Electrical interactions in the cell: Asymmetric screening in a watery antiverse

PubMed Central

Doerr, T. P.; Yu, Yi-Kuo

2014-01-01

The problem of electrostatics in biomolecular systems presents an excellent opportunity for cross-disciplinary science and a context in which fundamental physics is called for to answer complex questions. Due to the large density in biological cells of charged biomacromolecules such as protein factors and DNA, it is challenging to understand quantitatively the electric forces in these systems. Two questions are especially puzzling. First, how is it that such a dense system of charged molecules does not simply aggregate in random and non-functional ways? Second, since some mechanism apparently prevents such aggregation, how is it that binding of biomolecules still occurs so reliably? Recognizing the role of water as a universal solvent in living systems is key to understanding these questions. We present a simplified physical model in which water is regarded as a medium of high dielectric constant that nevertheless exhibits the key features essential for answering the two questions presented. The answer to the first question lies in the strong screening ability of water, which reduces the energy scale of the electrostatic interactions. Furthermore, our model reveals the existence of asymmetric screening, a pronounced asymmetry between the screening for a system with like charges and that for a system with opposite charges, and this provides an answer to the second question. PMID:25125701

Gaze Aversion during Social Style Interactions in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doherty-Sneddon, Gwyneth; Whittle, Lisa; Riby, Deborah M.

2013-01-01

During face-to-face interactions typically developing individuals use gaze aversion (GA), away from their questioner, when thinking. GA is also used when individuals with autism (ASD) and Williams syndrome (WS) are thinking during question-answer interactions. We investigated GA strategies during face-to-face social style interactions with…

Short Answers to Deep Questions: Supporting Teachers in Large-Class Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, J.; Bird, R. J.; Zouaq, A.; Moskal, A. C. M.

2017-01-01

In large class settings, individualized student-teacher interaction is difficult. However, teaching interactions (e.g., formative feedback) are central to encouraging deep approaches to learning. While there has been progress in automatic short-answer grading, analysing student responses to support formative feedback at scale is arguably some way…

An Experimental Remote Question-Answer Scan Television and Student Evaluation System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rigas, Anthony L.

Presented is a description of the development and use of a technical system designed to provide students (in this case, engineering students) situated at remote sites a means for better interaction with their instructors. For example, students at such sites cannot get their immediate questions answered because of the physical location of their…

Use of a Social Question Answering Application in a Face-to-Face College Biology Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grasso, SandraJean M.

2017-01-01

University students use social media tools not only to connect with friends socially but also to collaborate with classmates. Many universities have embraced academically-focused social media platforms such as social question answering (SQA) applications to make student interactions easier. This study addresses how students in a face-to-face…

What then do we do about computer security?

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

Suppona, Roger A.; Mayo, Jackson R.; Davis, Christopher Edward

This report presents the answers that an informal and unfunded group at SNL provided for questions concerning computer security posed by Jim Gosler, Sandia Fellow (00002). The primary purpose of this report is to record our current answers; hopefully those answers will turn out to be answers indeed. The group was formed in November 2010. In November 2010 Jim Gosler, Sandia Fellow, asked several of us several pointed questions about computer security metrics. Never mind that some of the best minds in the field have been trying to crack this nut without success for decades. Jim asked Campbell to leadmore » an informal and unfunded group to answer the questions. With time Jim invited several more Sandians to join in. We met a number of times both with Jim and without him. At Jim's direction we contacted a number of people outside Sandia who Jim thought could help. For example, we interacted with IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center and held a one-day, videoconference workshop with them on the questions.« less

Participant Observation: A Promising Research Approach for Educational Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodge, Martin; Bogdan, Robert

1974-01-01

Symbolic interaction is a useful perspective, a viable theoretical approach to getting at answers to many important questions related to educational technology. Participant observation is a useful methodology for rooting answers out of the research setting. (Author)

Respecifying Display Questions: Interactional Resources for Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Yo-An

2006-01-01

Previous research into teachers' questions has focused on what types of questions are more conducive for developing students' communicative language use. In this regard, "display questions," whose answers the teacher already knows, are considered less effective because they limit opportunities for students to use genuine language use (Long & Sato,…

Questionnaires for eliciting evaluation data from users of interactive question answering

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

Kelly, Diane; Kantor, Paul B.; Morse, Emile

Evaluating interactive question answering (QA) systems with real users can be challenging because traditional evaluation measures based on the relevance of items returned are difficult to employ since relevance judgments can be unstable in multi-user evaluations. The work reported in this paper evaluates, in distinguishing among a set of interactive QA systems, the effectiveness of three questionnaires: a Cognitive Workload Questionnaire (NASA TLX), and Task and System Questionnaires customized to a specific interactive QA application. These Questionnaires were evaluated with four systems, seven analysts, and eight scenarios during a 2-week workshop. Overall, results demonstrate that all three Questionnaires are effectivemore » at distinguishing among systems, with the Task Questionnaire being the most sensitive. Results also provide initial support for the validity and reliability of the Questionnaires.« less

The influence of question type, reasoning level, and wait time on student participation rates when using clicker questions with large classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartman, K.; Koh, J.; Murty, S. A.; Ramos, R. D. P.; Goodkin, N.

2017-12-01

"Wait time" is defined as the length of the pause between an instructor initiating a question and either the student answering it or the instructor interjecting (Rowe, 1974). However, the nature of the question-answer dynamic changes with student response systems that allow hundreds of students to answer the same question simultaneously before displaying the results to the class. In this study, we looked at 129 student response questions asked across 240 minutes of class lectures to determine if longer wait times were associated with higher student response rates. We also examined whether the type and reasoning level of the questions were diagnostic of their response rates. 644 undergraduate science students enrolled in an interdisciplinary environmental science course. During each of the course's lessons, the instructor presented a mix of lecture content, short student response activities (clicker questions), and small group discussion opportunities. Using the recorded videos, we coded each student response question for its question type and reasoning level. We divided the question types into three categories: yes/no questions, yes/no/maybe questions, and other questions. To code for the reasoning level necessary to answer each question, we used a collapsed version of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (Krathwohl, 2002). Questions that had a definite answer and relied on recalling facts or paraphrasing the lecture content were coded as "knowledge" questions. Questions that required students to apply what they had learned to analyze a new scenario, or come to a judgement were coded as "higher order" questions. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the question type and reasoning level as fixed factors and wait time as a covariate to predict student response rate indicated a strong interaction between question type and reasoning level F(6, 94) = 4.53, p<.01. In general, knowledge questions were answered by a higher percentage (M=91%) of students than higher order questions (M=85%). In particular, yes/no/maybe questions targeting higher order reasoning were the least answered (M=71%). Interestingly, wait time was not associated with increased response rates. The implication is certain types of yes/no/maybe questions may lend themselves to lower response rates due to the introduction of ambiguity into the question.

Adding question answering to an e-tutor for programming languages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Kate; Moore, Simon

Control over a closed domain of textual material removes many question answering issues, as does an ontology that is closely intertwined with its sources. This pragmatic, shallow approach to many challenging areas of research in adaptive hypermedia, question answering, intelligent tutoring and humancomputer interaction has been put into practice at Cambridge in the Computer Science undergraduate course to teach the hardware description language Veri/og. This language itself poses many challenges as it crosses the interdisciplinary boundary between hardware and software engineers, giving rise to severalhuman ontologies as well as theprogramming language itself We present further results from ourformal and informal surveys. We look at further work to increase the dialogue between studentand tutor and export our knowledge to the Semantic Web.

Yes-No Questions in the Third-Turn Position: Pedagogical Discourse Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Yo-An

2008-01-01

Yes-No (Y/N) questions are distinctive in calling for a bipolar response. Some Y/N questions predispose one answer over the other. Conversation analysts have examined the sequential relevance of this predisposition and found the institutional character of social actions enacted in Y/N questioning processes. Classroom interaction is one such…

Open Questions on the Global Contraction of Mercury

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimczak, C.; Byrne, P. K.

2018-05-01

Substantial progress has been made on determining the amount, timing, and rate of global contraction on Mercury. But many open questions remain to be answered about the process itself, associated landforms, and interactions with other processes.

The Dark Side of Friendship: Questions about Negative Interactions between Friends.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berndt, Thomas J.

Alluding to the difficulty in explaining the two opposing powers, the "dark side" and the Force, in the Star Wars movies, this paper focuses on the complex combination of negative and positive interactions among children who are best friends. Presented in question-answer format, the paper discusses research findings and needs related to…

Managing Active Learning Processes in Large First Year Physics Classes: The Advantages of an Integrated Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drinkwater, Michael J.; Gannaway, Deanne; Sheppard, Karen; Davis, Matthew J.; Wegener, Margaret J.; Bowen, Warwick P.; Corney, Joel F.

2014-01-01

Turning lectures into interactive, student-led question and answer sessions is known to increase learning, but enabling interaction in a large class seems an insurmountable task. This can discourage adoption of this new approach -- who has time to individualize responses, address questions from over 200 students and encourage active participation…

[Understanding questions: a specific difficulty in children with pragmatic communication and language disorders].

PubMed

Monfort, I; Monfort, M

2010-03-03

The question-answer schema is the basis for communicative interaction and is therefore a fundamental aim of the work carried out with children with severe communication and language impairment. Answering questions requires basic skills that enable the listener to identify intonation and facial expression, as well as skills in interpreting intentions and in understanding linguistic content. Some questions can rest on contextual-social keys and others may be based on lexical or structural keys. Some questions, however, call for a more complex understanding, such as 'what' and 'who' questions. Here, we propose an analysis of the skills involved in understanding questions and the consequences on intervention strategies. Intervention in understanding questions should combine different approaches (cognitive, social, linguistic) depending on the type of question, the specific difficulties the child has and the context.

Webinar Software: A Tool for Developing More Effective Lectures (Online or In-Person)

PubMed Central

Mayorga, Eduardo P.; Bekerman, Jesica G.; Palis, Ana G.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To describe the use of online seminars (webinars) to improve learning experience for medical residents and fostering critical thinking. Materials and Methods: Sixty-one online seminars (webinars) for residents were developed from April 2012 to February 2013. Residents attended the lectures in the same room as the presenter or from distant locations. Residents interacted with the presenter using their personal computers, tablets, or smartphones. They were able to ask questions and answer the instructor's multiple choice or open-ended questions. The lecture dynamics consisted of: (1) The presentation of a clinical case by an expert on the clinical topic; (2) the instructor asked open-ended and multiple-choice questions about the problem-resolution process; (3) participants responded questions individually; (4) participants received feedback on their answers; (5) a brief conference was given on the learning objectives and the content, also fostering interactive participation; (6) lectures were complemented with work documents. Results: This method allowed for exploration of learning of scientific knowledge and the acquisition of other medical competences (such as patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism). The question-and-answer activity and immediate feedback gave attendees the chance to participate actively in the conference, reflect on the topic, correct conceptual errors, and exercise critical thinking. All these factors are necessary for learning. Conclusions: This modality, which facilitates interaction, active participation, and immediate feedback, could allow learners to acquire knowledge more effectively. PMID:24791102

Use of Feedback-Oriented Online Exercises to Help Physiology Students Construct Well-Organized Answers to Short-Answer Questions

PubMed Central

Carnegie, Jacqueline

2015-01-01

Postsecondary education often requires students to use higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) such as analysis, evaluation, and creation as they assess situations and apply what they have learned during lecture to the formulation of solutions. Summative assessment of these abilities is often accomplished using short-answer questions (SAQs). Quandary was used to create feedback-oriented interactive online exercises to help students strengthen certain HOCS as they actively constructed answers to questions concerning the regulation of 1) metabolic rate, 2) blood sugar, 3) erythropoiesis, and 4) stroke volume. Each exercise began with a SAQ presenting an endocrine dysfunction or a physiological challenge; students were prompted to answer between six and eight multiple-choice questions while building their answer to the SAQ. Student outcomes on the SAQ sections of summative exams were compared before and after the introduction of the online tool and also between subgroups of students within the posttool-introduction population who demonstrated different levels of participation in the online exercises. While overall SAQ outcomes were not different before and after the introduction of the online exercises, once the SAQ tool had become available, those students who chose to use it had improved SAQ outcomes compared with those who did not. PMID:26113627

Reconstruction of Automobile Destruction: An Example of the Interaction between Language and Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loftus, Elizabeth F.; Palmer, John C.

1974-01-01

Two experiments are reported in which subjects viewed films of automobile accidents and then answered questions about events occurring in the films. Wording of questions regarding speed influenced subjects' estimates of speed. (Author/RM)

Why Did the Bald Eagle Almost Become Extinct?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glassman, Sarah J.; Sterling, Donna R.

2012-01-01

The activity described in this article poses a question, provides evidence needed to answer the question, and uses a cooperative learning structure within which students analyze the evidence and create their own questions. Students see how a single cause can interact with two natural systems--the water cycle and the bald eagle food chain--to…

Automated Analysis of Short Responses in an Interactive Synthetic Tutoring System for Introductory Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakamura, Christopher M.; Murphy, Sytil K.; Christel, Michael G.; Stevens, Scott M.; Zollman, Dean A.

2016-01-01

Computer-automated assessment of students' text responses to short-answer questions represents an important enabling technology for online learning environments. We have investigated the use of machine learning to train computer models capable of automatically classifying short-answer responses and assessed the results. Our investigations are part…

Does Anyone Know the Answer to that Question? Individual Differences in Judging Answerability

PubMed Central

Karlsson, Bodil S. A.; Allwood, Carl Martin; Buratti, Sandra

2016-01-01

Occasionally people may attempt to judge whether a question can be answered today, or if not, if it can be answered in the future. For example, a person may consider whether enough is known about the dangers of living close to a nuclear plant, or to a major electricity cable, for them to be willing to do so, and state-authorities may consider whether questions about the dangers of new technologies have been answered, or in a reasonable future can be, for them to be willing to invest money in research aiming develop such technologies. A total of 476 participants, for each of 22 knowledge questions, either judged whether it was answerable today (current answerability), or judged when it could be answered (future answerability). The knowledge questions varied with respect to the expected consensus concerning their answerability: consensus questions (high expected consensus), non-consensus questions (lower expected consensus), and illusion questions (formulated to appear answerable, but with crucial information absent). The questions’ judged answerability level on the two scales was highly correlated. For both scales, consensus questions were rated more answerable than the non-consensus questions, with illusion questions falling in-between. The result for the illusion questions indicates that a feeling of answerability can be created even when it is unlikely that somebody can come up with an answer. The results also showed that individual difference variables influenced the answerability judgments. Higher levels of belief in certainty of knowledge, mankind’s knowledge, and mankind’s efficacy were related to judging the non-consensus questions as more answerable. Participants rating the illusion questions as answerable rated the other answerability questions as more, or equally, answerable compared to the other participants and showed tendencies to prefer a combination of more epistemic default processing and less intellectual processing. PMID:26793164

Displaying Knowledge through Interrogatives in Student-Initiated Sequences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solem, Marit Skarbø

2016-01-01

This article presents an analysis of student initiatives in whole-class interactions. While prior research on question-answer sequences in classroom interactions has shown students to be rather passive recipients of knowledge, this article focuses on aspects of classroom interaction where students take a more active role. Following a conversation…

Weak Links: Stabilizers of Complex Systems from Proteins to Social Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csermely, Peter

Why do women stabilize our societies? Why can we enjoy and understand Shakespeare? Why are fruitflies uniform? Why do omnivorous eating habits aid our survival? Why is Mona Lisa's smile beautiful? -- Is there any answer to these questions? This book shows that the statement: "weak links stabilize complex systems" holds the answers to all of the surprising questions above. The author (recipientof several distinguished science communication prizes) uses weak (low affinity, low probability) interactions as a thread to introduce a vast varietyof networks from proteins to ecosystems.

Technology-Enhanced Interactive Teaching of Marginal, Joint and Conditional Probabilities: The Special Case of Bivariate Normal Distribution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinov, Ivo D.; Kamino, Scott; Bhakhrani, Bilal; Christou, Nicolas

2013-01-01

Data analysis requires subtle probability reasoning to answer questions like "What is the chance of event A occurring, given that event B was observed?" This generic question arises in discussions of many intriguing scientific questions such as "What is the probability that an adolescent weighs between 120 and 140 pounds given that…

Is Soliciting Important in Science? an Investigation of Science Teacher-Student Questioning Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Ajaja O.; Urhievwejire, Eravwoke Ochuko

2012-01-01

The major purpose of this study was to determine the questioning patterns of teachers in science classes. The design employed for the study was a case study. To guide this study, five research questions were asked and answered. The samples of the study consisted of 20 senior secondary schools and 60 science teachers. The instruments used for data…

Who Benefits from Dyadic Teacher-Student Interactions in Whole-Class Settings?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flieller, André; Jarlégan, Annette; Tazouti, Youssef

2016-01-01

To what extent can teacher-student dyadic interactions modify the hierarchy of student performances within a single class? To answer this insufficiently researched question, the authors conducted two parallel studies involving 33 Grade 5 classes in France (759 students) and 15 Grade 5 classes in Luxembourg (243 students). Interactions were…

Everything You Have Always Wanted to Know about Academic Advising (Well, Almost)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Rich

2012-01-01

Answering the question "What occurs in an academic advising interaction?" is not as easy as one might think. Many factors contribute to the academic advising process, and no two advising interactions are the same. This article discusses the different factors involved in an academic advising interaction, emphasizing the need for psychological…

Descriptive Question Answering with Answer Type Independent Features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Yeo-Chan; Lee, Chang-Ki; Kim, Hyun-Ki; Jang, Myung-Gil; Ryu, Pum Mo; Park, So-Young

In this paper, we present a supervised learning method to seek out answers to the most frequently asked descriptive questions: reason, method, and definition questions. Most of the previous systems for question answering focus on factoids, lists or definitional questions. However, descriptive questions such as reason questions and method questions are also frequently asked by users. We propose a system for these types of questions. The system conducts an answer search as follows. First, we analyze the user's question and extract search keywords and the expected answer type. Second, information retrieval results are obtained from an existing search engine such as Yahoo or Google. Finally, we rank the results to find snippets containing answers to the questions based on a ranking SVM algorithm. We also propose features to identify snippets containing answers for descriptive questions. The features are adaptable and thus are not dependent on answer type. Experimental results show that the proposed method and features are clearly effective for the task.

Evaluating Differential Effects Using Regression Interactions and Regression Mixture Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Horn, M. Lee; Jaki, Thomas; Masyn, Katherine; Howe, George; Feaster, Daniel J.; Lamont, Andrea E.; George, Melissa R. W.; Kim, Minjung

2015-01-01

Research increasingly emphasizes understanding differential effects. This article focuses on understanding regression mixture models, which are relatively new statistical methods for assessing differential effects by comparing results to using an interactive term in linear regression. The research questions which each model answers, their…

Revisiting human-environment interactions in Chaco Canyon and the American Southwest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Betancourt, Julio L.; Guiterman, Christopher H.

2016-01-01

Chaco Canyon was the center of a regionally integrated system. Despite a century of research, questions remain about its rise and fall, and the role of human-environment interactions. The answers may lie in current events and new tools and perspectives.

Retrieval practice with short-answer, multiple-choice, and hybrid tests.

PubMed

Smith, Megan A; Karpicke, Jeffrey D

2014-01-01

Retrieval practice improves meaningful learning, and the most frequent way of implementing retrieval practice in classrooms is to have students answer questions. In four experiments (N=372) we investigated the effects of different question formats on learning. Students read educational texts and practised retrieval by answering short-answer, multiple-choice, or hybrid questions. In hybrid conditions students first attempted to recall answers in short-answer format, then identified answers in multiple-choice format. We measured learning 1 week later using a final assessment with two types of questions: those that could be answered by recalling information verbatim from the texts and those that required inferences. Practising retrieval in all format conditions enhanced retention, relative to a study-only control condition, on both verbatim and inference questions. However, there were little or no advantages of answering short-answer or hybrid format questions over multiple-choice questions in three experiments. In Experiment 4, when retrieval success was improved under initial short-answer conditions, there was an advantage of answering short-answer or hybrid questions over multiple-choice questions. The results challenge the simple conclusion that short-answer questions always produce the best learning, due to increased retrieval effort or difficulty, and demonstrate the importance of retrieval success for retrieval-based learning activities.

Everyone's answering: using technology to increase classroom participation.

PubMed

Filer, Debra

2010-01-01

A study was designed to assess the impact of a wireless technology known as an audience response system (ARS), commonly known clickers, on learning and student engagement in a nursing classroom. Students in the control group responded verbally to questions posed during lectures, while students in the intervention groups responded anonymously using the ARS. Although no significant improvement in postlecture quizzes was noted, students in ARS-enhanced lectures reported significantly higher satisfaction scores. The use of ARS promoted a sense of comfort, encouraged participation, and motivated students to answer questions and interact with the subject matter.

Comparing Crowdsourcing and Friendsourcing: A Social Media-Based Feasibility Study to Support Alzheimer Disease Caregivers

PubMed Central

Brady, Erin; Wilkerson, David; Yi, Eun-Hye; Karanam, Yamini; Callahan, Christopher M

2017-01-01

Background In the United States, over 15 million informal caregivers provide unpaid care to people with Alzheimer disease (AD). Compared with others in their age group, AD caregivers have higher rates of stress, and medical and psychiatric illnesses. Psychosocial interventions improve the health of caregivers. However, constraints of time, distance, and availability inhibit the use of these services. Newer online technologies, such as social media, online groups, friendsourcing, and crowdsourcing, present alternative methods of delivering support. However, limited work has been done in this area with caregivers. Objective The primary aims of this study were to determine (1) the feasibility of innovating peer support group work delivered through social media with friendsourcing, (2) whether the intervention provides an acceptable method for AD caregivers to obtain support, and (3) whether caregiver outcomes were affected by the intervention. A Facebook app provided support to AD caregivers through collecting friendsourced answers to caregiver questions from participants’ social networks. The study’s secondary aim was to descriptively compare friendsourced answers versus crowdsourced answers. Methods We recruited AD caregivers online to participate in a 6-week-long asynchronous, online, closed group on Facebook, where caregivers received support through moderator prompts, group member interactions, and friendsourced answers to caregiver questions. We surveyed and interviewed participants before and after the online group to assess their needs, views on technology, and experience with the intervention. Caregiver questions were pushed automatically to the participants’ Facebook News Feed, allowing participants’ Facebook friends to see and post answers to the caregiver questions (Friendsourced answers). Of these caregiver questions, 2 were pushed to crowdsource workers through the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. We descriptively compared characteristics of these crowdsourced answers with the friendsourced answers. Results In total, 6 AD caregivers completed the initial online survey and semistructured telephone interview. Of these, 4 AD caregivers agreed to participate in the online Facebook closed group activity portion of the study. Friendsourcing and crowdsourcing answers to caregiver questions had similar rates of acceptability as rated by content experts: 90% (27/30) and 100% (45/45), respectively. Rates of emotional support and informational support for both groups of answers appeared to trend with the type of support emphasized in the caregiver question (emotional vs informational support question). Friendsourced answers included more shared experiences (20/30, 67%) than did crowdsourced answers (4/45, 9%). Conclusions We found an asynchronous, online, closed group on Facebook to be generally acceptable as a means to deliver support to caregivers of people with AD. This pilot is too small to make judgments on effectiveness; however, results trended toward an improvement in caregivers’ self-efficacy, sense of support, and perceived stress, but these results were not statistically significant. Both friendsourced and crowdsourced answers may be an acceptable way to provide informational and emotional support to caregivers of people with AD. PMID:28396304

The Usability of a Commercial Game Physics Engine to Develop Physics Educational Materials: An Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Colin B.

2008-01-01

Commercial computer games contain "physics engine" components, responsible for providing realistic interactions among game objects. The question naturally arises of whether these engines can be used to develop educational materials for high school and university physics education. To answer this question, the author's group recently conducted a…

Determinants of quality, latency, and amount of Stack Overflow answers about recent Android APIs

PubMed Central

Filkov, Vladimir

2018-01-01

Stack Overflow is a popular crowdsourced question and answer website for programming-related issues. It is an invaluable resource for software developers; on average, questions posted there get answered in minutes to an hour. Questions about well established topics, e.g., the coercion operator in C++, or the difference between canonical and class names in Java, get asked often in one form or another, and answered very quickly. On the other hand, questions on previously unseen or niche topics take a while to get a good answer. This is particularly the case with questions about current updates to or the introduction of new application programming interfaces (APIs). In a hyper-competitive online market, getting good answers to current programming questions sooner could increase the chances of an app getting released and used. So, can developers anyhow, e.g., hasten the speed to good answers to questions about new APIs? Here, we empirically study Stack Overflow questions pertaining to new Android APIs and their associated answers. We contrast the interest in these questions, their answer quality, and timeliness of their answers to questions about old APIs. We find that Stack Overflow answerers in general prioritize with respect to currentness: questions about new APIs do get more answers, but good quality answers take longer. We also find that incentives in terms of question bounties, if used appropriately, can significantly shorten the time and increase answer quality. Interestingly, no operationalization of bounty amount shows significance in our models. In practice, our findings confirm the value of bounties in enhancing expert participation. In addition, they show that the Stack Overflow style of crowdsourcing, for all its glory in providing answers about established programming knowledge, is less effective with new API questions. PMID:29547620

Determinants of quality, latency, and amount of Stack Overflow answers about recent Android APIs.

PubMed

Kavaler, David; Filkov, Vladimir

2018-01-01

Stack Overflow is a popular crowdsourced question and answer website for programming-related issues. It is an invaluable resource for software developers; on average, questions posted there get answered in minutes to an hour. Questions about well established topics, e.g., the coercion operator in C++, or the difference between canonical and class names in Java, get asked often in one form or another, and answered very quickly. On the other hand, questions on previously unseen or niche topics take a while to get a good answer. This is particularly the case with questions about current updates to or the introduction of new application programming interfaces (APIs). In a hyper-competitive online market, getting good answers to current programming questions sooner could increase the chances of an app getting released and used. So, can developers anyhow, e.g., hasten the speed to good answers to questions about new APIs? Here, we empirically study Stack Overflow questions pertaining to new Android APIs and their associated answers. We contrast the interest in these questions, their answer quality, and timeliness of their answers to questions about old APIs. We find that Stack Overflow answerers in general prioritize with respect to currentness: questions about new APIs do get more answers, but good quality answers take longer. We also find that incentives in terms of question bounties, if used appropriately, can significantly shorten the time and increase answer quality. Interestingly, no operationalization of bounty amount shows significance in our models. In practice, our findings confirm the value of bounties in enhancing expert participation. In addition, they show that the Stack Overflow style of crowdsourcing, for all its glory in providing answers about established programming knowledge, is less effective with new API questions.

NudtMDP at TREC 2015 LiveQA Track

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

that are from real-user. All the testing questions are from Yahoo Answer. YA questions have many question types such as opinion, advice, polls, which...Secondly, all of the questions are from Yahoo Answer questioners. Most ques- tions are asked by spoken language. There exist many oral words and the...in Sept.2. One sys- tem(nudtmdp 2) just use CQAs which include eight community question answer websites such as Yahoo Answer, AnswerBag and Answers as

Interactive anatomical and surgical live stream lectures improve students' academic performance in applied clinical anatomy.

PubMed

Shiozawa, Thomas; Butz, Benjamin; Herlan, Stephan; Kramer, Andreas; Hirt, Bernhard

2017-01-01

Tuebingen's Sectio Chirurgica (TSC) is an innovative, interactive, multimedia, and transdisciplinary teaching method designed to complement dissection courses. The Tuebingen's Sectio Chirurgica (TSC) allows clinical anatomy to be taught via interactive live stream surgeries moderated by an anatomist. This method aims to provide an application-oriented approach to teaching anatomy that offers students a deeper learning experience. A cohort study was devised to determine whether students who participated in the TSC were better able to solve clinical application questions than students who did not participate. A total of 365 students participated in the dissection course during the winter term of the 2012/2013 academic year. The final examination contained 40 standard multiple-choice (S-MC) and 20 clinically-applied multiple-choice (CA-MC) items. The CA-MC items referred to clinical cases but could be answered solely using anatomical knowledge. Students who regularly participated in the TSC answered the CA-MC questions significantly better than the control group (75% and 65%, respectively; P < 0.05, Mann-Whitney U test). The groups exhibited no differences on the S-MC questions (85% and 82.5%, respectively; P > 0.05). The CA-MC questions had a slightly higher level of difficulty than the S-MC questions (0.725 and 0.801, respectively; P = 0.083). The discriminatory power of the items was comparable (S-MC median Pearson correlations: 0.321; CA-MC: 0.283). The TSC successfully teaches the clinical application of anatomical knowledge. Students who attended the TSC in addition to the dissection course were able to answer CA-MC questions significantly better than students who did not attend the TSC. Thus, attending the TSC in addition to the dissection course supported students' clinical learning goals. Anat Sci Educ 10: 46-52. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

A topic clustering approach to finding similar questions from large question and answer archives.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei-Nan; Liu, Ting; Yang, Yang; Cao, Liujuan; Zhang, Yu; Ji, Rongrong

2014-01-01

With the blooming of Web 2.0, Community Question Answering (CQA) services such as Yahoo! Answers (http://answers.yahoo.com), WikiAnswer (http://wiki.answers.com), and Baidu Zhidao (http://zhidao.baidu.com), etc., have emerged as alternatives for knowledge and information acquisition. Over time, a large number of question and answer (Q&A) pairs with high quality devoted by human intelligence have been accumulated as a comprehensive knowledge base. Unlike the search engines, which return long lists of results, searching in the CQA services can obtain the correct answers to the question queries by automatically finding similar questions that have already been answered by other users. Hence, it greatly improves the efficiency of the online information retrieval. However, given a question query, finding the similar and well-answered questions is a non-trivial task. The main challenge is the word mismatch between question query (query) and candidate question for retrieval (question). To investigate this problem, in this study, we capture the word semantic similarity between query and question by introducing the topic modeling approach. We then propose an unsupervised machine-learning approach to finding similar questions on CQA Q&A archives. The experimental results show that our proposed approach significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Interactive Whiteboards on Student Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelps, Robin J.

2012-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards on student engagement. Perceptions from 108 middle school students and one middle school teacher were analyzed to answer the research question: What are the perceptions of middle school students and one middle school teacher regarding student engagement during lessons using an…

Use of Feedback-Oriented Online Exercises to Help Physiology Students Construct Well-Organized Answers to Short-Answer Questions.

PubMed

Carnegie, Jacqueline

2015-01-01

Postsecondary education often requires students to use higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) such as analysis, evaluation, and creation as they assess situations and apply what they have learned during lecture to the formulation of solutions. Summative assessment of these abilities is often accomplished using short-answer questions (SAQs). Quandary was used to create feedback-oriented interactive online exercises to help students strengthen certain HOCS as they actively constructed answers to questions concerning the regulation of 1) metabolic rate, 2) blood sugar, 3) erythropoiesis, and 4) stroke volume. Each exercise began with a SAQ presenting an endocrine dysfunction or a physiological challenge; students were prompted to answer between six and eight multiple-choice questions while building their answer to the SAQ. Student outcomes on the SAQ sections of summative exams were compared before and after the introduction of the online tool and also between subgroups of students within the posttool-introduction population who demonstrated different levels of participation in the online exercises. While overall SAQ outcomes were not different before and after the introduction of the online exercises, once the SAQ tool had become available, those students who chose to use it had improved SAQ outcomes compared with those who did not. © 2015 J. Carnegie. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Cues Matter: Learning Assistants Influence Introductory Biology Student Interactions during Clicker-Question Discussions

PubMed Central

Knight, Jennifer K.; Wise, Sarah B.; Rentsch, Jeremy; Furtak, Erin M.

2015-01-01

The cues undergraduate biology instructors provide to students before discussions of clicker questions have previously been shown to influence student discussion. We further explored how student discussions were influenced by interactions with learning assistants (LAs, or peer coaches). We recorded and transcribed 140 clicker-question discussions in an introductory molecular biology course and coded them for features such as the use of reasoning and types of questions asked. Students who did not interact with LAs had discussions that were similar in most ways to students who did interact with LAs. When students interacted with LAs, the only significant changes in their discussions were the use of more questioning and more time spent in discussion. However, when individual LA–student interactions were examined within discussions, different LA prompts were found to generate specific student responses: question prompts promoted student use of reasoning, while students usually stopped their discussions when LAs explained reasons for answers. These results demonstrate that LA prompts directly influence student interactions during in-class discussions. Because clicker discussions can encourage student articulation of reasoning, instructors and LAs should focus on how to effectively implement questioning techniques rather than providing explanations. PMID:26590204

ECNU at TREC 2015: LiveQA Track

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

user questions, extracted from the stream of most recent questions submitted on the Yahoo Answers (YA) site that have not yet been answered by humans...extracting answers for real- user questions in real time. Since many questions submitted on these CQA sites like Yahoo Answers, have been asked by...Framework pages on Yahoo Answers as the candidates. Then, we utilize our question selection module to find out the most similar question and choose the best

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE: DEATH OF A DOGMA, AND THE ROAD AHEAD

PubMed Central

Traynor, Bryan J.; Singleton, Andrew B.

2010-01-01

Interaction between the genome and the environment has been widely discussed in the literature, but has the importance ascribed to understanding these interactions been overstated? In this opinion piece, we critically discuss gene-environment interactions and attempt to answer three key questions: First, is it likely that gene-environment interactions actually exist? Second, what is the realistic value of trying to unravel these interactions, both in terms of understanding disease pathogenesis and as a means of ameliorating disease? Finally, and most importantly, do the technologies and methodologies exist to facilitate an unbiased search for gene-environment interactions? Addressing these questions highlights key areas of feasibility that must be considered in this area of research. PMID:20955927

Student Engagement with Assessment and Feedback: Some Lessons from Short-Answer Free-Text E-Assessment Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Sally

2012-01-01

Students were observed directly, in a usability laboratory, and indirectly, by means of an extensive evaluation of responses, as they attempted interactive computer-marked assessment questions that required free-text responses of up to 20 words and as they amended their responses after receiving feedback. This provided more general insight into…

Children's Developing Knowledge of "Wh"-/Quantifier Question-Answer Relations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achimova, Asya; Syrett, Kristen; Musolino, Julien; Déprez, Viviane

2017-01-01

In response to questions in which a "wh"-term interacts with a universal quantifier in object position, such as "Who picked every toy?," children as old as 5 years of age often provide a list, pairing toys with the people who picked each of them. This response pattern is unexpected, it has been claimed, because children appear…

The Darkness of Space: A Teaching Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurumezoglu, Kemal; Oguz, Ayse

2010-01-01

This study examines the process by which a teacher may be able to answer a question asked in the classroom by using a scientific approach and a simple activity. This article examines a discussion of the question "Is space light or dark?" Priority in the discussion has been given to determining students' preconceptions about the interaction of…

Evaluation Criteria for Interactive E-Books for Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bozkurt, Aras; Bozkaya, Mujgan

2015-01-01

The aim of this mixed method study is to identify evaluation criteria for interactive e-books. To find answers for the research questions of the study, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a four-round Delphi study with a panel consisting of 30 experts. After that, a total of 20 interactive e-books were examined with…

Locating Cognition in Second Language Interaction and Learning: Inside the Skull or in Public View?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasper, Gabriele

2009-01-01

A key question in the debate on conversation analysis as an approach to SLA concerns the role of cognition in interaction and learning. Where is cognition located, and how is understanding in interaction achieved? For an empirically grounded answer, I will explore the procedural apparatus that sustains socially shared cognition. Following a brief…

Residents' Interaction with Their College Living-Learning Peer Mentor: A Grounded Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wylie, Jonathan Patrick

2012-01-01

This study used Strauss and Corbin's (1998) grounded theory model to describe and explain the stories of residents' interactions with their peer mentor, in a health, education, and human development living-learning community (LLC). The question answered in this study was: What is the impact of the interaction between a peer mentor and…

Domain and Intelligence Based Multimedia Question Answering System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, K. Magesh; Valarmathie, P.

2016-01-01

Multimedia question answering systems have become very popular over the past few years. It allows users to share their thoughts by answering a given question or obtain information from a set of answered questions. However, existing QA systems support only textual answer which is not so instructive for many users. The user's discussion can be…

Revealing Learner Interests through Topic Mining from Question-Answering Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dun, Yijie; Wang, Na; Wang, Min; Hao, Tianyong

2017-01-01

In a question-answering system, learner generated content including asked and answered questions is a meaningful resource to capture learning interests. This paper proposes an approach based on question topic mining for revealing learners' concerned topics in real community question-answering systems. The authors' approach firstly preprocesses all…

QU at TREC-2015: Building Real-Time Systems for Tweet Filtering and Question Answering

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

from Yahoo ! An- swers. We adopted a very simple approach that searched an archived Yahoo ! Answers QA dataset for similar questions to the asked ones and...users to post and answer questions. Yahoo ! An- swers1 is by far one of the largest sQA platforms. Questions and answers on such platforms share some...multiple domains [5]. However, the existence of large social question answering websites, such as Yahoo ! Answers specifically, makes the development of

Compatible solute influence on nucleic acids: Many questions but few answers

PubMed Central

Kurz, Matthias

2008-01-01

Compatible solutes are small organic osmolytes including but not limited to sugars, polyols, amino acids, and their derivatives. They are compatible with cell metabolism even at molar concentrations. A variety of organisms synthesize or take up compatible solutes for adaptation to extreme environments. In addition to their protective action on whole cells, compatible solutes display significant effects on biomolecules in vitro. These include stabilization of native protein and nucleic acid structures. They are used as additives in polymerase chain reactions to increase product yield and specificity, but also in other nucleic acid and protein applications. Interactions of compatible solutes with nucleic acids and protein-nucleic acid complexes are much less understood than the corresponding interactions of compatible solutes with proteins. Although we may begin to understand solute/nucleic acid interactions there are only few answers to the many questions we have. I summarize here the current state of knowledge and discuss possible molecular mechanisms and thermodynamics. PMID:18522725

Comparing Crowdsourcing and Friendsourcing: A Social Media-Based Feasibility Study to Support Alzheimer Disease Caregivers.

PubMed

Bateman, Daniel Robert; Brady, Erin; Wilkerson, David; Yi, Eun-Hye; Karanam, Yamini; Callahan, Christopher M

2017-04-10

In the United States, over 15 million informal caregivers provide unpaid care to people with Alzheimer disease (AD). Compared with others in their age group, AD caregivers have higher rates of stress, and medical and psychiatric illnesses. Psychosocial interventions improve the health of caregivers. However, constraints of time, distance, and availability inhibit the use of these services. Newer online technologies, such as social media, online groups, friendsourcing, and crowdsourcing, present alternative methods of delivering support. However, limited work has been done in this area with caregivers. The primary aims of this study were to determine (1) the feasibility of innovating peer support group work delivered through social media with friendsourcing, (2) whether the intervention provides an acceptable method for AD caregivers to obtain support, and (3) whether caregiver outcomes were affected by the intervention. A Facebook app provided support to AD caregivers through collecting friendsourced answers to caregiver questions from participants' social networks. The study's secondary aim was to descriptively compare friendsourced answers versus crowdsourced answers. We recruited AD caregivers online to participate in a 6-week-long asynchronous, online, closed group on Facebook, where caregivers received support through moderator prompts, group member interactions, and friendsourced answers to caregiver questions. We surveyed and interviewed participants before and after the online group to assess their needs, views on technology, and experience with the intervention. Caregiver questions were pushed automatically to the participants' Facebook News Feed, allowing participants' Facebook friends to see and post answers to the caregiver questions (Friendsourced answers). Of these caregiver questions, 2 were pushed to crowdsource workers through the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. We descriptively compared characteristics of these crowdsourced answers with the friendsourced answers. In total, 6 AD caregivers completed the initial online survey and semistructured telephone interview. Of these, 4 AD caregivers agreed to participate in the online Facebook closed group activity portion of the study. Friendsourcing and crowdsourcing answers to caregiver questions had similar rates of acceptability as rated by content experts: 90% (27/30) and 100% (45/45), respectively. Rates of emotional support and informational support for both groups of answers appeared to trend with the type of support emphasized in the caregiver question (emotional vs informational support question). Friendsourced answers included more shared experiences (20/30, 67%) than did crowdsourced answers (4/45, 9%). We found an asynchronous, online, closed group on Facebook to be generally acceptable as a means to deliver support to caregivers of people with AD. This pilot is too small to make judgments on effectiveness; however, results trended toward an improvement in caregivers' self-efficacy, sense of support, and perceived stress, but these results were not statistically significant. Both friendsourced and crowdsourced answers may be an acceptable way to provide informational and emotional support to caregivers of people with AD. ©Daniel Robert Bateman, Erin Brady, David Wilkerson, Eun-Hye Yi, Yamini Karanam, Christopher M Callahan. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 10.04.2017.

Occupational Exposure to Ionizing Radiation for Crews of Suborbital Spacecraft: Questions and Answers

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

the Van Allen belts to be of concern. Ionizing radiation consists of subatomic particles that, on interacting with an atom, can cause the atom to...What is ionizing radiation? Ionizing radiation refers to subatomic particles that, on interacting with an atom, can directly or indirectly cause the

Explaining Student Interaction and Satisfaction: An Empirical Investigation of Delivery Mode Influence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Zachary S.; Cascio, Robert; Massiah, Carolyn A.

2014-01-01

How interpersonal interactions within a course affect student satisfaction differently between face-to-face and online modes is an important research question to answer with confidence. Using students from a marketing course delivered face-to-face and online concurrently, our first study demonstrates that student-to-professor and…

Teachers' Cognitive Demands and Preschool Students' Use of Thinking Strategies during Interactive Book Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Servizzi, Kelli M.

2013-01-01

The study examined preschool students' use of thinking strategies when responding to deep structure questions during interactive book readings. The children were enrolled in two different inclusive preschool classrooms in a large Midwestern city. The study explored which thinking strategies the preschool children used when answering deep structure…

ADAPT.DCU at TREC LiveQA: A Sentence Retrieval based Approach to Live Question Answering

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

list of conceptually similar questions from an index of previously asked on “ Yahoo ! An- swers”. We then extract the best matching sentences from the...answer Japanese why questions. The work in Surdeanu et al. (2011) address the problem of ranking answers to non-factoid how questions from Yahoo ...answering real questions from Yahoo ! Answers in real time. each participant needed to submit a web service application that on receiving a question responds

WaterlooClarke: TREC 2015 LiveQA Track

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

from Yahoo ! An- swers1 – a community question answering website. Each question was broadcasted to all registered systems. The participants had to...were coming from Yahoo ! Answers – a community question answering website. Questions there vary greatly between all topics and question types. Yahoo ...in your opinion? Body: I can’t decide they are all gorgeousss ɛ :) Table 1: Various types of questions asked on Yahoo ! Answers 1). The questions were

The Yes-No Question Answering System and Statement Verification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akiyama, M. Michael; And Others

1979-01-01

Two experiments investigated the relationship of verification to the answering of yes-no questions. Subjects verified simple statements or answered simple questions. Various proposals concerning the relative difficulty of answering questions and verifying statements were considered, and a model was proposed. (SW)

Two layers LSTM with attention for multi-choice question answering in exams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongbin

2018-03-01

Question Answering in Exams is typical question answering task that aims to test how accurately the model could answer the questions in exams. In this paper, we use general deep learning model to solve the multi-choice question answering task. Our approach is to build distributed word embedding of question and answers instead of manually extracting features or linguistic tools, meanwhile, for improving the accuracy, the external corpus is introduced. The framework uses a two layers LSTM with attention which get a significant result. By contrast, we introduce the simple long short-term memory (QA-LSTM) model and QA-LSTM-CNN model and QA-LSTM with attention model as the reference. Experiment demonstrate superior performance of two layers LSTM with attention compared to other models in question answering task.

Children's Knowledge of Deceptive Gaze Cues and Its Relation to Their Actual Lying Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Anjanie; Lee, Kang

2009-01-01

Eye gaze plays a pivotal role during communication. When interacting deceptively, it is commonly believed that the deceiver will break eye contact and look downward. We examined whether children's gaze behavior when lying is consistent with this belief. In our study, 7- to 15-year-olds and adults answered questions truthfully ("Truth" questions)…

Democracy and Education in the Twenty-First Century: Deweyan Pragmatism and the Question of Racism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neubert, Stefan

2010-01-01

Why is John Dewey still such an important philosopher today? Writing from the perspective of the Cologne Program of Interactive Constructivism, Stefan Neubert tries in what follows to give one possible answer to this question. Neubert notes that Cologne constructivism considers Dewey in many respects as one of the most important predecessors of…

Chemical Reactions of Simulated Producer Gas with Molten Tin-Bismuth Alloy

Treesearch

Keith J. Bourne

2012-01-01

A pyrolysis and gasification system utilizing molten metal as an energy carrier has been proposed and the initial stages of its design have been completed. However, there are several fundamental questions that need to be answered before the design of this system can be completed. These questions include: How will the molten metal interact with the products of biomass...

The Act of Answering Questions Elicited Differentiated Responses in a Concealed Information Test.

PubMed

Otsuka, Takuro; Mizutani, Mitsuyoshi; Yagi, Akihiro; Katayama, Jun'ichi

2018-04-17

The concealed information test (CIT), a psychophysiological detection of deception test, compares physiological responses between crime-related and crime-unrelated items. In previous studies, whether the act of answering questions affected physiological responses was unclear. This study examined effects of both question-related and answer-related processes on physiological responses. Twenty participants received a modified CIT, in which the interval between presentation of questions and answering them was 27 s. Differentiated respiratory movements and cardiovascular responses between items were observed for both questions (items) and answers, while differentiated skin conductance response was observed only for questions. These results suggest that physiological responses to questions reflected orientation to a crime-related item, while physiological responses during answering reflected inhibition of psychological arousal caused by orienting. Regarding the CIT's accuracy, participants' perception of the questions themselves more strongly influenced physiological responses than answering them. © 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Trustworthiness and relevance in web-based clinical question answering.

PubMed

Cruchet, Sarah; Boyer, Célia; van der Plas, Lonneke

2012-01-01

Question answering systems try to give precise answers to a user's question posed in natural language. It is of utmost importance that the answers returned are relevant to the user's question. For clinical QA, the trustworthiness of answers is another important issue. Limiting the document collection to certified websites helps to improve the trustworthiness of answers. On the other hand, limited document collections are known to harm the relevancy of answers. We show, however, in a comparative evaluation, that promoting trustworthiness has no negative effect on the relevance of the retrieved answers in our clinical QA system. On the contrary, the answers found are in general more relevant.

Answers to Health Questions: Internet Search Results Versus Online Health Community Responses.

PubMed

Kanthawala, Shaheen; Vermeesch, Amber; Given, Barbara; Huh, Jina

2016-04-28

About 6 million people search for health information on the Internet each day in the United States. Both patients and caregivers search for information about prescribed courses of treatments, unanswered questions after a visit to their providers, or diet and exercise regimens. Past literature has indicated potential challenges around quality in health information available on the Internet. However, diverse information exists on the Internet-ranging from government-initiated webpages to personal blog pages. Yet we do not fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of different types of information available on the Internet. The objective of this research was to investigate the strengths and challenges of various types of health information available online and to suggest what information sources best fit various question types. We collected questions posted to and the responses they received from an online diabetes community and classified them according to Rothwell's classification of question types (fact, policy, or value questions). We selected 60 questions (20 each of fact, policy, and value) and the replies the questions received from the community. We then searched for responses to the same questions using a search engine and recorded the Community responses answered more questions than did search results overall. Search results were most effective in answering value questions and least effective in answering policy questions. Community responses answered questions across question types at an equivalent rate, but most answered policy questions and the least answered fact questions. Value questions were most answered by community responses, but some of these answers provided by the community were incorrect. Fact question search results were the most clinically valid. The Internet is a prevalent source of health information for people. The information quality people encounter online can have a large impact on them. We present what kinds of questions people ask online and the advantages and disadvantages of various information sources in getting answers to those questions. This study contributes to addressing people's online health information needs.

Computer Series, 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, John W., Ed.

1981-01-01

Provides short descriptions of chemists' applications of computers in instruction: an interactive instructional program for Instrumental-Qualitative Organic Analysis; question-and-answer exercises in organic chemistry; computerized organic nomenclature drills; integration of theoretical and descriptive materials; acid-base titration simulation;…

Can workers answer their questions about occupational safety and health: challenges and solutions.

PubMed

Rhebergen, Martijn; Van Dijk, Frank; Hulshof, Carel

2012-01-01

Many workers have questions about occupational safety and health (OSH). Answers to these questions empower them to further improve their knowledge about OSH, make good decisions about OSH matters and improve OSH practice when necessary. Nevertheless, many workers fail to find the answers to their questions. This paper explores the challenges workers may face when seeking answers to their OSH questions. Findings suggest that many workers may lack the skills, experience or motivation to formulate an answerable question, seek and find information, appraise information, compose correct answers and apply information in OSH practice. Simultaneously, OSH knowledge infrastructures often insufficiently support workers in answering their OSH questions. This paper discusses several potentially attractive strategies for developing and improving OSH knowledge infrastructures: 1) providing courses that teach workers to ask answerable questions and to train them to find, appraise and apply information, 2) developing information and communication technology tools or facilities that support workers as they complete one or more stages in the process from question to answer and 3) tailoring information and implementation strategies to the workers' needs and context to ensure that the information can be applied to OSH practice more easily.

Playing 20 Questions with the Mind: Collaborative Problem Solving by Humans Using a Brain-to-Brain Interface.

PubMed

Stocco, Andrea; Prat, Chantel S; Losey, Darby M; Cronin, Jeneva A; Wu, Joseph; Abernethy, Justin A; Rao, Rajesh P N

2015-01-01

We present, to our knowledge, the first demonstration that a non-invasive brain-to-brain interface (BBI) can be used to allow one human to guess what is on the mind of another human through an interactive question-and-answering paradigm similar to the "20 Questions" game. As in previous non-invasive BBI studies in humans, our interface uses electroencephalography (EEG) to detect specific patterns of brain activity from one participant (the "respondent"), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to deliver functionally-relevant information to the brain of a second participant (the "inquirer"). Our results extend previous BBI research by (1) using stimulation of the visual cortex to convey visual stimuli that are privately experienced and consciously perceived by the inquirer; (2) exploiting real-time rather than off-line communication of information from one brain to another; and (3) employing an interactive task, in which the inquirer and respondent must exchange information bi-directionally to collaboratively solve the task. The results demonstrate that using the BBI, ten participants (five inquirer-respondent pairs) can successfully identify a "mystery item" using a true/false question-answering protocol similar to the "20 Questions" game, with high levels of accuracy that are significantly greater than a control condition in which participants were connected through a sham BBI.

Metacognitive effects of initial question difficulty on subsequent memory performance.

PubMed

Pansky, Ainat; Goldsmith, Morris

2014-10-01

In two experiments, we examined whether relative retrieval fluency (the relative ease or difficulty of answering questions from memory) would be translated, via metacognitive monitoring and control processes, into an overt effect on the controlled behavior-that is, the decision whether to answer a question or abstain. Before answering a target set of multiple-choice general-knowledge questions (intermediate-difficulty questions in Exp. 1, deceptive questions in Exp. 2), the participants first answered either a set of difficult questions or a set of easy questions. For each question, they provided a forced-report answer, followed by a subjective assessment of the likelihood that their answer was correct (confidence) and by a free-report control decision-whether or not to report the answer for a potential monetary bonus (or penalty). The participants' ability to answer the target questions (forced-report proportion correct) was unaffected by the initial question difficulty. However, a predicted metacognitive contrast effect was observed: When the target questions were preceded by a set of difficult rather than easy questions, the participants were more confident in their answers to the target questions, and hence were more likely to report them, thus increasing the quantity of freely reported correct information. The option of free report was more beneficial after initial question difficulty than after initial question ease, in terms of both the gain in accuracy (Exp. 2) and a smaller cost in quantity (Exps. 1 and 2). These results demonstrate that changes in subjective experience can influence metacognitive monitoring and control, thereby affecting free-report memory performance independently of forced-report performance.

Learning from peer feedback on student-generated multiple choice questions: Views of introductory physics students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kay, Alison E.; Hardy, Judy; Galloway, Ross K.

2018-06-01

PeerWise is an online application where students are encouraged to generate a bank of multiple choice questions for their classmates to answer. After answering a question, students can provide feedback to the question author about the quality of the question and the question author can respond to this. Student use of, and attitudes to, this online community within PeerWise was investigated in two large first year undergraduate physics courses, across three academic years, to explore how students interact with the system and the extent to which they believe PeerWise to be useful to their learning. Most students recognized that there is value in engaging with PeerWise, and many students engaged deeply with the system, thinking critically about the quality of their submissions and reflecting on feedback provided to them. Students also valued the breadth of topics and level of difficulty offered by the questions, recognized the revision benefits afforded by the resource, and were often willing to contribute to the community by providing additional explanations and engaging in discussion.

Nature versus nurture: death of a dogma, and the road ahead.

PubMed

Traynor, Bryan J; Singleton, Andrew B

2010-10-21

Interaction between the genome and the environment has been widely discussed in the literature, but has the importance ascribed to understanding these interactions been overstated? In this opinion piece, we critically discuss gene-environment interactions and attempt to answer three key questions. First, is it likely that gene-environment interactions actually exist? Second, what is the realistic value of trying to unravel these interactions, both in terms of understanding disease pathogenesis and as a means of ameliorating disease? Finally, and most importantly, do the technologies and methodologies exist to facilitate an unbiased search for gene-environment interactions? Addressing these questions highlights key areas of feasibility that must be considered in this area of research. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Ask The Pathologist": An Internet Forum Facilitating Communication Between Cancer Registrars and Pathologists.

PubMed

Strickland-Marmol, Leah B; Muro-Cacho, Carlos A; Washington, Kay; Foulis, Philip R

2018-05-30

- Cancer registrars should work closely with pathologists to ensure compliance with reporting standards. Many registrars, however, have little contact with pathologists, resulting in a lack of "real-time" interaction that is essential for their professional activities and development. - To facilitate registrars' case management, as cancer biology becomes more complex, we developed the ATP (Ask the Pathologist) forum as a place to ask pathology-related questions about neoplasms, such as terminology, biology, histologic classification, extent of disease, molecular markers, and prognostic factors. - Questions posted are reviewed by the ATP multidisciplinary oversight committee, which consists of 3 pathologists, 4 cancer registrars, 1 internal medicine physician, the pathology resident member of the College of American Pathologists Cancer Committee, and 2 medical technologists. The oversight committee may answer the question. Alternatively, the committee may forward the question to a content expert pathologist, determine that the question is better suited for another reference Web site, or both. - Since September 2013, when the ATP forum became available, users have posted 284 questions, of which 48 (17%) related to gastrointestinal tumors, 43 (15%) to breast tumors, and 37 (13%) to general pathology. The average turnaround time, from question posted to response, is 11.1 days. - The ATP forum has had a positive impact in the daily activities of cancer registrars. Of 440 registrars surveyed, more than 90% considered that questions were answered satisfactorily, and one-third reported that ATP answers affected how they managed a given case.

Toward a Neural Basis for Social Behavior

PubMed Central

Stanley, Damian A.; Adolphs, Ralph

2014-01-01

Nearly 25 years ago, the shared interests of psychologists and biologists in understanding the neural basis of social behavior led to the inception of social neuroscience. In the past decade, this field has exploded, in large part due to the infusion of studies that use fMRI. At the same time, tensions have arisen about how to prioritize a diverse range of questions and about the authority of neurobiological data in answering them. The field is now poised to tackle some of the most interesting and important questions about human and animal behavior but at the same time faces uncertainty about how to achieve focus in its research and cohesion among the scientists who tackle it. The next 25 years offer the opportunity to alleviate some of these growing pains, as well as the challenge of answering large questions that encompass the nature and bounds of diverse social interactions (in humans, including interactions through the internet); how to characterize, and treat, social dysfunction in psychiatric illness; and how to compare social cognition in humans with that in other animals. PMID:24183030

Toward a neural basis for social behavior.

PubMed

Stanley, Damian A; Adolphs, Ralph

2013-10-30

Nearly 25 years ago, the shared interests of psychologists and biologists in understanding the neural basis of social behavior led to the inception of social neuroscience. In the past decade, this field has exploded, in large part due to the infusion of studies that use fMRI. At the same time, tensions have arisen about how to prioritize a diverse range of questions and about the authority of neurobiological data in answering them. The field is now poised to tackle some of the most interesting and important questions about human and animal behavior but at the same time faces uncertainty about how to achieve focus in its research and cohesion among the scientists who tackle it. The next 25 years offer the opportunity to alleviate some of these growing pains, as well as the challenge of answering large questions that encompass the nature and bounds of diverse social interactions (in humans, including interactions through the internet); how to characterize, and treat, social dysfunction in psychiatric illness; and how to compare social cognition in humans with that in other animals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conceptual question response times in Peer Instruction classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Kelly; Lasry, Nathaniel; Lukoff, Brian; Schell, Julie; Mazur, Eric

2014-12-01

Classroom response systems are widely used in interactive teaching environments as a way to engage students by asking them questions. Previous research on the time taken by students to respond to conceptual questions has yielded insights on how students think and change conceptions. We measure the amount of time students take to respond to in-class, conceptual questions [ConcepTests (CTs)] in two introductory physics courses taught using Peer Instruction and use item response theory to determine the difficulty of the CTs. We examine response time differences between correct and incorrect answers both before and after the peer discussion for CTs of varying difficulty. We also determine the relationship between response time and student performance on a standardized test of incoming physics knowledge, precourse self-efficacy, and gender. Our data reveal three results of interest. First, response time for correct answers is significantly faster than for incorrect answers, both before and after peer discussion, especially for easy CTs. Second, students with greater incoming physics knowledge and higher self-efficacy respond faster in both rounds. Third, there is no gender difference in response rate after controlling for incoming physics knowledge scores, although males register significantly more attempts before committing to a final answer than do female students. These results provide insight into effective CT pacing during Peer Instruction. In particular, in order to maintain a pace that keeps everyone engaged, students should not be given too much time to respond. When around 80% of the answers are in, the ratio of correct to incorrect responses rapidly approaches levels indicating random guessing and instructors should close the poll.

The Relationship between Affective States and Dialog Patterns during Interactions with AutoTutor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graesser, Arthur C.; D'Mello, Sidney K.; Craig, Scotty D.; Witherspoon, Amy; Sullins, Jeremiah; McDaniel, Bethany; Gholson, Barry

2008-01-01

Relations between emotions (affect states) and learning have recently been explored in the context of AutoTutor. AutoTutor is a tutoring system on the Internet that helps learners construct answers to difficult questions by interacting with them in natural language. AutoTutor has an animated conversation agent and a dialog management facility that…

How Do Pre-Service Teachers Picture Various Electromagnetic Phenomenon? A Qualitative Study of Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Fundamental Electromagnetic Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beer, Christopher P.

2010-01-01

This study analyzes the nature of pre-service teachers' conceptual models of various electromagnetic phenomena, specifically electrical current, electrical resistance, and light/matter interactions. This is achieved through the students answering the three questions on electromagnetism using a free response approach including both verbal and…

Towards a Framework for Analysing Interactions between Social Science and Environmental Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parry, Sarah; Murphy, Joseph

2013-01-01

Interactions between social science and environmental policy have become increasingly important over the past 25 years. There has, however, been little analysis of the roles that social scientists adopt and the contributions they make. In this paper we begin the process, offering tentative answers to two key questions: in relation to environmental…

Quantum chaos in the Heisenberg spin chain: The effect of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction.

PubMed

Vahedi, J; Ashouri, A; Mahdavifar, S

2016-10-01

Using one-dimensional spin-1/2 systems as prototypes of quantum many-body systems, we study the emergence of quantum chaos. The main purpose of this work is to answer the following question: how the spin-orbit interaction, as a pure quantum interaction, may lead to the onset of quantum chaos? We consider the three integrable spin-1/2 systems: the Ising, the XX, and the XXZ limits and analyze whether quantum chaos develops or not after the addition of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. We find that depending on the strength of the anisotropy parameter, the answer is positive for the XXZ and Ising models, whereas no such evidence is observed for the XX model. We also discuss the relationship between quantum chaos and thermalization.

The Prototype of the Virtual Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Jack M.; Mosher, David N.

1994-01-01

Introduces an interactive distance learning environment prototype developed jointly by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and AT&T which allows students to participate in virtual classroom environments by using computer teleconferencing. Student collaboration, note taking, question answering capabilities, project background, learning…

Talking Physics: Two Case Studies on Short Answers and Self-explanation in Learning Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badeau, Ryan C.

This thesis explores two case studies into the use of short answers and self-explanation to improve student learning in physics. The first set of experiments focuses on the role of short answer questions in the context of computer-based instruction. Through a series of six experiments, we compare and evaluate the performance of computer-assessed short answer questions versus multiple choice for training conceptual topics in physics, controlling for feedback between the two formats. In addition to finding overall similar improvements on subsequent student performance and retention, we identify unique differences in how students interact with the treatments in terms of time spent on feedback and performance on follow-up short answer assessment. In addition, we identify interactions between the level of interactivity of the training, question format, and student attitudinal ratings of each respective training. The second case study focuses on the use of worked examples in the context of multi-concept physics problems - which we call "synthesis problems." For this part of the thesis, four experiments were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of two instructional methods employing worked examples on student performance with synthesis problems; these instructional techniques, analogical comparison and self-explanation, have previously been studied primarily in the context of single-concept problems. As such, the work presented here represents a novel focus on extending these two techniques to this class of more complicated physics problem. Across the four experiments, both self-explanation and certain kinds of analogical comparison of worked examples significantly improved student performance on a target synthesis problem, with distinct improvements in recognition of the relevant concepts. More specifically, analogical comparison significantly improved student performance when the comparisons were invoked between worked synthesis examples. In contrast, similar comparisons between corresponding pairs of worked single-concept examples did not significantly improve performance. On a more complicated synthesis problem, self-explanation was significantly more effective than analogical comparison, potentially due to differences in how successfully students encoded the full structure of the worked examples. Finally, we find that the two techniques can be combined for additional benefit, with the trade-off of slightly more time-on-task.

SU-E-E-02: An Excel-Based Study Tool for ABR-Style Exams

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

Cline, K; Stanley, D; Defoor, D

2015-06-15

Purpose: As the landscape of learning and testing shifts toward a computer-based environment, a replacement for paper-based methods of studying is desirable. Using Microsoft Excel, a study tool was developed that allows the user to populate multiple-choice questions and then generate an interactive quiz session to answer them. Methods: The code for the tool was written using Microsoft Excel Visual Basic for Applications with the intent that this tool could be implemented by any institution with Excel. The base tool is a template with a setup macro, which builds out the structure based on user’s input. Once the framework ismore » built, the user can input sets of multiple-choice questions, answer choices, and even add figures. The tool can be run in random-question or sequential-question mode for single or multiple courses of study. The interactive session allows the user to select answer choices and immediate feedback is provided. Once the user is finished studying, the tool records the day’s progress by reporting progress statistics useful for trending. Results: Six doctoral students at UTHSCSA have used this tool for the past two months to study for their qualifying exam, which is similar in format and content to the American Board of Radiology (ABR) Therapeutic Part II exam. The students collaborated to create a repository of questions, met weekly to go over these questions, and then used the tool to prepare for their exam. Conclusion: The study tool has provided an effective and efficient way for students to collaborate and be held accountable for exam preparation. The ease of use and familiarity of Excel are important factors for the tool’s use. There are software packages to create similar question banks, but this study tool has no additional cost for those that already have Excel. The study tool will be made openly available.« less

Thermodynamic effects of single-qubit operations in silicon-based quantum computing

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

Lougovski, Pavel; Peters, Nicholas A.

Silicon-based quantum logic is a promising technology to implement universal quantum computing. It is widely believed that a millikelvin cryogenic environment will be necessary to accommodate silicon-based qubits. This prompts a question of the ultimate scalability of the technology due to finite cooling capacity of refrigeration systems. In this work, we answer this question by studying energy dissipation due to interactions between nuclear spin impurities and qubit control pulses. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this interaction constrains the sustainable number of single-qubit operations per second for a given cooling capacity.

Thermodynamic effects of single-qubit operations in silicon-based quantum computing

DOE PAGES

Lougovski, Pavel; Peters, Nicholas A.

2018-05-21

Silicon-based quantum logic is a promising technology to implement universal quantum computing. It is widely believed that a millikelvin cryogenic environment will be necessary to accommodate silicon-based qubits. This prompts a question of the ultimate scalability of the technology due to finite cooling capacity of refrigeration systems. In this work, we answer this question by studying energy dissipation due to interactions between nuclear spin impurities and qubit control pulses. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this interaction constrains the sustainable number of single-qubit operations per second for a given cooling capacity.

A Semi-Supervised Learning Approach to Enhance Health Care Community–Based Question Answering: A Case Study in Alcoholism

PubMed Central

Klabjan, Diego; Jonnalagadda, Siddhartha Reddy

2016-01-01

Background Community-based question answering (CQA) sites play an important role in addressing health information needs. However, a significant number of posted questions remain unanswered. Automatically answering the posted questions can provide a useful source of information for Web-based health communities. Objective In this study, we developed an algorithm to automatically answer health-related questions based on past questions and answers (QA). We also aimed to understand information embedded within Web-based health content that are good features in identifying valid answers. Methods Our proposed algorithm uses information retrieval techniques to identify candidate answers from resolved QA. To rank these candidates, we implemented a semi-supervised leaning algorithm that extracts the best answer to a question. We assessed this approach on a curated corpus from Yahoo! Answers and compared against a rule-based string similarity baseline. Results On our dataset, the semi-supervised learning algorithm has an accuracy of 86.2%. Unified medical language system–based (health related) features used in the model enhance the algorithm’s performance by proximately 8%. A reasonably high rate of accuracy is obtained given that the data are considerably noisy. Important features distinguishing a valid answer from an invalid answer include text length, number of stop words contained in a test question, a distance between the test question and other questions in the corpus, and a number of overlapping health-related terms between questions. Conclusions Overall, our automated QA system based on historical QA pairs is shown to be effective according to the dataset in this case study. It is developed for general use in the health care domain, which can also be applied to other CQA sites. PMID:27485666

A Flexible Question-and-Answer Task for Measuring Speech Understanding.

PubMed

Best, Virginia; Streeter, Timothy; Roverud, Elin; Mason, Christine R; Kidd, Gerald

2016-11-24

This report introduces a new speech task based on simple questions and answers. The task differs from a traditional sentence recall task in that it involves an element of comprehension and can be implemented in an ongoing fashion. It also contains two target items (the question and the answer) that may be associated with different voices and locations to create dynamic listening scenarios. A set of 227 questions was created, covering six broad categories (days of the week, months of the year, numbers, colors, opposites, and sizes). All questions and their one-word answers were spoken by 11 female and 11 male talkers. In this study, listeners were presented with question-answer pairs and asked to indicate whether the answer was true or false. Responses were given as simple button or key presses, which are quick to make and easy to score. Two preliminary experiments are presented that illustrate different ways of implementing the basic task. In the first experiment, question-answer pairs were presented in speech-shaped noise, and performance was compared across subjects, question categories, and time, to examine the different sources of variability. In the second experiment, sequences of question-answer pairs were presented amidst competing conversations in an ongoing, spatially dynamic listening scenario. Overall, the question-and-answer task appears to be feasible and could be implemented flexibly in a number of different ways. © The Author(s) 2016.

A Flexible Question-and-Answer Task for Measuring Speech Understanding

PubMed Central

Streeter, Timothy; Roverud, Elin; Mason, Christine R.; Kidd, Gerald

2016-01-01

This report introduces a new speech task based on simple questions and answers. The task differs from a traditional sentence recall task in that it involves an element of comprehension and can be implemented in an ongoing fashion. It also contains two target items (the question and the answer) that may be associated with different voices and locations to create dynamic listening scenarios. A set of 227 questions was created, covering six broad categories (days of the week, months of the year, numbers, colors, opposites, and sizes). All questions and their one-word answers were spoken by 11 female and 11 male talkers. In this study, listeners were presented with question-answer pairs and asked to indicate whether the answer was true or false. Responses were given as simple button or key presses, which are quick to make and easy to score. Two preliminary experiments are presented that illustrate different ways of implementing the basic task. In the first experiment, question-answer pairs were presented in speech-shaped noise, and performance was compared across subjects, question categories, and time, to examine the different sources of variability. In the second experiment, sequences of question-answer pairs were presented amidst competing conversations in an ongoing, spatially dynamic listening scenario. Overall, the question-and-answer task appears to be feasible and could be implemented flexibly in a number of different ways. PMID:27888257

Use of Credibility Heuristics in a Social Question-Answering Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Paul

2015-01-01

Introduction: This study looked at the effect of community peripheral cues (specifically voting score and answerer's reputation) on the user's credibility rating of answers. Method: Students in technology and philosophy were asked to assess the credibility of answers to questions posted on a social question-answering platform. Through the use of a…

Instructor-Aided Asynchronous Question Answering System for Online Education and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wen, Dunwei; Cuzzola, John; Brown, Lorna; Kinshuk

2012-01-01

Question answering systems have frequently been explored for educational use. However, their value was somewhat limited due to the quality of the answers returned to the student. Recent question answering (QA) research has started to incorporate deep natural language processing (NLP) in order to improve these answers. However, current NLP…

Answers to Health Questions: Internet Search Results Versus Online Health Community Responses

PubMed Central

Vermeesch, Amber; Given, Barbara; Huh, Jina

2016-01-01

Background About 6 million people search for health information on the Internet each day in the United States. Both patients and caregivers search for information about prescribed courses of treatments, unanswered questions after a visit to their providers, or diet and exercise regimens. Past literature has indicated potential challenges around quality in health information available on the Internet. However, diverse information exists on the Internet—ranging from government-initiated webpages to personal blog pages. Yet we do not fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of different types of information available on the Internet. Objective The objective of this research was to investigate the strengths and challenges of various types of health information available online and to suggest what information sources best fit various question types. Methods We collected questions posted to and the responses they received from an online diabetes community and classified them according to Rothwell’s classification of question types (fact, policy, or value questions). We selected 60 questions (20 each of fact, policy, and value) and the replies the questions received from the community. We then searched for responses to the same questions using a search engine and recorded the Results Community responses answered more questions than did search results overall. Search results were most effective in answering value questions and least effective in answering policy questions. Community responses answered questions across question types at an equivalent rate, but most answered policy questions and the least answered fact questions. Value questions were most answered by community responses, but some of these answers provided by the community were incorrect. Fact question search results were the most clinically valid. Conclusions The Internet is a prevalent source of health information for people. The information quality people encounter online can have a large impact on them. We present what kinds of questions people ask online and the advantages and disadvantages of various information sources in getting answers to those questions. This study contributes to addressing people’s online health information needs. PMID:27125622

Volcanism-Climate Interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walter, Louis S. (Editor); Desilva, Shanaka (Editor)

1991-01-01

The range of disciplines in the study of volcanism-climate interactions includes paleoclimate, volcanology, petrology, tectonics, cloud physics and chemistry, and climate and radiation modeling. Questions encountered in understanding the interactions include: the source and evolution of sulfur and sulfur-gaseous species in magmas; their entrainment in volcanic plumes and injection into the stratosphere; their dissipation rates; and their radiative effects. Other issues include modeling and measuring regional and global effects of such large, dense clouds. A broad-range plan of research designed to answer these questions was defined. The plan includes observations of volcanoes, rocks, trees, and ice cores, as well as satellite and aircraft observations of erupting volcanoes and resulting lumes and clouds.

The Artful Dodger: Answering the Wrong Question the Right Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Todd; Norton, Michael I.

2011-01-01

What happens when speakers try to "dodge" a question they would rather not answer by answering a different question? In 4 studies, we show that listeners can fail to detect dodges when speakers answer similar--but objectively incorrect--questions (the "artful dodge"), a detection failure that goes hand-in-hand with a failure to rate dodgers more…

What Are the "Right" Questions and the "Right" Answers in Teaching Practice Supervision?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jyrhama, Riitta

This paper links the problem of questioning and answering in student teacher supervision with teachers' pedagogical thinking. The first section discusses whether asking the right questions or giving the right answers is more important and what is actually involved when the questions and answers are correct. The second section discusses the…

Investigating the potential influence of established multiple-choice test-taking cues on item response in a pharmacotherapy board certification examination preparatory manual: a pilot study.

PubMed

Gettig, Jacob P

2006-04-01

To determine the prevalence of established multiple-choice test-taking correct and incorrect answer cues in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy's Updates in Therapeutics: The Pharmacotherapy Preparatory Course, 2005 Edition, as an equal or lesser surrogate indication of the prevalence of such cues in the Pharmacotherapy board certification examination. All self-assessment and patient case question-and-answer sets were assessed individually to determine if they were subject to selected correct and incorrect answer cues commonly seen in multiple-choice question writing. If the question was considered evaluable, correct answer cues-longest answer, mid-range number, one of two similar choices, and one of two opposite choices-were tallied. In addition, incorrect answer cues- inclusionary language and grammatical mismatch-were also tallied. Each cue was counted if it did what was expected or did the opposite of what was expected. Multiple cues could be identified in each question. A total of 237 (47.7%) of 497 questions in the manual were deemed evaluable. A total of 325 correct answer cues and 35 incorrect answer cues were identified in the 237 evaluable questions. Most evaluable questions contained one to two correct and/or incorrect answer cue(s). Longest answer was the most frequently identified correct answer cue; however, it was the least likely to identify the correct answer. Inclusionary language was the most frequently identified incorrect answer cue. Incorrect answer cues were considerably more likely to identify incorrect answer choices than correct answer cues were able to identify correct answer choices. The use of established multiple-choice test-taking cues is unlikely to be of significant help when taking the Pharmacotherapy board certification examination, primarily because of the lack of questions subject to such cues and the inability of correct answer cues to accurately identify correct answers. Incorrect answer cues, especially the use of inclusionary language, almost always will accurately identify an incorrect answer choice. Assuming that questions in the preparatory course manual were equal or lesser surrogates of those in the board certification examination, it is unlikely that intuition alone can replace adequate preparation and studying as the sole determinant of examination success.

Why Do Patients and Caregivers Seek Answers From the Internet and Online Lung Specialists? A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Linssen, Cilia; Schramel, Franz MNH; Festen, Jan; Lammers, Ernst; Smit, Egbert F; Postmus, Pieter E; Westerman, Marjan J

2014-01-01

Background Since its launch in 2003, the Dutch Lung Cancer Information Center’s (DLIC) website has become increasingly popular. The most popular page of the website is the section “Ask the Physician”, where visitors can ask an online lung specialist questions anonymously and receive an answer quickly. Most questions were not only asked by lung cancer patients but also by their informal caregivers. Most questions concerned specific information about lung cancer. Objective Our goal was to explore the reasons why lung cancer patients and caregivers search the Internet for information and ask online lung specialists questions on the DLIC’s interactive page, “Ask the Physician”, rather than consulting with their own specialist. Methods This research consisted of a qualitative study with semistructured telephone interviews about medical information-seeking behavior (eg, information needs, reasons for querying online specialists). The sample comprised 5 lung cancer patients and 20 caregivers who posed a question on the interactive page of the DLIC website. Results Respondents used the Internet and the DLIC website to look for lung cancer–related information (general/specific to their personal situation) and to cope with cancer. They tried to achieve a better understanding of the information given by their own specialist and wanted to be prepared for the treatment trajectory and disease course. This mode of information supply helped them cope and gave them emotional support. The interactive webpage was also used as a second opinion. The absence of face-to-face contact made respondents feel freer to ask for any kind of information. By being able to pose a question instantly and receiving a relatively quick reply from the online specialist to urgent questions, respondents felt an easing of their anxiety as they did not have to wait until the next consultation with their own specialist. Conclusions The DLIC website with its interactive page is a valuable complementary mode of information supply and supportive care for lung cancer patients and caregivers. PMID:24496139

Impression formation of tests: retrospective judgments of performance are higher when easier questions come first.

PubMed

Jackson, Abigail; Greene, Robert L

2014-11-01

Four experiments are reported on the importance of retrospective judgments of performance (postdictions) on tests. Participants answered general knowledge questions and estimated how many questions they answered correctly. They gave higher postdictions when easy questions preceded difficult questions. This was true when time to answer each question was equalized and constrained, when participants were instructed not to write answers, and when questions were presented in a multiple-choice format. Results are consistent with the notion that first impressions predominate in overall perception of test difficulty.

Los Angeles Free-Net: an experiment in interactive telecommunication between lay members of the Los Angeles community and health care experts.

PubMed Central

Bluming, A; Mittelman, P S

1996-01-01

The Los Angeles Free-Net, an interactive community information resource, was established in part to help community members become more effective consumers of health care services. By providing timely, expert answers to anonymously asked medical questions at no charge, we hope to decrease unnecessary physician-patient encounters, encourage effective preventive-health measures, and improve the overall results of health care in our community. Although it is too early to assess health care benefits from this system, the following observations may help guide the development of similar systems around the nation: (1) A small annual registration fee generates both moral and financial public support. (2) Demographic information from registered users can help direct attempts at enfranchising all members of the community. (3) Toll-free access, free public-instruction sessions, moderated forums, extensive volunteer help, and encryption security are encouraged, while Internet censorship is difficult and counterproductive. (4) Access to Internet resources is important, but the strength of a community system lies primarily in the sharing of expertise and resources among members of the community. (5) A critical mass of available physicians to answer questions must be matched with a critical level of question input for this type of interactive medical information resource to function in a time-sensitive fashion. PMID:8826627

Los Angeles Free-Net: an experiment in interactive telecommunication between lay members of the Los Angeles community and health care experts.

PubMed

Bluming, A; Mittelman, P S

1996-04-01

The Los Angeles Free-Net, an interactive community information resource, was established in part to help community members become more effective consumers of health care services. By providing timely, expert answers to anonymously asked medical questions at no charge, we hope to decrease unnecessary physician-patient encounters, encourage effective preventive-health measures, and improve the overall results of health care in our community. Although it is too early to assess health care benefits from this system, the following observations may help guide the development of similar systems around the nation: (1) A small annual registration fee generates both moral and financial public support. (2) Demographic information from registered users can help direct attempts at enfranchising all members of the community. (3) Toll-free access, free public-instruction sessions, moderated forums, extensive volunteer help, and encryption security are encouraged, while Internet censorship is difficult and counterproductive. (4) Access to Internet resources is important, but the strength of a community system lies primarily in the sharing of expertise and resources among members of the community. (5) A critical mass of available physicians to answer questions must be matched with a critical level of question input for this type of interactive medical information resource to function in a time-sensitive fashion.

Spin, mass, and symmetry

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

Peskin, M.E.

1994-12-01

When the strong interactions were a mystery, spin seemed to be just a complication on top of an already puzzling set of phenomena. But now that particle physicists have understood the strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions, to be gauge theories, with matter built of quarks and leptons, it is recognized that the special properties of spin 1/2 and spin 1 particles have taken central role in the understanding of Nature. The lectures in this summer school will be devoted to the use of spin in unravelling detailed questions about the fundamental interactions. Thus, why not begin by posing a deepermore » question: Why is there spin? More precisely, why do the basic pointlike constituents of Nature carry intrinsic nonzero quanta of angular momentum? Though the authos has found no definite answer to this question, the pursuit of an answer has led through a wonderful tangle of speculations on the deep structure of Nature. Is spin constructed or is it fundamental? Is it the requirement of symmetry? In the furthest flights taken, it seems that space-time itself is too restrictive a notion, and that this must be generalized in order to gain a full appreciation of spin. In any case, there is no doubt that spin must play a central role in unlocking the mysteries of fundamental physics.« less

The artful dodger: answering the wrong question the right way.

PubMed

Rogers, Todd; Norton, Michael I

2011-06-01

What happens when speakers try to "dodge" a question they would rather not answer by answering a different question? In 4 studies, we show that listeners can fail to detect dodges when speakers answer similar-but objectively incorrect-questions (the "artful dodge"), a detection failure that goes hand-in-hand with a failure to rate dodgers more negatively. We propose that dodges go undetected because listeners' attention is not usually directed toward a goal of dodge detection (i.e., Is this person answering the question?) but rather toward a goal of social evaluation (i.e., Do I like this person?). Listeners were not blind to all dodge attempts, however. Dodge detection increased when listeners' attention was diverted from social goals toward determining the relevance of the speaker's answers (Study 1), when speakers answered a question egregiously dissimilar to the one asked (Study 2), and when listeners' attention was directed to the question asked by keeping it visible during speakers' answers (Study 4). We also examined the interpersonal consequences of dodge attempts: When listeners were guided to detect dodges, they rated speakers more negatively (Study 2), and listeners rated speakers who answered a similar question in a fluent manner more positively than speakers who answered the actual question but disfluently (Study 3). These results add to the literatures on both Gricean conversational norms and goal-directed attention. We discuss the practical implications of our findings in the contexts of interpersonal communication and public debates.

Exploring the Universe with TV Remotes: Cooperative Quizzes via the Classroom Performance System (CPS) in AY101

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrd, G.; Coleman, S.; Werneth, C.

2003-12-01

Our AY101 course has large enrollments. There are the usual attendance problems with students putting off studying until just before major exams, with predictable consequences. We (myself, faculty, Werneth, grad student, and Coleman, undergrad) describe our experience with one strategy to actively involve students: cooperatively answering quiz questions. We tried a solution during our May 2002 Interim term. Classes of three hours/day over three weeks make mid-class breaks essential! Before breaks, we presented a short multiple choice, open book/note quiz answered after break. Quizzes could increase grades, e.g. A- to an A, without excessively diluting importance of closed-book major exams. Comparing Interim 2002 final exams to Interim 2001, the average was 80%, much better than the 2001 class's 57%. The 2002 students interacted with one another more. Attendance was over 90%. During a regular semester, handing out and taking up papers would take up much time during the more frequent and larger classes. It's more interesting if students vote for different answers together then revealing the correct answer. Toward these ends, I obtained a grant for a "Classroom Performance System," a computer receiver unit, 128 ``TV remote" response pads and software for creating quizzes. Spring 2003, three teachers tried out the system in a trial fashion. To compare, we used the system during Interim 2003. Ease of giving quizzes and grading permitted a shorter 5 question quiz during break with another at class end totaling of 27 quizzes (almost one/day for a regular semester's Tuesday/Thursday class). Improvement was maintained with a slight 3 % increase. We used the CPS for events such as the recent Mars close approach. Kids of all ages like to check their understanding with a few questions. We created a web site where the students can interactively review questions and other materials, http://ay101.garnetsigma.com/index.html

Generic Drugs: Questions and Answers

MedlinePlus

... Vaccines, Blood & Biologics Animal & Veterinary Cosmetics Tobacco Products Drugs Home Drugs Resources for You Information for Consumers (Drugs) Questions & Answers Generic Drugs: Questions & Answers Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More ...

Responding to Children's Answers: Questions Embedded in the Social Context of Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bateman, Amanda

2013-01-01

This article presents analysis of question-answer sequences during problem inquiry between a teacher and two children in an early childhood crèche in New Zealand. Conversation analysis is used to reveal which questions the teacher asks, how children answer the questions, and the teacher's responses to the child's answers. Although adults'…

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…

Multimedia Learning in an Interactive Self-Explaining Environment: What Works in the Design of Agent-Based Microworlds?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer, Richard E.; Dow, Gayle T.; Mayer, Sarah

2003-01-01

Students learned about electric motors by asking questions and receiving answers from an on-screen pedagogical agent named Dr. Phyz who stood next to an on-screen drawing of an electric motor. Results are consistent with a cognitive theory of multimedia learning and yield principles for the design of interactive multimedia learning environments.…

"Don't Ruin My Pretend": Kids Sustaining Play Interactions in Out-of-School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eyerman, Suzanne

2011-01-01

As much as play is researched and discussed by people interested in children and childhood, studies often fail to examine closely the ways that kids accomplish their play. This study sought to answer the question of how children sustain their play interactions. By making use of qualitative methods to collect and analyze data, the play of…

Discussion boards: boring no more!

PubMed

Adelman, Deborah S; Nogueras, Debra J

2013-01-01

Creating discussion boards (DBs) that capture student imaginations and contain meaningful interactions can be a difficult process. Traditional DBs use a question-and-answer format that often is boring for both the student and instructor. The authors present creative approaches to DBs that result in lively debates and student-to-student and student-to-faculty interactions, including role playing, blogging, wikis, and the use of voice.

Building Your Undergraduate Physics Career

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-03-01

In this interactive event for undergraduates, students will learn important lessons about career preparation, including skill building, networking, and developing ``soft skills.'' Our expert panel of working physicists will be on hand to answer questions, offer advice, and share their stories. Light refreshments will be served.

Subjective analysis of energy-management projects

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

Morris, R.

The most successful energy conservation projects always reflect human effort to fine-tune engineering and technological improvements. Subjective analysis is a technique for predicting and measuring human interaction before a project begins. The examples of a subjective analysis for office buildings incorporate evaluative questions that are structured to produce numeric values for computer scoring. Each project would need to develop its own pertinent questions and determine appropriate values for the answers.

Visual Cortex Inspired CNN Model for Feature Construction in Text Analysis

PubMed Central

Fu, Hongping; Niu, Zhendong; Zhang, Chunxia; Ma, Jing; Chen, Jie

2016-01-01

Recently, biologically inspired models are gradually proposed to solve the problem in text analysis. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) are hierarchical artificial neural networks, which include a various of multilayer perceptrons. According to biological research, CNN can be improved by bringing in the attention modulation and memory processing of primate visual cortex. In this paper, we employ the above properties of primate visual cortex to improve CNN and propose a biological-mechanism-driven-feature-construction based answer recommendation method (BMFC-ARM), which is used to recommend the best answer for the corresponding given questions in community question answering. BMFC-ARM is an improved CNN with four channels respectively representing questions, answers, asker information and answerer information, and mainly contains two stages: biological mechanism driven feature construction (BMFC) and answer ranking. BMFC imitates the attention modulation property by introducing the asker information and answerer information of given questions and the similarity between them, and imitates the memory processing property through bringing in the user reputation information for answerers. Then the feature vector for answer ranking is constructed by fusing the asker-answerer similarities, answerer's reputation and the corresponding vectors of question, answer, asker, and answerer. Finally, the Softmax is used at the stage of answer ranking to get best answers by the feature vector. The experimental results of answer recommendation on the Stackexchange dataset show that BMFC-ARM exhibits better performance. PMID:27471460

Visual Cortex Inspired CNN Model for Feature Construction in Text Analysis.

PubMed

Fu, Hongping; Niu, Zhendong; Zhang, Chunxia; Ma, Jing; Chen, Jie

2016-01-01

Recently, biologically inspired models are gradually proposed to solve the problem in text analysis. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) are hierarchical artificial neural networks, which include a various of multilayer perceptrons. According to biological research, CNN can be improved by bringing in the attention modulation and memory processing of primate visual cortex. In this paper, we employ the above properties of primate visual cortex to improve CNN and propose a biological-mechanism-driven-feature-construction based answer recommendation method (BMFC-ARM), which is used to recommend the best answer for the corresponding given questions in community question answering. BMFC-ARM is an improved CNN with four channels respectively representing questions, answers, asker information and answerer information, and mainly contains two stages: biological mechanism driven feature construction (BMFC) and answer ranking. BMFC imitates the attention modulation property by introducing the asker information and answerer information of given questions and the similarity between them, and imitates the memory processing property through bringing in the user reputation information for answerers. Then the feature vector for answer ranking is constructed by fusing the asker-answerer similarities, answerer's reputation and the corresponding vectors of question, answer, asker, and answerer. Finally, the Softmax is used at the stage of answer ranking to get best answers by the feature vector. The experimental results of answer recommendation on the Stackexchange dataset show that BMFC-ARM exhibits better performance.

Comparison between Long-Menu and Open-Ended Questions in computerized medical assessments. A randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Rotthoff, Thomas; Baehring, Thomas; Dicken, Hans-Dieter; Fahron, Urte; Richter, Bernd; Fischer, Martin R; Scherbaum, Werner A

2006-01-01

Background Long-menu questions (LMQs) are viewed as an alternative method for answering open-ended questions (OEQs) in computerized assessment. So far this question type and its influence on examination scores have not been studied sufficiently. However, the increasing use of computerized assessments will also lead to an increasing use of this question type. Using a summative online key feature (KF) examination we evaluated whether LMQs can be compared with OEQs in regard to the level of difficulty, performance and response times. We also evaluated the content for its suitability for LMQs. Methods We randomized 146 fourth year medical students into two groups. For the purpose of this study we created 7 peer-reviewed KF-cases with a total of 25 questions. All questions had the same content in both groups, but nine questions had a different answer type. Group A answered 9 questions with an LM type, group B with an OE type. In addition to the LM answer, group A could give an OE answer if the appropriate answer was not included in the list. Results The average number of correct answers for LMQs and OEQs showed no significant difference (p = 0.93). Among all 630 LM answers only one correct term (0.32%) was not included in the list of answers. The response time for LMQs did not significantly differ from that of OEQs (p = 0.65). Conclusion LMQs and OEQs do not differ significantly. Compared to standard multiple-choice questions (MCQs), the response time for LMQs and OEQs is longer. This is probably due to the fact that they require active problem solving skills and more practice. LMQs correspond more suitable to Short answer questions (SAQ) then to OEQ and should only be used when the answers can be clearly phrased, using only a few, precise synonyms. LMQs can decrease cueing effects and significantly simplify the scoring in computerized assessment. PMID:17032439

Deconstructing Interaction Dynamics in Knowledge Sharing Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aji, Ablimit; Agichtein, Eugene

Online knowledge sharing sites have recently exploded in popularity, and have began to play an important role in online information seeking. Unfortunately, many factors that influence the effectiveness of the information exchange in these communities are not well understood. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap by exploring the dynamics of information sharing in such sites - that is, identifying the factors that can explain how people respond to information requests. As a case study, we use Yahoo! Answers, one of the leading knowledge sharing portals on the web with millions of active participants. We follow the progress of thousands of questions, from posting until resolution. We examine contextual factors such as the topical area of the questions, as well as intrinsic factors of question wording, subjectivity, sentiment, and other characteristics that could influence how a community responds to an information request. Our findings could be useful for improving existing collaborative question answering systems, and for designing the next generation of knowledge sharing communities.

How secondary school students conceptualize infrared radiation-matter interaction? Findings from a research study and implications for an instructional design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isabel Hernández, Marıa; Rıos, Raquel; Pintó, Roser

2016-05-01

This study has been carried out within the REVIR scenario, which is a project promoting that secondary school students have access to a computerized laboratory at the Faculty of Education of our university and work in small groups during four hours with specific instructional material. One of the laboratory sessions included in the REVIR project deals with IR radiation-matter interaction, and is addressed to post-compulsory secondary students (16-18 year-old students). Within this framework, we have conducted a research study to analyse students' conceptualizations of the processes or mechanisms that take place in IR radiation-matter interaction (energy transfer, selective absorption), and its effects at a macroscopic level (temperature increase) and at a molecular level (vibration). For data collection, a question was posed to all students at the end of each REVIR session, asking students to relate what was described in an article about the application of an IR laser for acne treatment to what they had learnt throughout the session. The analysis of the 67 students' answers to that question revealed that many students explained the effects of the IR laser in vague terms, often repeating information included in the article, without explaining absorption of IR radiation in terms of energy. In consecutive versions of the instructional material, more oriented application questions were added after the article and explicit discussion around synthesis and exploratory (of students' previous ideas) questions was carried out during the session. From the analysis of 49 and 119 students' answers in consecutive later versions, we found that the introduction of these changes resulted in a greater number of students' descriptions in macroscopic and microscopic terms, and a lower number of answers simply repeating information extracted from the reading. Furthermore, more students explicitly explained absorption in terms of energy associated to IR light. Implications for the instructional design, in terms of critical features affecting people's abilities to transfer what they have learned, are discussed below.

How staff pursue questions to adults with intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Finlay, W M L; Antaki, C

2012-04-01

When support staff use questions to instruct, advise or guide adults with intellectual disabilities (ID), or to solicit information from them, the interaction does not always proceed smoothly, particularly when replies are ambiguous, absent or not obviously relevant. That can lead to interactional trouble and dissatisfaction, or worse. We report on the ways in which staff members transform their questions over a series of conversational turns in order to solicit an adequate reply, and thereby to fulfil the interactional goal of the question. Our data come from approximately 30 h of recordings of natural conversation between staff members and adults with ID in two residential and one outdoor activities settings. We identify seven practices by which staff attempt to resolve the dilemma between undue direction and premature closure. These include: expansion of the original question, simplifying its format, changing its content in various ways and realising its alternatives in physical form. We highlight strategies which produce answers satisfactory to both parties, and improve the quality of interaction between staff and people with ID. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Beyond Information Retrieval—Medical Question Answering

PubMed Central

Lee, Minsuk; Cimino, James; Zhu, Hai Ran; Sable, Carl; Shanker, Vijay; Ely, John; Yu, Hong

2006-01-01

Physicians have many questions when caring for patients, and frequently need to seek answers for their questions. Information retrieval systems (e.g., PubMed) typically return a list of documents in response to a user’s query. Frequently the number of returned documents is large and makes physicians’ information seeking “practical only ‘after hours’ and not in the clinical settings”. Question answering techniques are based on automatically analyzing thousands of electronic documents to generate short-text answers in response to clinical questions that are posed by physicians. The authors address physicians’ information needs and described the design, implementation, and evaluation of the medical question answering system (MedQA). Although our long term goal is to enable MedQA to answer all types of medical questions, currently, we currently implement MedQA to integrate information retrieval, extraction, and summarization techniques to automatically generate paragraph-level text for definitional questions (i.e., “What is X?”). MedQA can be accessed at http://www.dbmi.columbia.edu/~yuh9001/research/MedQA.html. PMID:17238385

Starting research in interaction design with visuals for low-functioning children in the autistic spectrum: a protocol.

PubMed

Parés, Narcís; Carreras, Anna; Durany, Jaume; Ferrer, Jaume; Freixa, Pere; Gómez, David; Kruglanski, Orit; Parés, Roc; Ribas, J Ignasi; Soler, Miquel; Sanjurjo, Alex

2006-04-01

On starting to think about interaction design for low-functioning persons in the autistic spectrum (PAS), especially children, one finds a number of questions that are difficult to answer: Can we typify the PAS user? Can we engage the user in interactive communication without generating frustrating or obsessive situations? What sort of visual stimuli can we provide? Will they prefer representational or abstract visual stimuli? Will they understand three-dimensional (3D) graphic representation? What sort of interfaces will they accept? Can we set ambitious goals such as education or therapy? Unfortunately, most of these questions have no answer yet. Hence, we decided to set an apparently simple goal: to design a "fun application," with no intention to reach the level of education or therapy. The goal was to be attained by giving the users a sense of agency--by providing first a sense of control in the interaction dialogue. Our approach to visual stimuli design has been based on the use of geometric, abstract, two-dimensional (2D), real-time computer graphics in a full-body, non-invasive, interactive space. The results obtained within the European-funded project MultiSensory Environment Design for an Interface between Autistic and Typical Expressiveness (MEDIATE) have been extremely encouraging.

Prevalence of answers to orthopaedic in-training examination questions in 3 commonly used orthopedic review sources.

PubMed

Krueger, Chad A; Shakir, Irshad; Fuller, Brian C

2012-09-01

One of the greatest predictors for resident success on the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE) is reviewing previous OITE questions. However, no studies have examined which review sources contain the most answers to previously asked OITE questions. The goal of this study was to determine which review source contains the most answers to previously asked OITE questions. Each question from the 2006 to 2010 OITEs was examined. The questions were placed into 1 of 13 categories based on their topic. The publication date of the recommended readings associated with each question was recorded. The answer to each question was then searched for in 3 commonly used review sources: Miller's Review of Orthopaedics, 5th edition (MRO), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Comprehensive Orthopaedic Review (COR), and www.orthobullets.com (OB). Searchable electronic versions of each textbook were used, and each question had a 12-minute time limit. Of 1358 questions, 665 (49%) were found in all 3 sources. Significantly more answers were found on OB (99.4%) compared with MRO (60%) and COR (62%) (P<.0001). Significantly more answers to questions in each question category were found on OB compared with MRO or COR (P<.0001). More than 50% of all recommended readings for OITE questions were published within 5 years of the OITE. Residents using OB to review for the OITE will be exposed to significantly more answers of previously asked OITE questions than residents using MRO or COR (P<.0001). Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Perceptions of smokers influence nonsmoker attitudes and preferences for interactions

PubMed Central

Dillard, Amanda J.; Magnan, Renee E.; Köblitz, Amber R.; McCaul, Kevin D.

2012-01-01

In two studies, we examined nonsmokers’ perceptions of smokers and consequences of the perceptions. In Study 1, smokers answered questions about their sense of self, dependence on smoking, and motivation to quit. Nonsmokers answered questions about their perceptions of these characteristics. Differences between smokers’ self-descriptions and nonsmokers’ perceptions were observed. Study 2 asked nonsmokers to judge two types of smokers for which the descriptions were based on Study 1 findings. Results showed that nonsmokers held a more negative attitude about and were less willing to engage in different close relationships with the smoker who was described in terms of nonsmokers’ perceptions rather than smokers’ reports. Attitude mediated the relationship between type of smoker and willingness to date a smoker. PMID:23734065

What can posturography tell us about vestibular function?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, F. O.

2001-01-01

Patients with balance disorders want answers to the following basic questions: (1) What is causing my problem? and (2) What can be done about my problem? Information to fully answer these questions must include status of both sensory and motor components of the balance control systems. Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) provides quantitative assessment of both sensory and motor components of postural control along with how the sensory inputs to the brain interact. This paper reviews the scientific basis and clinical applications of CDP. Specifically, studies describing the integration of vestibular inputs with other sensory systems for postural control are briefly summarized. Clinical applications, including assessment, rehabilitation, and management are presented. Effects of aging on postural control along with prevention and management strategies are discussed.

Answers to Your Questions about Transgender Individuals and Gender Identity

MedlinePlus

... are expected to follow. Some children experience difficult social interactions with peers and adults because of their gender expression. Parents may become concerned when what they believed to be a “phase” does ... common social changes transgender people experience that may involve one ...

Delicate Balances: Collaborative Research in Language Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudelson, Sarah J., Ed.; Lindfors, Judith Wells, Ed.

This book addresses the special demands, problems, challenges, and tensions of collaborative research. Following an introduction by the editors, the articles and their authors are: "Collaborative Research: More Questions Than Answers" (Carole Edelsky and Chris Boyd); "Interactive Writing on a Computer Network: A Teacher/Researcher…

Using peer discussion facilitated by clicker questions in an informal education setting: enhancing farmer learning of science.

PubMed

Smith, Michelle K; Annis, Seanna L; Kaplan, Jennifer J; Drummond, Frank

2012-01-01

Blueberry growers in Maine attend annual Cooperative Extension presentations given by university faculty members. These presentations cover topics, such as, how to prevent plant disease and monitor for insect pests. In 2012, in order to make the sessions more interactive and promote learning, clicker questions and peer discussion were incorporated into the presentations. Similar to what has been shown at the undergraduate level, after peer discussion, more blueberry growers gave correct answers to multiple-choice questions than when answering independently. Furthermore, because blueberry growers are characterized by diverse levels of education, experience in the field etc., we were able to determine whether demographic factors were associated with changes in performance after peer discussion. Taken together, our results suggest that clicker questions and peer discussion work equally well with adults from a variety of demographic backgrounds without disadvantaging a subset of the population and provide an important learning opportunity to the least formally educated members. Our results also indicate that clicker questions with peer discussion were viewed as a positive addition to university-related informal science education sessions.

Using Peer Discussion Facilitated by Clicker Questions in an Informal Education Setting: Enhancing Farmer Learning of Science

PubMed Central

Smith, Michelle K.; Annis, Seanna L.; Kaplan, Jennifer J.; Drummond, Frank

2012-01-01

Blueberry growers in Maine attend annual Cooperative Extension presentations given by university faculty members. These presentations cover topics, such as, how to prevent plant disease and monitor for insect pests. In 2012, in order to make the sessions more interactive and promote learning, clicker questions and peer discussion were incorporated into the presentations. Similar to what has been shown at the undergraduate level, after peer discussion, more blueberry growers gave correct answers to multiple-choice questions than when answering independently. Furthermore, because blueberry growers are characterized by diverse levels of education, experience in the field etc., we were able to determine whether demographic factors were associated with changes in performance after peer discussion. Taken together, our results suggest that clicker questions and peer discussion work equally well with adults from a variety of demographic backgrounds without disadvantaging a subset of the population and provide an important learning opportunity to the least formally educated members. Our results also indicate that clicker questions with peer discussion were viewed as a positive addition to university-related informal science education sessions. PMID:23077638

Answerers' Motivations and Strategies for Providing Information and Social Support in Social Q&A an Investigation of Health Question Answering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Sanghee

2010-01-01

Social Q&A allows people to ask and answer questions for each other and to solve problems in everyday life collaboratively. The purpose of the current study is to understand the motivations and strategies of answerers in social Q&A. Thus, three research questions were investigated: (1) Why do answerers participate and contribute in social Q&A? (2)…

Questions and Answers for Reporting for the 2006 Partial Updating of the TSCA Chemical Inventory Database: Inorganic Chemicals Addendum

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document addresses specific questions related to reporting inorganic chemicals under the IUR and is an addendum to the Questions and Answers for Reporting for the 2006 Partial Updating of the TSCA Chemical Inventory Database (Questions and Answers Document).

Reducing Our Ignorance: Finding Answers to Certain Epistemic Questions for Software Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holloway, C. Michael; Johnson, Christopher W.

2011-01-01

In previous papers, we asserted that software system safety is primarily concerned with epistemic questions, that is, questions concerning knowledge and the degree of confidence that can be placed in that knowledge. We also enumerated a set of 21 foundational epistemic questions, discussed some of the difficulties that exist in answering these questions adequately today, and speculated briefly on possible research that may provide improved confidence in the sufficiency of answers in the future. This paper focuses on three of the foundational questions. For each of these questions, current answers are discussed and potential research is proposed to help increase the justifiable level of confidence.

Fidelity and Validity in Distributed Interactive Simulation: Questions and Answers

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-11-01

future work in (a) collective training (b) the development and evaluation of tactical concepts and doctrine, (c) system test and evaluation, and (d...exercises. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES distributed interactive simulation, simulation, training, test and evaluation, 37 simulator fidelity...revolutionizing future work in (a) collective training, (b) the development and evaluation of tactical concepts and doctrine, (c) system test and evaluation

Modelling nutritional mutualisms: challenges and opportunities for data integration.

PubMed

Clark, Teresa J; Friel, Colleen A; Grman, Emily; Shachar-Hill, Yair; Friesen, Maren L

2017-09-01

Nutritional mutualisms are ancient, widespread, and profoundly influential in biological communities and ecosystems. Although much is known about these interactions, comprehensive answers to fundamental questions, such as how resource availability and structured interactions influence mutualism persistence, are still lacking. Mathematical modelling of nutritional mutualisms has great potential to facilitate the search for comprehensive answers to these and other fundamental questions by connecting the physiological and genomic underpinnings of mutualisms with ecological and evolutionary processes. In particular, when integrated with empirical data, models enable understanding of underlying mechanisms and generalisation of principles beyond the particulars of a given system. Here, we demonstrate how mathematical models can be integrated with data to address questions of mutualism persistence at four biological scales: cell, individual, population, and community. We highlight select studies where data has been or could be integrated with models to either inform model structure or test model predictions. We also point out opportunities to increase model rigour through tighter integration with data, and describe areas in which data is urgently needed. We focus on plant-microbe systems, for which a wealth of empirical data is available, but the principles and approaches can be generally applied to any nutritional mutualism. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Computerized histories facilitate patient care in a termination of pregnancy clinic: the use of a small computer to obtain and reproduce patient information.

PubMed

Lilford, R J; Bingham, P; Bourne, G L; Chard, T

1985-04-01

An inexpensive microcomputer has been programmed to obtain histories from patients attending a pregnancy termination clinic. The system is nurse-interactive; yes/no and multiple-choice questions are answered on the visual display unit by a light pen. Proper nouns and discursive text are typed at the computer keyboard. A neatly formatted summary of the history is then provided by an interfaced printer. The history follows a branching pattern; of the 370 questions included in the program, only 68 are answered in the course of an average history. The program contains numerous error traps and the user may request explanations of questions which are not immediately understood. The system was designed to ensure that no factors of anaesthetic or medical importance would be overlooked in the busy out-patient clinic. The computer provides a much more complete history with an average of 42 more items of information than the pre-existing manual system. This system is demanding of nursing time and possible conversion to a patient-interactive system is discussed. A confidential questionnaire revealed a high degree of consumer acceptance.

A componential model of human interaction with graphs: 1. Linear regression modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gillan, Douglas J.; Lewis, Robert

1994-01-01

Task analyses served as the basis for developing the Mixed Arithmetic-Perceptual (MA-P) model, which proposes (1) that people interacting with common graphs to answer common questions apply a set of component processes-searching for indicators, encoding the value of indicators, performing arithmetic operations on the values, making spatial comparisons among indicators, and repsonding; and (2) that the type of graph and user's task determine the combination and order of the components applied (i.e., the processing steps). Two experiments investigated the prediction that response time will be linearly related to the number of processing steps according to the MA-P model. Subjects used line graphs, scatter plots, and stacked bar graphs to answer comparison questions and questions requiring arithmetic calculations. A one-parameter version of the model (with equal weights for all components) and a two-parameter version (with different weights for arithmetic and nonarithmetic processes) accounted for 76%-85% of individual subjects' variance in response time and 61%-68% of the variance taken across all subjects. The discussion addresses possible modifications in the MA-P model, alternative models, and design implications from the MA-P model.

Questions and Answers about Sex (For Parents)

MedlinePlus

... Educators Search English Español Questions and Answers About Sex KidsHealth / For Parents / Questions and Answers About Sex ... extent can parents depend on schools to teach sex education? Parents should begin the sex education process ...

Comparing the use of an online expert health network against common information sources to answer health questions.

PubMed

Rhebergen, Martijn D F; Lenderink, Annet F; van Dijk, Frank J H; Hulshof, Carel T J

2012-02-02

Many workers have questions about occupational safety and health (OSH). It is unknown whether workers are able to find correct, evidence-based answers to OSH questions when they use common information sources, such as websites, or whether they would benefit from using an easily accessible, free-of-charge online network of OSH experts providing advice. To assess the rate of correct, evidence-based answers to OSH questions in a group of workers who used an online network of OSH experts (intervention group) compared with a group of workers who used common information sources (control group). In a quasi-experimental study, workers in the intervention and control groups were randomly offered 2 questions from a pool of 16 standardized OSH questions. Both questions were sent by mail to all participants, who had 3 weeks to answer them. The intervention group was instructed to use only the online network ArboAntwoord, a network of about 80 OSH experts, to solve the questions. The control group was instructed that they could use all information sources available to them. To assess answer correctness as the main study outcome, 16 standardized correct model answers were constructed with the help of reviewers who performed literature searches. Subsequently, the answers provided by all participants in the intervention (n = 94 answers) and control groups (n = 124 answers) were blinded and compared with the correct model answers on the degree of correctness. Of the 94 answers given by participants in the intervention group, 58 were correct (62%), compared with 24 of the 124 answers (19%) in the control group, who mainly used informational websites found via Google. The difference between the 2 groups was significant (rate difference = 43%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 30%-54%). Additional analysis showed that the rate of correct main conclusions of the answers was 85 of 94 answers (90%) in the intervention group and 75 of 124 answers (61%) in the control group (rate difference = 29%, 95% CI 19%-40%). Remarkably, we could not identify differences between workers who provided correct answers and workers who did not on how they experienced the credibility, completeness, and applicability of the information found (P > .05). Workers are often unable to find correct answers to OSH questions when using common information sources, generally informational websites. Because workers frequently misjudge the quality of the information they find, other strategies are required to assist workers in finding correct answers. Expert advice provided through an online expert network can be effective for this purpose. As many people experience difficulties in finding correct answers to their health questions, expert networks may be an attractive new source of information for health fields in general.

Comparing the Use of an Online Expert Health Network against Common Information Sources to Answer Health Questions

PubMed Central

Lenderink, Annet F; van Dijk, Frank JH; Hulshof, Carel TJ

2012-01-01

Background Many workers have questions about occupational safety and health (OSH). It is unknown whether workers are able to find correct, evidence-based answers to OSH questions when they use common information sources, such as websites, or whether they would benefit from using an easily accessible, free-of-charge online network of OSH experts providing advice. Objective To assess the rate of correct, evidence-based answers to OSH questions in a group of workers who used an online network of OSH experts (intervention group) compared with a group of workers who used common information sources (control group). Methods In a quasi-experimental study, workers in the intervention and control groups were randomly offered 2 questions from a pool of 16 standardized OSH questions. Both questions were sent by mail to all participants, who had 3 weeks to answer them. The intervention group was instructed to use only the online network ArboAntwoord, a network of about 80 OSH experts, to solve the questions. The control group was instructed that they could use all information sources available to them. To assess answer correctness as the main study outcome, 16 standardized correct model answers were constructed with the help of reviewers who performed literature searches. Subsequently, the answers provided by all participants in the intervention (n = 94 answers) and control groups (n = 124 answers) were blinded and compared with the correct model answers on the degree of correctness. Results Of the 94 answers given by participants in the intervention group, 58 were correct (62%), compared with 24 of the 124 answers (19%) in the control group, who mainly used informational websites found via Google. The difference between the 2 groups was significant (rate difference = 43%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 30%–54%). Additional analysis showed that the rate of correct main conclusions of the answers was 85 of 94 answers (90%) in the intervention group and 75 of 124 answers (61%) in the control group (rate difference = 29%, 95% CI 19%–40%). Remarkably, we could not identify differences between workers who provided correct answers and workers who did not on how they experienced the credibility, completeness, and applicability of the information found (P > .05). Conclusions Workers are often unable to find correct answers to OSH questions when using common information sources, generally informational websites. Because workers frequently misjudge the quality of the information they find, other strategies are required to assist workers in finding correct answers. Expert advice provided through an online expert network can be effective for this purpose. As many people experience difficulties in finding correct answers to their health questions, expert networks may be an attractive new source of information for health fields in general. PMID:22356848

Experiential curriculum improves medical students' ability to answer clinical questions using the internet.

PubMed

Alper, Brian S; Vinson, Daniel C

2005-09-01

Teaching about evidence-based medicine (EBM) is widespread, yet physicians still use rapid references preferentially over EBM techniques such as literature searching and appraisal of original research. The Internet now provides rapid access to preappraised evidence. We provided clinically integrated teaching of using the Internet to answer clinical questions for third-year medical students and assessed the change in their search skills. The curriculum included two 90-minute computer lab sessions with teaching of search skills related to clinical questions. Immediately before the first and after the second session, students recorded sites searched, time needed for searching, and answers found for three standardized questions. Pretest and posttest questions were matched and reversed with each block. Eighty-six students completed pretests and posttests. For two questions about conventional medical care, posttest answer quality was significantly higher, and posttest search times were significantly shorter, by 1.6 minutes for question 1 (mean pretest search time 6.3 minutes, mean posttest search time 4.7 minutes) and 1.9 minutes for question 2 (mean pretest search time 8 minutes, mean posttest search time 6.1 minutes). For a question about herbal medicine, results were similar, but there were smaller differences that did not reach statistical significance. Students used or found significantly fewer sites on the posttest than on the pretest to find answers for all three question types (absolute difference=0.3 sites for each question). CONCLUSIONS Introducing students to useful Web sites, practicing answering clinical questions, and integrating this process with clinical rotation experiences can reduce the effort that students need to find answers and improve the quality of answers they find.

Can online networks provide quality answers to questions about occupational safety and health?

PubMed

Rhebergen, Martijn D F; Lenderink, Annet F; van Dijk, Frank J H; Hulshof, Carel T J

2012-05-01

To assess whether experts can provide high-quality answers to occupational safety and health (OSH) questions in online Question & Answer (Q&A) networks. The authors evaluated the quality of answers provided by qualified experts in two Dutch online networks: ArboAntwoord and the Helpdesk of the Netherlands Center for Occupational Diseases. A random sample of 594 answers was independently evaluated by two raters using nine answer quality criteria. An additional criterion, the agreement of answers with the best available evidence, was explored by peer review of a sample of 42 answers. Reviewers performed an evidence search in Medline. The median answer quality score of ArboAntwoord (N=295) and the Netherlands Center for Occupational Diseases Helpdesk (N=299) was 8 of 9 (IQR 2). The inter-rater reliability of the first nine quality criteria was high (κ 0.82-0.90, p<0.05). A question answered by two or more experts had a greater probability of a high-quality score than questions answered by one expert (OR 4.9, 95% CI 2.7 to 9.0). Answers most often scored insufficient on the use of evidence to underpin the answer (36% and 38% for the networks, respectively) and on conciseness (35% and 31%, respectively). Peer review demonstrated that 43%-72% of the answers in both online networks were in complete agreement with the best available evidence. OSH experts are able to provide quality answers in online OSH Q&A networks. Our answer quality appraisal instrument was feasible and provided information on how to improve answer quality.

Selective Benefits of Question Self-Generation and Answering for Remembering Expository Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bugg, Julie M.; McDaniel, Mark A.

2012-01-01

The present study examined possible memory and metacomprehension benefits of using a combined question self-generation and answering technique, relative to rereading, as a study strategy for expository passages. In the 2 question self-generation and answering conditions (detail or conceptual questions), participants were prompted on how to…

Questions and Answers About Nuclear Power Plants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.

This pamphlet is designed to answer many of the questions that have arisen about nuclear power plants and the environment. It is organized into a question and answer format, with the questions taken from those most often asked by the public. Topics include regulation of nuclear power sources, potential dangers to people's health, whether nuclear…

A Support System for Error Correction Questions in Programming Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hachisu, Yoshinari; Yoshida, Atsushi

2014-01-01

For supporting the education of debugging skills, we propose a system for generating error correction questions of programs and checking the correctness. The system generates HTML files for answering questions and CGI programs for checking answers. Learners read and answer questions on Web browsers. For management of error injection, we have…

The Discourse of the Literacy Hour.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mroz, Maria; Smith, Fay; Hardman, Frank

2000-01-01

Presents a study in which ten teachers from England were observed teaching literacy skills to primary age children to determine if they were teaching in a manner that provided for class discussion. Finds that teacher-led question and answer sessions were the most frequently used form of interaction. (DAJ)

Training Pragmatic Language Skills through Alternate Strategies with a Blind Multiply Handicapped Child.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, C. J.; Johnson, C. J.

1988-01-01

A blind multiply handicapped preschooler was taught to respond appropriately to two adjacency pair types ("where question-answer" and "comment-acknowledgement"). The two alternative language acquisition strategies available to blind children were encouraged: echolalia to maintain communicative interactions and manual searching…

The Maryland Refutation Proof Procedure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minker, Jack; And Others

The Maryland Refutation Proof Procedure System (MRPPS) is an interactive experimental system intended for studying deductive search methods. Although the work is oriented towards question-answering, MRPPS provides a general problem solving capability. There are three major components within MRPPS. These are: (1) an inference system, (2) a search…

A World of Discovery Online: Science Fairs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joseph, Linda C.

1996-01-01

K-12 students and teachers can use the Internet for planning science fair activities--for project ideas, resources, and interactive Web sites. Lists 26 science Web sites specializing in question answering, activities, experiments, optics, math, dissection, inventions, physics, space, genetics, cockroaches and worms, and Twinkies (sponge cakes).…

Patient Power: Complex Issues Need Complex Answers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiener, Carolyn; And Others

1980-01-01

Discusses ethical and practical questions that arise in physician/patient interactions as a result of the rising prevalence of chronic illness, the growth of medical technology, and the increased differentiation of medical specialization. Issues considered include patients' rights, medical malpractice, informed consent, and the patient self-help…

The Sally-Anne test: an interactional analysis of a dyadic assessment.

PubMed

Korkiakangas, Terhi; Dindar, Katja; Laitila, Aarno; Kärnä, Eija

2016-11-01

The Sally-Anne test has been extensively used to examine children's theory of mind understanding. Many task-related factors have been suggested to impact children's performance on this test. Yet little is known about the interactional aspects of such dyadic assessment situations that might contribute to the ways in which children respond to the test questions. To examine the interactional factors contributing to the performance of two children in the Sally-Anne test. To identify the interactional practices used by the tester administering the task and to describe how interactional features can pose challenges in the critical belief and reality questions for both the tester and the testee. The Sally-Anne test was carried out as part of a project examining children's interactions in a technology-enhanced environment. The present study uses video recordings of two children with communication disorders (one with a current diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder [ASD]) and an adult tester. We draw on a multimodal approach to conversation analysis (CA) to examine the sequential organization of the test questions and answers. The children drew on diverse resources when producing responses to the test questions: responding verbally, pointing or manually handling objects. The tester treated these responses differently depending on how they were produced. When the child pointed at an object and verbally indicated their response, the tester moved on to the next question apparently accepting the child's answer. When the child manually handled an object or produced a quiet verbal response, the tester repeated the question indicating that the child's actions did not constitute an adequate response to a test question. In response to this, both children modified or changed their previous responses. Through monitoring each other, the tester and the child produced actions highly responsive to the features of each other's conduct, which underpinned the conduct of the test itself. Children's responses in the test might not be solely indicative of socio-cognitive capacities but also show orientation to interactional nuances. The study proposes that children can demonstrate diverse ways of responding to questions, yet testers may treat these as test-irrelevant behaviours if they do not correspond to the scoring criteria. A video-based CA study can broaden our understanding of children's pragmatic competencies in responsiveness that may not always embody an expected form. This can have implications for the development of future assessment tasks and revision of existing scoring practices. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Deciding if lifestyle is a problem: GP risk assessments or patient evaluations? A conversation analytic study of preventive consultations in general practice

PubMed Central

Guassora, Ann Dorrit; Nielsen, Søren Beck; Reventlow, Susanne

2015-01-01

Objective. The aim of this study is to analyse the interaction between patients and GPs in preventive consultations with an emphasis on how patients answer GPs’ questions about lifestyle, and the conditions these answers impose on the process of establishing agreement about lifestyle as a problem or not. Design. Six general practitioners (GPs) video-recorded 15 annual preventive consultations. From these, 32 excerpts of discussions about lifestyle were analysed using conversation analysis (CA). Results. GPs used an interview format to assess risk in patients’ lifestyles. In some cases patients adhered to this format and answered the GPs’ questions, but in many cases patients gave what we have termed “anticipatory answers”. These answers indicate that the patients anticipate a response from their GPs that would highlight problems with their lifestyle. Typically, in an anticipatory answer, patients bypass the interview format to give their own evaluation of their lifestyle and GPs accept this evaluation. In cases of “no-problem” answers from patients, GPs usually encouraged patients by adding support for current habits. Conclusion. Patients anticipated that GPs might assess their lifestyles as problematic and they incorporated this possibility into their responses. They thereby controlled the definition of their lifestyle as a problem or not. GPs generally did not use the information provided in these answers as a resource for further discussion, but rather relied on standard interview procedures. Staying within the patients’ frame of reference and using the patients’ anticipatory answers might provide GPs with a better point of departure for discussion regarding lifestyle. PMID:26467342

What Is the Correct Answer about The Dress' Colors? Investigating the Relation between Optimism, Previous Experience, and Answerability.

PubMed

Karlsson, Bodil S A; Allwood, Carl Martin

2016-01-01

The Dress photograph, first displayed on the internet in 2015, revealed stunning individual differences in color perception. The aim of this study was to investigate if lay-persons believed that the question about The Dress colors was answerable. Past research has found that optimism is related to judgments of how answerable knowledge questions with controversial answers are (Karlsson et al., 2016). Furthermore, familiarity with a question can create a feeling of knowing the answer (Reder and Ritter, 1992). Building on these findings, 186 participants saw the photo of The Dress and were asked about the correct answer to the question about The Dress' colors (" blue and black," "white and gold," "other, namely…," or "there is no correct answer" ). Choice of the alternative "there is no correct answer" was interpreted as believing the question was not answerable. This answer was chosen more often by optimists and by people who reported they had not seen The Dress before. We also found that among participants who had seen The Dress photo before, 19%, perceived The Dress as "white and gold" but believed that the correct answer was "blue and black ." This, in analogy to previous findings about non-believed memories (Scoboria and Pascal, 2016), shows that people sometimes do not believe the colors they have perceived are correct. Our results suggest that individual differences related to optimism and previous experience may contribute to if the judgment of the individual perception of a photograph is enough to serve as a decision basis for valid conclusions about colors. Further research about color judgments under ambiguous circumstances could benefit from separating individual perceptual experience from beliefs about the correct answer to the color question. Including the option "there is no correct answer " may also be beneficial.

Design of a Low-Cost Adaptive Question Answering System for Closed Domain Factoid Queries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toh, Huey Ling

2010-01-01

Closed domain question answering (QA) systems achieve precision and recall at the cost of complex language processing techniques to parse the answer corpus. We propose a "query-based" model for indexing answers in a closed domain factoid QA system. Further, we use a phrase term inference method for improving the ranking order of related questions.…

Randomized trial for answers to clinical questions: evaluating a pre-appraised versus a MEDLINE search protocol.

PubMed

Patel, Manesh R; Schardt, Connie M; Sanders, Linda L; Keitz, Sheri A

2006-10-01

The paper compares the speed, validity, and applicability of two different protocols for searching the primary medical literature. A randomized trial involving medicine residents was performed. An inpatient general medicine rotation was used. Thirty-two internal medicine residents were block randomized into four groups of eight. Success rate of each search protocol was measured by perceived search time, number of questions answered, and proportion of articles that were applicable and valid. Residents randomized to the MEDLINE-first (protocol A) group searched 120 questions, and residents randomized to the MEDLINE-last (protocol B) searched 133 questions. In protocol A, 104 answers (86.7%) and, in protocol B, 117 answers (88%) were found to clinical questions. In protocol A, residents reported that 26 (25.2%) of the answers were obtained quickly or rated as "fast" (<5 minutes) as opposed to 55 (51.9%) in protocol B, (P = 0.0004). A subset of questions and articles (n = 79) were reviewed by faculty who found that both protocols identified similar numbers of answer articles that addressed the questions and were felt to be valid using critical appraisal criteria. For resident-generated clinical questions, both protocols produced a similarly high percentage of applicable and valid articles. The MEDLINE-last search protocol was perceived to be faster. However, in the MEDLINE-last protocol, a significant portion of questions (23%) still required searching MEDLINE to find an answer.

Soliciting and Responding to Patients' Questions about Diabetes Through Online Sources.

PubMed

Crangle, Colleen E; Bradley, Colin; Carlin, Paul F; Esterhay, Robert J; Harper, Roy; Kearney, Patricia M; Lorig, Kate; McCarthy, Vera J C; McTear, Michael F; Tuttle, Mark S; Wallace, Jonathan G; Savage, Eileen

2017-03-01

When patients cannot get answers from health professionals or retain the information given, increasingly they search online for answers, with limited success. Researchers from the United States, Ireland, and the United Kingdom explored this problem for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In 2014, patients attending an outpatient clinic (UK) were asked to submit questions about diabetes. Ten questions judged representative of different types of patient concerns were selected by the researchers and submitted to search engines within trusted and vetted websites in the United States, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Two researchers independently assessed if answers could be found in the three top-ranked documents returned at each website. The 2014 search was repeated in June, 2016, examining the two top-ranked documents returned. One hundred and sixty-four questions were collected from 120 patients during 12 outpatient clinics. Most patients had T2DM (95%). Most questions were about diabetes (N = 155) with the remainder related to clinic operation (N = 9). Of the questions on diabetes, 152 were about T2DM. The 2014 assessment found no adequate answers to the questions in 90 documents (10 questions, 3 websites, 3 top documents). In the 2016 assessment, 1 document out of 60 (10 questions, 3 websites, 2 top documents) provided an adequate answer relating to 1 of the 10 questions. Available online sources of information do not provide answers to questions from patients with diabetes. Our results highlight the urgent need to develop novel ways of providing answers to patient questions about T2DM.

Breast cancer information communicated on a public online platform: an analysis of 'Yahoo! Answer Japan'.

PubMed

Ohigashi, An; Ahmed, Salim; Afzal, Arfan R; Shigeta, Naoko; Tam-Tham, Helen; Kanda, Hideyuki; Ishikawa, Yoshihiro; Turin, Tanvir C

2017-06-01

INTRODUCTION Japan is a developed country with high use of Internet and online platforms for health information. 'Yahoo! Answer Japan' is the most commonly used question-and-answer service in Japan. AIM To explore the information users seek regarding breast cancer from the 'Yahoo! Answer Japan' web portal. METHODS The 'Yahoo! Answer Japan' portal was searched for the key word 'breast cancer' and all questions searched for the period of 1 January to 31 December 2014 were obtained. The selected questions related to human breast cancer and were not advertisements or promotional material. The questions were categorized using a coding schema. High and low access of the questions were defined by the number of view-counts. RESULTS Among the 2392 selected questions, six major categories were identified; (1) suspected breast cancer, (2) breast cancer screening, (3) treatment of breast cancer, (4) life with breast cancer, (5) prevention of breast cancer and (6) others. The highest number of questions were treatment related (28.8%) followed by suspected breast cancer-related questions (23.4%) and screening-related questions (20%). Statistical analysis revealed that the treatment-related questions were more likely to be highly accessed. CONCLUSION Content analysis of Internet question-answer communities is important, as questions posted on these sites would serve as a rich source of direct reflection regarding the health-related information needs of the general population.

Automated analysis of short responses in an interactive synthetic tutoring system for introductory physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Christopher M.; Murphy, Sytil K.; Christel, Michael G.; Stevens, Scott M.; Zollman, Dean A.

2016-06-01

Computer-automated assessment of students' text responses to short-answer questions represents an important enabling technology for online learning environments. We have investigated the use of machine learning to train computer models capable of automatically classifying short-answer responses and assessed the results. Our investigations are part of a project to develop and test an interactive learning environment designed to help students learn introductory physics concepts. The system is designed around an interactive video tutoring interface. We have analyzed 9 with about 150 responses or less. We observe for 4 of the 9 automated assessment with interrater agreement of 70% or better with the human rater. This level of agreement may represent a baseline for practical utility in instruction and indicates that the method warrants further investigation for use in this type of application. Our results also suggest strategies that may be useful for writing activities and questions that are more appropriate for automated assessment. These strategies include building activities that have relatively few conceptually distinct ways of perceiving the physical behavior of relatively few physical objects. Further success in this direction may allow us to promote interactivity and better provide feedback in online learning systems. These capabilities could enable our system to function more like a real tutor.

Beyond Word Processing: Rhetorical Invention with Computers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strickland, James

In the area of composition, computer assisted instruction (CAI) must move beyond the limited concerns of the current-traditional rhetoric to address the larger issues of writing, become process-centered, and involve active writing rather than answering multiple-choice questions. Researchers cite four major types of interactive CAI, the last of…

Child Care Teachers' Response to Children's Emotional Expression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahn, Hey Jun; Stifter, Cynthia

2006-01-01

This observational study examined practices through which child care teachers socialize children's emotion. A specific aim was to describe strategies of teacher intervention in response to emotion displayed by children in child care centers, and to answer the question of differential interactions based on children's age and gender. The results of…

Differences That Make a Difference: A Study in Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Touchman, Stephanie

2012-01-01

Collaborative learning is a common teaching strategy in classrooms across age groups and content areas. It is important to measure and understand the cognitive process involved during collaboration to improve teaching methods involving interactive activities. This research attempted to answer the question: why do students learn more in…

Earthworms, Dirt, and Rotten Leaves: An Exploration in Ecology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaughlin, Molly

1994-01-01

This article provides a model for inviting children to "an exploration in ecology" by observing earthworms. It gives reasons to explore earthworms and guides the investigator through a detailed examination of the worms to answer 21 observation questions. Explores the ways in which earthworms interact with their environment. (LZ)

RESPSYST: An Interactive Microcomputer Program for Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Joseph

1985-01-01

RESPSYST is a computer program (written in BASICA and using MS-DOS/PC-DOS microcomputers) incorporating more than 20 of the factors that determine gas transport by the cardio-respiratory system. The five-part program discusses most of these factors, provides several question/answer sections, and relies heavily on graphics to demonstrate…

StairStepper: An Adaptive Remedial iSTART Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perret, Cecile A.; Johnson, Amy M.; McCarthy, Kathryn S.; Guerrero, Tricia A.; Dai, Jianmin; McNamara, Danielle S.

2017-01-01

This paper introduces StairStepper, a new addition to Interactive Strategy Training for Active Reading and Thinking (iSTART), an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) that provides adaptive self-explanation training and practice. Whereas iSTART focuses on improving comprehension at levels geared toward answering challenging questions associated with…

Engaging or Distracting: Children's Tablet Computer Use in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEwen, Rhonda N.; Dubé, Adam K.

2015-01-01

Communications studies and psychology offer analytical and methodological tools that when combined have the potential to bring novel perspectives on human interaction with technologies. In this study of children using simple and complex mathematics applications on tablet computers, cognitive load theory is used to answer the question: how…

Understanding Childhood Cancer. [CD-ROM].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2001

This interactive multimedia CD-ROM presentation is intended for the parents and families of children who have recently been diagnosed with cancer. It begins with an introduction by a pediatric oncologist. It features menus that include over 200 questions commonly asked about childhood cancer, with answers in a slide presentation format. Menus…

A question-answer pair (QAP) database integrated with websites to answer complex questions submitted to the Regional Medicines Information and Pharmacovigilance Centres in Norway (RELIS): a descriptive study.

PubMed

Schjøtt, Jan; Reppe, Linda A; Roland, Pål-Didrik H; Westergren, Tone

2012-01-01

To assess a question-answer pair (QAP) database integrated with websites developed for drug information centres to answer complex questions effectively. Descriptive study with comparison of two subsequent 6-year periods (1995-2000 and 2001-2006). The Regional Medicines Information and Pharmacovigilance Centres in Norway (RELIS). A randomised sample of QAPs from the RELIS database. Answer time in days compared with Mann-Whitney U test. Number of drugs involved (one, two, three or more), complexity (judgemental and/or patient-related or not) and literature search (none, simple or advanced) compared with χ(2) tests. 842 QAPs (312 from 1995 to 2000 and 530 from 2001 to 2006) were compared. The fraction of judgemental and patient-related questions increased (66%-75% and 54%-72%, respectively, p<0.01). Number of drugs and literature search (>50% advanced) was similar in the two periods, but the fraction of answers referring to the RELIS database increased (13%-31%, p<0.01). Median answer time was reduced from 2 days to 1 (p<0.01), although the fraction of complex questions increased from the first to the second period. Furthermore, the mean number of questions per employee per year increased from 66 to 89 from the first to the second period. The authors conclude that RELIS has a potential to efficiently answer complex questions. The model is of relevance for organisation of drug information centres.

Therapeutic touch and post-Hurricane Hugo stress.

PubMed

Olson, M; Sneed, N; Bonadonna, R; Ratliff, J; Dias, J

1992-06-01

This repeated-session design sought to answer questions about the effectiveness of therapeutic touch in reduction of stress for 23 individuals following a natural disaster. In addition, methodological issues related to the average length of time for a therapeutic-touch treatment and a method of documenting the nonverbal interaction between subject and toucher were investigated. Findings indicate that stressed people report themselves to be less stressed following therapeutic touch (p = .05). Time of therapeutic-touch intervention varied significantly between the touchers, with a range of 6.8 to 20 minutes. Qualitative data examining the interaction of toucher and subject raised a number of questions that require further study.

The Basic Epistemological Questions--Are There Also Valid Answers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oderman, Dale B.

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that seeks answers to two main questions: How do we know? and How do we know we know? This paper is concerned with how four major schools of thought have addressed these questions and the implications that their answers to these questions have for education. The paper begins by discussing how four major…

15 CFR Supplement No. 1 to Part 734 - Questions and Answers-Technology and Software Subject to the EAR

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Questions and Answers-Technology and... Supplement No. 1 to Part 734—Questions and Answers—Technology and Software Subject to the EAR This Supplement No. 1 contains explanatory questions and answers relating to technology and software that is subject...

99 Facts about the FBI: Questions and Answers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Quantico, VA.

This booklet on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) attempts to provide an overview of the FBI's functions. Presented in a question and answer format, the 99 questions and answers discuss the federal government agency's history, administrative matters, jurisdiction, criminal investigations, security matters, foreign counter-intelligence, and…

Reply & Supply: Efficient crowdsourcing when workers do more than answer questions

PubMed Central

McAndrew, Thomas C.; Guseva, Elizaveta A.

2017-01-01

Crowdsourcing works by distributing many small tasks to large numbers of workers, yet the true potential of crowdsourcing lies in workers doing more than performing simple tasks—they can apply their experience and creativity to provide new and unexpected information to the crowdsourcer. One such case is when workers not only answer a crowdsourcer’s questions but also contribute new questions for subsequent crowd analysis, leading to a growing set of questions. This growth creates an inherent bias for early questions since a question introduced earlier by a worker can be answered by more subsequent workers than a question introduced later. Here we study how to perform efficient crowdsourcing with such growing question sets. By modeling question sets as networks of interrelated questions, we introduce algorithms to help curtail the growth bias by efficiently distributing workers between exploring new questions and addressing current questions. Experiments and simulations demonstrate that these algorithms can efficiently explore an unbounded set of questions without losing confidence in crowd answers. PMID:28806413

77 FR 74671 - Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Facility Registration (Fifth Edition)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-D-1002] Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Facility Registration (Fifth Edition) AGENCY... announcing the availability of a guidance for industry entitled ``Questions and Answers Regarding Food...

The influence of question design on the response to self-assessment in www.elearnSCI.org: a submodule pilot study.

PubMed

Liu, N; Li, X-W; Zhou, M-W; Biering-Sørensen, F

2015-08-01

This is an interventional training session. The objective of this study was to investigate the difference in response to self-assessment questions in the original and an adjusted version for a submodule of www.elearnSCI.org for student nurses. The study was conducted in a teaching hospital affiliated to Peking University, China. In all, 28 student nurses divided into two groups (groups A and B; 14 in each) received a print-out of a Chinese translation of the slides from the 'Maintaining skin integrity following spinal cord injury' submodule in www.elearnSCI.org for self-study. Both groups were then tested using the 10 self-assessment multiple-choice questions (MCQs) related to the same submodule. Group A used the original questions, whereas group B received an adjusted questionnaire. The responses to four conventional single-answer MCQs were nearly all correct in both groups. However, in three questions, group A, with the option 'All of the above', had a higher number of correct answers than group B, with multiple-answer MCQs. In addition, in another three questions, group A, using the original multiple-answer MCQs, had fewer correct answers than group B, where it was only necessary to tick a single incorrect answer. Variations in design influence the response to questions. The use of conventional single-answer MCQs should be reconsidered, as they only examine the recall of isolated knowledge facts. The 'All of the above' option should be avoided because it would increase the number of correct answers arrived at by guessing. When using multiple-answer MCQs, it is recommended that the questions asked should be in accordance with the content within the www.elearnSCI.org.

Responsiveness to Self-Report Interview Questions by Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disability.

PubMed

Stancliffe, Roger J; Tichá, Renáta; Larson, Sheryl A; Hewitt, Amy S; Nord, Derek

2015-06-01

An important line of research involves asking people with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) to self-report their experiences and opinions. We analyzed the responsiveness of 11,391 adult users of IDD services to interview questions from Section 1 of the 2008-2009 National Core Indicators-Adult Consumer Survey (NCI-ACS). Proxy responses were not allowed for the selected questions. Overall, 62.1% of participants answered the questions and were rated by interviewers as understanding the questions and as responding consistently. Most participants responded in an all-or-none fashion, answering either all or most questions or few to none. Individuals with milder levels of IDD and with speech as their primary means of expression were more likely to answer the questions and provide a scoreable response. Interviewer ratings of interviewees' answering questions, understanding of questions, and consistent responding were each related to responsiveness.

Coupling Conceptual and Quantitative Problems to Develop Expertise in Introductory Physics Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Chandralekha

2008-10-01

We discuss the effect of administering conceptual and quantitative isomorphic problem pairs (CQIPP) back to back vs. asking students to solve only one of the problems in the CQIPP in introductory physics courses. Students who answered both questions in a CQIPP often performed better on the conceptual questions than those who answered the corresponding conceptual questions only. Although students often took advantage of the quantitative counterpart to answer a conceptual question of a CQIPP correctly, when only given the conceptual question, students seldom tried to convert it into a quantitative question, solve it and then reason about the solution conceptually. Even in individual interviews, when students who were only given conceptual questions had difficulty and the interviewer explicitly encouraged them to convert the conceptual question into the corresponding quantitative problem by choosing appropriate variables, a majority of students were reluctant and preferred to guess the answer to the conceptual question based upon their gut feeling.

Promoting an active form of learning out-of-class via answering online "study questions" leads to higher than expected exam scores in General Biology.

PubMed

Gibson, Susan I

2015-01-01

A rising need for workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields has fueled interest in improving teaching within STEM disciplines. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of active learning approaches on student learning outcomes. However, many of these studies have been conducted in experimental, rather than real-life class, settings. In addition, most of these studies have focused on in-class active learning exercises. This study tested the effects of answering questions outside of class on exam performance for General Biology students at the University of Minnesota. An online database of 1,020 multiple-choice questions covering material from the first half of the course was generated. Students in seven course sections (with an average of ∼265 students per section) were given unlimited access to the online study questions. These students made extensive use of the online questions, with students answering an average of 1,323 questions covering material from the half of the semester for which the questions were available. After students answered a set of questions, they were shown the correct answers for those questions. More specific feedback describing how to arrive at the correct answer was provided for the 73% of the questions for which the correct answers were not deemed to be self-explanatory. The extent to which access to the online study questions improved student learning outcomes was assessed by comparing the performance on exam questions of students in the seven course sections with access to the online study questions with the performance of students in course sections without access to the online study questions. Student performance was analyzed for a total of 89 different exams questions that were not included in the study questions, but that covered the same material covered by the study questions. Each of these 89 questions was used on one to five exams given to students in course sections that had access to the online study questions and on three to 77 exams given to students in sections that lacked such access. Data from over 1,800 students in sections with access to the online study questions show that those students scored a statistically significant average of 6.6% points higher on the exam questions analyzed than students in sections without access to the study questions. This difference was greater than the average amount necessary to raise students' exam grades by one grade (e.g., from a "B-" to a "B"). In addition, there was a higher correlation between number of questions answered and success on exam questions on material related to the study questions than between number of questions answered and success on exam questions on material unrelated to the study questions. The online study question system required substantial effort to set up, but required minimal effort to maintain and was effective in significantly raising average exam scores for even very large course sections.

Net Improvement of Correct Answers to Therapy Questions After PubMed Searches: Pre/Post Comparison

PubMed Central

Keepanasseril, Arun

2013-01-01

Background Clinicians search PubMed for answers to clinical questions although it is time consuming and not always successful. Objective To determine if PubMed used with its Clinical Queries feature to filter results based on study quality would improve search success (more correct answers to clinical questions related to therapy). Methods We invited 528 primary care physicians to participate, 143 (27.1%) consented, and 111 (21.0% of the total and 77.6% of those who consented) completed the study. Participants answered 14 yes/no therapy questions and were given 4 of these (2 originally answered correctly and 2 originally answered incorrectly) to search using either the PubMed main screen or PubMed Clinical Queries narrow therapy filter via a purpose-built system with identical search screens. Participants also picked 3 of the first 20 retrieved citations that best addressed each question. They were then asked to re-answer the original 14 questions. Results We found no statistically significant differences in the rates of correct or incorrect answers using the PubMed main screen or PubMed Clinical Queries. The rate of correct answers increased from 50.0% to 61.4% (95% CI 55.0%-67.8%) for the PubMed main screen searches and from 50.0% to 59.1% (95% CI 52.6%-65.6%) for Clinical Queries searches. These net absolute increases of 11.4% and 9.1%, respectively, included previously correct answers changing to incorrect at a rate of 9.5% (95% CI 5.6%-13.4%) for PubMed main screen searches and 9.1% (95% CI 5.3%-12.9%) for Clinical Queries searches, combined with increases in the rate of being correct of 20.5% (95% CI 15.2%-25.8%) for PubMed main screen searches and 17.7% (95% CI 12.7%-22.7%) for Clinical Queries searches. Conclusions PubMed can assist clinicians answering clinical questions with an approximately 10% absolute rate of improvement in correct answers. This small increase includes more correct answers partially offset by a decrease in previously correct answers. PMID:24217329

Net improvement of correct answers to therapy questions after pubmed searches: pre/post comparison.

PubMed

McKibbon, Kathleen Ann; Lokker, Cynthia; Keepanasseril, Arun; Wilczynski, Nancy L; Haynes, R Brian

2013-11-08

Clinicians search PubMed for answers to clinical questions although it is time consuming and not always successful. To determine if PubMed used with its Clinical Queries feature to filter results based on study quality would improve search success (more correct answers to clinical questions related to therapy). We invited 528 primary care physicians to participate, 143 (27.1%) consented, and 111 (21.0% of the total and 77.6% of those who consented) completed the study. Participants answered 14 yes/no therapy questions and were given 4 of these (2 originally answered correctly and 2 originally answered incorrectly) to search using either the PubMed main screen or PubMed Clinical Queries narrow therapy filter via a purpose-built system with identical search screens. Participants also picked 3 of the first 20 retrieved citations that best addressed each question. They were then asked to re-answer the original 14 questions. We found no statistically significant differences in the rates of correct or incorrect answers using the PubMed main screen or PubMed Clinical Queries. The rate of correct answers increased from 50.0% to 61.4% (95% CI 55.0%-67.8%) for the PubMed main screen searches and from 50.0% to 59.1% (95% CI 52.6%-65.6%) for Clinical Queries searches. These net absolute increases of 11.4% and 9.1%, respectively, included previously correct answers changing to incorrect at a rate of 9.5% (95% CI 5.6%-13.4%) for PubMed main screen searches and 9.1% (95% CI 5.3%-12.9%) for Clinical Queries searches, combined with increases in the rate of being correct of 20.5% (95% CI 15.2%-25.8%) for PubMed main screen searches and 17.7% (95% CI 12.7%-22.7%) for Clinical Queries searches. PubMed can assist clinicians answering clinical questions with an approximately 10% absolute rate of improvement in correct answers. This small increase includes more correct answers partially offset by a decrease in previously correct answers.

Design of a graphical and interactive interface for facilitating access to drug contraindications, cautions for use, interactions and adverse effects

PubMed Central

Lamy, Jean-Baptiste; Venot, Alain; Bar-Hen, Avner; Ouvrard, Patrick; Duclos, Catherine

2008-01-01

Background Drug iatrogeny is important but could be decreased if contraindications, cautions for use, drug interactions and adverse effects of drugs described in drug monographs were taken into account. However, the physician's time is limited during consultations, and this information is often not consulted. We describe here the design of "Mister VCM", a graphical interface based on the VCM graphical language, facilitating access to drug monographs. We also provide an assessment of the usability of this interface. Methods The "Mister VCM" interface was designed by dividing the screen into two parts: a graphical interactive one including VCM icons and synthetizing drug properties, a textual one presenting on demand drug monograph excerpts. The interface was evaluated over 11 volunteer general practitioners, trained in the use of "Mister VCM". They were asked to answer clinical questions related to fictitious randomly generated drug monographs, using a textual interface or "Mister VCM". When answering the questions, correctness of the responses and response time were recorded. Results "Mister VCM" is an interactive interface that displays VCM icons organized around an anatomical diagram of the human body with additional mental, etiological and physiological areas. Textual excerpts of the drug monograph can be displayed by clicking on the VCM icons. The interface can explicitly represent information implicit in the drug monograph, such as the absence of a given contraindication. Physicians made fewer errors with "Mister VCM" than with text (factor of 1.7; p = 0.034) and responded to questions 2.2 times faster (p < 0.001). The time gain with "Mister VCM" was greater for long monographs and questions with implicit replies. Conclusion "Mister VCM" seems to be a promising interface for accessing drug monographs. Similar interfaces could be developed for other medical domains, such as electronic patient records. PMID:18518945

Cues Matter: Learning Assistants Influence Introductory Biology Student Interactions during Clicker-Question Discussions.

PubMed

Knight, Jennifer K; Wise, Sarah B; Rentsch, Jeremy; Furtak, Erin M

2015-01-01

The cues undergraduate biology instructors provide to students before discussions of clicker questions have previously been shown to influence student discussion. We further explored how student discussions were influenced by interactions with learning assistants (LAs, or peer coaches). We recorded and transcribed 140 clicker-question discussions in an introductory molecular biology course and coded them for features such as the use of reasoning and types of questions asked. Students who did not interact with LAs had discussions that were similar in most ways to students who did interact with LAs. When students interacted with LAs, the only significant changes in their discussions were the use of more questioning and more time spent in discussion. However, when individual LA-student interactions were examined within discussions, different LA prompts were found to generate specific student responses: question prompts promoted student use of reasoning, while students usually stopped their discussions when LAs explained reasons for answers. These results demonstrate that LA prompts directly influence student interactions during in-class discussions. Because clicker discussions can encourage student articulation of reasoning, instructors and LAs should focus on how to effectively implement questioning techniques rather than providing explanations. © 2015 J. K Knight et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

The myopia of crowds: Cognitive load and collective evaluation of answers on Stack Exchange

PubMed Central

Burghardt, Keith; Alsina, Emanuel F.; Girvan, Michelle; Rand, William; Lerman, Kristina

2017-01-01

Crowds can often make better decisions than individuals or small groups of experts by leveraging their ability to aggregate diverse information. Question answering sites, such as Stack Exchange, rely on the “wisdom of crowds” effect to identify the best answers to questions asked by users. We analyze data from 250 communities on the Stack Exchange network to pinpoint factors affecting which answers are chosen as the best answers. Our results suggest that, rather than evaluate all available answers to a question, users rely on simple cognitive heuristics to choose an answer to vote for or accept. These cognitive heuristics are linked to an answer’s salience, such as the order in which it is listed and how much screen space it occupies. While askers appear to depend on heuristics to a greater extent than voters when choosing an answer to accept as the most helpful one, voters use acceptance itself as a heuristic, and they are more likely to choose the answer after it has been accepted than before that answer was accepted. These heuristics become more important in explaining and predicting behavior as the number of available answers to a question increases. Our findings suggest that crowd judgments may become less reliable as the number of answers grows. PMID:28301531

To Compare PubMed Clinical Queries and UpToDate in Teaching Information Mastery to Clinical Residents: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Sayyah Ensan, Ladan; Faghankhani, Masoomeh; Javanbakht, Anna; Ahmadi, Seyed-Foad; Baradaran, Hamid Reza

2011-01-01

Purpose To compare PubMed Clinical Queries and UpToDate regarding the amount and speed of information retrieval and users' satisfaction. Method A cross-over randomized trial was conducted in February 2009 in Tehran University of Medical Sciences that included 44 year-one or two residents who participated in an information mastery workshop. A one-hour lecture on the principles of information mastery was organized followed by self learning slide shows before using each database. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to answer 2 clinical scenarios using either UpToDate or PubMed Clinical Queries then crossed to use the other database to answer 2 different clinical scenarios. The proportion of relevantly answered clinical scenarios, time to answer retrieval, and users' satisfaction were measured in each database. Results Based on intention-to-treat analysis, participants retrieved the answer of 67 (76%) questions using UpToDate and 38 (43%) questions using PubMed Clinical Queries (P<0.001). The median time to answer retrieval was 17 min (95% CI: 16 to 18) using UpToDate compared to 29 min (95% CI: 26 to 32) using PubMed Clinical Queries (P<0.001). The satisfaction with the accuracy of retrieved answers, interaction with UpToDate and also overall satisfaction were higher among UpToDate users compared to PubMed Clinical Queries users (P<0.001). Conclusions For first time users, using UpToDate compared to Pubmed Clinical Querries can lead to not only a higher proportion of relevant answer retrieval within a shorter time, but also a higher users' satisfaction. So, addition of tutoring pre-appraised sources such as UpToDate to the information mastery curricula seems to be highly efficient. PMID:21858142

To compare PubMed Clinical Queries and UpToDate in teaching information mastery to clinical residents: a crossover randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Sayyah Ensan, Ladan; Faghankhani, Masoomeh; Javanbakht, Anna; Ahmadi, Seyed-Foad; Baradaran, Hamid Reza

2011-01-01

To compare PubMed Clinical Queries and UpToDate regarding the amount and speed of information retrieval and users' satisfaction. A cross-over randomized trial was conducted in February 2009 in Tehran University of Medical Sciences that included 44 year-one or two residents who participated in an information mastery workshop. A one-hour lecture on the principles of information mastery was organized followed by self learning slide shows before using each database. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to answer 2 clinical scenarios using either UpToDate or PubMed Clinical Queries then crossed to use the other database to answer 2 different clinical scenarios. The proportion of relevantly answered clinical scenarios, time to answer retrieval, and users' satisfaction were measured in each database. Based on intention-to-treat analysis, participants retrieved the answer of 67 (76%) questions using UpToDate and 38 (43%) questions using PubMed Clinical Queries (P<0.001). The median time to answer retrieval was 17 min (95% CI: 16 to 18) using UpToDate compared to 29 min (95% CI: 26 to 32) using PubMed Clinical Queries (P<0.001). The satisfaction with the accuracy of retrieved answers, interaction with UpToDate and also overall satisfaction were higher among UpToDate users compared to PubMed Clinical Queries users (P<0.001). For first time users, using UpToDate compared to Pubmed Clinical Queries can lead to not only a higher proportion of relevant answer retrieval within a shorter time, but also a higher users' satisfaction. So, addition of tutoring pre-appraised sources such as UpToDate to the information mastery curricula seems to be highly efficient.

Assessment of perceptions of nutrition knowledge and disease using a group interactive system: the Perception Analyzer.

PubMed

Papakonstantinou, Emilia; Hargrove, James L; Huang, Chung-Liang; Crawley, Connie C; Canolty, Nancy L

2002-11-01

Food labels can be used as a tool for nutrition education, but the information available is of little value to consumers who do not understand how to apply it. In an effort to assess nutrition knowledge and identify misconceptions, a group interactive system--the Perception Analyzer--was used as a lecture aid and data collection tool. The Perception Analyzer is composed of a laptop computer, an antenna, and handheld electronic handsets, or dials, that participants use to answer questions. Participants (N = 621) were surveyed on 14 multiple-choice questions concerning nutrition with 4 nutrition questions repeated at the end of a session as a posttest. A knowledge score was calculated by counting correct answers. Linear regression analyses were used to study the main effects of demographic variables on the knowledge score. Our study reports the following: although participants reported reading food labels, nrisconceptions about label content were identified; analyses of mean scores indicated that age, education, and race influenced the nutrition knowledge score; and participants found the Perception Analyzer to be enjoyable. The findings indicate that because the Perception Analyzer provides immediate and anonymous feedback to a discussion leader about audience's current knowledge, it is a promising tool for nutrition education by dietetic practitioners.

76 FR 4360 - Draft Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-25

...] Draft Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling...: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling Provisions of Section 4205 of the... Implementation of the Menu Labeling Provisions of Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act...

Keys to Success: School Facilities Primer, Questions & Answers 101.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brady, Jim

This publication provides answers to basic questions to help school board members more fully address the complexities of the planning, design, and construction process in order to maximize the goal of student success. The 101 questions and answers are in the areas of: facility planning; learning environment; information technology; safe schools;…

Postsecondary Education Issues: Visible Questions. Invisible Answers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Boulder, CO. National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.

With some justification, the inability to answer most of the important questions in higher education is due to the lack of necessary information. But careful examination of our many faceted questions suggests that more information may not be the only answer. The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) has found other…

Discussion of papers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Discussion times were lively and highly fruitful. The Editors have organised questions and answers for each paper alphabetically by the speaker's surname. Although the discussion was recorded, only those questions and answers for which written versions were submitted have been included here. We are deeply indebted to Bev Lynds for transcribing the hand-written questions and answers.

Computational Natural Language Inference: Robust and Interpretable Question Answering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Rebecca Reynolds

2017-01-01

We address the challenging task of "computational natural language inference," by which we mean bridging two or more natural language texts while also providing an explanation of how they are connected. In the context of question answering (i.e., finding short answers to natural language questions), this inference connects the question…

How would photons describe natural phenomena based upon their physical experiences?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roychoudhuri, Chandrasekhar

2013-10-01

The question posed in the title represents an impossible approach to scientific investigation, but the approach is like a subjectivist. Obviously, photons cannot express their views; neither can we ask directly any scientific questions to the photons. The purpose is to draw the attention of the reader that even our strongly mathematically driven scientific enterprise is full of subjectivism when we start dissecting our thinking process. First, we frame questions in our mind to understand a natural phenomenon we have been observing. Let us not forget that framing the question determine the answer. The answers guide us to frame the foundational hypotheses to build a theory to "explain" the phenomenon under study. Our mind is a product of biological evolutionary requirements; which is further re-programmed by strong human social cultures. In other words, human constructed theories cannot spontaneously become rigorously objective, unless we consciously make them so. We need to develop a methodology of scientific thinking that will automatically force us to make repeated iterative corrections in generating questions as objectively as possible. Those questions will then guide us to re-construct the foundational hypotheses and re-frame the working theories. We are proposing that we add Interaction Process Mapping Epistemology (IPM-E) as a necessary extra thinking tool; which will complement the prevailing Measurable Data Modeling Epistemology (MDM-E). We believe that ongoing interaction processes in nature represent reality ontology. So the iterative application of IPM-E, along with MDM-E, will keep us along the route of ontological reality. We apply this prescription to reveal the universal property, Non-Interaction of Waves, which we have been neglecting for centuries. Using this property, we demonstrate that a large number of ad hoc hypotheses from Classical-, QM-, Relativity- and Astro-Physics can be easily modified to make physics more causal and understandable through common sense logics.

An Interactive Cultural Transect: Designing, Deploying, and Evaluating an Online Virtual-Abroad Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Phil; Katsaros, Alex; Howard, Rosalyn; Lindgren, Robb

2012-01-01

This pilot project conducted by researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF) seeks to answer the question: Does a real-time, two-way, mobile, remote webcasting system have special properties for learning compared with traditional distance learning platforms? Students enrolled in two online, undergraduate UCF courses explored South…

A Multi-Agent Question-Answering System for E-Learning and Collaborative Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alinaghi, Tannaz; Bahreininejad, Ardeshir

2011-01-01

The increasing advances of new Internet technologies in all application domains have changed life styles and interactions. E-learning and collaborative learning environment systems are originated through such changes and aim at providing facilities for people in different times and geographical locations to cooperate, collaborate, learn and work…

SSD 5-4-3: A Dialogical Writing Warm-Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulder, Tom

2012-01-01

The Silent Socratic Dialogue (SSD) writing warm-up technique places college students in a dialogic setting in which they construct the texts that explore, inform, and challenge each other through a succession of questions and answers. It validates students' voices, ideas, and interactions as worthy of study while engaging them in the…

Counselor's Resource Guide for Supporting Programs for Emotionally Handicapped Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana State Dept. of Education, Indianapolis. Div. of Special Education.

The guide is intended as an information resource for school counselors in their interactions with emotionally handicapped (EH) students and their teachers. Following a definition of EH students, the first of seven brief chapters uses a question-and-answer format to discuss the counselor's role in student assessment and the individualized education…

Researching Oral Production Skills of Young Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szpotowicz, Magdalena

2012-01-01

This chapter focuses on the development of young learners' ability to communicate in a foreign language. An empirical study was carried out to determine whether, after four years of learning English as a compulsory school subject, children are ready to engage in oral interaction in a semi-controlled task and produce answers and questions in…

High Wired: On the Design, Use and Theory of Educational MOOs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haynes, Cynthia, Ed.; Holmevik, Jan Rune, Ed.

MOOs (Multi-User, Object-Oriented Environments), which were designed originally as spaces for online social interaction, are increasingly recognized today for their value as educational tools. This book brings together a diverse group of experts whose contributions help answer questions and dispel myths surrounding MOOs and their use in education.…

Family and Consumer Sciences Delivers Middle School Multicultural Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clauss, Barbara A.

2006-01-01

In this article, the author talks about valuing individual and group differences and knowing how to interact effectively with a variety of people in school through multicultural education in a middle school family and consumer sciences setting. Here, she answers the questions: (1) Why multicultural education? (2) Why middle school? and (3) Why…

Stability and Change of Mentoring Practices in a Capricious Policy Environment: Opening the "Black Box of Institutionalization"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

März, Virginie; Kelchtermans, Geert; Dumay, Xavier

2016-01-01

This article addresses how institutional logics are translated, maintained, or disrupted by actors and their (inter)actions within schools. The changing policy environment for mentoring beginning teachers in Flanders (Belgium) provides a fertile context for answering this question. Combining neoinstitutional and sensemaking lenses and analyzing…

The initial stages of NaCl dissolution: Ion or ion pair solvation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimes, Jiri; Michaelides, Angelos

2009-03-01

The interaction of water with rock salt (NaCl) is important in a wide variety of natural processes and human activities. A lot is known about NaCl dissolution at the macroscopic level but we do not yet have a detailed atomic scale picture of how salt crystals dissolve. Here we report an extensive series of density functional theory, forcefield and molecular dynamics studies of water clusters at flat and defective NaCl surfaces and NaCl clusters. The focus is on answering seemingly elementary questions such as how many water molecules are needed before it becomes favorable to extract an ion or a pair of ions from the crystal or the cluster. It turns out, however, that the answers to these questions are not so straightforward: below a certain number of water molecules (˜ 12) solvation of individual ions is less costly and above this number solvation of ion pairs is favored. These results reveal a hitherto unknown complexity in the NaCl dissolution process born out of a subtle interplay between water-water and water-ion interactions.

Evaluation of New Zealand’s High-Seas Bottom Trawl Closures Using Predictive Habitat Models and Quantitative Risk Assessment

PubMed Central

Penney, Andrew J.; Guinotte, John M.

2013-01-01

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105 on sustainable fisheries (UNGA 2007) establishes three difficult questions for participants in high-seas bottom fisheries to answer: 1) Where are vulnerable marine systems (VMEs) likely to occur?; 2) What is the likelihood of fisheries interaction with these VMEs?; and 3) What might qualify as adequate conservation and management measures to prevent significant adverse impacts? This paper develops an approach to answering these questions for bottom trawling activities in the Convention Area of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) within a quantitative risk assessment and cost : benefit analysis framework. The predicted distribution of deep-sea corals from habitat suitability models is used to answer the first question. Distribution of historical bottom trawl effort is used to answer the second, with estimates of seabed areas swept by bottom trawlers being used to develop discounting factors for reduced biodiversity in previously fished areas. These are used in a quantitative ecological risk assessment approach to guide spatial protection planning to address the third question. The coral VME likelihood (average, discounted, predicted coral habitat suitability) of existing spatial closures implemented by New Zealand within the SPRFMO area is evaluated. Historical catch is used as a measure of cost to industry in a cost : benefit analysis of alternative spatial closure scenarios. Results indicate that current closures within the New Zealand SPRFMO area bottom trawl footprint are suboptimal for protection of VMEs. Examples of alternative trawl closure scenarios are provided to illustrate how the approach could be used to optimise protection of VMEs under chosen management objectives, balancing protection of VMEs against economic loss to commercial fishers from closure of historically fished areas. PMID:24358162

Evaluation of New Zealand's high-seas bottom trawl closures using predictive habitat models and quantitative risk assessment.

PubMed

Penney, Andrew J; Guinotte, John M

2013-01-01

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105 on sustainable fisheries (UNGA 2007) establishes three difficult questions for participants in high-seas bottom fisheries to answer: 1) Where are vulnerable marine systems (VMEs) likely to occur?; 2) What is the likelihood of fisheries interaction with these VMEs?; and 3) What might qualify as adequate conservation and management measures to prevent significant adverse impacts? This paper develops an approach to answering these questions for bottom trawling activities in the Convention Area of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) within a quantitative risk assessment and cost : benefit analysis framework. The predicted distribution of deep-sea corals from habitat suitability models is used to answer the first question. Distribution of historical bottom trawl effort is used to answer the second, with estimates of seabed areas swept by bottom trawlers being used to develop discounting factors for reduced biodiversity in previously fished areas. These are used in a quantitative ecological risk assessment approach to guide spatial protection planning to address the third question. The coral VME likelihood (average, discounted, predicted coral habitat suitability) of existing spatial closures implemented by New Zealand within the SPRFMO area is evaluated. Historical catch is used as a measure of cost to industry in a cost : benefit analysis of alternative spatial closure scenarios. Results indicate that current closures within the New Zealand SPRFMO area bottom trawl footprint are suboptimal for protection of VMEs. Examples of alternative trawl closure scenarios are provided to illustrate how the approach could be used to optimise protection of VMEs under chosen management objectives, balancing protection of VMEs against economic loss to commercial fishers from closure of historically fished areas.

Machine learning research 1989-90

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, Bruce W.; Souther, Arthur

1990-01-01

Multifunctional knowledge bases offer a significant advance in artificial intelligence because they can support numerous expert tasks within a domain. As a result they amortize the costs of building a knowledge base over multiple expert systems and they reduce the brittleness of each system. Due to the inevitable size and complexity of multifunctional knowledge bases, their construction and maintenance require knowledge engineering and acquisition tools that can automatically identify interactions between new and existing knowledge. Furthermore, their use requires software for accessing those portions of the knowledge base that coherently answer questions. Considerable progress was made in developing software for building and accessing multifunctional knowledge bases. A language was developed for representing knowledge, along with software tools for editing and displaying knowledge, a machine learning program for integrating new information into existing knowledge, and a question answering system for accessing the knowledge base.

To boldly go where no relationship has gone before: Commentary on interpersonal relationships in the digital age.

PubMed

Okdie, Bradley M; Ewoldsen, David R

2018-01-01

Individuals have a need to maintain positive social interactions, and with the advent of new-media technologies, there are a myriad ways individuals can satisfy this need by engaging socially in mediated (non-face-to-face) communication, hence the need for a special issue on "Relationships in the Digital Age." The articles in this special issue reflect the need to answer theoretical questions brought forth by the increased tendency for individuals to create and maintain interpersonal relationships through mediated forms of communication. The commentary highlights the need for increased research on mediated interpersonal relationships by psychologists and discusses how the articles in the issue can be used to answer theoretical questions about mediated interpersonal communication. The article ends with speculation on how media may create social spaces that may be advantageous for some individuals.

To boldly go where no relationship has gone before: commentary on interpersonal relationships in the digital age.

PubMed

Okdie, Bradley M; Ewoldsen, David R

2018-04-19

Individuals have a need to maintain positive social interactions and with the advent of new media technologies, there are a myriad ways individuals can satisfy this need by engaging socially in mediated (non-face-to-face) communication, hence the need for a special issue on Relationships in the Digital Age. The articles in this special issue reflect the need to answer theoretical questions brought forth by the increased tendency for individuals to create and maintain interpersonal relationships through mediated forms of communication. The commentary highlights the need for increased research on mediated interpersonal relationships by psychologists and discusses how the articles in the issue can be used to answer theoretical questions about mediated interpersonal communication. The article ends with speculation on how media may create social spaces that may be advantageous for some individuals.

The Effect of Using a Visual Representation Tool in a Teaching-Learning Sequence for Teaching Newton's Third Law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savinainen, Antti; Mäkynen, Asko; Nieminen, Pasi; Viiri, Jouni

2017-02-01

This paper presents a research-based teaching-learning sequence (TLS) that focuses on the notion of interaction in teaching Newton's third law (N3 law) which is, as earlier studies have shown, a challenging topic for students to learn. The TLS made systematic use of a visual representation tool—an interaction diagram (ID)—highlighting interactions between objects and addressing the learning demand related to N3 law. This approach had been successful in enhancing students' understanding of N3 law in pilot studies conducted by teacher-researchers. However, it was unclear whether teachers, who have neither been involved with the research nor received intensive tutoring, could replicate the positive results in ordinary school settings. To address this question, we present an empirical study conducted in 10 Finnish upper secondary schools with students ( n = 261, aged 16) taking their mandatory physics course. The study design involved three groups: the heavy ID group (the TLS with seven to eight exercises on IDs), the light ID group (two to three exercises on IDs) and the no ID group (no exercises on IDs). The heavy and light ID groups answered eight ID questions, and all the students answered four questions on N3 law after teaching the force concept. The findings clearly suggest that systematic use of the IDs in teaching the force concept significantly fostered students' understanding of N3 law even with teachers who have no intensive tutoring or research background.

Online vs live methods for teaching difficult airway management to anesthesiology residents.

PubMed

Bello, Giuseppe; Pennisi, Mariano Alberto; Maviglia, Riccardo; Maggiore, Salvatore Maurizio; Bocci, Maria Grazia; Montini, Luca; Antonelli, Massimo

2005-04-01

To compare the effectiveness of traditional and online teaching methods for educating anesthesiology residents in the principles and practice of difficult airway management. Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. University hospital. Two randomly selected groups, each containing 28 physicians enrolled from among residents in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine in Italy. Residents in Group 1 took a traditional 5-h course on the principles and practice of airway management, which included lectures, slide projection, and dummy demonstrations. The same material was presented to Group 2 in an exclusively online format, which could be individually accessed for a period of 36 h. In the online course, student-instructor interaction was provided through threaded discussion forums during three 30-min real-time question-and-answer sessions. Differences in baseline and post-course scores on written tests and practical skills tests were measured. Knowledge gains in Group 2 were slightly, but not significantly, greater compared with Group 1 both in written (P=0.228) and practical skills (P=0.376) tests. Semi-quantitative ratings of learner satisfaction were significantly higher in the online group (P=0.014). Almost all online students (93%) were logged in for at least 45 of the 90 min of real-time question-and-answer sessions. The four instructors spent an average of 144+/-10 min preparing answers and interacting with online students. Online teaching formats may be a valid alternative for teaching residents the principles and practice of difficult airway management. Interaction with instructors seems to be an important element, but it may require substantial time commitments by instructors.

41 CFR 300-2.20 - What is the purpose of the question & answer format?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the purpose of the question & answer format? 300-2.20 Section 300-2.20 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System GENERAL INTRODUCTION 2-HOW TO USE THE FTR Question & Answer Format § 300...

41 CFR 300-2.21 - How is the rule expressed in the question and answer format?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How is the rule expressed in the question and answer format? 300-2.21 Section 300-2.21 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System GENERAL INTRODUCTION 2-HOW TO USE THE FTR Question & Answer...

Ask an Earth-Scientist

Science.gov Websites

Minerals General/Other Question Answering Criteria We try to respond to all requests; However we do not US Geological Survey . We do not answer overly general questions. We do not answer questions. by students trying to avoid normal studying or library research (i.e., we will not do your homework or provide

Analyzing Electronic Question/Answer Services: Framework and Evaluations of Selected Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Marilyn Domas, Ed.

This report develops an analytical framework based on systems analysis for evaluating electronic question/answer or AskA services operated by a wide range of types of organizations, including libraries. Version 1.0 of this framework was applied in June 1999 to a selective sample of 11 electronic question/answer services, which cover a range of…

The Effect of Randomized Homework Contingencies on College Students' Daily Homework and Unit Exam Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galyon, Charles E.; Voils, Kyle L.; Blondin, Carolyn A.; Williams, Robert L.

2015-01-01

Students in an introductory educational psychology course submitted answers to daily homework questions for which they received credit either for percentage of questions answered in every homework assignment or for the accuracy of their answers to 10% of randomly selected questions. Potential credit was the same under both homework contingencies,…

Questions and Answers about AFTERSCHOOL CARE: A Sloan Work and Family Research Network Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sloan Work and Family Research Network, 2008

2008-01-01

The Sloan Work and Family Research Network has prepared Fact Sheets that provide statistical answers to some important questions about work-family and work-life issues. This Fact Sheet includes statistics about Afterschool Care, and answers the following questions about afterschool programs: (1) How does afterschool care help children?; (2) How…

The Answering Process for Multiple-Choice Questions in Collaborative Learning: A Mathematical Learning Model Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakamura, Yasuyuki; Nishi, Shinnosuke; Muramatsu, Yuta; Yasutake, Koichi; Yamakawa, Osamu; Tagawa, Takahiro

2014-01-01

In this paper, we introduce a mathematical model for collaborative learning and the answering process for multiple-choice questions. The collaborative learning model is inspired by the Ising spin model and the model for answering multiple-choice questions is based on their difficulty level. An intensive simulation study predicts the possibility of…

Social Question and Answer Services versus Library Virtual Reference: Evaluation and Comparison from the Users' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Yin; Deng, Shengli

2014-01-01

Introduction: In recent years, the introduction of social question and answer services and other Internet tools have expanded the ways in which people have their questions answered. There has been speculation and debate over whether such services and other Internet tools are replacing library virtual reference services. Method: Most previous…

Violations of Information Structure: An Electrophysiological Study of Answers to Wh-Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowles, H. W.; Kluender, Robert; Kutas, Marta; Polinsky, Maria

2007-01-01

This study investigates brain responses to violations of information structure in wh-question-answer pairs, with particular emphasis on violations of focus assignment in it-clefts (It was the queen that silenced the banker). Two types of ERP responses in answers to wh-questions were found. First, all words in the focus-marking (cleft) position…

The "Individualised Accounting Questions" Technique: Using Excel to Generate Quantitative Exercises for Large Classes with Unique Individual Answers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nnadi, Matthias; Rosser, Mike

2014-01-01

The "individualised accounting questions" (IAQ) technique set out in this paper encourages independent active learning. It enables tutors to set individualised accounting questions and construct an answer grid that can be used for any number of students, with numerical values for each student's answers based on their student enrolment…

Answering Questions and Questioning Answers. Part II. University of Central Florida Conference Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, C. C.; And Others

1982-01-01

Brief analyses are provided of presentations made at a conference, held at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, which addressed questions and answers relating to research and education. Conference sessions explored the role of research in relation to educational practices with special focus on theory, research, issues and application.…

Correlating Student Knowledge and Confidence Using a Graded Knowledge Survey to Assess Student Learning in a General Microbiology Classroom †

PubMed Central

Favazzo, Lacey; Willford, John D.; Watson, Rachel M.

2014-01-01

Knowledge surveys are a type of confidence survey in which students rate their confidence in their ability to answer questions rather than answering the questions. These surveys have been discussed as a tool to evaluate student in-class or curriculum-wide learning. However, disagreement exists as to whether confidence is actually an accurate measure of knowledge. With the concomitant goals of assessing content-based learning objectives and addressing this disagreement, we present herein a pretest/posttest knowledge survey study that demonstrates a significant difference correctness on graded test questions at different levels of reported confidence in a multi-semester timeframe. Questions were organized into Bloom’s taxonomy, allowing for the data collected to further provide statistical analyses on strengths and deficits in various levels of Bloom’s reasoning with regard to mean correctness. Collectively, students showed increasing confidence and correctness in all levels of thought but struggled with synthesis-level questions. However, when students were only asked to rate confidence and not answer the accompanying test questions, they reported significantly higher confidence than the control group which was asked to do both. This indicates that when students do not attempt to answer questions, they have significantly greater confidence in their ability to answer those questions. Additionally, when students rate only confidence without answering the question, resolution across Bloom’s levels of reasoning is lost. Based upon our findings, knowledge surveys can be an effective tool for assessment of both breadth and depth of knowledge, but may require students to answer questions in addition to rating confidence to provide the most accurate data. PMID:25574291

Beach groundwater dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, Diane P.

2002-11-01

An understanding of the interaction between surface and groundwater flows in the swash zone is necessary to understand beach profile evolution. Coastal researchers have recognized the importance of beach watertable and swash interaction to accretion and erosion above the still water level (SWL), but the exact nature of the relationship between swash flows, beach watertable flow and cross-shore sediment transport is not fully understood. This paper reviews research on beach groundwater dynamics and identifies research questions which will need to be answered before swash zone sediment transport can be successfully modelled. After defining the principal terms relating to beach groundwater, the behavior, measurement and modelling of beach groundwater dynamics is described. Research questions related to the mechanisms of surface-subsurface flow interaction are reviewed, particularly infiltration, exfiltration and fluidisation. The implications of these mechanisms for sediment transport are discussed.

Questions and Answers for Architectural Coatings Rule

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The EPA compiled this question and answer document from inquiries received after the publication of the 1999 final architectural coatings rule and from questions raised at meetings with industry associations.

Analysis of Student Responses to Peer-Instruction Conceptual Questions Answered Using an Electronic Response System: Trends by Gender and Ethnicity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steer, David; McConnell, David; Gray, Kyle; Kortz, Karen; Liang, Xin

2009-01-01

This descriptive study investigated students' answers to geoscience conceptual questions answered using electronic personal response systems. Answer patterns were examined to evaluate the peer-instruction pedagogical approach in a large general education classroom setting. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)

A Noisy-Channel Approach to Question Answering

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

question “When did Elvis Presley die?” To do this, we build a noisy channel model that makes explicit how answer sentence parse trees are mapped into...in Figure 1, the algorithm above generates the following training example: Q: When did Elvis Presley die ? SA: Presley died PP PP in A_DATE, and...engine as a potential candidate for finding the answer to the question “When did Elvis Presley die?” In this case, we don’t know what the answer is

Promoting an active form of learning out-of-class via answering online “study questions” leads to higher than expected exam scores in General Biology

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

A rising need for workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields has fueled interest in improving teaching within STEM disciplines. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of active learning approaches on student learning outcomes. However, many of these studies have been conducted in experimental, rather than real-life class, settings. In addition, most of these studies have focused on in-class active learning exercises. This study tested the effects of answering questions outside of class on exam performance for General Biology students at the University of Minnesota. An online database of 1,020 multiple-choice questions covering material from the first half of the course was generated. Students in seven course sections (with an average of ∼265 students per section) were given unlimited access to the online study questions. These students made extensive use of the online questions, with students answering an average of 1,323 questions covering material from the half of the semester for which the questions were available. After students answered a set of questions, they were shown the correct answers for those questions. More specific feedback describing how to arrive at the correct answer was provided for the 73% of the questions for which the correct answers were not deemed to be self-explanatory. The extent to which access to the online study questions improved student learning outcomes was assessed by comparing the performance on exam questions of students in the seven course sections with access to the online study questions with the performance of students in course sections without access to the online study questions. Student performance was analyzed for a total of 89 different exams questions that were not included in the study questions, but that covered the same material covered by the study questions. Each of these 89 questions was used on one to five exams given to students in course sections that had access to the online study questions and on three to 77 exams given to students in sections that lacked such access. Data from over 1,800 students in sections with access to the online study questions show that those students scored a statistically significant average of 6.6% points higher on the exam questions analyzed than students in sections without access to the study questions. This difference was greater than the average amount necessary to raise students’ exam grades by one grade (e.g., from a “B-” to a “B”). In addition, there was a higher correlation between number of questions answered and success on exam questions on material related to the study questions than between number of questions answered and success on exam questions on material unrelated to the study questions. The online study question system required substantial effort to set up, but required minimal effort to maintain and was effective in significantly raising average exam scores for even very large course sections. PMID:26500828

Asking good clinical research questions and choosing the right study design.

PubMed

Bragge, P

2010-07-01

Clinicians and researchers seek answers to clinical research questions, primarily by accessing the results of clinical research studies. This paper moves the focus of research enquiry from getting answers to developing good clinical research questions. Using worked examples, the steps involved in refining questions drawn from various sources to create 'answerable' clinical research questions using the 'PICO' principle are described. Issues to consider in prioritising clinical research questions are also identified. Theoretical and practical considerations involved in choosing the right study design for a clinical research question are then discussed using the worked examples. These include: Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Different Reward Structures to Motivate Student Interaction with Electronic Response Systems in Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Len, Patrick M.

Electronic response systems ("clickers") are used in introductory astronomy classes as a real-time assessment tool. Different reward structures for student responses to clicker questions are used to motivate individual participation or group collaboration before responding. The impact of two reward structures on student behavior and learning is investigated. This study finds that a success-bonus incentive (in which individual participation points are doubled when the class attains a threshold success rate) strongly motivated students to collaborate, whereas a participation-only credit (no success-bonus) incentive resulted in one-third of the students answering individually without collaboration. With a participation-only incentive, students who answered individually ("self-testers") were found to have more positive attitudes toward astronomy and science, and higher self-confidence in their learning than students who interacted before answering without a success-bonus incentive ("collaborators"). These collaborators experienced downward shifts in attitudes and self-confidence, in contrast to the static attitudes and self-confidence of self-testers. The implication is that students with little or no background in science prefer to answer collaboratively rather than independently and that these students are also negatively impacted by a one-semester introductory astronomy course.

Decision making in family medicine

PubMed Central

Labrecque, Michel; Ratté, Stéphane; Frémont, Pierre; Cauchon, Michel; Ouellet, Jérôme; Hogg, William; McGowan, Jessie; Gagnon, Marie-Pierre; Njoya, Merlin; Légaré, France

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective To compare the ability of users of 2 medical search engines, InfoClinique and the Trip database, to provide correct answers to clinical questions and to explore the perceived effects of the tools on the clinical decision-making process. Design Randomized trial. Setting Three family medicine units of the family medicine program of the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University in Quebec city, Que. Participants Fifteen second-year family medicine residents. Intervention Residents generated 30 structured questions about therapy or preventive treatment (2 questions per resident) based on clinical encounters. Using an Internet platform designed for the trial, each resident answered 20 of these questions (their own 2, plus 18 of the questions formulated by other residents, selected randomly) before and after searching for information with 1 of the 2 search engines. For each question, 5 residents were randomly assigned to begin their search with InfoClinique and 5 with the Trip database. Main outcome measures The ability of residents to provide correct answers to clinical questions using the search engines, as determined by third-party evaluation. After answering each question, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their perception of the engine’s effect on the decision-making process in clinical practice. Results Of 300 possible pairs of answers (1 answer before and 1 after the initial search), 254 (85%) were produced by 14 residents. Of these, 132 (52%) and 122 (48%) pairs of answers concerned questions that had been assigned an initial search with InfoClinique and the Trip database, respectively. Both engines produced an important and similar absolute increase in the proportion of correct answers after searching (26% to 62% for InfoClinique, for an increase of 36%; 24% to 63% for the Trip database, for an increase of 39%; P = .68). For all 30 clinical questions, at least 1 resident produced the correct answer after searching with either search engine. The mean (SD) time of the initial search for each question was 23.5 (7.6) minutes with InfoClinique and 22.3 (7.8) minutes with the Trip database (P = .30). Participants’ perceptions of each engine’s effect on the decision-making process were very positive and similar for both search engines. Conclusion Family medicine residents’ ability to provide correct answers to clinical questions increased dramatically and similarly with the use of both InfoClinique and the Trip database. These tools have strong potential to increase the quality of medical care. PMID:24130286

Decision making in family medicine: randomized trial of the effects of the InfoClinique and Trip database search engines.

PubMed

Labrecque, Michel; Ratté, Stéphane; Frémont, Pierre; Cauchon, Michel; Ouellet, Jérôme; Hogg, William; McGowan, Jessie; Gagnon, Marie-Pierre; Njoya, Merlin; Légaré, France

2013-10-01

To compare the ability of users of 2 medical search engines, InfoClinique and the Trip database, to provide correct answers to clinical questions and to explore the perceived effects of the tools on the clinical decision-making process. Randomized trial. Three family medicine units of the family medicine program of the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University in Quebec city, Que. Fifteen second-year family medicine residents. Residents generated 30 structured questions about therapy or preventive treatment (2 questions per resident) based on clinical encounters. Using an Internet platform designed for the trial, each resident answered 20 of these questions (their own 2, plus 18 of the questions formulated by other residents, selected randomly) before and after searching for information with 1 of the 2 search engines. For each question, 5 residents were randomly assigned to begin their search with InfoClinique and 5 with the Trip database. The ability of residents to provide correct answers to clinical questions using the search engines, as determined by third-party evaluation. After answering each question, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their perception of the engine's effect on the decision-making process in clinical practice. Of 300 possible pairs of answers (1 answer before and 1 after the initial search), 254 (85%) were produced by 14 residents. Of these, 132 (52%) and 122 (48%) pairs of answers concerned questions that had been assigned an initial search with InfoClinique and the Trip database, respectively. Both engines produced an important and similar absolute increase in the proportion of correct answers after searching (26% to 62% for InfoClinique, for an increase of 36%; 24% to 63% for the Trip database, for an increase of 39%; P = .68). For all 30 clinical questions, at least 1 resident produced the correct answer after searching with either search engine. The mean (SD) time of the initial search for each question was 23.5 (7.6) minutes with InfoClinique and 22.3 (7.8) minutes with the Trip database (P = .30). Participants' perceptions of each engine's effect on the decision-making process were very positive and similar for both search engines. Family medicine residents' ability to provide correct answers to clinical questions increased dramatically and similarly with the use of both InfoClinique and the Trip database. These tools have strong potential to increase the quality of medical care.

The case for multimodal analysis of atypical interaction: questions, answers and gaze in play involving a child with autism.

PubMed

Muskett, Tom; Body, Richard

2013-01-01

Conversation analysis (CA) continues to accrue interest within clinical linguistics as a methodology that can enable elucidation of structural and sequential orderliness in interactions involving participants who produce ostensibly disordered communication behaviours. However, it can be challenging to apply CA to re-examine clinical phenomena that have initially been defined in terms of linguistics, as a logical starting point for analysis may be to focus primarily on the organisation of language ("talk") in such interactions. In this article, we argue that CA's methodological power can only be fully exploited in this research context when a multimodal analytic orientation is adopted, where due consideration is given to participants' co-ordinated use of multiple semiotic resources including, but not limited to, talk (e.g., gaze, embodied action, object use and so forth). To evidence this argument, a two-layered analysis of unusual question-answer sequences in a play episode involving a child with autism is presented. It is thereby demonstrated that only when the scope of enquiry is broadened to include gaze and other embodied action can an account be generated of orderliness within these sequences. This finding has important implications for CA's application as a research methodology within clinical linguistics.

Enhancing children's vegetable consumption using vegetable-promoting picture books. The impact of interactive shared reading and character-product congruence.

PubMed

de Droog, Simone M; Buijzen, Moniek; Valkenburg, Patti M

2014-02-01

The present study investigated whether and how a picture book promoting carrots can increase young children's carrot consumption. One hundred and four children (aged 4-6years) participated in shared reading sessions using the book on five consecutive days in school. These children were assigned randomly to one of four experimental conditions. In a 2×2 between-subjects design, the reading style and character in the book were manipulated. The reading style was either passive (listening to the story) or interactive (also answering questions about the story). The character in the book fitted either conceptually well with carrots (a rabbit) or not (a turtle). Compared to a baseline group of 56 children who were not exposed to the book, the children in the experimental groups consumed almost twice as much carrots (in proportion to other foods consumed), F(1,159)=7.08, p<.01. Results suggest that picture books are particularly effective when children are actively involved, answering questions about the story. Young children seem to enjoy this interactive shared reading style, triggering positive feelings that increase children's liking and consumption of the healthy food promoted in the book. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inga Fischer-Hjalmars (1918-2008): Swedish Pharmacist, Humanist, and Pioneer Quantum Chemist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johansson, Adam Johannes

2012-01-01

A wide variety of questions can be asked about the molecules that compose the physical reality around us and constitute biological life. Some of these questions are answered by the science called biology, others find their answer in chemistry, whereas the answers to the most fundamental questions are only to be found in the theories of physics.…

Americans with Disabilities Act: Responsibilities for Postsecondary Institutions Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students. Questions and Answers. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kincaid, Jeanne M.; Rawlinson, Sharaine J.

This publication provides answers to questions concerning responsibilities of institutions of postsecondary education toward students who are deaf or hard of hearing under the Americans with Disabilities Act. These questions were originally received but not answered due to time constraints during two satellite conferences held by the Midwest…

26 CFR 1.505(c)-1T - Questions and answers relating to the notification requirement for recognition of exemption under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Questions and answers relating to the... Questions and answers relating to the notification requirement for recognition of exemption under paragraphs... taxation need not submit the notification required by section 505(c). [T.D. 8073, 51 FR 4330, Feb. 4, 1986...

26 CFR 1.512(a)-5T - Questions and answers relating to the unrelated business taxable income of organizations...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Questions and answers relating to the unrelated... TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Taxation of Business Income of Certain Exempt Organizations § 1.512(a)-5T Questions and answers relating to the unrelated business taxable...

Investigations of Human Question Answering

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

information sources and search through the structures systematically. The formal,,ms and insights from these fields obviously must be tested in psychological ...experiments before we can incorporate them into psychological models of human question answering. One objective of this ONR contract was to test some... psychological model of human question answering. Tests of the QUEST Model QUEST was tested in four different informational contexts. These contexts

CMU OAQA at TREC 2015 LiveQA: Discovering the Right Answer with Clues

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

QA) system that was evaluated in the TREC 2015 LiveQA Challenge. This system answers real-user questions freshly submitted to the Yahoo ! Answers...questions on the Yahoo ! Answers site 1, which have not yet received a human answer. As per the requirements for this track, participants must deploy their... Yahoo ! Answers. We also designed and im- plemented a new data model and novel relevance ranking methods for LiveQA. During the official run, our QA web

Using the Branching Story Approach to Motivate Students' Interest in Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alduraby, Hanan; Liu, Jane

2014-01-01

This action research was to answer the pedagogical question: How effective can a branching story approach be as a motivational tool for elementary reading instruction? A branching story was created with hyperlinks built into a Powerpoint story. The young readers could interact with options at different turning points of the story, which activated…

A Plurisemiotic Study of Multimodal Interactive Teaching through Videoconferencing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Codreanu, Tatiana; Celik, Christelle Combe

2012-01-01

The aim of the study is to describe and analyze webcam pedagogical communication between a French Foreign Language tutor and two students during seven online classes. It tries to answer the following question: how does the tutor in a multimodal learning environment change her semio-discursive behavior from the first to the last session? We analyze…

It's Not How Multi the Media, It's How the Media Is Used.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feifer, R.; Allender, L.

Multimedia educational software is often a glitzy version of old technology. Some educational software has become better as developers began to ask, "In what ways can the computer facilitate learning, that were not possible before?" One answer to this question is: provide a simulated environment for the learner to interact with. For multimedia to…

Rethinking Teaching with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Architectural Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Tsungjuang

2009-01-01

This paper attempts to answer three questions: (1) What are the benefits of fully implementing ICTs for the education of professionals, such as architects? (2) What are the difficulties involved with carrying out these technological changes? and (3) How do these benefits and difficulties interact in a rapidly developing Asian nation such as…

Interactive effects of diversity and biomass on productivity: insights from succession

Treesearch

Q. Guo

2009-01-01

Do commonly observed spatial relationships also exist over time? As an example of attempting to answer this question, this article examines whether the frequently observed diversity-biomass-productivity-relationships over space can also be seen over time. Syntheses of long-term data and literature show that when the full successional cycles are examined, diversity and...

"iRobiQ": The Influence of Bidirectional Interaction on Kindergarteners' Reading Motivation, Literacy, and Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Hsien-Sheng; Chang, Cheng-Sian; Lin, Chien-Yu; Hsu, Hsiu-Ling

2015-01-01

This study focused on an intelligent robot which was viewed as a language teaching/learning tool to improve children's reading ability, reading interest, and learning behavior. The iRobiQ, with its multimedia contents, was employed to encourage children to read, speak, and answer questions. Fifty-seven pre-kindergarteners participated in this…

Mobile Response System: A Novel Approach to Interactive and Hands-On Activity in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuad, Muztaba; Deb, Debzani; Etim, James; Gloster, Clay

2018-01-01

Mobile devices are being used profusely in the classrooms to improve passive learning environments and to enhance student comprehension. However, with respect to students' active involvement in problem solving activities, the typical usage of the mobile devices in answering multiple choice and true/false questions is not adequate and the use of…

Ein Erfahrungsbericht zum Thema Interaktion (A Report of Experience on the Theme of Interaction)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroedter-Albers, Henning

1977-01-01

Describes work at a Goethe Institute branch with two groups of foreign students learning German, in which radio news, after preparatory work by the teacher, was used to induce question-and-answer dialogue. Many types of teaching aids and exercises used are described, including three-way conversation. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Centrality and Charisma: Comparing How Leader Networks "and" Attributions Affect Team Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balkundi, Prasad; Kilduff, Martin; Harrison, David A.

2011-01-01

When leaders interact in teams with their subordinates, they build social capital that can have positive effects on team performance. Does this social capital affect team performance because subordinates come to see the leader as charismatic? We answered this question by examining 2 models. First, we tested the charisma-to-centrality model…

The Way of the Web: Answers to Your Questions about Web Site Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wassom, Julie

2002-01-01

Provides suggestions for effective web site marketing for child care and early education programs. Includes key considerations in designing a web site, specific elements that cause visitors to stay on and return to the site, use of interactive sites, web-site updating and revision, and use of traditional marketing activities to direct prospective…

The Snygg-Combs Phenomenological Theory of Perception and Its Implications for Adult Education Theory and Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, John Tennyson

The Snygg-Combs theory of perception was examined as to its utility in subsuming and explaining the interaction of common elements found among variables in adult teaching and learning situations. Answers were sought to 15 questions regarding the origins, essential characteristics, criticisms, and methodologies of the theory; its philosophical…

Investigate the Child's Scientific Activities on Practical Child's Activity Books for the Kindergarten's Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldarabah, Intisar Turki; Al-Mouhtadi, Reham

2015-01-01

This research aimed to investigate the extent to which the interactive international curriculum is included in the "Child's Scientific Activities" issued by the Ministry of Education in Jordan, for the kindergarten stage according to the global criterion (NRC). In order to answer the study questions, an instrument was developed to…

Interactive Effects of Diversity and Biomass on Productivity: Insights from Succession

Treesearch

Qinfeng Guo

2008-01-01

Do commonly observed spatial relationships also exist over time? As an example of attempting to answer this question, this article examines whether the frequently observed diversity-biomass-productivity-relationships over space can also be seen over time. Syntheses of long-term data and literature show that when the full successional cycles are examined, diversity and...

Is the NIHSS Certification Process Too Lenient?

PubMed Central

Hills, Nancy K.; Josephson, S. Andrew; Lyden, Patrick D.; Johnston, S. Claiborne

2009-01-01

Background and Purpose The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is a widely used measure of neurological function in clinical trials and patient assessment; inter-rater scoring variability could impact communications and trial power. The manner in which the rater certification test is scored yields multiple correct answers that have changed over time. We examined the range of possible total NIHSS scores from answers given in certification tests by over 7,000 individual raters who were certified. Methods We analyzed the results of all raters who completed one of two standard multiple-patient videotaped certification examinations between 1998 and 2004. The range for the correct score, calculated using NIHSS ‘correct answers’, was determined for each patient. The distribution of scores derived from those who passed the certification test then was examined. Results A total of 6,268 raters scored 5 patients on Test 1; 1,240 scored 6 patients on Test 2. Using a National Stroke Association (NSA) answer key, we found that correct total scores ranged from 2 correct scores to as many as 12 different correct total scores. Among raters who achieved a passing score and were therefore qualified to administer the NIHSS, score distributions were even wider, with 1 certification patient receiving 18 different correct total scores. Conclusions Allowing multiple acceptable answers for questions on the NIHSS certification test introduces scoring variability. It seems reasonable to assume that the wider the range of acceptable answers in the certification test, the greater the variability in the performance of the test in trials and clinical practice by certified examiners. Greater consistency may be achieved by deriving a set of ‘best’ answers through expert consensus on all questions where this is possible, then teaching raters how to derive these answers using a required interactive training module. PMID:19295205

Why do they not answer and do they really learn? A case study in analysing student response flows in introductory physics using an audience response system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jääskeläinen, Markku; Lagerkvist, Andreas

2017-07-01

In this paper we investigate teaching with a classroom response system in introductory physics with emphasis on two issues. First, we discuss retention between question rounds and the reasons why students avoid answering the question a second time. A question with declining response rate was followed by a question addressing the student reasons for not answering. We find that there appear to be several reasons for the observed decline, and that the students need to be reminded. We argue that small drops are unimportant as the process appears to work despite the drops. Second, we discuss the dynamics of learning in a concept-sequence in electromagnetism, where a majority of the students, despite poor statistics in a first round, manage to answer a followup question correctly. In addition, we analyse the response times for both situations to connect with research on student reasoning on situations with misconception-like answers. From the combination of the answer flows and response time behaviours we find it plausible that conceptual learning occurred during the discussion phase.

Practical question-and-answer guide on VDTS (video display terminals) for BEES (base bioenvironmental engineer). Final report

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

Olson, B.M.

1985-01-01

The USAF OEHL conducted an extensive literature review of Video Display Terminals (VDTs) and the health problems commonly associated with them. The report is presented in a question-and-answer format in an attempt to paraphrase the most commonly asked questions about VDTs that are forwarded to USAF OEHL/RZN. The questions and answers have been divided into several topic areas: Ionizing Radiation; Nonionizing Radiation; Optical Radiation; Ultrasound; Static Electricity; Health Complaints/Ergonomics; Pregnancy.

A cognitive evaluation of four online search engines for answering definitional questions posed by physicians.

PubMed

Yu, Hong; Kaufman, David

2007-01-01

The Internet is having a profound impact on physicians' medical decision making. One recent survey of 277 physicians showed that 72% of physicians regularly used the Internet to research medical information and 51% admitted that information from web sites influenced their clinical decisions. This paper describes the first cognitive evaluation of four state-of-the-art Internet search engines: Google (i.e., Google and Scholar.Google), MedQA, Onelook, and PubMed for answering definitional questions (i.e., questions with the format of "What is X?") posed by physicians. Onelook is a portal for online definitions, and MedQA is a question answering system that automatically generates short texts to answer specific biomedical questions. Our evaluation criteria include quality of answer, ease of use, time spent, and number of actions taken. Our results show that MedQA outperforms Onelook and PubMed in most of the criteria, and that MedQA surpasses Google in time spent and number of actions, two important efficiency criteria. Our results show that Google is the best system for quality of answer and ease of use. We conclude that Google is an effective search engine for medical definitions, and that MedQA exceeds the other search engines in that it provides users direct answers to their questions; while the users of the other search engines have to visit several sites before finding all of the pertinent information.

Questions and Answers about Child Care: A Sloan Work and Family Research Network Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sloan Work and Family Research Network, 2008

2008-01-01

The Sloan Work and Family Research Network has prepared Fact Sheets that provide statistical answers to some important questions about work-family and work-life issues. This Fact Sheet includes statistics about Child Care, and answers the following questions about child care: (1) How many children are in child care?; (2) How many hours per week do…

Verbal Paradata and Survey Error: Respondent Speech, Voice, and Question-Answering Behavior Can Predict Income Item Nonresponse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jans, Matthew E.

2010-01-01

Income nonresponse is a significant problem in survey data, with rates as high as 50%, yet we know little about why it occurs. It is plausible that the way respondents answer survey questions (e.g., their voice and speech characteristics, and their question- answering behavior) can predict whether they will provide income data, and will reflect…

26 CFR 35.3405-1T - Questions and answers relating to withholding on pensions, annuities, and certain other deferred...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... payment for the year? A. No. Periodic payments can vary during a calendar year because of make-up of past... 26 Internal Revenue 15 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Questions and answers relating to withholding... REGULATIONS UNDER THE TAX EQUITY AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF 1982 § 35.3405-1T Questions and answers...

The Communication Skills Used by Deaf Children and Their Hearing Peers in a Question-and-Answer Game Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toe, Dianne M.; Paatsch, Louise E.

2010-01-01

Communication is frequently characterized by a sequence of questions and answers. Little is known about how well students who are deaf or hard of hearing (deaf/HH) understand their hearing classmates in the context of an inclusive setting. This study explored the communication skills used by deaf/HH children when asking and answering questions in…

Questions and Answers about School-Age Children in Self-Care: A Sloan Work and Family Research Network Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sloan Work and Family Research Network, 2009

2009-01-01

The Sloan Work and Family Research Network has prepared Fact Sheets that provide statistical answers to some important questions about work-family and work-life issues. This Fact Sheet includes statistics about Children in Self-Care, and answers the following questions about school-age children in self-care: (1) How many school-age children are in…

Characterization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine-Related Consultations in an Academic Drug Information Service.

PubMed

Gregory, Philip J; Jalloh, Mohamed A; Abe, Andrew M; Hu, James; Hein, Darren J

2016-12-01

To characterize requests received through an academic drug information consultation service related to complementary and alternative medicines. A retrospective review and descriptive analysis of drug information consultations was conducted. A total of 195 consultations related to complementary and alternative medicine were evaluated. All consultation requests involved questions about dietary supplements. The most common request types were related to safety and tolerability (39%), effectiveness (38%), and therapeutic use (34%). Sixty-eight percent of the requests were from pharmacists. The most frequent consultation requests from pharmacists were questions related to drug interactions (37%), therapeutic use (37%), or stability/compatibility/storage (34%). Nearly 60% of complementary and alternative medicine-related consultation requests were able to be completely addressed using available resources. Among review sources, Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, Clinical Pharmacology, Micromedex, and Pharmacist's Letter were the most common resources used to address consultations. Utilization of a drug information service may be a viable option for health care professionals to help answer a complementary and alternative medicine-related question. Additionally, pharmacists and other health care professionals may consider acquiring resources identified to consistently answering these questions. © The Author(s) 2015.

An Overview of the Future Development of Climate and Earth System Models for Scientific and Policy Use (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washington, W. M.

2010-12-01

The development of climate and earth system models has been regarded primarily as the making of scientific tools to study the complex nature of the Earth’s climate. These models have a long history starting with very simple physical models based on fundamental physics in the 1960s and over time they have become much more complex with atmospheric, ocean, sea ice, land/vegetation, biogeochemical, glacial and ecological components. The policy use aspects of these models did not start in the 1960s and 1970s as decision making tools but were used to answer fundamental scientific questions such as what happens when the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration increases or is doubled. They gave insights into the various interactions and were extensively compared with observations. It was realized that models of the earlier time periods could only give first order answers to many of the fundamental policy questions. As societal concerns about climate change rose, the policy questions of anthropogenic climate change became better defined; they were mostly concerned with the climate impacts of increasing greenhouse gases, aerosols, and land cover change. In the late 1980s, the United Nations set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to perform assessments of the published literature. Thus, the development of climate and Earth system models became intimately linked to the need to not only improve our scientific understanding but also answering fundamental policy questions. In order to meet this challenge, the models became more complex and realistic so that they could address these policy oriented science questions such as rising sea level. The presentation will discuss the past and future development of global climate and earth system models for science and policy purposes. Also to be discussed is their interactions with economic integrated assessment models, regional and specialized models such as river transport or ecological components. As an example of one development pathway, the NSF/Department of Energy supported Community Climate System and Earth System Models will be featured in the presentation. Computational challenges will also part of the discussion.

Using the regulation of accuracy to study performance when the correct answer is not known.

PubMed

Luna, Karlos; Martín-Luengo, Beatriz

2017-08-01

We examined memory performance in multiple-choice questions when correct answers were not always present. How do participants answer when they are aware that the correct alternative may not be present? To answer this question we allowed participants to decide on the number of alternatives in their final answer (the plurality option), and whether they wanted to report or withhold their answer (report option). We also studied the memory benefits when both the plurality and the report options were available. In two experiments participants watched a crime and then answered questions with five alternatives. Half of the questions were presented with the correct alternative and half were not. Participants selected one alternative and rated confidence, then selected three alternatives and again rated confidence, and finally indicated whether they preferred the answer with one or with three alternatives (plurality option). Lastly, they decided whether to report or withhold the answer (report option). Results showed that participants' confidence in their selections was higher, that they chose more single answers, and that they preferred to report more often when the correct alternative was presented. We also attempted to classify a posteriori questions as either presented with or without the correct alternative from participants' selection. Classification was better than chance, and encouraging, but the forensic application of the classification technique is still limited since there was a large percentage of responses that were incorrectly classified. Our results also showed that the memory benefits of both plurality and report options overlap. © 2017 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Deep Question Answering for protein annotation

PubMed Central

Gobeill, Julien; Gaudinat, Arnaud; Pasche, Emilie; Vishnyakova, Dina; Gaudet, Pascale; Bairoch, Amos; Ruch, Patrick

2015-01-01

Biomedical professionals have access to a huge amount of literature, but when they use a search engine, they often have to deal with too many documents to efficiently find the appropriate information in a reasonable time. In this perspective, question-answering (QA) engines are designed to display answers, which were automatically extracted from the retrieved documents. Standard QA engines in literature process a user question, then retrieve relevant documents and finally extract some possible answers out of these documents using various named-entity recognition processes. In our study, we try to answer complex genomics questions, which can be adequately answered only using Gene Ontology (GO) concepts. Such complex answers cannot be found using state-of-the-art dictionary- and redundancy-based QA engines. We compare the effectiveness of two dictionary-based classifiers for extracting correct GO answers from a large set of 100 retrieved abstracts per question. In the same way, we also investigate the power of GOCat, a GO supervised classifier. GOCat exploits the GOA database to propose GO concepts that were annotated by curators for similar abstracts. This approach is called deep QA, as it adds an original classification step, and exploits curated biological data to infer answers, which are not explicitly mentioned in the retrieved documents. We show that for complex answers such as protein functional descriptions, the redundancy phenomenon has a limited effect. Similarly usual dictionary-based approaches are relatively ineffective. In contrast, we demonstrate how existing curated data, beyond information extraction, can be exploited by a supervised classifier, such as GOCat, to massively improve both the quantity and the quality of the answers with a +100% improvement for both recall and precision. Database URL: http://eagl.unige.ch/DeepQA4PA/ PMID:26384372

Deep Question Answering for protein annotation.

PubMed

Gobeill, Julien; Gaudinat, Arnaud; Pasche, Emilie; Vishnyakova, Dina; Gaudet, Pascale; Bairoch, Amos; Ruch, Patrick

2015-01-01

Biomedical professionals have access to a huge amount of literature, but when they use a search engine, they often have to deal with too many documents to efficiently find the appropriate information in a reasonable time. In this perspective, question-answering (QA) engines are designed to display answers, which were automatically extracted from the retrieved documents. Standard QA engines in literature process a user question, then retrieve relevant documents and finally extract some possible answers out of these documents using various named-entity recognition processes. In our study, we try to answer complex genomics questions, which can be adequately answered only using Gene Ontology (GO) concepts. Such complex answers cannot be found using state-of-the-art dictionary- and redundancy-based QA engines. We compare the effectiveness of two dictionary-based classifiers for extracting correct GO answers from a large set of 100 retrieved abstracts per question. In the same way, we also investigate the power of GOCat, a GO supervised classifier. GOCat exploits the GOA database to propose GO concepts that were annotated by curators for similar abstracts. This approach is called deep QA, as it adds an original classification step, and exploits curated biological data to infer answers, which are not explicitly mentioned in the retrieved documents. We show that for complex answers such as protein functional descriptions, the redundancy phenomenon has a limited effect. Similarly usual dictionary-based approaches are relatively ineffective. In contrast, we demonstrate how existing curated data, beyond information extraction, can be exploited by a supervised classifier, such as GOCat, to massively improve both the quantity and the quality of the answers with a +100% improvement for both recall and precision. Database URL: http://eagl.unige.ch/DeepQA4PA/. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Visual Turing test for computer vision systems

PubMed Central

Geman, Donald; Geman, Stuart; Hallonquist, Neil; Younes, Laurent

2015-01-01

Today, computer vision systems are tested by their accuracy in detecting and localizing instances of objects. As an alternative, and motivated by the ability of humans to provide far richer descriptions and even tell a story about an image, we construct a “visual Turing test”: an operator-assisted device that produces a stochastic sequence of binary questions from a given test image. The query engine proposes a question; the operator either provides the correct answer or rejects the question as ambiguous; the engine proposes the next question (“just-in-time truthing”). The test is then administered to the computer-vision system, one question at a time. After the system’s answer is recorded, the system is provided the correct answer and the next question. Parsing is trivial and deterministic; the system being tested requires no natural language processing. The query engine employs statistical constraints, learned from a training set, to produce questions with essentially unpredictable answers—the answer to a question, given the history of questions and their correct answers, is nearly equally likely to be positive or negative. In this sense, the test is only about vision. The system is designed to produce streams of questions that follow natural story lines, from the instantiation of a unique object, through an exploration of its properties, and on to its relationships with other uniquely instantiated objects. PMID:25755262

Drug Facts Chat Day: NIH Experts Answer Students' Drug Questions

MedlinePlus

... Home Current Issue Past Issues Drug Facts Chat Day: NIH Experts Answer Students' Drug Questions Past Issues / ... Drug Abuse during their first Drug Facts Chat Day. Photo courtesy of NIDA The questions poured in… ...

Developing a Geoscience Literacy Exam: Pushing Geoscience Literacy Assessment to New Levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iverson, E. A.; Steer, D. N.; Manduca, C. A.

2012-12-01

InTeGrate is a community effort aimed at improving geoscience literacy and building a workforce that can use geoscience to solve societal issues. As part of this work we have developed a geoscience literacy assessment instrument to measure students' higher order thinking. This assessment is an important part of the development of curricula designed to increase geoscience literacy for all undergraduate students. To this end, we developed the Geoscience Literacy Exam (GLE) as one of the tools to quantify the effectiveness of these materials on students' understandings of geoscience literacy. The InTeGrate project is a 5-year, NSF-funded STEP Center grant in its first year of funding. Details concerning the project are found at http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/index.html. The GLE instrument addresses content and concepts in the Earth, Climate, and Ocean Science literacy documents. The testing schema is organized into three levels of increasing complexity. Level 1 questions are single answer, understanding- or application-level multiple choice questions. For example, selecting which type of energy transfer is most responsible for the movement of tectonic plates. They are designed such that most introductory level students should be able to correctly answer after taking an introductory geoscience course. Level 2 questions are more advanced multiple answer/matching questions, at the understanding- through analysis-level. Students might be asked to determine the types of earth-atmosphere interactions that could result in changes to global temperatures in the event of a major volcanic eruption. Because the answers are more complicated, some introductory students and most advanced students should be able to respond correctly. Level 3 questions are analyzing- to evaluating-level short essays, such as describe the ways in which the atmosphere sustains life on Earth. These questions are designed such that introductory students could probably formulate a rudimentary response. We anticipate the detail and sophistication of the response will increase as students progress through the InTeGrate curriculum. A team of 14 community members and assessment experts were assembled to develop the questions and complete validity and reliability testing. An initial set of questions was vetted, revised by the assessment team, and sent for external review. Students can score one point for correct Level 1 answers. For Level 2 questions, students can score from zero to two points, depending on the number of correct answers selected. Rubrics are under development for Level 3 essay questions using a 3 point scale that assigns points based both on the accuracy of the response and the quality of the written response. The final instrument will be used to measure geoscience literacy from introductory, non-science students to upper-level geoscience majors. In addition to covering geoscience content knowledge and understanding, GLE+ is also intended to probe InTeGrate students' ability and motivation to use their geoscience expertise to address problems of environmental sustainability. This final instrument will be made available to the geoscience education community as an assessment to be used in conjunction with InTeGrate teaching materials or as a stand-alone tool for departments to measure student learning gains across the major.

Toward automated consumer question answering: automatically separating consumer questions from professional questions in the healthcare domain.

PubMed

Liu, Feifan; Antieau, Lamont D; Yu, Hong

2011-12-01

Both healthcare professionals and healthcare consumers have information needs that can be met through the use of computers, specifically via medical question answering systems. However, the information needs of both groups are different in terms of literacy levels and technical expertise, and an effective question answering system must be able to account for these differences if it is to formulate the most relevant responses for users from each group. In this paper, we propose that a first step toward answering the queries of different users is automatically classifying questions according to whether they were asked by healthcare professionals or consumers. We obtained two sets of consumer questions (~10,000 questions in total) from Yahoo answers. The professional questions consist of two question collections: 4654 point-of-care questions (denoted as PointCare) obtained from interviews of a group of family doctors following patient visits and 5378 questions from physician practices through professional online services (denoted as OnlinePractice). With more than 20,000 questions combined, we developed supervised machine-learning models for automatic classification between consumer questions and professional questions. To evaluate the robustness of our models, we tested the model that was trained on the Consumer-PointCare dataset on the Consumer-OnlinePractice dataset. We evaluated both linguistic features and statistical features and examined how the characteristics in two different types of professional questions (PointCare vs. OnlinePractice) may affect the classification performance. We explored information gain for feature reduction and the back-off linguistic category features. The 10-fold cross-validation results showed the best F1-measure of 0.936 and 0.946 on Consumer-PointCare and Consumer-OnlinePractice respectively, and the best F1-measure of 0.891 when testing the Consumer-PointCare model on the Consumer-OnlinePractice dataset. Healthcare consumer questions posted at Yahoo online communities can be reliably classified from professional questions posted by point-of-care clinicians and online physicians. The supervised machine-learning models are robust for this task. Our study will significantly benefit further development in automated consumer question answering. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toward automated classification of consumers' cancer-related questions with a new taxonomy of expected answer types.

PubMed

McRoy, Susan; Jones, Sean; Kurmally, Adam

2016-09-01

This article examines methods for automated question classification applied to cancer-related questions that people have asked on the web. This work is part of a broader effort to provide automated question answering for health education. We created a new corpus of consumer-health questions related to cancer and a new taxonomy for those questions. We then compared the effectiveness of different statistical methods for developing classifiers, including weighted classification and resampling. Basic methods for building classifiers were limited by the high variability in the natural distribution of questions and typical refinement approaches of feature selection and merging categories achieved only small improvements to classifier accuracy. Best performance was achieved using weighted classification and resampling methods, the latter yielding an accuracy of F1 = 0.963. Thus, it would appear that statistical classifiers can be trained on natural data, but only if natural distributions of classes are smoothed. Such classifiers would be useful for automated question answering, for enriching web-based content, or assisting clinical professionals to answer questions. © The Author(s) 2015.

The Effects of Question Generation, Question Answering and Reading on Prose Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Anthony Mathew

Eighty-seven students took part in a study (using three experimental conditions) of the effect of question generation, question answering, and rereading on an immediate posttest and on a delayed test of knowledge of a text passage. In condition G, subjects generated multiple-choice questions that would test knowledge of each of the six content…

Using Written-Answer Questions To Complement Numerical Problems. Case Study: A Separation Processes Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iveson, Simon M.

2002-01-01

Describes the process and outcome of including in assignments and examinations some questions requiring written answers along with traditional questions requiring only numerical calculations. Lists questions used in a chemical engineering course on separation processes along with sample responses from students. Student feedback indicates a…

Answering Wh- Questions About Sentences and Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, Murray

1986-01-01

Describes a study designed to identify the mental operations that contribute to people's ability to answer wh- questions, that is, questions which request information that plays a particular role in relation to some action or event. Wh- questions are signaled by interrogative pronouns and adverbs like who, what, when, and where. (SED)

Playing 20 Questions with the Mind: Collaborative Problem Solving by Humans Using a Brain-to-Brain Interface

PubMed Central

Stocco, Andrea; Prat, Chantel S.; Losey, Darby M.; Cronin, Jeneva A.; Wu, Joseph; Abernethy, Justin A.; Rao, Rajesh P. N.

2015-01-01

We present, to our knowledge, the first demonstration that a non-invasive brain-to-brain interface (BBI) can be used to allow one human to guess what is on the mind of another human through an interactive question-and-answering paradigm similar to the “20 Questions” game. As in previous non-invasive BBI studies in humans, our interface uses electroencephalography (EEG) to detect specific patterns of brain activity from one participant (the “respondent”), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to deliver functionally-relevant information to the brain of a second participant (the “inquirer”). Our results extend previous BBI research by (1) using stimulation of the visual cortex to convey visual stimuli that are privately experienced and consciously perceived by the inquirer; (2) exploiting real-time rather than off-line communication of information from one brain to another; and (3) employing an interactive task, in which the inquirer and respondent must exchange information bi-directionally to collaboratively solve the task. The results demonstrate that using the BBI, ten participants (five inquirer-respondent pairs) can successfully identify a “mystery item” using a true/false question-answering protocol similar to the “20 Questions” game, with high levels of accuracy that are significantly greater than a control condition in which participants were connected through a sham BBI. PMID:26398267

Influence of the ionic liquid/gas surface on ionic liquid chemistry.

PubMed

Lovelock, Kevin R J

2012-04-21

Applications such as gas storage, gas separation, NP synthesis and supported ionic liquid phase catalysis depend upon the interaction of different species with the ionic liquid/gas surface. Consequently, these applications cannot proceed to the full extent of their potential without a profound understanding of the surface structure and properties. As a whole, this perspective contains more questions than answers, which demonstrates the current state of the field. Throughout this perspective, crucial questions are posed and a roadmap is proposed to answer these questions. A critical analysis is made of the field of ionic liquid/gas surface structure and properties, and a number of design rules are mined. The effects of ionic additives on the ionic liquid/gas surface structure are presented. A possible driving force for surface formation is discussed that has, to the best of my knowledge, not been postulated in the literature to date. This driving force suggests that for systems composed solely of ions, the rules for surface formation of dilute electrolytes do not apply. The interaction of neutral additives with the ionic liquid/gas surface is discussed. Particular attention is focussed upon H(2)O and CO(2), vital additives for many applications of ionic liquids. Correlations between ionic liquid/gas surface structure and properties, ionic liquid surfaces plus additives, and ionic liquid applications are given. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2012

Evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of sending pregnancy and abortion history surveys through SMS text messaging to help reach sustainable development goal 3.

PubMed

Leidich, Aimee; Jayaweera, Ruvani; Arcara, Jennet; Clawson, Shannon; Chalker, Chad; Rochat, Roger

2018-06-01

In Kenya, abortion is illegal under most circumstances, yet about 48 abortions per 1,000 women occurred in 2012. Given the stigma around abortion, little is known about the availability of safe abortion. Thus, we explored the feasibility and acceptability of using SMS mobile surveys to collect information about women's pregnancy and abortion histories in Kenya. We sent a one-time mobile survey to 500 18-24year old women who had opted-in to a 16,000-person mobile survey panel. Women elected to answer questions about pregnancy only (number of pregnancies, number of births, age at first pregnancy) or pregnancy and abortion (ever tried to obtain an abortion and whether medical treatment was sought for any complications). The final question for all survey versions was an open-ended question asking respondents how they felt answering these questions. 356 (71%) responded to the initial survey question and 333 (94%) consented to answer questions about pregnancy. Of these, 233 (70%) agreed to answer questions about just pregnancy and 76 (23%) agreed to answer questions about pregnancy and abortion. Three-quarters of respondents indicated that they had positive or neutral feelings about answering these questions over SMS. Lastly, all data was retrieved within 24h of survey distribution allowing for immediate analysis and dissemination. Women's willingness to share their pregnancy history suggests mobile surveys are a cost-effective and accessible method for gathering information on abortion in Kenya. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Participatory assessment of the environment from children's viewpoints: development of a method and its trial.

PubMed

Moriyama, M; Suwa, T; Kabuto, M; Fukushima, T

2001-02-01

To understand the actual viewpoints of children about daily life and the environment, the authors, adopting a participatory strategy, visited 21 classes of Japanese school children, improved in a stepwise process their ways of question-asking, and developed "WIFY"(what is important for you); a set of interactive questions composed of a basic question and three accompanying instructions. In applying WIFY, 59 fourth graders, 22 in Nagasaki, Japan and 37 in Beijing, China, reported their viewpoints in each of classroom settings. In both settings, when children were allowed to communicate with each other by the use of WIFY answering sheet, spontaneous exchanges arose and continued. WIFY itself is supposed to bring out and enhance mutual collaboration and spontaneous networking. In this instance, WIFY functioned as a communication tool. When answering sheets were collected and obtained responses were analyzed as cases, a rather materialistic view was suggested among Japanese children and a more disciplined view, which put much value on school and home, was suggested among Chinese children. Further studies are needed to confirm the changing environmental views of children from the collaborative research framework.

The shaping of information by visual metaphors.

PubMed

Ziemkiewicz, Caroline; Kosara, Robert

2008-01-01

The nature of an information visualization can be considered to lie in the visual metaphors it uses to structure information. The process of understanding a visualization therefore involves an interaction between these external visual metaphors and the user's internal knowledge representations. To investigate this claim, we conducted an experiment to test the effects of visual metaphor and verbal metaphor on the understanding of tree visualizations. Participants answered simple data comprehension questions while viewing either a treemap or a node-link diagram. Questions were worded to reflect a verbal metaphor that was either compatible or incompatible with the visualization a participant was using. The results (based on correctness and response time) suggest that the visual metaphor indeed affects how a user derives information from a visualization. Additionally, we found that the degree to which a user is affected by the metaphor is strongly correlated with the user's ability to answer task questions correctly. These findings are a first step towards illuminating how visual metaphors shape user understanding, and have significant implications for the evaluation, application, and theory of visualization.

Willingness and Ability of Older Adults in the Emergency Department to Provide Clinical Information Using a Tablet Computer.

PubMed

Brahmandam, Sruti; Holland, Wesley C; Mangipudi, Sowmya A; Braz, Valerie A; Medlin, Richard P; Hunold, Katherine M; Jones, Christopher W; Platts-Mills, Timothy F

2016-11-01

To estimate the proportion of older adults in the emergency department (ED) who are willing and able to use a tablet computer to answer questions. Prospective, ED-based cross-sectional study. Two U.S. academic EDs. Individuals aged 65 and older. As part of screening for another study, potential study participants were asked whether they would be willing to use a tablet computer to answer eight questions instead of answering questions orally. A custom user interface optimized for older adults was used. Trained research assistants observed study participants as they used the tablets. Ability to use the tablet was assessed based on need for assistance and number of questions answered correctly. Of 365 individuals approached, 248 (68%) were willing to answer screening questions, 121 of these (49%) were willing to use a tablet computer; of these, 91 (75%) were able to answer at least six questions correctly, and 35 (29%) did not require assistance. Only 14 (12%) were able to answer all eight questions correctly without assistance. Individuals aged 65 to 74 and those reporting use of a touchscreen device at least weekly were more likely to be willing and able to use the tablet computer. Of individuals with no or mild cognitive impairment, the percentage willing to use the tablet was 45%, and the percentage answering all questions correctly was 32%. Approximately half of this sample of older adults in the ED was willing to provide information using a tablet computer, but only a small minority of these were able to enter all information correctly without assistance. Tablet computers may provide an efficient means of collecting clinical information from some older adults in the ED, but at present, it will be ineffective for a significant portion of this population. © 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

The Aunt Gladys Letter.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritter, Mark

1992-01-01

Describes an activity in which students receive individual questions (i.e., What is a sparkler made of and what makes it sparkle?) to answers from their "Aunt Gladys." Students must research the everyday question, discover the answer, and then translate the answer into the common language of the masses. (PR)

The perfect message at the perfect moment.

PubMed

Kalyanam, Kirthi; Zweben, Monte

2005-11-01

Marketers planning promotional campaigns ask questions to boost the odds that the messages will be accepted: Who should receive each message? What should be its content? How should we deliver it? The one question they rarely ask is, when should we deliver it? That's too bad, because in marketing, timing is arguably the most important variable of all. Indeed, there are moments in a customer's relationship with a business when she wants to communicate with that business because something has changed. If the company contacts her with the right message in the right format at the right time, there's a good chance of a warm reception. The question of "when" can be answered by a new computer-based model called "dialogue marketing," which is, to date, the highest rung on an evolutionary ladder that ascends from database marketing to relationship marketing to one-to-one marketing. Its principle advantages over older approaches are that it is completely interactive, exploits many communication channels, and is "relationship aware": that is, it continuously tracks every nuance of the customer's interaction with the business. Thus, dialogue marketing responds to each transition in that relationship at the moment the customer requires attention. Turning a traditional marketing strategy into a dialogue-marketing program is a straightforward matter. Begin by identifying the batch communications you make with customers, then ask yourself what events could trigger those communications to make them more timely. Add a question or call to action to each message and prepare a different treatment or response for each possible answer. Finally, create a series of increasingly urgent calls to action that kick in if the question or call to action goes unanswered by the customer. As dialogue marketing proliferates, it may provide the solid new footing that Madison Avenue seeks.

26 CFR 54.4980B-10 - Interaction of FMLA and COBRA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... following questions-and-answers address how the taking of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of... circumstances does a qualifying event occur if an employee does not return from leave taken under FMLA? A-1: (a) The taking of leave under FMLA does not constitute a qualifying event. A qualifying event under Q&A-1...

26 CFR 54.4980B-10 - Interaction of FMLA and COBRA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... following questions-and-answers address how the taking of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of... circumstances does a qualifying event occur if an employee does not return from leave taken under FMLA? A-1: (a) The taking of leave under FMLA does not constitute a qualifying event. A qualifying event under Q&A-1...

26 CFR 54.4980B-10 - Interaction of FMLA and COBRA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... following questions-and-answers address how the taking of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of... circumstances does a qualifying event occur if an employee does not return from leave taken under FMLA? A-1: (a) The taking of leave under FMLA does not constitute a qualifying event. A qualifying event under Q&A-1...

26 CFR 54.4980B-10 - Interaction of FMLA and COBRA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... following questions-and-answers address how the taking of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of... circumstances does a qualifying event occur if an employee does not return from leave taken under FMLA? A-1: (a) The taking of leave under FMLA does not constitute a qualifying event. A qualifying event under Q&A-1...

26 CFR 54.4980B-10 - Interaction of FMLA and COBRA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... following questions-and-answers address how the taking of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of... circumstances does a qualifying event occur if an employee does not return from leave taken under FMLA? A-1: (a) The taking of leave under FMLA does not constitute a qualifying event. A qualifying event under Q&A-1...

Interactions of Text and Illustration in Beginning Reading. Technical Report No. 355.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Georgia M.; Olsen, Margaret S.

A study examined whether illustrations that must be attended to in order to make sense of a text hinder decoding by encouraging dependence on such illustrations for interpretation of text, both for decoding and for answering questions. Subjects--167 first graders--were asked to read four stories, two of which were taken from basal readers and two…

Social Worker's Resource Guide for Supporting Programs for Emotionally Handicapped Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana State Dept. of Education, Indianapolis. Div. of Special Education.

The guide is intended to serve as an information resource for school social workers in their interactions with emotionally handicapped (EH) students and their teachers. Following a definition of the EH student, the first of six brief chapters uses a question-and-answer format to discuss the role of the social worker in student assessment and the…

Online Distributed Leadership: A Content Analysis of Interaction and Teacher Reflections on Computer-Supported Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallego-Arrufat, María-Jesús; Gutiérrez-Santiuste, Elba; Campaña-Jiménez, Rafael-Luis

2015-01-01

This study performs a content analysis of the communication that develops in online educational situations. It focuses on two aspects of communication in a context in which we observe instructional leadership: how leadership is seen in the virtual classroom and how teachers view their role. The study attempts to answer the question of how teachers…

Neural signatures of response planning occur midway through an incoming question in conversation

PubMed Central

Bögels, Sara; Magyari, Lilla; Levinson, Stephen C.

2015-01-01

A striking puzzle about language use in everyday conversation is that turn-taking latencies are usually very short, whereas planning language production takes much longer. This implies overlap between language comprehension and production processes, but the nature and extent of such overlap has never been studied directly. Combining an interactive quiz paradigm with EEG measurements in an innovative way, we show that production planning processes start as soon as possible, that is, within half a second after the answer to a question can be retrieved (up to several seconds before the end of the question). Localization of ERP data shows early activation even of brain areas related to late stages of production planning (e.g., syllabification). Finally, oscillation results suggest an attention switch from comprehension to production around the same time frame. This perspective from interactive language use throws new light on the performance characteristics that language competence involves. PMID:26242909

Formalizing Evidence Type Definitions for Drug-Drug Interaction Studies to Improve Evidence Base Curation.

PubMed

Utecht, Joseph; Brochhausen, Mathias; Judkins, John; Schneider, Jodi; Boyce, Richard D

2017-01-01

In this research we aim to demonstrate that an ontology-based system can categorize potential drug-drug interaction (PDDI) evidence items into complex types based on a small set of simple questions. Such a method could increase the transparency and reliability of PDDI evidence evaluation, while also reducing the variations in content and seriousness ratings present in PDDI knowledge bases. We extended the DIDEO ontology with 44 formal evidence type definitions. We then manually annotated the evidence types of 30 evidence items. We tested an RDF/OWL representation of answers to a small number of simple questions about each of these 30 evidence items and showed that automatic inference can determine the detailed evidence types based on this small number of simpler questions. These results show proof-of-concept for a decision support infrastructure that frees the evidence evaluator from mastering relatively complex written evidence type definitions.

Generation of crystal structures using known crystal structures as analogues

PubMed Central

Cole, Jason C.; Groom, Colin R.; Read, Murray G.; Giangreco, Ilenia; McCabe, Patrick; Reilly, Anthony M.; Shields, Gregory P.

2016-01-01

This analysis attempts to answer the question of whether similar molecules crystallize in a similar manner. An analysis of structures in the Cambridge Structural Database shows that the answer is yes – sometimes they do, particularly for single-component structures. However, one does need to define what we mean by similar in both cases. Building on this observation we then demonstrate how this correlation between shape similarity and packing similarity can be used to generate potential lattices for molecules with no known crystal structure. Simple intermolecular interaction potentials can be used to minimize these potential lattices. Finally we discuss the many limitations of this approach. PMID:27484374

The recent evolution of the question "What is life"?

PubMed

Morange, Michel

2012-01-01

The question "What is life?" is absent from the writings of present-day biologists and scientists. However, an answer to this question, even if only partial, is needed for successful completion of projects in astrobiology and synthetic biology. The reasons for this absence are metaphysical, epistemological, and historical. No one has a full answer to this question, but there are many good reasons to keep posing it. Answers are no longer sought in the existence of strengths or mechanisms specific to life. The secret of life has been unveiled and it is nothing other than physical chemistry. What remains to be understood is the way the characteristics of organisms have emerged and been combined within one unique "object." The answer to the question "What is life?" is now looked for in the scenario that generated life.

Impact of web searching and social feedback on consumer decision making: a prospective online experiment.

PubMed

Lau, Annie Y S; Coiera, Enrico W

2008-01-22

The World Wide Web has increasingly become an important source of information in health care consumer decision making. However, little is known about whether searching online resources actually improves consumers' understanding of health issues. The aim was to study whether searching on the World Wide Web improves consumers' accuracy in answering health questions and whether consumers' understanding of health issues is subject to further change under social feedback. This was a pre/post prospective online study. A convenience sample of 227 undergraduate students was recruited from the population of the University of New South Wales. Subjects used a search engine that retrieved online documents from PubMed, MedlinePlus, and HealthInsite and answered a set of six questions (before and after use of the search engine) designed for health care consumers. They were then presented with feedback consisting of a summary of the post-search answers provided by previous subjects for the same questions and were asked to answer the questions again. There was an improvement in the percentage of correct answers after searching (pre-search 61.2% vs post-search 82.0%, P <.001) and after feedback with other subjects' answers (pre-feedback 82.0% vs post-feedback 85.3%, P =.051). The proportion of subjects with highly confident correct answers (ie, confident or very confident) and the proportion with highly confident incorrect answers significantly increased after searching (correct pre-search 61.6% vs correct post-search 95.5%, P <.001; incorrect pre-search 55.3% vs incorrect post-search 82.0%, P <.001). Subjects who were not as confident in their post-search answers were 28.5% more likely than those who were confident or very confident to change their answer after feedback with other subjects' post-search answers (chi(2) (1)= 66.65, P <.001). Searching across quality health information sources on the Web can improve consumers' accuracy in answering health questions. However, a consumer's confidence in an answer is not a good indicator of the answer being correct. Consumers who are not confident in their answers after searching are more likely to be influenced to change their views when provided with feedback from other consumers.

Response switching and self-efficacy in Peer Instruction classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Kelly; Schell, Julie; Ho, Andrew; Lukoff, Brian; Mazur, Eric

2015-06-01

Peer Instruction, a well-known student-centered teaching method, engages students during class through structured, frequent questioning and is often facilitated by classroom response systems. The central feature of any Peer Instruction class is a conceptual question designed to help resolve student misconceptions about subject matter. We provide students two opportunities to answer each question—once after a round of individual reflection and then again after a discussion round with a peer. The second round provides students the choice to "switch" their original response to a different answer. The percentage of right answers typically increases after peer discussion: most students who answer incorrectly in the individual round switch to the correct answer after the peer discussion. However, for any given question there are also students who switch their initially right answer to a wrong answer and students who switch their initially wrong answer to a different wrong answer. In this study, we analyze response switching over one semester of an introductory electricity and magnetism course taught using Peer Instruction at Harvard University. Two key features emerge from our analysis: First, response switching correlates with academic self-efficacy. Students with low self-efficacy switch their responses more than students with high self-efficacy. Second, switching also correlates with the difficulty of the question; students switch to incorrect responses more often when the question is difficult. These findings indicate that instructors may need to provide greater support for difficult questions, such as supplying cues during lectures, increasing times for discussions, or ensuring effective pairing (such as having a student with one right answer in the pair). Additionally, the connection between response switching and self-efficacy motivates interventions to increase student self-efficacy at the beginning of the semester by helping students develop early mastery or to reduce stressful experiences (i.e., high-stakes testing) early in the semester, in the hope that this will improve student learning in Peer Instruction classrooms.

National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Area Source Standards for Prepared Feeds Manufacturing: Commonly Asked Questions and Answers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This 2011 document answers common questions about the NESHAP for Area Sources for Prepared Feeds Manufacturing. The questions range in topics including applicability, specific requirements, and recordkeeping.

Elementary school teachers' techniques of responding to student questions regarding sexuality issues.

PubMed

Price, James H; Dake, Joseph A; Kirchofer, Gregg; Telljohann, Susan K

2003-01-01

Fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school teachers' (n = 277) techniques of responding to students' human sexuality-related questions were assessed. Few teachers (34%) reported receiving formal training in sexuality education. The most commonly asked student questions dealt with STDs, puberty, homosexuality, pregnancy, and abortion. Teachers' willingness to answer sexually-related questions in front of the class varied (73% to 14%) by content of the question. There were no questions on the questionnaire in which more than one in five teachers would choose not to answer. The most common questions the teachers identified they would not respond to dealt with topics such as abortion, masturbation, homosexuality, and issues about the male genitals. Finally, none of the questions was perceived by more than one in eight of the teachers as questions they would not be allowed to answer.

An overview of the BIOASQ large-scale biomedical semantic indexing and question answering competition.

PubMed

Tsatsaronis, George; Balikas, Georgios; Malakasiotis, Prodromos; Partalas, Ioannis; Zschunke, Matthias; Alvers, Michael R; Weissenborn, Dirk; Krithara, Anastasia; Petridis, Sergios; Polychronopoulos, Dimitris; Almirantis, Yannis; Pavlopoulos, John; Baskiotis, Nicolas; Gallinari, Patrick; Artiéres, Thierry; Ngomo, Axel-Cyrille Ngonga; Heino, Norman; Gaussier, Eric; Barrio-Alvers, Liliana; Schroeder, Michael; Androutsopoulos, Ion; Paliouras, Georgios

2015-04-30

This article provides an overview of the first BIOASQ challenge, a competition on large-scale biomedical semantic indexing and question answering (QA), which took place between March and September 2013. BIOASQ assesses the ability of systems to semantically index very large numbers of biomedical scientific articles, and to return concise and user-understandable answers to given natural language questions by combining information from biomedical articles and ontologies. The 2013 BIOASQ competition comprised two tasks, Task 1a and Task 1b. In Task 1a participants were asked to automatically annotate new PUBMED documents with MESH headings. Twelve teams participated in Task 1a, with a total of 46 system runs submitted, and one of the teams performing consistently better than the MTI indexer used by NLM to suggest MESH headings to curators. Task 1b used benchmark datasets containing 29 development and 282 test English questions, along with gold standard (reference) answers, prepared by a team of biomedical experts from around Europe and participants had to automatically produce answers. Three teams participated in Task 1b, with 11 system runs. The BIOASQ infrastructure, including benchmark datasets, evaluation mechanisms, and the results of the participants and baseline methods, is publicly available. A publicly available evaluation infrastructure for biomedical semantic indexing and QA has been developed, which includes benchmark datasets, and can be used to evaluate systems that: assign MESH headings to published articles or to English questions; retrieve relevant RDF triples from ontologies, relevant articles and snippets from PUBMED Central; produce "exact" and paragraph-sized "ideal" answers (summaries). The results of the systems that participated in the 2013 BIOASQ competition are promising. In Task 1a one of the systems performed consistently better from the NLM's MTI indexer. In Task 1b the systems received high scores in the manual evaluation of the "ideal" answers; hence, they produced high quality summaries as answers. Overall, BIOASQ helped obtain a unified view of how techniques from text classification, semantic indexing, document and passage retrieval, question answering, and text summarization can be combined to allow biomedical experts to obtain concise, user-understandable answers to questions reflecting their real information needs.

75 FR 54347 - Draft Guidance for Industry: Bar Code Label Requirements-Questions and Answers (Question 12...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-07

...] Draft Guidance for Industry: Bar Code Label Requirements-- Questions and Answers (Question 12 Update... Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a draft document entitled ``Guidance for Industry: Bar... guidance provides you, manufacturers of a licensed vaccine, with advice concerning compliance with the bar...

Berkeley Lab Answers Your Home Energy Efficiency Questions

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

Walker, Iain

2013-02-14

In this follow-up "Ask Berkeley Lab" video, energy efficiency expert Iain Walker answers some of your questions about home energy efficiency. How do you monitor which appliances use the most energy? Should you replace your old windows? Are photovoltaic systems worth the cost? What to do about a leaky house? And what's the single biggest energy user in your home? Watch the video to get the answers to these and more questions.

Berkeley Lab Answers Your Home Energy Efficiency Questions

ScienceCinema

Walker, Iain

2018-01-16

In this follow-up "Ask Berkeley Lab" video, energy efficiency expert Iain Walker answers some of your questions about home energy efficiency. How do you monitor which appliances use the most energy? Should you replace your old windows? Are photovoltaic systems worth the cost? What to do about a leaky house? And what's the single biggest energy user in your home? Watch the video to get the answers to these and more questions.

Constructive evaluation: a pedagogy of student-contributed assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luxton-Reilly, Andrew; Denny, Paul

2010-06-01

We present an innovative pedagogical approach that we call constructive evaluation, which shifts students from being consumers of knowledge to participants in a community of peers engaged in actively producing and sharing knowledge. Students are required to author a question that assesses one or more of the learning outcomes of a course. In addition to the question, students write a sample solution. These questions and solutions are stored in a question item bank where they become available for other students to use as a learning resource. Once a student answers a question from the item bank, they can see how other students have answered the question and can reflect on their own response. Additionally, students must review the questions they have answered and are given an opportunity to engage in discussion of questions or answers via a feedback mechanism. In addition to improving content knowledge, students develop important meta-skills such as organising and communicating knowledge; judging the quality of information; giving and receiving feedback and improving self-assessment skills. This approach is aligned with both reflective professional practice and social theories of learning.

A Deep Learning-Based Method for Similar Patient Question Retrieval in Chinese.

PubMed

Tang, Guo Yu; Ni, Yuan; Xie, Guo Tong; Fan, Xin Li; Shi, Yan Ling

2017-01-01

The online patient question and answering (Q&A) system, either as a website or a mobile application, attracts an increasing number of users in China. Patients will post their questions and the registered doctors then provide the corresponding answers. A large amount of questions with answers from doctors are accumulated. Instead of awaiting the response from a doctor, the newly posted question could be quickly answered by finding a semantically equivalent question from the Q&A achive. In this study, we investigated a novel deep learning based method to retrieve the similar patient question in Chinese. An unsupervised learning algorithm using deep neural network is performed on the corpus to generate the word embedding. The word embedding was then used as the input to a supervised learning algorithm using a designed deep neural network, i.e. the supervised neural attention model (SNA), to predict the similarity between two questions. The experimental results showed that our SNA method achieved P@1 = 77% and P@5 = 84%, which outperformed all other compared methods.

Streptomyces metabolites in divergent microbial interactions.

PubMed

Takano, Hideaki; Nishiyama, Tatsuya; Amano, Sho-ichi; Beppu, Teruhiko; Kobayashi, Michihiko; Ueda, Kenji

2016-03-01

Streptomyces and related bacteria produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites. Of these, many compounds have industrial applications, but the question of why this group of microorganism produces such various kinds of biologically active substances has not yet been clearly answered. Here, we overview the results from our studies on the novel function and role of Streptomyces metabolites. The diverged action of negative and positive influences onto the physiology of various microorganisms infers the occurrence of complex microbial interactions due to the effect of small molecules produced by Streptomyces. The interactions may serve as a basis for the constitution of biological community.

Pragmatic Language Development in Language Impaired and Typically Developing Children: Incorrect Answers in Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryder, Nuala; Leinonen, Eeva

2014-01-01

This study focused on young children's incorrect answers to pragmatically demanding questions. Children with specific language impairment (SLI), including a subgroup with pragmatic language difficulties (PLD) and typically developing children answered questions targeting implicatures, based on a storybook and short verbal scenarios.…

Ninety-three pictures and 108 questions for the elicitation of homophones

PubMed Central

FERREIRA, VICTOR S.; CUTTING, J. COOPER

2007-01-01

Homographs and homophones have interesting linguistic properties that make them useful in many experiments involving language. To assist researchers in the elicitation of homophones, this paper presents a set of 93 line-drawn pictures of objects with homophonic names and a set of 108 questions with homophonic answers. Statistics are also included for each picture and question: Picture statistics include name-agreement percentages, dominance, and frequency statistics of depicted referents, and picture-naming latencies both with and without study of the picture names. For questions, statistics include answer-agreement percentages, difficulty ratings, dominance, frequency statistics, and naming latencies for 60 of the most consistently answered questions. PMID:18185842

Paper and Other Web Coating National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) Questions and Answers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This May 2003 document contains questions and answers on the Paper and Web Coating National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulation. The questions cover topics such as compliance, applicability, and initial notification.

Conscience in Childhood: Old Questions, New Answers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksan, Nazan; Kochanska, Grazyna

2005-01-01

Although conscience has been the focus of reflection for centuries, fundamental questions regarding its organization have not been fully answered. To address those questions, the authors applied structural equation modeling techniques to longitudinal data comprising multiple behavioral measures of children's conscience, obtained in parallel…

Computer Analysis in HSC German

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clutterbuck, Michael; Mowchanuk, Timothy

1977-01-01

In October, 1976, a new type of question was introduced into the Victorian HSC German test: A listening comprehension question with multiple-choice answers has replaced the written reproduction question. Results of a computer analysis of the answers given in the exam are reported. (SW)

MAD Submission Form

Science.gov Websites

best answered by professional advice/consulting. Questions concerning the development of commercial products or the operation of a commercial organization. Questions answered by basic references, such as

Mentoring: Making a Difference for Tomorrow's Workers. A Handbook for Business and Industry Personnel Involved in School-to-Work Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Partnership for Academic and Career Education, Pendleton, SC.

Presented in a question-and-answer format, this guide is designed to answer the questions of persons who have agreed to become mentors for students in school-to-work programs. The guide answers the following 12 questions: (1) Why am I here? (2) What is mentoring all about? (3) What does mentoring have to do with School-to-Work? (4) Where do I fit…

NASA Earthdata Forums: An Interactive Venue for Discussions of NASA Data and Earth Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hearty, Thomas J., III; Acker, James; Meyer, Dave; Northup, Emily A.; Bagwell, Ross E.

2017-01-01

We demonstrate how students and teachers can register to use the NASA Earthdata Forums. The NASA Earthdata forums provide a venue where registered users can pose questions regarding NASA Earth science data in a moderated forum, and have their questions answered by data experts and scientific subject matter experts connected with NASA Earth science missions and projects. Since the forums are also available for research scientists to pose questions and discuss pertinent topics, the NASA Earthdata Forums provide a unique opportunity for students and teachers to gain insight from expert scientists and enhance their knowledge of the many different ways that NASA Earth observations can be used in research and applications.

SHC Meeting Documents for November 2-4, 2016: Charge Questions

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document contains three (3) questions that the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program is asking the BOSC Subcommitte to answer at the Nov 2-4 BOSC meeting. The answers to these questions will help SHC evaluate if their ongoing and future

Questions and Answers Regarding the 1997 State Plan Requirements for Hospital, Medical, and Infectious Waste Incinerators (HMIWI)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This November 1997 document contains questions and answers on the state plan requirements for HMIWI regulations. The questions cover topics such as re-opening existing sources, timelines for submission, consequences for failure to submit, and more.

Working with Second Language Learners: Answers to Teachers' Top Ten Questions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cary, Stephen

This book aims to provide practical, research-informed answers to the questions most frequently asked by teachers of second language learners. Every question targets one of the key instructional issues teachers must address to ensure success for their second language students. Included among the questions are: How do I assess a student's English?…

Unpark Those Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ness, Molly

2013-01-01

Whenever Mr. Henderson's 3rd grade students had a question that he couldn't immediately answer or that seemed off-topic, he asked them to write the question on a sticky note and place it on a poster dubbed the "Parking Lot." His intention was to find time later to answer those questions, but too often, he said, the parking lot…

Answers to Health Questions in Physical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Robert, Ed.

Culled from the answers of physical education teachers and coaches, this booklet attempts to indicate the scope of health problems and suggests some directions which the solutions may take. It is divided into three parts. Part 1, Health and Safety in Activity Programs, answers questions on first aid, excused absences, and desirability of…

[Biomedical research practice and therapeutic practice: to whom does the human body belong?].

PubMed

Gaille-Nikodimov, Marie

2006-02-01

Who owns the human body? This issue has been formerly raised about the status of the slave. Today, it has become a prominent stake for when reflecting on biomedical research and healthcare practices. In our cultures, many answers may be given to this question : they are derived from philosophical or theological traditions ; they are borrowed from anthropological, sociological or psychological knowledge ; they may be formulated in a moral or political perspective. All of them give different insights and reveal one of the various dimensions of the question. When examining the status of the body and its relation to the human subject in the various stages of his/her life (including his/her death), one of the main difficulties is to deal with each of these answers and to understand how they meet and interact in the public debate. Another matter is related to the fact that law also plays a crucial role in the process of giving an answer to this question. In our book, A qui appartient le corps humain ? Médecine, politique et droit (Paris, Belles Lettres, 2004), Claire Crignon-De Oliveira and I have tried to deal with both difficulties. In this article, I focus on the meaning of the various law traditions. In western world, the laws are all derived, up to a certain extent, from the Roman tradition. Whether they have chosen to consider the human body as a property or to associate the body to the person, they have taken very different options. However, an examination of the ways laws are elaborated on this topic shows that these two conceptions can meet in unexpected manners and that lawmaking can give creative answers to both the problem of protecting the person and to the requirements of biomedical research and healthcare practices.

Reye's Syndrome

MedlinePlus

... of the research on RS focuses on answering fundamental questions about the disorder such as how problems ... of the research on RS focuses on answering fundamental questions about the disorder such as how problems ...

Cordelia, Lear, and forgiveness.

PubMed

Schafer, Roy

2005-01-01

Painful human interactions are often followed by urges to forgive, be forgiving, or seek forgiveness. The insight analysands develop into their transferences highlights their finding gratification in constantly reenacting painful interactions. Their new understanding can make forgiveness seem irrelevant; waiving the question of forgiveness might then seem the wiser course to follow. Also thrown into question is whether total forgiveness of self and others can ever be achieved. Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Lear raises these questions. There we encounter, first, the painful interaction of Cordelia and Lear and, finally, Cordelia's response, "No cause, no cause," to a dying Lear's begging her forgiveness for having initially treated her cruelly. Cordelia's response seems to be waiving the question of guilt and forgiveness, but could it be wholehearted? In a search for answers, a reading of Cordelia's and Lear's lines is interwoven with interpretations of unconscious conflict that might be considered were one to encounter clinically a "Cordelia" abused by an aging and failing father at a turning point in her womanly development. Unconsciously, it is concluded, unforgivingness persists alongside the loving, insightful waiving of forgiveness made possible by higher-level ego functioning. Methodological reflections on reading and interpretation are included.

Accuracy of Answers Provided by Digital/Face-to-Face Reference Services in Japanese Public Libraries and Q & A Sites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsuji, Keita; To, Haruna; Hara, Atsuyuki

2011-01-01

We asked the same 60 questions using DRS (digital reference services) in Japanese public libraries, face-to-face reference services and Q & A (question and answer) sites. It was found that: (1) The correct answer ratio of DRS is higher than that of Q & A sites; (2) DRS takes longer to provide answers as compared to Q & A sites; and (3)…

CULTURAL DISPLAY RULES DRIVE EYE GAZE DURING THINKING.

PubMed

McCarthy, Anjanie; Lee, Kang; Itakura, Shoji; Muir, Darwin W

2006-11-01

The authors measured the eye gaze displays of Canadian, Trinidadian, and Japanese participants as they answered questions for which they either knew, or had to derive, the answers. When they knew the answers, Trinidadians maintained the most eye contact, whereas Japanese maintained the least. When thinking about the answers to questions, Canadians and Trinidadians looked up, whereas Japanese looked down. Thus, for humans, gaze displays while thinking are at least in part culturally determined.

Comparison of traditional and interactive teaching methods in a UK emergency department.

PubMed

Armstrong, Peter; Elliott, Tim; Ronald, Julie; Paterson, Brodie

2009-12-01

Didactic teaching remains a core component of undergraduate education, but developing computer assisted learning (CAL) packages may provide useful alternatives. We compared the effectiveness of interactive multimedia-based tutorials with traditional, lecture-based models for teaching arterial blood gas interpretation to fourth year medical students. Participants were randomized to complete a tutorial in either lecture or multimedia format containing identical content. Upon completion, students answered five multiple choice questions assessing post-tutorial knowledge, and provided feedback on their allocated learning method. Marks revealed no significant difference between either group. All lecture candidates rated their teaching as good, compared with 89% of the CAL group. All CAL users found multiple choice questions assessment useful, compared with 83% of lecture participants. Both groups highlighted the importance of interaction. CAL complements other teaching methods, but should be seen as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, traditional methods, thus offering students a blended learning environment.

FAQs | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

New to NIH: Frequently Asked Questions Traveling to a new hospital can be stressful. We hope the information provided here will answer your questions before your first visit to the Pediatric Oncology Branch, located within the NIH Clinical Center. You can find answers to the following frequently asked questions below:

Surface Coating of Wood Building Products National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) Questions and Answers (Q&A's)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This September 2004 document contains questions and answers on the Surface Coating of Wood Building Products National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulation. The questions cover topics such as compliance, and applicability, etc

Answering Your Questions about AIDS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalichman, Seth C.

This book focuses on AIDS education and answers 350 commonly asked questions about Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) taken from questions addressed to two major urban AIDS hotlines (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Houston, Texas). Chapter 1, "HIV - The Virus That Causes AIDS," discusses: the HIV…

"I'm Not Much of an Expert, Myself": Situated Learning in an Informal Online Community of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boven, David T.

2014-01-01

This article represents an attempt to more fully understand the interactions of individuals in a specific community of practice on the World Wide Web. It attempts to answer questions about whether norms of participation and learning developed over time have been established in this virtual community of practice. It also explores how the perceived…

Enabling User to User Interactions in Web Lectures with History-Aware User Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ketterl, Markus; Mertens, Robert; Wiesen, Christoph; Vornberger, Oliver

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a user interface for web lectures for engaging with other users while working with video based learning content. The application allows its users to ask questions about the content and to get answers from those users that currently online are more familiar with it. The filtering is based on the…

Conversational Interaction and the Development of Conversational Competence in Additional Languages in Higher Education: Considerations for Students, Language Centres, and Language Policy Developers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Stephan; Blondel, Valérie; Mall-Grob, Beatrice

2017-01-01

This article addresses the questions: why is the development of conversational competence important within higher education? And how might this goal be pursued? We offer answers that may aid a broad range of stakeholders (language learners, course designers, lecturers, language development managers, and policy makers) in thinking through these…

Assessment of Learning Gains Associated with Independent Exam Analysis in Introductory Biology

PubMed Central

William, Adrienne E.; Aguilar-Roca, Nancy M.; Tsai, Michelle; Wong, Matthew; Beaupré, Marin Moravec; O’Dowd, Diane K.

2011-01-01

This study evaluates the impact of an independent postmidterm question analysis exercise on the ability of students to answer subsequent exam questions on the same topics. It was conducted in three sections (∼400 students/section) of introductory biology. Graded midterms were returned electronically, and each student was assigned a subset of questions answered incorrectly by more than 40% of the class to analyze as homework. The majority of questions were at Bloom's application/analysis level; this exercise therefore emphasized learning at these higher levels of cognition. Students in each section answered final exam questions matched by topic to all homework questions, providing a within-class control group for each question. The percentage of students who correctly answered the matched final exam question was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the Topic Analysis versus Control Analysis group for seven of 19 questions. We identified two factors that influenced activity effectiveness: 1) similarity in topic emphasis of the midterm–final exam question pair and 2) quality of the completed analysis homework. Our data suggest that this easy-to-implement exercise will be useful in large-enrollment classes to help students develop self-regulated learning skills. Additional strategies to help introductory students gain a broader understanding of topic areas are discussed. PMID:22135369

Assessment of learning gains associated with independent exam analysis in introductory biology.

PubMed

Williams, Adrienne E; William, Adrienne E; Aguilar-Roca, Nancy M; Tsai, Michelle; Wong, Matthew; Beaupré, Marin Moravec; O'Dowd, Diane K

2011-01-01

This study evaluates the impact of an independent postmidterm question analysis exercise on the ability of students to answer subsequent exam questions on the same topics. It was conducted in three sections (∼400 students/section) of introductory biology. Graded midterms were returned electronically, and each student was assigned a subset of questions answered incorrectly by more than 40% of the class to analyze as homework. The majority of questions were at Bloom's application/analysis level; this exercise therefore emphasized learning at these higher levels of cognition. Students in each section answered final exam questions matched by topic to all homework questions, providing a within-class control group for each question. The percentage of students who correctly answered the matched final exam question was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the Topic Analysis versus Control Analysis group for seven of 19 questions. We identified two factors that influenced activity effectiveness: 1) similarity in topic emphasis of the midterm-final exam question pair and 2) quality of the completed analysis homework. Our data suggest that this easy-to-implement exercise will be useful in large-enrollment classes to help students develop self-regulated learning skills. Additional strategies to help introductory students gain a broader understanding of topic areas are discussed.

Improving our chemistry: challenges and opportunities in the interdisciplinary study of floral volatiles.

PubMed

Raguso, R A; Thompson, J N; Campbell, D R

2015-07-01

The field of chemical ecology was established, in large part, through collaborative studies between biologists and chemists with common interests in the mechanisms that mediate chemical communication in ecological and evolutionary contexts. Pollination is one highly diverse and important category of such interactions, and there is growing evidence that floral volatiles play important roles in mediating pollinator behaviour and its consequences for plant reproductive ecology and evolution. Here we outline next-generation questions emerging in the study of plants and pollinators, and discuss the potential for strengthening collaboration between biologists and chemists in answering such questions.

Treatment of burns in the first 24 hours: simple and practical guide by answering 10 questions in a step-by-step form

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Residents in training, medical students and other staff in surgical sector, emergency room (ER) and intensive care unit (ICU) or Burn Unit face a multitude of questions regarding burn care. Treatment of burns is not always straightforward. Furthermore, National and International guidelines differ from one region to another. On one hand, it is important to understand pathophysiology, classification of burns, surgical treatment, and the latest updates in burn science. On the other hand, the clinical situation for treating these cases needs clear guidelines to cover every single aspect during the treatment procedure. Thus, 10 questions have been organised and discussed in a step-by-step form in order to achieve the excellence of education and the optimal treatment of burn injuries in the first 24 hours. These 10 questions will clearly discuss referral criteria to the burn unit, primary and secondary survey, estimation of the total burned surface area (%TBSA) and the degree of burns as well as resuscitation process, routine interventions, laboratory tests, indications of Bronchoscopy and special considerations for Inhalation trauma, immediate consultations and referrals, emergency surgery and admission orders. Understanding and answering the 10 questions will not only cover the management process of Burns during the first 24 hours but also seems to be an interactive clear guide for education purpose. PMID:22583548

What Does the Law Say?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zirkel, Perry A.

2009-01-01

In this article, the author identifies and answers questions related to IDEA eligibility issues and the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) regulation. The author's answers to several questions concerning legal issues are presented.

Report on Questions Raised and Requests Made at the 1980 National Conference of Librarians Serving Blind and Physically Handicapped Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Library of Congress, Washington, DC. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Using a question and answer format, this report provides answers to a wide variety of questions and requests about National Library Service policies and procedures, planning and development, reading materials, equipment, and publication services of concern to librarians serving these user groups. Questions directed to guest speakers and panelists…

Las Preguntas Que Hacen los Padres sobre la Escuela (Questions Parents Ask about School).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Opinion Research Center, Chicago, IL.

This guide presents questions that parents frequently ask about their children's school along with answers to those questions. The questions and answers were prepared based on the results of studies conducted by the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, the U.S. Department of Education, the GTE Foundation, and by the National Center for…

Quora.com: Another Place for Users to Ask Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ovadia, Steven

2011-01-01

Quora (www.quora.com) is a contemporary, web-based take on reference. Users post questions within Quora and other users answer the questions. Users can vote for and against answers (or not vote at all). It is users asking questions of friends and strangers and then sorting through the results. If the model sounds familiar, it's because it is.…

Questions and Answers: The Education of Exceptional Children. Report Number 73.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hensley, Gene; And Others

Written in question and answer form, the booklet provides brief responses to often asked questions by legislators and educators concerning the education of exceptional children. Among the topics covered are state and federal legislation; planning and accountability; finance; administration, classification, and placement; personnel utilization;…

Two Preferences in Question-Answer Sequences in Language Classroom Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosoda, Yuri; Aline, David

2013-01-01

Discussing two preferences associated with question-answer sequences, this study examines student responses to teacher questions in primary school English-as-a-foreign-language classes. The paper starts out with a reconsideration of institutional context, with a focus on classroom context from a conversation analysis perspective. We then introduce…

From Asking to Answering: Making Questions Explicit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington, Gene

2006-01-01

"From Asking To Answering: Making Questions Explicit" describes a pedagogical procedure the author has used in writing classes (expository, technical and creative) to help students better understand the purpose, and effect, of text-questions. It accomplishes this by means of thirteen discrete categories (e.g., CLAIMS, COMMITMENT, ANAPHORA, or…

It's about the Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bearwald, Ronald R.

2011-01-01

The best coaching partnerships are built on conversation and listening, and they are not built on a coach giving answers to a mentee. Ronald Bearward explains how coaches can use questions to help mentees find answers for themselves. Effective questions lead to greater reflection and solutions that teachers can use now and in the future.

Questions and Answers Regarding the 2009 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) Emissions Guidelines, and State Plan Process for Hospital, Medical, and Infectious Waste Incinerators (HMIWI)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This July 2011 document contains questions and answers on the Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators (HMIWI) regulations. The questions cover topics such as state plan requirements, compliance, applicability, operator training, and more.

The American Indians: Answers to 101 Questions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Indian Affairs (Dept. of Interior), Washington, DC.

Presented in a simple and straightforward manner, this publication answers questions basic to an understanding of the American Indian and his socioeconomic position in the United States. The following identify major areas covered and representative questions: (1) The Indian People (Who is an Indian?); (2) The Legal Status of Indians (Are Indians…

Answers to the 50 Most Important Questions about Private Mental Health Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forman, Bruce D.; Silverman, Wade H.

Designed for anyone contemplating or presently established in private mental health practice, this book provides the answers to 50 pertinent questions concerning private practice. Questions were culled from a survey of graduate students in psychology, as well as experienced psychotherapists, psychiatrists, social workers, mental health counselors,…

Unit: Minerals and Crystals, First Trial Materials, Inspection Set.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Science Education Project, Toorak, Victoria.

This unit, one of a series being developed for Australian secondary school science courses, consists of a teacher's guide, two student booklets, a test booklet, and a student workbook which also contains answers to questions raised in the student booklets, and a answer sheet containing comments on the answers to the questions in the test booklet.…

Use of Feedback-Oriented Online Exercises to Help Physiology Students Construct Well-Organized Answers to Short-Answer Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnegie, Jacqueline

2015-01-01

Postsecondary education often requires students to use higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) such as analysis, evaluation, and creation as they assess situations and apply what they have learned during lecture to the formulation of solutions. Summative assessment of these abilities is often accomplished using short-answer questions (SAQs). Quandary…

So, What Is the Answer? Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Don

2005-01-01

Leaders are barraged daily by teachers, administrators, and students seeking answers to questions ranging from the simplistic to the metaphysical in their complexity. The author is sure leaders wonder at times, "How in the world can I free up enough time to answer them all?" Well, the author states that he hates to break the news, but it is…

Instance-Based Question Answering

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

answer clustering, composition, and scoring. Moreover, with the effort dedicated to improving monolingual system performance, system parameters are...text collections: document type, manual or automatic annotations (if any), and stylistic and notational differences in technical terms. Monolingual ...forum in which cross language retrieval systems and question answering systems are tested for various Eu- ropean languages. The CLEF QA monolingual task

Comparison of individual answer and group answer with and without structured peer assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kablan, Zeynel

2014-09-01

Background:Cooperative learning activities provide active participation of students leading to better learning. The literature suggests that cooperative learning activities need to be structured for a more effective and productive interaction. Purpose: This study aimed to test the differences among three instructional conditions in terms of science achievement. Sample:A total of 79 fifth-grade students, 42 males (53%) and 37 females (47%), participated in the study. Design and Methods:In the first condition, students answered the teacher's questions individually by raising hands. In the second condition, students discussed the answer in groups and came up with a single group answer. In this condition, the teacher provided only verbal directions to the groups without using any strategy or material. In the third condition, students used a 'peer assessment form' before giving the group answer. A pre-/post-test experimental design was used. Multiple-choice and open-ended tests were used for data collection. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to test the differences in the test scores between the three groups (individual answer, unstructured group answer and structured group answer). Results:Results showed that there were no significant differences among the three learning conditions in terms of their multiple-choice test scores. In terms of the open-ended test scores, students in the structured group answer condition scored significantly higher than the students in the individual answer condition. Conclusions:Structuring the group work through peer assessment helped to monitor the group discussion, provided a better learning compared to the individual answer condition, and helped students to participate in the activity equally.

A medical consultation service on Facebook: descriptive analysis of questions answered.

PubMed

Helve, Otto

2014-09-04

Social media is used increasingly by the general public to access health information. However, a lack of models for health information distribution limits the presence of publicly funded services on social media sites. The goal of the study was to present a model for delivering child health information to parents through a social media site. A Facebook site was launched for 11 months based on a question-and-answer service produced by a pediatrician and open to Facebook users over 18 years old. If the answer did not include a further referral to a health care service provider, the question was considered comprehensively answered. The site was funded by a pharmaceutical company, and it included an advertisement of a pharmaceutical product for children's fever and pain. During the study, 768 questions were submitted: an average of 69.8 (SD 31.7) per month. There were 245,533 independent Facebook users on the site, with an average of 727.0 (SD 2280.6) per day. Infections were the most common theme in questions (355/768, 46.2%). Questions were more likely to be comprehensively answered if they were related to infections (279/355, 78.6%) than questions related to non-infectious symptoms (265/423, 64.2%, P=.003). On this site aimed at parents of small children, personalized answers were an effective way of delivering information. The service is likely to have reduced the need for further contacts with a health care service provider in more than half of the cases. The site could serve as a model for publicly funded health information distribution.

Interactions between binocular rivalry and Gestalt formation.

PubMed

de Weert, Charles M M; Snoeren, Peter R; Koning, Arno

2005-09-01

A question raised a long time ago in binocular rivalry research is whether the phenomenon of binocular rivalry is purely determined by local stimulus properties or that global stimulus properties also play a role. More specifically: do coherent features in a stimulus influence rivalrous behavior? After decades of underexposure of the subject, recently this question seemed to be answered in the affirmative. This paper presents additional evidence for an influence of coherent features. In an experiment in which eye movements cannot bias conclusions it is demonstrated that Gestalt formation influences binocular rivalry positively, i.e., stronger Gestalts have longer total dominance times. Gestalt formation appears to intervene in the states of dominance ("what"), not directly in the dominance durations ("how long"). This generates questions about the nature of interactions between binocular rivalry and Gestalt formation. Gestalt formation seems to be fed by signals that are generated after binocular convergence and only leaves its mark on binocular rivalry by feedback to monocular channels, a conclusion which has been drawn before by Alais and Blake [Alais, D., & Blake, R. (1998). Interaction between global motion and local binocular rivalry. Vision research 38, 637-644].

A questions-based investigation of consumer mental-health information

PubMed Central

Kart, Joyce Brothers

2015-01-01

Despite the wealth of mental-health information available online to consumers, research has shown that the mental-health information needs of consumers are not being met. This study contributes to that research by soliciting consumer questions directly, categorizing them, analyzing their form, and assessing the extent to which they can be answered from a trusted and vetted source of online information, namely the website of the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). As an alternative to surveys and analyses of online activity, this study shows how consumer questions provide new insight into what consumers do not know and how they express their information needs. The study crowdsourced 100 consumer questions through Amazon Inc.’s Mechanical Turk. Categorization of the questions shows broad agreement with earlier studies in terms of the content of consumer questions. It also suggests that consumers’ grasp of mental health issues may be low compared to other health topics. The majority of the questions (74%) were simple in form, with the remainder being multi-part, multifaceted or narrative. Even simple-form questions could, however, have complex interpretations. Fifty four questions were submitted to the search box at the NIMH website. For 32 questions, no answer could be found in the top one to three documents returned. Inadequacies in the search and retrieval technology deployed at websites account for some of the failure to find answers. The nature of consumer questions in mental health also plays a role. A question that has a false presupposition is less likely to have an answer in trusted and vetted sources of information. Consumer questions are also expressed with a degree of specificity that makes the retrieval of relevant information difficult. The significance of this study is that it shows what an analysis of consumer mental-health questions can tell us about consumer information needs and it provides new insight into the difficulties facing consumers looking for answers to their questions in online resources. PMID:25870768

A questions-based investigation of consumer mental-health information.

PubMed

Crangle, Colleen E; Kart, Joyce Brothers

2015-01-01

Despite the wealth of mental-health information available online to consumers, research has shown that the mental-health information needs of consumers are not being met. This study contributes to that research by soliciting consumer questions directly, categorizing them, analyzing their form, and assessing the extent to which they can be answered from a trusted and vetted source of online information, namely the website of the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). As an alternative to surveys and analyses of online activity, this study shows how consumer questions provide new insight into what consumers do not know and how they express their information needs. The study crowdsourced 100 consumer questions through Amazon Inc.'s Mechanical Turk. Categorization of the questions shows broad agreement with earlier studies in terms of the content of consumer questions. It also suggests that consumers' grasp of mental health issues may be low compared to other health topics. The majority of the questions (74%) were simple in form, with the remainder being multi-part, multifaceted or narrative. Even simple-form questions could, however, have complex interpretations. Fifty four questions were submitted to the search box at the NIMH website. For 32 questions, no answer could be found in the top one to three documents returned. Inadequacies in the search and retrieval technology deployed at websites account for some of the failure to find answers. The nature of consumer questions in mental health also plays a role. A question that has a false presupposition is less likely to have an answer in trusted and vetted sources of information. Consumer questions are also expressed with a degree of specificity that makes the retrieval of relevant information difficult. The significance of this study is that it shows what an analysis of consumer mental-health questions can tell us about consumer information needs and it provides new insight into the difficulties facing consumers looking for answers to their questions in online resources.

A Very Different Non-Stressful Comprehensive Final Exam that Achieve Our Goals for Student Evaluation and Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhavsar, Suketu

2015-08-01

I will introduce the radical concept of a final exam where the questions are given beforehand, a method I first encountered as a graduate student at Princeton University from an outstanding and well known astrophysicist and exceptional teacher, Lyman Spitzer.Every Instructor aspires for students to master all the material covered. A comprehensive final can assess the breadth and depth of their learning. Students are required to review early material in light of later topics, create connections and integrate understanding, thus retaining knowledge for the long term. Comprehensive finals can therefore be a significant basis for student learning and evaluation, but are especially daunting for non-STEM majors in required GE synthesis STEM classes. The exam format proposed here calmed student fears and encouraged thorough review.Ten days before the exam students received 20-30 challenging, well-crafted, numbered questions that interconnected and spanned the entire range of topics. The key is crafting questions that lead to deeply understanding the subject matter and mastering skills to solve problems. At the final, each student was required to pick a number out of a hat and answer that numbered question in a 5-minute presentation. They also had to critically comment on 10 other presentations of their peers. They are graded equally on both.The exam sets up definite goals for a student. Equally important, it enhances collaborative learning and peer mentoring. The conceptual questions and problems that students are required to answer can be studied together in study groups. The final presentation is theirs and they are not only encouraged but required to be constructively critical of their peer presentations.I will provide examples of some of the conceptual and problem solving questions I used. These were crafted to interconnect and span the entire range of topics. This method requires students to be prepared for all of the multitude of crafted question encouraging interaction and communication while studying. Knowing the questions beforehand provides a guide to their studying as well as allays their fears about what could be asked. The students also receive guidance to what constitutes a good answer, namely accuracy, thoroughness and the quality of the presentation.

Perspectives from the Avian Phylogenomics Project: Questions that Can Be Answered with Sequencing All Genomes of a Vertebrate Class.

PubMed

Jarvis, Erich D

2016-01-01

The rapid pace of advances in genome technology, with concomitant reductions in cost, makes it feasible that one day in our lifetime we will have available extant genomes of entire classes of species, including vertebrates. I recently helped cocoordinate the large-scale Avian Phylogenomics Project, which collected and sequenced genomes of 48 bird species representing most currently classified orders to address a range of questions in phylogenomics and comparative genomics. The consortium was able to answer questions not previously possible with just a few genomes. This success spurred on the creation of a project to sequence the genomes of at least one individual of all extant ∼10,500 bird species. The initiation of this project has led us to consider what questions now impossible to answer could be answered with all genomes, and could drive new questions now unimaginable. These include the generation of a highly resolved family tree of extant species, genome-wide association studies across species to identify genetic substrates of many complex traits, redefinition of species and the species concept, reconstruction of the genomes of common ancestors, and generation of new computational tools to address these questions. Here I present visions for the future by posing and answering questions regarding what scientists could potentially do with available genomes of an entire vertebrate class.

Heritable Disorders of Connective Tissue

MedlinePlus

... skin. Epidermolysis bullosa affects the skin, causing blisters. Marfan syndrome can affect the heart, blood vessels, lungs, eyes, ... Disorders of Connective Tissue, Questions and Answers about Marfan Syndrome, Questions and Answers about Marfan Syndrome, Easy-to- ...

American Iron and Steel Requirement - Guidance and Questions and Answers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Explanation of the P.L. 113-76, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 its implementation for the American Iron and Steel (AIS) requirement and other questions and answers in regards to AIS requirements

[How are the hypothesis and the objectives established in a Radiology research project?].

PubMed

Alústiza Echeverría, J M; Salvador Pardo, E; Castiella Eguzkiza, A

2012-01-01

Research is a systematic process designed to answer a question. This is the starting point of the whole project and specifically formulates a problem observed in the analysis of the reality. The answer to this attempts to clarify an uncertainty in our knowledge. The conceptual hypothesis is the theoretical answer to the question set out. The operational hypothesis is the particular form that which sets out to demonstrate the conceptual hypothesis. The objectives are the justification for conducting the research. They help to define what it attempts to obtain, and what answers it will give to the formulated questions. It must show a clear and consistent relationship with the description of the problem and, specifically, with the questions and/or hypothesis that are to be resolved. Copyright © 2011 SERAM. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Applying Pragmatics Principles for Interaction with Visual Analytics.

PubMed

Hoque, Enamul; Setlur, Vidya; Tory, Melanie; Dykeman, Isaac

2018-01-01

Interactive visual data analysis is most productive when users can focus on answering the questions they have about their data, rather than focusing on how to operate the interface to the analysis tool. One viable approach to engaging users in interactive conversations with their data is a natural language interface to visualizations. These interfaces have the potential to be both more expressive and more accessible than other interaction paradigms. We explore how principles from language pragmatics can be applied to the flow of visual analytical conversations, using natural language as an input modality. We evaluate the effectiveness of pragmatics support in our system Evizeon, and present design considerations for conversation interfaces to visual analytics tools.

Semantic MEDLINE for Discovery Browsing: Using Semantic Predications and the Literature-Based Discovery Paradigm to Elucidate a Mechanism for the Obesity Paradox

PubMed Central

Cairelli, Michael J.; Miller, Christopher M.; Fiszman, Marcelo; Workman, T. Elizabeth; Rindflesch, Thomas C.

2013-01-01

Applying the principles of literature-based discovery (LBD), we elucidate the paradox that obesity is beneficial in critical care despite contributing to disease generally. Our approach enhances a previous extension to LBD, called “discovery browsing,” and is implemented using Semantic MEDLINE, which summarizes the results of a PubMed search into an interactive graph of semantic predications. The methodology allows a user to construct argumentation underpinning an answer to a biomedical question by engaging the user in an iterative process between system output and user knowledge. Components of the Semantic MEDLINE output graph identified as “interesting” by the user both contribute to subsequent searches and are constructed into a logical chain of relationships constituting an explanatory network in answer to the initial question. Based on this methodology we suggest that phthalates leached from plastic in critical care interventions activate PPAR gamma, which is anti-inflammatory and abundant in obese patients. PMID:24551329

The USL NASA PC R and D interactive presentation development system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Moreau, Dennis R.

1984-01-01

The Interactive Presentation Development System (IPFS) is a highly interactive system for creating, editing, and displaying video presentation sequences, e.g., for developing and presenting displays of instructional material similiar to overhead transparency or slide presentations. However, since this system is PC-based, users (instructors) can step through sequences forward or backward, focusing attention to areas of the display with special cursor pointers. Additionally, screen displays may be dynamically modified during the presentation to show assignments or to answer questions, much like a traditional blackboard. This system is now implemented at the University of Southwestern Louisiana for use within the piloting phases of the NASA contract work.

An online network tool for quality information to answer questions about occupational safety and health: usability and applicability.

PubMed

Rhebergen, Martijn D F; Hulshof, Carel T J; Lenderink, Annet F; van Dijk, Frank J H

2010-10-22

Common information facilities do not always provide the quality information needed to answer questions on health or health-related issues, such as Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) matters. Barriers may be the accessibility, quantity and readability of information. Online Question & Answer (Q&A) network tools, which link questioners directly to experts can overcome some of these barriers. When designing and testing online tools, assessing the usability and applicability is essential. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the usability and applicability of a new online Q&A network tool for answers on OSH questions. We applied a cross-sectional usability test design. Eight occupational health experts and twelve potential questioners from the working population (workers) were purposively selected to include a variety of computer- and internet-experiences. During the test, participants were first observed while executing eight tasks that entailed important features of the tool. In addition, they were interviewed. Through task observations and interviews we assessed applicability, usability (effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction) and facilitators and barriers in use. Most features were usable, though several could be improved. Most tasks were executed effectively. Some tasks, for example searching stored questions in categories, were not executed efficiently and participants were less satisfied with the corresponding features. Participants' recommendations led to improvements. The tool was found mostly applicable for additional information, to observe new OSH trends and to improve contact between OSH experts and workers. Hosting and support by a trustworthy professional organization, effective implementation campaigns, timely answering and anonymity were seen as important use requirements. This network tool is a promising new strategy for offering company workers high quality information to answer OSH questions. Q&A network tools can be an addition to existing information facilities in the field of OSH, but also to other healthcare fields struggling with how to answer questions from people in practice with high quality information. In the near future, we will focus on the use of the tool and its effects on information and knowledge dissemination.

Supporting Mediated Peer-Evaluation to Grade Answers to Open-Ended Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Marsico, Maria; Sciarrone, Filippo; Sterbini, Andrea; Temperini, Marco

2017-01-01

We show an approach to semi-automatic grading of answers given by students to open ended questions (open answers). We use both peer-evaluation and teacher evaluation. A learner is modeled by her Knowledge and her assessments quality (Judgment). The data generated by the peer- and teacher-evaluations, and by the learner models is represented by a…

The Answering System to Yes-No Truth-Functional Questions in Korean-English Bilingual Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Hansook

2014-01-01

This study presents an experiment that explores the patterns of answers to yes-no truth-functional questions in English and Korean. The answering patterns are examined from 12 Korean-English bilingual children and 10 Korean-monolingual children. Four types of sentences in relation to given situations (Wason in "Br J Psychol" 52:133-142,…

Questions & Answers about Aeronautics and Space.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC.

Answers to 27 questions about aeronautics, space, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are provided in this pamphlet. Among the topics dealt with in these questions are: costs of the space program; NASA's role in aeronautics; benefits received from the space program; why the United States hasn't developed means of rescuing…

29 CFR 2509.75-5 - Questions and answers relating to fiduciary responsibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... 2509.75-5 Section 2509.75-5 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SECURITY... SECURITY ACT OF 1974 § 2509.75-5 Questions and answers relating to fiduciary responsibility. On June 25, 1975, the Department of Labor issued an interpretive bulletin, ERISA IB 75-5, containing questions and...

Written Justifications to Multiple-Choice Concept Questions during Active Learning in Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koretsky, Milo D.; Brooks, Bill J.; Higgins, Adam Z.

2016-01-01

Increasingly, instructors of large, introductory STEM courses are having students actively engage during class by answering multiple-choice concept questions individually and in groups. This study investigates the use of a technology-based tool that allows students to answer such questions during class. The tool also allows the instructor to…

Memetic Algorithms, Domain Knowledge, and Financial Investing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Du, Jie

2012-01-01

While the question of how to use human knowledge to guide evolutionary search is long-recognized, much remains to be done to answer this question adequately. This dissertation aims to further answer this question by exploring the role of domain knowledge in evolutionary computation as applied to real-world, complex problems, such as financial…

When Less Is More: Prioritizing Open Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullin, Christopher M.

2017-01-01

In policy circles, the first question of the year often relates to college enrollment. Most common is the question: "Are you up or down in enrollment?" More often than not, the enrollment question may be answered in terms of full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment. While the answer does have programmatic implications, the initial interest…

Questions and Answers: EPA's Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment and Supplemental Guidance from Assessing Susceptibility from Early-Life Exposure to Carcinogens

EPA Science Inventory

Questions and Answers

The following questions ...

Let's Switch Questioning Around

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tovani, Cris

2015-01-01

English teacher Cris Tovani knows from her experiences teaching elementary school that students are naturally curious. But, too often, students are so trained to be question answerers that by the time they reach high school, they no longer form questions of their own and instead focus on trying to figure out what answer the teacher wants. Tovani…

Questions Often Asked about Special Education Services = Preguntas sobre los servicios de educacion especial.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kupper, Lisa, Ed.

This guide, available in both English and Spanish, answers questions often asked by parents about special education services. Questions and answers address the following topics: where to begin if a parent believes a child needs special education services, services available to very young children, the evaluation process, the Individualized…

What Is Green?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pokrandt, Rachel

2010-01-01

Green is a question with varying answers and sometimes no answer at all. It is a question of location, resources, people, environment, and money. As green really has no end point, a teacher's goal should be to teach students to question and consider green. In this article, the author provides several useful metrics to help technology teachers…

Area Source Boiler National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart JJJJJJ: Questions and Answers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This October 2016 question and answer (Q&A) document is in response to a number of questions the EPA has received from delegated state and local agencies and the regulated community regarding the NESHAP for Area source boilers. Document updates 4/2014 PDF.

Records--The Achilles' Heel of School Nursing: Answers to Bothersome Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwab, Nadine C.; Pohlman, Katherine J.

2004-01-01

This article addresses practice issues related to school health records and school nursing documentation. Because the issues have been posed by practicing school nurses, the article is in Question and Answer (Q&A) format. Specifically, the questions addressed concern the following: ownership and storage location of student health records when…

32 CFR 705.6 - Releasing public information material to the media.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... for questions without specific subject matter in mind, but the press should be clearly informed of the... should be present. (iv) Official spokesmen will be prepared to answer questions in a frank and candid... questions in advance. If this is considered advisable, as in cases where highly technical answers may be...

32 CFR 705.6 - Releasing public information material to the media.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... for questions without specific subject matter in mind, but the press should be clearly informed of the... should be present. (iv) Official spokesmen will be prepared to answer questions in a frank and candid... questions in advance. If this is considered advisable, as in cases where highly technical answers may be...

Express Authorization Questions and Answers about What is Generally the Content of a Program Revision Application?

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Frequently asked questions about express authorization with answers organized into five categories: attorney general's statement, statutory checklist, rule checklists, program description, and state initiated regulatory changes.

Questions and Answers About SNAP Alternatives in Each Sector

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The following list of questions and answers provides an overview of the regulations governing the use of substitutes that are reviewed under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program in various industrial sectors.

Olympics: Questions & Answers on the Major Events.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbon, Alan

This book presents background information on the major Olympic events with a question-answer format. Events considered include track and field, swimming, diving, boxing, weightlifting, the equestrian events, and gymnastics. Line drawings illustrate the text. (MM)

Bats, balls, and substitution sensitivity: cognitive misers are no happy fools.

PubMed

De Neys, Wim; Rossi, Sandrine; Houdé, Olivier

2013-04-01

Influential work on human thinking suggests that our judgment is often biased because we minimize cognitive effort and intuitively substitute hard questions by easier ones. A key question is whether or not people realize that they are doing this and notice their mistake. Here, we test this claim with one of the most publicized examples of the substitution bias, the bat-and-ball problem. We designed an isomorphic control version in which reasoners experience no intuitive pull to substitute. Results show that people are less confident in their substituted, erroneous bat-and-ball answer than in their answer on the control version that does not give rise to the substitution. Contrary to popular belief, this basic finding indicates that biased reasoners are not completely oblivious to the substitution and sense that their answer is questionable. This calls into question the characterization of the human reasoner as a happy fool who blindly answers erroneous questions without realizing it.

Using mixed methods to identify and answer clinically relevant research questions.

PubMed

Shneerson, Catherine L; Gale, Nicola K

2015-06-01

The need for mixed methods research in answering health care questions is becoming increasingly recognized because of the complexity of factors that affect health outcomes. In this article, we argue for the value of using a qualitatively driven mixed method approach for identifying and answering clinically relevant research questions. This argument is illustrated by findings from a study on the self-management practices of cancer survivors and the exploration of one particular clinically relevant finding about higher uptake of self-management in cancer survivors who had received chemotherapy treatment compared with those who have not. A cross-sectional study generated findings that formed the basis for the qualitative study, by informing the purposive sampling strategy and generating new qualitative research questions. Using a quantitative research component to supplement a qualitative study can enhance the generalizability and clinical relevance of the findings and produce detailed, contextualized, and rich answers to research questions that would be unachievable through quantitative or qualitative methods alone. © The Author(s) 2015.

Hyperscanning: simultaneous fMRI during linked social interactions.

PubMed

Montague, P Read; Berns, Gregory S; Cohen, Jonathan D; McClure, Samuel M; Pagnoni, Giuseppe; Dhamala, Mukesh; Wiest, Michael C; Karpov, Igor; King, Richard D; Apple, Nathan; Fisher, Ronald E

2002-08-01

"Plain question and plain answer make the shortest road out of most perplexities." Mark Twain-Life on the Mississippi. A new methodology for the measurement of the neural substrates of human social interaction is described. This technology, termed "Hyperscan," embodies both the hardware and the software necessary to link magnetic resonance scanners through the internet. Hyperscanning allows for the performance of human behavioral experiments in which participants can interact with each other while functional MRI is acquired in synchrony with the behavioral interactions. Data are presented from a simple game of deception between pairs of subjects. Because people may interact both asymmetrically and asynchronously, both the design and the analysis must accommodate this added complexity. Several potential approaches are described.

Correlation Functions in Two-Dimensional Critical Systems with Conformal Symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores, Steven Miguel

This thesis presents a study of certain conformal field theory (CFT) correlation functions that describe physical observables in conform ally invariant two-dimensional critical systems. These are typically continuum limits of critical lattice models in a domain within the complex plane and with a boundary. Certain clusters, called boundary clusters, anchor to the boundary of the domain, and many of their features are governed by a conformally invariant probability measure. For example, percolaion is an example of a critical lattice model, and when it is confined to a domain with a boundary, connected clusters of activated bonds that touch that boundary are the boundary clusters. This thesis is concerned with how the boundary clusters interact with each other according to that measure. One question that it considers are "how likely are these clusters to repel each other or to connect with one another in a certain topological configuration?" Chapter one non-rigorously derives an already well-known elliptic system of differential equations closely tied to this matter by using standard techniques of CFT, chapters two and three rigorously infer certain properties concerning the solution space of this system, and chapter four uses some of those results to predict an answer to this question. This thesis also considers local variations of this question such as "what regions of the domain do the perimeters of the boundary clusters explore," and "how often will several boundary clusters connect at just a single, specified point in the domain?" Chapter five predicts precise answers to these questions. All of these answers are quantitative predictions that we verify via high-precision computer simulation. Chapters four and five also present these simulation results. Further material that supplements chapter one is included in two appendices.

Is that your final answer? Relationship of changed answers to overall performance on a computer-based medical school course examination.

PubMed

Ferguson, Kristi J; Kreiter, Clarence D; Peterson, Michael W; Rowat, Jane A; Elliott, Scott T

2002-01-01

Whether examinees benefit from the opportunity to change answers to examination questions has been discussed widely. This study was undertaken to document the impact of answer changing on exam performance on a computer-based course examination in a second-year medical school course. This study analyzed data from a 2 hour, 80-item computer delivered multiple-choice exam administered to 190 students (166 second-year medical students and 24 physician's assistant students). There was a small but significant net improvement in overall score when answers were changed: one student's score increased by 7 points, 93 increased by 1 to 4 points, and 38 decreased by 1 to 3 points. On average, lower-performing students benefited slightly less than higher-performing students. Students spent more time on questions for which they changed the answers and were more likely to change items that were more difficult. Students should not be discouraged from changing answers, especially to difficult questions that require careful consideration, although the net effect is quite small.

A Comparison of CAL with a Conventional Method of Delivery of Cell Biology to Undergraduate Nursing Students Using an Experimental Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wharrad, Heather J.; Kent, Christine; Allcock, Nick; Wood, Barry

2001-01-01

In study 1, 12 nursing students attended slide lectures on cell biology; 13 used interactive computer-assisted learning (CAL). Study 2 surveyed 38 students who used CAL to study immunology. Students preferred CAL and felt confident in their grasp of the material, even without the presence of lecturers to answer questions. (Contains 16 references.)…

SNIF-ACT: A Cognitive Model of User Navigation on the World Wide Web

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-03

opinions of others on a particular topic or problems. Obviously, our model was not able to answer these questions directly, and more research is... Research Center 3333 Coyote Hill Rd Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA Manuscript submitted to Human-Computer Interaction Date: Jan 03, 2007...models. Rational analysis is a variant form of an approach called methodological adaptationism that has also shaped research programs in behavioral

Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills for Army Leaders Using Blended-Learning Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

delivering, and evaluating leader education and those who develop and implement distributed learning courses that incorporate group collaboration on topics...Circumstances Numerous studies comparing outcomes of collocated and virtual groups show that collocated groups perform better on interdependent tasks, such as...in class or “cold call” on students to answer questions. Third, using small (rather than large) groups for interactive activities can alleviate free

An Annotated Bibliography on Second Language Acquisition

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-01

not assessment purposes. Examples of three ’serious’ rote learning programs are SPRECH, GERAD, and LEX. DEDUCT is a question/answer game where the...interactively create game-trees for context-bound vocabulary drills from scratch without modifications to the program software through CREATE. C 1985...II (pp. 223-294). Stanford, CA: Heuristech Press. The goal of CAI research is to build instructional programs that incorporate well-prepared course

Using Real-Life Activities in an Interactive Engagement Manner in the Teaching and Learning of Newton's First Law of Motion in a Ghanaian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antwi, Victor

2015-01-01

Most Ghanaian university physics students depend on rote learning and rote problem solving, without having the conceptual knowledge of concepts that are being studied. This is so because the Ghanaian style of setting and answering of questions favour those students who have the ability to do rote memorization of learning. The instructors start…

Intelligent Design, A Young Universe, Astrology, UFO's, and More: Tackling Astronomical Pseudo-science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraknoi, A.

2008-11-01

During IYA educators and scientists will interact with the public in many ways. There will likely be public questions at IYA events about pseudo-scientific topics. While the particular pseudo-sciences that are in vogue change with time, these days popular astronomical pseudo-science includes creationism and intelligent design (and their denial of the age of the universe), astrology, UFO's as extra-terrestrial spaceships, selling star names, the ``face'' on Mars, the claim that the moon landings were a hoax, etc. We discuss some of the recent surveys of belief in pseudo-science and some ways to respond to questions about these topics. A separate resource guide to help answer questions about astronomical pseudoscience is also included in this volume.

No question about exciting questions in cell biology.

PubMed

Pollard, Thomas D

2013-12-01

Although we have a good grasp of many important processes in cell biology, including knowledge of many molecules involved and how they interact with each other, we still do not understand most of the dynamical features that are the essence of living systems. Fortunately, we now have the ability to dissect biological systems in enough detail to understand their dynamics, including the use of mathematical models to account for past observations and predict future experiments. This deep level of mechanistic understanding should be our goal—not simply to satisfy our scientific curiosity, but also to understand the causes of disease well enough to predict risks, make early diagnoses, and treat effectively. Many big questions remain to be answered before we reach this goal of understanding cellular dynamics.

The NASA Earthdata Forums - An Interactive Venue for Discussions of NASA Data and Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hearty, T. J., III; Acker, J. G.; Meyer, D. L.; Northup, E. A.; Bagwell, R.

2017-12-01

In this presentation, we will demonstrate how students and teachers can register to use the NASA Earthdata Forums. The NASA Earthdata forums provide a venue where registered users can pose questions regarding NASA Earth science data in a moderated forum, and have their questions answered by data experts and scientific subject matter experts connected with NASA Earth science missions and projects. Since the forums are also available for research scientists to pose questions and discuss pertinent topics, the NASA Earthdata Forums provide a unique opportunity for students and teachers to gain insight from expert scientists and enhance their knowledge of the many different ways that NASA Earth observations can be used in research and applications.

'I've put weight on cos I've bin inactive, cos I've 'ad me knee done': moral work in the obesity clinic.

PubMed

Webb, Helena

2009-09-01

As governments and healthcare systems grow increasingly concerned with the current obesity 'epidemic', sociological interest in the condition has also increased. Despite the emergence of work discussing obesity as a social phenomenon, the sociological dimensions of medical weight-loss treatments for obesity remain underexplored. This paper reports on a conversation analytic (CA) study and describes how moral issues surrounding weight and patienthood become visible when doctors and patients discuss obesity. Consultations in two UK National Health Service clinics were video-recorded and analysed to identify recurring patterns of interaction. This paper describes how patients answer opening questions: questions which begin the consultation, enabling patients to report their medical status. Analysis reveals that when producing their answers, patients typically imply either 'success' or 'lack of success' in their weight-loss progress. Whilst doing so, they construct their personal agency in different ways, crediting themselves for implied successes and resisting responsibility for lack of success. Through interaction the doctor and patient collaboratively construct obesity as a moral issue. The moral obligations invoked share similarities with certain perceived normative dynamics surrounding obesity and the responsibilities of patienthood. These findings have relevance to healthcare practice and add to sociological understanding of the modern obesity 'crisis'.

Cognitive processing in bipolar disorder conceptualized using the Interactive Cognitive Subsystems (ICS) model.

PubMed

Lomax, C L; Barnard, P J; Lam, D

2009-05-01

There are few theoretical proposals that attempt to account for the variation in affective processing across different affective states of bipolar disorder (BD). The Interacting Cognitive Subsystems (ICS) framework has been recently extended to account for manic states. Within the framework, positive mood state is hypothesized to tap into an implicational level of processing, which is proposed to be more extreme in states of mania. Thirty individuals with BD and 30 individuals with no history of affective disorder were tested in euthymic mood state and then in induced positive mood state using the Question-Answer task to examine the mode of processing of schemas. The task was designed to test whether individuals would detect discrepancies within the prevailing schemas of the sentences. Although the present study did not support the hypothesis that the groups differ in their ability to detect discrepancies within schemas, we did find that the BD group was significantly more likely than the control group to answer questions that were consistent with the prevailing schemas, both before and after mood induction. These results may reflect a general cognitive bias, that individuals with BD have a tendency to operate at a more abstract level of representation. This may leave an individual prone to affective disturbance, although further research is required to replicate this finding.

Knowledge and confidence of a convenience sample of australasian emergency doctors in managing dental emergencies: results of a survey.

PubMed

Samaei, Hossein; Weiland, Tracey Joy; Dilley, Stuart; Jelinek, George Alexander

2015-01-01

Background. We aimed to determine Australasian Specialist Emergency Physicians' and Emergency Physicians in Training (Trainees') level of knowledge of common dental emergencies. We also explored confidence in managing dental emergencies; predictors of confidence and knowledge; and preferences for further dental education. Methods. A questionnaire was distributed electronically (September 2011) and directly (November 2011) to Fellows and Trainees of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. It explored demographics, confidence, knowledge of dental emergencies, and educational preferences. Results. Response rate was 13.6% (464/3405) and college members were proportionally represented by region. Fewer than half (186/446; 42%) had received dental training. Sixty-two percent (244/391, 95% CI 57.5-67.1) passed (>50%) a knowledge test. More than 60% incorrectly answered questions on dental fracture, periodontal abscess, tooth eruption dates, and ulcerative gingivitis. Forty percent (166/416) incorrectly answered a question about Ludwig's Angina. Eighty-three percent (360/433) were confident in the pharmacological management of toothache but only 26% (112/434) confident in recognizing periodontal disease. Knowledge was correlated with confidence (r = 0.488). Interactive workshops were preferred by most (386/415, 93%). Conclusions. The knowledge and confidence of Australasian Emergency Physicians and Trainees in managing dental emergencies are varied, yet correlated. Interactive training sessions in dental emergencies are warranted.

A Medical Consultation Service on Facebook: Descriptive Analysis of Questions Answered

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Social media is used increasingly by the general public to access health information. However, a lack of models for health information distribution limits the presence of publicly funded services on social media sites. Objective The goal of the study was to present a model for delivering child health information to parents through a social media site. Methods A Facebook site was launched for 11 months based on a question-and-answer service produced by a pediatrician and open to Facebook users over 18 years old. If the answer did not include a further referral to a health care service provider, the question was considered comprehensively answered. The site was funded by a pharmaceutical company, and it included an advertisement of a pharmaceutical product for children’s fever and pain. Results During the study, 768 questions were submitted: an average of 69.8 (SD 31.7) per month. There were 245,533 independent Facebook users on the site, with an average of 727.0 (SD 2280.6) per day. Infections were the most common theme in questions (355/768, 46.2%). Questions were more likely to be comprehensively answered if they were related to infections (279/355, 78.6%) than questions related to non-infectious symptoms (265/423, 64.2%, P=.003). Conclusions On this site aimed at parents of small children, personalized answers were an effective way of delivering information. The service is likely to have reduced the need for further contacts with a health care service provider in more than half of the cases. The site could serve as a model for publicly funded health information distribution. PMID:25189182

Inorganic chemical analysis of environmental materials—A lecture series

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crock, J.G.; Lamothe, P.J.

2011-01-01

At the request of the faculty of the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, the authors prepared and presented a lecture series to the students of a graduate level advanced instrumental analysis class. The slides and text presented in this report are a compilation and condensation of this series of lectures. The purpose of this report is to present the slides and notes and to emphasize the thought processes that should be used by a scientist submitting samples for analyses in order to procure analytical data to answer a research question. First and foremost, the analytical data generated can be no better than the samples submitted. The questions to be answered must first be well defined and the appropriate samples collected from the population that will answer the question. The proper methods of analysis, including proper sample preparation and digestion techniques, must then be applied. Care must be taken to achieve the required limits of detection of the critical analytes to yield detectable analyte concentration (above "action" levels) for the majority of the study's samples and to address what portion of those analytes answer the research question-total or partial concentrations. To guarantee a robust analytical result that answers the research question(s), a well-defined quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) plan must be employed. This QA/QC plan must include the collection and analysis of field and laboratory blanks, sample duplicates, and matrix-matched standard reference materials (SRMs). The proper SRMs may include in-house materials and/or a selection of widely available commercial materials. A discussion of the preparation and applicability of in-house reference materials is also presented. Only when all these analytical issues are sufficiently addressed can the research questions be answered with known certainty.

Diabetes mellitus treatment-Related medical knowledge among health care providers.

PubMed

Shahla, Leena; Vasudev, Rahul; Chitturi, Chandrika; Rodriguez, Cindy; Paul, Namrata

To compare the knowledge of physicians, residents and medical students in diagnosis, use of insulin and oral medication in management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) working in different healthcare specialties. A cross sectional survey of faculty, residents and medical students of different subspecialties in a single center was conducted. Questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was used. These questions were designed to assess knowledge about diagnosis, nomenclature of different insulin/oral medications and management of DM. There were 4 answers to every question with only one correct answer based on ADA guidelines and most recent literature. The overall percentage correctly answered questions was ∼74% for IM faculty, 64% for EM faculty, 71% for IM residents, 60% for FM residents, 56% for EM residents and 59% for students. Questions based on knowledge of insulin nomenclature and characteristics were answered correctly 74% of the time by IM faculty, 62% by EM faculty, 66% by IM residents, 69% by FM residents, 45% by EM residents and 49% by medical students. Questions on the use of insulin and inpatient DM management were answered correctly 66% for IM faculty, 54% for EM faculty, 66% for IM residents, 46% for FM residents, 55% for EM Residents, and 44% medical students. Questions based on oral medications and DM diagnosis were answered correctly by 81% for IM faculty, 73% for EM faculty, 78% for IM Resident, 76% FM Resident, 64% for EM residents and 79% for students. This study demonstrates the need for focused educational initiatives required in all subspecialties involved in management of diabetes mellitus for safe and efficient management of diabetes mellitus. Copyright © 2016 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Relative Effectiveness of Expository Methods of Teaching Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babikian, Elijah

1973-01-01

Two methods of instruction (question-answer and question-incomplete-answer) are utilized in teaching a unit on thermal energy. Effectiveness, as measured by a posttest, confirmed significant differences in the two modes of instruction. (DF)

Science Matters Podcast: Questions and Answers with EPA's Dr. Peter Grevatt

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Listen to a podcast with Dr. Peter Grevatt, the director of EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection, as he answers questions about children's health, or read some of the highlights from the conversation here.

When pretesting fails to enhance learning concepts from reading texts.

PubMed

Hausman, Hannah; Rhodes, Matthew G

2018-05-03

Prior research suggests that people can learn more from reading a text when they attempt to answer pretest questions first. Specifically, pretests on factual information explicitly stated in a text increases the likelihood that participants can answer identical questions after reading than if they had not answered pretest questions. Yet, a central goal of education is to develop deep conceptual understanding. The present experiments investigated whether conceptual pretests facilitate learning concepts from reading texts. In Experiment 1, participants were given factual or conceptual pretest questions; a control group was not given a pretest. Participants then read a passage and took a final test consisting of both factual and conceptual questions. Some of the final test questions were repeated from the pretest and some were new. Although factual pretesting improved learning for identical factual questions, conceptual pretesting did not enhance conceptual learning. Conceptual pretest errors were significantly more likely to be repeated on the final test than factual pretest errors. Providing correct answers (Experiment 2) or correct/incorrect feedback (Experiment 3) following pretest questions enhanced performance on repeated conceptual test items, although these benefits likely reflect memorization and not conceptual understanding. Thus, pretesting appears to provide little benefit for learning conceptual information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

On the placement of practice questions during study.

PubMed

Weinstein, Yana; Nunes, Ludmila D; Karpicke, Jeffrey D

2016-03-01

Retrieval practice improves retention of information on later tests. A question remains: When should retrieval occur during learning-interspersed throughout study or at the end of each study period? In a lab experiment, an online experiment, and a classroom study, we aimed to determine the ideal placement (interspersed vs. at-the-end) of retrieval practice questions. In the lab experiment, 64 subjects viewed slides about APA style and answered short-answer practice questions about the content or restudied the slides (restudy condition). The practice questions either appeared 1 every 1-2 slides (interspersed condition), or all at the end of the presentation (at-the-end condition). One week later, subjects returned and answered the same questions on a final test. In the online experiment, 175 subjects completed the same procedure. In the classroom study, 62 undergraduate students took quizzes as part of class lectures. Short-answer practice questions appeared either throughout the lectures (interspersed condition) or at the end of the lectures (at-the-end condition). Nineteen days after the last quiz, students were given a surprise final test. Results from the 3 experiments converge in demonstrating an advantage for interspersing practice questions on the initial tests, but an absence of this advantage on the final test. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Answering Contextually Demanding Questions: Pragmatic Errors Produced by Children with Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loukusa, Soile; Leinonen, Eeva; Jussila, Katja; Mattila, Marja-Leena; Ryder, Nuala; Ebeling, Hanna; Moilanen, Irma

2007-01-01

This study examined irrelevant/incorrect answers produced by children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism (7-9-year-olds and 10-12-year-olds) and normally developing children (7-9-year-olds). The errors produced were divided into three types: in Type 1, the child answered the original question incorrectly, in Type 2, the child gave a…

Translating Answers to Open-Ended Survey Questions in Cross-Cultural Research: A Case Study on the Interplay between Translation, Coding, and Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behr, Dorothée

2015-01-01

Open-ended probing questions in cross-cultural surveys help uncover equivalence problems in cross-cultural survey research. For languages that a project team does not understand, probe answers need to be translated into a common project language. This article presents a case study on translating open-ended, that is, narrative answers. It describes…

Children's Event Reports: Factors Affecting Responses to Repeated Questions in Vignette Scenarios and Event Recall Interviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howie, Pauline; Nash, Laura; Kurukulasuriya, Nadezhda; Bowman, Alison

2012-01-01

When adults repeat questions, children often give inconsistent answers. This study aimed to test the claim that these inconsistencies occur because children infer that their first answer was unsatisfactory, and that the adult expects them to change their answer. Children aged 4, 6, and 8 years (N= 134) were asked about vignettes in which an adult…

Improving Students' Capacity to Show Their Knowledge, Understanding and Skills in Exams by Using Combined Question and Answer Papers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crisp, Victoria

2008-01-01

This research set out to compare the quality, length and nature of (1) exam responses in combined question and answer booklets, with (2) responses in separate answer booklets in order to inform choices about response format. Combined booklets are thought to support candidates by giving more information on what is expected of them. Anecdotal…

EFFECTS OF INTERVIEWER BEHAVIOR ON ACCURACY OF CHILDREN'S RESPONSES

PubMed Central

Sparling, Jessica; Wilder, David A; Kondash, Jennifer; Boyle, Megan; Compton, Megan

2011-01-01

Previous research has shown that certain interviewer behaviors can evoke inaccurate answers by children. In the current study, we examined the effects of approving and disapproving statements on the accuracy of 3 children's answers to questions in an interview (Experiment 1). We then evaluated 3 questioning techniques that may be used by interviewers during a forensic interview in which a child provides eyewitness testimony (Experiment 2). All participants responded with more inaccurate answers when approving statements followed inaccurate information and disapproving statements followed accurate information in Experiment 1. During Experiment 2, 1 participant responded most inaccurately when she was requestioned after providing an initial answer, whereas the remaining 2 participants responded most inaccurately when the interviewer provided cowitness information and suggestive questions. PMID:21941387

Common Timberland Tax Questions and Answers

Treesearch

William C. Siegel

1999-01-01

I recieve numerous letters and telephone calls from non-industrial forest landowners throughout the country who have timber tax questions. Many of the questions I've been asked during the last year should also be of interest to the readers of National Woodlands. I've therefore selected some of them and my answers, for this issue's "Timber and...

Selecting Information to Answer Questions: Strategic Individual Differences when Searching Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cerdan, Raquel; Gilabert, Ramiro; Vidal-Abarca, Eduardo

2011-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore students' selection of information strategies in a task-oriented reading situation. 72 secondary school students read two texts and answered six questions per text, three of which were manipulated to induce a misleading matching between the wording of the question and distracting pieces of information in the…

Questions about Brain Development = Preguntas sobre el desarrollo del cerebro.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE), Tallahassee, FL.

Noting that new research shows that a baby's earliest years shape how he or she grows later in life, this brochure, in English- and Spanish-language versions, provides brief answers to some important questions parents may have about their baby's brain. The questions answered are: (1) "Why is brain development a popular subject lately?; (2)…

The Effect of Atmospheric Pressure on Rocket Thrust -- Part I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leitner, Alfred

1982-01-01

The first of a two-part question asks: Does the total thrust of a rocket depend on the surrounding pressure? The answer to this question is provided, with accompanying diagrams of rockets. The second part of the question (and answer) are provided in v20 n7, p479, Oct 1982 of this journal. (Author/JN)

The Experience of Achievement Academy Students: What Their Experience Can Tell Us about Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calleroz White, James

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to answer the question, "What are the experiences of students who have completed the Achievement Academy program?" In collecting data to answer this question, a series of clarifying questions also emerged: "What are the cultural, academic, and personal costs and benefits associated with being a part of…

Comparing parents' and overweight adolescents' reports on parent mealtime actions.

PubMed

Volpe, Carolina Bertagnoli; Petty, Maria Luiza Blanques; de Souza, Altay Alves Lino; Escrivão, Maria Arlete Meil Schimith

2018-01-01

This study aimed to compare answers given by parents and their adolescent children to the Portuguese version of the Parent Mealtime Action Scale (PMAS) and to assess associations among the reported behaviors. To compare these answers, a cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 72 patients of the Obesity Clinic of the Division of Nutrology of the Pediatrics Department at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), Brazil. These patients were aged from 10 years to 19 years and 11 months, and their parents or legal guardians also participated. First, parents were interviewed and instructed to answer how often they perform each behavior measured by the PMAS (never, sometimes or always). Next, the same questions were answered by the adolescents. The general linear model (GLM) showed the effects of the interviewees and of the interaction between interviewees and sex. We also observed a triple interaction effect (sex x interviewees x categorized age). The internal reliability of the PMAS was higher for parental answers than for those given by the children. This finding is probably observed because the scale has been developed and validated to evaluate the pattern of parental responses concerning their eating practices during their children's meals. In addition, although parents believe they are engaging in certain behaviors, the effectiveness of these strategies may not be recognized by their children. Very low intraclass correlation coefficients were observed between parents' and children's answers to the original domains of the PMAS (ICC: 0.130-0.578), suggesting that the factorial structure of the PMAS may only be used to assess parental behavior, as it is not sufficiently accurate to assess the children's understanding of parent mealtime actions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using wireless handheld computers to seek information at the point of care: an evaluation by clinicians.

PubMed

Hauser, Susan E; Demner-Fushman, Dina; Jacobs, Joshua L; Humphrey, Susanne M; Ford, Glenn; Thoma, George R

2007-01-01

To evaluate: (1) the effectiveness of wireless handheld computers for online information retrieval in clinical settings; (2) the role of MEDLINE in answering clinical questions raised at the point of care. A prospective single-cohort study: accompanying medical teams on teaching rounds, five internal medicine residents used and evaluated MD on Tap, an application for handheld computers, to seek answers in real time to clinical questions arising at the point of care. All transactions were stored by an intermediate server. Evaluators recorded clinical scenarios and questions, identified MEDLINE citations that answered the questions, and submitted daily and summative reports of their experience. A senior medical librarian corroborated the relevance of the selected citation to each scenario and question. Evaluators answered 68% of 363 background and foreground clinical questions during rounding sessions using a variety of MD on Tap features in an average session length of less than four minutes. The evaluator, the number and quality of query terms, the total number of citations found for a query, and the use of auto-spellcheck significantly contributed to the probability of query success. Handheld computers with Internet access are useful tools for healthcare providers to access MEDLINE in real time. MEDLINE citations can answer specific clinical questions when several medical terms are used to form a query. The MD on Tap application is an effective interface to MEDLINE in clinical settings, allowing clinicians to quickly find relevant citations.

Using Wireless Handheld Computers to Seek Information at the Point of Care: An Evaluation by Clinicians

PubMed Central

Hauser, Susan E.; Demner-Fushman, Dina; Jacobs, Joshua L.; Humphrey, Susanne M.; Ford, Glenn; Thoma, George R.

2007-01-01

Objective To evaluate: (1) the effectiveness of wireless handheld computers for online information retrieval in clinical settings; (2) the role of MEDLINE® in answering clinical questions raised at the point of care. Design A prospective single-cohort study: accompanying medical teams on teaching rounds, five internal medicine residents used and evaluated MD on Tap, an application for handheld computers, to seek answers in real time to clinical questions arising at the point of care. Measurements All transactions were stored by an intermediate server. Evaluators recorded clinical scenarios and questions, identified MEDLINE citations that answered the questions, and submitted daily and summative reports of their experience. A senior medical librarian corroborated the relevance of the selected citation to each scenario and question. Results Evaluators answered 68% of 363 background and foreground clinical questions during rounding sessions using a variety of MD on Tap features in an average session length of less than four minutes. The evaluator, the number and quality of query terms, the total number of citations found for a query, and the use of auto-spellcheck significantly contributed to the probability of query success. Conclusion Handheld computers with Internet access are useful tools for healthcare providers to access MEDLINE in real time. MEDLINE citations can answer specific clinical questions when several medical terms are used to form a query. The MD on Tap application is an effective interface to MEDLINE in clinical settings, allowing clinicians to quickly find relevant citations. PMID:17712085

Incremental generation of answers during the comprehension of questions with quantifiers.

PubMed

Bott, Oliver; Augurzky, Petra; Sternefeld, Wolfgang; Ulrich, Rolf

2017-09-01

The paper presents a study on the online interpretation of quantified questions involving complex domain restriction, for instance, are all triangles blue that are in the circle. Two probe reaction time (RT) task experiments were conducted to study the incremental nature of answer generation while manipulating visual contexts and response hand overlap between tasks. We manipulated the contexts in such a way that the incremental answer to the question changed from 'yes' to 'no' or remained the same before and after encountering the extraposed relative clause. The findings of both experiments provide evidence for incremental answer preparation but only if the context did not involve the risk of answer revision. Our results show that preliminary output from incremental semantic interpretation results in response priming that facilitates congruent responses in the probe RT task. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Searching for answers to clinical questions using google versus evidence-based summary resources: a randomized controlled crossover study.

PubMed

Kim, Sarang; Noveck, Helaine; Galt, James; Hogshire, Lauren; Willett, Laura; O'Rourke, Kerry

2014-06-01

To compare the speed and accuracy of answering clinical questions using Google versus summary resources. In 2011 and 2012, 48 internal medicine interns from two classes at Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who had been trained to use three evidence-based summary resources, performed four-minute computer searches to answer 10 clinical questions. Half were randomized to initiate searches for answers to questions 1 to 5 using Google; the other half initiated searches using a summary resource. They then crossed over and used the other resource for questions 6 to 10. They documented the time spent searching and the resource where the answer was found. Time to correct response and percentage of correct responses were compared between groups using t test and general estimating equations. Of 480 questions administered, interns found answers for 393 (82%). Interns initiating searches in Google used a wider variety of resources than those starting with summary resources. No significant difference was found in mean time to correct response (138.5 seconds for Google versus 136.1 seconds for summary resource; P = .72). Mean correct response rate was 58.4% for Google versus 61.5% for summary resource (mean difference -3.1%; 95% CI -10.3% to 4.2%; P = .40). The authors found no significant differences in speed or accuracy between searches initiated using Google versus summary resources. Although summary resources are considered to provide the highest quality of evidence, improvements to allow for better speed and accuracy are needed.

The Evaluation of a Temporal Reasoning System in Processing Clinical Discharge Summaries

PubMed Central

Zhou, Li; Parsons, Simon; Hripcsak, George

2008-01-01

Context TimeText is a temporal reasoning system designed to represent, extract, and reason about temporal information in clinical text. Objective To measure the accuracy of the TimeText for processing clinical discharge summaries. Design Six physicians with biomedical informatics training served as domain experts. Twenty discharge summaries were randomly selected for the evaluation. For each of the first 14 reports, 5 to 8 clinically important medical events were chosen. The temporal reasoning system generated temporal relations about the endpoints (start or finish) of pairs of medical events. Two experts (subjects) manually generated temporal relations for these medical events. The system and expert-generated results were assessed by four other experts (raters). All of the twenty discharge summaries were used to assess the system’s accuracy in answering time-oriented clinical questions. For each report, five to ten clinically plausible temporal questions about events were generated. Two experts generated answers to the questions to serve as the gold standard. We wrote queries to retrieve answers from system’s output. Measurements Correctness of generated temporal relations, recall of clinically important relations, and accuracy in answering temporal questions. Results The raters determined that 97% of subjects’ 295 generated temporal relations were correct and that 96.5% of the system’s 995 generated temporal relations were correct. The system captured 79% of 307 temporal relations determined to be clinically important by the subjects and raters. The system answered 84% of the temporal questions correctly. Conclusion The system encoded the majority of information identified by experts, and was able to answer simple temporal questions. PMID:17947618

Neuroscience cannot answer these questions: a response to G. and R. Murrow's essay hypothesizing a link between dehumanization, human rights abuses and public policy

PubMed Central

Hoffman, Morris B.

2015-01-01

The Murrows' paper, ‘A hypothetical link between dehumanization and human rights abuses’, in which they propose that neuroscience may answer some difficult public policy questions, including questions about the First Amendment, is an unfortunate foray into law and public policy unjustified by the current state of neuroscience. Neuroscientific insights may one day have important implications for the law, and for some of the folk psychological assumptions embedded in the law, but they will never change the words of the written Constitution, or answer difficult policy questions in the interstices of those words. Suggesting that neuroscience can today inform these questions does a disservice to science, law and the complexity of the human condition. PMID:27774237

The role of affordances in children's learning performance and efficiency when using virtual manipulative mathematics touch-screen apps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moyer-Packenham, Patricia S.; Bullock, Emma K.; Shumway, Jessica F.; Tucker, Stephen I.; Watts, Christina M.; Westenskow, Arla; Anderson-Pence, Katie L.; Maahs-Fladung, Cathy; Boyer-Thurgood, Jennifer; Gulkilik, Hilal; Jordan, Kerry

2016-03-01

This paper focuses on understanding the role that affordances played in children's learning performance and efficiency during clinical interviews of their interactions with mathematics apps on touch-screen devices. One hundred children, ages 3 to 8, each used six different virtual manipulative mathematics apps during 30-40-min interviews. The study used a convergent mixed methods design, in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently to answer the research questions (Creswell and Plano Clark 2011). Videos were used to capture each child's interactions with the virtual manipulative mathematics apps, document learning performance and efficiency, and record children's interactions with the affordances within the apps. Quantitized video data answered the research question on differences in children's learning performance and efficiency between pre- and post-assessments. A Wilcoxon matched pairs signed-rank test was used to explore these data. Qualitative video data was used to identify affordance access by children when using each app, identifying 95 potential helping and hindering affordances among the 18 apps. The results showed that there were changes in children's learning performance and efficiency when children accessed a helping or a hindering affordance. Helping affordances were more likely to be accessed by children who progressed between the pre- and post-assessments, and the same affordances had helping and hindering effects for different children. These results have important implications for the design of virtual manipulative mathematics learning apps.

Legal Challenges and Pitfalls for Start-up Companies - 48 Common Questions and Answers.

PubMed

Staehelin, Matthias

2014-12-01

Transforming a business idea into reality requires a legal implementation plan. The following 48 questions and answers address key issues that typically arise in start-up situations. Early planning can help avoid costly mistakes.

Know Hepatitis B Questions and Answers for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs)

MedlinePlus

... Campaign About our Partner Spread the Word Know Hepatitis B Questions and Answers Recommend on Facebook Tweet ... Overview Transmission Symptoms Testing Treatment Overview What is Hepatitis B? Hepatitis B is a liver disease. It ...

Dual processing theory and experts' reasoning: exploring thinking on national multiple-choice questions.

PubMed

Durning, Steven J; Dong, Ting; Artino, Anthony R; van der Vleuten, Cees; Holmboe, Eric; Schuwirth, Lambert

2015-08-01

An ongoing debate exists in the medical education literature regarding the potential benefits of pattern recognition (non-analytic reasoning), actively comparing and contrasting diagnostic options (analytic reasoning) or using a combination approach. Studies have not, however, explicitly explored faculty's thought processes while tackling clinical problems through the lens of dual process theory to inform this debate. Further, these thought processes have not been studied in relation to the difficulty of the task or other potential mediating influences such as personal factors and fatigue, which could also be influenced by personal factors such as sleep deprivation. We therefore sought to determine which reasoning process(es) were used with answering clinically oriented multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and if these processes differed based on the dual process theory characteristics: accuracy, reading time and answering time as well as psychometrically determined item difficulty and sleep deprivation. We performed a think-aloud procedure to explore faculty's thought processes while taking these MCQs, coding think-aloud data based on reasoning process (analytic, nonanalytic, guessing or combination of processes) as well as word count, number of stated concepts, reading time, answering time, and accuracy. We also included questions regarding amount of work in the recent past. We then conducted statistical analyses to examine the associations between these measures such as correlations between frequencies of reasoning processes and item accuracy and difficulty. We also observed the total frequencies of different reasoning processes in the situations of getting answers correctly and incorrectly. Regardless of whether the questions were classified as 'hard' or 'easy', non-analytical reasoning led to the correct answer more often than to an incorrect answer. Significant correlations were found between self-reported recent number of hours worked with think-aloud word count and number of concepts used in the reasoning but not item accuracy. When all MCQs were included, 19 % of the variance of correctness could be explained by the frequency of expression of these three think-aloud processes (analytic, nonanalytic, or combined). We found evidence to support the notion that the difficulty of an item in a test is not a systematic feature of the item itself but is always a result of the interaction between the item and the candidate. Use of analytic reasoning did not appear to improve accuracy. Our data suggest that individuals do not apply either System 1 or System 2 but instead fall along a continuum with some individuals falling at one end of the spectrum.

Evaluating the impact of a classroom response system in a microbiology course.

PubMed

Suchman, Erica; Uchiyama, Kay; Smith, Ralph; Bender, Kim

2006-05-01

The use of a Classroom Response System (CRS) was evaluated in two sections, A and B, of a large lecture microbiology course. In Section B the instructor used the CRS technology at the beginning of the class period posing a question on content from the previous class. Students could earn extra credit if they answered the question correctly. In Section A, the class also began with an extra credit CRS question. However, CRS questions were integrated into the lecture during the entire class period. We compared the two classes to see if augmenting lectures with this technology increased student learning, confidence, attendance, and the instructor's ability to respond to student's misconceptions, over simply using the CRS as a quizzing tool. Student performance was compared using shared examination questions. The questions were categorized by how the content had been presented in class. All questions came from instructors' common lecture content, some without CRS use, and some questions where Instructor A used both lecture and CRS questions. Although Section A students scored significantly better on both types of examination questions, there was no demonstrable difference in learning based on CRS question participation. However, student survey data showed that students in Section A expressed higher confidence levels in their learning and knowledge and indicated that they interacted more with other students than did the students in Section B. In addition, Instructor A recorded more modifications to lecture content and recorded more student interaction in the course than did Instructor B.

Evaluating the Impact of a Classroom Response System in a Microbiology Course

PubMed Central

SUCHMAN, ERICA; UCHIYAMA, KAY; SMITH, RALPH; BENDER, KIM

2006-01-01

The use of a Classroom Response System (CRS) was evaluated in two sections, A and B, of a large lecture microbiology course. In Section B the instructor used the CRS technology at the beginning of the class period posing a question on content from the previous class. Students could earn extra credit if they answered the question correctly. In Section A, the class also began with an extra credit CRS question. However, CRS questions were integrated into the lecture during the entire class period. We compared the two classes to see if augmenting lectures with this technology increased student learning, confidence, attendance, and the instructor’s ability to respond to student’s misconceptions, over simply using the CRS as a quizzing tool. Student performance was compared using shared examination questions. The questions were categorized by how the content had been presented in class. All questions came from instructors’ common lecture content, some without CRS use, and some questions where Instructor A used both lecture and CRS questions. Although Section A students scored significantly better on both types of examination questions, there was no demonstrable difference in learning based on CRS question participation. However, student survey data showed that students in Section A expressed higher confidence levels in their learning and knowledge and indicated that they interacted more with other students than did the students in Section B. In addition, Instructor A recorded more modifications to lecture content and recorded more student interaction in the course than did Instructor B. PMID:23653562

Information Presentation in Decision and Risk Analysis: Answered, Partly Answered, and Unanswered Questions.

PubMed

Keller, L Robin; Wang, Yitong

2017-06-01

For the last 30 years, researchers in risk analysis, decision analysis, and economics have consistently proven that decisionmakers employ different processes for evaluating and combining anticipated and actual losses, gains, delays, and surprises. Although rational models generally prescribe a consistent response, people's heuristic processes will sometimes lead them to be inconsistent in the way they respond to information presented in theoretically equivalent ways. We point out several promising future research directions by listing and detailing a series of answered, partly answered, and unanswered questions. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Analyzing student conceptual understanding of resistor networks using binary, descriptive, and computational questions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mujtaba, Abid H.

2018-02-01

This paper presents a case study assessing and analyzing student engagement with and responses to binary, descriptive, and computational questions testing the concepts underlying resistor networks (series and parallel combinations). The participants of the study were undergraduate students enrolled in a university in Pakistan. The majority of students struggled with the descriptive question, and while successfully answering the binary and computational ones, they failed to build an expectation for the answer, and betrayed significant lack of conceptual understanding in the process. The data collected was also used to analyze the relative efficacy of the three questions as a means of assessing conceptual understanding. The three questions were revealed to be uncorrelated and unlikely to be testing the same construct. The ability to answer the binary or computational question was observed to be divorced from a deeper understanding of the concepts involved.

Test-Enhanced E-Learning Strategies in Postgraduate Medical Education: A Randomized Cohort Study.

PubMed

DelSignore, Lisa A; Wolbrink, Traci A; Zurakowski, David; Burns, Jeffrey P

2016-11-21

The optimal design of pedagogical strategies for e-learning in graduate and postgraduate medical education remains to be determined. Video-based e-learning use is increasing, with initial research suggesting that taking short breaks while watching videos (independent of answering test questions) may improve learning by focusing attention on the content presented. Interspersed test questions may also improve knowledge acquisition and retention. To examine the effect of interspersed test questions and periodic breaks on immediate knowledge acquisition and retention at 6 months by pediatric residents engaged in video-based e-learning. First- and second-year pediatric residents were randomized to 1 of the following 3 groups: viewing the complete video uninterrupted (full video), viewing the video interrupted with unrelated logic puzzles (logic puzzles), or viewing the video interrupted with brief comprehension test questions (short answer questions). Residents answered pre- and post-tests before and after video viewing, followed by a retention test at 6 months. Primary outcome included comparison of the change in test scores between groups. A total of 49 residents completed the initial testing session. All 3 learning groups had comparable mean increases in immediate knowledge gain, but with no significant differences between groups (F 2,46 =0.35, P=.71). Thirty-five residents completed retention testing with comparable degrees of knowledge retention in the full video and short answer test questions groups (P<.001), but no significant change in the logic puzzles group (F 1,32 =2.44, P=.13). Improved knowledge gain was not demonstrated among residents answering interspersed questions or completing logic puzzles during interrupted online video viewing when compared with residents viewing uninterrupted video content. However, residents who either participated in uninterrupted video viewing or answered interspersed questions during interrupted video viewing demonstrated significant knowledge retention at 6 months. ©Lisa A DelSignore, Traci A Wolbrink, David Zurakowski, Jeffrey P Burns. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 21.11.2016.

Data compression for sequencing data

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Post-Sanger sequencing methods produce tons of data, and there is a general agreement that the challenge to store and process them must be addressed with data compression. In this review we first answer the question “why compression” in a quantitative manner. Then we also answer the questions “what” and “how”, by sketching the fundamental compression ideas, describing the main sequencing data types and formats, and comparing the specialized compression algorithms and tools. Finally, we go back to the question “why compression” and give other, perhaps surprising answers, demonstrating the pervasiveness of data compression techniques in computational biology. PMID:24252160

Philosophical Roots of Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanovic, M.

2008-10-01

We shall consider the philosophical roots of cosmology in the earlier Greek philosophy. Our goal is to answer the question: Are earlier Greek theories of pure philosophical-mythological character, as often philosophers cited it, or they have scientific character. On the bases of methodological criteria, we shall contend that the latter is the case. In order to answer the question about contemporary situation of the relation philosophy-cosmology, we shall consider the next question: Is contemporary cosmology completely independent of philosophical conjectures? The answer demands consideration of methodological character about scientific status of contemporary cosmology. We also consider some aspects of the relation contemporary philosophy-cosmology.

Measuring patrons' technology habits: an evidence-based approach to tailoring library services

PubMed Central

Wu, Jin; Chatfield, Amy J.; Hughes, Annie M.; Kysh, Lynn; Rosenbloom, Megan Curran

2014-01-01

Librarians continually integrate new technologies into library services for health sciences students. Recently published data are lacking about student ownership of technological devices, awareness of new technologies, and interest in using devices and technologies to interact with the library. A survey was implemented at seven health sciences libraries to help answer these questions. Results show that librarian assumptions about awareness of technologies are not supported, and student interest in using new technologies to interact with the library varies widely. Collecting this evidence provides useful information for successfully integrating technologies into library services. PMID:24860272

HyperCard to SPSS: improving data integrity.

PubMed

Gostel, R

1993-01-01

This article describes a database design that captures responses in a HyperCard stack and moves the data to SPSS for the Macintosh without the need to rekey data. Pregnant women used an interactive computer application with a touch screen to answer questions and receive educational information about fetal alcohol syndrome. A database design was created to capture survey responses through interaction with a computer by a sample of prenatal women during formative evaluation trials. The author does not compare this method of data collection to other methods. This article simply describes the method of data collection as a useful research tool.

Measuring patrons' technology habits: an evidence-based approach to tailoring library services.

PubMed

Wu, Jin; Chatfield, Amy J; Hughes, Annie M; Kysh, Lynn; Rosenbloom, Megan Curran

2014-04-01

Librarians continually integrate new technologies into library services for health sciences students. Recently published data are lacking about student ownership of technological devices, awareness of new technologies, and interest in using devices and technologies to interact with the library. A survey was implemented at seven health sciences libraries to help answer these questions. Results show that librarian assumptions about awareness of technologies are not supported, and student interest in using new technologies to interact with the library varies widely. Collecting this evidence provides useful information for successfully integrating technologies into library services.

Is there a relationship between students' knowledge of HIV/AIDS ways of transmission and their responses regarding their proximity to people living with HIV/AIDS?

PubMed

Santos, Vanessa Prado; Coelho, Maria Thereza Ávila Dantas; Macário, Estéfani Lima; Oliveira, Tâmara Cerqueira da Silva

2017-08-01

This paper aims to identify college students' knowledge of HIV ways of transmission and correlate it with their answers concerning the proximity to people living with HIV/AIDS. We applied a questionnaire from the Brazilian Ministry of Health to 591 health undergraduate students. We analyzed the 10 questions about the virus ways of transmission, evaluating the number of correct answers and verifying the association between the number of correct answers and questions related to the proximity to people living with HIV/AIDS. Most students (96%) answered correctly 7 to 10 questions related to HIV ways of transmission (Group A) and 4% answered correctly 3 to 6 questions (Group B). Correlating these two subgroups and the answers about the non-acceptance of proximity to people living with HIV/AIDS, we found significant association between Group B and the agreement that the employer should fire an employee living with HIV and the statement that they would feel uncomfortable if a child living with HIV/AIDS studied at the same school as their own children. Negative opinions concerning the proximity to people living with HIV/AIDS were less prevalent, but were correlated to the lower knowledge of HIV ways of transmission.

10 Questions to Answer for Technology to Succeed in Your School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gosmire, Doreen; Grady, Marilyn L.

2007-01-01

Few principals claim to be technology experts. Most aspire to design a map that leads their schools to success with educational technology. However, the key to success on the journey is not knowing everything or becoming a technology expert. It is about asking the right questions, exploring the answers to those questions, and creating a road map…

Europe An Insider's View

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crosby, Paul

1988-06-01

What I would like to do is to really answer a question which most American companies find themselves wrestling with when they first start to consider the European market. That question is, "should one view Europe as a single entity, or as a collection of individual states?" Once you have answered that question, then from that is driven your whole marketing sales and distribution policy.

On-Line Mathematics Assessment: The Impact of Mode on Performance and Question Answering Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Martin; Green, Sylvia

2006-01-01

The transition from paper-based to computer-based assessment raises a number of important issues about how mode might affect children's performance and question answering strategies. In this project 104 eleven-year-olds were given two sets of matched mathematics questions, one set on-line and the other on paper. Facility values were analyzed to…

The Varieties of Student Experience--An Open Research Question and Some Ways to Answer It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainley, Patrick

2008-01-01

Based on meetings of the Society for Research into Higher Education's Student Experience Network over the past three years, the genuinely open research question is posed whether there is one or more undergraduate student experience within English higher education. Answering this question depends on whether what is taught or what is learnt is…

A Model Driven Question-Answering System for a CAI Environment. Final Report (July 1970 to May 1972).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, John S.; And Others

A question answering system which permits a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) student greater initiative in the variety of questions he can ask is described. A method is presented to represent the dynamic processes of a subject matter area by augmented finite state automata, which permits efficient inferencing about dynamic processes and…

Today’s Crisis in Contracting

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

17 .............................................................................. 57 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 . Response to Question 2 , Career Field...indicates the breakout of the respondent’s career field. 12 Figure 1 . Response to Question 2 , Career Field (196 answered, 9 skipped) The...What is your pay grade? If other, please indicate your pay grade. 1 ) Temp GS-12 2 ) GS-08 Fill-In Answers to Question 7 (8 responses). In your

1927 reference in the new millennium: where is the Automat?

PubMed Central

Worel, Sunny Lynn; Rethlefsen, Melissa Lyle

2003-01-01

James Ballard, director at the Boston Medical Library, tracked questions he received at the reference desk in 1927 to recognize the trend of queries and to record the information for future use. He presented a paper on reference services that listed sixty of his reference questions at the Thirtieth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association (MLA) in 1927. During a two-month period in 2001, the authors examined Ballard's questions by attempting to answer them with print sources from the 1920s and with the Internet. The searchers answered 85% of the questions with the Internet and 80% with 1920s reference sources. The authors compared Internet and 1920s print resources for practical use. When answering the questions with 1920s resources, the searchers rediscovered a time in health sciences libraries when there was no Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, no standardized subject headings, and no comprehensive listings of available books. Yet, the authors found many of the 1920s reference materials to be quite useful and often multifunctional. The authors recorded observations regarding the impact of automation on answering reference questions. Even though the Internet has changed the outward appearance of reference services, many things remain the same. PMID:12883575

What are Middle School Students Talking About During Clicker Questions? Characterizing Small-Group Conversations Mediated by Classroom Response Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth-Cohen, Lauren A.; Smith, Michelle K.; Capps, Daniel K.; Lewin, Justin D.; Shemwell, Jonathan T.; Stetzer, MacKenzie R.

2016-02-01

There is a growing interest in using classroom response systems or clickers in science classrooms at both the university and K-12 levels. Typically, when instructors use this technology, students are asked to answer and discuss clicker questions with their peers. The existing literature on using clickers at the K-12 level has largely focused on the efficacy of clicker implementation, with few studies investigating collaboration and discourse among students. To expand on this work, we investigated the question: Does clicker use promote productive peer discussion among middle school science students? Specifically, we collected data from middle school students in a physical science course. Students were asked to answer a clicker question individually, discuss the question with their peers, answer the same question again, and then subsequently answer a new matched-pair question individually. We audio recorded the peer conversations to characterize the nature of the student discourse. To analyze these conversations, we used a grounded analysis approach and drew on literature about collaborative knowledge co-construction. The analysis of the conversations revealed that middle school students talked about science content and collaboratively discussed ideas. Furthermore, the majority of conversations, both ones that positively and negatively impacted student performance, contained evidence of collaborative knowledge co-construction.

Climate Change and Cities in Africa: Current Dilemmas and Future Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

naturally emanates from Earth’s atmosphere .8 One piece of scientific evidence of climate change has been an increase in the average global temperature...is just one element of climate change . Atmospheric temperature interacts with other natural systems, such as the oceanic system, in complex ways with...SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: How will climate change affect people living in African cities? The answer to this complex question has two interrelated

Physics is …; The Physicist explores attributes of physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, F. Todd

2016-12-01

He's back! 'The physicist'returns with an entirely new compilation of questions and answers from his long-lived website where laypeople can ask questions about anything physics related. This book focuses on adjectives (practical, beautiful, surprising, cool, frivolous) instead of nouns like the first two books (atoms, photons, quanta, mechanics, relativity). The answers within 'Physics Is' are responses to people looking for answers to fascinating (and often uninformed) questions. It covers topics such as sports, electromagnetism, gravitational theory, special relativity, superheroes, videogames, and science fiction. These books are designed for laypeople and rely heavily on concepts rather than formalism. That said, they keep the physics correct and don't water down, so expert physicists will find this book and its two companion titles fun reads. They may actually recognize similar questions posed to them by friends and family. As with the first two books, 'Physics Is' ends with a chapter with questions from people who think that 'The physicist' is a psychic and from people who think they have the answers to life, the universe and everything.

Randomized controlled trials in evidence-based mental health care: getting the right answer to the right question.

PubMed

Essock, Susan M; Drake, Robert E; Frank, Richard G; McGuire, Thomas G

2003-01-01

The purpose of clinical research is to answer this question: Would a new treatment, when added to the existing range of treatment options available in practice, help patients? Randomized controlled trials (RCTs)--in particular, double-blind RCTs--have important methodological advantages over observational studies for addressing this question. These advantages, however, come at a price. RCTs compare treatments using a particular allocation rule for assigning patients to treatments (random assignment) that does not mimic real-world practice. "Favorable" results from an RCT indicating that a new treatment is superior to existing treatments are neither necessary nor sufficient for establishing a "yes" answer to the question posed above. Modeled on an experimental design, RCTs are expensive in time and money and must compare simple differences in treatments. Findings have a high internal validity but may not address the needs of the field, particularly where treatment is complex and rapidly evolving. Design of clinical research needs to take account of the way treatments are allocated in actual practice and include flexible designs to answer important questions most effectively.

Aura Science and Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hilsenrath, E.; Schoeberl, M.; Douglass, A.; Anderson, J.; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The EOS-Aura Mission is designed to answer three basic questions concerning the Earth's atmosphere: 1) Is ozone recovering as predicted, 2) is air quality getting worse, and 3) how is climate changing? Aura's four instruments work synergistically and are dedicated to answering these questions. These questions relate to NASA Earth Science Enterprise's overall strategic questions, which seek to understand the consequences of climate change for human civilization and determine if these changes can be predicted. NASA supports an ongoing research and analysis program, which is conducted independently and in support of satellite missions. The research program conducts several on-going field campaigns employing aircraft, balloons, and ground based systems. These campaigns have focused on exploring processes in the tropics, high latitudes, and continental outflow to explain the chemistry and transport in the troposphere and stratosphere and how these regions interact. NASA is now studying how the Aura mission and requirements of the research and analysis program might be merged to achieve its strategic goals related to global atmospheric chemistry changes. In addition, NASA field campaign resources will be folded into Aura's validation requirements. Aura validation requires correlative measurements throughout the troposphere and stratosphere under a range of observing and geophysical conditions. Because of the recent launches of Envisat and other smaller international chemistry satellites, the NASA program plans to collaborate with European space agencies in developing a series of campaigns that will provide continuity between those satellites missions and Aura.

Do Online Information Retrieval Systems Help Experienced Clinicians Answer Clinical Questions?

PubMed Central

Westbrook, Johanna I.; Coiera, Enrico W.; Gosling, A. Sophie

2005-01-01

Objective: To assess the impact of clinicians' use of an online information retrieval system on their performance in answering clinical questions. Design: Pre-/post-intervention experimental design. Measurements: In a computer laboratory, 75 clinicians (26 hospital-based doctors, 18 family practitioners, and 31 clinical nurse consultants) provided 600 answers to eight clinical scenarios before and after the use of an online information retrieval system. We examined the proportion of correct answers pre- and post-intervention, direction of change in answers, and differences between professional groups. Results: System use resulted in a 21% improvement in clinicians' answers, from 29% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.4–32.6) correct pre- to 50% (95% CI 46.0–54.0) post-system use. In 33% (95% CI 29.1–36.9) answers were changed from incorrect to correct. In 21% (95% CI 17.1–23.9) correct pre-test answers were supported by evidence found using the system, and in 7% (95% CI 4.9–9.1) correct pre-test answers were changed incorrectly. For 40% (35.4–43.6) of scenarios, incorrect pre-test answers were not rectified following system use. Despite significant differences in professional groups' pre-test scores [family practitioners: 41% (95% CI 33.0–49.0), hospital doctors: 35% (95% CI 28.5–41.2), and clinical nurse consultants: 17% (95% CI 12.3–21.7; χ2 = 29.0, df = 2, p < 0.01)], there was no difference in post-test scores. (χ2 = 2.6, df = 2, p = 0.73). Conclusions: The use of an online information retrieval system was associated with a significant improvement in the quality of answers provided by clinicians to typical clinical problems. In a small proportion of cases, use of the system produced errors. While there was variation in the performance of clinical groups when answering questions unaided, performance did not differ significantly following system use. Online information retrieval systems can be an effective tool in improving the accuracy of clinicians' answers to clinical questions. PMID:15684126

Levels of line graph question interpretation with intermediate elementary students of varying scientific and mathematical knowledge and ability: A think aloud study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, Stacy Kathryn

This study examined how intermediate elementary students' mathematics and science background knowledge affected their interpretation of line graphs and how their interpretations were affected by graph question levels. A purposive sample of 14 6th-grade students engaged in think aloud interviews (Ericsson & Simon, 1993) while completing an excerpted Test of Graphing in Science (TOGS) (McKenzie & Padilla, 1986). Hand gestures were video recorded. Student performance on the TOGS was assessed using an assessment rubric created from previously cited factors affecting students' graphing ability. Factors were categorized using Bertin's (1983) three graph question levels. The assessment rubric was validated by Padilla and a veteran mathematics and science teacher. Observational notes were also collected. Data were analyzed using Roth and Bowen's semiotic process of reading graphs (2001). Key findings from this analysis included differences in the use of heuristics, self-generated questions, science knowledge, and self-motivation. Students with higher prior achievement used a greater number and variety of heuristics and more often chose appropriate heuristics. They also monitored their understanding of the question and the adequacy of their strategy and answer by asking themselves questions. Most used their science knowledge spontaneously to check their understanding of the question and the adequacy of their answers. Students with lower and moderate prior achievement favored one heuristic even when it was not useful for answering the question and rarely asked their own questions. In some cases, if students with lower prior achievement had thought about their answers in the context of their science knowledge, they would have been able to recognize their errors. One student with lower prior achievement motivated herself when she thought the questions were too difficult. In addition, students answered the TOGS in one of three ways: as if they were mathematics word problems, science data to be analyzed, or they were confused and had to guess. A second set of findings corroborated how science background knowledge affected graph interpretation: correct science knowledge supported students' reasoning, but it was not necessary to answer any question correctly; correct science knowledge could not compensate for incomplete mathematics knowledge; and incorrect science knowledge often distracted students when they tried to use it while answering a question. Finally, using Roth and Bowen's (2001) two-stage semiotic model of reading graphs, representative vignettes showed emerging patterns from the study. This study added to our understanding of the role of science content knowledge during line graph interpretation, highlighted the importance of heuristics and mathematics procedural knowledge, and documented the importance of perception attentions, motivation, and students' self-generated questions. Recommendations were made for future research in line graph interpretation in mathematics and science education and for improving instruction in this area.

29 CFR 2509.75-8 - Questions and answers relating to fiduciary responsibility under the Employee Retirement Income...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... answers, relating them to the appropriate sections of the Act, is also provided. Index Key to question... reason to doubt the competence, integrity or responsibility of such persons. FR-12 Q: How many...

29 CFR 2509.75-8 - Questions and answers relating to fiduciary responsibility under the Employee Retirement Income...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... answers, relating them to the appropriate sections of the Act, is also provided. Index Key to question... reason to doubt the competence, integrity or responsibility of such persons. FR-12 Q: How many...

29 CFR 2509.75-8 - Questions and answers relating to fiduciary responsibility under the Employee Retirement Income...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... answers, relating them to the appropriate sections of the Act, is also provided. Index Key to question... reason to doubt the competence, integrity or responsibility of such persons. FR-12 Q: How many...

76 FR 45168 - Rules Relating to Investigations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-28

... documentary material, tangible things, written reports or answers to questions, and oral testimony, which may... documentary material, tangible things, written reports or answers to questions, and oral testimony. This... Investigations Section 1080.14 explains that documentary materials and tangible things obtained by the Bureau...

The near-symmetry of proteins.

PubMed

Bonjack-Shterengartz, Maayan; Avnir, David

2015-04-01

The majority of protein oligomers form clusters which are nearly symmetric. Understanding of that imperfection, its origins, and perhaps also its advantages requires the conversion of the currently used vague qualitative descriptive language of the near-symmetry into an accurate quantitative measure that will allow to answer questions such as: "What is the degree of symmetry deviation of the protein?," "how do these deviations compare within a family of proteins?," and so on. We developed quantitative methods to answer this type of questions, which are capable of analyzing the whole protein, its backbone or selected portions of it, down to comparison of symmetry-related specific amino-acids, and which are capable of visualizing the various levels of symmetry deviations in the form of symmetry maps. We have applied these methods on an extensive list of homomers and heteromers and found that apparently all proteins never reach perfect symmetry. Strikingly, even homomeric protein clusters are never ideally symmetric. We also found that the main burden of symmetry distortion is on the amino-acids near the symmetry axis; that it is mainly the more hydrophilic amino-acids that take place in symmetry-distortive interactions; and more. The remarkable ability of heteromers to preserve near-symmetry, despite the different sequences, was also shown and analyzed. The comprehensive literature on the suggested advantages symmetric oligomerizations raises a yet-unsolved key question: If symmetry is so advantageous, why do proteins stop shy of perfect symmetry? Some tentative answers to be tested in further studies are suggested in a concluding outlook. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Connecting cognition and consumer choice.

PubMed

Bartels, Daniel M; Johnson, Eric J

2015-02-01

We describe what can be gained from connecting cognition and consumer choice by discussing two contexts ripe for interaction between the two fields. The first-context effects on choice-has already been addressed by cognitive science yielding insights about cognitive process but there is promise for more interaction. The second is learning and representation in choice where relevant theories in cognitive science could be informed by consumer choice, and in return, could pose and answer new questions. We conclude by discussing how these two fields of research stand to benefit from more interaction, citing examples of how interfaces of cognitive science with other fields have been illuminating for theories of cognition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Animals in a bacterial world, a new imperative for the life sciences

PubMed Central

McFall-Ngai, Margaret; Hadfield, Michael G.; Bosch, Thomas C. G.; Carey, Hannah V.; Domazet-Lošo, Tomislav; Douglas, Angela E.; Dubilier, Nicole; Eberl, Gerard; Fukami, Tadashi; Gilbert, Scott F.; Hentschel, Ute; King, Nicole; Kjelleberg, Staffan; Knoll, Andrew H.; Kremer, Natacha; Mazmanian, Sarkis K.; Metcalf, Jessica L.; Nealson, Kenneth; Pierce, Naomi E.; Rawls, John F.; Reid, Ann; Ruby, Edward G.; Rumpho, Mary; Sanders, Jon G.; Tautz, Diethard; Wernegreen, Jennifer J.

2013-01-01

In the last two decades, the widespread application of genetic and genomic approaches has revealed a bacterial world astonishing in its ubiquity and diversity. This review examines how a growing knowledge of the vast range of animal–bacterial interactions, whether in shared ecosystems or intimate symbioses, is fundamentally altering our understanding of animal biology. Specifically, we highlight recent technological and intellectual advances that have changed our thinking about five questions: how have bacteria facilitated the origin and evolution of animals; how do animals and bacteria affect each other’s genomes; how does normal animal development depend on bacterial partners; how is homeostasis maintained between animals and their symbionts; and how can ecological approaches deepen our understanding of the multiple levels of animal–bacterial interaction. As answers to these fundamental questions emerge, all biologists will be challenged to broaden their appreciation of these interactions and to include investigations of the relationships between and among bacteria and their animal partners as we seek a better understanding of the natural world. PMID:23391737

Computer Assisted Assessment of Face-to-Face Interactions in Health Care Settings

PubMed Central

Ayers, James L.; Haight, Stewart A.

1981-01-01

In this paper, the development of an objective procedure for the empirical assessment of dyadic face-to-face interactions is presented. This procedure, called the Interpersonal Tracking Task (ITT) permits two persons who have just finished video taping their conversation to watch themselves immediately after and, while viewing themselves, answer a sequence of questions systematically presented on a second monitor by a microcomputer. Immediately after viewing their tape, each participant can receive feedback in the form of descriptive statistics summarizing their responses to specific questions and a series of colored bar graphs by which they can view change in their responses over the course of their interaction. The unique role of a computer in this assessment is discussed together with specific components of the software. Preliminary research with the ITT in health care settings has suggested steps for its further development as a research instrument and learning tool whereby individuals might more closely examine their dealings with each other. ImagesFigure 1

Towards A Comprehensive Consideration of Epistemic Questions in Software System Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holloway, C. M.; Johnson, Chris W.

2009-01-01

For any software system upon which lives depend, the most important question one can ask about it is, 'How do we know the system is safe?' Despite the critical importance of this question, no widely accepted, generally applicable answer exists. Instead, debate continues to rage over the question, with theorists and practitioners quarrelling with each other and amongst themselves. This paper suggests a possible way forward towards quelling the quarrels, based on refining the critical safety question into additional questions, which may be more likely to have answers on which a consensus can be reached.

Association of marketing interactions with medical trainees' knowledge about evidence-based prescribing: results from a national survey.

PubMed

Austad, Kirsten E; Avorn, Jerry; Franklin, Jessica M; Campbell, Eric G; Kesselheim, Aaron S

2014-08-01

In recent years, numerous US medical schools and academic medical centers have enacted policies preventing pharmaceutical sales representatives from interacting directly with students. Little is known about how pharmaceutical sales representatives affect trainees' knowledge about pharmaceutical prescribing. To determine whether there is an association between medical trainees' interactions with pharmaceutical promotion and their preferences in medication use. We surveyed a nationally representative sample of first- and fourth-year medical students and third-year residents by randomly selecting at least 14 trainees at each level per school. All trainees were asked how often they used different educational resources to learn about prescription drugs. Among fourth-year students and residents, we posed a series of multiple choice knowledge questions asking about the appropriate initial therapy for clinical scenarios involving patients with diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and difficulty sleeping. Evidence-based answers followed widely used clinical guidelines, while marketed-drug answers favored brand-name drugs over generic alternatives. We used survey answers to build an industry relations index assessing each trainee's level of acceptance of pharmaceutical promotion; we used proportional odds logistic regression models to estimate the association between the index and responses to the knowledge questions. The 1601 student (49.0% response rate) and 735 resident (42.9% response rate) respondents reported common use of unfiltered sources of drug information such as Google (74.2%-88.9%) and Wikipedia (45.2%-84.5%). We found that 48% to 90% of fourth-year students and residents accurately identified evidence-based prescribing choices. A 10-point higher industry relations index was associated with 15% lower odds of selecting an evidence-based prescribing choice (odds ratio [OR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79-0.92) (P < .001). There was also a significant association between the industry relations index and greater odds of choosing to prescribe brand-name drugs (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.00-1.16) (P = .04). Among physician trainees, our survey showed an association between positive attitudes toward industry-physician interactions and less knowledge about evidence-based prescribing and greater inclination to recommend brand-name drugs. Policies intended to insulate trainees from pharmaceutical marketing may promote better educational outcomes.

Thermal properties

Treesearch

Roger M. Rowell

2005-01-01

The traditional question at the start of a class on thermal properties of wood is, “Does wood burn?” The students have all been warmed in front of a wood-burning fire before, so they are sure the answer is yes—but since the professor asked the question, there must be some hidden trick to the obvious answer. Going with their experience, their answer is “yes, wood burns...

Helminth infection during pregnancy: insights from evolutionary ecology

PubMed Central

Blackwell, Aaron D

2016-01-01

Helminths are parasitic nematodes and trematodes, grouped together because of morphological similarities and commonalities in the effects infections have on hosts. These include complications such as anemia and biasing of immune responses, which can alter susceptibility for other diseases. For pregnant women, these complications might have implications for pregnancy outcomes or neonatal health. Here, I review studies of helminth infections during pregnancy, and ask the following questions: Do helminths affect maternal health or pregnancy outcomes? Are there consequences of maternal infection for infants? What are the effects of antihelminth treatment during pregnancy? The evidence suggests that the answers to these questions depend on the particular helminth species in question, maternal nutritional status, and the presence or absence of comorbid infection with other species, such as malaria. Moreover, there may also be unexpected consequences of treatment, as maternal infections can affect the priming of infant immune systems, with potential effects on infants later in life. These complex interactions suggest that a consideration of the evolutionary history of human–helminth interactions, as well as the ecological context of infections, can help to clarify an understanding of these host–parasite interactions and provide direction for future investigations. PMID:27956844

Warning Signs of Youth Violence. Just the Facts: Answers to Your Questions about Psychological Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Psychological Association (APA), 2002

2002-01-01

Violence. It's the act of purposefully hurting someone. And it's a major issue facing today's young adults. This fact sheet answers questions that those aged 12-24 might ask about violence. This age group faces the highest risk of being the victim of violence. Questions regard the causes of youth violence, warning signs, what to do if someone…

Mergers and acquisitions. Frequently asked questions and answers.

PubMed

Lin, S M; Smeltzer, C H; Thomas, C

2000-03-01

This article is structured in a question/answer format based on interviews with Dr. Carolyn Hope Smeltzer and Salima Manji Lin of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Chicago, and Chuck Thomas of Hinshaw & Culbertson, Rockford. The questions come from CEO's, healthcare executives, and nurse executives at hospitals that are contemplating mergers or that have both succeeded and failed to merge their institutions. The experts share their knowledge.

Our American Government: What Is It? How Does It Function? 150 Questions and Answers. Ninety Fifth Congress, First Session. House Document No. 95-257.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joint Committee on Printing, Washington, DC.

This pamphlet presents information about the United States government, its bases, processes, and branches, in a question and answer format. Based on questions similar to those frequently received by Members of Congress from their constituents, it offers brief and concise information. Topics covered are democracy and its American sources, the…

Questions & Answers for the New Chemicals Program under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This Questions & Answers document for the New Chemicals Program is intended only to explain the requirements of TSCA section 5 and selected EPA regulations implementing section 5, and to provide useful information to persons subject to these requirements.

The Family and Medical Leave Act: Questions and Answers for the Academic Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Euben, Donna R.; Thornton, Saranna R.

2002-01-01

Provides excerpts from a guide written by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) concerning the Family and Medical Leave Act. Offers advice using a question-and-answer format on the application of the legislation to different situations. (EV)

What about the Bottle? Answers to Common Questions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laird, Valerie

2001-01-01

Acknowledges the large amount of confusing information about bottle feeding in areas including nutrition, sanitation, dental health, psychology, and child development. Answers specific questions pertaining to choice of formula and formula preparation, supporting breastfeeding, bottle choice, solid food introduction, feeding position, spitting up,…

Learning about Renewable Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conservation and Renewable Energy Inquiry and Referral Service (DOE), Silver Spring, MD.

This booklet provides an introduction to renewable energy, discussing: (1) the production of electricity from sunlight; (2) wind power; (3) hydroelectric power; (4) geothermal energy; and (5) biomass. Also provided are nine questions to answer (based on the readings), four additional questions to answer (which require additional information), and…

Municipal Solid Waste Landfill New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and Emission Guidelines (EG) -- Questions and Answers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This November 1998 document of questions and answers are provided as a guide for those subject to the new source performance standards (NSPS) or emission guidelines (EG), as well as those implementing the NSPS or EG.

Designing questionnaires: healthcare survey to compare two different response scales.

PubMed

Dell-Kuster, Salome; Sanjuan, Esteban; Todorov, Atanas; Weber, Heidemarie; Heberer, Michael; Rosenthal, Rachel

2014-08-03

A widely discussed design issue in patient satisfaction questionnaires is the optimal length and labelling of the answering scale. The aim of the present study was to compare intra-individually the answers on two response scales to five general questions evaluating patients' perception of hospital care. Between November 2011 and January 2012, all in-hospital patients at a Swiss University Hospital received a patient satisfaction questionnaire on an adjectival scale with three to four labelled categories (LS) and five redundant questions displayed on an 11-point end-anchored numeric scale (NS). The scales were compared concerning ceiling effect, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), individual item answers (Spearman's rank correlation), and concerning overall satisfaction by calculating an overall percentage score (sum of all answers related to the maximum possible sum). The response rate was 41% (2957/7158), of which 2400 (81%) completely filled out all questions. Baseline characteristics of the responders and non-responders were similar. Floor and ceiling effect were high on both response scales, but more pronounced on the LS than on the NS. Cronbach's alpha was higher on the NS than on the LS. There was a strong individual item correlation between both answering scales in questions regarding the intent to return, quality of treatment and the judgement whether the patient was treated with respect and dignity, but a lower correlation concerning satisfactory information transfer by physicians or nurses, where only three categories were available in the LS. The overall percentage score showed a comparable distribution, but with a wider spread of lower satisfaction in the NS. Since the longer scale did not substantially reduce the ceiling effect, the type of questions rather than the type of answering scale could be addressed with a focus on specific questions about concrete situations instead of general questions. Moreover, the low correlation in questions about information provision suggests that only three possible response choices are insufficient. Further investigations are needed to find a more sensitive scale discriminating high-end ratings. Otherwise, a longitudinal within-hospital or a cross-sectional between-hospital comparison of patient care is questionable.

Designing questionnaires: healthcare survey to compare two different response scales

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background A widely discussed design issue in patient satisfaction questionnaires is the optimal length and labelling of the answering scale. The aim of the present study was to compare intra-individually the answers on two response scales to five general questions evaluating patients’ perception of hospital care. Methods Between November 2011 and January 2012, all in-hospital patients at a Swiss University Hospital received a patient satisfaction questionnaire on an adjectival scale with three to four labelled categories (LS) and five redundant questions displayed on an 11-point end-anchored numeric scale (NS). The scales were compared concerning ceiling effect, internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), individual item answers (Spearman’s rank correlation), and concerning overall satisfaction by calculating an overall percentage score (sum of all answers related to the maximum possible sum). Results The response rate was 41% (2957/7158), of which 2400 (81%) completely filled out all questions. Baseline characteristics of the responders and non-responders were similar. Floor and ceiling effect were high on both response scales, but more pronounced on the LS than on the NS. Cronbach’s alpha was higher on the NS than on the LS. There was a strong individual item correlation between both answering scales in questions regarding the intent to return, quality of treatment and the judgement whether the patient was treated with respect and dignity, but a lower correlation concerning satisfactory information transfer by physicians or nurses, where only three categories were available in the LS. The overall percentage score showed a comparable distribution, but with a wider spread of lower satisfaction in the NS. Conclusions Since the longer scale did not substantially reduce the ceiling effect, the type of questions rather than the type of answering scale could be addressed with a focus on specific questions about concrete situations instead of general questions. Moreover, the low correlation in questions about information provision suggests that only three possible response choices are insufficient. Further investigations are needed to find a more sensitive scale discriminating high-end ratings. Otherwise, a longitudinal within-hospital or a cross-sectional between-hospital comparison of patient care is questionable. PMID:25086869

Comparability of Internet and telephone data in a survey on the respiratory health of children.

PubMed

Plante, Céline; Jacques, Louis; Chevalier, Serge; Fournier, Michel

2012-01-01

Mixing survey administration modes has generated concern about the comparability of responses between modes. To explore the differences in respondent profiles, and responses between Internet and telephone questionnaires in a survey on respiratory diseases. The data were generated from a mixed Internet and telephone survey of respiratory diseases among children in Montreal (Quebec), in 2006. Comparison of 12 selected questions was performed after standardization for respondent education and income. Stratification of analysis on education and income categories was also performed for the questions with significantly divergent responses. Six questions showed significant differences in responses between modes after standardization. The largest differences among the closed-ended questions were observed for highly prevalent symptoms, dry cough during the night (difference of 9% for positive answer [P<0.01]) and symptoms of allergic rhinitis (difference of 7% for positive answer [P<0.01]). A large discrepancy was also found in the multiple choice question and with an open-ended response (ie, free answer). For the three potentially sensitive questions, a desirability bias was probably present in one question on smoking habits (difference of 2.6 % for positive answer [P<0.05]). The differences observed between Internet and telephone responses to selected questions were not completely explained by socioeconomic disparities among the respondents. In a mixed-mode survey (Internet and telephone), caution should be used when formulating sensitive, complex, open-ended and long-ended questions, and those related to highly prevalent and nonspecific symptoms.

QA-driven Guidelines Generation for Bacteriotherapy

PubMed Central

Pasche, Emilie; Teodoro, Douglas; Gobeill, Julien; Ruch, Patrick; Lovis, Christian

2009-01-01

PURPOSE We propose a question-answering (QA) driven generation approach for automatic acquisition of structured rules that can be used in a knowledge authoring tool for antibiotic prescription guidelines management. METHODS: The rule generation is seen as a question-answering problem, where the parameters of the questions are known items of the rule (e.g. an infectious disease, caused by a given bacterium) and answers (e.g. some antibiotics) are obtained by a question-answering engine. RESULTS: When looking for a drug given a pathogen and a disease, top-precision of 0.55 is obtained by the combination of the Boolean engine (PubMed) and the relevance-driven engine (easyIR), which means that for more than half of our evaluation benchmark at least one of the recommended antibiotics was automatically acquired by the rule generation method. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that such an automatic text mining approach could provide a useful tool for guidelines management, by improving knowledge update and discovery. PMID:20351908

Proposal and validation of a quick question to rate the influence of diet in geriatric epidemiological studies on vitamin d.

PubMed

Chevallereau, Gaëlle; Gleyses, Xavier; Roussel, Laurène; Hamdan, Sarah; Beauchet, Olivier; Annweiler, Cédric

2013-01-01

Diet is a major exogenous source of vitamin D. The objective of this analysis was to determine whether the yes/no answer to a simple question exploring diet ("Do you eat fatty fish at least once a week and/or eggs several times per week?") could be associated with serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D status among 261 older in- and outpatients (mean ± standard deviation, 83.5 ± 8.1 years). Two groups were distinguished based on the binary yes/no answer. Hypovitaminosis D was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D ≤ 75 nmol/L. More participants with hypovitaminosis D answered "No" to the question on diet compared to their counterparts (p = 0.002). Answering "No" was associated with hypovitaminosis D (OR = 3.22, p = 0.001) after adjustment for potential confounders, with a positive predictive value = 79 %. A simple dietary question may identify older patients with hypovitaminosis D who should receive vitamin D supplements.

Systems 1 and 2 thinking processes and cognitive reflection testing in medical students

PubMed Central

Tay, Shu Wen; Ryan, Paul; Ryan, C Anthony

2016-01-01

Background Diagnostic decision-making is made through a combination of Systems 1 (intuition or pattern-recognition) and Systems 2 (analytic) thinking. The purpose of this study was to use the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) to evaluate and compare the level of Systems 1 and 2 thinking among medical students in pre-clinical and clinical programs. Methods The CRT is a three-question test designed to measure the ability of respondents to activate metacognitive processes and switch to System 2 (analytic) thinking where System 1 (intuitive) thinking would lead them astray. Each CRT question has a correct analytical (System 2) answer and an incorrect intuitive (System 1) answer. A group of medical students in Years 2 & 3 (pre-clinical) and Years 4 (in clinical practice) of a 5-year medical degree were studied. Results Ten percent (13/128) of students had the intuitive answers to the three questions (suggesting they generally relied on System 1 thinking) while almost half (44%) answered all three correctly (indicating full analytical, System 2 thinking). Only 3–13% had incorrect answers (i.e. that were neither the analytical nor the intuitive responses). Non-native English speaking students (n = 11) had a lower mean number of correct answers compared to native English speakers (n = 117: 1.0 s 2.12 respectfully: p < 0.01). As students progressed through questions 1 to 3, the percentage of correct System 2 answers increased and the percentage of intuitive answers decreased in both the pre-clinical and clinical students. Conclusions Up to half of the medical students demonstrated full or partial reliance on System 1 (intuitive) thinking in response to these analytical questions. While their CRT performance has no claims to make as to their future expertise as clinicians, the test may be used in helping students to understand the importance of awareness and regulation of their thinking processes in clinical practice. PMID:28344696

Systems 1 and 2 thinking processes and cognitive reflection testing in medical students.

PubMed

Tay, Shu Wen; Ryan, Paul; Ryan, C Anthony

2016-10-01

Diagnostic decision-making is made through a combination of Systems 1 (intuition or pattern-recognition) and Systems 2 (analytic) thinking. The purpose of this study was to use the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) to evaluate and compare the level of Systems 1 and 2 thinking among medical students in pre-clinical and clinical programs. The CRT is a three-question test designed to measure the ability of respondents to activate metacognitive processes and switch to System 2 (analytic) thinking where System 1 (intuitive) thinking would lead them astray. Each CRT question has a correct analytical (System 2) answer and an incorrect intuitive (System 1) answer. A group of medical students in Years 2 & 3 (pre-clinical) and Years 4 (in clinical practice) of a 5-year medical degree were studied. Ten percent (13/128) of students had the intuitive answers to the three questions (suggesting they generally relied on System 1 thinking) while almost half (44%) answered all three correctly (indicating full analytical, System 2 thinking). Only 3-13% had incorrect answers (i.e. that were neither the analytical nor the intuitive responses). Non-native English speaking students (n = 11) had a lower mean number of correct answers compared to native English speakers (n = 117: 1.0 s 2.12 respectfully: p < 0.01). As students progressed through questions 1 to 3, the percentage of correct System 2 answers increased and the percentage of intuitive answers decreased in both the pre-clinical and clinical students. Up to half of the medical students demonstrated full or partial reliance on System 1 (intuitive) thinking in response to these analytical questions. While their CRT performance has no claims to make as to their future expertise as clinicians, the test may be used in helping students to understand the importance of awareness and regulation of their thinking processes in clinical practice.

Animal behaviour learning environment: software to facilitate learning in canine and feline behavior therapy.

PubMed

McGreevy, P D; Della Torre, P K; Evans, D L

2003-01-01

Interactive software has been developed on CD-ROM to facilitate learning of problem formulation, diagnostic methodology, and therapeutic options in dog and cat behavior problems. Students working in small groups are presented with a signalment, a case history, and brief description of the problem behavior as perceived by the client. Students then navigate through the case history by asking the client questions from an icon-driven question pad. Animated video responses to the questions are provided. Students are then required to rate the significance of the questions and answers with respect to the development of the unwelcome behavior. Links to online self-assessments and to resource materials about causation and treatment options are provided to assist students in their decision-making process. The activity concludes with a software-generated e-mail submission that includes the recorded history, diagnosis, and recommended treatment for assessment purposes.

Multiple-Choice Answers: To Change or Not to Change? Perhaps Not Such a Simple Question

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wainscott, Heidi

2016-01-01

When grading students' quizzes and exams, I find that students are seemingly always changing their answers from the right answer to the wrong answer. In fact, I have cautioned students against changing their answer. Colleagues have made similar observations and some books on test-taking strategies advise against answer-changing. In an effort to…

From Newton to Einstein; Ask the physicist about mechanics and relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, F. Todd

2014-12-01

Since 2006 the author has run a web site, WWW.AskThePhysicist.com, where he answers questions about physics. The site is not intended for answering highly technical questions; rather the purpose is to answer, with as little mathematics and formalism as possible, questions from intelligent and curious laypersons. This book is about classical mechanics. Usually `classical' calls to mind Newtonian mechanics and that is indeed where modern physics started. The bulk of the book is devoted to sections which will contain mainly categorized groups of Q&As from the web site, sort of a Best of Ask the Physicist.

Ambient Intelligence in Multimeda and Virtual Reality Environments for the rehabilitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benko, Attila; Cecilia, Sik Lanyi

This chapter presents a general overview about the use of multimedia and virtual reality in rehabilitation and assistive and preventive healthcare. This chapter deals with multimedia, virtual reality applications based AI intended for use by medical doctors, nurses, special teachers and further interested persons. It describes methods how multimedia and virtual reality is able to assist their work. These include the areas how multimedia and virtual reality can help the patients everyday life and their rehabilitation. In the second part of the chapter we present the Virtual Therapy Room (VTR) a realized application for aphasic patients that was created for practicing communication and expressing emotions in a group therapy setting. The VTR shows a room that contains a virtual therapist and four virtual patients (avatars). The avatars are utilizing their knowledge base in order to answer the questions of the user providing an AI environment for the rehabilitation. The user of the VTR is the aphasic patient who has to solve the exercises. The picture that is relevant for the actual task appears on the virtual blackboard. Patient answers questions of the virtual therapist. Questions are about pictures describing an activity or an object in different levels. Patient can ask an avatar for answer. If the avatar knows the answer the avatars emotion changes to happy instead of sad. The avatar expresses its emotions in different dimensions. Its behavior, face-mimic, voice-tone and response also changes. The emotion system can be described as a deterministic finite automaton where places are emotion-states and the transition function of the automaton is derived from the input-response reaction of an avatar. Natural language processing techniques were also implemented in order to establish highquality human-computer interface windows for each of the avatars. Aphasic patients are able to interact with avatars via these interfaces. At the end of the chapter we visualize the possible future research field.

Memorial Consequences of Answering SAT II Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Elizabeth J.; Agarwal, Pooja K.; Roediger, Henry L., III

2009-01-01

Many thousands of students take standardized tests every year. In the current research, we asked whether answering standardized test questions affects students' later test performance. Prior research has shown both positive and negative effects of multiple-choice testing on later tests, with negative effects arising from students selecting…

The transportation and environmental impacts of infill versus greenfield development: a comparative case study analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-10-01

This paper tries to answer the question of which site provides more efficient or better transportation services to a new residential or commercial development - an urban infill site or a suburban edge/greenfield? In order to answer this question, the...

Clinical Guidelines. Dental Hygiene Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branson, Bonnie

This manual contains information concerning the policies and procedures of the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Dental Hygiene Clinic. The manual is presented in a question/answer format for the information and convenience of dental hygiene students in the program, and is intended to answer their questions concerning clinical policies and…

Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Paul D.

The reanalysis of data to answer the original research question with better statistical techniques or to answer new questions with old data is not uncommon in quantitative studies. Meta analysis and research syntheses have increased with the increase in research using similar statistical analyses, refinements of analytical techniques, and the…