledge is little known. Our study explored the use and integration of local and external knowledge in agroforestry projects in Bolivia. In 42 field visits and 62 interviews with agroforestry farmers, civil society representatives, and policymakers, we found a diverse knowledge base. We examined how local and external knowledge contribute to livelihood assets and tree and crop diversity. Projects based predominantly on external knowledge tended to promote a single combination of tree and crop species and targeted mainly financial capital, whereas projects with a local or mixed knowledge base tended to focus on food security and increased natural capital (e.g., soil restoration) and used a higher diversity of trees and crops than those with an external knowledge base. The integration of different forms of knowledge can enable farmers to better cope with new challenges emerging as a result of climate change, fluctuating market prices for cash crops, and surrounding destructive land use strategies such as uncontrolled fires and aerial fumigation with herbicides. However, many projects still tended to prioritize external knowledge and undervalue local knowledge—a tendency that has long been institutionalized in the formal educational system and in extension services. More dialogue is needed between different forms of knowledge, which can be promoted by strengthening local organizations and their networks, reforming agricultural educational institutions, and working in close interaction with policymakers.

Weight Gain during Pregnancy

MedlinePlus

... Global Map Premature Birth Report Cards Careers Archives Pregnancy Before or between pregnancies Nutrition, weight & fitness Prenatal ... fitness > Weight gain during pregnancy Weight gain during pregnancy E-mail to a friend Please fill in ...

Asthma Triggers: Gain Control

MedlinePlus

... Centers Asthma Contact Us Share Asthma Triggers: Gain Control Breathing Freely: Controlling Asthma Triggers This video features ... Air Quality: Biological Pollutants Help Your Child Gain Control Over Asthma Top of Page Molds About Molds ...

Contextual and Conceptual Intersubjectivity and Opportunities for Emergent Science Knowledge about Sound

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsson, Jonna

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present article was to gain knowledge about what aspects of, and in what way, contextual and conceptual intersubjectivity contribute to emergent science knowledge about sound. Starting from a Vygotskian theoretical base, the article rests on the work of Fleer (early learning and development. Cultural-historical concepts in play,…

Water quality in Gaines Creek and Gaines Creek arm of Eufaula Lake, Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kurklin, J.K.

1990-01-01

Based on samples collected from May 1978 to May 1980 and analyzed for major anions, nitrogen, trace elements, phytoplankton, and bacteria, the water in Gaines Creek and the Gaines Creek arm of Eufaula Lake was similar with respect to suitability for municipal use. Water from Gaines Creek had a pH range of 5.7 to 7.6 and a maximum specific conductance of 97 microsiemens per centimeter at 25o Celsius, whereas water from the Gaines Creek arm of Eufaula Lake had a pH range of 6.0 to 9.2 and a maximum specific conductance of 260 microsiemens per centimeter at 25o Celsius. Dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and specific conductance values for the lake varied with depth. With the exceptions of cadmium, iron, lead, and manganese, trace-element determinations of samples were within recommended national primary and secondary drinking-water standards. When compared to the National Academy of Sciences water-quality criteria, phytoplankton and bacteria counts exceeded recommendations; however, water from either Gaines Creek or Eufaula Lake could be treated similarly and used as a municipal water supply.

Eigenmode analysis of a high-gain free-electron laser based on a transverse gradient undulator

DOE PAGES

Baxevanis, Panagiotis; Huang, Zhirong; Ruth, Ronald; ...

2015-01-27

Here, the use of a transverse gradient undulator (TGU) is viewed as an attractive option for free-electron lasers (FELs) driven by beams with a large energy spread. By suitably dispersing the electron beam and tilting the undulator poles, the energy spread effect can be substantially mitigated. However, adding the dispersion typically leads to electron beams with large aspect ratios. As a result, the presence of higher-order modes in the FEL radiation can become significant. To investigate this effect, we study the eigenmode properties of a TGU-based, high-gain FEL, using both an analytically-solvable model and a variational technique. Our analysis, whichmore » includes the fundamental and the higher-order FEL eigenmodes, can provide an estimate of the mode content for the output radiation. This formalism also enables us to study the trade-off between FEL gain and transverse coherence. Numerical results are presented for a representative soft X-ray, TGU FEL example.« less

Eigenmode analysis of a high-gain free-electron laser based on a transverse gradient undulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baxevanis, Panagiotis; Huang, Zhirong; Ruth, Ronald; Schroeder, Carl B.

2015-01-01

The use of a transverse gradient undulator (TGU) is viewed as an attractive option for free-electron lasers (FELs) driven by beams with a large energy spread. By suitably dispersing the electron beam and tilting the undulator poles, the energy spread effect can be substantially mitigated. However, adding the dispersion typically leads to electron beams with large aspect ratios. As a result, the presence of higher-order modes in the FEL radiation can become significant. To investigate this effect, we study the eigenmode properties of a TGU-based, high-gain FEL, using both an analytically-solvable model and a variational technique. Our analysis, which includes the fundamental and the higher-order FEL eigenmodes, can provide an estimate of the mode content for the output radiation. This formalism also enables us to study the trade-off between FEL gain and transverse coherence. Numerical results are presented for a representative soft X-ray, TGU FEL example.

PRESSURE ULCER PREVENTION: FUNDAMENTALS FOR BEST PRACTICE.

PubMed

Collier, Mark

2016-01-01

This introduction has highlighted both the complex nature of the aetiology of pressure ulcer development and the complex nature of the assessment process intended to identify those patients who are or might be at an enhanced risk of pressure ulcer development. The latter statement assumes that all patients cared for in any healthcare setting are vulnerable to pressure ulcer development. Whilst it is acknowledged that the use of a risk assessment tool can be important in an overall pressure ulcer prevention strategy, it is important that the limitations of these tools are acknowledged and that they are not an finite assessment in themselves and that they should be used by a practitioner with a fundamental breadth of relevant knowledge and an appreciation of the range of appropriate preventative equipment/techniques available and the role of the multi-disciplinary team in the prevention of all avoidable pressure ulcers.

Collaborative Learning Using a Project across Multiple Business Courses: A Cognitive Load and Knowledge Convergence Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhowmick, Sandeep; Chandra, Aruna; Harper, Jeffrey S.; Sweetin, Vernon

2015-01-01

Four business professors at a state university in the Midwestern United States launched a collaborative learning project grounded in cognitive learning theory and knowledge convergence theory with the objective of assessing student learning gains in cross-functional knowledge (CFK), course-related knowledge (CRK), and overall satisfaction with…

"BreastfeedingBasics": web-based education that meets current knowledge competencies.

PubMed

Lewin, Linda Orkin; O'Connor, Mary E

2012-08-01

The United States has not met the majority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goals for breastfeeding duration. Studies have shown a lack of knowledge about breastfeeding by health care professionals and students (HCP/S). Web-based education can be a cost-effective manner of education for HCP/S. "BreastfeedingBasics" is an online free educational program available for use. This study compares information in "BreastfeedingBasics" to the breastfeeding knowledge competencies recommended by the US Breastfeeding Committee (USBC). It also evaluates usage of "BreastfeedingBasics" by users and health care professional faculty. Using anonymous information from Web site users, the authors compared mean pre-test and post-test scores of the modules as a measure of the knowledge gained by HCP/S users. They evaluated usage by demographic information and used a Web-based survey to assess benefits of usage of "BreastfeedingBasics" to faculty. Overall, 15 020 HCP/S used the Web site between April 1999 and December 2009. "BreastfeedingBasics" meets 8 of the 11 USBC knowledge competencies. Mean post-test scores increased (P < .001) for all modules. Faculty reported its benefits to be free, broad scope, and the ability to be completed on the students' own time; 84% of the faculty combined the use of "BreastfeedingBasics" with clinical work. Use of "BreastfeedingBasics" can help HCP/S meet the USBC core breastfeeding knowledge competencies and gain knowledge. Faculty are satisfied with its use. Wider use of "BreastfeedingBasics" to help improve the knowledge of HCP/S may help in improving breastfeeding outcomes.

Development and testing of a CD-ROM program for improving adolescent knowledge of inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed

Boamah, Lynelle M; Bohren, Janet R; Pentiuk, Scott; Baker, Raymond; Yi, Michael; Moyer, M Susan

2010-05-01

The aim of this study was to design a theory-based educational program for adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using an interactive multimedia CD-ROM and to test its effectiveness in improving knowledge in IBD. Curriculum-based instruction using educational theory and principles was designed for adolescents on an interactive multimedia CD-ROM. Twenty subjects completed summative evaluation of the CD-ROM measuring gain in knowledge about IBD immediately and 9 months after instruction. Subjects found the CD-ROM to be informative, appealing, and easy to use. The mean baseline score of the adolescents on the Crohn's and Colitis Knowledge questionnaire was 12.2 (standard deviation 5.14, range 3-24). After an average of 30 minutes of self-directed learning, adolescent subjects increased their posttest score to a mean of 19.8, a gain of 7.6 points over baseline (95% confidence interval 5.2-10.1, P < 0.0001). Knowledge of medications, disease complications, and gastrointestinal structure and function was gained and retained upon retesting at 9 months with a mean Crohn's and Colitis Knowledge questionnaire score of 17.5 (standard deviation 3.9, range 12-26), which was still an improvement over the mean pretest knowledge score of 12.2 (P < 0.001). Adolescents with IBD have low baseline knowledge about their disease. A rigorously developed interactive educational tool is now available for instructing adolescent patients about their IBD.

PREFACE: Fundamental Neutron Physics: Introduction and Overview Fundamental Neutron Physics: Introduction and Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holstein, Barry R.

2009-10-01

In the 77 years since its discovery by Chadwick in 1932, the neutron has come to play an increasingly important role in contemporary physics. As the next to lightest baryon, it is, of course, one of the two primary components of the atomic nucleus and studies of isotopes (nuclei with varying numbers of neutrons but the same proton number) and of the neutron drip line are one of the important focuses of the recently approved radioactive beam machine to be built at Michigan State University. Precise knowledge of its ~900 second lifetime is crucial to determination of the time at which nucleosynthesis occurs in the early universe. Because it is electrically neutral, the neutron can penetrate the atomic cloud and neutron scattering has become a powerful tool in the study of the structure of materials in condensed matter and biophysics. These are all important issues, but will not be addressed in the articles presented below. Rather, in the set of manuscripts published herein, we show various ways in which the neutron has come to probe fundamental questions in physics. We present six such articles: Because of its simple structure, neutron beta decay has served as a laboratory for the study of possible symmetry violations, including search for possible Script T-violation via measurement of the D coefficient, search for second class currents and/or possible CVC violation via examination of recoil terms, search for right-handed currents via examination of correlations, search for S, T couplings via measurement of the b parameter, etc. The study of neutron decay is reviewed in the article by Jeff Nico. The use of the neutron as a probe of possible Script T-violation via the existence of a non-zero electric dipole moment is discussed in the article by Steve Lamoreaux. The neutron is a prime player in the experimental study of hadronic parity violation, via experiments involving radiative capture and spin rotation, as examined in the article by Barry Holstein. Because of its

Fundamental Investigation of Si Anode in Li-Ion Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, James J.; Bennett, William R.

2012-01-01

Silicon is a promising and attractive anode material to replace graphite for high capacity lithium ion cells since its theoretical capacity is approximately 10 times of graphite and it is an abundant element on earth. However, there are challenges associated with using silicon as Li-ion anode due to the significant first cycle irreversible capacity loss and subsequent rapid capacity fade during cycling. In this paper, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used to build a fundamental understanding of silicon anodes. The results show that it is difficult to form the SEI film on the surface of Si anode during the first cycle, the lithium ion insertion and de-insertion kinetics for Si are sluggish, and the cell internal resistance changes with the state of lithiation after electrochemical cycling. These results are compared with those for extensively studied graphite anodes. The understanding gained from this study will help to design better Si anodes.

One-day workshop-based training improves physical activity prescription knowledge in Latin American physicians: a pre-test post-test study.

PubMed

Arciniegas Calle, Maria C; Lobelo, Felipe; Jiménez, Mario A; Páez, Diana C; Cortés, Sebastian; de Lima, Andrés; Duperly, John

2016-12-05

The physical inactivity pandemic and related non-communicable diseases have made it imperative for medical doctors (MDs) to effectively provide lifestyle counseling as part of prevention and treatment plans for patients. A one-day certification workshop was designed to improve MDs PA prescription knowledge, as part of the Exercise is Medicine® (EIM®) global health initiative. The objective was to determine knowledge gain of MDs participating in a standardized, one-day PA prescription workshop performed throughout Latin America (LA). A 20-question multiple-choice test on PA topics, based on international guidelines, was completed before and after the workshop. Pre and post-test analyses, without a control group, were performed on 1044 MDs after the 8-h workshop that was delivered 41 times across 12 LA countries, from January 2014 to January 2015. Knowledge improvement was determined using the class-average normalized gain and individual relative gain. T-tests with 95% confidence interval levels were conducted to analyze differences between MD specialties. Test scores improved on average from 67 to 82% after the workshop (p <0.001). The average total individual relative gain was 29% [CI: 26 to 32%]. Relative gain by country ranged from 9.3% [CI: 2 to 16%; Nicaragua] to 73% [CI: 47 to 98%; Dominican Republic]. The mean of the 41 workshops' class-average normalized gain was 46% [CI: 42 to 51%]. The largest groups of participants were general practitioners (GPs) (33%; n = 348), internal medicine (19%; n = 194), and family medicine (9%n = 92) specialists. Relative gain for GPs was not different than for all grouped primary care specialties (30% vs. 27%, p =0.48). The knowledge gain was higher for the workshop modules on screening/risk stratification and prescription (43% [CI: 39-48%] and 38% [CI: 34-42%], than for the module on PA benefits and risks (26% [CI: 23-28%]). This one-day workshop had a positive impact on the knowledge gain of MD's on the topic of

An Innovative Strategy for Teaching Health-Related Fitness Knowledge in Elementary Physical Education Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, Michael

2015-01-01

For many decades, children and adolescents have had a deficient level of health-related fitness knowledge (HRFK). This is worrisome, since HRFK acquisition has been found to be fundamental for individuals' decision-making as it relates to healthy living. Consequently, Knowledge in Action (KIA) fitness was developed to offer elementary teachers an…

Knowledge, as the Result of the Processed Information by Human's Sub-particles (substrings)/Mind in our Brain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholibeigian, Hassan

In my vision, there are four animated sub-particles (mater, plant, animal and human sub-particles) as the origin of the life and creator of momentum in each fundamental particle (string). They communicate with dimension of information which is nested with space-time for getting a package of information in each Planck time. They are link-point between dimension of information and space-time. Sub-particle which identifies its fundamental particle, processes the package of information for finding its next step. Processed information carry always by fundamental particles as the history of the universe and enhance its entropy. My proposed formula for calculating number of packages is I =tP- 1 . τ , Planck time tP, and τ is fundamental particle's lifetime. For example a photon needs processes 1 . 8 ×1043 packages of information for finding its path in a second. Duration of each process is faster than light speed. In our bodies, human's sub-particles (substrings) communicate with dimension of information and get packages of information including standard ethics for process and finding their next step. The processed information transforms to knowledge in our mind. This knowledge is always carried by us. Knowledge, as the Result of the Processed Information by Human's Sub-particles (sub-strings)/Mind in our Brain.

Leading Gainful Employment Metric Reporting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Kristina; MacPherson, Derek

2016-01-01

This chapter will address the importance of intercampus involvement in reporting of gainful employment student-level data that will be used in the calculation of gainful employment metrics by the U.S. Department of Education. The authors will discuss why building relationships within the institution is critical for effective gainful employment…

Knowledge Gained and Retained from a Video-Centered, Community-Based Intervention for Ebola Prevention, Congo.

PubMed

Roess, Amira A; Di Peppi, Rosemarie; Kinzoni, Eric A; Molouania, Michaelle; Kennedy, Emily; Ibata, Saturnin R; Badinga, Nkenda; Mabola, Fredy S; Moses, Cynthia

2017-11-01

There are few effective communication interventions to respond to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreaks, and their development is a continuing challenge. The largest outbreak of EVD was first recognized in 2014 and once again highlighted the need for health education communication campaigns. EVD emergence and transmission are associated with behaviors that increase exposure to infected individuals and infected wildlife. In 2008-2009, an educational video-centered intervention consisting of a film followed by a structured discussion was developed to improve EVD knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KABs) for prevention of EVD and care of infected people. The film was produced for a Congolese audience in local languages and features doctors and residents from the region. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of this intervention to change KABs related to EVD. The intervention was conducted over 12 months and reached >60,000 people; 220 individuals were sampled before and immediately after the intervention, and a subsample of 53 who had received the intervention 1 year earlier were interviewed to assess changes in KABs related to EVD. Statistically significant improvements in EVD recognition, transmission, and mitigation of risk after the intervention were observed. This study also demonstrates significant retention of knowledge one year after the intervention. Overall, the intervention was effective in improving KABs among a limited literacy population and knowledge was retained for more than one year. The materials and approaches developed were used in 2014 as part of a social mobilization strategy in response to an Ebola outbreak in the Congo Basin.

The effectiveness of a community-based fundamental motor skill intervention in children aged 3-8 years: Results of the "Multimove for Kids" project.

PubMed

Bardid, Farid; Lenoir, Matthieu; Huyben, Floris; De Martelaer, Kristine; Seghers, Jan; Goodway, Jacqueline D; Deconinck, Frederik J A

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 30-week fundamental motor skill program in typically developing young children and to investigate possible sex differences. A multicenter quasi experimental design was set up for this study which involved 992 children aged 3-8 years. All participants received their typical Physical Education curriculum and habitual movement activities. The intervention group (n=523; 53.5% boys) received a weekly 60-min motor skill session provided by trained local instructors in existing child settings; the control group (n=469; 49.7% boys) received no additional practice. Fundamental motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development, 2nd Edition before and after the intervention. To assess the effect of the intervention and possible sex differences, hierarchical linear regressions analyses were conducted for locomotor and object control gain scores. The intervention group demonstrated a higher gain in both locomotor (β=3.78, SE=1.08, p<0.001) and object control (β=4.46, SE=1.06, p<0.001) skills than the control group. Girls demonstrated a lower gain in object control skills (β=-3.50, SE=0.49, p<0.001) and higher gain in locomotor skills (β=1.01, SE=0.44, p=0.022) than boys, regardless of group. The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of a wide-scale community-based intervention in typically developing children. The sex differences reported may indicate the need to use different pedagogical and instructional strategies to enable boys and girls to develop and master a wide range of motor skills. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parietal neurons encode expected gains in instrumental information

PubMed Central

Foley, Nicholas C.; Kelly, Simon P.; Mhatre, Himanshu; Gottlieb, Jacqueline

2017-01-01

In natural behavior, animals have access to multiple sources of information, but only a few of these sources are relevant for learning and actions. Beyond choosing an appropriate action, making good decisions entails the ability to choose the relevant information, but fundamental questions remain about the brain’s information sampling policies. Recent studies described the neural correlates of seeking information about a reward, but it remains unknown whether, and how, neurons encode choices of instrumental information, in contexts in which the information guides subsequent actions. Here we show that parietal cortical neurons involved in oculomotor decisions encode, before an information sampling saccade, the reduction in uncertainty that the saccade is expected to bring for a subsequent action. These responses were distinct from the neurons’ visual and saccadic modulations and from signals of expected reward or reward prediction errors. Therefore, even in an instrumental context when information and reward gains are closely correlated, individual cells encode decision variables that are based on informational factors and can guide the active sampling of action-relevant cues. PMID:28373569

Estimating QALY gains in applied studies: a review of cost-utility analyses published in 2010.

PubMed

Wisløff, Torbjørn; Hagen, Gunhild; Hamidi, Vida; Movik, Espen; Klemp, Marianne; Olsen, Jan Abel

2014-04-01

Reimbursement agencies in several countries now require health outcomes to be measured in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), leading to an immense increase in publications reporting QALY gains. However, there is a growing concern that the various 'multi-attribute utility' (MAU) instruments designed to measure the Q in the QALY yield disparate values, implying that results from different instruments are incommensurable. By reviewing cost-utility analyses published in 2010, we aim to contribute to improved knowledge on how QALYs are currently calculated in applied analyses; how transparently QALY measurement is presented; and how large the expected incremental QALY gains are. We searched Embase, MEDLINE and NHS EED for all cost-utility analyses published in 2010. All analyses that had estimated QALYs gained from health interventions were included. Of the 370 studies included in this review, 48% were pharmacoeconomic evaluations. Active comparators were used in 71% of studies. The median incremental QALY gain was 0.06, which translates to 3 weeks in best imaginable health. The EQ-5D-3L is the dominant instrument used. However, reporting of how QALY gains are estimated is generally inadequate. In 55% of the studies there was no reference to which MAU instrument or direct valuation method QALY data came from. The methods used for estimating expected QALY gains are not transparently reported in published papers. Given the wide variation in utility scores that different methodologies may assign to an identical health state, it is important for journal editors to require a more transparent way of reporting the estimation of incremental QALY gains.

Knowledge discovery based on experiential learning corporate culture management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Kai-Jan

2014-10-01

A good corporate culture based on humanistic theory can make the enterprise's management very effective, all enterprise's members have strong cohesion and centripetal force. With experiential learning model, the enterprise can establish an enthusiastic learning spirit corporate culture, have innovation ability to gain the positive knowledge growth effect, and to meet the fierce global marketing competition. A case study on Trend's corporate culture can offer the proof of industry knowledge growth rate equation as the contribution to experiential learning corporate culture management.

Social knowledge and signals in primates.

PubMed

Bergman, Thore J; Sheehan, Michael J

2013-07-01

Primates are notable for having a rich and detailed understanding of their social environment and there has been great interest in the evolution and function of social knowledge in primates. Indeed, primates have been shown to have impressive understandings of not only other group members but also the complex relationships among them. To be useful, however, social knowledge requires memories from previous encounters and observations about individual traits that are stable. Here, we argue that social systems or traits that make social knowledge more costly or less accurate will favor signals that either supplement or replace social knowledge. Thus, the relationship between signals and social knowledge can be complementary or antagonistic depending on the type of signal. Our goal in this review is to elucidate the relationships between signals and social knowledge in primates. We categorize signals into three types, each with different relationships to social knowledge. (1) Identity signals directly facilitate social knowledge, (2) current-state signals supplement information gained through social knowledge, and (3) badges of status replace social knowledge. Primates rely extensively on identity information, but it remains to be determined to what extent this is based on receiver perception of individual variation or senders using identity signals. Primates frequently utilize current-state signals including signals of intent to augment their interactions with familiar individuals. Badges of status are rare in primates, and the cases where they are used point to a functional and evolutionary trade-off between badges of status and social knowledge. However, the nature of this relationship needs further exploration. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Use of Interactive Electronic Audience Response Tools (Clickers) to Evaluate Knowledge Gained in Extension Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunn, Patrick; Loy, Dan

2015-01-01

Effectively measuring short-term impact, particularly a change in knowledge resulting from Extension programming, can prove to be challenging. Clicker-based technology, when used properly, is one alternative that may allow educators to better evaluate this aspect of the logic model. While the potential interface between clicker technology and…

Knowledge Growth in Teaching Mathematics/Science with Spreadsheets: Moving PCK to TPACK through Online Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niess, Margaret L.; van Zee, Emily H.; Gillow-Wiles, Henry

2011-01-01

Inservice teachers need ways to gain an integrated knowledge of content, pedagogy, and technologies that reflects new ways of teaching and learning in the 21st century. This interpretive study examined inservice K-8 teachers' growth in their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) toward technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) in an online…

Invention and Gain Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Robert J.; Dixon, Stacey

1989-01-01

Gain analysis is applied to the invention of the sewing needle as well as different sewing implements and modes of sewing. The analysis includes a two-subject experiment. To validate the generality of gain heuristics and underlying switching processes, the invention of the assembly line is also analyzed. (TJH)

Correlation analysis of the physiological factors controlling fundamental voice frequency.

PubMed

Atkinson, J E

1978-01-01

A technique has been developed to obtain a quantitative measure of correlation between electromyographic (EMG) activity of various laryngeal muscles, subglottal air pressure, and the fundamental frequency of vibration of the vocal folds (Fo). Data were collected and analyzed on one subject, a native speaker of American English. The results show that an analysis of this type can provide a useful measure of correlation between the physiological and acoustical events in speech and, furthermore, can yield detailed insights into the organization and nature of the speech production process. In particular, based on these results, a model is suggested of Fo control involving laryngeal state functions that seems to agree with present knowledge of laryngeal control and experimental evidence.

Numerical analysis of fundamental mode selection of a He-Ne laser by a circular aperture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xin; Zhang, Bin

2011-11-01

In the He-Ne laser with an integrated cavity made of zerodur, the inner face performance of the gain tube is limited by the machining techniques, which tends to influence the beam propagation and transverse mode distribution. In order to improve the beam quality and select out the fundamental mode, an aperture is usually introduced in the cavity. In the process of laser design, the Fresnel-Kirchhoff diffraction integral equation is adopted to calculate the optical field distributions on each interface. The transit matrix is obtained based on self-reproducing principle and finite element method. Thus, optical field distribution on any interface and field loss of each transverse mode could be acquired by solving the eigenvalue and eigenvector of the transit matrix. For different-sized apertures in different positions, we could get different matrices and corresponding calculation results. By comparing these results, the optimal size and position of the aperture could be obtained. As a result, the feasibility of selecting fundamental mode in a zerodur He-Ne laser by a circular aperture has been verified theoretically.

Knowledge, assessment, and management of adults with joint hypermobility syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type among Flemish physiotherapists.

PubMed

Rombaut, Lies; Deane, Janet; Simmonds, Jane; De Wandele, Inge; De Paepe, Anne; Malfait, Fransiska; Calders, Patrick

2015-03-01

Physiotherapy plays a fundamental role in managing adults with the joint hypermobility syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type (JHS/EDS-HT). However, it is a challenge for both the patient and the physiotherapist as the condition is poorly understood and treatment for JHS/EDS-HT is currently undefined. Insight into current practice is, therefore, necessary in order to establish baseline knowledge in this area and in the long term to improve the standard of patient care. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate current physiotherapists' knowledge of JHS/EDS-HT and to gain insight into current physiotherapy practice with emphasis on assessment, management, and treatment efficacy. Three hundred twenty-five Flemish physiotherapists participated in the study by filling out electronically a modified version of the "Hypermobility and Hypermobility Syndrome Questionnaire" (HHQ), which covered theoretical constructs such as general knowledge, assessment, management, and learning in relation to generalized joint hypermobility and JHS/EDS-HT. The results show that physiotherapists report a low level of confidence with regard to assessment and management of JHS/EDS-HT. Knowledge of hypermobility and JHS/EDS-HT is weak, especially regarding the features associated with JHS/EDS-HT. Many treatment approaches are used by physiotherapists with the majority showing preference for education, reassurance, muscle strengthening, proprioceptive and core stability training. Almost all approaches were perceived as being clinically effective by the physiotherapists, highlighting a lack of consensus. In conclusion, this study in Flemish physiotherapists confirms that JHS/EDS-HT is under-recognized, not well known and deemed difficult to treat. Further education is required and sought by the physiotherapists surveyed, and future research is needed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Use of Pictorial Evaluations to Measure Knowledge Gained by Hispanic Landscape Workers Receiving Safety Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauske, Ellen M.; Fuhrman, Nicholas E.; Martinez-Espinoza, Alfredo D.; Orellana, Rolando

2013-01-01

Landscape work is dangerous. In the Southeast, Hispanic workers predominate in landscape industries. The incidence of functional illiteracy in this group of workers is high. A pictorial knowledge-based evaluation instrument was developed to measure the effectiveness of the trainings. No reading skills were required to take the evaluation. The…

Loop gain stabilizing with an all-digital automatic-gain-control method for high-precision fiber-optic gyroscope.

PubMed

Zheng, Yue; Zhang, Chunxi; Li, Lijing; Song, Lailiang; Chen, Wen

2016-06-10

For a fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) using electronic dithers to suppress the dead zone, without a fixed loop gain, the deterministic compensation for the dither signals in the control loop of the FOG cannot remain accurate, resulting in the dither residuals in the FOG rotation rate output and the navigation errors in the inertial navigation system. An all-digital automatic-gain-control method for stabilizing the loop gain of the FOG is proposed. By using a perturbation square wave to measure the loop gain of the FOG and adding an automatic gain control loop in the conventional control loop of the FOG, we successfully obtain the actual loop gain and make the loop gain converge to the reference value. The experimental results show that in the case of 20% variation in the loop gain, the dither residuals are successfully eliminated and the standard deviation of the FOG sampling outputs is decreased from 2.00  deg/h to 0.62  deg/h (sampling period 2.5 ms, 10 points smoothing). With this method, the loop gain of the FOG can be stabilized over the operation temperature range and in the long-time application, which provides a solid foundation for the engineering applications of the high-precision FOG.

Investigations of Nitrogen Oxide Plasmas: Fundamental Chemistry and Surface Reactivity and Monitoring Student Perceptions in a General Chemistry Recitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blechle, Joshua M.

2016-01-01

Part I of this dissertation focuses on investigations of nitrogen oxide plasma systems. With increasing concerns over the environmental presence of NxOy species, there is growing interest in utilizing plasma-assisted conversion techniques. Advances, however, have been limited because of the lack of knowledge regarding the fundamental chemistry of…

Weight gain following treatment of hyperthyroidism.

PubMed

Dale, J; Daykin, J; Holder, R; Sheppard, M C; Franklyn, J A

2001-08-01

Patients frequently express concern that treating hyperthyroidism will lead to excessive weight gain. This study aimed to determine the extent of, and risk factors for, weight gain in an unselected group of hyperthyroid patients. We investigated 162 consecutive hyperthyroid patients followed for at least 6 months. Height, weight, clinical features, biochemistry and management were recorded at each clinic visit. Documented weight gain was 5.42 +/- 0.46 kg (mean +/- SE) and increase in BMI was 8.49 +/- 0.71%, over a mean 24.2 +/- 1.6 months. Pre-existing obesity, Graves' disease causing hyperthyroidism, weight loss before presentation and length of follow-up each independently predicted weight gain. Patients treated with thionamides or radioiodine gained a similar amount of weight (thionamides, n = 87, 5.16 +/- 0.63 kg vs. radioiodine, n = 62, 4.75 +/- 0.57 kg, P = 0.645), but patients who underwent thyroidectomy (n = 13) gained more weight (10.27 +/- 2.56 kg vs. others, P = 0.007). Development of hypothyroidism (even transiently) was associated with weight gain (never hypothyroid, n = 102, 4.57 +/- 0.52 kg, transiently hypothyroid, n = 29, 5.37 +/- 0.85 kg, on T4, n = 31, 8.06 +/- 1.42 kg, P = 0.014). This difference remained after correcting for length of follow-up. In the whole cohort, weight increased by 3.95 +/- 0.40 kg at 1 year (n = 144) to 9.91 +/- 1.62 kg after 4 years (n = 27) (P = 0.008), representing a mean weight gain of 3.66 +/- 0.44 kg/year. We have demonstrated marked weight gain after treatment of hyperthyroidism. Pre-existing obesity, a diagnosis of Graves' disease and prior weight loss independently predicted weight gain and weight continued to rise with time. Patients who became hypothyroid, despite T4 replacement, gained most weight.

Study of gain-coupled distributed feedback laser based on high order surface gain-coupled gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Feng; Qin, Li; Chen, Yongyi; Jia, Peng; Chen, Chao; Cheng, LiWen; Chen, Hong; Liang, Lei; Zeng, Yugang; Zhang, Xing; Wu, Hao; Ning, Yongqiang; Wang, Lijun

2018-03-01

Single-longitudinal-mode, gain-coupled distributed feedback (DFB) lasers based on high order surface gain-coupled gratings are achieved. Periodic surface metal p-contacts with insulated grooves realize gain-coupled mechanism. To enhance gain contrast in the quantum wells without the introduction of effective index-coupled effect, groove length and depth were well designed. Our devices provided a single longitudinal mode with the maximum CW output power up to 48.8 mW/facet at 971.31 nm at 250 mA without facet coating, 3dB linewidth (<3.2 pm) and SMSR (>39 dB). Optical bistable characteristic was observed with a threshold current difference. Experimentally, devices with different cavity lengths were contrasted on power-current and spectrum characteristics. Due to easy fabrication technique and stable performance, it provides a method of fabricating practical gain-coupled distributed feedback lasers for commercial applications.

Active metamaterial: Gain and stability, and microfluidic chip for THz cell spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Qi

Metamaterials are artificially designed composite materials which can exhibit unique and unusual properties such as the negative refractive index, negative phase velocity, etc. The concept of metamaterials becomes prevalent in the electromagnetic society since the first experimental implementation in the early 2000s. Many fascinated potential applications, e.g. super lens, invisibility cloaking, and novel antennas that are electrically small, have been proposed based on metamaterials. However, most of the applications still remain in theory and are not suitable for practical applications mainly due to the intrinsic loss and narrow bandwidth (large dispersion) determined by the fundamental physics of metamaterials. In this dissertation, we incorporate active gain devices into conventional passive metamaterials to overcome loss and even provide gain. Two types of active gain negative refractive index metamaterials are proposed, designed and experimentally demonstrated, including an active composite left-/right-handed transmission line and an active volumetric metamaterial. In addition, we investigate the non-Foster circuits for broadband matching of electrically small antennas. A rigorous way of analyzing the stability of non-Foster circuits by normalized determinant function is proposed. We study the practical factors that may affect the stability of non-Foster circuits, including the device parasitics, DC biasing, layouts and load impedance. A stable floating negative capacitor is designed, fabricated and tested. Moreover, it is important to resolve the sign of refractive index for active gain media which can be quite challenging. We investigate the analytical solution of a gain slab system, and apply the Nyquist criterion to analyze the stability of a causal gain medium. We then emphasize that the result of frequency domain simulation has to be treated with care. Lastly, this dissertation discusses another interesting topic about THz spectroscopy of live cells

32 CFR 2001.16 - Fundamental classification guidance review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fundamental classification guidance review. 2001... INFORMATION Classification § 2001.16 Fundamental classification guidance review. (a) Performance of fundamental classification guidance reviews. An initial fundamental classification guidance review shall be...

Knowledge and social engagement change in intention to be screened for colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Molina, Yamile; Briant, Katherine J; Sanchez, Janeth I; O'Connell, Mary A; Thompson, Beti

2018-07-01

Innovative technologies have been used to promote colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among the underserved. However, the impact of these innovative technologies on knowledge and social engagement likelihood as they relate to subsequent intention to be screened across different populations has not been fully explored. Using a pre-post-test design with an inflatable walk-through colon, we assessed changes in knowledge and social engagement likelihood across populations and their associations with intention to be screened in two community settings. One was a community setting in Washington State (WA); the other, a college campus in New Mexico (NM). Differential effects on knowledge and social engagement likelihood were examined across demographic groups (race/ethnicity, gender, age, education, insurance status, and geographic region). Finally, we assessed if changes in knowledge and social engagement likelihood were associated with CRC screening intention. NM males had greater gains in CRC knowledge than NM females; in WA, Hispanics, younger, less educated, and uninsured participants had greater gains in knowledge. NM females and younger WA participants were more likely to discuss CRC with their social networks than NM males and older WA participants. In WA, Hispanics and older adults reported greater intention to be screened for CRC. Change in social engagement likelihood, but not knowledge, was associated with intention to be screened. The effectiveness of health promotion technologies on knowledge and social engagement may vary across different demographic characteristics. Further, the importance of social engagement likelihood in interacting with intention to be screened was substantiated.

Fundamentals of Geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frohlich, Cliff

Choosing an intermediate-level geophysics text is always problematic: What should we teach students after they have had introductory courses in geology, math, and physics, but little else? Fundamentals of Geophysics is aimed specifically at these intermediate-level students, and the author's stated approach is to construct a text “using abundant diagrams, a simplified mathematical treatment, and equations in which the student can follow each derivation step-by-step.” Moreover, for Lowrie, the Earth is round, not flat—the “fundamentals of geophysics” here are the essential properties of our Earth the planet, rather than useful techniques for finding oil and minerals. Thus this book is comparable in both level and approach to C. M. R. Fowler's The Solid Earth (Cambridge University Press, 1990).

Fundamentals of microfluidics for high school students with no prior knowledge of fluid mechanics.

PubMed

Tandon, Vishal; Peck, Walter

2013-01-01

Three microfluidics-based laboratory exercises were developed and implemented in a high school science classroom setting. The first exercise demonstrated ways in which flows are characterized, including viscosity, turbulence, shear stress, reversibility, compressibility, and hydrodynamic resistance. Students characterized flows in poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic devices in the other two exercises, where they observed the mixing characteristics of laminar flows, and conservation of volumetric flow rate for incompressible flows. In surveys, the students self-reported increased knowledge of microfluidics, and an improved attitude toward science and nanotechnology.

Knowledge management model for teleconsulting in telemedicine.

PubMed

Pico, Lilia Edith Aparicio; Cuenca, Orlando Rodriguez; Alvarez, Daniel José Salas; Salgado, Piere Augusto Peña

2008-01-01

The present article shows a study about requirements for teleconsulting in a telemedicine solution in order to create a knowledge management system. Several concepts have been found related to the term teleconsulting in telemedicine which will serve to clear up their corresponding applications, potentialities, and scope. Afterwards, different theories about the art state in knowledge management have been considered by exploring methodologies and architectures to establish the trends of knowledge management and the possibilities of using them in teleconsulting. Furthermore, local and international experiences have been examined to assess knowledge management systems focused on telemedicine. The objective of this study is to obtain a model for developing teleconsulting systems in Colombia because we have many health-information management systems but they don't offer telemedicine services for remote areas. In Colombia there are many people in rural areas with different necessities and they don't have medicine services, teleconsulting will be a good solution to this problem. Lastly, a model of a knowledge system is proposed for teleconsulting in telemedicine. The model has philosophical principles and architecture that shows the fundamental layers for its development.

[Objectivity and subjectivity of knowledge in nomological social sciences].

PubMed

Zepf, S

1995-01-01

In this article the question is discussed in how far the processes of understanding in the nomological social sciences an "objectivication", which is demanded of psychoanalysts, can be used for psychoanalytically gained insights to human behavior. For one it is shown that it is impossible in principle to verify or falsify hypotheses within the nomologically oriented methodological self understanding. Furthermore the logical, empirical scientific process obligated to proving hypotheses is pursued in the perspective of a psychoanalytic social psychology and the thesis is developed that these insights, which are gained in nomological research projects are also always products of neurotic-blind interaction, so that nothing can be said of the value of knowledge gained in these research findings as long as the scientists do not clarify their research practice psychoanalytically.

A national fundamentals curriculum for neurosurgery PGY1 residents: the 2010 Society of Neurological Surgeons boot camp courses.

PubMed

Selden, Nathan R; Origitano, Thomas C; Burchiel, Kim J; Getch, Christopher C; Anderson, Valerie C; McCartney, Shirley; Abdulrauf, Saleem I; Barrow, Daniel L; Ehni, Bruce L; Grady, M Sean; Hadjipanayis, Costas G; Heilman, Carl B; Popp, A John; Sawaya, Raymond; Schuster, James M; Wu, Julian K; Barbaro, Nicholas M

2012-04-01

In July 2009, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) incorporated postgraduate year 1 (PGY1 intern) level training into all U.S. neurosurgery residency programs. To provide a fundamentals curriculum for all incoming neurosurgery PGY1 residents in ACGME-accredited programs, including skills, knowledge, and attitudes that promote quality, patient safety, and professionalism. The Society of Neurological Surgeons organized 6 regional "boot camp" courses for incoming neurosurgery PGY1 residents in July 2010 that consisted of 9 lectures on clinical and nonclinical competencies plus 10 procedural and 6 surgical skills stations. Resident and faculty participants were surveyed to assess knowledge and course effectiveness. A total of 186 of 197 U.S. neurosurgical PGY1 residents (94%) and 75 neurosurgical faculty from 36 of 99 programs (36%) participated in the inaugural boot camp courses. All residents and 83% of faculty participants completed course surveys. All resident and faculty respondents thought that the boot camp courses fulfilled their purpose and objectives and imparted skills and knowledge that would improve patient care. PGY1 residents' knowledge of information taught in the courses improved significantly in postcourse testing (P < .0001). Residents and faculty particularly valued simulated and other hands-on skills training. Regional organization facilitated an unprecedented degree of participation in a national fundamental skills program for entering neurosurgery residents. One hundred percent of resident and faculty respondents positively reviewed the courses. The boot camp courses may provide a model for enhanced learning, professionalism, and safety at the inception of training in other procedural specialties.

Math Intervention Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waller, Lisa Ivey

2012-01-01

This research investigated the relationship of math intervention teachers' (MITs) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and students' math achievement gains in primary math interventions. The Kentucky Center for Mathematics gathered data on the MITs and primary math intervention students included in this study. Longitudinal data were analyzed for a…

Widely wavelength tunable gain-switched Er³⁺-doped ZBLAN fiber laser around 2.8 μm.

PubMed

Wei, Chen; Luo, Hongyu; Shi, Hongxia; Lyu, YanJia; Zhang, Han; Liu, Yong

2017-04-17

In this paper, we demonstrate a wavelength widely tunable gain-switched Er³⁺-doped ZBLAN fiber laser around 2.8 μm. The laser can be tuned over 170 nm (2699 nm~2869.9 nm) for various pump power levels, while maintaining stable μs-level single-pulse gain-switched operation with controllable output pulse duration at a selectable repetition rate. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first wavelength tunable gain-switched fiber laser in the 3 μm spectral region with the broadest tuning range (doubling the record tuning range) of the pulsed fiber lasers around 3 μm. Influences of pump energy and power on the output gain-switched laser performances are investigated in detail. This robust, simple, and versatile mid-infrared pulsed fiber laser source is highly suitable for many applications including laser surgery, material processing, sensing, spectroscopy, as well as serving as a practical seed source in master oscillator power amplifiers.

Observing floods from space: Experience gained from COSMO-SkyMed observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierdicca, N.; Pulvirenti, L.; Chini, M.; Guerriero, L.; Candela, L.

2013-03-01

The COSMO-SkyMed mission offers a unique opportunity to obtain all weather radar images characterized by short revisit time, thus being useful for flood evolution mapping. The COSMO-SkyMed system has been activated several times in the last few years in occasion of flood events all over the world in order to provide very high resolution X-band SAR images useful for flood detection purposes. This paper discusses the major outcomes of the experience gained, within the framework of the OPERA Pilot Project funded by the Italian Space Agency, from using COSMO-SkyMed data for the purpose of near real time generation of flood maps. A review of the mechanisms which determine the imprints of the inundation on the radar images and of the fundamental simulation tools able to predict these imprints and help image interpretation is provided. The approach developed to process the data and to generate the flood maps is also summarized. Then, the paper illustrates the experience gained with COSMO-SkyMed by describing and discussing a number of significant examples. These examples demonstrate the potential of the COSMO-SkyMed system and the suitability of the approach developed for generating the final products, but they also highlight some critical aspects that require further investigations to improve the reliability of the flood maps.

Optimization of control gain by operator adjustment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kruse, W.; Rothbauer, G.

1973-01-01

An optimal gain was established by measuring errors at 5 discrete control gain settings in an experimental set-up consisting of a 2-dimensional, first-order pursuit tracking task performed by subjects (S's). No significant experience effect on optimum gain setting was found in the first experiment. During the second experiment, in which control gain was continuously adjustable, high experienced S's tended to reach the previously determined optimum gain quite accurately and quickly. Less experienced S's tended to select a marginally optimum gain either below or above the experimentally determined optimum depending on initial control gain setting, although mean settings of both groups were equal. This quick and simple method is recommended for selecting control gains for different control systems and forcing functions.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2018-01-01

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

Optical antenna gain. I - Transmitting antennas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, B. J.; Degnan, J. J.

1974-01-01

The gain of centrally obscured optical transmitting antennas is analyzed in detail. The calculations, resulting in near- and far-field antenna gain patterns, assume a circular antenna illuminated by a laser operating in the TEM-00 mode. A simple polynomial equation is derived for matching the incident source distribution to a general antenna configuration for maximum on-axis gain. An interpretation of the resultant gain curves allows a number of auxiliary design curves to be drawn that display the losses in antenna gain due to pointing errors and the cone angle of the beam in the far field as a function of antenna aperture size and its central obscuration. The results are presented in a series of graphs that allow the rapid and accurate evaluation of the antenna gain which may then be substituted into the conventional range equation.

GPM High Gain Antenna System

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-11-14

The GPM High Gain Antenna System (HGAS) in integration and testing at Goddard Space Flight Center. Credit: Craig E. Huber, Chief Engineer SGT Inc, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is an international partnership co-led by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) that will provide next-generation global observations of precipitation from space. GPM will study global rain, snow and ice to better understand our climate, weather, and hydrometeorological processes. As of Novermber 2013 the GPM Core Observatory is in the final stages of testing at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The satellite will be flown to Japan in the fall of 2013 and launched into orbit on an HII-A rocket in early 2014. For more on the GPM mission, visit gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/. NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Fundamentals of fluid lubrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamrock, Bernard J.

1991-01-01

The aim is to coordinate the topics of design, engineering dynamics, and fluid dynamics in order to aid researchers in the area of fluid film lubrication. The lubrication principles that are covered can serve as a basis for the engineering design of machine elements. The fundamentals of fluid film lubrication are presented clearly so that students that use the book will have confidence in their ability to apply these principles to a wide range of lubrication situations. Some guidance on applying these fundamentals to the solution of engineering problems is also provided.

Fundamentals of fluid sealing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuk, J.

1976-01-01

The fundamentals of fluid sealing, including seal operating regimes, are discussed and the general fluid-flow equations for fluid sealing are developed. Seal performance parameters such as leakage and power loss are presented. Included in the discussion are the effects of geometry, surface deformations, rotation, and both laminar and turbulent flows. The concept of pressure balancing is presented, as are differences between liquid and gas sealing. Mechanisms of seal surface separation, fundamental friction and wear concepts applicable to seals, seal materials, and pressure-velocity (PV) criteria are discussed.

Conceptual knowledge representation: A cross-section of current research.

PubMed

Rogers, Timothy T; Wolmetz, Michael

2016-01-01

How is conceptual knowledge encoded in the brain? This special issue of Cognitive Neuropsychology takes stock of current efforts to answer this question through a variety of methods and perspectives. Across this work, three questions recur, each fundamental to knowledge representation in the mind and brain. First, what are the elements of conceptual representation? Second, to what extent are conceptual representations embodied in sensory and motor systems? Third, how are conceptual representations shaped by context, especially linguistic context? In this introductory article we provide relevant background on these themes and introduce how they are addressed by our contributing authors.

BlackHoleCam: Fundamental physics of the galactic center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goddi, C.; Falcke, H.; Kramer, M.; Rezzolla, L.; Brinkerink, C.; Bronzwaer, T.; Davelaar, J. R. J.; Deane, R.; de Laurentis, M.; Desvignes, G.; Eatough, R. P.; Eisenhauer, F.; Fraga-Encinas, R.; Fromm, C. M.; Gillessen, S.; Grenzebach, A.; Issaoun, S.; Janßen, M.; Konoplya, R.; Krichbaum, T. P.; Laing, R.; Liu, K.; Lu, R.-S.; Mizuno, Y.; Moscibrodzka, M.; Müller, C.; Olivares, H.; Pfuhl, O.; Porth, O.; Roelofs, F.; Ros, E.; Schuster, K.; Tilanus, R.; Torne, P.; van Bemmel, I.; van Langevelde, H. J.; Wex, N.; Younsi, Z.; Zhidenko, A.

fundamental BH parameters (mass, spin, and quadrupole moment) with sufficiently high precision to provide fundamental tests of GR (e.g. testing the no-hair theorem) and probe the spacetime around a BH in any metric theory of gravity. Here, we review our current knowledge of the physical properties of Sgr A* as well as the current status of such experimental efforts towards imaging the event horizon, measuring stellar orbits, and timing pulsars around Sgr A*. We conclude that the Galactic center provides a unique fundamental-physics laboratory for experimental tests of BH accretion and theories of gravity in their most extreme limits.

Effect of Aspiration and Mean Gain on the Emergence of Cooperation in Unidirectional Pedestrian Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zi-Yang; Ma, Jian; Zhao, Hui; Qin, Yong; Zhu, Wei; Jia, Li-Min

2013-03-01

When more than one pedestrian want to move to the same site, conflicts appear and thus the involved pedestrians play a motion game. In order to describe the emergence of cooperation during the conflict resolving process, an evolutionary cellular automation model is established considering the effect of aspiration and mean gain. In each game, pedestrian may be gentle cooperator or aggressive defector. We propose a set of win-stay-lose-shrift (WSLS) like rules for updating pedestrian's strategy. These rules prescribe that if the mean gain of current strategy between some given steps is larger than aspiration the strategy keeps, otherwise the strategy changes. The simulation results show that a high level aspiration will lead to more cooperation. With the increment of the statistic length, pedestrians will be more rational in decision making. It is also found that when the aspiration level is small enough and the statistic length is large enough all the pedestrian will turn to defectors. We use the prisoner's dilemma model to explain it. At last we discuss the effect of aspiration on fundamental diagram.

Actual Drawing of Histological Images Improves Knowledge Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balemans, Monique C. M.; Kooloos, Jan G. M.; Donders, A. Rogier T.; Van der Zee, Catharina E. E. M.

2016-01-01

Medical students have to process a large amount of information during the first years of their study, which has to be retained over long periods of nonuse. Therefore, it would be beneficial when knowledge is gained in a way that promotes long-term retention. Paper-and-pencil drawings for the uptake of form-function relationships of basic tissues…

Assessment of knowledge transfer in the context of biomechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchison, Randolph E.

The dynamic act of knowledge transfer, or the connection of a student's prior knowledge to features of a new problem, could be considered one of the primary goals of education. Yet studies highlight more instances of failure than success. This dissertation focuses on how knowledge transfer takes place during individual problem solving, in classroom settings and during group work. Through the lens of dynamic transfer, or how students connect prior knowledge to problem features, this qualitative study focuses on a methodology to assess transfer in the context of biomechanics. The first phase of this work investigates how a pedagogical technique based on situated cognition theory affects students' ability to transfer knowledge gained in a biomechanics class to later experiences both in and out of the classroom. A post-class focus group examined events the students remembered from the class, what they learned from them, and how they connected them to later relevant experiences inside and outside the classroom. These results were triangulated with conceptual gains evaluated through concept inventories and pre- and post- content tests. Based on these results, the next two phases of the project take a more in-depth look at dynamic knowledge transfer during independent problem-solving and group project interactions, respectively. By categorizing prior knowledge (Source Tools), problem features (Target Tools) and the connections between them, results from the second phase of this study showed that within individual problem solving, source tools were almost exclusively derived from "propagated sources," i.e. those based on an authoritative source. This differs from findings in the third phase of the project, in which a mixture of "propagated" sources and "fabricated" sources, i.e. those based on student experiences, were identified within the group project work. This methodology is effective at assessing knowledge transfer in the context of biomechanics through evidence of

Undergraduate Professors' Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The Case of "Amount of Substance"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padilla, Kira; Ponce-de-Leon, Ana Maria; Rembado, Florencia Mabel; Garritz, Andoni

2008-01-01

This paper documents the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of four university professors in General Chemistry for the topic "amount of substance"; a fundamental quantity of the International System of Units (SI). The research method involved the development of a Content Representation and the application of Mortimer's Conceptual…

Factors Influencing Knowledge Creation and Innovation in an Organisation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merx-Chermin, Mireille; Nijhof, Wim, J.

2005-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence the innovative power of organisations. The concept of innovation and innovative power was examined by analysing the relationship between the construct of the learning organisation, knowledge organisation and innovative organisation, and has resulted…

Introduction. Information, knowledge and technology.

PubMed

MacFarlane, Alistair G J

2003-08-15

Technology is the sum of the ways in which social groups manipulate order in the world to achieve their ends. It enables our active engagement with the world. Technology is central to our present well-being and vital for our future survival. As such it needs a coherent world view, a conceptual framework which will enable the fundamental problems that it poses for society to be approached in an illuminating way. Furthermore, such an approach, while remaining convincing, must not be overwhelmed by an ever-increasing welter of specialization and diversity of application. It is the purpose of the set of papers presented here to examine some key aspects of such a conceptual framework; not in the sense of offering a fully worked out philosophy of technology--that would be a huge and complex undertaking--but rather by considering some key topics. Subsidiary aims are to survey important relevant areas, to identify key sources that can provide access points for further study, and to consider some possible future developments. Major, coherent domains of activity are characterized by a few, fundamental, extensively used and essentially unifying concepts. Technology is such a domain, and its fundamental concepts are information, knowledge and agency. The following sections give a synoptic overview of the material presented in this theme issue, and set it within a wider context.

Neutrons and Fundamental Symmetries

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

Plaster, Bradley

2016-01-11

The research supported by this project addressed fundamental open physics questions via experiments with subatomic particles. In particular, neutrons constitute an especially ideal “laboratory” for fundamental physics tests, as their sensitivities to the four known forces of nature permit a broad range of tests of the so-called “Standard Model”, our current best physics model for the interactions of subatomic particles. Although the Standard Model has been a triumphant success for physics, it does not provide satisfactory answers to some of the most fundamental open questions in physics, such as: are there additional forces of nature beyond the gravitational, electromagnetic, weakmore » nuclear, and strong nuclear forces?, or why does our universe consist of more matter than anti-matter? This project also contributed significantly to the training of the next generation of scientists, of considerable value to the public. Young scientists, ranging from undergraduate students to graduate students to post-doctoral researchers, made significant contributions to the work carried out under this project.« less

A language based on the fundamental facts of science.

PubMed

Devito, C L; Oehrle, R T

1990-12-01

The problem of how to communicate with the members of an alien society has been discussed by many authors but only one, Hans Freudenthal, has constructed a language for this purpose. Freudenthal assumes nothing other than the ability to reason as humans do and, because he assumes so little, it is necessary to communicate a great deal about the language itself before being able to communicate any interesting information. The problem is here approached differently. Since it is likely that contact between our civilization and an alien one would be via radio, potential correspondents would have a basic knowledge of science. Such beings should therefore be able to learn a language based on fundamental science. It is assumed, more specifically, that our correspondents can count, understand chemical elements, are familiar with the melting and boiling behaviour of a pure substance and understand the properties of the gaseous state. All this should be known to any society capable of developing the radio telescope. By systematically using this common knowledge one can communicate notation for numbers and chemical elements and then communicate our basic physical units; i.e., the gram, the calorie, the degree (Kelvin), etc. Once this is done more interesting information can be exchanged.

Optical antenna gain. III - The effect of secondary element support struts on transmitter gain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, B. J.; Degnan, J. J.

1976-01-01

The effect of a secondary-element spider support structure on optical antenna transmitter gain is analyzed. An expression describing the influence of the struts on the axial gain, in both the near and far fields, is derived as a function of the number of struts and their width. It is found that, for typical systems, the struts degrade the on-axis gain by less than 0.4 dB, and the first side-lobe level is not increased significantly. Contour plots have also been included to show the symmetry of the far-field distributions for three- and four-support members.

High-gain magnetized inertial fusion.

PubMed

Slutz, Stephen A; Vesey, Roger A

2012-01-13

Magnetized inertial fusion (MIF) could substantially ease the difficulty of reaching plasma conditions required for significant fusion yields, but it has been widely accepted that the gain is not sufficient for fusion energy. Numerical simulations are presented showing that high-gain MIF is possible in cylindrical liner implosions based on the MagLIF concept [S. A. Slutz et al Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)] with the addition of a cryogenic layer of deuterium-tritium (DT). These simulations show that a burn wave propagates radially from the magnetized hot spot into the surrounding much denser cold DT given sufficient hot-spot areal density. For a drive current of 60 MA the simulated gain exceeds 100, which is more than adequate for fusion energy applications. The simulated gain exceeds 1000 for a drive current of 70 MA.

Neuro-adaptive backstepping control of SISO non-affine systems with unknown gain sign.

PubMed

Ramezani, Zahra; Arefi, Mohammad Mehdi; Zargarzadeh, Hassan; Jahed-Motlagh, Mohammad Reza

2016-11-01

This paper presents two neuro-adaptive controllers for a class of uncertain single-input, single-output (SISO) nonlinear non-affine systems with unknown gain sign. The first approach is state feedback controller, so that a neuro-adaptive state-feedback controller is constructed based on the backstepping technique. The second approach is an observer-based controller and K-filters are designed to estimate the system states. The proposed method relaxes a priori knowledge of control gain sign and therefore by utilizing the Nussbaum-type functions this problem is addressed. In these methods, neural networks are employed to approximate the unknown nonlinear functions. The proposed adaptive control schemes guarantee that all the closed-loop signals are semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded (SGUUB). Finally, the theoretical results are numerically verified through simulation examples. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2016 ISA. All rights reserved.

Development of Knowledge Profiles for International eHealth eLearning Courses.

PubMed

Herzog, Juliane; Sauermann, Stefan; Mense, Alexander; Forjan, Mathias; Urbauer, Philipp

2015-01-01

Professionals working in the multidisciplinary field of eHealth vary in their educational background. However, knowledge in the areas of medicine, engineering and management is required to fulfil the tasks associated with eHealth sufficiently. Based on the results of an analysis of national and international educational offers a survey gathering user requirements for the development of knowledge profiles in eHealth was conducted (n=75) by professionals and students. During a workshop the first results were presented and discussed together with the network partners and the attendees. The resulting knowledge profiles contain knowledge areas of all three thematic content categories including fundamentals of medical terminology, standards and interoperability and usability as well as basics of all three content categories. The knowledge profiles are currently applied in a master's degree programme at the UAS Technikum Wien and will be developed further.

Dealing with conflicts on knowledge in tutorial groups.

PubMed

Aarnio, Matti; Lindblom-Ylänne, Sari; Nieminen, Juha; Pyörälä, Eeva

2013-05-01

The aim of our study was to gain understanding of different types of conflicts on knowledge in the discussions of problem-based learning tutorial groups, and how such conflicts are dealt with. We examined first-year medical and dental students' (N = 33) conflicts on knowledge in four videotaped reporting phase tutorials. A coding scheme was created for analysing verbatim transcripts of 43 conflict episodes in order to find out whether the conflict episodes were about factual or conceptual knowledge and how the students elaborated the knowledge. Conflict episodes were relatively rare (taking up 7.6 % of the time) in the videotaped groups. Conflict episodes were more frequently about factual knowledge (58 %) than conceptual knowledge (42 %), but conflicts on conceptual knowledge lasted longer and were more often elaborated. Elaboration was, however, more frequently done individually than collaboratively. Conflict episodes were generally fairly short (mean duration 28 s). This was due to a lack of thorough argumentation and collaborative elaboration of conflicting ideas. The results suggest that students' skills to bring out differences in each other's conceptual thinking, the depth of argumentation and the use of questions that elicit elaboration need to be improved. Tutors' skills to facilitate the collaborative resolving of conflicts on knowledge call for further study.

Professional Culture and Personality Traits of Hospital Pharmacists across Canada: A Fundamental First Step in Developing Effective Knowledge Translation Strategies.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Meagen; Hall, Kevin W; Bussières, Jean-François; Tsuyuki, Ross T

2015-01-01

Evidence for the value of pharmacists' interventions in the care of patients is strong and continues to grow, but the rate at which these new practice opportunities are being integrated into daily practice has not kept pace. The knowledge translation literature suggests that before effective change strategies can be implemented, a better understanding of the current environment must be obtained. Two important factors within the practice environment are the professional culture and personality traits of group members. To gain insight, at a national level, into the culture of hospital pharmacy, using the Organizational Culture Profile, and into hospital pharmacists' personality traits, using the Big Five Inventory. A cross-sectional survey of hospital pharmacists from across Canada was conducted intermittently over the period August 2012 to September 2013. The online survey contained questions about demographic characteristics and practice setting, as well as questions from the Organizational Culture Profile and Big Five Inventory. The survey link was distributed directly to hospital pharmacists or made available through provincial monthly newsletters. All data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. In total, 401 surveys were returned. Descriptive analyses from the Organizational Culture Profile revealed that most respondents perceived value in the factors of supportiveness, competitiveness, and stability. Descriptive analyses from the Big Five Inventory revealed that respondents may have been more likely to exhibit behaviours in line with the trait of conscientiousness. Several significant subgroup differences were noted in relation to levels of education, regions of practice within Canada, years in practice, and proportion of time spent conducting clinical duties. The results from this survey provide preliminary insight into the professional culture and personality traits of Canadian hospital pharmacists. It will be important to explore these findings in

Professional Culture and Personality Traits of Hospital Pharmacists across Canada: A Fundamental First Step in Developing Effective Knowledge Translation Strategies

PubMed Central

Rosenthal, Meagen; Hall, Kevin W; Bussières, Jean-François; Tsuyuki, Ross T

2015-01-01

Background: Evidence for the value of pharmacists’ interventions in the care of patients is strong and continues to grow, but the rate at which these new practice opportunities are being integrated into daily practice has not kept pace. The knowledge translation literature suggests that before effective change strategies can be implemented, a better understanding of the current environment must be obtained. Two important factors within the practice environment are the professional culture and personality traits of group members. Objective: To gain insight, at a national level, into the culture of hospital pharmacy, using the Organizational Culture Profile, and into hospital pharmacists’ personality traits, using the Big Five Inventory. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of hospital pharmacists from across Canada was conducted intermittently over the period August 2012 to September 2013. The online survey contained questions about demographic characteristics and practice setting, as well as questions from the Organizational Culture Profile and Big Five Inventory. The survey link was distributed directly to hospital pharmacists or made available through provincial monthly newsletters. All data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Results: In total, 401 surveys were returned. Descriptive analyses from the Organizational Culture Profile revealed that most respondents perceived value in the factors of supportiveness, competitiveness, and stability. Descriptive analyses from the Big Five Inventory revealed that respondents may have been more likely to exhibit behaviours in line with the trait of conscientiousness. Several significant subgroup differences were noted in relation to levels of education, regions of practice within Canada, years in practice, and proportion of time spent conducting clinical duties. Conclusions: The results from this survey provide preliminary insight into the professional culture and personality traits of Canadian hospital

Determination of the STIS CCD Gain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riley, Allyssa; Monroe, TalaWanda; Lockwood, Sean

2016-09-01

This report summarizes the analysis and absolute gain results of the STIS Cycle 23 special calibration program 14424 that was designed to measure the gain of amplifiers A, C and D at nominal gain settings of 1 and 4 e-/DN. We used the mean-variance technique and the results indicate a <3.5% change in the gain for amplifier D from when it was originally calculated pre-flight. We compared these values to previous measurements from Cycles 17 through 23. This report outlines the observations, methodology, and results of the mean-variance technique.

Measurement of Antenna Bore-Sight Gain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortinberry, Jarrod; Shumpert, Thomas

2016-01-01

The absolute or free-field gain of a simple antenna can be approximated using standard antenna theory formulae or for a more accurate prediction, numerical methods may be employed to solve for antenna parameters including gain. Both of these methods will result in relatively reasonable estimates but in practice antenna gain is usually verified and documented via measurements and calibration. In this paper, a relatively simple and low-cost, yet effective means of determining the bore-sight free-field gain of a VHF/UHF antenna is proposed by using the Brewster angle relationship.

Global knowledge, local implications: a community college's response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valentin, Marjorie R.; Stroup, Margaret H.; Donnelly, Judith F.

2005-10-01

Three Rivers Community College (TRCC), with federal funding, provided a customized laser program for Joining Technologies in Connecticut, which offers world-class resources for welding and joining applications. This program addresses the shortage of skilled labor in the laser arena, lack of knowledge of fundamental science of applied light, and an increase in nonperforming product. Hiring and retraining a skilled workforce are important and costly issues facing today's small manufacturing companies.

Greater nutrition knowledge is associated with lower 1-year postpartum weight retention in low-income women.

PubMed

Nuss, Henry; Freeland-Graves, Jeanne; Clarke, Kristine; Klohe-Lehman, Deborah; Milani, Tracey J

2007-10-01

The purpose of this study was to assess nutrition knowledge during early and late postpartum in a sample of low-income and minority women, and to determine if that knowledge had any relationship to weight retention at 1-year postpartum. A questionnaire was developed and validated in a sample of 151 low-income new mothers. This instrument was then administered to a separate sample of mothers (n=140) of similar demographics to assess nutrition knowledge at 0 to 1 days and 12 months postpartum. In addition, a survey of nutrition information sources was administered at both time points. Nutrition knowledge was compared with 12-month postpartum weight retention and demographic variables. Women who retained less than 5% of weight gained during pregnancy had greater knowledge of nutrition at 0 months (53% vs 49%, P<0.05) and 12 months (55% vs 51%, P<0.05) than those who retained 5% or more of weight gained during pregnancy. Whites had higher nutrition knowledge scores than non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics. Women who lactated 6 months or more had more knowledge than those who lactated less than 6 months. Higher knowledge test scores were observed among women who used the Internet and books/magazines as their source for information. These results indicate that assessment of nutrition knowledge in early postpartum can identify women at risk for significant weight retention.

IQ Gains and the Binet Decrements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, James R.

1984-01-01

Thorndike's Stanford-Binet data suggest that from 1932 to 1971-72 preschool children enjoyed greater IQ gains than older children, possibly due to the rise of television. Additional analysis indicated that gains were either due to sampling error or totally antedated 1947. Gains of 12 IQ points were found for Americans. (Author/EGS)

Knowledge of the ordinal position of list items in pigeons.

PubMed

Scarf, Damian; Colombo, Michael

2011-10-01

Ordinal knowledge is a fundamental aspect of advanced cognition. It is self-evident that humans represent ordinal knowledge, and over the past 20 years it has become clear that nonhuman primates share this ability. In contrast, evidence that nonprimate species represent ordinal knowledge is missing from the comparative literature. To address this issue, in the present experiment we trained pigeons on three 4-item lists and then tested them with derived lists in which, relative to the training lists, the ordinal position of the items was either maintained or changed. Similar to the findings with human and nonhuman primates, our pigeons performed markedly better on the maintained lists compared to the changed lists, and displayed errors consistent with the view that they used their knowledge of ordinal position to guide responding on the derived lists. These findings demonstrate that the ability to acquire ordinal knowledge is not unique to the primate lineage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

Measurements and simulations of the optical gain and anti-reflection coating modal reflectivity in quantum cascade lasers with multiple active region stacks

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

Bidaux, Y., E-mail: yves.bidaux@alpeslasers.ch; Alpes Lasers SA, 1-3 Maximilien-de-Meuron, CH-2000 Neuchatel; Terazzi, R.

2015-09-07

We report spectrally resolved gain measurements and simulations for quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) composed of multiple heterogeneous stacks designed for broadband emission in the mid-infrared. The measurement method is first demonstrated on a reference single active region QCL based on a double-phonon resonance design emitting at 7.8 μm. It is then extended to a three-stack active region based on bound-to-continuum designs with a broadband emission range from 7.5 to 10.5 μm. A tight agreement is found with simulations based on a density matrix model. The latter implements exhaustive microscopic scattering and dephasing sources with virtually no fitting parameters. The quantitative agreement ismore » furthermore assessed by measuring gain coefficients obtained by studying the threshold current dependence with the cavity length. These results are particularly relevant to understand fundamental gain mechanisms in complex semiconductor heterostructure QCLs and to move towards efficient gain engineering. Finally, the method is extended to the measurement of the modal reflectivity of an anti-reflection coating deposited on the front facet of the broadband QCL.« less

Altered behavioral and neural responsiveness to counterfactual gains in the elderly.

PubMed

Tobia, Michael J; Guo, Rong; Gläscher, Jan; Schwarze, Ulrike; Brassen, Stefanie; Büchel, Christian; Obermayer, Klaus; Sommer, Tobias

2016-06-01

Counterfactual information processing refers to the consideration of events that did not occur in comparison to those actually experienced, in order to determine optimal actions, and can be formulated as computational learning signals, referred to as fictive prediction errors. Decision making and the neural circuitry for counterfactual processing are altered in healthy elderly adults. This experiment investigated age differences in neural systems for decision making with knowledge of counterfactual outcomes. Two groups of healthy adult participants, young (N = 30; ages 19-30 years) and elderly (N = 19; ages 65-80 years), were scanned with fMRI during 240 trials of a strategic sequential investment task in which a particular strategy of differentially weighting counterfactual gains and losses during valuation is associated with more optimal performance. Elderly participants earned significantly less than young adults, differently weighted counterfactual consequences and exploited task knowledge, and exhibited altered activity in a fronto-striatal circuit while making choices, compared to young adults. The degree to which task knowledge was exploited was positively correlated with modulation of neural activity by expected value in the vmPFC for young adults, but not in the elderly. These findings demonstrate that elderly participants' poor task performance may be related to different counterfactual processing.

Generating New HRD Knowledge: Discourse, Gender, and Theory Building

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Storberg-Walker, Julia; Bierema, Laura

2007-01-01

For this manuscript, a classic management text was deconstructed using postmodern methods. The purpose was twofold: to gain an understanding of how this text connected knowledge and gender; and to provide readers with a sample of deconstruction. The value of this type of analysis for HRD will be made clear. Unsurprisingly, because the manuscript…

Proposed experiment to test fundamentally binary theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleinmann, Matthias; Vértesi, Tamás; Cabello, Adán

2017-09-01

Fundamentally binary theories are nonsignaling theories in which measurements of many outcomes are constructed by selecting from binary measurements. They constitute a sensible alternative to quantum theory and have never been directly falsified by any experiment. Here we show that fundamentally binary theories are experimentally testable with current technology. For that, we identify a feasible Bell-type experiment on pairs of entangled qutrits. In addition, we prove that, for any n , quantum n -ary correlations are not fundamentally (n -1 ) -ary. For that, we introduce a family of inequalities that hold for fundamentally (n -1 ) -ary theories but are violated by quantum n -ary correlations.

Operationalizing Place: Discovering, Reasoning about, and Exploring Place Knowledge from Descriptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Benjamin Thomas

2012-01-01

Places and place types, such as "small town", play a fundamental role in how people organize knowledge about the world. Although places are commonly referenced in human communication, often they are not canonically defined and many of the properties people associate with them have proved difficult to operationalize. In information…

ESLl Teachers' Knowledge of and Experience with Written Corrective Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cao, Peihong

2017-01-01

Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) in writing classes is fundamental to interactions between teachers and students about students' writing and to help students further improve their writing. As one of the main feedback sources, teachers' cognition (e.g., teachers' thoughts, knowledge, and beliefs) needs to be probed to properly understand teachers…

Preservice Teachers' Multicultural Teaching Concerns and Knowledge of Parent Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trotti, Judy; Harris, Mary M.; Jacobson, Arminta; Brown, Amber

2012-01-01

Implementation of a parent involvement curriculum at a large university in the Southwest United States is described. Pre- and posttests confirmed that preservice teachers (n = 78) gained significant knowledge about parent engagement practices (p less than 0.001). Scores from a multicultural teaching-concerns survey were correlated with…

Controlling disease and creating disparities: a fundamental cause perspective.

PubMed

Phelan, Jo C; Link, Bruce G

2005-10-01

The United States and other developed countries experienced enormous improvements in population health during the 20th century. In the context of this dramatic positive change, health disparities by race and socioeconomic status emerged for several potent killers. Any explanation for current health disparities must take these changing patterns into account. Any explanation that ignores large improvements in population health and fails to account for the emergence of disparities for specific diseases is an inadequate explanation of current disparities. We argue that genetic explanations and some prominent social causation explanations are incompatible with these facts. We propose that the theory of "fundamental causes" can account for both vast improvements in population health and the creation of large socioeconomic and racial disparities in mortality for specific causes of death over time. Specifically, we argue that it is our enormously expanded capacity to control disease and death in combination with existing social and economic inequalities that create health disparities by race and socioeconomic status: When we develop the ability to control disease and death, the benefits of this new-found ability are distributed according to resources of knowledge, money, power, prestige, and beneficial social connections. We present data on changing mortality patterns by race and socioeconomic status for two types of diseases: those for which our capacity to prevent death has increased significantly and those for which we remain largely unable to prevent death. Time trends in mortality patterns are consistent with the fundamental cause explanation.

Knowledge diffusion of dynamical network in terms of interaction frequency.

PubMed

Liu, Jian-Guo; Zhou, Qing; Guo, Qiang; Yang, Zhen-Hua; Xie, Fei; Han, Jing-Ti

2017-09-07

In this paper, we present a knowledge diffusion (SKD) model for dynamic networks by taking into account the interaction frequency which always used to measure the social closeness. A set of agents, which are initially interconnected to form a random network, either exchange knowledge with their neighbors or move toward a new location through an edge-rewiring procedure. The activity of knowledge exchange between agents is determined by a knowledge transfer rule that the target node would preferentially select one neighbor node to transfer knowledge with probability p according to their interaction frequency instead of the knowledge distance, otherwise, the target node would build a new link with its second-order neighbor preferentially or select one node in the system randomly with probability 1 - p. The simulation results show that, comparing with the Null model defined by the random selection mechanism and the traditional knowledge diffusion (TKD) model driven by knowledge distance, the knowledge would spread more fast based on SKD driven by interaction frequency. In particular, the network structure of SKD would evolve as an assortative one, which is a fundamental feature of social networks. This work would be helpful for deeply understanding the coevolution of the knowledge diffusion and network structure.

Infusing fundamental cause theory with features of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of symbolic power.

PubMed

Veenstra, Gerry

2018-02-01

The theory of fundamental causes is one of the more influential attempts to provide a theoretical infrastructure for the strong associations between indicators of socioeconomic status (education, income, occupation) and health. It maintains that people of higher socioeconomic status have greater access to flexible resources such as money, knowledge, prestige, power, and beneficial social connections that they can use to reduce their risks of morbidity and mortality and minimize the consequences of disease once it occurs. However, several key aspects of the theory remain underspecified, compromising its ability to provide truly compelling explanations for socioeconomic health inequalities. In particular, socioeconomic status is an assembly of indicators that do not necessarily cohere in a straightforward way, the flexible resources that disproportionately accrue to higher status people are not clearly defined, and the distinction between socioeconomic status and resources is ambiguous. I attempt to address these definitional issues by infusing fundamental cause theory with features of a well-known theory of socioeconomic stratification in the sociological literature-Pierre Bourdieu's theory of symbolic power.

Stem cell bioprocessing: fundamentals and principles.

PubMed

Placzek, Mark R; Chung, I-Ming; Macedo, Hugo M; Ismail, Siti; Mortera Blanco, Teresa; Lim, Mayasari; Cha, Jae Min; Fauzi, Iliana; Kang, Yunyi; Yeo, David C L; Ma, Chi Yip Joan; Polak, Julia M; Panoskaltsis, Nicki; Mantalaris, Athanasios

2009-03-06

In recent years, the potential of stem cell research for tissue engineering-based therapies and regenerative medicine clinical applications has become well established. In 2006, Chung pioneered the first entire organ transplant using adult stem cells and a scaffold for clinical evaluation. With this a new milestone was achieved, with seven patients with myelomeningocele receiving stem cell-derived bladder transplants resulting in substantial improvements in their quality of life. While a bladder is a relatively simple organ, the breakthrough highlights the incredible benefits that can be gained from the cross-disciplinary nature of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) that encompasses stem cell research and stem cell bioprocessing. Unquestionably, the development of bioprocess technologies for the transfer of the current laboratory-based practice of stem cell tissue culture to the clinic as therapeutics necessitates the application of engineering principles and practices to achieve control, reproducibility, automation, validation and safety of the process and the product. The successful translation will require contributions from fundamental research (from developmental biology to the 'omics' technologies and advances in immunology) and from existing industrial practice (biologics), especially on automation, quality assurance and regulation. The timely development, integration and execution of various components will be critical-failures of the past (such as in the commercialization of skin equivalents) on marketing, pricing, production and advertising should not be repeated. This review aims to address the principles required for successful stem cell bioprocessing so that they can be applied deftly to clinical applications.

Investigation of the fundamentals of low-energy nanosecond pulse ignition: Final CRADA Report

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

Wallner, Thomas; Scarcelli, Riccardo; Zhang, Anqi

A detailed investigation of the fundamentals of low-energy nanosecond pulse ignition was performed with the objective to overcome the barrier presented by limited knowledge and characterization of nonequilibrium plasma ignition for realistic internal combustion engine applications (be it in the automotive or power generation field) and shed light on the mechanisms which improve the performance of the advanced TPS ignition system compared to conventional state-of-the-art hardware. Three main tasks of the research included experimental evaluation on a single-cylinder automotive gasoline engine, experimental evaluation on a single-cylinder stationary natural gas engine and energy quantification using x-ray diagnostics.

A weight-gain-for-gestational-age z score chart for the assessment of maternal weight gain in pregnancy.

PubMed

Hutcheon, Jennifer A; Platt, Robert W; Abrams, Barbara; Himes, Katherine P; Simhan, Hyagriv N; Bodnar, Lisa M

2013-05-01

To establish the unbiased relation between maternal weight gain in pregnancy and perinatal health, a classification for maternal weight gain is needed that is uncorrelated with gestational age. The goal of this study was to create a weight-gain-for-gestational-age percentile and z score chart to describe the mean, SD, and selected percentiles of maternal weight gain throughout pregnancy in a contemporary cohort of US women. The study population was drawn from normal-weight women with uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies who delivered at the Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, 1998-2008. Analyses were based on a randomly selected subset of 648 women for whom serial prenatal weight measurements were available through medical chart record abstraction (6727 weight measurements). The pattern of maternal weight gain throughout gestation was estimated by using a random-effects regression model. The estimates were used to create a chart with the smoothed means, percentiles, and SDs of gestational weight gain for each week of pregnancy. This chart allows researchers to express total weight gain as an age-standardized z score, which can be used in epidemiologic analyses to study the association between pregnancy weight gain and adverse or physiologic pregnancy outcomes independent of gestational age.

Charge Gain, Voltage Gain, and Node Capacitance of the SAPHIRA Detector Pixel by Pixel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastrana, Izabella M.; Hall, Donald N. B.; Baker, Ian M.; Jacobson, Shane M.; Goebel, Sean B.

2018-01-01

The University of Hawai`i Institute for Astronomy has partnered with Leonardo (formerly Selex) in the development of HgCdTe linear mode avalanche photodiode (L-APD) SAPHIRA detectors. The SAPHIRA (Selex Avalanche Photodiode High-speed Infra-Red Array) is ideally suited for photon-starved astronomical observations, particularly near infrared (NIR) adaptive optics (AO) wave-front sensing. I have measured the stability, and linearity with current, of a 1.7-um (10% spectral bandpass) infrared light emitting diode (IR LED) used to illuminate the SAPHIRA and have then utilized this source to determine the charge gain (in e-/ADU), voltage gain (in uV/ADU), and node capacitance (in fF) for each pixel of the 320x256@24um SAPHIRA. These have previously only been averages over some sub-array. Determined from the ratio of the temporal averaged signal level to variance under constant 1.7-um LED illumination, I present the charge gain pixel-by-pixel in a 64x64 sub-array at the center of the active area of the SAPHIRA (analyzed separately as four 32x32 sub-arrays) to be about 1.6 e-/ADU (σ=0.5 e-/ADU). Additionally, the standard technique of varying the pixel reset voltage (PRV) in 10 mV increments and recording output frames for the same 64x64 subarray found the voltage gain per pixel to be about 11.7 uV/ADU (σ=0.2 uV/ADU). Finally, node capacitance was found to be approximately 23 fF (σ=6 fF) utilizing the aforementioned charge and voltage gain measurements. I further discuss the linearity measurements of the 1.7-um LED used in the charge gain characterization procedure.

Effect of intermittent kangaroo mother care on weight gain of low birth weight neonates with delayed weight gain.

PubMed

Samra, Nashwa M; Taweel, Amal El; Cadwell, Karin

2013-01-01

To evaluate intermittent Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) with additional opportunities to breastfeed on weight gain of low birth weight (LBW) neonates with delayed weight gain. 40 LBW neonates were followed to see whether KMC with additional opportunities to breastfeed improved weight gain. In the KMC group, the mean age of regaining birth weight was significantly less (15.68 vs. 24.56 days) and the average daily weight gain was significantly higher (22.09 vs. 10.39 g, p < .001) than controls. KMC with additional opportunities to breastfeed was found to be an effective intervention for LBWs with delayed weight gain and should be considered to be an effective strategy.

Perceptions of Transition into College through Acquisition, Transfer and Application of Knowledge Gained in Youth Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheder, Catherine M.

2016-01-01

This qualitative study explored lived experiences of eight youth-camp alumni who were enrolled in colleges. This study was grounded in four paradigms: knowledge application, positive youth development (PYD), personal skills, and social integration. The key findings of this study were transfer of learning between skills learned in youth programs…

Knowledge and Attitude of Nigerian Pregnant Women towards Antenatal Exercise: A Cross-Sectional Survey

PubMed Central

Mbada, Chidozie E.; Adebayo, Olubukayomi E.; Adeyemi, Adebanjo B.; Arije, Olujide O.; Dada, Olumide O.; Akinwande, Olabisi A.; Awotidebe, Taofeek O.; Alonge, Ibidun A.

2014-01-01

Background. Engagement in physical exercise in pregnancy is hamstrung by safety concerns, skepticism about usefulness, and limited individualized prescription guidelines. This study assessed knowledge and attitude of pregnant women towards antenatal exercises (ANEx). Methods. The cross-sectional study recruited 189 pregnant women from six selected antenatal clinics in Ile-Ife, South-West, Nigeria. Data were obtained on maternal characteristics, knowledge, and attitude towards ANEx. Results. Relaxation and breathing (59.8%), back care (51.3%), and muscle strengthening (51.3%) exercises were the most commonly known ANEx. Prevention of back pain risk (75.9%) and excess weight gain (69.1%) were perceived as benefits, while lower extremities swelling (31.8%) and extreme weight gain or loss (30.7%) were considered as contraindications to ANEx. 15.8% of the respondents had negative attitude towards ANEx resulting from insufficient information on exercise (83.3%) and tiredness (70.0%). Age significantly influences knowledge about contraindications to ANEx (P = 0.001), while attitude was influenced by age and occupation, respectively (P < 0.05). There was significant association between attitude and knowledge about benefits and contraindications to ANEx (P < 0.05). Conclusion. A majority of Nigerian pregnant women demonstrated inadequate knowledge but had positive attitude towards ANEx. Knowledge about benefits and contraindications to ANEx significantly influenced the attitude towards exercise in pregnancy. PMID:25006478

Safety and Mission Assurance Knowledge Management Retention: Managing Knowledge for Successful Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Teresa A.

2006-01-01

Knowledge Management is a proactive pursuit for the future success of any large organization faced with the imminent possibility that their senior managers/engineers with gained experiences and lessons learned plan to retire in the near term. Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) is proactively pursuing unique mechanism to ensure knowledge learned is retained and lessons learned captured and documented. Knowledge Capture Event/Activities/Management helps to provide a gateway between future retirees and our next generation of managers/engineers. S&MA hosted two Knowledge Capture Events during 2005 featuring three of its retiring fellows (Axel Larsen, Dave Whittle and Gary Johnson). The first Knowledge Capture Event February 24, 2005 focused on two Safety and Mission Assurance Safety Panels (Space Shuttle System Safety Review Panel (SSRP); Payload Safety Review Panel (PSRP) and the latter event December 15, 2005 featured lessons learned during Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle which could be applicable in the newly created Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV)/Constellation development program. Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and the Space Shuttle promised and delivered exciting human advances in space and benefits of space in people s everyday lives on earth. Johnson Space Center's Safety & Mission Assurance team work over the last 20 years has been mostly focused on operations we are now beginning the Exploration development program. S&MA will promote an atmosphere of knowledge sharing in its formal and informal cultures and work processes, and reward the open dissemination and sharing of information; we are asking "Why embrace relearning the "lessons learned" in the past?" On the Exploration program the focus will be on Design, Development, Test, & Evaluation (DDT&E); therefore, it is critical to understand the lessons from these past programs during the DDT&E phase.

Supplemental action learning workshops: Understanding the effects of independent and cooperative workshops on students' knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, Kathryn Michelle

Community colleges enroll more than half of the undergraduate population in the United States, thereby retaining students of varying demographics with extracurricular demands differing from traditional four-year university students. Often in a collegiate lecture course, students are limited in their abilities to absorb and process information presented by their instructors due to content-specific cognitive gaps between the instructor and the student (Preszler, 2009). Research has shown that implementation of instructor-facilitated action learning workshops as supplemental instruction may help bridge these cognitive gaps allowing better student conceptualization and dissemination of knowledge (Drake, 2011; Fullilove & Treisman, 1990; Preszler, 2009; Udovic, Morris, Dickman, Postlethwait, & Wetherwax, 2002). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of cooperative action learning workshops and independent action learning workshops on students' knowledge of specified topics within a General Biology I with lab course. The results of this investigation indicate that implementation of an instructor-facilitated action learning workshop did not affect students' knowledge gain; furthermore, attendance of a particular workshop style (independent or cooperative) did not affect students' knowledge gain.

Fundamental principles in periodontal plastic surgery and mucosal augmentation--a narrative review.

PubMed

Burkhardt, Rino; Lang, Niklaus P

2014-04-01

To provide a narrative review of the current literature elaborating on fundamental principles of periodontal plastic surgical procedures. Based on a presumptive outline of the narrative review, MESH terms have been used to search the relevant literature electronically in the PubMed and Cochrane Collaboration databases. If possible, systematic reviews were included. The review is divided into three phases associated with periodontal plastic surgery: a) pre-operative phase, b) surgical procedures and c) post-surgical care. The surgical procedures were discussed in the light of a) flap design and preparation, b) flap mobilization and c) flap adaptation and stabilization. Pre-operative paradigms include the optimal plaque control and smoking counselling. Fundamental principles in surgical procedures address basic knowledge in anatomy and vascularity, leading to novel appropriate flap designs with papilla preservation. Flap mobilization based on releasing incisions can be performed up to 5 mm. Flap adaptation and stabilization depend on appropriate wound bed characteristics, undisturbed blood clot formation, revascularization and wound stability through adequate suturing. Delicate tissue handling and tension free wound closure represent prerequisites for optimal healing outcomes. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Factors Associated With Women's Plans to Gain Weight Categorized as Above or Below the National Guidelines During Pregnancy.

PubMed

Park, Christina K; Timm, Valerie; Neupane, Binod; Beyene, Joseph; Schmidt, Louis A; McDonald, Sarah D

2015-03-01

Given that planning to gain gestational weight categorized as above the national guidelines is associated with actually gaining above the guidelines, we sought to identify physical, lifestyle, knowledge, and psychological factors associated with planned weight gain. Using a piloted, self-administered questionnaire, a cross-sectional study of women with singleton pregnancies was conducted. Women's plans for weight gain were categorized as above, within, or below the guidelines. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. The response rate was 90.7% (n = 330). Compared with women whose plans to gain weight were within the guidelines, women whose plans to gain were above the guidelines were more likely to be older (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.09 per year; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.16), to have a greater pre-pregnancy BMI (aOR 1.17 per unit of BMI; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.25), to drink more than one glass of soft drink or juice per day (aOR 2.73; 95% CI 1.27 to 5.87), and to report receiving a recommendation by their care provider to gain weight above the guidelines (aOR 5.46; 95% CI 1.56 to 19.05). Women whose plans to gain weight were categorized as below the guidelines were more likely to eat lunch in front of a screen (aOR 2.27; 95% CI 1.11 to 4.66) and to aspire to greater social desirability (aOR 2.51; 95% CI 1.01 to 6.22). Modifiable factors associated with planned gestational weight gain categorized as above the guidelines included soft drink or juice consumption and having a recommendation from a care provider, while planned weight gain categorized as below the guidelines was associated with eating lunch in front of a screen and social desirability.

Brain and Social Networks: Fundamental Building Blocks of Human Experience.

PubMed

Falk, Emily B; Bassett, Danielle S

2017-09-01

How do brains shape social networks, and how do social ties shape the brain? Social networks are complex webs by which ideas spread among people. Brains comprise webs by which information is processed and transmitted among neural units. While brain activity and structure offer biological mechanisms for human behaviors, social networks offer external inducers or modulators of those behaviors. Together, these two axes represent fundamental contributors to human experience. Integrating foundational knowledge from social and developmental psychology and sociology on how individuals function within dyads, groups, and societies with recent advances in network neuroscience can offer new insights into both domains. Here, we use the example of how ideas and behaviors spread to illustrate the potential of multilayer network models. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fundamental approaches in molecular biology for communication sciences and disorders.

PubMed

Bartlett, Rebecca S; Jetté, Marie E; King, Suzanne N; Schaser, Allison; Thibeault, Susan L

2012-08-01

This contemporary tutorial will introduce general principles of molecular biology, common deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and protein assays and their relevance in the field of communication sciences and disorders. Over the past 2 decades, knowledge of the molecular pathophysiology of human disease has increased at a remarkable pace. Most of this progress can be attributed to concomitant advances in basic molecular biology and, specifically, the development of an ever-expanding armamentarium of technologies for analysis of DNA, RNA, and protein structure and function. Details of these methodologies, their limitations, and examples from the communication sciences and disorders literature are presented. Results/Conclusions The use of molecular biology techniques in the fields of speech, language, and hearing sciences is increasing, facilitating the need for an understanding of molecular biology fundamentals and common experimental assays.

Comparison of Video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) Gains Between Two Commercially Available Devices and by Different Gain Analytical Methods.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Hun; Yoo, Myung Hoon; Park, Jun Woo; Kang, Byung Chul; Yang, Chan Joo; Kang, Woo Suk; Ahn, Joong Ho; Chung, Jong Woo; Park, Hong Ju

2018-06-01

To evaluate whether video head impulse test (vHIT) gains are dependent on the measuring device and method of analysis. Prospective study. vHIT was performed in 25 healthy subjects using two devices simultaneously. vHIT gains were compared between these instruments and using five different methods of comparing position and velocity gains during head movement intervals. The two devices produced different vHIT gain results with the same method of analysis. There were also significant differences in the vHIT gains measured using different analytical methods. The gain analytic method that compares the areas under the velocity curve (AUC) of the head and eye movements during head movements showed lower vHIT gains than a method that compared the peak velocities of the head and eye movements. The former method produced the vHIT gain with the smallest standard deviation among the five procedures tested in this study. vHIT gains differ in normal subjects depending on the device and method of analysis used, suggesting that it is advisable for each device to have its own normal values. Gain calculations that compare the AUC of the head and eye movements during the head movements show the smallest variance.

Can LENR Energy Gains Exceed 1000?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagel, David J.

2011-03-01

Energy gain is defined as the energy realized from reactions divided by the energy required to produce those reactions. Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) have already been measured to significantly exceed the energy gain of 10 projected from ITER,possibly 15 years from now. Electrochemical experiments using the Pd-D system have shown energy gains exceeding 10. Gas phase experiments with the Ni-H system were reported to yield energy gains of over 100. Neither of these reports has been adequately verified or reproduced. However, the question in the title still deserves consideration. If, as thought by many, it is possible to trigger nuclear reactions that yield MeV energies with chemical energies of the order of eV, then the most optimistic expectation is that LENR gains could approach one million. Hence, the very tentative answer to the question above is yes. However, if LENR could be initiated with some energy cost, and then continue to ``burn,'' very high energy gains might be realized. Consider a match and a pile of dry logs. The phenomenon termed ``heat after death'' will be examined to see if it might be the initial evidence for nuclear ``burning.''

Controlling gain one photon at a time

PubMed Central

Schwartz, Gregory W; Rieke, Fred

2013-01-01

Adaptation is a salient property of sensory processing. All adaptational or gain control mechanisms face the challenge of obtaining a reliable estimate of the property of the input to be adapted to and obtaining this estimate sufficiently rapidly to be useful. Here, we explore how the primate retina balances the need to change gain rapidly and reliably when photons arrive rarely at individual rod photoreceptors. We find that the weakest backgrounds that decrease the gain of the retinal output signals are similar to those that increase human behavioral threshold, and identify a novel site of gain control in the retinal circuitry. Thus, surprisingly, the gain of retinal signals begins to decrease essentially as soon as background lights are detectable; under these conditions, gain control does not rely on a highly averaged estimate of the photon count, but instead signals from individual photon absorptions trigger changes in gain. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00467.001 PMID:23682314

Use of a web-based education program improves nurses' knowledge of breastfeeding.

PubMed

Deloian, Barbara J; Lewin, Linda Orkin; O'Connor, Mary E

2015-01-01

To evaluate the baseline knowledge and knowledge gained of nurses, nursing students, midwives, and nurse practitioners who completed Breastfeeding Basics, an online educational program. This study reports on an anonymous evaluation of an online breastfeeding education program developed and maintained to promote evidence-based breastfeeding practice. Included in the study were 3736 nurses, 728 nurse practitioners/midwives, and 3106 nursing students from the United States who completed ≥ one pretest or posttest on the Breastfeeding Basics website between April 1999 and December 31, 2011. Baseline scores were analyzed to determine if nurses' baseline knowledge varied by selected demographic variables such as age, gender, professional level, personal or partner breastfeeding experience, and whether they were required to complete the website for a job or school requirement and to determine knowledge gaps. Pretest and posttest scores on all modules and in specific questions with low pretest scores were compared as a measure of knowledge gained. Lower median pretest scores were found in student nurses (71%), males (71%), those required to take the course (75%), and those without personal breastfeeding experience (72%). The modules with the lowest median pretest scores were Anatomy/Physiology (67%), Growth and Development of the Breastfed Infant (67%), the Breastfeeding Couple (73%), and the Term Infant with Problems (60%). Posttest scores in all modules increased significantly (p < .001). Breastfeeding Basics was used by a large number of nurses and nursing students. Gaps exist in nurses' breastfeeding knowledge. Knowledge improved in all areas based on comparison of pretest and posttest scores. © 2015 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

Effect of Intermittent Kangaroo Mother Care on Weight Gain of Low Birth Weight Neonates With Delayed Weight Gain

PubMed Central

Samra, Nashwa M.; Taweel, Amal El; Cadwell, Karin

2013-01-01

Objective: To evaluate intermittent Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) with additional opportunities to breastfeed on weight gain of low birth weight (LBW) neonates with delayed weight gain. Methods: 40 LBW neonates were followed to see whether KMC with additional opportunities to breastfeed improved weight gain. Results: In the KMC group, the mean age of regaining birth weight was significantly less (15.68 vs. 24.56 days) and the average daily weight gain was significantly higher (22.09 vs. 10.39 g, p < .001) than controls. Conclusion: KMC with additional opportunities to breastfeed was found to be an effective intervention for LBWs with delayed weight gain and should be considered to be an effective strategy. PMID:24868132

Enhancing Knowledge Sharing Management Using BIM Technology in Construction

PubMed Central

Ho, Shih-Ping; Tserng, Hui-Ping

2013-01-01

Construction knowledge can be communicated and reused among project managers and jobsite engineers to alleviate problems on a construction jobsite and reduce the time and cost of solving problems related to constructability. This paper proposes a new methodology for the sharing of construction knowledge by using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology. The main characteristics of BIM include illustrating 3D CAD-based presentations and keeping information in a digital format and facilitation of easy updating and transfer of information in the BIM environment. Using the BIM technology, project managers and engineers can gain knowledge related to BIM and obtain feedback provided by jobsite engineers for future reference. This study addresses the application of knowledge sharing management using BIM technology and proposes a BIM-based Knowledge Sharing Management (BIMKSM) system for project managers and engineers. The BIMKSM system is then applied in a selected case study of a construction project in Taiwan to demonstrate the effectiveness of sharing knowledge in the BIM environment. The results demonstrate that the BIMKSM system can be used as a visual BIM-based knowledge sharing management platform by utilizing the BIM technology. PMID:24723790

Enhancing knowledge sharing management using BIM technology in construction.

PubMed

Ho, Shih-Ping; Tserng, Hui-Ping; Jan, Shu-Hui

2013-01-01

Construction knowledge can be communicated and reused among project managers and jobsite engineers to alleviate problems on a construction jobsite and reduce the time and cost of solving problems related to constructability. This paper proposes a new methodology for the sharing of construction knowledge by using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology. The main characteristics of BIM include illustrating 3D CAD-based presentations and keeping information in a digital format and facilitation of easy updating and transfer of information in the BIM environment. Using the BIM technology, project managers and engineers can gain knowledge related to BIM and obtain feedback provided by jobsite engineers for future reference. This study addresses the application of knowledge sharing management using BIM technology and proposes a BIM-based Knowledge Sharing Management (BIMKSM) system for project managers and engineers. The BIMKSM system is then applied in a selected case study of a construction project in Taiwan to demonstrate the effectiveness of sharing knowledge in the BIM environment. The results demonstrate that the BIMKSM system can be used as a visual BIM-based knowledge sharing management platform by utilizing the BIM technology.

Learning Science-Based Fitness Knowledge in Constructivist Physical Education

PubMed Central

Sun, Haichun; Chen, Ang; Zhu, Xihe; Ennis, Catherine D.

2015-01-01

Teaching fitness-related knowledge has become critical in developing children’s healthful living behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a science-based, constructivist physical education curriculum on learning fitness knowledge critical to healthful living in elementary school students. The schools (N = 30) were randomly selected from one of the largest school districts in the United States and randomly assigned to treatment curriculum and control conditions. Students in third, fourth, and fifth grade (N = 5,717) were pre- and posttested on a standardized knowledge test on exercise principles and benefits in cardiorespiratory health, muscular capacity, and healthful nutrition and body flexibility. The results indicated that children in the treatment curriculum condition learned at a faster rate than their counterparts in the control condition. The results suggest that the constructivist curriculum is capable of inducing superior knowledge gain in third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children. PMID:26269659

Modification of saccadic gain by reinforcement

PubMed Central

Paeye, Céline; Wallman, Josh

2011-01-01

Control of saccadic gain is often viewed as a simple compensatory process in which gain is adjusted over many trials by the postsaccadic retinal error, thereby maintaining saccadic accuracy. Here, we propose that gain might also be changed by a reinforcement process not requiring a visual error. To test this hypothesis, we used experimental paradigms in which retinal error was removed by extinguishing the target at the start of each saccade and either an auditory tone or the vision of the target on the fovea was provided as reinforcement after those saccades that met an amplitude criterion. These reinforcement procedures caused a progressive change in saccade amplitude in nearly all subjects, although the rate of adaptation differed greatly among subjects. When we reversed the contingencies and reinforced those saccades landing closer to the original target location, saccade gain changed back toward normal gain in most subjects. When subjects had saccades adapted first by reinforcement and a week later by conventional intrasaccadic step adaptation, both paradigms yielded similar degrees of gain changes and similar transfer to new amplitudes and to new starting positions of the target step as well as comparable rates of recovery. We interpret these changes in saccadic gain in the absence of postsaccadic retinal error as showing that saccade adaptation is not controlled by a single error signal. More generally, our findings suggest that normal saccade adaptation might involve general learning mechanisms rather than only specialized mechanisms for motor calibration. PMID:21525366

33 CFR 86.03 - Limits of fundamental frequencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... of fundamental frequencies. To ensure a wide variety of whistle characteristics, the fundamental... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Limits of fundamental frequencies. 86.03 Section 86.03 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY...

Fundamental electrode kinetics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elder, J. P.

1968-01-01

Report presents the fundamentals of electrode kinetics and the methods used in evaluating the characteristic parameters of rapid-charge transfer processes at electrode-electrolyte interfaces. The concept of electrode kinetics is outlined, followed by the principles underlying the experimental techniques for the investigation of electrode kinetics.

Effect of Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Training on Dairy Worker Knowledge and Welfare-Related Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Ashley E.; Ahola, Jason K.; Chahine, Mireille; Roman-Muniz, I. Noa

2016-01-01

A study was conducted to determine whether on-farm dairy beef quality assurance (BQA) training affected dairy worker knowledge of BQA and welfare-related practices. Dairy personnel who participated in the BQA training were administered an exam before and after the training to gauge the amount of knowledge gained. The average exam score was 21.0…

Fundamental properties of resonances

PubMed Central

Ceci, S.; Hadžimehmedović, M.; Osmanović, H.; Percan, A.; Zauner, B.

2017-01-01

All resonances, from hydrogen nuclei excited by the high-energy gamma rays in deep space to newly discovered particles produced in Large Hadron Collider, should be described by the same fundamental physical quantities. However, two distinct sets of properties are used to describe resonances: the pole parameters (complex pole position and residue) and the Breit-Wigner parameters (mass, width, and branching fractions). There is an ongoing decades-old debate on which one of them should be abandoned. In this study of nucleon resonances appearing in the elastic pion-nucleon scattering we discover an intricate interplay of the parameters from both sets, and realize that neither set is completely independent or fundamental on its own. PMID:28345595

Variable gain for a wind turbine pitch control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seidel, R. C.; Birchenough, A. G.

1981-01-01

The gain variation is made in the software logic of the pitch angle controller. The gain level is changed depending upon the level of power error. The control uses low gain for low pitch activity the majority of the time. If the power exceeds ten percent offset above rated, the gain is increased to a higher gain to more effectively limit power. A variable gain control functioned well in tests on the Mod-0 wind turbine.

Contrast Gain Control in Auditory Cortex

PubMed Central

Rabinowitz, Neil C.; Willmore, Ben D.B.; Schnupp, Jan W.H.; King, Andrew J.

2011-01-01

Summary The auditory system must represent sounds with a wide range of statistical properties. One important property is the spectrotemporal contrast in the acoustic environment: the variation in sound pressure in each frequency band, relative to the mean pressure. We show that neurons in ferret auditory cortex rescale their gain to partially compensate for the spectrotemporal contrast of recent stimulation. When contrast is low, neurons increase their gain, becoming more sensitive to small changes in the stimulus, although the effectiveness of contrast gain control is reduced at low mean levels. Gain is primarily determined by contrast near each neuron's preferred frequency, but there is also a contribution from contrast in more distant frequency bands. Neural responses are modulated by contrast over timescales of ∼100 ms. By using contrast gain control to expand or compress the representation of its inputs, the auditory system may be seeking an efficient coding of natural sounds. PMID:21689603

Transatlantic Multispecialty Consensus on Fundamental Endovascular Skills: Results of a Delphi Consensus Study.

PubMed

Maertens, H; Aggarwal, R; Macdonald, S; Vermassen, F; Van Herzeele, I

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to establish a consensus on Fundamental Endovascular Skills (FES) for educational purposes and development of training curricula for endovascular procedures. The term "Fundamental Endovascular Skills" is widely used; however, the current literature does not explicitly describe what skills are included in this concept. Endovascular interventions are performed by several specialties that may have opposing perspectives on these skills. A two round Delphi questionnaire approach was used. Experts from interventional cardiology, interventional radiology, and vascular surgery from the United States and Europe were invited to participate. An electronic questionnaire was generated by endovascular therapists with an appropriate educational background but who would not participate in subsequent rounds. The questionnaire consisted of 50 statements describing knowledge, technical, and behavioral skills during endovascular procedures. Experts received the questionnaires by email. They were asked to rate the importance of each skill on a Likert scale from 1 to 5. A statement was considered fundamental when more than 90% of the experts rated it 4 or 5 out of 5. Twenty-three of 53 experts invited agreed to participate: six interventional radiologists (2 USA, 4 Europe), 10 vascular surgeons (4 USA, 6 Europe), and seven interventional cardiologists (4 USA, 3 Europe). There was a 100% response rate in the first round and 87% in the second round. Results showed excellent consensus among responders (Cronbach's alpha = .95 first round; .93 second round). Ninety percent of all proposed skills were considered fundamental. The most critical skills were determined. A transatlantic multispecialty consensus was achieved about the content of "FES" among interventional radiologists, interventional cardiologists, and vascular surgeons from Europe and the United States. These results can serve as directive principles for developing endovascular training curricula

Value of Fundamental Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burov, Alexey

Fundamental science is a hard, long-term human adventure that has required high devotion and social support, especially significant in our epoch of Mega-science. The measure of this devotion and this support expresses the real value of the fundamental science in public opinion. Why does fundamental science have value? What determines its strength and what endangers it? The dominant answer is that the value of science arises out of curiosity and is supported by the technological progress. Is this really a good, astute answer? When trying to attract public support, we talk about the ``mystery of the universe''. Why do these words sound so attractive? What is implied by and what is incompatible with them? More than two centuries ago, Immanuel Kant asserted an inseparable entanglement between ethics and metaphysics. Thus, we may ask: which metaphysics supports the value of scientific cognition, and which does not? Should we continue to neglect the dependence of value of pure science on metaphysics? If not, how can this issue be addressed in the public outreach? Is the public alienated by one or another message coming from the face of science? What does it mean to be politically correct in this sort of discussion?

The relationship between health-related knowledge and sugar-sweetened beverage intake among US adults.

PubMed

Park, Sohyun; Onufrak, Stephen; Sherry, Bettylou; Blanck, Heidi M

2014-07-01

Because there is limited information on associations between health-related knowledge and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake, our cross-sectional study examined this question using the 2010 HealthStyles Survey data for 3,926 adults (aged ≥18 years). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios and 95% CIs for drinking SSBs ≥2 times per day. About 31% of adults consumed SSBs ≥1 time per day, with 20% doing so ≥2 times per day. About eight of 10 adults agreed that drinking SSBs can contribute to weight gain, yet, eight of 10 adults in this study did not know the actual kilocalorie content of a 24-oz fountain soda. After controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, annual household income, and geographic region, the odds for drinking SSBs ≥2 times per day were significantly higher among adults who neither agreed nor disagreed (ie, were neutral) that drinking SSBs can contribute to weight gain (odds ratio 1.61, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.25 vs agree); however, knowledge about the energy content of regular soda was not associated with SSB intake. Our finding that knowledge about the adverse effects of SSB intake is significantly associated with SSB intake among adults suggests that health education regarding the potential contribution of excess energy intake from SSBs to weight gain could contribute to lowered consumption and lower rates of obesity. Although knowledge about the kilocalorie content of regular soda was unrelated to SSB intake, health education on the kilocalorie content of SSBs may still be beneficial because most adults did not know the actual kilocalorie content of SSBs. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore associations between knowledge about energy provided by SSBs and SSB intake. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Relationship between Health-Related Knowledge and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake among US Adults

PubMed Central

Park, Sohyun; Onufrak, Stephen; Sherry, Bettylou; Blanck, Heidi M.

2015-01-01

Because there is limited information on associations between health-related knowledge and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake, our cross-sectional study examined this question using the 2010 HealthStyles Survey data for 3,926 adults (aged ≥18 years). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios and 95% CIs for drinking SSBs ≥2 times per day. About 31% of adults consumed SSBs ≥1 time per day, with 20% doing so ≥2 times per day. About eight of 10 adults agreed that drinking SSBs can contribute to weight gain, yet, eight of 10 adults in this study did not know the actual kilocalorie content of a 24-oz fountain soda. After controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, annual household income, and geographic region, the odds for drinking SSBs ≥2 times per day were significantly higher among adults who neither agreed nor disagreed (ie, were neutral) that drinking SSBs can contribute to weight gain (odds ratio 1.61, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.25 vs agree); however, knowledge about the energy content of regular soda was not associated with SSB intake. Our finding that knowledge about the adverse effects of SSB intake is significantly associated with SSB intake among adults suggests that health education regarding the potential contribution of excess energy intake from SSBs to weight gain could contribute to lowered consumption and lower rates of obesity. Although knowledge about the kilocalorie content of regular soda was unrelated to SSB intake, health education on the kilocalorie content of SSBs may still be beneficial because most adults did not know the actual kilocalorie content of SSBs. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore associations between knowledge about energy provided by SSBs and SSB intake. PMID:24360502

Computer algorithm for coding gain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dodd, E. E.

1974-01-01

Development of a computer algorithm for coding gain for use in an automated communications link design system. Using an empirical formula which defines coding gain as used in space communications engineering, an algorithm is constructed on the basis of available performance data for nonsystematic convolutional encoding with soft-decision (eight-level) Viterbi decoding.

Pressure Gain Combustion for Gas Turbines

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-20

reveal the fundamental fluid mechanics of these unsteady flows. Specifically investigated were the effects of the geometry, jet Mach number, frequency...and  numerical  simulations  to  reveal  the  fundamental   fluid  mechanics of these unsteady flows.  Specifically we investigate the effects of the...simplified geometry so that the  fundamental  physical  mechanisms can be understood. This allow an  informed redesign of the turbine to work efficiently  with

Hyperspectral remote sensing of vegetation: knowledge gain and knowledge gap after 50 years of research (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thenkabail, Prasad S.

2017-04-01

This presentation summarizes the advances made over 40+ years in understanding, modeling, and mapping terrestrial vegetation as reported in the new book on "Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation" (Publisher:Taylor and Francis inc.). The advent of spaceborne hyperspectral sensors or imaging spectroscopy (e.g., NASA's Hyperion, ESA's PROBA, and upcoming Italy's ASI's Prisma, Germany's DLR's EnMAP, Japanese HIUSI, NASA's HyspIRI) as well as the advances made in processing when handling large volumes of hyperspectral data have generated tremendous interest in advancing the hyperspectral applications' knowledge base to large areas. Advances made in using hyperspectral data, relative to broadband data, include: (a) significantly improved characterization and modeling of a wide array of biophysical and biochemical properties of vegetation, (b) ability to discriminate plant species and vegetation types with high degree of accuracy, (c) reducing uncertainties in determining net primary productivity or carbon assessments from terrestrial vegetation, (d) improved crop productivity and water productivity models, (e) ability to assess stress resulting from causes such as management practices, pests and disease, water deficit or water excess, and (f) establishing more sensitive wavebands and indices to study vegetation characteristics. The presentation will discuss topics such as: (1) hyperspectral sensors and their characteristics, (2) methods of overcoming the Hughes phenomenon, (3) characterizing biophysical and biochemical properties, (4) advances made in using hyperspectral data in modeling evapotranspiration or actual water use by plants, (5) study of phenology, light use efficiency, and gross primary productivity, (5) improved accuracies in species identification and land cover classifications, and (6) applications in precision farming.

43 CFR 4180.1 - Fundamentals of rangeland health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fundamentals of rangeland health. 4180.1... Fundamentals of Rangeland Health and Standards and Guidelines for Grazing Administration § 4180.1 Fundamentals of rangeland health. Standards and guidelines developed or revised by a Bureau of Land Management...

43 CFR 4180.1 - Fundamentals of rangeland health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fundamentals of rangeland health. 4180.1... Fundamentals of Rangeland Health and Standards and Guidelines for Grazing Administration § 4180.1 Fundamentals of rangeland health. Standards and guidelines developed or revised by a Bureau of Land Management...

43 CFR 4180.1 - Fundamentals of rangeland health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fundamentals of rangeland health. 4180.1... Fundamentals of Rangeland Health and Standards and Guidelines for Grazing Administration § 4180.1 Fundamentals of rangeland health. Standards and guidelines developed or revised by a Bureau of Land Management...

43 CFR 4180.1 - Fundamentals of rangeland health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fundamentals of rangeland health. 4180.1... Fundamentals of Rangeland Health and Standards and Guidelines for Grazing Administration § 4180.1 Fundamentals of rangeland health. Standards and guidelines developed or revised by a Bureau of Land Management...

Rural patients' knowledge about heart failure.

PubMed

Dracup, Kathleen; Moser, Debra K; Pelter, Michele M; Nesbitt, Thomas; Southard, Jeffrey; Paul, Steven M; Robinson, Susan; Hemsey, Jessica Zègre; Cooper, Lawton

2014-01-01

Heart failure (HF) is a potentially disabling condition requiring significant patient knowledge to manage the requirements of self-care. The need for self-care is important for all patients but particularly for those living in rural areas that are geographically remote from healthcare services. The aim of this study was to identify the level of knowledge of rural patients with HF and the clinical and demographic characteristics associated with low levels of HF knowledge. Baseline data from 612 patients with HF enrolled in the Rural Education to Improve Outcomes in Heart Failure trial were analyzed using the Heart Failure Knowledge Scale, the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, and the anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the contribution of sociodemographic and clinical variables to levels of HF knowledge. The mean (SD) age was 66 (13) years; 59% were men, and 50.5% had an ejection fraction of less than 40%. The mean (SD) percent correct on the Heart Failure Knowledge Scale was 69.5% (13%; range, 25%-100%), with the most frequent incorrect items related to symptoms of HF and the need for daily weights. The men and the older patients scored significantly lower in HF knowledge than did the women and the younger patients (P = 0.002 and 0.011, respectively). The patients with preserved systolic function also scored significantly lower than those with systolic HF (P = 0.030). Patients who are at risk for poor self-care because of low levels of HF knowledge can be identified. Older patients, men, and, patients with HF with preserved systolic function may require special educational strategies to gain the knowledge required for effective self-care.

Dancers' Perceived and Actual Knowledge of Anatomy.

PubMed

Kotler, Dana H; Lynch, Meaghan; Cushman, Daniel; Hu, Jason; Garner, Jocelyn

2017-06-15

Dancers are highly susceptible to musculoskeletal injuries and frequently require interaction with medical professionals. While many dancers have a finely tuned awareness of their bodies, their knowledge of the fundamentals of human anatomy is not uniform. There is a paucity of literature on the benefits of human anatomy education in dancers, though it seems intuitive that there should be a relationship. The purpose of this study was to assess dancers' perceived and actual knowledge of basic musculoskeletal anatomy and its relationship to function. Adult dancers at the undergraduate, pre-professional, and professional levels were surveyed through an anonymous online questionnaire. Questions included demographic information, dance techniques studied, anatomy training, and injury history. Subjects rated their perceived knowledge of anatomy and were tested with 15 multiple-choice questions on basic musculoskeletal anatomy. Four hundred seventy-five surveys were completed. Ordinal regression showed a correlation of perceived to actual knowledge of anatomy (p < 0.001). Factors that correlated with increases in both perceived and actual knowledge of anatomy included having taken an anatomy course of any type (p < 0.001) and increased age (p ≤ 0.001). Years of dance training and professional dancer status both significantly correlated with increased knowledge of anatomy (p < 0.001) but not perceived knowledge. Chi-square analysis showed that dancers with training in either modern or jazz dance had a significantly higher perceived, but not actual, knowledge when compared to those without training in those styles of dance (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). In conclusion, dancers generally scored well on questions pertaining to basic musculoskeletal anatomy, and their perception correlated with their actual knowledge of anatomy. Factors that contribute to dancers' knowledge of anatomy include age, years of experience, professional dancer status, and anatomy training.

Effects of Entrepreneurial Knowledge on Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Longitudinal Study of Selected South-East Asian Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roxas, Banjo

2014-01-01

Drawing on the theory of planned behaviour, this study examines the direct and indirect effects of knowledge gained from a formal entrepreneurship education programme on an individual's entrepreneurial intentions (EI). It tracks the changes in students' entrepreneurial knowledge (EK), perceptions of desirability of, and self-efficacy in, engaging…

Direct measurements of fluorine atom concentration, gain length and small signal gain in an hydrogen fluoride overtone laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wisniewski, Charles F.; Hewett, Kevin B.; Manke, Gerald C., II; Randall Truman, C.; Hager, Gordon D.

2003-03-01

Experimental techniques have been developed to directly measure the concentration of fluorine atoms, the gain length and the small signal gain in a hydrogen fluoride 5 cm slit nozzle laser. A gas phase titration technique was utilized to measure the fluorine atom concentration using HCl as the titrant. The gain length was measured using a pitot probe to locate the interface of the primary flow with the high Mach number shroud flows. A tunable diode laser was utilized to perform small signal gain measurements on HF overtone ( ν=2→0) transitions.

Chapter 1: Biomedical knowledge integration.

PubMed

Payne, Philip R O

2012-01-01

The modern biomedical research and healthcare delivery domains have seen an unparalleled increase in the rate of innovation and novel technologies over the past several decades. Catalyzed by paradigm-shifting public and private programs focusing upon the formation and delivery of genomic and personalized medicine, the need for high-throughput and integrative approaches to the collection, management, and analysis of heterogeneous data sets has become imperative. This need is particularly pressing in the translational bioinformatics domain, where many fundamental research questions require the integration of large scale, multi-dimensional clinical phenotype and bio-molecular data sets. Modern biomedical informatics theory and practice has demonstrated the distinct benefits associated with the use of knowledge-based systems in such contexts. A knowledge-based system can be defined as an intelligent agent that employs a computationally tractable knowledge base or repository in order to reason upon data in a targeted domain and reproduce expert performance relative to such reasoning operations. The ultimate goal of the design and use of such agents is to increase the reproducibility, scalability, and accessibility of complex reasoning tasks. Examples of the application of knowledge-based systems in biomedicine span a broad spectrum, from the execution of clinical decision support, to epidemiologic surveillance of public data sets for the purposes of detecting emerging infectious diseases, to the discovery of novel hypotheses in large-scale research data sets. In this chapter, we will review the basic theoretical frameworks that define core knowledge types and reasoning operations with particular emphasis on the applicability of such conceptual models within the biomedical domain, and then go on to introduce a number of prototypical data integration requirements and patterns relevant to the conduct of translational bioinformatics that can be addressed via the design and

Chapter 1: Biomedical Knowledge Integration

PubMed Central

Payne, Philip R. O.

2012-01-01

The modern biomedical research and healthcare delivery domains have seen an unparalleled increase in the rate of innovation and novel technologies over the past several decades. Catalyzed by paradigm-shifting public and private programs focusing upon the formation and delivery of genomic and personalized medicine, the need for high-throughput and integrative approaches to the collection, management, and analysis of heterogeneous data sets has become imperative. This need is particularly pressing in the translational bioinformatics domain, where many fundamental research questions require the integration of large scale, multi-dimensional clinical phenotype and bio-molecular data sets. Modern biomedical informatics theory and practice has demonstrated the distinct benefits associated with the use of knowledge-based systems in such contexts. A knowledge-based system can be defined as an intelligent agent that employs a computationally tractable knowledge base or repository in order to reason upon data in a targeted domain and reproduce expert performance relative to such reasoning operations. The ultimate goal of the design and use of such agents is to increase the reproducibility, scalability, and accessibility of complex reasoning tasks. Examples of the application of knowledge-based systems in biomedicine span a broad spectrum, from the execution of clinical decision support, to epidemiologic surveillance of public data sets for the purposes of detecting emerging infectious diseases, to the discovery of novel hypotheses in large-scale research data sets. In this chapter, we will review the basic theoretical frameworks that define core knowledge types and reasoning operations with particular emphasis on the applicability of such conceptual models within the biomedical domain, and then go on to introduce a number of prototypical data integration requirements and patterns relevant to the conduct of translational bioinformatics that can be addressed via the design and

The role of acceptable knowledge in transuranic waste disposal operations - 11117

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

Chancellor, Christopher John; Nelson, Roger

2010-11-08

The Acceptable Knowledge (AK) process plays a key role in the delineation of waste streams destined for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). General Electric's Vallecitos Nuclear Center (GEVNC) provides for an ideal case study of the application of AK in a multiple steward environment. In this review we will elucidate the pivotal role Acceptable Knowledge played in segregating Department of Energy (DOE) responsibilities from a commercial facility. The Acceptable Knowledge process is a necessary component of waste characterization that determines whether or not a waste stream may be considered for disposal at the WIPP site. This process may bemore » thought of as an effort to gain a thorough understanding of the waste origin, chemical content, and physical form gleaned by the collection of documentation that concerns generator/storage site history, mission, and operations; in addition to waste stream specific information which includes the waste generation process, the waste matrix, the quantity of waste concerned, and the radiological and chemical make up of the waste. The collection and dissemination of relevant documentation is the fundamental requirement for the AK process to work. Acceptable Knowledge is the predominant process of characterization and, therefore, a crucial part of WIPP's transuranic waste characterization program. This characterization process, when conducted to the standards set forth in WIPP's operating permit, requires confirmation/verification by physical techniques such as Non-Destructive Examination (NDE), Visual Examination (VE), and Non-Destructive Assay (NDA). These physical characterization techniques may vary in their appropriateness for a given waste stream; however, nothing will allow the substitution or exclusion of AK. Beyond the normal scope of operations, AK may be considered, when appropriate, a surrogate for the physical characterization techniques in a procedure that appeals to concepts such As Low As Reasonably

Basic Publication Fundamentals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savedge, Charles E., Ed.

Designed for students who produce newspapers and newsmagazines in junior high, middle, and elementary schools, this booklet is both a scorebook and a fundamentals text. The scorebook provides realistic criteria for judging publication excellence at these educational levels. All the basics for good publications are included in the text of the…

Encouraging Civic Knowledge and Engagement: Exploring Current Events through a Psychological Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Camp, Debbie; Baugh, Stacey-Ann

2016-01-01

Engagement with political, social, and civil issues is a fundamental component of an educated population, but civic knowledge and engagement are decreasing among adolescents and young adults. A Psychology in Current Events class sought to increase this engagement and key skills such as critical thinking. A one-group pretest-posttest…

Violet-to-Blue Gain and Lasing from Colloidal CdS Nanoplatelets: Low-Threshold Stimulated Emission Despite Low Photoluminescence Quantum Yield

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

Diroll, Benjamin T.; Talapin, Dmitri V.; Schaller, Richard D.

Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and lasing from solution-processed materials are demonstrated in the challenging violet-to-blue (430–490 nm) spectral region for colloidal nanoplatelets of CdS and newly synthesized core/shell CdS/ZnS nanoplatelets. Despite modest band-edge photoluminescence quantum yields of 2% or less for single excitons, which we show results from hole trapping, the samples exhibit low ASE thresholds. Furthermore, four-monolayer CdS samples show ASE at shorter wavelengths than any reported film of colloidal quantum-confined material. This work underlines that low quantum yields for single excitons do not necessarily lead to a poor gain medium. The low ASE thresholds originate from negligible dispersionmore » in thickness, large absorption cross sections of 2.8 × 10–14 cm–2, and rather slow (150 to 300 ps) biexciton recombination. We show that under higher-fluence excitation, ASE can kinetically outcompete hole trapping. Using nanoplatelets as the gain medium, lasing is observed in a linear optical cavity. This work confirms the fundamental advantages of colloidal quantum well structures as gain media, even in the absence of high photoluminescence efficiency.« less

Gain-phase modulation in chirped-pulse amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Yijie; Gao, Gan; Meng, Yuan; Fu, Xing; Gong, Mali

2017-10-01

The cross-modulation between the gain and chirped phase in chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) is theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. We propose a gain-phase coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation (GPC-NLSE) for solving chirped-pulse propagation in a nonlinear gain medium involved in the gain-phase modulation (GPM) process. With the GPC-NLSE, the space-time-frequency-dependent gain, chirped phase, pulse, and spectrum evolutions can be precisely calculated. Moreover, a short-length high-gain Yb-doped fiber CPA experiment is presented in which a self-steepening distortion of the seed pulse is automatically compensated after amplification. This phenomenon can be explained by the GPM theory whereas conventional models cannot. The experimental results for the temporal and spectral intensities show excellent agreement with our theory. Our GPM theory paves the way for further investigations of the finer structures of the pulse and spectrum in CPA systems.

Optimal PID gain schedule for hydrogenerators

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

Orelind, G.; Wozniak, L.; Medanic, J.

1989-09-01

This paper describes the development and testing of a digital gain switching governor for hydrogenerators. Optimal gains were found at different load points by minimizing a quadratic performance criterion prior to controller operating. During operation, the gain sets are switched in depending on the gate position and speed error magnitude. With gain switching operating, the digital governor was shown to have a substantial reduction of noise on the command signal and up to 42% faster responses to power requests. Non-linear control strategies enabled the digital governor to have a 2.5% to 2% reduction in speed overshoot on startups, and anmore » 8% to 1% reduction in undershoot on load rejections as compared to the analog.« less

Sudden Gains During Therapy of Social Phobia

PubMed Central

Hofmann, Stefan G.; Schulz, Stefan M.; Meuret, Alicia E.; Moscovitch, David A.; Suvak, Michael

2007-01-01

The present study investigated the phenomenon of sudden gains in 107 participants with social phobia (social anxiety disorder) who received either cognitive–behavioral group therapy or exposure group therapy without explicit cognitive interventions, which primarily used public speaking situations as exposure tasks. Twenty-two out of 967 session-to-session intervals met criteria for sudden gains, which most frequently occurred in Session 5. Individuals with sudden gains showed similar improvements in the 2 treatment groups. Although cognitive–behavioral therapy was associated with more cognitive changes than exposure therapy, cognitive changes did not precede sudden gains. In general, the results of this study question the clinical significance of sudden gains in social phobia treatment. PMID:16881776

CONDITIONS FOR CSR MICROBUNCHING GAIN SUPPRESSION

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

Tsai, Cheng Ying; Douglas, David R.; Li, Rui

The coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) of a high brightness electron beam traversing a series of dipoles, such as transport arcs, may result in phase space degradation. On one hand, the CSR can perturb electron transverse motion in dispersive regions along the beamline, causing emittance growth. On the other hand, the CSR effect on the longitudinal beam dynamics could result in microbunching gain enhancement. For transport arcs, several schemes have been proposed* to suppress the CSR-induced emittance growth. Similarly, several scenarios have been introduced** to suppress CSR-induced microbunching gain, which however mostly aim for linac-based machines. In this paper we trymore » to provide sufficient conditions for suppression of CSR-induced microbunching gain along a transport arc, analogous to*. Several example lattices are presented, with the relevant microbunching analyses carried out by our semi-analytical Vlasov solver***. The simulation results show that lattices satisfying the proposed conditions indeed have microbunching gain suppressed. We expect this analysis can shed light on lattice design approach that could suppress the CSR-induced microbunching gain.« less

"BioONT": Improving Knowledge Organization and Representation in the Domain of Biometric Authentication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buerle, Stephen

2017-01-01

This dissertation explores some of the fundamental challenges facing the information assurance community as it relates to knowledge categorization, organization and representation within the field of information security and more specifically within the domain of biometric authentication. A primary objective of this research is the development of…

Fostering Second Graders' Scientific Explanations: A Beginning Elementary Teacher's Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beyer, Carrie J.; Davis, Elizabeth A.

2008-01-01

Teaching science as explanation is fundamental to reform efforts but is challenging for teachers--especially new elementary teachers, for whom the complexities of teaching are compounded by high demands and little classroom experience. Despite these challenges, few studies have characterized the knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices that…

Knowledge Framework Implementation with Multiple Architectures - 13090

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

Upadhyay, H.; Lagos, L.; Quintero, W.

2013-07-01

Multiple kinds of knowledge management systems are operational in public and private enterprises, large and small organizations with a variety of business models that make the design, implementation and operation of integrated knowledge systems very difficult. In recent days, there has been a sweeping advancement in the information technology area, leading to the development of sophisticated frameworks and architectures. These platforms need to be used for the development of integrated knowledge management systems which provides a common platform for sharing knowledge across the enterprise, thereby reducing the operational inefficiencies and delivering cost savings. This paper discusses the knowledge framework andmore » architecture that can be used for the system development and its application to real life need of nuclear industry. A case study of deactivation and decommissioning (D and D) is discussed with the Knowledge Management Information Tool platform and framework. D and D work is a high priority activity across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Subject matter specialists (SMS) associated with DOE sites, the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) and the D and D community have gained extensive knowledge and experience over the years in the cleanup of the legacy waste from the Manhattan Project. To prevent the D and D knowledge and expertise from being lost over time from the evolving and aging workforce, DOE and the Applied Research Center (ARC) at Florida International University (FIU) proposed to capture and maintain this valuable information in a universally available and easily usable system. (authors)« less

The Impact of the Pre-Instructional Cognitive Profile on Learning Gain and Final Exam of Physics Courses: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capizzo, Maria Concetta; Nuzzo, Silvana; Zarcone, Michelangelo

2006-01-01

The case study described in this paper investigates the relationship among some pre-instructional knowledge, the learning gain and the final physics performance of computing engineering students in the introductory physics course. The results of the entrance engineering test (EET) have been used as a measurement of reading comprehension, logic and…

Long-Term Impact of the Farm Financial Analysis Training Curriculum on FSA Borrowers in Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balliet, Kenneth L.; Douglass, Mark B.; Hanson, Gregory

2010-01-01

The Farm Financial Analysis Training (FFAT) course covers fundamental skills and concepts in liquidity, profitability, solvency, and efficiency. The research reported here identifies and measures the impacts of FFAT on participants including: 1) perceived gains in knowledge, 2) changes in management behavior, 3) changes in specific farm assets and…

WWW: The Scientific Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blystone, Robert V.; Blodgett, Kevin

2006-01-01

The scientific method is the principal methodology by which biological knowledge is gained and disseminated. As fundamental as the scientific method may be, its historical development is poorly understood, its definition is variable, and its deployment is uneven. Scientific progress may occur without the strictures imposed by the formal…

Evaluating the effectiveness of Facebook to impact the knowledge of evidence-based employment practices by individuals with traumatic brain injury: A knowledge translation random control study.

PubMed

Inge, Katherine J; Graham, Carolyn W; McLaughlin, James W; Erickson, Doug; Wehman, Paul; Seward, Hannah E

2017-09-14

Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience difficulty with obtaining and maintaining employment post-injury. Although vocational rehabilitation (VR) can be one option to provide individuals with TBI support and services to lead to successful employment outcomes, information about these services can be difficult and confusing to navigate. Providing information on evidence-based employment practices to individuals with TBI through social media could be an effective approach. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of a knowledge translation (KT) strategy and the use of a secret Facebook group, on the knowledge of evidence-based employment research by individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study used a randomized pretest-posttest control group design. Sixty individuals with TBI were recruited through clubhouse programs in the state where the authors resided as well as through support groups nationally for individuals with TBI, and were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Both groups received information on evidence-based employment practices for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) over a three month period. One group received the information via participation in a secret Facebook group while the comparison group received information as an "e-news" email blast. Participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention with a Likert-scale instrument designed to measure knowledge of evidenced-based employment information for TBI. Both groups gained a significant amount of knowledge between baseline and post-intervention. However, there were no significant differences between groups in knowledge gained at post-intervention. While the study did not identify the most effective means of delivering information to individuals with TBI, it does provide some guidance for future KT research.

Transformational Leadership and Knowledge Sharing: Mediating Roles of Employee's Empowerment, Commitment, and Citizenship Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Seung Hyun; Seo, Gaeun; Yoon, Seung Won; Yoon, Dong-Yeol

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the fundamental process through which transformational leaders play a significant role in employees' knowledge sharing by investigating mediating roles of individual affects, particularly psychological empowerment, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).…

'Big Data' Collaboration: Exploring, Recording and Sharing Enterprise Knowledge

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

Sukumar, Sreenivas R; Ferrell, Regina Kay

2013-01-01

As data sources and data size proliferate, knowledge discovery from "Big Data" is starting to pose several challenges. In this paper, we address a specific challenge in the practice of enterprise knowledge management while extracting actionable nuggets from diverse data sources of seemingly-related information. In particular, we address the challenge of archiving knowledge gained through collaboration, dissemination and visualization as part of the data analysis, inference and decision-making lifecycle. We motivate the implementation of an enterprise data-discovery and knowledge recorder tool, called SEEKER based on real world case-study. We demonstrate SEEKER capturing schema and data-element relationships, tracking the data elementsmore » of value based on the queries and the analytical artifacts that are being created by analysts as they use the data. We show how the tool serves as digital record of institutional domain knowledge and a documentation for the evolution of data elements, queries and schemas over time. As a knowledge management service, a tool like SEEKER saves enterprise resources and time by avoiding analytic silos, expediting the process of multi-source data integration and intelligently documenting discoveries from fellow analysts.« less

"There Is Knowledge to Be Gained"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Todd, Ross J.

2009-01-01

The conceptualizing of and structuring of a learning commons shifts both the thinking of what a library media center is as well as its learning imperative in the school. Rather than being defined in terms of collections and instructional activities that focus primarily on an information-centric paradigm--the finding, accessing, and evaluating of…

Clinicians' Knowledge and Perception of Telemedicine Technology.

PubMed

Ayatollahi, Haleh; Sarabi, Fatemeh Zahra Pourfard; Langarizadeh, Mostafa

2015-01-01

Telemedicine is an application of information and communication technology in the healthcare environment. This study aimed to compare knowledge and perceptions of telemedicine technology among different groups of clinicians. This survey study was conducted in 2013. The potential participants included 532 clinicians who worked in two hospitals and three clinics in a northern province of Iran. Data were collected using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. The content validity of the questionnaire was checked, and the reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α = 0.73). The results showed that most of the clinicians (96.1 percent) had little knowledge about telemedicine. They perceived the advantages of telemedicine at a moderate level and its disadvantages at a low level. The knowledge of dentists about this technology was less than that of other groups, and as a result they were less positive about the advantages of telemedicine compared to nurses, general physicians, and specialists. The limited knowledge of clinicians about telemedicine seems to have influenced their perceptions of the technology. Therefore, providing healthcare professionals with more information about new technologies in healthcare, such as telemedicine, can help to gain a more realistic picture of their perceptions.

Using Content-Aligned Assessments to Identify Weaknesses in Students' Understanding of Fundamental Weather and Climate Ideas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wertheim, J.; Willard, S.

2011-12-01

There is growing interest in ensuring that citizens understand weather and climate sufficiently to make informed decisions, and these topics are gaining increased attention in K-12 education. The National Research Council recently released A Framework for K-12 Science Education with the expectation that U.S. 12th graders must have a sophisticated knowledge of climate change, including the role of deep time, variability, and computer modeling in the prediction of climate impacts on the planet and human activity. This requirement demands that students extend their understanding of climate change to the past and future, but it is important to recognize that many students know little about prerequisite ideas, such as daily and annual weather and climate processes, and this problem must be addressed prior to introducing the complexities of the climate system. In order to diagnose weaknesses in students' foundational understanding of the complex climate system, we primarily assessed a middle school (MS)-level understanding of the core elements of the system, in addition to a high school (HS)-level understanding of seasons. We described grade appropriate, coherent, functioning conceptual models for each targeted idea, and decomposed them into explicit learning goals. We then applied Project 2061's rigorous item development procedure to produce 235 high-quality, misconception-based multiple choice test items. These items were tested with a national sample of approximately 20,000 students, grades 6-12, in two phases (Spring 2010 & 2011). Here we report results from the second phase, including items targeting knowledge about convection, daily and annual air temperature patterns, factors that influence air temperature, and seasons. Overall, HS students outperformed MS students on these items by an average of only 3% (MS:31% correct; HS:34% correct). These data show a few strong misconceptions (e.g., 47% of students think that the North Pole is always angled toward the Sun

Stem cell bioprocessing: fundamentals and principles

PubMed Central

Placzek, Mark R.; Chung, I-Ming; Macedo, Hugo M.; Ismail, Siti; Mortera Blanco, Teresa; Lim, Mayasari; Min Cha, Jae; Fauzi, Iliana; Kang, Yunyi; Yeo, David C.L.; Yip Joan Ma, Chi; Polak, Julia M.; Panoskaltsis, Nicki; Mantalaris, Athanasios

2008-01-01

In recent years, the potential of stem cell research for tissue engineering-based therapies and regenerative medicine clinical applications has become well established. In 2006, Chung pioneered the first entire organ transplant using adult stem cells and a scaffold for clinical evaluation. With this a new milestone was achieved, with seven patients with myelomeningocele receiving stem cell-derived bladder transplants resulting in substantial improvements in their quality of life. While a bladder is a relatively simple organ, the breakthrough highlights the incredible benefits that can be gained from the cross-disciplinary nature of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) that encompasses stem cell research and stem cell bioprocessing. Unquestionably, the development of bioprocess technologies for the transfer of the current laboratory-based practice of stem cell tissue culture to the clinic as therapeutics necessitates the application of engineering principles and practices to achieve control, reproducibility, automation, validation and safety of the process and the product. The successful translation will require contributions from fundamental research (from developmental biology to the ‘omics’ technologies and advances in immunology) and from existing industrial practice (biologics), especially on automation, quality assurance and regulation. The timely development, integration and execution of various components will be critical—failures of the past (such as in the commercialization of skin equivalents) on marketing, pricing, production and advertising should not be repeated. This review aims to address the principles required for successful stem cell bioprocessing so that they can be applied deftly to clinical applications. PMID:19033137

Information into Knowledge: Navigating the Complexity in the Campus Community Engagement Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middleton, Anne T.; Whitmore, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

In this paper we draw on two case studies from a current research project investigating the impact of campus-community engagement (CCE) to examine how the fundamental functions for effective knowledge mobilisation were used. The K* spectrum provides a mapping framework for analysis. Both the types of CCE and the different relationships developed…

Hyperspectral remote sensing of vegetation and agricultural crops: knowledge gain and knowledge gap after 40 years of research

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thenkabail, Prasad S.; Lyon, John G.; Huete, Alfredo; Edited by Thenkabail, Prasad S.; Lyon, John G.; Huete, Alfredo

2011-01-01

The focus of this chapter was to summarize the advances made over last 40+ years, as reported in various chapters of this book, in understanding, modeling, and mapping terrestrial vegetation using hyperspectral remote sensing (or imaging spectroscopy) using sensors that are ground-based, truck-mounted, airborne, and spaceborne. As we have seen in various chapters of this book and synthesized in this chapter, the advances made include: (a) significantly improved characterization and modeling of a wide array of biophysical and biochemical properties of vegetation, (b) ability to discriminate plant species and vegetation types with high degree of accuracies (c) reducing uncertainties in determining net primary productivity or carbon assessments from terrestrial vegetation, (d) improved crop productivity and water productivity models, (b), (e) ability to access stress resulting from causes such as management practices, pests and disease, water deficit or excess; , and (f) establishing more sensitive wavebands and indices to detect plant water\\moisture content. The advent of spaceborne hyperspectral sensors (e.g., NASA’s Hyperion, ESA’s PROBA, and upcoming NASA’s HyspIRI) and numerous methods and techniques espoused in this book to overcome Hughes phenomenon or data redundancy when handling large volumes of hyperspectral data have generated tremendous interest in advancing our hyperspectral applications knowledge base over larger spatial extent such as region, nation, continent, and globe.

Weight gain - unintentional

MedlinePlus

... Cushing syndrome Underactive thyroid, or low thyroid (hypothyroidism) Polycystic ovary syndrome Menopause Pregnancy Bloating, or swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the tissues can cause weight gain. This may be due to menstruation, heart ...

Development of Student Knowledge in Competence-Based Pre-Vocational Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koopman, Maaike; Teune, Peter; Beijaard, Douwe

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the development of student knowledge in pre-vocational secondary education schools which differ in the manner and extent to which they have implemented characteristics of competence-based education. The implementation of these characteristics was examined using a teacher questionnaire and the…

48 CFR 9905.506-40 - Fundamental requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 9905.506-40 Fundamental...

48 CFR 9905.505-40 - Fundamental requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 9905.505-40 Fundamental...

48 CFR 9905.501-40 - Fundamental requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 9905.501-40 Fundamental...

48 CFR 9905.502-40 - Fundamental requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 9905.502-40 Fundamental...

Is Weight Gain after Smoking Cessation Inevitable?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talcott, Gerald W.; And Others

1995-01-01

Studied weight gain after smoking cessation in a naturalistic setting where all smokers quit and risk factors for postcessation weight gain were modified. Results showed no significant weight changes for smokers who quit. Suggests that an intensive program featuring dietary guidelines and increased physical activity can attenuate weight gain. (RJM)

Approximate reversibility in the context of entropy gain, information gain, and complete positivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buscemi, Francesco; Das, Siddhartha; Wilde, Mark M.

2016-06-01

There are several inequalities in physics which limit how well we can process physical systems to achieve some intended goal, including the second law of thermodynamics, entropy bounds in quantum information theory, and the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics. Recent results provide physically meaningful enhancements of these limiting statements, determining how well one can attempt to reverse an irreversible process. In this paper, we apply and extend these results to give strong enhancements to several entropy inequalities, having to do with entropy gain, information gain, entropic disturbance, and complete positivity of open quantum systems dynamics. Our first result is a remainder term for the entropy gain of a quantum channel. This result implies that a small increase in entropy under the action of a subunital channel is a witness to the fact that the channel's adjoint can be used as a recovery map to undo the action of the original channel. We apply this result to pure-loss, quantum-limited amplifier, and phase-insensitive quantum Gaussian channels, showing how a quantum-limited amplifier can serve as a recovery from a pure-loss channel and vice versa. Our second result regards the information gain of a quantum measurement, both without and with quantum side information. We find here that a small information gain implies that it is possible to undo the action of the original measurement if it is efficient. The result also has operational ramifications for the information-theoretic tasks known as measurement compression without and with quantum side information. Our third result shows that the loss of Holevo information caused by the action of a noisy channel on an input ensemble of quantum states is small if and only if the noise can be approximately corrected on average. We finally establish that the reduced dynamics of a system-environment interaction are approximately completely positive and trace preserving if and only if the data processing

Development of the Exercise Motives and Gains Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strömmer, Sofia T.; Ingledew, David K.; Markland, David

2015-01-01

There are existing measures of exercise motives (what people want from exercise), but corresponding measures of gains (what people get) are needed, because motives and gains could influence each other and together influence other variables. An exercise motives and gains inventory (EMGI) was developed by creating gains scales to complement existing…

Data Mining in Finance: Using Counterfactuals To Generate Knowledge from Organizational Information Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dhar, Vasant

1998-01-01

Shows how counterfactuals and machine learning methods can be used to guide exploration of large databases that addresses some of the fundamental problems that organizations face in learning from data. Discusses data mining, particularly in the financial arena; generating useful knowledge from data; and the evaluation of counterfactuals. (LRW)

Patient safety, quality of care, and knowledge translation in the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Needham, Dale M

2010-07-01

A large gap exists between the completion of clinical research demonstrating the benefit of new treatment interventions and improved patient outcomes resulting from implementation of these interventions as part of routine clinical practice. This gap clearly affects patient safety and quality of care. Knowledge translation is important for addressing this gap, but evaluation of the most appropriate and effective knowledge translation methods is still ongoing. Through describing one model for knowledge translation and an example of its implementation, insights can be gained into systematic methods for advancing the implementation of evidence-based interventions to improve safety, quality, and patient outcomes.

Translating knowledge about abiotic stress tolerance to breeding programmes.

PubMed

Gilliham, Matthew; Able, Jason A; Roy, Stuart J

2017-06-01

Plant breeding and improvements in agronomic practice are making a consistent contribution to increasing global crop production year upon year. However, the rate of yield improvement currently lags behind the targets set to produce enough food to meet the demands of the predicted global population in 2050. Furthermore, crops that are exposed to harmful abiotic environmental factors (abiotic stresses, e.g. water limitation, salinity, extreme temperature) are prone to reduced yields. Here, we briefly describe the processes undertaken in conventional breeding programmes, which are usually designed to improve yields in near-optimal conditions rather than specifically breeding for improved crop yield stability under stressed conditions. While there is extensive fundamental research activity that examines mechanisms of plant stress tolerance, there are few examples that apply this research to improving commercial crop yields. There are notable exceptions, and we highlight some of these to demonstrate the magnitude of yield gains that could be made by translating agronomic, phenological and genetic solutions focused on improving or mitigating the effect of abiotic stress in the field; in particular, we focus on improvements in crop water-use efficiency and salinity tolerance. We speculate upon the reasons for the disconnect between research and research translation. We conclude that to realise untapped rapid gains towards food security targets new funding structures need to be embraced. Such funding needs to serve both the core and collaborative activities of the fundamental, pre-breeding and breeding research communities in order to expedite the translation of innovative research into the fields of primary producers. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluating Environmental Knowledge Dimension Convergence to Assess Educational Programme Effectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liefländer, Anne K.; Bogner, Franz X.; Kibbe, Alexandra; Kaiser, Florian G.

2015-03-01

One aim of environmental education is fostering sustainable environmental action. Some environmental behaviour models suggest that this can be accomplished in part by improving people's knowledge. Recent studies have identified a distinct, psychometrically supported environmental knowledge structure consisting of system, action-related and effectiveness knowledge. Besides system knowledge, which is most often the focus of such studies, incorporating the other knowledge dimensions into these dimensions was suggested to enhance effectiveness. Our study is among the first to implement these dimensions together in an educational campaign and to use these dimensions to evaluate the effectiveness of a programme on water issues. We designed a four-day environmental education programme on water issues for students at an educational field centre. We applied a newly developed multiple-choice instrument using a pre-, post-, retention test design. The knowledge scales were calibrated with the Rasch model. In addition to the commonly assessed individual change in knowledge level, we also measured the change in knowledge convergence, the extent to which the knowledge dimensions merge as a person's environmental knowledge increases, as an innovative indicator of educational success. Following programme participation, students significantly improved in terms of amount learned in each knowledge dimension and in terms of integration of the knowledge dimensions. The effectiveness knowledge shows the least gain, persistence and convergence, which we explain by considering the dependence of the knowledge dimensions on each other. Finally, we discuss emerging challenges for educational researchers and practical implications for environmental educators.

Sales Fundamentals Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

This curriculum guide is designed as a resource for marketing education teachers in planning and teaching a course on sales fundamentals for students in grades 10-12 who are interested in a sales career. Internships, simulations, and co-op experiences may be used to expand practical application of the course. The student course objectives are to…

Nicotine Replacement: Effects on Postcessation Weight Gain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Janet; And Others

1989-01-01

Examined nicotine replacement effects on postcessation weight gain in smoking cessation volunteers. Randomly assigned abstinent subjects to active nicotine or placebo gum conditions for 10 weeks. Analyses revealed strong evidence for gum effect on weight gain, with active gum users gaining mean total of 3.8 pounds compared with 7.8 pounds for…

From the fundamental rule to the analysing situation.

PubMed

Donnet, J L

2001-02-01

The analytic method relies on the mental capacity to produce an associative sequence, and, afterwards, to discern its unconscious logic; within the social practice of the analytic cure, the method presents itself as the mastered enactment of the condition through which free association proves to be possible, interpretable and beneficial. There is a contradiction between the necessity of relying on a former theorisation and that of willingly suspending a knowledge that might serve the authenticity of the experience. The author reminds us of the structural links between the fundamental rule and the defined situations within which the analytic process of transformative investigation can take place. He raises the problems that it is suggested arise with the initial objectivation method by acknowledging the transference as the created-found object of interpretation. He shows how the transformation of the patient into analysand implies the functional introjection of the various elements contained by the analytic site. The meaning given to the expression 'analysing situation' is made explicit. The crucial value of the process of enunciation is illustrated by a brief example.

A C-band 55% PAE high gain two-stage power amplifier based on AlGaN/GaN HEMT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jia-Xin; Ma, Xiao-Hua; Lu, Yang; Zhao, Bo-Chao; Zhang, Hong-He; Zhang, Meng; Cao, Meng-Yi; Hao, Yue

2015-10-01

A C-band high efficiency and high gain two-stage power amplifier based on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) is designed and measured in this paper. The input and output impedances for the optimum power-added efficiency (PAE) are determined at the fundamental and 2nd harmonic frequency (f0 and 2f0). The harmonic manipulation networks are designed both in the driver stage and the power stage which manipulate the second harmonic to a very low level within the operating frequency band. Then the inter-stage matching network and the output power combining network are calculated to achieve a low insertion loss. So the PAE and the power gain is greatly improved. In an operation frequency range of 5.4 GHz-5.8 GHz in CW mode, the amplifier delivers a maximum output power of 18.62 W, with a PAE of 55.15% and an associated power gain of 28.7 dB, which is an outstanding performance. Project supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2011CBA00606), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, China (Grant No. NCET-12-0915), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61334002).

The motivation to control and the origin of mind: exploring the life-mind joint point in the Tree of Knowledge System.

PubMed

Geary, David C

2005-01-01

The evolved function of brain, cognitive, affective, conscious-psychological, and behavioral systems is to enable animals to attempt to gain control of the social (e.g., mates), biological (e.g., prey), and physical (e.g., nesting spots) resources that have tended to covary with survival and reproductive outcomes during the species' evolutionary history. These resources generate information patterns that range from invariant to variant. Invariant information is consistent across generations and within lifetimes (e.g., the prototypical shape of a human face) and is associated with modular brain and cognitive systems that coalesce around the domains of folk psychology, folk biology, and folk physics. The processing of information in these domains is implicit and results in automatic bottom-up behavioral responses. Variant information varies across generations and within lifetimes (e.g., as in social dynamics) and is associated with plastic brain and cognitive systems and explicit, consciously driven top-down behavioral responses. The fundamentals of this motivation-to-control model are outlined and links are made to Henriques' (2004) Tree of Knowledge System and Behavioral Investment Theory.

The effects of reputational and social knowledge on cooperation

PubMed Central

Gallo, Edoardo; Yan, Chang

2015-01-01

The emergence and sustenance of cooperative behavior is fundamental for a society to thrive. Recent experimental studies have shown that cooperation increases in dynamic networks in which subjects can choose their partners. However, these studies did not vary reputational knowledge, or what subjects know about other’s past actions, which has long been recognized as an important factor in supporting cooperation. They also did not give subjects access to global social knowledge, or information on who is connected to whom in the group. As a result, it remained unknown how reputational and social knowledge foster cooperative behavior in dynamic networks both independently and by complementing each other. In an experimental setting, we show that global reputational knowledge is crucial to sustaining a high level of cooperation and welfare. Cooperation is associated with the emergence of dense and clustered networks with highly cooperative hubs. Global social knowledge has no effect on the aggregate level of cooperation. A community analysis shows that the addition of global social knowledge to global reputational knowledge affects the distribution of cooperative activity: cooperators form a separate community that achieves a higher cooperation level than the community of defectors. Members of the community of cooperators achieve a higher payoff from interactions within the community than members of the less cooperative community. PMID:25775544

Insulin detemir attenuates food intake, body weight gain and fat mass gain in diet-induced obese Sprague-Dawley rats.

PubMed

Rojas, J M; Printz, R L; Niswender, K D

2011-07-04

Initiation and intensification of insulin therapy commonly causes weight gain, a barrier to therapy. A contrasting body of evidence indicates that insulin functions as an adiposity negative feedback signal and reduces food intake, weight gain and adiposity via action in the central nervous system. Basal insulin analogs, detemir (Det) and glargine (Glar), have been associated with less hypoglycemia compared with neutral protamine hagedorn insulin, and Det with less weight gain, especially in patients with higher body mass index (BMI). We sought to determine whether insulin therapy per se causes body weight and fat mass gain when delivered via a clinically relevant subcutaneous (SC) route in the absence of hypoglycemia and glycosuria in non-diabetic lean and diet-induced obese rats. Rats were exposed to either a low-fat diet (LFD; 13.5% fat) or high-fat diet (HFD; 60% fat), and received Det (0.5 U kg(-1)), Glar (0.2 U kg(-1)) or vehicle (Veh) SC once daily for 4 weeks. These dosages of insulin were equipotent in rats with respect to blood-glucose concentration and did not induce hypoglycemia. As predicted by current models of energy homeostasis, neither insulin Det nor Glar therapy affected food intake and weight gain in LFD rats. Det treatment significantly attenuated food intake, body weight gain and fat mass gain relative to the Glar and Veh in high-fat fed animals, mirroring observations in humans. That neither insulin group gained excess weight, suggests weight gain with SC basal insulin therapy may not be inevitable. Our data further suggest that Det possesses a unique property to attenuate the development of obesity associated with a HFD.

48 CFR 9904.403-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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48 CFR 9904.407-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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48 CFR 9904.411-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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48 CFR 9904.406-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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48 CFR 9904.404-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.404-40 Fundamental requirement. (a) The acquisition cost...

48 CFR 9904.405-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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2010-10-01

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48 CFR 9904.402-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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48 CFR 9904.414-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.414-40 Fundamental requirement. (a) A contractor's...

48 CFR 9904.413-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.413-40 Fundamental requirement. (a) Assignment of...

48 CFR 9904.401-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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48 CFR 9904.417-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.417-40 Fundamental requirement. The cost of money...

48 CFR 9904.416-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.416-40 Fundamental requirement. (a) The amount of...

48 CFR 9904.408-40 - Fundamental requirement.

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... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirement..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.408-40 Fundamental requirement. (a) The costs of...

48 CFR 9904.418-40 - Fundamental requirements.

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2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fundamental requirements..., OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.418-40 Fundamental requirements. (a) A business unit...

Research into the development of a knowledge acquisition taxonomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fink, Pamela K.; Herren, L. Tandy