Research-active clinical nurses: against all odds.

PubMed

Siedlecki, Sandra L; Albert, Nancy M

2017-03-01

To develop a theoretical understanding of factors that impact decisions of clinical nurses to conduct a research study. Only a small percentage of all nurses are research-active and even fewer clinical nurses are research-active. Several researchers have explored barriers to research activity by clinical nurses, but few have examined why, in spite of all odds, some clinical nurses are research-active. As the purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical understanding of the research-active nurse, a grounded theory approach was used. The sample interviewed for this study consisted of registered nurses (n = 26) who worked in a hospital or ambulatory setting, had daily direct patient contact and had participated as principal investigator on at least one completed clinical nursing research study that was not in fulfilment of an educational requirement. The interviews were digitally recorded and analysed by two researchers using the constant comparative method. The findings from this study suggest that the conduct of research by clinical nurses was the direct result of a clinical trigger, characteristics and beliefs of the nurse about research and their role in generating knowledge, and the presence of support conditions, such as a research mentor. Clinical nurses can and do conduct research, in spite of constraints due to a lack of time, money and/or knowledge, if they have access to research mentors and are practising in a research-supportive environment. Nurses at the bedside are in a unique position to identify problems most in need of solutions. Findings from this study provide a foundation upon which to develop and test various programmes that seek to increase the number of clinical nurses who are research-active. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Integrated Extravehicular Activity Human Research Plan: 2017

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abercromby, Andrew

2017-01-01

Multiple organizations within NASA as well as industry and academia fund and participate in research related to extravehicular activity (EVA). In October 2015, representatives of the EVA Office, the Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD), and the Human Research Program (HRP) at NASA Johnson Space Center agreed on a formal framework to improve multi-year coordination and collaboration in EVA research. At the core of the framework is an Integrated EVA Human Research Plan and a process by which it will be annually reviewed and updated. The over-arching objective of the collaborative framework is to conduct multi-disciplinary cost-effective research that will enable humans to perform EVAs safely, effectively, comfortably, and efficiently, as needed to enable and enhance human space exploration missions. Research activities must be defined, prioritized, planned and executed to comprehensively address the right questions, avoid duplication, leverage other complementary activities where possible, and ultimately provide actionable evidence-based results in time to inform subsequent tests, developments and/or research activities. Representation of all appropriate stakeholders in the definition, prioritization, planning and execution of research activities is essential to accomplishing the over-arching objective. A formal review of the Integrated EVA Human Research Plan will be conducted annually. Coordination with stakeholders outside of the EVA Office, CTSD, and HRP is already in effect on a study-by-study basis; closer coordination on multi-year planning with other EVA stakeholders including academia is being actively pursued. Details of the preliminary Integrated EVA Human Research Plan are presented including description of ongoing and planned research activities in the areas of: physiological and performance capabilities; suit design parameters; EVA human health and performance modeling; EVA tasks and concepts of operations; EVA informatics; human-suit sensors; suit

Research Activity and the Association with Mortality

PubMed Central

Ozdemir, Baris A.; Karthikesalingam, Alan; Sinha, Sidhartha; Poloniecki, Jan D.; Hinchliffe, Robert J.; Thompson, Matt M.; Gower, Jonathan D.; Boaz, Annette; Holt, Peter J. E.

2015-01-01

Introduction The aims of this study were to describe the key features of acute NHS Trusts with different levels of research activity and to investigate associations between research activity and clinical outcomes. Methods National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Comprehensive Clinical Research Network (CCRN) funding and number of patients recruited to NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) portfolio studies for each NHS Trusts were used as markers of research activity. Patient-level data for adult non-elective admissions were extracted from the English Hospital Episode Statistics (2005-10). Risk-adjusted mortality associations between Trust structures, research activity and, clinical outcomes were investigated. Results Low mortality Trusts received greater levels of funding and recruited more patients adjusted for size of Trust (n = 35, 2,349 £/bed [95% CI 1,855–2,843], 5.9 patients/bed [2.7–9.0]) than Trusts with expected (n = 63, 1,110 £/bed, [864–1,357] p<0.0001, 2.6 patients/bed [1.7–3.5] p<0.0169) or, high (n = 42, 930 £/bed [683–1,177] p = 0.0001, 1.8 patients/bed [1.4–2.1] p<0.0005) mortality rates. The most research active Trusts were those with more doctors, nurses, critical care beds, operating theatres and, made greater use of radiology. Multifactorial analysis demonstrated better survival in the top funding and patient recruitment tertiles (lowest vs. highest (odds ratio & 95% CI: funding 1.050 [1.033–1.068] p<0.0001, recruitment 1.069 [1.052–1.086] p<0.0001), middle vs. highest (funding 1.040 [1.024–1.055] p<0.0001, recruitment 1.085 [1.070–1.100] p<0.0001). Conclusions Research active Trusts appear to have key differences in composition than less research active Trusts. Research active Trusts had lower risk-adjusted mortality for acute admissions, which persisted after adjustment for staffing and other structural factors. PMID:25719608

Research and Development. Laboratory Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallaway, Ann, Ed.

Research and Development is a laboratory-oriented course that includes the appropriate common essential elements for industrial technology education plus concepts and skills related to research and development. This guide provides teachers of the course with learning activities for secondary students. Introductory materials include an…

20 CFR 401.165 - Statistical and research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Statistical and research activities. 401.165... RECORDS AND INFORMATION Disclosure of Official Records and Information § 401.165 Statistical and research activities. (a) General. Statistical and research activities often do not require information in a format...

20 CFR 401.165 - Statistical and research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Statistical and research activities. 401.165... RECORDS AND INFORMATION Disclosure of Official Records and Information § 401.165 Statistical and research activities. (a) General. Statistical and research activities often do not require information in a format...

20 CFR 401.165 - Statistical and research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Statistical and research activities. 401.165... RECORDS AND INFORMATION Disclosure of Official Records and Information § 401.165 Statistical and research activities. (a) General. Statistical and research activities often do not require information in a format...

Matching software practitioner needs to researcher activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feather, M. S.; Menzies, T.; Connelly, J. R.

2003-01-01

We present an approach to matching software practitioners' needs to software researchers' activities. It uses an accepted taxonomical software classfication scheme as intermediary, in terms of which practitioners express needs, and researchers express activities.

[Research activities in Kobe-Indonesia Collaborative Research Centers].

PubMed

Utsumi, Takako; Hayashi, Yoshitake; Hotta, Hak

2013-01-01

Kobe-Indonesia Collaborative Research Center was established in Institute of Tropical Disease (ITD), Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia in 2007 under the program of ''Founding Research Centers for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases'' supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, and then it has been under the Japan Initiative for Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases (J-GRID) since 2010. Japanese researchers have been stationed at ITD, conducting joint researches on influenza, viral hepatitis, dengue and infectious diarrhea. Also, another Japanese researcher has been stationed at Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, carrying out joint researches on'' Identification of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) substances and development of HCV and dengue vaccines'' in collaboration with University of Indonesia and Airlangga University through the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) since 2009. In this article, we briefly introduce the background history of Kobe University Research Center in Indonesia, and discuss the research themes and outcomes of J-GRID and SATREPS activities.

Antiviral Drug Research Proposal Activity †

PubMed Central

Injaian, Lisa; Smith, Ann C.; Shipley, Jennifer German; Marbach-Ad, Gili; Fredericksen, Brenda

2011-01-01

The development of antiviral drugs provides an excellent example of how basic and clinical research must be used together in order to achieve the final goal of treating disease. A Research Oriented Learning Activity was designed to help students to better understand how basic and clinical research can be combined toward a common goal. Through this project students gained a better understanding of the process of scientific research and increased their information literacy in the field of virology. The students worked as teams to research the many aspects involved in the antiviral drug design process, with each student becoming an “expert” in one aspect of the project. The Antiviral Drug Research Proposal (ADRP) culminated with students presenting their proposals to their peers and local virologists in a poster session. Assessment data showed increased student awareness and knowledge of the research process and the steps involved in the development of antiviral drugs as a result of this activity. PMID:23653735

How Work Positions Affect the Research Activity and Information Behaviour of Laboratory Scientists in the Research Lifecycle: Applying Activity Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, Nahyun

2017-01-01

Introduction: This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of research and information activities of laboratory scientists in different work positions throughout a research lifecycle. Activity theory was applied as the conceptual and analytical framework. Method: Taking a qualitative research approach, in-depth interviews and field…

Human Research Program Science Management: Overview of Research and Development Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charles, John B.

2007-01-01

An overview of research and development activities of NASA's Human Research Science Management Program is presented. The topics include: 1) Human Research Program Goals; 2) Elements and Projects within HRP; 3) Development and Maintenance of Priorities; 4) Acquisition and Evaluation of Research and Technology Proposals; and 5) Annual Reviews

42 CFR 2.52 - Research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Research activities. 2.52 Section 2.52 Public... OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE PATIENT RECORDS Disclosures Without Patient Consent § 2.52 Research... research if the program director makes a determination that the recipient of the patient identifying...

42 CFR 2.52 - Research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Research activities. 2.52 Section 2.52 Public... OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE PATIENT RECORDS Disclosures Without Patient Consent § 2.52 Research... research if the program director makes a determination that the recipient of the patient identifying...

42 CFR 2.52 - Research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Research activities. 2.52 Section 2.52 Public... OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE PATIENT RECORDS Disclosures Without Patient Consent § 2.52 Research... research if the program director makes a determination that the recipient of the patient identifying...

42 CFR 2.52 - Research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Research activities. 2.52 Section 2.52 Public... OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE PATIENT RECORDS Disclosures Without Patient Consent § 2.52 Research... research if the program director makes a determination that the recipient of the patient identifying...

42 CFR 2.52 - Research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Research activities. 2.52 Section 2.52 Public... OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE PATIENT RECORDS Disclosures Without Patient Consent § 2.52 Research... research if the program director makes a determination that the recipient of the patient identifying...

Current and anticipated uses of thermal hydraulic codes in Korea

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

Kim, Kyung-Doo; Chang, Won-Pyo

1997-07-01

In Korea, the current uses of thermal hydraulic codes are categorized into 3 areas. The first application is in designing both nuclear fuel and NSSS. The codes have usually been introduced based on the technology transfer programs agreed between KAERI and the foreign vendors. Another area is in the supporting of the plant operations and licensing by the utility. The third category is research purposes. In this area assessments and some applications to the safety issue resolutions are major activities using the best estimate thermal hydraulic codes such as RELAP5/MOD3 and CATHARE2. Recently KEPCO plans to couple thermal hydraulic codesmore » with a neutronics code for the design of the evolutionary type reactor by 2004. KAERI also plans to develop its own best estimate thermal hydraulic code, however, application range is different from KEPCO developing code. Considering these activities, it is anticipated that use of the best estimate hydraulic analysis code developed in Korea may be possible in the area of safety evaluation within 10 years.« less

2nd Annual Postdoc Research Day: US Army Research Laboratory PosterSymposia and Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-04-12

ARL-SR-0394•APR 2018 US Army Research Laboratory 2nd Annual Postdoc Research Day: US Army Research Laboratory Poster Symposia and Activities by...Do not return it to the originator. ARL-SR-0394•APR 2018 US Army Research Laboratory 2nd Annual Postdoc Research Day: US Army Research Laboratory...Poster Symposia and Activities by Efraín Hernández–Rivera Weapons and Materials Research Directorate, ARL Julia Cline Oak Ridge Institute for Science and

The Impact of the Physical Activity Policy Research Network.

PubMed

Manteiga, Alicia M; Eyler, Amy A; Valko, Cheryl; Brownson, Ross C; Evenson, Kelly R; Schmid, Thomas

2017-03-01

Lack of physical activity is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. The Physical Activity Policy Research Network (PAPRN) is a thematic network established in 2004 to identify determinants, implementation, and outcomes of policies that are effective in increasing physical activity. The purpose of this study is to describe the products of PAPRN and make recommendations for future research and best practices. A mixed methods approach was used to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data on the network. First, in 2014, PAPRN's dissemination products from 2004 to 2014 were extracted and reviewed, including 57 publications and 56 presentations. Next, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 key network participants from 17 locations around the U.S. The transcripts were transcribed and coded. The results of the interviews indicated that the research network addressed several components of its mission, including the identification of physical activity policies, determinants of these policies, and the process of policy implementation. However, research focusing on physical activity policy outcomes was limited. Best practices included collaboration between researchers and practitioners and involvement of practitioners in research design, data collection, and dissemination of results. PAPRN is an example of a productive research network and has contributed to both the process and content of physical activity policy research over the past decade. Future research should emphasize physical activity policy outcomes. Additionally, increased partnerships with practitioners for collaborative, cross-sectoral physical activity policy research should be developed. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

50 CFR 600.745 - Scientific research activity, exempted fishing, and exempted educational activity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... collection designed to capture and land quantities of fish for product development, market research, and/or... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 12 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Scientific research activity, exempted...-STEVENS ACT PROVISIONS General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries § 600.745 Scientific research activity...

50 CFR 600.745 - Scientific research activity, exempted fishing, and exempted educational activity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... collection designed to capture and land quantities of fish for product development, market research, and/or... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 12 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Scientific research activity, exempted...-STEVENS ACT PROVISIONS General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries § 600.745 Scientific research activity...

50 CFR 600.745 - Scientific research activity, exempted fishing, and exempted educational activity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... collection designed to capture and land quantities of fish for product development, market research, and/or... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 12 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Scientific research activity, exempted...-STEVENS ACT PROVISIONS General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries § 600.745 Scientific research activity...

50 CFR 600.745 - Scientific research activity, exempted fishing, and exempted educational activity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... collection designed to capture and land quantities of fish for product development, market research, and/or... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 10 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Scientific research activity, exempted...-STEVENS ACT PROVISIONS General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries § 600.745 Scientific research activity...

50 CFR 600.745 - Scientific research activity, exempted fishing, and exempted educational activity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... collection designed to capture and land quantities of fish for product development, market research, and/or... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Scientific research activity, exempted...-STEVENS ACT PROVISIONS General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries § 600.745 Scientific research activity...

Positive Activities: Qualitative Research with Parents. Solutions Research. Research Report. DCSF-RR142

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2009

2009-01-01

This research was commissioned by COI and DCSF to understand in depth, the barriers, motivators and messages for parents to encourage participation in positive activities for young people. Within this the research was designed to understand the level of influence of parents in whether a young person participates/what a young person might…

Update on U.S.EPA Cookstove Research Activities

EPA Science Inventory

The presentation includes background information on EPA's stove research, focuses on cookstove testing for air pollutant emissions and energy efficiency, and briefly describes current research activities. Ongoing activities are highlighted, and EPA contacts are provided.

Fragility Analysis Methodology for Degraded Structures and Passive Components in Nuclear Power Plants - Illustrated using a Condensate Storage Tank

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

Nie, J.; Braverman, J.; Hofmayer, C.

2010-06-30

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is conducting a five-year research project to develop a realistic seismic risk evaluation system which includes the consideration of aging of structures and components in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The KAERI research project includes three specific areas that are essential to seismic probabilistic risk assessment (PRA): (1) probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, (2) seismic fragility analysis including the effects of aging, and (3) a plant seismic risk analysis. Since 2007, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has entered into a collaboration agreement with KAERI to support its development of seismic capability evaluation technology for degraded structuresmore » and components. The collaborative research effort is intended to continue over a five year period. The goal of this collaboration endeavor is to assist KAERI to develop seismic fragility analysis methods that consider the potential effects of age-related degradation of structures, systems, and components (SSCs). The research results of this multi-year collaboration will be utilized as input to seismic PRAs. In the Year 1 scope of work, BNL collected and reviewed degradation occurrences in US NPPs and identified important aging characteristics needed for the seismic capability evaluations. This information is presented in the Annual Report for the Year 1 Task, identified as BNL Report-81741-2008 and also designated as KAERI/RR-2931/2008. The report presents results of the statistical and trending analysis of this data and compares the results to prior aging studies. In addition, the report provides a description of U.S. current regulatory requirements, regulatory guidance documents, generic communications, industry standards and guidance, and past research related to aging degradation of SSCs. In the Year 2 scope of work, BNL carried out a research effort to identify and assess degradation models for the long-term behavior of dominant materials that are

Summary of Research Activities Academic Departments 1981-1982.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

M12 MICROCOPY RESOLUTIONI TEST CHART NATION4AL BUREAU OF STAN4DARDS- 1963-A SUMMARY OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ACADEMIC I DEPARTMENTS 1 1981-1982 42 4...r I OFFICE OF THE ACADEMIC DEAN I UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND li. 6 4 | I I SUMMARY OF IRESEARCH ACTIVITIES [ 1981 - 1982 i... activities that contribute to the professional growth of the faculty and outstanding midshipmen may flourish. * The research activities of the faculty

Teaching Research Methodology through Active Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundahl, Brad W.

2008-01-01

To complement traditional learning activities in a masters-level research methodology course, social work students worked on a formal research project which involved: designing the study, constructing measures, selecting a sampling strategy, collecting data, reducing and analyzing data, and finally interpreting and communicating the results. The…

Research engagement of health sciences librarians: a survey of research-related activities and attitudes.

PubMed

Lessick, Susan; Perryman, Carol; Billman, Brooke L; Alpi, Kristine M; De Groote, Sandra L; Babin, Ted D

2016-04-01

The extent to which health sciences librarians are engaged in research is a little-studied question. This study assesses the research activities and attitudes of Medical Library Association (MLA) members, including the influence of work affiliation. An online survey was designed using a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions and distributed to MLA members. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, content analysis, and significance testing. The authors used statistical tools and categorized open-ended question topics by the constant comparative method, also applying the broad subject categories used in a prior study. Pearson's chi-square analysis was performed on responses to determine significant differences among respondents employed in three different institutional environments. Analysis showed that 79% of respondents read research articles at least once a month; 58% applied published research studies to practice; 44% had conducted research; 62% reported acting on research had enhanced their libraries; 38% had presented findings; and 34% had authored research articles. Hospital librarians were significantly less likely than academic librarians to have participated in research activities. Highly ranked research benefits, barriers, and competencies of health sciences librarians are described. Findings indicate that health sciences librarians are actively engaged in research activities. Practice implications for practitioners, publishers, and stakeholders are discussed. Results suggest that practitioners can use published research results and results from their own research to affect practice decisions and improve services. Future studies are needed to confirm and extend these findings, including the need for intervention studies to increase research and writing productivity.

Research engagement of health sciences librarians: a survey of research-related activities and attitudes

PubMed Central

Lessick, Susan; Perryman, Carol; Billman, Brooke L.; Alpi, Kristine M.; De Groote, Sandra L.; Babin, Ted D.

2016-01-01

Introduction The extent to which health sciences librarians are engaged in research is a little-studied question. This study assesses the research activities and attitudes of Medical Library Association (MLA) members, including the influence of work affiliation. Methods An online survey was designed using a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions and distributed to MLA members. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, content analysis, and significance testing. The authors used statistical tools and categorized open-ended question topics by the constant comparative method, also applying the broad subject categories used in a prior study. Pearson's chi-square analysis was performed on responses to determine significant differences among respondents employed in three different institutional environments. Results Analysis showed that 79% of respondents read research articles at least once a month; 58% applied published research studies to practice; 44% had conducted research; 62% reported acting on research had enhanced their libraries; 38% had presented findings; and 34% had authored research articles. Hospital librarians were significantly less likely than academic librarians to have participated in research activities. Highly ranked research benefits, barriers, and competencies of health sciences librarians are described. Conclusions Findings indicate that health sciences librarians are actively engaged in research activities. Practice implications for practitioners, publishers, and stakeholders are discussed. Results suggest that practitioners can use published research results and results from their own research to affect practice decisions and improve services. Future studies are needed to confirm and extend these findings, including the need for intervention studies to increase research and writing productivity. PMID:27076808

Steps toward validity in active living research: research design that limits accusations of physical determinism.

PubMed

Riggs, William

2014-03-01

"Active living research" has been accused of being overly "physically deterministic" and this article argues that urban planners must continue to evolve research and address biases in this area. The article first provides background on how researchers have dealt with the relationship between the built environment and health over years. This leads to a presentation of how active living research might be described as overly deterministic. The article then offers lessons for researchers planning to embark in active-living studies as to how they might increase validity and minimize criticism of physical determinism. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Departmental Contexts and Faculty Research Activity in Norway

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smeby, Jens-Christian; Try, Sverre

2005-01-01

The aim of the paper is to examine the relationship between departmental attributes and university faculty research activity. Since individual and departmental factors are highly interrelated, individual attributes are included in a hierarchical linear model taking into consideration the nested structure of the data. Research activity is measured…

Activation Theory and Uses and Gratifications Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tate, E. D.

Uses and gratifications research involves a critical appraisal of conceptual and theoretical issues in mass communication and is concerned with what audience members do with the media. Activation theory understands people as active manipulators of their environment. (Activation refers to that level of psychological and physiological excitement an…

Comparative research on activation technique for GaAs photocathodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Liang; Qian, Yunsheng; Chang, Benkang; Chen, Xinlong; Yang, Rui

2012-03-01

The properties of GaAs photocathodes mainly depend on the material design and activation technique. In early researches, high-low temperature two-step activation has been proved to get more quantum efficiency than high-temperature single-step activation. But the variations of surface barriers for two activation techniques have not been well studied, thus the best activation temperature, best Cs-O ratio and best activation time for two-step activation technique have not been well found. Because the surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) before activation is only in connection with the body parameters for GaAs photocathode such as electron diffusion length and the spectral response current (SRC) after activation is in connection with not only body parameters but also surface barriers, thus the surface escape probability (SEP) can be well fitted through the comparative research between SPS before activation and SEP after activation. Through deduction for the tunneling process of surface barriers by Schrödinger equation, the width and height for surface barrier I and II can be well fitted through the curves of SEP. The fitting results were well proved and analyzed by quantitative analysis of angle-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ADXPS) which can also study the surface chemical compositions, atomic concentration percentage and layer thickness for GaAs photocathodes. This comparative research method for fitting parameters of surface barriers through SPS before activation and SRC after activation shows a better real-time in system method for the researches of activation techniques.

Summary of Research Activities Academic Departments 1980-1981.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

policy issues in these nations. Three regional studies of non-agricultural activities in the Philippines , Malaysia, and Sierra Leone are examined for...AD-AL17 5 291 NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAOIS MD F/6 5/2 SUMMARY OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS 1980-1981(U) OCT 81 W L HELFIN UNCLASSIFIED USNA-7...SUMMARY OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES 1980 - 1981 COMPILED AND EDITED BY PROFESSOR WILSON L. HEFLIN ENGLISH DEPARTMENT DTIC ELECTE I-OCTOBER 1981 JU9 S& UNITED

Instructor-Created Activities to Engage Undergraduate Nursing Research Students.

PubMed

Pierce, Linda L; Reuille, Kristina M

2018-03-01

In flipped or blended classrooms, instruction intentionally shifts to a student-centered model for a problem-based learning approach, where class time explores topics in greater depth, creating meaningful learning opportunities. This article describes instructor-created activities focused on research processes linked to evidence-based practice that engage undergraduate nursing research students. In the classroom, these activities include individual and team work to foster critical thinking and stimulate student discussion of topic material. Six activities for small and large student groups are related to quantitative, qualitative, and both research processes, as well as applying research evidence to practice. Positive student outcomes included quantitative success on assignments and robust student topic discussions, along with instructor-noted overall group engagement and interest. Using these activities can result in class time for the construction of meaning, rather than primarily information transmission. Instructors may adopt these activities to involve and stimulate students' critical thinking about research and evidence-based practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(3):174-177.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Seismic Fragility Analysis of a Condensate Storage Tank with Age-Related Degradations

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

Nie, J.; Braverman, J.; Hofmayer, C

2011-04-01

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is conducting a five-year research project to develop a realistic seismic risk evaluation system which includes the consideration of aging of structures and components in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The KAERI research project includes three specific areas that are essential to seismic probabilistic risk assessment (PRA): (1) probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, (2) seismic fragility analysis including the effects of aging, and (3) a plant seismic risk analysis. Since 2007, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has entered into a collaboration agreement with KAERI to support its development of seismic capability evaluation technology for degraded structuresmore » and components. The collaborative research effort is intended to continue over a five year period. The goal of this collaboration endeavor is to assist KAERI to develop seismic fragility analysis methods that consider the potential effects of age-related degradation of structures, systems, and components (SSCs). The research results of this multi-year collaboration will be utilized as input to seismic PRAs. This report describes the research effort performed by BNL for the Year 4 scope of work. This report was developed as an update to the Year 3 report by incorporating a major supplement to the Year 3 fragility analysis. In the Year 4 research scope, an additional study was carried out to consider an additional degradation scenario, in which the three basic degradation scenarios, i.e., degraded tank shell, degraded anchor bolts, and cracked anchorage concrete, are combined in a non-perfect correlation manner. A representative operational water level is used for this effort. Building on the same CDFM procedure implemented for the Year 3 Tasks, a simulation method was applied using optimum Latin Hypercube samples to characterize the deterioration behavior of the fragility capacity as a function of age-related degradations. The results are summarized in

Forum: Communication Activism Pedagogy. Turning Communication Activism Pedagogy Teaching into Communication Activism Pedagogy Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Lawrence R.; Palmer, David L.

2017-01-01

In this rejoinder to this forum's respondents to the stimulus essay, "Communication Activism Pedagogy and Research: Communication Education Scholarship to Promote Social Justice," Lawrence Frey and David Palmer state that the forum editors asked them and the invited respondents to focus on communication activism pedagogy (CAP) research…

Ground penetrating radar for fracture mapping in underground hazardous waste disposal sites: A case study from an underground research tunnel, South Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baek, Seung-Ho; Kim, Seung-Sep; Kwon, Jang-Soon; Um, Evan Schankee

2017-06-01

Secure disposal or storage of nuclear waste within stable geologic environments hinges on the effectiveness of artificial and natural radiation barriers. Fractures in the bedrock are viewed as the most likely passage for the transport of radioactive waste away from a disposal site. We utilize ground penetrating radar (GPR) to map fractures in the tunnel walls of an underground research tunnel at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). GPR experiments within the KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT) were carried out by using 200 MHz, 500 MHz, and 1000 MHz antennas. By using the high-frequency antennas, we were able to identify small-scale fractures, which were previously unidentified during the tunnel excavation process. Then, through 3-D visualization of the grid survey data, we reconstructed the spatial distribution and interconnectivity of the multi-scale fractures within the wall. We found that a multi-frequency GPR approach provided more details of the complex fracture network, including deep structures. Furthermore, temporal changes in reflection polarity between the GPR surveys enabled us to infer the hydraulic characteristics of the discrete fracture network developed behind the surveyed wall. We hypothesized that the fractures exhibiting polarity change may be due to a combination of air-filled and mineralogical boundaries. Simulated GPR scans for the considered case were consistent with the observed GPR data. If our assumption is correct, the groundwater flow into these near-surface fractures may form the water-filled fractures along the existing air-filled ones and hence cause the changes in reflection polarity over the given time interval (i.e., 7 days). Our results show that the GPR survey is an efficient tool to determine fractures at various scales. Time-lapse GPR data may be essential to characterize the hydraulic behavior of discrete fracture networks in underground disposal facilities.

Summary of Research Activities, Academic Departments, 1979-1980.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

AD-AO99 373 NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAP’OLIS RD / , SUMM4ARY OF RE ARCH ACTIVITIES . ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS. 1 .q79-jRO..ET-rf , ,OCT 60 W L NEFLITN UNCLASSIF...IED USNA-AR-6 NL llnnnm mmnlm 1 mum li lllMENl l llsllol I I I I SUMMARY OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES 1979 - 1980 I COMPILED AND EDITED BY PROFESSOR WILSON L...policy of the Naval Academy to provide and maintain an environment in which research activities that contribute to the professional growth of the

How consumer physical activity monitors could transform human physiology research.

PubMed

Wright, Stephen P; Hall Brown, Tyish S; Collier, Scott R; Sandberg, Kathryn

2017-03-01

A sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity are well-established risk factors for chronic disease and adverse health outcomes. Thus, there is enormous interest in measuring physical activity in biomedical research. Many consumer physical activity monitors, including Basis Health Tracker, BodyMedia Fit, DirectLife, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip, Garmin Vivofit, Jawbone UP, MisFit Shine, Nike FuelBand, Polar Loop, Withings Pulse O 2 , and others have accuracies similar to that of research-grade physical activity monitors for measuring steps. This review focuses on the unprecedented opportunities that consumer physical activity monitors offer for human physiology and pathophysiology research because of their ability to measure activity continuously under real-life conditions and because they are already widely used by consumers. We examine current and potential uses of consumer physical activity monitors as a measuring or monitoring device, or as an intervention in strategies to change behavior and predict health outcomes. The accuracy, reliability, reproducibility, and validity of consumer physical activity monitors are reviewed, as are limitations and challenges associated with using these devices in research. Other topics covered include how smartphone apps and platforms, such as the Apple ResearchKit, can be used in conjunction with consumer physical activity monitors for research. Lastly, the future of consumer physical activity monitors and related technology is considered: pattern recognition, integration of sleep monitors, and other biosensors in combination with new forms of information processing. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

How consumer physical activity monitors could transform human physiology research

PubMed Central

Hall Brown, Tyish S.; Collier, Scott R.; Sandberg, Kathryn

2017-01-01

A sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity are well-established risk factors for chronic disease and adverse health outcomes. Thus, there is enormous interest in measuring physical activity in biomedical research. Many consumer physical activity monitors, including Basis Health Tracker, BodyMedia Fit, DirectLife, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip, Garmin Vivofit, Jawbone UP, MisFit Shine, Nike FuelBand, Polar Loop, Withings Pulse O2, and others have accuracies similar to that of research-grade physical activity monitors for measuring steps. This review focuses on the unprecedented opportunities that consumer physical activity monitors offer for human physiology and pathophysiology research because of their ability to measure activity continuously under real-life conditions and because they are already widely used by consumers. We examine current and potential uses of consumer physical activity monitors as a measuring or monitoring device, or as an intervention in strategies to change behavior and predict health outcomes. The accuracy, reliability, reproducibility, and validity of consumer physical activity monitors are reviewed, as are limitations and challenges associated with using these devices in research. Other topics covered include how smartphone apps and platforms, such as the Apple ResearchKit, can be used in conjunction with consumer physical activity monitors for research. Lastly, the future of consumer physical activity monitors and related technology is considered: pattern recognition, integration of sleep monitors, and other biosensors in combination with new forms of information processing. PMID:28052867

Top 10 research questions related to children physical activity motivation.

PubMed

Chen, Ang

2013-12-01

Physical activity is critical to healthy development of children. It is well documented that helping children develop and sustain a physically active lifestyle requires children to become motivated. Many studies have been conducted in the past 2.5 decades on determinants and correlates for children and adolescents' physical activity motivation. The findings have informed researchers and practitioners about motivation sources for children and effective strategies to motivate children in given physical activity settings. Built on the extensive knowledge base and theoretical platforms formed by these research studies, the purpose of this article is to take a look at the current research landscape and provide subjective thoughts about what we still need to know about children's physical activity motivation. The product of this subjective thinking process rendered 10 potential questions for future research on children's physical activity motivation in both in-school and out-of-school settings. These topics encompass those focusing on children's physical activity motivation as a mental dispositional process, those conceptualizing the motivation as an outcome of person-environment interactions, and those attempting to dissect the motivation as an outcome of social-cultural influences and educational policies. It is hoped that the topics can serve researchers interested in children's physical activity motivation as starting blocks from which they can extend their conceptual thinking and identify research questions that are personally meaningful. It is also hoped that the list of potential questions can be helpful to researchers in accomplishing the imperative and significant mission to motivate children to be physically active in the 21st century and beyond.

Policy and Practice-Relevant Youth Physical Activity Research Center Agenda.

PubMed

Botchwey, Nisha; Floyd, Myron F; Pollack Porter, Keshia; Cutter, Carmen L; Spoon, Chad; Schmid, Tom L; Conway, Terry L; Hipp, J Aaron; Kim, Anna J; Umstattd Meyer, M Renee; Walker, Amanda L; Kauh, Tina J; Sallis, Jim F

2018-06-08

The Physical Activity Research Center developed a research agenda that addresses youth physical activity (PA) and healthy weight, and aligns with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health. This paper summarizes prioritized research studies with a focus on youth at higher risk for inactive lifestyles and childhood obesity in urban and rural communities. Systematic literature reviews, a survey, and discussions with practitioners and researchers provided guidance on research questions to build evidence and inform effective strategies to promote healthy weight and PA in youth across race, cultural, and economic groups. The research team developed a matrix of potential research questions, identified priority questions, and designed targeted studies to address some of the priority questions and inform advocacy efforts. The studies selected examine strategies advocating for activity-friendly communities, Play Streets, park use, and PA of youth in the summer. A broader set of research priorities for youth PA is proposed. Establishing the Physical Activity Research Center research agenda identified important initial and future research studies to promote and ensure healthy weight and healthy levels of PA for at-risk youth. Results will be disseminated with the goal of promoting equitable access to PA for youth.

To Support Research Activities Under the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregory, John C.

2003-01-01

The Alabama NASA EPSCoR Program is a collaborative venture of The Alabama Space Grant Consortium, The Alabama EPSCoR, and faculty and staff at 10 Alabama colleges and universities as well as the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile. There are two Research Clusters which include infrastructure-building and outreach elements embedded in their research activities. Each of the two Research Clusters is in an area of clear and demonstrable relevance to NASA's mission, to components of other Alabama EPSCoR projects, and to the State of Alabama's economic development. This Final Report summarizes and reports upon those additional activities occurring after the first report was submitted in March 2000 (included here as Appendix C). Since the nature of the activities and the manner in which they relate to one another differ by cluster, these clusters function independently and are summarized in parallel in this report. They do share a common administration by the Alabama Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) and by this means, good ideas from each group were communicated to the other, as appropriate. During the past year these research teams, involving 15 scientists, 16 graduate students, 16 undergraduates, and 7 high school students involving 10 Alabama universities had 14 peer reviewed scientific journal articles published, 21 others reviewed for publication or published in proceedings, gave 7 formal presentations and numerous informal presentations to well over 3000 people, received 3 patents and were awarded 14 research proposals for more than $213K dollars in additional research related to these investigations. Each cluster's activities are described and an Appendix summarizes these achievements.

Research in subliminal psychodynamic activation: note on Masling (1998).

PubMed

Fudin, R

1999-04-01

Masling (1998) questioned Malik, Apel, Nelham, Rutkowski, and Ladd's 1997 suggestion that subliminal psychodynamic activation research with MOMMY AND I ARE ONE should be restricted. Problems in Masling's paper and the scope of research with MOMMY AND I ARE ONE are discussed. His position that such research should not be restricted is supported on the condition that subliminal psychodynamic activation research with MOMMY AND I ARE ONE (and other messages) use Fudin's 1986 procedure that could clarify the interpretation of successful experimental outcomes.

Top 10 research questions related to physical activity in preschool children.

PubMed

Pate, Russell R; O'Neill, Jennifer R; Brown, William H; McIver, Kerry L; Howie, Erin K; Dowda, Marsha

2013-12-01

The purpose of this article was to highlight important research needs related to physical activity in 3- to 5-year-old children. We identified research needs in 3 major categories: health effects, patterns of physical activity, and interventions and policies. The top research needs include identifying the health effects of physical activity, the effects of physical activity on the development of healthy weight, the effects of physical activity on learning and behavior, and the health implications of sedentary behavior. Research questions concerning patterns of physical activity include determining the prevalence of 3- to 5-year-olds meeting the current physical activity guidelines; the social and environmental factors that influence physical activity in home, preschool, and community settings; and how physical activity tracks into later childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Research questions about interventions and policies include identifying the most effective strategies to promote physical activity in home, child care, and community settings and to reach diverse populations of young children, identifying effective intervention implementation and dissemination strategies, and determining the effectiveness of national, state, local, and institutional policies for increasing physical activity. In conclusion, research is needed to establish a full understanding of the health implications of physical activity in 3- to 5-year-old children, to better understand the nature of physical activity behavior in this group, and to learn how to promote physical activity in young children.

Top 10 Research Questions Related to Children Physical Activity Motivation

PubMed Central

Chen, Ang

2017-01-01

Physical activity is critical to healthy development of children. It is well documented that helping children develop and sustain a physically active lifestyle requires children to become motivated. Many studies have been conducted in the past 2.5 decades on determinants and correlates for children and adolescents’ physical activity motivation. The findings have informed researchers and practitioners about motivation sources for children and effective strategies to motivate children in given physical activity settings. Built on the extensive knowledge base and theoretical platforms formed by these research studies, the purpose of this article is to take a look at the current research landscape and provide subjective thoughts about what we still need to know about children’s physical activity motivation. The product of this subjective thinking process rendered 10 potential questions for future research on children’s physical activity motivation in both in-school and out-of-school settings. These topics encompass those focusing on children’s physical activity motivation as a mental dispositional process, those conceptualizing the motivation as an outcome of person–environment interactions, and those attempting to dissect the motivation as an outcome of social–cultural influences and educational policies. It is hoped that the topics can serve researchers interested in children’s physical activity motivation as starting blocks from which they can extend their conceptual thinking and identify research questions that are personally meaningful. It is also hoped that the list of potential questions can be helpful to researchers in accomplishing the imperative and significant mission to motivate children to be physically active in the 21st century and beyond. PMID:24592774

Evidence-based practice and research utilization activities among rural nurses.

PubMed

Olade, Rosaline A

2004-01-01

To identify the extent to which rural nurses utilize evidence-based practice guidelines from scientific research in their practice; to describe both previous and current research utilization activities in which they have participated, and to identify the specific barriers they face in their practice settings. Data for this descriptive study were collected through questionnaires with open-ended questions focused on (a) current utilization of nursing research findings, (b) previous involvement in nursing research activities, and (c) participation in medical research activities. The participants were 106 nurses from various practice areas in six rural counties of a southwestern state in the United States. Results revealed that only 20.8% of the participants stated they were currently involved in research utilization, and they were mostly nurses with bachelor's degrees. The two most common areas of current research utilization were pain management and pressure ulcer prevention and management. Barriers to research utilization, such as rural isolation and lack of nursing research consultants, were identified. The types of research utilization activities identified by these nurses indicate how much the facilities in which these nurses work in the rural areas are striving with the utilization of available scientific evidence. Rural nurses face unique barriers related to situational and geographic factors, with implications for nursing administrators, researchers, and educators.

Research on Mobile Learning Activities Applying Tablets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Juskeviciene, Anita; Bireniene, Virginija

2015-01-01

The paper aims to present current research on mobile learning activities in Lithuania while implementing flagship EU-funded CCL project on application of tablet computers in education. In the paper, the quality of modern mobile learning activities based on learning personalisation, problem solving, collaboration, and flipped class methods is…

Researching Contradictions: Cultural Historical Activity Theory Research (CHAT) in the English Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Ian

2015-01-01

This article argues that Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) is an appropriate theoretical and methodological framework for researchers in English interested in the social contexts of culture and its relationship with the formation of mind and activity in the English classroom. Two key concepts in Vygotsky's thought central to understanding…

7 CFR 3400.21 - Scientific peer review for research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Scientific peer review for research activities. 3400... § 3400.21 Scientific peer review for research activities. Scientific peer review is an evaluation of a... with the scientific knowledge and technical skills to conduct the proposed research work. Peer...

Top 10 Research Questions Related to Physical Activity in Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pate, Russell R.; O'Neill, Jennifer R.; Brown, William H.; McIver, Kerry L.; Howie, Erin K.; Dowda, Marsha

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article was to highlight important research needs related to physical activity in 3-to 5-year-old children. We identified research needs in 3 major categories: health effects, patterns of physical activity, and interventions and policies. The top research needs include identifying the health effects of physical activity, the…

77 FR 34367 - Proposed Subsequent Arrangement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-11

... reactors, and a research reactor, at the Post Irradiation Examination Facility (PIEF), the Irradiated.../2011, ``Post-Irradiation Examination and R&D Programs Using Irradiated Fuels at KAERI,'' dated June... fuel elements for post-irradiation examination and for research, development and manufacture of DUPIC...

Commentary: The Relative Research Unit: An Approach to Measuring and Encouraging Clinician Participation in Research Activities

PubMed Central

Embi, Peter J.; Tsevat, Joel

2013-01-01

Recent nationwide initiatives to accelerate clinical and translational research, including comparative effectiveness research, increasingly will require clinician participation in research-related activities at the point-of-care, activities such as participant recruitment for clinical research studies and systematic data collection. A key element to the success of such initiatives that has not yet been adequately addressed is how to provide incentives to clinicians for the time and effort that such participation will require. Models to calculate the value of clinical care services are commonly used to compensate clinicians, and similar models have been proposed to calculate and compensate researchers’ efforts. However, to the authors’ knowledge, no such model has been proposed for calculating the value of research-related activities performed by non-investigator clinicians, be they in academic or community settings. In this commentary, the authors propose a new model for doing just that. They describe how such a relative research unit model could be used to provide both direct and indirect incentives for clinician participation in research activities. Direct incentives could include financial compensation, while indirect incentives could include credit towards promotion and tenure and towards the maintenance of specialty board certification. The authors discuss the principles behind this relative research unit approach as well as ethical, funding, and other considerations to fully developing and deploying such a model, across academic environments first and then more broadly across the health care community. PMID:22201633

Bling My Research! A Mock Grant Panel Activity Illustrating the Importance of Basic Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leander, Celeste A.; Whitton, Jeannette

2010-01-01

First-year university students have misconceptions about the source and dynamics of publicly funded research money. We designed an activity in which students take part in a mock grant panel. The results indicated a strong tendency toward student funding of applied medical research at the expense of basic research. Exposure to a few examples of…

University Research and Development Activities: The Federal Income Tax Consequences of Research Contracts, Research Subsidiaries and Joint Ventures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kertz, Consuelo Lauda; Hasson, James K., Jr.

1986-01-01

Features of the federal income tax law applying to income received from commercially funded university-based scientific research and development activities are discussed, including: industry-sponsored research contracts, separately incorporated entities, partnerships and joint ventures, subsidiaries and unrelated income consequences of…

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals’ pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers. PMID:28178270

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers.

PubMed

Roach, Michael

2017-01-01

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals' pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers.

Snapshot of Active Flow Control Research at NASA Langley

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Washburn, A. E.; Gorton, S. Althoff; Anders, S. G.

2002-01-01

NASA Langley is aggressively investigating the potential advantages of active flow control as opposed to more traditional aerodynamic techniques. Many of these techniques will be blended with advanced materials and structures to further enhance payoff. Therefore a multi-disciplinary approach to technology development is being attempted that includes researchers from the more historical disciplines of fluid mechanics. acoustics, material science, structural mechanics, and control theory. The overall goals of the topics presented are focused on advancing the state of knowledge and understanding of controllable fundamental mechanisms in fluids rather than on specific engineering problems. An organizational view of current research activities at NASA Langley in active flow control as supported by several programs such as the Morphing Project under Breakthrough Vehicle Technologies Program (BVT). the Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology Program (UEET), and the 21st Century Aircraft Technology Program (TCAT) is presented. On-center research as well as NASA Langley funded contracts and grants are discussed at a relatively high level. The products of this research, as part of the fundamental NASA R and D (research and development) program. will be demonstrated as either bench-top experiments, wind-tunnel investigations, or in flight tests. Later they will be transferred to more applied research programs within NASA, DOD (Department of Defense), and U.S. industry.

48 CFR 3452.224-72 - Research activities involving human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... involving human subjects. 3452.224-72 Section 3452.224-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT... Text of Provisions and Clauses 3452.224-72 Research activities involving human subjects. As prescribed... human subjects covered under 34 CFR part 97: Research Activities Involving Human Subjects (MAR 2011) (a...

48 CFR 3452.224-72 - Research activities involving human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... involving human subjects. 3452.224-72 Section 3452.224-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT... Text of Provisions and Clauses 3452.224-72 Research activities involving human subjects. As prescribed... human subjects covered under 34 CFR part 97: Research Activities Involving Human Subjects (MAR 2011) (a...

48 CFR 3452.224-72 - Research activities involving human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... involving human subjects. 3452.224-72 Section 3452.224-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT... Text of Provisions and Clauses 3452.224-72 Research activities involving human subjects. As prescribed... human subjects covered under 34 CFR part 97: Research Activities Involving Human Subjects (MAR 2011) (a...

48 CFR 3452.224-72 - Research activities involving human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... involving human subjects. 3452.224-72 Section 3452.224-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT... Text of Provisions and Clauses 3452.224-72 Research activities involving human subjects. As prescribed... human subjects covered under 34 CFR part 97: Research Activities Involving Human Subjects (MAR 2011) (a...

Research Activity and Scholarly Productivity among Counselor Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walton, Joseph M.

1982-01-01

Investigated research and scholarly activities among a group of randomly selected counselor educators. Found high and low producers to be distinguishable by years in the present career, preferred professional activity, sex, academic rank, institutional affiliation, institutional size, when the first publication was produced, weekly time devoted to…

Music therapists' research activity and utilization barriers: a survey of the membership.

PubMed

Waldon, Eric G

2015-01-01

Music therapists have access to a rapidly expanding body of research supporting the use of music-based interventions. What is not known is the extent to which music therapists access these resources and what factors may prevent them from incorporating research findings into clinical work. After constructing the Music Therapists' Research Activity and Utilization Barrier (MTRAUB) database, the purposes of this study involved: assessing the extent to which American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) members engage in certain research-related activities; and identifying respondents' perceived barriers to integrating research into clinical practice. This study employed a quantitative, non-experimental approach using an online survey. Respondents included professional, associate, student/graduate student, retired, inactive, and honorary life members of AMTA. Instrumentation involved a researcher-designed Background Questionnaire as well as the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BARRIERS; Funk, Champagne, Wiese, & Tornquist, 1991), a tool designed to assess perceived barriers to incorporating research into practice. Of the 3,194 survey invitations distributed, 974 AMTA members replied (a response rate of 30%). Regarding research-related activities, descriptive findings indicate that journal reading is the most frequently reported research-related activity while conducting research is the least frequently reported activity. Results from the BARRIERS Scale indicated that Organizational and Communication factors are perceived as interfering most prominently with the ability to utilize research in clinical practice. Findings suggest that research-related activity and perceived barriers vary as a function of educational attainment, work setting, and occupational role. The author discusses these differential findings in detail, suggests supportive mechanisms to encourage increased research activity and utilization, and offers recommendations for further analysis of the

Device-based monitoring in physical activity and public health research.

PubMed

Bassett, David R

2012-11-01

Measurement of physical activity is important, given the vital role of this behavior in physical and mental health. Over the past quarter of a century, the use of small, non-invasive, wearable monitors to assess physical activity has become commonplace. This review is divided into three sections. In the first section, a brief history of physical activity monitoring is provided, along with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of different devices. In the second section, recent applications of physical activity monitoring in physical activity and public health research are discussed. Wearable monitors are being used to conduct surveillance, and to determine the extent and distribution of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in populations around the world. They have been used to help clarify the dose-response relation between physical activity and health. Wearable monitors that provide feedback to users have also been used in longitudinal interventions to motivate research participants and to assess their compliance with program goals. In the third section, future directions for research in physical activity monitoring are discussed. It is likely that new developments in wearable monitors will lead to greater accuracy and improved ease-of-use.

Three Dimensions of Learning: Experiential Activity for Engineering Innovation Education and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killen, Catherine P.

2015-01-01

This paper outlines a novel approach to engineering education research that provides three dimensions of learning through an experiential class activity. A simulated decision activity brought current research into the classroom, explored the effect of experiential activity on learning outcomes and contributed to the research on innovation decision…

AGU Activities to Promote Undergraduate Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grove, K.; Johnson, R.; Giesler, J.

2001-05-01

A primary goal of the AGU Committee on Education and Human Resources (CEHR) is to significantly increase the participation of undergraduate students at AGU meetings. Involving students in scientific meetings at this level of their education helps them to better prepare for graduate school and for a career in the geophysical sciences. Ongoing CEHR activities to promote undergraduate participation include: (1) sponsoring technical sessions to showcase undergraduate research; (2) sponsoring sessions about careers and other topics of special interest to students; (3) sponsoring workshops to inform faculty about doing research with undergraduates; (4) sponsoring meeting events to partner graduate student mentors with first-time undergraduate attendees; (5) working with sections to create situations where undergraduates and section scientists can interact; (6) creating a guide for first-time meeting attendees; (7) sponsoring an Academic Recruiting Forum at meetings to connect undergraduates with geophysical graduate programs; (8) running a Career Center at meetings to connect students and employers; (9) raising funds for more travel grants to provide more student support to attend meetings; (10) developing a listserve to inform AGU members about opportunities to do research with undergraduates and to involve more members in mentoring activities; and (11) collecting data, such as career outcomes and demographic characteristics of recent Ph.D. recipients, that are of interest to students.

Narratives and Activity Theory as Reflective Tools in Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Kaz

2012-01-01

Narratives and activity theory are useful as socially constructed data collection tools that allow a researcher access to the social, cultural and historical meanings that research participants place on events in their lives. This case study shows how these tools were used to promote reflection within a cultural-historical activity theoretically…

Relationships between Interlibrary Loan and Research Activity in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duy, Joanna; Larivière, Vincent

2014-01-01

Interlibrary Loan borrowing rates in academic libraries are influenced by an array of factors. This article explores the relationship between interlibrary loan borrowing activity and research activity at 42 Canadian academic institutions. A significant positive correlation was found between interlibrary loan borrowing activity and measures of…

Finnish nurses' views on their research activities.

PubMed

Kuuppelomäki, Merja; Tuomi, Jouni

2003-07-01

The purpose of the study reported here was to describe Finnish nurses' research and publication activities, as well as their views on the availability and utilization of research results in nursing practice. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire in which obstacles to the utilization of research results were measured with a previously developed instrument. A total of 400 nurses from community health centres, a central hospital and a central university hospital took part. Most of the nurses had carried out research on their own. Age, experience, training in research and development and other further training, as well as reading the nursing literature, were associated with doing research. Some of the reasons why the nurses had not carried out research were revealed. Publication of results was very rare. There were problems with the availability of research results. The most common obstacles to research utilization had to do with the presentation of results and the setting. In research utilization, respondents received most support from the ward manager and least support from doctors. If we want to encourage nurses to do research and increase the utilization of research results, greater effort should be invested in teaching research methodology, in introducing more flexible working hours and in developing other support systems.

Real Research In The Classroom - Solar Active Longitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stagg, T.; Gearen, M.; Jacoby, S. H.; Jones, H. P.; Henney, C. J.; Hill, F.

2000-12-01

We present a high-school level educational/research module for a project that improves computer and analytical skills and contributes new scientific results to the field of solar astronomy and physics. The module has been developed within the RET (Research Experience for Teachers) program as a new application of a cooperative project between the RBSE (Research-Based Science Education) initiative of the NSF and the NASA Education/Public Outreach program. The research goal is to improve our knowledge of the characteristics of solar active longitudes, where sunspots tend to cluster. In particular, the rotation rate of these regions is poorly known. It is suspected that the active longitude rotation rate (ALRR) is different from the rotation rate of the solar surface. If this is true, the ALRR can be compared with the internal rotation rate deduced by helioseismology providing an estimate of the active region depth. A good determination of the ALRR requires the measurement of the position of thousands of individual active regions, a step best done by interactive examination of images, selection of regions, and determination of heliographic position. These tasks are well-suited for high school students, who are thus provided with a motivation to improve their computer and scientific thinking skills. ScionImage (PC)/NIH Image (Macs) macros for this purpose have been developed which access a CD-ROM of 25 years of NSO/Kitt Peak magnetogram data and laboratory exercises developed previously for classroom use. In the future, a web site will be created for collecting the data from classrooms across the US, and for status reports on the results.

Methods to Measure Physical Activity Behaviors in Health Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzhugh, Eugene C.

2015-01-01

Regular physical activity (PA) is an important concept to measure in health education research. The health education researcher might need to measure physical activity because it is the primary measure of interest, or PA might be a confounding measure that needs to be controlled for in statistical analysis. The purpose of this commentary is to…

How the Doctorate Contributes to the Formation of Active Researchers: What the Research Tells Us

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinclair, Jennifer; Barnacle, Robyn; Cuthbert, Denise

2014-01-01

While much research focuses on factors contributing to doctoral completion, few studies explore the role of the doctorate in forming active researchers with the skills, know-how and appetite to pursue research post-completion. This article investigates 15 existing studies for evidence of what factors in the doctoral experience may contribute to…

Extracurricular research activities among senior medical students in Kuwait: experiences, attitudes, and barriers.

PubMed

Al-Halabi, Becher; Marwan, Yousef; Hasan, Mohammad; Alkhadhari, Sulaiman

2014-01-01

Research is the foundation of scientific advancement and improvement in quality of health care, which ensures the good health of the community. The aim of this study is to explore experiences, attitudes, and barriers of medical students in Kuwait University (KU) in regards to extracurricular research. A questionnaire about extracurricular research activities (ie, any research activity that is not part of the required undergraduate curriculum, such as publishing a paper, research elective, etc) was distributed to 175 senior medical students (years 6 and 7). Descriptive and chi-square analyses were used to analyze the responses, considering a P-value of <0.05 as the cut-off level for significance. The main outcome was defined as taking part in any of the extracurricular research activities. Of the 150 participants (response rate = 85.7%), 26 (17.3%), 68 (45.3%), 52 (34.7%), and 17 (11.3%) had published their required medical school research, presented abstracts in conferences, conducted extracurricular research, and completed a research elective/course, respectively; 99 (66.0%) took part in any of these activities. Participants who read medical journals regularly (81; 54%) reported higher participation in extracurricular research activities than those who did not read journals (P=0.003). Improving the availability of mentors for students' extracurricular research was ranked by the participants as the most important factor to improve their participation in extracurricular research (4.05/5.00). Despite the lack of adequate support, extracurricular research activities among medical students of KU were comparable to students from other countries. Barriers for these activities should be addressed by KU medical educators in order to enhance research activities among the students.

Extracurricular research activities among senior medical students in Kuwait: experiences, attitudes, and barriers

PubMed Central

Al-Halabi, Becher; Marwan, Yousef; Hasan, Mohammad; Alkhadhari, Sulaiman

2014-01-01

Background Research is the foundation of scientific advancement and improvement in quality of health care, which ensures the good health of the community. The aim of this study is to explore experiences, attitudes, and barriers of medical students in Kuwait University (KU) in regards to extracurricular research. Methods A questionnaire about extracurricular research activities (ie, any research activity that is not part of the required undergraduate curriculum, such as publishing a paper, research elective, etc) was distributed to 175 senior medical students (years 6 and 7). Descriptive and chi-square analyses were used to analyze the responses, considering a P-value of <0.05 as the cut-off level for significance. The main outcome was defined as taking part in any of the extracurricular research activities. Results Of the 150 participants (response rate = 85.7%), 26 (17.3%), 68 (45.3%), 52 (34.7%), and 17 (11.3%) had published their required medical school research, presented abstracts in conferences, conducted extracurricular research, and completed a research elective/course, respectively; 99 (66.0%) took part in any of these activities. Participants who read medical journals regularly (81; 54%) reported higher participation in extracurricular research activities than those who did not read journals (P=0.003). Improving the availability of mentors for students’ extracurricular research was ranked by the participants as the most important factor to improve their participation in extracurricular research (4.05/5.00). Conclusion Despite the lack of adequate support, extracurricular research activities among medical students of KU were comparable to students from other countries. Barriers for these activities should be addressed by KU medical educators in order to enhance research activities among the students. PMID:24812535

Physical Activity Among Persons Aging with Mobility Disabilities: Shaping a Research Agenda

PubMed Central

Rosenberg, Dori E.; Bombardier, Charles H.; Hoffman, Jeanne M.; Belza, Basia

2011-01-01

With the aging of the baby boomer population and their accompanying burden of disease, future disability rates are expected to increase. This paper summarizes the state of the evidence regarding physical activity and aging for individuals with mobility disability and proposes a healthy aging research agenda for this population. Using a previously published framework, we present evidence in order to compile research recommendations in four areas focusing on older adults with mobility disability: (1) prevalence of physical activity, (2) health benefits of physical activity, (3) correlates of physical activity participation, and, (4) promising physical activity intervention strategies. Overall, findings show a dearth of research examining physical activity health benefits, correlates (demographic, psychological, social, and built environment), and interventions among persons aging with mobility disability. Further research is warranted. PMID:21748010

7 CFR 3400.21 - Scientific peer review for research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Scientific peer review for research activities. 3400... STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM Peer and Merit Review Arranged by Grantees § 3400.21 Scientific peer review for research...

Methodological Challenges in Physical Activity Research with Older Adults

PubMed Central

Chase, Jo-Ana D.

2015-01-01

The aging adult population is growing, as well as the incidence of chronic illness among older adults. Physical activity has been demonstrated in the literature to be a beneficial component of self-management for chronic illnesses commonly found in the older adult population. Health sciences research seeks to develop new knowledge, practices, and policies that may benefit older adults’ management of chronic illness and quality of life. However, research with the older adult population, though beneficial, includes potential methodological challenges specific to this age group. This article discusses common methodological issues in research among older adults, with a focus on physical activity intervention studies. Awareness and understanding of these issues may facilitate future development of research studies devoted to the aging adult population, through appropriate modification and tailoring of sampling techniques, intervention development, and data measures and collection. PMID:21821726

48 CFR 927.408 - Cosponsored research and development activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cosponsored research and... GENERAL CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS PATENTS, DATA, AND COPYRIGHTS Technical Data and Copyrights 927.408 Cosponsored research and development activities. Because of the Department of Energy's statutory duties to...

Toward Active Living: "Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program" Research and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Senlin; Gu, Xiangli

2018-01-01

Comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) holds much promise as a solution for youth PA promotion, due to its strong theoretical and political support. In this article, we review the current research on CSPAP. Fifty-four published articles that met the inclusion criteria were identified and retrieved using direct library database…

Evolution of accelerometer methods for physical activity research.

PubMed

Troiano, Richard P; McClain, James J; Brychta, Robert J; Chen, Kong Y

2014-07-01

The technology and application of current accelerometer-based devices in physical activity (PA) research allow the capture and storage or transmission of large volumes of raw acceleration signal data. These rich data not only provide opportunities to improve PA characterisation, but also bring logistical and analytic challenges. We discuss how researchers and developers from multiple disciplines are responding to the analytic challenges and how advances in data storage, transmission and big data computing will minimise logistical challenges. These new approaches also bring the need for several paradigm shifts for PA researchers, including a shift from count-based approaches and regression calibrations for PA energy expenditure (PAEE) estimation to activity characterisation and EE estimation based on features extracted from raw acceleration signals. Furthermore, a collaborative approach towards analytic methods is proposed to facilitate PA research, which requires a shift away from multiple independent calibration studies. Finally, we make the case for a distinction between PA represented by accelerometer-based devices and PA assessed by self-report. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

The Attitude of Medical and Pharmacy Students towards Research Activities: A Multicenter Approach

PubMed Central

Bandari, Deepak Kumar; Tefera, Yonas Getaye; Elnour, Asim Ahmed; Shehab, Abdulla

2017-01-01

Aim: To assess the attitude of medical and pharmacy students in Asian and African universities towards scholarly research activities. Methods: An anonymous, cross-sectional, self-reported online survey questionnaire was administered to medical and pharmacy students studying in various Asian and African universities through social media between May and July 2016. A 68-item close-ended questionnaire consisting of Likert-scale options assessed the students’ research-specific experiences, and their attitudes towards scholarly research publications. Results: A total of 512 questionnaires were completed, with a response rate of 92% from Asia and 94% from Africa. More pharmacy students (70.8%) participated than medical students (29.2%). Overall 52.2% of the pharmacy students and 40% of medical students believed that research activities provided a means of gaining respect from their faculty members. Lack of encouragement, paucity of time, gaps in research activities and practices, and lack of research funding were some of the most common barriers acknowledged by the students. A nonparametric Mann-Whitney test showed that a statistically significant difference was observed, in that more than 80% of the pharmacy students viewed scientific writing and research activities as valuable experiences (p = 0.001) and would like to involve their co-students in scholarly research activities (p = 0.002); whereas the majority of the medical students desired to be involved more in scholarly research publications (p = 0.033). Conclusion: Pharmacy students had good attitudes towards research activities and a higher number of medical students desired to be involved more in research publications. Faculties may consider taking special research initiatives to address the barriers and improve the involvement of medical and pharmacy students in scholarly research activities. PMID:29019923

[Clinical research activity of the French cancer cooperative network: Overview and perspectives].

PubMed

Dubois, Claire; Morin, Franck; Moro-Sibilot, Denis; Langlais, Alexandra; Seitz, Jean-François; Girault, Cécile; Salles, Gilles; Haioun, Corinne; Deschaseaux, Pascal; Casassus, Philippe; Mathiot, Claire; Pujade-Lauraine, Éric; Votan, Bénédicte; Louvet, Christophe; Delpeut, Christine; Bardet, Étienne; Vintonenko, Nadejda; Hoang Xuan, Khê; Vo, Maryline; Michon, Jean; Milleron, Bernard

The French Cancer Plan 2014-2019 stresses the importance of strengthening collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the fight against cancer, including cancer cooperative groups and intergroups. This survey aimed to describe the basics characteristics and clinical research activity among the Cancer Cooperative Groups (Groupes coopérateurs en oncologie). The second objective was to identify facilitators and barriers to their research activity. A questionnaire was sent to all the clinicians involved in 2014 as investigators in a clinical trial sponsored by one of the ten members of the Cancer Cooperative Groups network. The questions were related to their profile, research activity and the infrastructure existing within their healthcare center to support clinical research and related compliance activities. In total, 366 investigators responded to our survey. The academic clinical trials sponsored by the Cancer Cooperative Groups represented an important part of the research activity of the investigators in France in 2014. These academic groups contributed to the opening of many research sites throughout all regions in France. Factors associated with a higher participation of investigators (more than 10 patients enrolled in a trial over a year) include the existing support of healthcare professionals (more than 2 clinical research associate (CRA) OR=11.16 [3.82-32.6] compared to none) and the practice of their research activity in a University Hospital Center (CHU) rather than a Hospital Center (CH) (OR=2.15 [1.20-3.83]). This study highlighted factors that can strengthen investigator clinical research activities and subsequently improve patient access to evidence-based new cancer therapies in France. Copyright © 2017 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AT THE US EPA'S GULF ECOLOGY DIVISION

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this talk was to present an overview of research activities at the US EPA's Office of Research and Development, Gulf Ecology Division located on Pensacola Beach, Florida. The talk was organized into three major sections. The first section covered my educational b...

Research-based active-learning instruction in physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meltzer, David E.; Thornton, Ronald K.

2013-04-01

The development of research-based active-learning instructional methods in physics has significantly altered the landscape of U.S. physics education during the past 20 years. Based on a recent review [D.E. Meltzer and R.K. Thornton, Am. J. Phys. 80, 478 (2012)], we define these methods as those (1) explicitly based on research in the learning and teaching of physics, (2) that incorporate classroom and/or laboratory activities that require students to express their thinking through speaking, writing, or other actions that go beyond listening and the copying of notes, or execution of prescribed procedures, and (3) that have been tested repeatedly in actual classroom settings and have yielded objective evidence of improved student learning. We describe some key features common to methods in current use. These features focus on (a) recognizing and addressing students' physics ideas, and (b) guiding students to solve problems in realistic physical settings, in novel and diverse contexts, and to justify or explain the reasoning they have used.

Divisions of Labour: Activity Theory, Multi-Professional Working and Intervention Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warmington, Paul

2011-01-01

This article draws upon, but also critiques, activity theory by combining analysis of how an activity theory derived research intervention attempted to address both everyday work practices and organisational power relationships among children's services professionals. It offers two case studies of developmental work research (DWR) interventions in…

THE NATIONAL EXPOSURE RESEARCH LABORATORY'S COMPREHENSIVE HUMAN ACTIVITY DATABASE

EPA Science Inventory

EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) has combined data from nine U.S. studies related to human activities into one comprehensive data system that can be accessed via the world-wide web. The data system is called CHAD-Consolidated Human Activity Database-and it is ...

THE NATIONAL EXPOSURE RESEARCH LABORATORY'S CONSOLIDATED HUMAN ACTIVITY DATABASE

EPA Science Inventory

EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) has combined data from 12 U.S. studies related to human activities into one comprehensive data system that can be accessed via the Internet. The data system is called the Consolidated Human Activity Database (CHAD), and it is ...

Three dimensions of learning: experiential activity for engineering innovation education and research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Killen, Catherine P.

2015-09-01

This paper outlines a novel approach to engineering education research that provides three dimensions of learning through an experiential class activity. A simulated decision activity brought current research into the classroom, explored the effect of experiential activity on learning outcomes and contributed to the research on innovation decision making. The 'decision task' was undertaken by more than 480 engineering students. It increased their reported measures of learning and retention by an average of 0.66 on a five-point Likert scale, and revealed positive correlations between attention, enjoyment, ongoing interest and learning and retention. The study also contributed to innovation management research by revealing the influence of different data visualisation methods on decision quality, providing an example of research-integrated education that forms part of the research process. Such a dovetailing of different research studies demonstrates how engineering educators can enhance educational impact while multiplying the outcomes from their research efforts.

[Research activity in clinical biochemistry].

PubMed

Jørgensen, Henrik L; Larsen, Birger; Ingwersen, Peter; Rehfeld, Jens F

2008-09-01

Quantitative bibliometric measurements of research activity are frequently used, e.g. for evaluating applicants for academic positions. The purpose of this investigation is to assess research activity within the medical speciality of Clinical Biochemistry by comparing it with a matched control group from other medical specialities in Denmark. A list of all physicians registered in Denmark (23,127 persons) was drawn from the database "Laeger.dk". Of these, 5,202 were generalists (not included) while 11,691 were from other specialities. Of the 126 specialists from Clinical Biochemistry, 57 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Each of these 57 was matched according to medical title with two randomly chosen specialists from other specialities, totaling 114. Using Medline and the Web of Science, the number of publications and the number of citations were then ascertained. 25% of the 11,691 specialists held a PhD degree or doctoral degree, DMSci, (Clinical Biochemistry: 61%). The 171 specialists included in the study had 9,823 papers in Medline and 10,140 papers in the Web of Science. The number of Medline papers per specialist was 71 for Clinical Biochemistry compared to 51 for the control group. The number of citations per specialist was 1,844 for Clinical Biochemistry compared to 816 for the control group. The top ten H-indices (of which 8 were in Clinical Biochemistry) ranged from 30 to 69. Both the number of papers and the number of citations were higher for Clinical Biochemistry than for the control group. The difference was most pronounced among professors.

Research Activities for Nuclear Power Plant Aging Promoted by PLEC, JAPEIC, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Noriyoshi; Tajima, Kenichi

In order to perform research activity for aging countermeasure of nuclear power plant effectively, Plant Life Engineering Center (PLEC) was established in Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corporation (JAPEIC) in April 2000 sponsored by Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI, presently METI). Outlined activities of PLEC are as follows. Results of technical survey for research and development for aging phenomena have been summarized in a table (Research Map) categorizing them into “inspection and monitoring”, “evaluation method for aging” and “preventive maintenances and refurbishment”. Necessary research themes have been extracted from the Research Map consulting to experts of the specified research area and they are summarized into Medium and Long-term Research Perspective (Research Perspective), which contains prioritized research themes and outlined specification of each theme. Several new research themes proposed by various organizations and selected by PLEC as effective for the regulation activities are identified and proposed to be funded by METI every year. This paper also provides outlines and obtained results of aging related research projects currently conducted by JAPEIC sponsored by METI.

Sex differences in rank attainment and research activities among academic psychiatrists.

PubMed

Leibenluft, E; Dial, T H; Haviland, M G; Pincus, H A

1993-11-01

Data from a survey distributed to all full-time faculty in academic departments of psychiatry were used to examine possible sex differences in research activities and rank attainment among psychiatrists. A total of 1923 psychiatrists responded, 1564 men (81.3%) and 359 women (18.7%). Continuous dependent variables were analyzed by using analyses of covariance with the year graduated from medical school as a covariate. For categorical dependent variables, the sample was divided into four 10-year cohorts based on the year graduated from medical school, and differences between men and women were analyzed with chi 2 tests. Over the entire sample, men were more likely than women to have had research training, to have ever been principal investigators on peer-reviewed grants, to mentor research trainees, to be currently involved in research activities, and to meet defined criteria as a "researcher." Many gender differences remained significant after controlling for seniority and research training. In every cohort, the men had attained higher academic rank than the women. In general, differences in research activity and productivity were most marked in the youngest cohort. To ensure a rich talent pool for psychiatric research, efforts must be made to recruit and support researchers from among the increased number of women in psychiatry.

A review of the outcome expectancy construct in physical activity research.

PubMed

Williams, David M; Anderson, Eileen S; Winett, Richard A

2005-02-01

Outcome expectancy is a central construct in social cognitive models of health behavior widely used as frameworks for physical activity research. This article provides a review of the outcome expectancy construct and its application to research on physical activity. Theoretical articles describing definitions and placement of outcome expectancy within social cognitive models, as well as empirical research on outcome expectancy and physical activity, were reviewed. Self-efficacy theory, the transtheoretical model, the theory of planned behavior, and protection motivation theory differ in their labeling and conceptualization of outcome expectancy but unanimously include expected outcomes of behavior. Preliminary empirical investigation of the role of outcome expectancy in understanding physical activity has yielded mixed results. Positive outcome expectancy appears to be more predictive of physical activity in older adults than in young to middle-aged adults, and personal barriers appear to be the most predictive subtype of negative outcome expectancy. In addition, a small number of studies indicate relations between outcome expectancy and other theoretical variables, including behavioral intention, stage of change, and self-efficacy. Further research on the role of outcome expectancy is necessary to design effective physical activity interventions. New directions in outcome expectancy research could involve (a) expanding the conceptualization of outcome expectancy to include expected outcomes of sedentary behavior and affective responses to physical activity, (b) further examination of potential moderators of the relation between outcome expectancy and physical activity (such as outcome value and outcome proximity), (c) distinguishing between the role of outcome expectancy in behavior onset versus behavior maintenance, (d) examining outcome expectancy as a mechanism of change in environmental intervention approaches, and (e) further analysis of interrelations

Active colloids with collective mobility status and research opportunities.

PubMed

Zhang, Jie; Luijten, Erik; Grzybowski, Bartosz A; Granick, Steve

2017-09-18

The collective mobility of active matter (self-propelled objects that transduce energy into mechanical work to drive their motion, most commonly through fluids) constitutes a new frontier in science and achievable technology. This review surveys the current status of the research field, what kinds of new scientific problems can be tackled in the short term, and what long-term directions are envisioned. We focus on: (1) attempts to formulate design principles to tailor active particles; (2) attempts to design principles according to which active particles interact under circumstances where particle-particle interactions of traditional colloid science are augmented by a family of nonequilibrium effects discussed here; (3) attempts to design intended patterns of collective behavior and dynamic assembly; (4) speculative links to equilibrium thermodynamics. In each aspect, we assess achievements, limitations, and research opportunities.

Obtaining active parental consent for school-based research: a guide for researchers.

PubMed

Wolfenden, Luke; Kypri, Kypros; Freund, Megan; Hodder, Rebecca

2009-06-01

Schools increasingly require researchers to obtain active parental consent for students to participate in health research. We sought to identify effective strategies for the recruitment of child research participants through schools. A search of Medline, PsycINFO, Educational Resources Information Center, ProQuest 5000 and the Cochrane Library electronic databases was conducted for the period 1988 to 2008. The review found evidence that the following strategies may be effective in enhancing participation rates: 1) promotion of the research to school principals, teachers, parents and students; 2) dissemination of study information using methods allowing direct contact with parents (i.e. telephone or face-to-face); 3) provision of incentives to teachers, students and at a class level; 4) making reminder contacts; and 5) having a member of the research team co-ordinate and closely monitor the recruitment process. Application of these strategies should reduce the risk of non-response and other biases that result from selective non-participation. Further randomised controlled trials of these and other strategies are required to strengthen the evidence base.

MPD thruster research issues, activities, strategies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The following activities and plans in the MPD thruster development are summarized: (1) experimental and theoretical research (magnetic nozzles at present and high power levels, MPD thrusters with applied fields extending into the thrust chamber, and improved electrode performance); and (2) tools (MACH2 code for MPD and nozzle flow calculation, laser diagnostics and spectroscopy for non-intrusive measurements of flow conditions, and extension to higher power). National strategies are also outlined.

Application of Compton-suppressed self-induced XRF to spent nuclear fuel measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Se-Hwan; Jo, Kwang Ho; Lee, Seung Kyu; Seo, Hee; Lee, Chaehun; Won, Byung-Hee; Ahn, Seong-Kyu; Ku, Jeong-Hoe

2017-11-01

Self-induced X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a technique by which plutonium (Pu) content in spent nuclear fuel can be directly quantified. In the present work, this method successfully measured the plutonium/uranium (Pu/U) peak ratio of a pressurized water reactor (PWR)'s spent nuclear fuel at the Korea atomic energy research institute (KAERI)'s post irradiation examination facility (PIEF). In order to reduce the Compton background in the low-energy X-ray region, the Compton suppression system additionally was implemented. By use of this system, the spectrum's background level was reduced by a factor of approximately 2. This work shows that Compton-suppressed selfinduced XRF can be effectively applied to Pu accounting in spent nuclear fuel.

The Applied Behavior Analysis Research Paradigm and Single-Subject Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research.

PubMed

Haegele, Justin A; Hodge, Samuel Russell

2015-10-01

There are basic philosophical and paradigmatic assumptions that guide scholarly research endeavors, including the methods used and the types of questions asked. Through this article, kinesiology faculty and students with interests in adapted physical activity are encouraged to understand the basic assumptions of applied behavior analysis (ABA) methodology for conducting, analyzing, and presenting research of high quality in this paradigm. The purposes of this viewpoint paper are to present information fundamental to understanding the assumptions undergirding research methodology in ABA, describe key aspects of single-subject research designs, and discuss common research designs and data-analysis strategies used in single-subject studies.

Physical activity and pediatric multiple sclerosis: Developing a research agenda.

PubMed

Yeh, E Ann; Kinnett-Hopkins, Dominique; Grover, Stephanie A; Motl, Robert W

2015-11-01

Three-quarters of children with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience fatigue or depression, and progressive neurocognitive decline may be seen as early as two years after MS diagnosis. Furthermore, a higher magnetic resonance imaging disease burden is seen in pediatric-onset MS compared with adult-onset MS. To date, limited knowledge exists regarding behavioral methods for managing symptoms and disease progression in pediatric MS. To that end, this paper builds an evidence-based argument for the possible symptomatic and disease-modifying effects of exercise and physical activity in pediatric MS. This will be accomplished through: (a) a review of pediatric MS and its consequences; (b) a brief overview of physical activity and its consequences in children and adults with MS; and (c) a selective review of research on the neurological benefits of physical activity in pediatric populations. This topical review concludes with a list of 10 questions to guide future research on physical activity and pediatric MS. The objective of this paper is the provision of a research interest, focus and agenda involving pediatric MS and its lifelong management though exercise and physical activity behavior. Such an agenda is critical as the effects and maintenance of physical activity and exercise track across the lifespan, particularly when developed in the early stages of life. © The Author(s), 2015.

Action Research to Encourage Pupils' Active Participation in the Sustainable School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katsenou, Christina; Flogaitis, Evgenia; Liarakou, Georgia

2015-01-01

This article aims to explore the contribution of action research to the development of active participation of pupils in the context of the sustainable school. Action research is looked at not simply as a methodological tool for the exploration of participation, but as a key element of the educational actions that promote the active participation…

Upper Atmospheric Effects of the HF Active Auroral Research Program Ionospheric Research Instrument (HAARP IRI)

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT ( HAARP IRI) V. Eccles R. Armstrong Mission Research Corporation One Tara Blvd Nashua, NH 03062-2801 May 1993 Scientific Report No...INSTRUMENT ( HAARP IRI) PR 2310 STA G3 WU BM6. AUTHOR(S) V. Eccles and R. Armstrong 7. PERFOR•IlNG ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND AOORESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING...Because the HAARP (HF Active Auroral Research Program) facility is designed to mimic and investigate certain natural processes, a study of possible

An overview of Japanese CELSS research activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nitta, Keiji

1987-01-01

Development of Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) technology is inevitable for future long duration stays of human beings in space, for lunar base construction and for manned Mars flight programs. CELSS functions can be divided into 2 categories, Environmental Control and Material Recycling. Temperature, humidity, total atmospheric pressure and partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide, necessary for all living things, are to be controlled by the environment control function. This function can be performed by technologies already developed and used as the Environment Control Life Support System (ECLSS) of Space Shuttle and Space Station. As for material recycling, matured technologies have not yet been established for fully satisfying the specific metabolic requirements of each living thing including human beings. Therefore, research activities for establishing CELSS technology should be focused on material recycling technologies using biological systems such as plants and animals and physico-chemical systems, for example, a gas recycling system, a water purifying and recycling system and a waste management system. Japanese research activities were conducted and will be continued accordingly.

Committee on Military Nutrition Research Activity Report 1986 - 1992.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-06-29

AD-A252 884I HIIIElitEl111111ll1111lll COMMITTEE ON MILITARY NUTRITION RESEARCH DTIC- S ELECTE’ /JUL 1 41992. fox public zelease ond sle; itsd...SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Committee on Military Nutrition Research DAMD17-86-G-6036 Activity Report 1986-1992 6. AUTHOR(S) work of: Committee on...Military Nutrition Research report prepared by: Bernadette M. Marriott and Robert Earl 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING

Passing the baton: Mentoring for adoption of active-learning pedagogies by research-active junior faculty.

PubMed

Grimes, Catherine Leimkuhler; White, Harold B

2015-01-01

There are barriers to adoption of research-based teaching methods. Professional development workshops may inform faculty of these methods, but effective adoption often does not follow. In addition, newly-minted research-active faculty are often overwhelmed by the many new responsibilities (grant writing, group management, laboratory setup, teaching) that accompany the position and normally do not have the time to consider novel teaching approaches. This case study documents how over a three-year period, the responsibility for teaching a nontraditional "Introduction to Biochemistry" course in a problem-based learning format was successfully transferred from a senior faculty member nearing retirement (HBW) to a newly-hired research-active assistant professor (CLG). We describe our apprenticeship project involving modeling, scaffolding, fading, and coaching. We suggest that involving faculty in active-learning pedagogy early in their career with mentoring by senior faculty overcomes barriers to adopting these methods. This case describes a specific example from which potentially useful elements can be adopted and adapted wherever biochemistry is taught. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

34 CFR 350.32 - What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center conduct?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering... DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CENTERS PROGRAM What Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Does the Secretary Assist? § 350.32 What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research...

34 CFR 350.32 - What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center conduct?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering... DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CENTERS PROGRAM What Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Does the Secretary Assist? § 350.32 What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research...

34 CFR 350.32 - What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center conduct?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering... DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CENTERS PROGRAM What Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Does the Secretary Assist? § 350.32 What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research...

34 CFR 350.32 - What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center conduct?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering... DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CENTERS PROGRAM What Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Does the Secretary Assist? § 350.32 What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research...

34 CFR 350.32 - What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center conduct?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering... DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CENTERS PROGRAM What Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Does the Secretary Assist? § 350.32 What activities must a Rehabilitation Engineering Research...

[Research activities of cosmonauts in long-duration orbital missions].

PubMed

2012-01-01

The paper presents the view of space medicine and human factor experts on the problems of cosmonaut's research activities. Readiness of ISS crewmembers for conducting experiments and research equipment handling depends on the pre-flight training quality and course of adaptation to the flight conditions, the latter of particular criticality for participation in human use tests as an object.

A Review of Recent RLV Research Activities in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Makoto; Watanabe, Atsutaro

2004-02-01

Researches on reusable launch vehicle (RLV) in Japan have been conducted mainly by the three space agencies: the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL) and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). HOPE-X program by NASDA/NAL, spaceplane/scramjet related researches by NAL, and development studies of ATREX engine and small reusable vehicle testing (RVT) by ISAS are such major activities. After the consecutive launch failures of NASDA's H-II and ISAS's M-V rockets in 1999-2000, it was concluded that more intensive efforts should be concentrated on the reliability improvement of those major expendable vehicles and that RLV related researches should be promoted to establish fundamental technologies essential to future RLV. In past two years, NASDA succeeded in five consecutive launches of new H-IIA, and ISAS successfully resumed the launch of M-V. As for RLV researches, considerable progress has been achieved in the high speed flight demonstration (HSFD) tests of HOPE-X program, scramjet tests of Mach 4 to 8 by NAL, and ATREX engine and small RVT tests by ISAS. The current three space agencies will be merged into one in October 2003 to establish a new organization named Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It is expected that the above research activities will be also merged to promote a higher-level research program on RLV.

Large space antenna communications systems: Integrated Langley Research Center/Jet Propulsion Laboratory development activities. 2: Langley Research Center activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cambell, T. G.; Bailey, M. C.; Cockrell, C. R.; Beck, F. B.

1983-01-01

The electromagnetic analysis activities at the Langley Research Center are resulting in efficient and accurate analytical methods for predicting both far- and near-field radiation characteristics of large offset multiple-beam multiple-aperture mesh reflector antennas. The utilization of aperture integration augmented with Geometrical Theory of Diffraction in analyzing the large reflector antenna system is emphasized.

Passing the Baton: Mentoring for Adoption of Active-Learning Pedagogies by Research-Active Junior Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimes, Catherine Leimkuhler; White, Harold B., III

2015-01-01

There are barriers to adoption of research-based teaching methods. Professional development workshops may inform faculty of these methods, but effective adoption often does not follow. In addition, newly-minted research-active faculty are often overwhelmed by the many new responsibilities (grant writing, group management, laboratory setup,…

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ETD SURVEILLANCE CHECKLIST FOR MONITORING EPA RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

EPA Science Inventory

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ETD SURVEILLANCE CHECKLIST FOR MONITORING EPA RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, Thomas J. Hughes, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), ORD, U.S. EPA, Experimental Toxicology Division (ETD), MD 66, RTP, NC 27711

Research studies condu...

Electromechanically active polymer transducers: research in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpi, Federico; Graz, Ingrid; Jager, Edwin; Ladegaard Skov, Anne; Vidal, Frédéric

2013-10-01

Smart materials and structures based on electromechanically active polymers (EAPs) represent a fast growing and stimulating field of research and development. EAPs are materials capable of changing dimensions and/or shape in response to suitable electrical stimuli. They are commonly classified in two major families: ionic EAPs (activated by an electrically induced transport of ions and/or solvent) and electronic EAPs (activated by electrostatic forces). These polymers show interesting properties, such as sizable active strains and/or stresses in response to electrical driving, high mechanical flexibility, low density, structural simplicity, ease of processing and scalability, no acoustic noise and, in most cases, low costs. Since many of these characteristics can also describe natural muscle tissues from an engineering standpoint, it is not surprising that EAP transducers are sometimes also referred to as 'muscle-like smart materials' or 'artificial muscles'. They are used not only to generate motion, but also to sense or harvest energy from it. In particular, EAP electromechanical transducers are studied for applications that can benefit from their 'biomimetic' characteristics, with possible usages from the micro- to the macro-scale, spanning several disciplines, such as mechatronics, robotics, automation, biotechnology and biomedical engineering, haptics, fluidics, optics and acoustics. Currently, the EAP field is just undergoing its initial transition from academic research into commercialization, with companies starting to invest in this technology and the first products appearing on the market. This focus issue is intentionally aimed at gathering contributions from the most influential European groups working in the EAP field. In fact, today Europe hosts the broadest EAP community worldwide. The rapid expansion of the EAP field in Europe, where it historically has strong roots, has stimulated the creation of the 'European Scientific Network for Artificial

Advanced aerodynamics and active controls. Selected NASA research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Aerodynamic and active control concepts for application to commercial transport aircraft are discussed. Selected topics include in flight direct strike lightning research, triply redundant digital fly by wire control systems, tail configurations, winglets, and the drones for aerodynamic and structural testing (DAST) program.

Financial Aid for Research, Study, Travel, and Other Activities Abroad, 1990-1991.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlachter, Gail Ann; Weber, R. David

Information is provided about more than 1,700 funding opportunities open to Americans interested in research, study, travel, professional, or other activities abroad. The directory is divided into three separate sections: a descriptive list of financial aid programs established to support research, study, travel, and other activities abroad; an…

The CELSS research program - A brief review of recent activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macelroy, R. D.; Tremor, J.; Bubenheim, D. L.; Gale, J.

1989-01-01

The history of the Controlled Ecological Life Support System program, initiated by NASA in the late 1970s to explore the use of bioregenerative methods of life support, is reviewed. The project focused on examining the process involved in converting inorganic minerals and gases into life support materials using sunlight as the primary energy source. The research, planning, and technological development required by the CELSS program and conducted at NASA field centers, at various universities, and by commercial organizations are reviewed. Research activities at universities have focused upon exploring methods of reducing the size of the system, reducing system power requirements, understanding issues that are associated with its long-term stability, and identifying new technologies that might be useful in improving its efficiency. Research activities at Ames research center have focused on the use of common duckweed as a high biomass-producing plant, which is high in protein and on waste processing.

Research Activities at Fermilab for Big Data Movement

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

Mhashilkar, Parag; Wu, Wenji; Kim, Hyun W

2013-01-01

Adaptation of 100GE Networking Infrastructure is the next step towards management of Big Data. Being the US Tier-1 Center for the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment and the central data center for several other large-scale research collaborations, Fermilab has to constantly deal with the scaling and wide-area distribution challenges of the big data. In this paper, we will describe some of the challenges involved in the movement of big data over 100GE infrastructure and the research activities at Fermilab to address these challenges.

NHS Trusts' clinical research activity and overall CQC performance - Is there a correlation?

PubMed

Jonker, L; Fisher, S J

2015-11-01

Since the late 2000's, the creation of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has transformed clinical research activity in the United Kingdom. This study sought to establish if there is a link between clinical research activity and overall NHS Trust performance. Retrospective cohort study. Data for NHS Trust performance were obtained from public databases, namely the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2013 risk rating for overall performance, and 2012-13 NIHR records for clinical research activity. Applying Spearman's rank analysis, none of the Trust categories showed a correlation with CQC risk rating: small hospitals, r = -0.062 (P = 0.76; n = 27); medium, r = -0.224 (P = 0.13; n = 47); large, r = -0.008 (P = 0.96; n = 57); academic, r = -0.18 (P = 0.41; n = 24). Similar results were observed when CQC risk rating was compared with the number of different clinical research studies conducted per Trust. The degree of NIHR National Portfolio clinical research activity is not significantly related to CQC risk rating, used as an indicator of overall NHS Trust performance. Other studies have previously shown that increased research activity correlates with improved mortality rates, one component of CQC risk rating scores. Alternative tools may have to be explored to evaluate the impact of clinical research on NHS Trusts and its patients. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contributions of leisure studies and recreation and park management research to the active living agenda.

PubMed

Godbey, Geoffrey C; Caldwell, Linda L; Floyd, Myron; Payne, Laura L

2005-02-01

Although the fields of leisure studies and recreation and parks were founded on addressing health and wellness needs of people, only recently have these needs been addressed by major, systematic research efforts. This paper examines the origins of leisure studies and the study of recreation behavior and park use and their potential contribution to active living research. Over the past 2 decades, leisure studies research has generated a body of literature pertinent to understanding and increasing active living, including studies on time use, motivation for initiating and maintaining activity, influence of user fees, and urban park use. Environmental, transportation, and public recreation policy and management practices also are important considerations in recreation and parks research. This article concludes with a list of recommendations to integrate these and other considerations into transdisciplinary research on active living. Opportunities for leisure studies/recreation and park research on active living include studies of environmental, life span, and motivational influences; greater use of objective measures of physical activity; and forming partnerships with allied industries to study physical activity. Among suggestions for facilitating such studies are training seminars for leisure studies and recreation researchers in active living research methods, changes in point allocation on grant proposals, providing incentives for transdisciplinary collaboration, and special journal issues.

Embedding a Recovery Orientation into Neuroscience Research: Involving People with a Lived Experience in Research Activity.

PubMed

Stratford, Anthony; Brophy, Lisa; Castle, David; Harvey, Carol; Robertson, Joanne; Corlett, Philip; Davidson, Larry; Everall, Ian

2016-03-01

This paper highlights the importance and value of involving people with a lived experience of mental ill health and recovery in neuroscience research activity. In this era of recovery oriented service delivery, involving people with the lived experience of mental illness in neuroscience research extends beyond their participation as "subjects". The recovery paradigm reconceptualises people with the lived experience of mental ill health as experts by experience. To support this contribution, local policies and procedures, recovery-oriented training for neuroscience researchers, and dialogue about the practical applications of neuroscience research, are required.

Application of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for occupational therapy research.

PubMed

Giesbrecht, Ed

2013-08-01

Theoretical models provide a framework for describing practice and integrating evidence into systematic research. There are few models that relate specifically to the provision of assistive technology in occupational therapy practice. The Human Activity Assistive Technology model is an enduring example that has continued to develop by integrating a social model of disability, concepts from occupational therapy theory and principles of assistive technology adoption and abandonment. This study first describes the core concepts of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model and reviews its development over three successive published versions. A review of the research literature reflects application of the model to clinical practice, study design, outcome measure selection and interpretation of results, particularly among occupational therapists. An evaluative framework is used to critique the adequacy of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for practice and research, exploring attributes of clarity, simplicity, generality, accessibility and importance. Finally, recommendations are proposed for continued development of the model and research applications. Most of the existing research literature employs the Human Activity Assistive Technology model for background and study design; there is emerging evidence to support the core concepts as predictive factors. Although the concepts are generally simple, clear and applicable to occupational therapy practice and research, evolving terminology and outcomes become more complex with the conflation of integrated theories. The development of the Human Activity Assistive Technology model offers enhanced access and application for occupational therapists, but poses challenges to clarity among concepts. Suggestions are made for further development and applications of the model. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Faculty Research, Publications, In-Service Activities at Northeastern Oklahoma State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northeastern Oklahoma State Univ., Tahlequah.

Contained in this publication of Northeastern Oklahoma State University are faculty publications and research reports; abstracts fo faculty-student research projects; a list of individual and group inservice activities and research in progress by college department and divisions; and a bibliography of published articles, books, and creative works.…

Integrating research evidence and physical activity policy making-REPOPA project.

PubMed

Aro, Arja R; Bertram, Maja; Hämäläinen, Riitta-Maija; Van De Goor, Ien; Skovgaard, Thomas; Valente, Adriana; Castellani, Tommaso; Chereches, Razvan; Edwards, Nancy

2016-06-01

Evidence shows that regular physical activity is enhanced by supporting environment. Studies are needed to integrate research evidence into health enhancing, cross-sector physical activity (HEPA) policy making. This article presents the rationale, study design, measurement procedures and the initial results of the first phase of six European countries in a five-year research project (2011-2016), REsearch into POlicy to enhance Physical Activity (REPOPA). REPOPA is programmatic research; it consists of linked studies; the first phase studied the use of evidence in 21 policies in implementation to learn more in depth from the policy making process and carried out 86 qualitative stakeholder interviews. The second, ongoing phase builds on the central findings of the first phase in each country; it consists of two sets of interventions: game simulations to study cross-sector collaboration and organizational change processes in the use of evidence and locally tailored interventions to increase knowledge integration. The results of the first two study phases will be tested and validated among policy makers and other stakeholders in the third phase using a Delphi process. Initial results from the first project phase showed the lack of explicit evidence use in HEPA policy making. Facilitators and barriers of the evidence use were the availability of institutional resources and support but also networking between researchers and policy makers. REPOPA will increase understanding use of research evidence in different contexts; develop guidance and tools and establish sustainable structures such as networks and platforms between academics and policy makers across relevant sectors. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Worldwide Surveillance, Policy, and Research on Physical Activity and Health: The Global Observatory for Physical Activity.

PubMed

Varela, Andrea Ramirez; Pratt, Michael; Powell, Kenneth; Lee, I-Min; Bauman, Adrian; Heath, Gregory; Martins, Rafaela Costa; Kohl, Harold; Hallal, Pedro C

2017-09-01

The Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) was launched in response to the physical inactivity pandemic. The aim of this article is to present current information about surveillance, policy, and research on physical activity (PA) and health worldwide. Information was collected for 217 countries. For 139 of these nations we identified a contact who confirmed information's accuracy and completeness. Associations were calculated among surveillance, policy and research categories. Of the 139 countries, 90.6% reported having completed 1 or more PA survey, but less than one-third had 3 or more. 106 included PA on a national plan, but only one-quarter of these were PA-specific. At least 1 peer reviewed publication was identified for 63.3% of the countries. Positive associations (P < .001) were found between research and policy (ρ = 0.35), research and surveillance (ρ = 0.41), and surveillance and policy (ρ = 0.31). Countries with a standalone plan were more likely to have surveillance. Countries with more research were more likely to have a standalone plan and surveillance. Surveillance, policy, and research indicators were positively correlated, suggesting that action at multiple levels tends to stimulate progress in other areas. Efforts to expand PA-related surveillance, policy, and research in lower income countries are needed.

A cross sectional observational study of research activity of allied health teams: is there a link with self-reported success, motivators and barriers to undertaking research?

PubMed

Wenke, Rachel J; Mickan, Sharon; Bisset, Leanne

2017-02-06

Team-based approaches to research capacity building (RCB) may be an efficient means to promote allied health research participation and activity. In order to tailor such interventions, a clearer understanding of current patterns of research participation within allied health teams is needed. Different self-report measures exist which evaluate a team's research capacity and participation, as well as associated barriers and motivators. However, it remains unclear how such measures are associated with a team's actual research activity (e.g., journal publications, funding received). In response, this observational study aimed to identify the research activity, self-reported success, and motivations and barriers to undertaking research of eight allied health professional (AHP) teams and to explore whether any relationships exist between the self-reported measures and actual research activity within each team. A total of 95 AHPs from eight teams completed the research capacity and culture survey to evaluate team success, barriers and motivators to undertaking research, and an audit of research activity from January 2013 to August 2014 was undertaken within each team. Kendell's correlation coefficients were used to determine the association between research activity (i.e., number of journal publications, ethically approved projects and funding received) and the self-reported measures. Seven out of eight teams rated their teams as having average success in research and demonstrated some form of research activity including at least two ethically approved projects. Research activity varied between teams, with funding received ranging from $0 to over $100,000, and half the teams not producing any journal publications. Team motivators demonstrated a stronger association with research activity compared to barriers, with the motivator "enhancing team credibility" being significantly associated with funding received. No significant association between self-reported research

Scaffolding Assignments and Activities for Undergraduate Research Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Sarah; Justwan, Florian

2018-01-01

This article details assignments and lessons created for and tested in research methods courses at two different universities, a large state school and a small liberal arts college. Each assignment or activity utilized scaffolding. Students were asked to push beyond their comfort zone while utilizing concrete and/or creative examples,…

EarthCube Activities: Community Engagement Advancing Geoscience Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinkade, D.

2015-12-01

Our ability to advance scientific research in order to better understand complex Earth systems, address emerging geoscience problems, and meet societal challenges is increasingly dependent upon the concept of Open Science and Data. Although these terms are relatively new to the world of research, Open Science and Data in this context may be described as transparency in the scientific process. This includes the discoverability, public accessibility and reusability of scientific data, as well as accessibility and transparency of scientific communication (www.openscience.org). Scientists and the US government alike are realizing the critical need for easy discovery and access to multidisciplinary data to advance research in the geosciences. The NSF-supported EarthCube project was created to meet this need. EarthCube is developing a community-driven common cyberinfrastructure for the purpose of accessing, integrating, analyzing, sharing and visualizing all forms of data and related resources through advanced technological and computational capabilities. Engaging the geoscience community in EarthCube's development is crucial to its success, and EarthCube is providing several opportunities for geoscience involvement. This presentation will provide an overview of the activities EarthCube is employing to entrain the community in the development process, from governance development and strategic planning, to technical needs gathering. Particular focus will be given to the collection of science-driven use cases as a means of capturing scientific and technical requirements. Such activities inform the development of key technical and computational components that collectively will form a cyberinfrastructure to meet the research needs of the geoscience community.

ECUT: Energy Conversion and Utilization Technologies program - Biocatalysis research activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilcox, R.

1984-01-01

The activities of the Biocatalysis Research Activity are organized into the Biocatalysis and Molecular Modeling work elements and a supporting planning and analysis function. In the Biocatalysis work element, progress is made in developing a method for stabilizing genetically engineered traits in microorganisms, refining a technique for monitoring cells that are genetically engineered, and identifying strains of fungi for highly efficient preprocessing of biomass for optimizing the efficiency of bioreactors. In the Molecular Modeling work element, a preliminary model of the behavior of enzymes is developed. A preliminary investigation of the potential for synthesizing enzymes for use in electrochemical processes is completed. Contact with industry and universities is made to define key biocatalysis technical issues and to broaden the range of potential participants in the activity. Analyses are conducted to identify and evaluate potential concepts for future research funding.

Making Tracks 1.0: Action Researching an Active Transportation Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Daniel; Foran, Andrew; Robinson, Ingrid

2014-01-01

This paper reports on the results of the first cycle of an action research project. The objective of this action research was to examine the implementation of a school-based active transportation education program (Making Tracks). A two-cycle action research design was employed in which elementary school students' (ages 7-9), middle school…

Infrared Detector Activities at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abedin, M. N.; Refaat, T. F.; Sulima, O. V.; Amzajerdian, F.

2008-01-01

Infrared detector development and characterization at NASA Langley Research Center will be reviewed. These detectors were intended for ground, airborne, and space borne remote sensing applications. Discussion will be focused on recently developed single-element infrared detector and future development of near-infrared focal plane arrays (FPA). The FPA will be applied to next generation space-based instruments. These activities are based on phototransistor and avalanche photodiode technologies, which offer high internal gain and relatively low noise-equivalent-power. These novel devices will improve the sensitivity of active remote sensing instruments while eliminating the need for a high power laser transmitter.

Small shoes, big steps! Empowering children as active researchers.

PubMed

Kellett, Mary

2010-09-01

The concept of children as researchers has gained credence in response to changing perspectives on their status in society, recognition of their role as consumers and increased attention to children's rights. While this has led to greater involvement of children as participant and co-researchers, research led by children-research they design, carry out and disseminate themselves with adult support rather than adult management-is still relatively rare. Children designing and leading their own research opens up new protagonist frontiers. Children are party to the subculture of childhood which gives them a unique "insider" perspective critical to our understanding of their worlds. Child-to-child enquiry generates different data from adult-to-child enquiry because children observe with different eyes, ask different questions and communicate in fundamentally different ways. This paper explores some of the issues in empowering children as active researchers and draws on theory relating to participation, empowerment, voice and emancipation. Its primary focus is to celebrate and value children's own research and includes the full text of an original research study by an 11-year-old girl.

Space Research, Education, and Related Activities in the Space Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, David; Marshall, Frank (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Universities Space Research Association received an award of Cooperative Agreement NCC5-356 on September 29, 1998. The mission of this activity, known as the Cooperative Program in Space Sciences (CPSS), is to conduct space science research and leading-edge instrumentation and technology development, enable research by the space sciences communities, and to expedite the effective dissemination of space science research, technology, data, and information to the educational community and the general public. To fulfill this mission, USRA recruits and maintains a staff of scientific researchers, operates a series of guest investigator facilities, organizes scientific meetings and workshops, and encourages various interactions with students and university faculty members.

Space Research, Education, and Related Activities In the Space Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, David

2002-01-01

The mission of this activity, known as the Cooperative Program in Space Sciences (CPSS), is to conduct space science research and leading-edge instrumentation and technology development, enable research by the space sciences communities, and to expedite the effective dissemination of space science research, technology, data, and information to the educational community and the general public. To fulfill this mission, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) recruits and maintains a staff of scientific researchers, operates a series of guest investigator facilities, organizes scientific meetings and workshops, and encourages various interactions with students and university faculty members. This paper is the final report from this now completed Cooperative Agreement.

Space Research, Education, and Related Activities in the Space Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Universities Space Research Association received an award of Cooperative Agreement #NCC5-356 on September 29, 1998. The mission of this activity, know as the Cooperative Program in Space Sciences (CPSS), is to conduct space science research and leading-edge instrumentation and technology development, enable research by the space sciences communities, and to expedite the effective dissemination of space science research, technology, data, and information to the educational community and the general public. To fulfill this mission, USRA recruits and maintains a staff of scientific researchers, operates a series of guest investigator facilities, organizes scientific meetings and workshops, and encourages various interactions with students and university faculty members.

Research Activity and Infrastructure of Korea Polar Research Institute: Current and Future Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, D.; Kim, S.; Lee, H.

2011-12-01

The Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) opened the Antarctic King Sejong research station in 1988 at the King George Island off the Antarctic Peninsula and started the polar research mainly in the fields of biology and geology with some atmosphere observations. To extend the view of polar research, the KOPRI opened the Arctic Dasan research station at Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen Island in 2002 and has studied the rapid climate change diagnostics and some microbiological observation. The KOPRI is now expanding the Arctic research into Alaska and Canada under the international collaboration, and planning to outreach to Russia to monitor the change in permafrost and to understand its impact on global warming. To deepen the views of polar research including the ice covered oceans in both poles, the ice-breaking vessel, the ARAON of about 7000 ton, was launched recently and successfully finished the Arctic and Antarctic cruises for research activity on all perspectives of ocean sciences and support for the King Sejong station. The KOPRI is now building another Antarctic research station, called Jangbogo, at the Terra Nova Bay off the Ross Sea and plan to open the station at the March of 2014. By building the second Antarctic station together with the ARAON, the KOPRI will focus its research on understanding the rapid climate change in west Antarctica such as to monitor the calving of the Larsen Ice shelf, rapid melting of Pine Island Glacier, and upper atmosphere, to study the sea ice and ecosystem change in the Amundsen Sea and the role of the southern annular mode in the west Antarctic warming, upper atmosphere and climate change, to reconstruct paleoclimate records from ice and sediment cores.

30 CFR 280.3 - What requirements must I follow when I conduct prospecting or research activities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... research activities? You must conduct G&G prospecting activities or scientific research activities under... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What requirements must I follow when I conduct prospecting or research activities? 280.3 Section 280.3 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE...

75 FR 21008 - Office of Biotechnology Activities; Recombinant DNA Research: Proposed Actions Under the NIH...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-22

... Activities; Recombinant DNA Research: Proposed Actions Under the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving... Biotechnology Activities (OBA) published a proposal to revise the NIH Guidelines for Research with Recombinant DNA Molecules (NIH Guidelines) to address biosafety for research with synthetic nucleic acids (74 FR...

30 CFR 280.3 - What requirements must I follow when I conduct prospecting or research activities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... when I conduct prospecting or research activities? You must conduct G&G prospecting activities or scientific research activities under this part according to: (a) The Act; (b) The regulations in this part... prospecting or research activities? 280.3 Section 280.3 Mineral Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT...

NeuroAIDS, drug abuse, and inflammation: building collaborative research activities.

PubMed

Berman, Joan W; Carson, Monica J; Chang, Linda; Cox, Brian M; Fox, Howard S; Gonzalez, R Gilberto; Hanson, Glen R; Hauser, Kurt F; Ho, Wen-Zhe; Hong, Jau-Shyong; Major, Eugene O; Maragos, William F; Masliah, Eliezer; McArthur, Justin C; Miller, Diane B; Nath, Avindra; O'Callaghan, James P; Persidsky, Yuri; Power, Christopher; Rogers, Thomas J; Royal, Walter

2006-12-01

Neurological complications of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are a public health problem despite the availability of active antiretroviral therapies. The neuropathogenesis of HIV infection revolves around a complex cascade of events that include viral infection and glial immune activation, monocyte-macrophage brain infiltration, and secretion of a host of viral and cellular inflammatory and neurotoxic molecules. Although there is evidence that HIV-infected drug abusers experience more severe neurological disease, the biological basis for this finding is unknown. A scientific workshop organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was held on March 23-24, 2006 to address this question. The goal of the meeting was to bring together basic science and clinical researchers who are experts in NeuroAIDS, glial immunity, drugs of abuse, and/or pharmacology in order to find new approaches to understanding interactions between drug abuse and neuroAIDS. The format of the meeting was designed to stimulate open discussion and forge new multidisciplinary research collaborations. This report includes transcripts of active discussions and short presentations from invited participants. The presentations were separated into sections that included: Glial Biology, Inflammation, and HIV; Pharmacology, Neurotoxicology, and Neuroprotection; NeuroAIDS and Virology; and Virus-Drug and Immune-Drug Interactions. Research priorities were identified. Additional information about this meeting is available through links from the NIDA AIDS Research Program website ( http://www.nida.nih.gov/about/organization/arp/arp-websites.htm ).

Research data management and libraries: relationships, activities, drivers and influences.

PubMed

Pinfield, Stephen; Cox, Andrew M; Smith, Jen

2014-01-01

The management of research data is now a major challenge for research organisations. Vast quantities of born-digital data are being produced in a wide variety of forms at a rapid rate in universities. This paper analyses the contribution of academic libraries to research data management (RDM) in the wider institutional context. In particular it: examines the roles and relationships involved in RDM, identifies the main components of an RDM programme, evaluates the major drivers for RDM activities, and analyses the key factors influencing the shape of RDM developments. The study is written from the perspective of library professionals, analysing data from 26 semi-structured interviews of library staff from different UK institutions. This is an early qualitative contribution to the topic complementing existing quantitative and case study approaches. Results show that although libraries are playing a significant role in RDM, there is uncertainty and variation in the relationship with other stakeholders such as IT services and research support offices. Current emphases in RDM programmes are on developments of policies and guidelines, with some early work on technology infrastructures and support services. Drivers for developments include storage, security, quality, compliance, preservation, and sharing with libraries associated most closely with the last three. The paper also highlights a 'jurisdictional' driver in which libraries are claiming a role in this space. A wide range of factors, including governance, resourcing and skills, are identified as influencing ongoing developments. From the analysis, a model is constructed designed to capture the main aspects of an institutional RDM programme. This model helps to clarify the different issues involved in RDM, identifying layers of activity, multiple stakeholders and drivers, and a large number of factors influencing the implementation of any initiative. Institutions may usefully benchmark their activities against the

Research Data Management and Libraries: Relationships, Activities, Drivers and Influences

PubMed Central

Pinfield, Stephen; Cox, Andrew M.; Smith, Jen

2014-01-01

The management of research data is now a major challenge for research organisations. Vast quantities of born-digital data are being produced in a wide variety of forms at a rapid rate in universities. This paper analyses the contribution of academic libraries to research data management (RDM) in the wider institutional context. In particular it: examines the roles and relationships involved in RDM, identifies the main components of an RDM programme, evaluates the major drivers for RDM activities, and analyses the key factors influencing the shape of RDM developments. The study is written from the perspective of library professionals, analysing data from 26 semi-structured interviews of library staff from different UK institutions. This is an early qualitative contribution to the topic complementing existing quantitative and case study approaches. Results show that although libraries are playing a significant role in RDM, there is uncertainty and variation in the relationship with other stakeholders such as IT services and research support offices. Current emphases in RDM programmes are on developments of policies and guidelines, with some early work on technology infrastructures and support services. Drivers for developments include storage, security, quality, compliance, preservation, and sharing with libraries associated most closely with the last three. The paper also highlights a ‘jurisdictional’ driver in which libraries are claiming a role in this space. A wide range of factors, including governance, resourcing and skills, are identified as influencing ongoing developments. From the analysis, a model is constructed designed to capture the main aspects of an institutional RDM programme. This model helps to clarify the different issues involved in RDM, identifying layers of activity, multiple stakeholders and drivers, and a large number of factors influencing the implementation of any initiative. Institutions may usefully benchmark their activities against

[Activities of Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gross, Anthony R. (Technical Monitor); Leiner, Barry M.

2001-01-01

The Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS) carries out basic research and technology development in computer science, in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations missions. RIACS is located at the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. RIACS research focuses on the three cornerstones of IT research necessary to meet the future challenges of NASA missions: 1. Automated Reasoning for Autonomous Systems Techniques are being developed enabling spacecraft that will be self-guiding and self-correcting to the extent that they will require little or no human intervention. Such craft will be equipped to independently solve problems as they arise, and fulfill their missions with minimum direction from Earth. 2. Human-Centered Computing Many NASA missions require synergy between humans and computers, with sophisticated computational aids amplifying human cognitive and perceptual abilities. 3. High Performance Computing and Networking Advances in the performance of computing and networking continue to have major impact on a variety of NASA endeavors, ranging from modeling and simulation to analysis of large scientific datasets to collaborative engineering, planning and execution. In addition, RIACS collaborates with NASA scientists to apply IT research to a variety of NASA application domains. RIACS also engages in other activities, such as workshops, seminars, visiting scientist programs and student summer programs, designed to encourage and facilitate collaboration between the university and NASA IT research communities.

Comparative Effectiveness Research: A Roadmap for Physical Activity and Lifestyle

PubMed Central

Jakicic, John M.; Sox, Harold; Blair, Steven N.; Bensink, Mark; Johnson, William G.; King, Abby C.; Lee, I-Min; Nahum-Shani, Inbal; Sallis, James F.; Sallis, Robert E.; Craft, Lynette; Whitehead, James R.; Ainsworth, Barbara E.

2017-01-01

Purpose Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) is designed to support informed decision making at both the individual, population, and policy levels. The American College of Sports Medicine and partners convened a conference with the focus of building an agenda for CER within the context of physical activity and non-pharmacological lifestyle approaches in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. This report summarizes the conference content and consensus recommendations that culminated in a CER Roadmap for Physical Activity and Lifestyle approaches to reducing the risk of chronic disease. Methods This conference focused on presentations and discussion around the following topic areas: 1) defining CER, 2) identifying the current funding climate to support CER, 3) summarizing methods for conducting CER, and 4) identifying CER opportunities for physical activity. Results This conference resulted in consensus recommendations to adopt a CER Roadmap for Physical Activity and Lifestyle approaches to reducing the risk of chronic disease. In general, this roadmap provides a systematic framework by which CER for physical activity can move from a planning phase, to a phase of engagement in CER related to lifestyle factors with particular emphasis on physical activity, to a societal change phase that results in changes in policy, practice, and health. Conclusions It is recommended that physical activity researchers and healthcare providers use the roadmap developed from this conference as a method to systematically engage in and apply CER to the promotion of physical activity as a key lifestyle behavior that can be effective at impacting a variety of health-related outcomes. PMID:25426735

Leadership: the critical success factor in the rise or fall of useful research activity.

PubMed

Henderson, Amanda; Winch, Sarah; Holzhauser, Kerri

2009-12-01

To describe how momentum towards building research capacity has developed through aligning research activity with executive responsibility via strategic planning processes that direct operational structures and processes for research activity. Reflecting on the development of research capacity over many years at complex tertiary referral hospitals reveals that building nursing knowledge is too important to be left to chance or whim but needs a strategic focus, appropriate resourcing and long-term sustainability through infrastructure. A number of key approaches we uncovered as successful include: (i) articulation of questions consistent with the strategic direction of the health context that can be addressed through research evidence; (ii) engagement and dissemination through making research meaningful; and (iii) feedback that informs the executive about the contribution of research activity to guide policy and practice decisions. Leadership teams need to ensure that the development of research knowledge is a strategic priority. The focus also needs to be more broadly on creating research capacity than focussing on small operational issues. Research capacity is developed when it is initiated, supported and monitored by leadership.

Activity-Based Teaching in Social Studies Education: An Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akkus, Zekerya

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine pre-service social studies teachers' skills to plan and apply the activity-based teaching and contribute to their development of these skills. In the study, the action research design of qualitative research was used. The sample of the study consisted of 6 pre-service teachers who were 4th year students at…

Considerations for higher efficiency and productivity in research activities.

PubMed

Forero, Diego A; Moore, Jason H

2016-01-01

There are several factors that are known to affect research productivity; some of them imply the need for large financial investments and others are related to work styles. There are some articles that provide suggestions for early career scientists (PhD students and postdocs) but few publications are oriented to professors about scientific leadership. As academic mentoring might be useful at all levels of experience, in this note we suggest several key considerations for higher efficiency and productivity in academic and research activities. More research is needed into the main work style features that differentiate highly productive scientists and research groups, as some of them could be innate and others could be transferable. As funding agencies, universities and research centers invest large amounts of money in order to have a better scientific productivity, a deeper understanding of these factors will be of high academic and societal impact.

Engaging families in physical activity research: a family-based focus group study.

PubMed

Brown, Helen Elizabeth; Schiff, Annie; van Sluijs, Esther M F

2015-11-25

Family-based interventions present a much-needed opportunity to increase children's physical activity levels. However, little is known about how best to engage parents and their children in physical activity research. This study aimed to engage with the whole family to understand how best to recruit for, and retain participation in, physical activity research. Families (including a 'target' child aged between 8 and 11 years, their parents, siblings, and others) were recruited through schools and community groups. Focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured approach (informed by a pilot session). Families were asked to order cards listing the possible benefits of, and the barriers to, being involved in physical activity research and other health promotion activities, highlighting the items they consider most relevant, and suggesting additional items. Duplicate content analysis was used to identify transcript themes and develop a coding frame. Eighty-two participants from 17 families participated, including 17 'target' children (mean age 9.3 ± 1.1 years, 61.1% female), 32 other children and 33 adults (including parents, grandparents, and older siblings). Social, health and educational benefits were cited as being key incentives for involvement in physical activity research, with emphasis on children experiencing new things, developing character, and increasing social contact (particularly for shy children). Children's enjoyment was also given priority. The provision of child care or financial reward was not considered sufficiently appealing. Increased time commitment or scheduling difficulties were quoted as the most pertinent barriers to involvement (especially for families with several children), but parents commented these could be overcome if the potential value for children was clear. Lessons learned from this work may contribute to the development of effective recruitment and retention strategies for children and their families. Making the wide

ECUT: Energy Conversion and Utilization Technologies program. Industry, university and research interest in the US Department of Energy ECUT biocatalysis research activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilcox, R. E.

1983-01-01

The results of a Research Opportunity Notice (RON) disseminated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy Conversion and Utilization Technologies (ECUT) Program's Biocatalysis Research Activity are presented. The RON was issued in late April of 1983 and solicited expressions of interest from petrochemical and chemical companies, bioengineering firms, biochemical engineering consultants, private research laboratories, and universities for participating in a federal research program to investigate potential applications of biotechnology in producing chemicals. The RON results indicate that broad interest exists within the nation's industry, universities, and research institutes for the Activity and its planned research and development program.

Research Update: Sport and Physical Activity for People with Physical Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Ralph W.

1993-01-01

Examines research on sport and physical activity for individuals with physical disabilities, focusing on psychosocial characteristics of participants, physiological impacts of participation, and performance enhancement. With the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), such research has relevance for all recreation professionals. (SM)

ICAO RPAS Symposium: NASA RPAS Operational and Research Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Chuck

2017-01-01

NASA RPAS Operational and Research Activities presentation discusses the UAS flight operations. UAS vehicles are discussed along with the missions they supported. This is a high level overview of UAS operations at NASA being presented to the RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) Symposium.

Head Start Evaluation and Research Center, University of Kansas. Final Report on Research Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Etzel, Barbara C.; And Others

This document is the final report to the Institute of Educational Development for Head Start Research Evaluation activities at the University of Kansas for 1966-67. It contains 16 separate reports of studies completed or in the process of completion. The subject matter of the reports contains 15 distinct topics and warrants individual abstracts.…

Does Active Learning Improve Students' Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Research Methods?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campisi, Jay; Finn, Kevin E.

2011-01-01

We incorporated an active, collaborative-based research project in our undergraduate Research Methods course for first-year sports medicine majors. Working in small groups, students identified a research question, generated a hypothesis to be tested, designed an experiment, implemented the experiment, analyzed the data, and presented their…

The e-Poster Conference: An Online Nursing Research Course Learning Activity.

PubMed

Pierce, Linda L

2016-09-01

Posters have become one of the most important types of scientific communication. This article describes an e-poster conference as an online learning activity for professional nursing students. Research and evidence-based practice (EBP) project posters from colleagues across the country were placed on a university research course Web site, along with an evaluation tool and discussion prompts. During one semester, students experienced a range of activities focused on understanding research and EBP basic processes in preparation for evaluation and discussion of the layout and content of these e-posters. From all accounts, the conference was rated as positive, providing nursing students with opportunities to (a) view studies and projects from a wider nursing science audience, (b) foster the development of important evaluation and communication skills, and (c) be exposed to evidence that could be translated into their practice. Other schools and organizations may adopt this e-poster conference activity to stimulate professional nurses' critical thinking ability. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(9):533-535.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Physical activity of adults with mental retardation: review and research needs.

PubMed

Temple, Viviene A; Frey, Georgia C; Stanish, Heidi I

2006-01-01

To characterize physical activity levels of adults with mental retardation and identify limitations in published research. Key word searches for "mental retardation," "intellectual disability," "learning disability," or "developmental disability" combined with "physical activity" or "habitual exercise" identified articles from MEDLINE, Academic Search Elite, Psych Articles, Health Source, and SPORT Discus. This produced a total of 801 citations. Published English-language literature that quantitatively measured physical activity levels of adults with mental retardation was included in this review. Fourteen articles met this criterion. Characteristics of participants, study design, outcome measures, methods of analyses, and findings in terms of percentages, step counts, and accelerometer output were extracted. Data were synthesized to identify the percentage of adults with mental retardation who met published health-related physical activity criteria and compare them with adults without mental retardation and to examine study limitations. The studies with the greatest rigor indicate that one-third of adults or fewer with mental retardation were sufficiently active to achieve health benefits. However, data are insufficient to determine whether adults with mental retardation are less active than the general community. Future research would be enhanced by including appropriately powered representative samples, by including comparison groups, by validating physical activity questionnaires, and by determining the accuracy of proxy respondents.

Foreign Language Textbook Activities: Keeping Pace with Second Language Acquisition Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aski, Janice M.

2003-01-01

Recent research in second language acquisition found that learners reached higher levels of achievement when grammar practice included the processing and negotiation of meaning. Explored the degree to which certain textbook activities reflected earlier findings. Activities for two grammar points from Italian texts still rely heavily on…

Recent activities within the Aeroservoelasticity Branch at the NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noll, Thomas E.; Perry, Boyd, III; Gilbert, Michael G.

1989-01-01

The objective of research in aeroservoelasticity at the NASA Langley Research Center is to enhance the modeling, analysis, and multidisciplinary design methodologies for obtaining multifunction digital control systems for application to flexible flight vehicles. Recent accomplishments are discussed, and a status report on current activities within the Aeroservoelasticity Branch is presented. In the area of modeling, improvements to the Minimum-State Method of approximating unsteady aerodynamics are shown to provide precise, low-order aeroservoelastic models for design and simulation activities. Analytical methods based on Matched Filter Theory and Random Process Theory to provide efficient and direct predictions of the critical gust profile and the time-correlated gust loads for linear structural design considerations are also discussed. Two research projects leading towards improved design methodology are summarized. The first program is developing an integrated structure/control design capability based on hierarchical problem decomposition, multilevel optimization and analytical sensitivities. The second program provides procedures for obtaining low-order, robust digital control laws for aeroelastic applications. In terms of methodology validation and application the current activities associated with the Active Flexible Wing project are reviewed.

A National Survey of Research Activity and Attitudes in Student Affairs Divisions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Deborah Hazel; Steele, Brenton H.

1984-01-01

Surveyed 100 chief student personnel officers to examine the current state of research in student affairs at colleges and universities and explore institutional variables related to the existence and structure of such research. Focuses on the extent, type, usefulness, and structure of research activity in this area. (JAC)

34 CFR 350.13 - What must a grantee do in carrying out a research activity?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What must a grantee do in carrying out a research... REHABILITATION RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CENTERS PROGRAM What Projects Does the Secretary Assist? § 350.13 What must a grantee do in carrying out a research activity? In carrying out a research activity under this...

34 CFR 350.13 - What must a grantee do in carrying out a research activity?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true What must a grantee do in carrying out a research... REHABILITATION RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CENTERS PROGRAM What Projects Does the Secretary Assist? § 350.13 What must a grantee do in carrying out a research activity? In carrying out a research activity under this...

Transportation research : The Department of Transportation has made progress in coordinating and reviewing its research activities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-02-12

Research, development, and technology (RD&T) activities are vital to meeting the Department of Transportation's (DOT) priorities, such as increasing safety, enhancing mobility, and supporting the nation's economic growth. In fiscal year 2008, the dep...

Reprioritizing current research trends in medical education: a reflection on research activities in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Obeidat, Akef S; Alhaqwi, Ali Ibrahim; Abdulghani, Hamza Mohammad

2015-04-01

There are numerous national efforts to determine and develop research priorities of medical education in Saudi Arabia. These priorities were first proposed in 2010 by "Dr Al-Khuli's Chair for Developing Medical Education in Saudi Arabia". The proposed priority domains were: curriculum, students, faculty, and quality assurance and accreditation. To investigate publications in medical education at the national and international levels in areas relating to these proposed priorities. Electronic search within PubMed database for papers relating to each domain of priority was conducted at national and international levels in the last three years, using the same keywords as the priority domains, but only confined to undergraduate medical education. Out of 3145 articles retrieved when searching with keyword as broad as "undergraduate medical curriculum" only 81 articles worldwide and 3 articles from Saudi Arabia were dealing with curriculum related issues as a whole. Further search on the sub-domains "effective strategies to manage undergraduate curriculum" and "undergraduate medical education models", resulted in the retrieval of few articles worldwide and none from Saudi Arabia. At the national level, there were 63 publications from Saudi Arabia that were either course (topic)-specific or could not be classified under the four domains specified by Dr Al-Khuli's Chair. Research activities in medical education in Saudi Arabia in the last 3 years showed diversity and lack of focus in the research priorities. Efforts of academic and research centers should continue to monitor and encourage these activities toward achieving the recommended priorities.

Assessing the Impact of Education and Outreach Activities on Research Scientists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCann, Brian M.; Cramer, Catherine B.; Taylor, Lisa G.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of university-level research scientists toward educational and outreach activities that aim to help the general public understand more about their scientific endeavors. Interviews, observations, and survey results from 12 university research scientists, their colleagues, students, and the…

Physical Activity of Youth with Intellectual Disability: Review and Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Georgia C.; Stanish, Heidi I.; Temple, Viviene A.

2008-01-01

This review characterizes physical activity behavior in youth with intellectual disability (ID) and identifies limitations in the published research. Keyword searches were used to identify articles from MEDLINE, EBSCOhost Research Databases, Psych Articles, Health Source, and SPORT Discus, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses up to June 2007.…

An overview of research activities on materials for nuclear applications at the INL Safety, Tritium and Applied Research facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calderoni, P.; Sharpe, J.; Shimada, M.; Denny, B.; Pawelko, B.; Schuetz, S.; Longhurst, G.; Hatano, Y.; Hara, M.; Oya, Y.; Otsuka, T.; Katayama, K.; Konishi, S.; Noborio, K.; Yamamoto, Y.

2011-10-01

The Safety, Tritium and Applied Research facility at the Idaho National Laboratory is a US Department of Energy National User Facility engaged in various aspects of materials research for nuclear applications related to fusion and advanced fission systems. Research activities are mainly focused on the interaction of tritium with materials, in particular plasma facing components, liquid breeders, high temperature coolants, fuel cladding, cooling and blanket structures and heat exchangers. Other activities include validation and verification experiments in support of the Fusion Safety Program, such as beryllium dust reactivity and dust transport in vacuum vessels, and support of Advanced Test Reactor irradiation experiments. This paper presents an overview of the programs engaged in the activities, which include the US-Japan TITAN collaboration, the US ITER program, the Next Generation Power Plant program and the tritium production program, and a presentation of ongoing experiments as well as a summary of recent results with emphasis on fusion relevant materials.

Recent Cooperative Research Activities of HDD and Flexible Media Transport Technologies in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Kyosuke

This paper presents the recent status of industry-university cooperative research activities in Japan on the mechatronics of information storage and input/output equipment. There are three research committees for promoting information exchange on technical problems and research topics of head-disk interface in hard disk drives (HDD), flexible media transport and image printing processes which are supported by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering (JSME), the Japanese Society of Tribologists (JAST) and the Japan Society of Precision Engineering (JSPE). For hard disk drive technology, the Storage Research Consortium (SRC) is supporting more than 40 research groups in various different universities to perform basic research for future HDD technology. The past and present statuses of these activities are introduced, particularly focusing on HDD and flexible media transport mechanisms.

Alcohol and Sexuality Research in the AIDS Era: Trends in Publication Activity, Target Populations and Research Design

PubMed Central

George, William H.

2009-01-01

Research addressing relationships between alcohol and human sexuality has proliferated, due in part to efforts to characterize alcohol's role in HIV risk behavior. This study provides a descriptive review of the alcohol–sexuality literature, using abstracts from 264 identified studies to estimate changes in publication activity, target populations, and the prevalence of HIV-related studies over time. We also examine methodological trends by estimating the prevalence of experimental vs. non-experimental studies. Findings show considerable increases in research activity and diversity of populations studied since the mid-1980's and highlight the emergence of HIV-related studies as a focal point of alcohol–sexuality research efforts. Results also demonstrate a substantial decline in the proportion of studies utilizing experimental methods, in part because of frequent use of non-experimental approaches in studies of alcohol and HIV risk behavior. We discuss implications and review the role of experiments in evaluating causal relationships between alcohol and sexual risk behavior. PMID:16897352

Alcohol and sexuality research in the AIDS era: trends in publication activity, target populations and research design.

PubMed

Hendershot, Christian S; George, William H

2007-03-01

Research addressing relationships between alcohol and human sexuality has proliferated, due in part to efforts to characterize alcohol's role in HIV risk behavior. This study provides a descriptive review of the alcohol-sexuality literature, using abstracts from 264 identified studies to estimate changes in publication activity, target populations, and the prevalence of HIV-related studies over time. We also examine methodological trends by estimating the prevalence of experimental vs. non-experimental studies. Findings show considerable increases in research activity and diversity of populations studied since the mid-1980's and highlight the emergence of HIV-related studies as a focal point of alcohol-sexuality research efforts. Results also demonstrate a substantial decline in the proportion of studies utilizing experimental methods, in part because of frequent use of non-experimental approaches in studies of alcohol and HIV risk behavior. We discuss implications and review the role of experiments in evaluating causal relationships between alcohol and sexual risk behavior.

Partnership with informal education learning centers to develop hands-on activities for research outreach efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courville, Z.; Haynes, R.; DeFrancis, G.; Koh, S.; Ringelberg, D.

2012-12-01

Outreach informed by scientific research plays an important role in fostering interest in science by making science and scientists accessible, fun, and interesting. Developing an interest in science in young, elementary-aged students through outreach is a rewarding endeavor for researchers, in that audiences are usually receptive, requirements for broader impacts are met, and bonds are formed between researchers and members of their local and surrounding communities. Promoting such interest among young students is imperative not only for an individual researcher's own self interest, but also for the strength of American science and innovation moving forward, and is the responsibility of the current generation of scientists. Developing genuine and successful inquiry-based, hands-on activities for elementary-aged students is outside the expertise of many researchers. Partnering with an informal education learning center (i.e. science museum or after-school program) provides researchers with the expertise they might be lacking in such endeavors. Here, we present a series of polar-, engineering- and microbiology-themed hands-on activities that have been developed by researchers at a government lab in partnership with a local science museum. Through a series of workshops, the science education staff at the museum provided researchers with background and instruction on inquiry and hands-on activities, and then collaborated with the researchers to develop activities which were later demonstrated at the museum to museum-goers. Education staff provided feedback about the presentation of the activities for further refinement. The program provided an opportunity for researchers to develop fun, on-target and age-appropriate science activities for elementary-aged students, an audience for outreach, and enabled general public audiences the chance to interact with researchers and scientists in an informal setting.

Assessing research activity and capacity of community-based organizations: development and pilot testing of an instrument.

PubMed

Humphries, Debbie L; Carroll-Scott, Amy; Mitchell, Leif; Tian, Terry; Choudhury, Shonali; Fiellin, David A

2014-01-01

Although awareness of the importance of the research capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) is growing, a uniform framework of the research capacity domains within CBOs has not yet been developed. To develop a framework and instrument (the Community REsearch Activity assessment Tool [CREAT]) for assessing the research activity and capacity of CBOs that incorporates awareness of the different data collection and analysis priorities of CBOs. We conducted a review of existing tools for assessing research capacity to identify key capacity domains. Instrument items were developed through an iterative process with CBO representatives and community researchers. The CREAT was then pilot tested with 30 CBOs. The four primary domains of the CREAT framework include 1) organizational support for research, 2) generalizable experiences, 3) research specific experiences, and 4) funding. Organizations reported a high prevalence of activities in the research-specific experiences domain, including conducting literature reviews (70%), use of research terminology (83%), and primary data collection (100%). Respondents see research findings as important to improve program and service delivery, and to seek funds for new programs and services. Funders, board members, and policymakers are the most important dissemination audiences. The work reported herein advances the field of CBO research capacity by developing a systematic framework for assessing research activity and capacity relevant to the work of CBOs, and by developing and piloting an instrument to assess activity in these domains.

Active transportation and demand management (ATDM) foundational research : analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-06-01

As part of the Federal Highway Administrations (FHWAs) Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) Foundational Research, this publication presents a high-level analysis approach to evaluate four illustrative described in the AMS CONOPS ...

Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) as a Bridge between Engineering Education Research and Mathematics Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Eric; Lesh, Richard; Lester, Frank; Brilleslyper, Michael

2008-01-01

This article introduces Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) as a form of case study team problem-solving. MEA design focuses on eliciting from students conceptual models that they iteratively revise in problem-solving. Though developed by mathematics education researchers to study the evolution of mathematical problem-solving expertise in middle…

Wildfire Research in an Environmental Hazards Course: An Active Learning Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wall, Tamara U.; Halvorson, Sarah J.

2011-01-01

Creating opportunities for students to actively apply hazards theory to real-life situations is often a challenge in hazards geography courses. This article presents a project, the Jocko Lakes Fire Project, that implemented learning strategies to encourage students to be active in wildfire hazards research. Wildfire hazards stand out as an…

PNT Activities at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sands, Obed

2017-01-01

This presentation provides a review of Position Navigation and Timing activities at the Glenn Research Center. Topics include 1) contributions to simulation studies for the Space Service Volume of the Global Navigation Satellite System, 2) development and integration efforts for a Software Defined Radio (SDR) waveform for the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) testbed, currently onboard the International Space Station and 3) a GPS L5 testbed intended to explore terrain mapping capabilities with communications signals. Future directions are included and a brief discussion of NASA, GRC and the SCAN office.

Activity Theory in Empirical Higher Education Research: Choices, Uses and Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bligh, Brett; Flood, Michelle

2017-01-01

This paper contributes to discussion of theory application in higher education research. We examine 59 empirical research papers from specialist journals that use a particular theory: activity theory. We scrutinise stated reasons for choosing the theory, functions played by the theory, and how the theory is valorised. We find that the theory is…

Use of a Wiki-Based Software to Manage Research Group Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ting; Vezenov, Dmitri V.; Simboli, Brian

2014-01-01

This paper discusses use of the wiki software Confluence to organize research group activities and lab resources. Confluence can serve as an electronic lab notebook (ELN), as well as an information management and collaboration tool. The article provides a case study in how researchers can use wiki software in "home-grown" fashion to…

[Research progress of thermal control system for extravehicular activity space suit].

PubMed

Wu, Z Q; Shen, L P; Yuan, X G

1999-08-01

New research progress of thermal control system for oversea Extravehicular Activity (EVA) space suit is presented. Characteristics of several thermal control systems are analyzed in detail. Some research tendencies and problems are discussed, which are worthwhile to be specially noted. Finally, author's opinion about thermal control system in the future is put forward.

Flipping the Audience Script: An Activity That Integrates Research and Audience Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Chris; Hannah, Mark A.

2016-01-01

This article describes a flipped classroom activity that requires students to integrate research and audience analysis. The activity uses Twitter as a data source. In the activity, students identify a sample, collect customer tweets, and analyze the language of the tweets in an effort to construct knowledge about an audience's values, needs, and…

Measuring emotion in advertising research: prefrontal brain activity.

PubMed

Silberstein, Richard B; Nield, Geoffrey E

2012-01-01

With the current interest in the role of emotion in advertising and advertising research, there has been an increasing interest in the use of various brain activity measures to access nonverbal emotional responses. One such approach relies on measuring the difference between left and right hemisphere prefrontal cortical activity to assess like and dislike. This approach is based on electroencephalography (EEG) and neuroimaging work, suggesting that the approach/withdrawal (frequently but not always associated with like/dislike) dimension of emotion is indicated by the balance of activity between the left and right prefrontal cortex. Much of this work was initiated by Richard Davidson in the early 1990s. An early study by Davidson et al. measured brain electrical activity to assess patterns of activation during the experience of happiness and disgust. The authors reported that disgust was found to be associated with increased right-sided activation in the frontal and anterior temporal regions compared with happiness. In contrast, happiness was found to be accompanied by left-sided activation in the anterior temporal region compared with disgust. Early reports suggested that frontal laterality indexes motivational valence with positive emotions (happy, like) associated with left greater than the right frontal activity and vice versa. Although these findings appear to be consistent with personality traits (e.g., optimism pessimism), state changes in frontal laterality appears to index approach withdraw rather than emotional valence. Interestingly, the behavioral and motivational correlates of prefrontal asymmetric activity are not restricted to humans or even primates but have been observed in numerous species such as birds and fish (see [4]). Henceforth, we use the term motivational valence (MV) rather than the more cumbersome term approach withdraw.

Development of Junior Pupils Research Skills in Interrelation with Universal Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabirova, Elvira G.; Zakirova, Venera G.; Masalimova, Alfiya R.

2016-01-01

Actuality of the studied problem is stipulated by the fact that the learning activity is the leading one for pupils and it defines development of main cognitive particularities of evolving personality. As the result of this activity becomes formation of cognitive motives, research skills, subjectively new knowledge and ways of activity for pupils.…

Research Activity in Computational Physics utilizing High Performance Computing: Co-authorship Network Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Sul-Ah; Jung, Youngim

2016-10-01

The research activities of the computational physicists utilizing high performance computing are analyzed by bibliometirc approaches. This study aims at providing the computational physicists utilizing high-performance computing and policy planners with useful bibliometric results for an assessment of research activities. In order to achieve this purpose, we carried out a co-authorship network analysis of journal articles to assess the research activities of researchers for high-performance computational physics as a case study. For this study, we used journal articles of the Scopus database from Elsevier covering the time period of 2004-2013. We extracted the author rank in the physics field utilizing high-performance computing by the number of papers published during ten years from 2004. Finally, we drew the co-authorship network for 45 top-authors and their coauthors, and described some features of the co-authorship network in relation to the author rank. Suggestions for further studies are discussed.

Recent advances in active noise and vibration control at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbs, Gary P.; Cabell, Randolph H.; Palumbo, Daniel L.; Silcox, Richard J.; Turner, Travis L.

2002-11-01

Over the past 15 years NASA has investigated the use of active control technology for aircraft interior noise. More recently this work has been supported through the Advanced Subsonic Technology Noise Reduction Program (1994-2001), High Speed Research Program (1994-1999), and through the Quiet Aircraft Technology Program (2000-present). The interior environment is recognized as an important element in flight safety, crew communications and fatigue, as well as passenger comfort. This presentation will overview research in active noise and vibration control relating to interior noise being investigated by NASA. The research to be presented includes: active control of aircraft fuselage sidewall transmission due to turbulent boundary layer or jet noise excitation, active control of interior tones due to propeller excitation of aircraft structures, and adaptive stiffening of structures for noise, vibration, and fatigue control. Work on actuator technology ranging from piezoelectrics, shape memory actuators, and fluidic actuators will be described including applications. Control system technology will be included that is experimentally based, real-time, and adaptive.

Innovation in collaborative health research training: the role of active learning.

PubMed

Poole, Gary; Egan, John P; Iqbal, Isabeau

2009-03-01

This paper describes and discusses the essential pedagogical elements of the Partnering in Community Health Research (PCHR) program, which was designed to address the training needs of researchers who participate in collaborative, interdisciplinary health research. These elements were intended to foster specific skills that helped learners develop research partnerships featuring knowledge, capabilities, values and attitudes needed for successful research projects. By establishing research teams called "clusters", PCHR provided research training and experience for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, as well as for community health workers and professionals. Pedagogical elements relied on active learning approaches such as inquiry-based and experience-based learning. Links between these elements and learning approaches are explained. Through their work in cluster-based applied research projects, the development of learning plans, and cross-cluster learning events, trainees acquired collaborative research competencies that were valuable, relevant and theoretically informed.

Ten years research activities in Earth observation at the Cyprus University of Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadjimitsis, Diofantos G.; Themistocleous, Kyriacos; Agapiou, Athos; Mamouri, Rodanthi; Nisantzi, Argyro; Papoutsa, Christiana; Tzouvaras, Marios; Neoclous, Kyriacos; Mettas, Christodoulos; Michaelides, Silas

2017-09-01

This paper presents the achievements for the last 10 years of the Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment Laboratory of the Cyprus University of Technology in the Earth observation through the ERATOSTHENES Research Centre. Over the past 10 years, the Centre has secured competitive research funding from various sources, such as the European Commission, the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation, as well as industrial partners, having participated either as a coordinator or as a partner in more than 60 research projects. The research activities of the Centre encompass remote sensing and GIS applications in the fields of Cultural Heritage, Agriculture, Water Resource Management, Environment, Infrastructure, Marine Spatial Planning, Atmospheric, Air Pollution and Coastal Applications, Natural Resource Management and Hazard Assessment. The aim of this paper is to map the existing activities and identify the future trends and goals of the Eratosthenes Research Centre for the next 15 years.

[Activity of NTDs Drug-discovery Research Consortium].

PubMed

Namatame, Ichiji

2016-01-01

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are an extremely important issue facing global health care. To improve "access to health" where people are unable to access adequate medical care due to poverty and weak healthcare systems, we have established two consortiums: the NTD drug discovery research consortium, and the pediatric praziquantel consortium. The NTD drug discovery research consortium, which involves six institutions from industry, government, and academia, as well as an international non-profit organization, is committed to developing anti-protozoan active compounds for three NTDs (Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and African sleeping sickness). Each participating institute will contribute their efforts to accomplish the following: selection of drug targets based on information technology, and drug discovery by three different approaches (in silico drug discovery, "fragment evolution" which is a unique drug designing method of Astellas Pharma, and phenotypic screening with Astellas' compound library). The consortium has established a brand new database (Integrated Neglected Tropical Disease Database; iNTRODB), and has selected target proteins for the in silico and fragment evolution drug discovery approaches. Thus far, we have identified a number of promising compounds that inhibit the target protein, and we are currently trying to improve the anti-protozoan activity of these compounds. The pediatric praziquantel consortium was founded in July 2012 to develop and register a new praziquantel pediatric formulation for the treatment of schistosomiasis. Astellas Pharma has been a core member in this consortium since its establishment, and has provided expertise and technology in the area of pediatric formulation development and clinical development.

Vibration criteria for transit systems in close proximity to university research activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, Steven

2004-05-01

As some of the newer LRT projects get closer to research facilities the question arisesi ``how do you assess the potential impact of train operations on the activities within these types of facilities?'' There are several new LRT projects that have proposed alignments near or under university research facilities. The traditional ground vibration analysis at these locations is no longer valid but requires a more sophisticated approach to identifying both criteria and impact. APTA, ISO, IES, and FTA vibration criteria may not be adequate for the most sensitive activities involving single cell and nano technology research. The use of existing ambient vibration levels is evaluated as a potential criteria. A statistical approach is used to better understand how the train vibration would affect the ambient vibration levels.

Status of the atomized uranium silicide fuel development at KAERI

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

Kim, C.K.; Kim, K.H.; Park, H.D.

1997-08-01

While developing KMRR fuel fabrication technology an atomizing technique has been applied in order to eliminate the difficulties relating to the tough property of U{sub 3}Si and to take advantage of the rapid solidification effect of atomization. The comparison between the conventionally comminuted powder dispersion fuel and the atomized powder dispersion fuel has been made. As the result, the processes, uranium silicide powdering and heat treatment for U{sub 3}Si transformation, become simplified. The workability, the thermal conductivity and the thermal compatibility of fuel meat have been investigated and found to be improved due to the spherical shape of atomized powder.more » In this presentation the overall developments of atomized U{sub 3}Si dispersion fuel and the planned activities for applying the atomizing technique to the real fuel fabrication are described.« less

Antimicrobial activity of fluoride and its in vivo importance: identification of research questions.

PubMed

Van Loveren, C

2001-01-01

This manuscript discusses the antimicrobial activity of fluoride and its in vivo importance in order to identify research questions. There is a lot of information on mechanisms by which fluoride may interfere with bacterial metabolism and dental plaque acidogenicity. The antimicrobial activity of fluoride products is enhanced when fluoride is associated with antimicrobial cations like Sn(2+) and amine. It is not clear whether the antimicrobial mechanisms of fluoride are operating in vivo or even to what extent antimicrobial activity can contribute to caries prevention. This latter question may be the most important one in research. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-07-01

Generation Internet Research Act of 1998 Context of Federal Technology Funding NCO and Related Activities Activity in the 108th Congress Issues for...http://www.nitrd.gov/congressional /laws/pl_102-194.html]. 9 Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998, Public Law 105-305, 15 U.S.C. 5501, 112 Stat...coordination. The second, the Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998, P.L. 105-305,9 amended the original law to expand the mission of the NITRD

Public open space, physical activity, urban design and public health: Concepts, methods and research agenda.

PubMed

Koohsari, Mohammad Javad; Mavoa, Suzanne; Villanueva, Karen; Sugiyama, Takemi; Badland, Hannah; Kaczynski, Andrew T; Owen, Neville; Giles-Corti, Billie

2015-05-01

Public open spaces such as parks and green spaces are key built environment elements within neighbourhoods for encouraging a variety of physical activity behaviours. Over the past decade, there has been a burgeoning number of active living research studies examining the influence of public open space on physical activity. However, the evidence shows mixed associations between different aspects of public open space (e.g., proximity, size, quality) and physical activity. These inconsistencies hinder the development of specific evidence-based guidelines for urban designers and policy-makers for (re)designing public open space to encourage physical activity. This paper aims to move this research agenda forward, by identifying key conceptual and methodological issues that may contribute to inconsistencies in research examining relations between public open space and physical activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radiation thermometry at NIST: An update of services and research activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hillard, G. Barry

1989-01-01

An overview of activities at the National Institute of Standards and Terminology (NIST) in radiation thermometry and related temperature scale research is presented. An expansion of calibration services for pyrometers will be described as well as efforts to develop calibration services for blackbody simulators. Research relevant to the realization of the new international temperature scale (ITS 90) will be discussed.

[Application of chemometrics in composition-activity relationship research of traditional Chinese medicine].

PubMed

Han, Sheng-Nan

2014-07-01

Chemometrics is a new branch of chemistry which is widely applied to various fields of analytical chemistry. Chemometrics can use theories and methods of mathematics, statistics, computer science and other related disciplines to optimize the chemical measurement process and maximize access to acquire chemical information and other information on material systems by analyzing chemical measurement data. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine has attracted widespread attention. In the research of traditional Chinese medicine, it has been a key problem that how to interpret the relationship between various chemical components and its efficacy, which seriously restricts the modernization of Chinese medicine. As chemometrics brings the multivariate analysis methods into the chemical research, it has been applied as an effective research tool in the composition-activity relationship research of Chinese medicine. This article reviews the applications of chemometrics methods in the composition-activity relationship research in recent years. The applications of multivariate statistical analysis methods (such as regression analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, etc. ) and artificial neural network (such as back propagation artificial neural network, radical basis function neural network, support vector machine, etc. ) are summarized, including the brief fundamental principles, the research contents and the advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the existing main problems and prospects of its future researches are proposed.

Physical Activity Parenting Measurement and Research: Challenges, Explanations, and Solutions

PubMed Central

Mâsse, Louise C.; Timperio, Anna; Frenn, Marilyn D.; Saunders, Julie; Mendoza, Jason A.; Gobbi, Erica; Hanson, Phillip; Trost, Stewart G.

2013-01-01

Abstract Physical activity (PA) parenting research has proliferated over the past decade, with findings verifying the influential role that parents play in children's emerging PA behaviors. This knowledge, however, has not translated into effective family-based PA interventions. During a preconference workshop to the 2012 International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity annual meeting, a PA parenting workgroup met to: (1) Discuss challenges in PA parenting research that may limit its translation, (2) identify explanations or reasons for such challenges, and (3) recommend strategies for future research. Challenges discussed by the workgroup included a proliferation of disconnected and inconsistently measured constructs, a limited understanding of the dimensions of PA parenting, and a narrow conceptualization of hypothesized moderators of the relationship between PA parenting and child PA. Potential reasons for such challenges emphasized by the group included a disinclination to employ theory when developing measures and examining predictors and outcomes of PA parenting as well as a lack of agreed-upon measurement standards. Suggested solutions focused on the need to link PA parenting research with general parenting research, define and adopt rigorous standards of measurement, and identify new methods to assess PA parenting. As an initial step toward implementing these recommendations, the workgroup developed a conceptual model that: (1) Integrates parenting dimensions from the general parenting literature into the conceptualization of PA parenting, (2) draws on behavioral and developmental theory, and (3) emphasizes areas which have been neglected to date including precursors to PA parenting and effect modifiers. PMID:23944918

Assessing worldwide research activity on probiotics in pediatrics using Scopus database: 1994-2014.

PubMed

Sweileh, Waleed M; Shraim, Naser Y; Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sawalha, Ansam F; Rahhal, Belal; Khayyat, Rasha A; Zyoud, Sa'ed H

2016-01-01

A wide variety of probiotic products has been introduced into the market in the past decade. Research trends and activity on probiotics help understand how these products were evolved and their potential future role in medicine. The objective of this study was to assess the research activity on probiotics in pediatrics using bibliometric indicators and network visualization. Original and review articles on probiotics in pediatrics published worldwide were retrieved from SciVerse, Scopus (1994-2014) and analyzed. VOSviewer was used for network visualization. The total number of documents published on probiotics in pediatrics was 2817. Research activity on probiotics in pediatrics showed approximately 90- fold increase during the study period. Approximately 22 % of published articles originated from USA and has the greatest share, however, Finland ranked first when data were stratified by population or income. The most productive institution in this field was Turku University in Finland with 82 (2.91 %) articles. Half of the prolific authors were also from Finland. Most of the published research activity appeared in Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Most frequently encountered title terms include nutrition, infant formula, necrotizing enetrocolitis, allergy, and diarrhea. The total number of citations for the retreived documents documents was 70991, and the average citation per article was 25.20. Interest in probiotic research and its potential benefits in pediatric ailments is relatively recent but significantly increasing. Bibliometric analysis can be used as an indicator of the importance and growth of probiotic use in pediatrics.

Measuring presenteeism: which questionnaire to use in physical activity research?

PubMed

Brown, Helen Elizabeth; Burton, Nicola; Gilson, Nicholas David; Brown, Wendy

2014-02-01

An emerging area of interest in workplace health is presenteeism; the measurable extent to which physical or psychosocial symptoms, conditions and disease adversely affect the work productivity of those who choose to remain at work. Given established links between presenteeism and health, and health and physical activity, presenteeism could be an important outcome in workplace physical activity research. This study provides a narrative review of questionnaires for use in such research. Eight self-report measures of presenteeism were identified. Information regarding development, constructs measured and psychometric properties was extracted from relevant articles. Questionnaires were largely self-administered, had 4-44 items, and recall periods ranging from 1 week to 1 year. Items were identified as assessing work performance, physical tolerance, psychological well-being and social or role functioning. Samples used to test questionnaires were predominantly American male employees, with an age range of 30-59 years. All instruments had undergone psychometric assessment, most commonly discriminant and construct validity. Based on instrument characteristics, the range of conceptual foci covered and acceptable measurement properties, the Health and Work Questionnaire, Work Ability Index, and Work Limitations Questionnaire are suggested as most suitable for further exploring the relationship between physical activity and presenteeism.

Averting Uncertainty: A Practical Guide to Physical Activity Research in Australian Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rachele, Jerome N.; Cuddihy, Thomas F.; Washington, Tracy L.; McPhail, Steven M.

2013-01-01

Preventative health has become central to contemporary health care, identifying youth physical activity as a key factor in determining health and functioning. Schools offer a unique research setting due to distinctive methodological circumstances. However, school-based researchers face several obstacles in their endeavour to complete successful…

78 FR 75905 - Credit for Increasing Research Activities: Intra-Group Gross Receipts

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-13

... CFR Part 1 [REG-159420-04] RIN 1545-BE14 Credit for Increasing Research Activities: Intra-Group Gross... Internal Revenue Code (Code) relating to the treatment of qualified research expenditures (QREs) and gross... trades or businesses under common control (intra-group transactions) for purposes of determining the...

Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Research

PubMed Central

Burke, Shaunna; Wurz, Amanda; Bradshaw, Andrew; Saunders, Stephanie; West, Malcolm A.; Brunet, Jennifer

2017-01-01

Qualitative research on the impact of physical activity on quality of life (QoL) in adults diagnosed with cancer is accumulating. However, the field of physical activity and cancer survivorship lack a synthesis of this research to reliably understand the implications for future research and practice. The aim of this meta-synthesis was to identify, appraise, and synthesize qualitative research on cancer survivors’ perspectives of the impact of physical activity on their QoL. Seven electronic databases were searched for original studies published in English, and reference lists of relevant studies were hand-searched to identify additional studies. Forty studies met eligibility criteria and were included in this meta-synthesis. Study characteristics and major findings were extracted, and findings were summarized, compared, and synthesized. Themes identified in this review revealed that physical activity positively impacted four dimensions of cancer survivors’ QoL: physical (e.g., managing the physical consequences of cancer and its treatment), psychological (e.g., evoking positive self-perceptions), social (e.g., feeling understood by others), and spiritual (e.g., redefining life purpose). This meta-synthesis corroborates conclusions from reviews of quantitative research and illustrates that physical activity can be used to improve QoL in adult cancer survivors, regardless of diagnosis (i.e., stage, cancer type) and treatment status. It also provides detailed insight into specific aspects within each dimension of QoL impacted by physical activity from cancer survivors’ perspectives, which is important for understanding the meaning and utility of physical activity for them. However, more research is needed to further develop the qualitative evidence base in order to better understand how physical activity impacts on QoL experiences in men, young adults, and adults diagnosed with less common types of cancer at different points along cancer trajectory (i

Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Research.

PubMed

Burke, Shaunna; Wurz, Amanda; Bradshaw, Andrew; Saunders, Stephanie; West, Malcolm A; Brunet, Jennifer

2017-05-20

Qualitative research on the impact of physical activity on quality of life (QoL) in adults diagnosed with cancer is accumulating. However, the field of physical activity and cancer survivorship lack a synthesis of this research to reliably understand the implications for future research and practice. The aim of this meta-synthesis was to identify, appraise, and synthesize qualitative research on cancer survivors' perspectives of the impact of physical activity on their QoL. Seven electronic databases were searched for original studies published in English, and reference lists of relevant studies were hand-searched to identify additional studies. Forty studies met eligibility criteria and were included in this meta-synthesis. Study characteristics and major findings were extracted, and findings were summarized, compared, and synthesized. Themes identified in this review revealed that physical activity positively impacted four dimensions of cancer survivors' QoL: physical (e.g., managing the physical consequences of cancer and its treatment), psychological (e.g., evoking positive self-perceptions), social (e.g., feeling understood by others), and spiritual (e.g., redefining life purpose). This meta-synthesis corroborates conclusions from reviews of quantitative research and illustrates that physical activity can be used to improve QoL in adult cancer survivors, regardless of diagnosis (i.e., stage, cancer type) and treatment status. It also provides detailed insight into specific aspects within each dimension of QoL impacted by physical activity from cancer survivors' perspectives, which is important for understanding the meaning and utility of physical activity for them. However, more research is needed to further develop the qualitative evidence base in order to better understand how physical activity impacts on QoL experiences in men, young adults, and adults diagnosed with less common types of cancer at different points along cancer trajectory (i.e., diagnosis

Understanding physical activity in spinal cord injury rehabilitation: translating and communicating research through stories.

PubMed

Smith, Brett; Papathomas, Anthony; Martin Ginis, Kathleen A; Latimer-Cheung, Amy E

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to develop an evidence-based resource for knowing and communicating the complexities involved for both males and females in implementing and sustaining a physically active lifestyle shortly after spinal cord injury (SCI). Synthesizing a set of qualitative and quantitative studies with over 500 spinal cord injured people, the article represents research utilizing the genre of ethnographic creative non-fiction. This genre of representation holds enormous potential for researchers in terms of disseminating their findings to diverse audiences beyond the academy, and having real impact. The ethnographic creative non-fictions show together for the first time the barriers, determinants, benefits, trajectories, emotions, fears, preferred methods and messengers for delivering important physical activity information to men and women with a SCI. The article contributes to knowledge by showing the embodied complexities involved when in rehabilitation for both males and females in implementing and sustaining a physically active lifestyle shortly after SCI. It also makes a contribution to practice by providing researchers, health care professionals and disability user-groups with a theory and evidence based resource to assist in informing, teaching and enabling people living with SCI to initiate and maintain a physically active lifestyle. Stories may be a highly effective tool to communicate with and to influence spinal cord injured people's activity. The findings of this research showed the many benefits and barriers to developing and sustaining a physically active lifestyle shortly after spinal cord injury. The preferred methods and messengers for delivering physical activity information as well as the activity types, intensities and durations of physical activity for men and women were also shown. Within rehabilitation, spinal cord injured people need to be offered accessible knowledge about how to implement and sustain a physically active

Initiating and Managing University-Based International Research and Development Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Marla P.

1987-01-01

Initiating and managing international research and development are discussed, including: basic principles for participation in international development activities; AID and World Bank project cycles; AID and World Bank contracting modes and instruments; and international contract negotiations. Some reference sources are appended. (MLW)

The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-02

Generation Internet Research Act of 1998 Context of Federal Technology Funding NCO and Related Activities Issues for Congress Activity in the 109th Congress... Internet Research Act of 1998, P.L. 105-305, 15 U.S.C. 5501, 112 Stat. 2919, October 28, 1998. The full text of this law is available online at [http...The second, the Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998, P.L. 105-305,11 amended the original law to expand the mission of the NITRD Program to

Highlights of Recent Research Activities at the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, J - C.

2017-01-01

The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) was established at the NASA Johnson Space Center in 1979. The ODPO has initiated and led major orbital debris research activities over the past 38 years, including developing the first set of the NASA orbital debris mitigation requirements in 1995 and supporting the establishment of the U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices in 2001. This paper is an overview of the recent ODPO research activities, ranging from ground-based and in-situ measurements, to laboratory tests, and to engineering and long-term orbital debris environment modeling. These activities highlight the ODPO's commitment to continuously improve the orbital debris environment definition to better protect current and future space missions from the low Earth orbit to the geosynchronous Earth orbit regions.

75 FR 8677 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Seabird and Pinniped Research...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-25

... Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Seabird and Pinniped Research Activities in Central... forth the permissible methods of taking, other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact... the taking by harassment, of marine mammals incidental to conducting seabird and pinniped research...

Activities of the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This 1993 annual report of the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council chronicles the activities of the board during a year filled with questioning and change in the country's civil space program. The brief accounts contained herein of the activities of the board and of its committees, together with summaries of two major reports and the complete texts of three letter reports, sketch out major space research issues that faced the nation's space scientists and engineers during the year, including scientific prerequisites for the human exploration of space, improving NASA's technology for space science, the space station and prerequisites for the human exploration program, several issues in the space life sciences, and the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility.

Topographic representation using DEMs and its applications to active tectonics research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oguchi, T.; Lin, Z.; Hayakawa, Y. S.

2016-12-01

Identifying topographic deformations due to active tectonics has been a principal issue in tectonic geomorphology. It provides useful information such as whether a fault has been active during the recent past. Traditionally, field observations, conventional surveying, and visual interpretation of topographic maps, aerial photos, and satellite images were the main methods for such geomorphological investigations. However, recent studies have been utilizing digital elevation models (DEMs) to visualize and quantitatively analyze landforms. There are many advantages to the use of DEMs for research in active tectonics. For example, unlike aerial photos and satellite images, DEMs show ground conditions without vegetation and man-made objects such as buildings, permitting direct representation of tectonically deformed landforms. Recent developments and advances in airborne LiDAR also allow the fast creation of DEMs even in vegetated areas such as forested lands. In addition, DEMs enable flexible topographic visualization based on various digital cartographic and computer-graphic techniques, facilitating identification of particular landforms such as active faults. Further, recent progress in morphometric analyses using DEMs can be employed to quantitatively represent topographic characteristics, and objectively evaluate tectonic deformation and the properties of related landforms. This paper presents a review of DEM applications in tectonic geomorphology, with attention to historical development, recent advances, and future perspectives. Examples are taken mainly from Japan, a typical tectonically active country. The broader contributions of DEM-based active tectonics research to other fields, such as fluvial geomorphology and geochronology, will also be discussed.

Cumulative Risk Assessment: Overview of Agency Guidance, Practice and Current Major Research Activities

EPA Science Inventory

Powerpoint presentation that includes the EPA's definition of CRA, relevant publications already in existence, the CRA Guidelines effort, science issues where research is still needed, program office practices related to CRA, and EPA research activities.

NASA's university program: Active grants and research contracts, fiscal year 1976

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

NASA Field Centers and certain Headquarters Program Offices provide funds for those research and development activities in universities which contribute to the mission needs of that particular NASA element. Although NASA has no predetermined amount of money to devote to university activities, the effort funded each year is substantial. This annual report is one means of documenting the NASA-university relationship, frequently denoted, collectively, as NASA's University Program.

NASA Langley Research Center's Contributions to International Active Buffeting Alleviation Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moses, Robert W.

2000-01-01

Buffeting is an aeroelastic phenomenon which plagues high performance aircraft, especially those with twin vertical tails like the F/A-18, at high angles of attack. This buffeting is a concern from fatigue and inspection points of view. By means of wind-tunnel and flight tests, this phenomenon is well studied to the point that buffet loads can be estimated and fatigue life can be increased by structural enhancements to the airframe. In more recent years, buffeting alleviation through active control of smart materials has been highly researched in wind-tunnel proof-of-concept demonstrations and full-scale ground tests using the F/A-18 as a test bed. Because the F/A-18 resides in fleets outside as well as inside the United States, these tests have evolved into international collaborative research activities with Australia and Canada, coordinated by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and conducted under the auspices of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP). With the recent successes and advances in smart materials, the main focus of these buffeting alleviation tests has also evolved to a new level: utilize the F/A-18 as a prototype to mature smart materials for suppressing vibrations of aerospace structures. The role of the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) in these programs is presented.

Environmental Scanning Activities at Public Research and Doctorate-Granting Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meixell, Joan M.

The study surveyed 134 institutions to determine if significant differences existed between public research and doctorate-granting universities concerning: (1) the most important external environmental areas to scan; and (2) the scanning activities that provide the most information for planning processes. A total of 105 responses (78%) was…

Computer Based Procedures for Field Workers - FY16 Research Activities

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

Oxstrand, Johanna; Bly, Aaron

The Computer-Based Procedure (CBP) research effort is a part of the Light-Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program, which provides the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe, and economical operation of current nuclear power plants. One of the primary missions of the LWRS program is to help the U.S. nuclear industry adopt new technologies and engineering solutions that facilitate the continued safe operation of the plants and extension of the current operating licenses. One area that could yield tremendous savings in increased efficiency and safety is in improving procedure use. A CBP provides the opportunity to incorporate context-driven jobmore » aids, such as drawings, photos, and just-in-time training. The presentation of information in CBPs can be much more flexible and tailored to the task, actual plant condition, and operation mode. The dynamic presentation of the procedure will guide the user down the path of relevant steps, thus minimizing time spent by the field worker to evaluate plant conditions and decisions related to the applicability of each step. This dynamic presentation of the procedure also minimizes the risk of conducting steps out of order and/or incorrectly assessed applicability of steps. This report provides a summary of the main research activities conducted in the Computer-Based Procedures for Field Workers effort since 2012. The main focus of the report is on the research activities conducted in fiscal year 2016. The activities discussed are the Nuclear Electronic Work Packages – Enterprise Requirements initiative, the development of a design guidance for CBPs (which compiles all insights gained through the years of CBP research), the facilitation of vendor studies at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), a pilot study for how to enhance the plant design modification work process, the collection of feedback from a field evaluation study at Plant Vogtle, and path forward to

The era of the wandering mind? Twenty-first century research on self-generated mental activity.

PubMed

Callard, Felicity; Smallwood, Jonathan; Golchert, Johannes; Margulies, Daniel S

2013-01-01

The first decade of the twenty-first century was characterized by renewed scientific interest in self-generated mental activity (activity largely generated by the individual, rather than in direct response to experimenters' instructions or specific external sensory inputs). To understand this renewal of interest, we interrogated the peer-reviewed literature from 2003 to 2012 (i) to explore recent changes in use of terms for self-generated mental activity; (ii) to investigate changes in the topics on which mind wandering research, specifically, focuses; and (iii) to visualize co-citation communities amongst researchers working on self-generated mental activity. Our analyses demonstrated that there has been a dramatic increase in the term "mind wandering" from 2006, and a significant crossing-over of psychological investigations of mind wandering into cognitive neuroscience (particularly in relation to research on the default mode and default mode network). If our article concludes that this might, indeed, be the "era of the wandering mind," it also calls for more explicit reflection to be given by researchers in this field to the terms they use, the topics and brain regions they focus on, and the research literatures that they implicitly foreground or ignore.

The era of the wandering mind? Twenty-first century research on self-generated mental activity

PubMed Central

Callard, Felicity; Smallwood, Jonathan; Golchert, Johannes; Margulies, Daniel S.

2013-01-01

The first decade of the twenty-first century was characterized by renewed scientific interest in self-generated mental activity (activity largely generated by the individual, rather than in direct response to experimenters’ instructions or specific external sensory inputs). To understand this renewal of interest, we interrogated the peer-reviewed literature from 2003 to 2012 (i) to explore recent changes in use of terms for self-generated mental activity; (ii) to investigate changes in the topics on which mind wandering research, specifically, focuses; and (iii) to visualize co-citation communities amongst researchers working on self-generated mental activity. Our analyses demonstrated that there has been a dramatic increase in the term “mind wandering” from 2006, and a significant crossing-over of psychological investigations of mind wandering into cognitive neuroscience (particularly in relation to research on the default mode and default mode network). If our article concludes that this might, indeed, be the “era of the wandering mind,” it also calls for more explicit reflection to be given by researchers in this field to the terms they use, the topics and brain regions they focus on, and the research literatures that they implicitly foreground or ignore. PMID:24391606

77 FR 18821 - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-28

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research... Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve the...

Dynamic wind-tunnel testing of active controls by the NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abel, I.; Doggett, R. V.; Newsom, J. R.; Sandford, M.

1984-01-01

Dynamic wind-tunnel testing of active controls by the NASA Langley Research Center is presented. Seven experimental studies that were accomplished to date are described. Six of the studies focus on active flutter suppression. The other focuses on active load alleviation. In addition to presenting basic results for these experimental studies, topics including model design and construction, control law synthesis, active control system implementation, and wind-tunnel test techniques are discussed.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Diet-Related eHealth and mHealth Research: Bibliometric Analysis

PubMed Central

Maher, Carol A; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Hingle, Melanie; Middelweerd, Anouk; Lopez, Michael L; DeSmet, Ann; Short, Camille E; Nathan, Nicole; Hutchesson, Melinda J; Poppe, Louise; Woods, Catherine B; Williams, Susan L; Wark, Petra A

2018-01-01

Background Electronic health (eHealth) and mobile health (mHealth) approaches to address low physical activity levels, sedentary behavior, and unhealthy diets have received significant research attention. However, attempts to systematically map the entirety of the research field are lacking. This gap can be filled with a bibliometric study, where publication-specific data such as citations, journals, authors, and keywords are used to provide a systematic overview of a specific field. Such analyses will help researchers better position their work. Objective The objective of this review was to use bibliometric data to provide an overview of the eHealth and mHealth research field related to physical activity, sedentary behavior, and diet. Methods The Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection was searched to retrieve all existing and highly cited (as defined by WoS) physical activity, sedentary behavior, and diet related eHealth and mHealth research papers published in English between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2016. Retrieved titles were screened for eligibility, using the abstract and full-text where needed. We described publication trends over time, which included journals, authors, and countries of eligible papers, as well as their keywords and subject categories. Citations of eligible papers were compared with those expected based on published data. Additionally, we described highly-cited papers of the field (ie, top ranked 1%). Results The search identified 4805 hits, of which 1712 (including 42 highly-cited papers) were included in the analyses. Publication output increased on an average of 26% per year since 2000, with 49.00% (839/1712) of papers being published between 2014 and 2016. Overall and throughout the years, eHealth and mHealth papers related to physical activity, sedentary behavior, and diet received more citations than expected compared with papers in the same WoS subject categories. The Journal of Medical Internet Research published most papers in

The Research and Training Activities for the Joint Institute for Aeronautics and Acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cantwell, Brian

1997-01-01

This proposal requests continued support for the program of activities to be undertaken by the Ames-Stanford Joint Institute for Aeronautics and Acoustics during the one-year period October 1, 1997 to September 30, 1998. The emphasis in this program is on training and research in experimental and computational methods with application to aerodynamics, acoustics and the important interactions between them. The program comprises activities in active flow control, Large Eddy Simulation of jet noise, flap aerodynamics and acoustics, high lift modeling studies and luminescent paint applications. During the proposed period there will be a continued emphasis on the interaction between NASA Ames, Stanford University and Industry, particularly in connection with the noise and high lift activities. The program will be conducted within the general framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (1976) establishing the Institute, as updated in 1993. As outlined in the agreement, the purposes of the Institute include the following: (1) To conduct basic and applied research; (2) to promote joint endeavors between Center scientists and those in the academic community; (3) to provide training to graduate students in specialized areas of aeronautics and acoustics through participation in the research programs of the Institute; (4) to provide opportunities for Post-Doctoral Fellows to collaborate in research programs of the Institute; and (5) to disseminate information about important aeronautical topics and to enable scientists and engineers of the Center to stay abreast of new advances through symposia, seminars and publications.

The Research and Training Activities for the Joint Institute for Aeronautics and Acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cantwell, Brian

1996-01-01

This proposal requests continued support for the program of activities to be undertaken by the Ames-Stanford Joint Institute for Aeronautics and Acoustics during the one-year period October 1, 1996 to September 30, 1997. The emphasis in this program is on training and research in experimental and computational methods with application to aerodynamics, acoustics and the important interactions between them. The program comprises activities in active flow control, Large Eddy Simulation of jet noise, flap aerodynamics and acoustics, high lift modeling studies and luminescent paint applications. During the proposed period there will be a continued emphasis on the interaction between NASA Ames, Stanford University and Industry, particularly in connection with the noise and high lift activities. The program will be conducted within the general framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (1976) establishing the Institute, as updated in 1993. As outlined in the agreement, the purposes of the institute include the following: To conduct basic and applied research. To promote joint endeavors between Center scientists and those in the academic community To provide training to graduate students in specialized areas of aeronautics and acoustics through participation in the research programs of the Institute. To provide opportunities for Post-Doctoral Fellows to collaborate in research programs of the Institute. To disseminate information about important aeronautical topics and to enable scientists and engineers of the Center to stay abreast of new advances through symposia, seminars and publications.

Hot heads & cool bodies: The conundrums of human brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity research.

PubMed

Bahler, Lonneke; Holleman, Frits; Booij, Jan; Hoekstra, Joost B; Verberne, Hein J

2017-05-01

Brown adipose tissue is able to increase energy expenditure by converting glucose and fatty acids into heat. Therefore, BAT is able to increase energy expenditure and could thereby facilitate weight loss or at least weight maintenance. Since cold is a strong activator of BAT, most prospective research is performed during cold to activate BAT. In current research, there are roughly two methods of cooling. Cooling by lowering ambient air temperature, which uses a fixed temperature for all subjects and personalized cooling, which uses cooling blankets or vests with temperatures that can be adjusted to the individual set point of shivering. These methods might trigger mechanistically different cold responses and hence result in a different BAT activation. This hypothesis is underlined by two studies with the same research question (difference in BAT activity between Caucasians and South Asians) one study found no differences in BAT activity whereas the other did found differences in BAT activity. Since most characteristics (e.g. age, BMI) were similar in the two studies, the best explanation for the differences in outcomes is the use of different cooling protocols. One of the reasons for differences in outcomes might be the sensory input from the facial skin, which might be important for the activation of BAT. In this review we will elaborate on the differences between the two cooling protocols used to activate BAT. Copyright © 2017 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning.

PubMed

Lopatto, David

2007-01-01

The present study examined the reliability of student evaluations of summer undergraduate research experiences using the SURE (Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences) and a follow-up survey disseminated 9 mo later. The survey further examines the hypothesis that undergraduate research enhances the educational experience of science undergraduates, attracts and retains talented students to careers in science, and acts as a pathway for minority students into science careers. Undergraduates participated in an online survey on the benefits of undergraduate research experiences. Participants indicated gains on 20 potential benefits and reported on career plans. Most of the participants began or continued to plan for postgraduate education in the sciences. A small group of students who discontinued their plans for postgraduate science education reported significantly lower gains than continuing students. Women and men reported similar levels of benefits and similar patterns of career plans. Undergraduate researchers from underrepresented groups reported higher learning gains than comparison students. The results replicated previously reported data from this survey. The follow-up survey indicated that students reported gains in independence, intrinsic motivation to learn, and active participation in courses taken after the summer undergraduate research experience.

Current Research Activities in Drive System Technology in Support of the NASA Rotorcraft Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Handschuh, Robert F.; Zakrajsek, James J.

2006-01-01

Drive system technology is a key area for improving rotorcraft performance, noise/vibration reduction, and reducing operational and manufacturing costs. An overview of current research areas that support the NASA Rotorcraft Program will be provided. Work in drive system technology is mainly focused within three research areas: advanced components, thermal behavior/emergency lubrication system operation, and diagnostics/prognostics (also known as Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS)). Current research activities in each of these activities will be presented. Also, an overview of the conceptual drive system requirements and possible arrangements for the Heavy Lift Rotorcraft program will be reviewed.

78 FR 46597 - Agency Information Collection Activities: State Water Resources Research Institute Program Annual...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-01

... Activities: State Water Resources Research Institute Program Annual Application and Reporting AGENCY: U.S....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: State Water Resources Research Institute Program Annual.... Abstract The Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended (42 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.), authorizes a water...

NASA's university program: Active grants and research contracts, fiscal year 1975

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Active university research projects for Fiscal Year 1975 are reported by state, and foreign country. Cross indexes by: (1) grant/contract number; (2) field of science and engineering; (3) technical officer location; and (4) RTOP are included.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Diet-Related eHealth and mHealth Research: Bibliometric Analysis.

PubMed

Müller, Andre Matthias; Maher, Carol A; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Hingle, Melanie; Middelweerd, Anouk; Lopez, Michael L; DeSmet, Ann; Short, Camille E; Nathan, Nicole; Hutchesson, Melinda J; Poppe, Louise; Woods, Catherine B; Williams, Susan L; Wark, Petra A

2018-04-18

Electronic health (eHealth) and mobile health (mHealth) approaches to address low physical activity levels, sedentary behavior, and unhealthy diets have received significant research attention. However, attempts to systematically map the entirety of the research field are lacking. This gap can be filled with a bibliometric study, where publication-specific data such as citations, journals, authors, and keywords are used to provide a systematic overview of a specific field. Such analyses will help researchers better position their work. The objective of this review was to use bibliometric data to provide an overview of the eHealth and mHealth research field related to physical activity, sedentary behavior, and diet. The Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection was searched to retrieve all existing and highly cited (as defined by WoS) physical activity, sedentary behavior, and diet related eHealth and mHealth research papers published in English between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2016. Retrieved titles were screened for eligibility, using the abstract and full-text where needed. We described publication trends over time, which included journals, authors, and countries of eligible papers, as well as their keywords and subject categories. Citations of eligible papers were compared with those expected based on published data. Additionally, we described highly-cited papers of the field (ie, top ranked 1%). The search identified 4805 hits, of which 1712 (including 42 highly-cited papers) were included in the analyses. Publication output increased on an average of 26% per year since 2000, with 49.00% (839/1712) of papers being published between 2014 and 2016. Overall and throughout the years, eHealth and mHealth papers related to physical activity, sedentary behavior, and diet received more citations than expected compared with papers in the same WoS subject categories. The Journal of Medical Internet Research published most papers in the field (9.58%, 164/1712). Most

C. H. McCloy Lecture: Fifty Years of Advancements in Fitness and Activity Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corbin, Charles B.

2012-01-01

Over the past 50 years progress in fitness and activity research has been influenced by social events, technical innovations, and changes in the field of physical education and kinesiology. The conventional wisdom of the 1950s yielded to a new wisdom based on research evidence. The author's research, as well as the research of others, from 1960 to…

34 CFR 350.22 - What activities must a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center conduct?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Training Center conduct? 350.22 Section 350.22 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of... DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CENTERS PROGRAM What Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers Does the Secretary Assist? § 350.22 What activities must a Rehabilitation Research and Training...

Forum: Communication Activism Pedagogy. Communication Activism Pedagogy and Research: Communication Education Scholarship to Promote Social Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Lawrence R.; Palmer, David L.

2017-01-01

The recent formation of the National Communication Association's Activism and Social Justice Division puts a spotlight on the extent to which instructional communication and instructional communication research have advanced--or even should advance--the goals of social justice. To examine this issue, two of the leading scholars on this topic,…

Physical Activity Breaks and Student Learning: A Teacher-Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camahalan, Faye Marsha G.; Ipock, Amanda R.

2015-01-01

This study is a teacher initiated action research. The purpose is to improve student learning in math using physical activity breaks during classroom lessons. The study was conducted by tracking the results of ten 5th grade students for a period of one week. Using anecdotal notes, students showed improvement on attentiveness during class…

Overview of Active Flow Control at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pack, L. G.; Joslin, R. D.

1998-01-01

The paper summarizes Active Flow Control projects currently underway at the NASA Langley Research Center. Technology development is being pursued within a multidisciplinary, cooperative approach, involving the classical disciplines of fluid mechanics, structural mechanics, material science, acoustics, and stability and control theory. Complementing the companion papers in this session, the present paper will focus on projects that have the goal of extending the state-of-the-art in the measurement, prediction, and control of unsteady, nonlinear aerodynamics. Toward this goal, innovative actuators, micro and macro sensors, and control strategies are considered for high payoff flow control applications. The target payoffs are outlined within each section below. Validation of the approaches range from bench-top experiments to wind-tunnel experiments to flight tests. Obtaining correlations for future actuator and sensor designs are implicit in the discussion. The products of the demonstration projects and design tool development from the fundamental NASA R&D level technology will then be transferred to the Applied Research components within NASA, DOD, and US Industry. Keywords: active flow control, separation control, MEMS, review

PM ACTIVITY PATTERN RESEARCH

EPA Science Inventory

Human activity/uptake rate data are necessary to estimate potential human exposure and intake dose to environmental pollutants and to refine human exposure models. Personal exposure monitoring studies have demonstrated the critical role that activities play in explaining and pre...

Pharmacogenetic research activity in Central America and the Caribbean: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Céspedes-Garro, Carolina; Naranjo, María-Eugenia G; Rodrigues-Soares, Fernanda; LLerena, Adrián; Duconge, Jorge; Montané-Jaime, Lazara K; Roblejo, Hilda; Fariñas, Humberto; Campos, María de los A; Ramírez, Ronald; Serrano, Víctor; Villagrán, Carmen I; Peñas-LLedó, Eva M

2016-01-01

Aim: The present review was aimed at analyzing the pharmacogenetic scientific activity in Central America and the Caribbean. Materials & methods: A literature search for pharmacogenetic studies in each country of the region was conducted on three databases using a list of the most relevant pharmacogenetic biomarkers including ‘phenotyping probe drugs’ for major drug metabolizing enzymes. The review included 132 papers involving 47 biomarkers and 35,079 subjects (11,129 healthy volunteers and 23,950 patients). Results: The country with the most intensive pharmacogenetic research was Costa Rica. The most studied medical therapeutic area was oncology, and the most investigated biomarkers were CYP2D6 and HLA-A/B. Conclusion: Research activity on pharmacogenetics in Central American and the Caribbean populations is limited or absent. Therefore, strategies to promote effective collaborations, and foster interregional initiatives and research efforts among countries from the region could help for the rational clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine. PMID:27633613

Recombinant activated factor VII: 30 years of research and innovation.

PubMed

Hedner, Ulla

2015-06-01

Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) was initially developed to treat bleeding episodes in patients with congenital haemophilia and inhibitors. The story of its development began in the 1970s, when FVIIa was identified as one of the activated coagulation factors that has minimal potential for inducing thromboembolic side-effects. Extensive research over the last 30 years has greatly increased our knowledge of the characteristics of FVII, its activation, and the mechanisms by which rFVIIa restores haemostasis. In haemophilia, the haemostatic effect of rFVIIa is mediated via binding to thrombin-activated platelets at the site of injury, thereby enhancing thrombin generation also in the absence of factor (F) VIII or FIX. The mechanism of action of rFVIIa has also allowed its successful use in other clinical scenarios characterised by impaired thrombin generation, and its licensed uses have now been extended to acquired haemophilia, congenital FVII deficiency and Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research regarding biodegradable properties of food polymeric products under microorganism activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opran, Constantin; Lazar, Veronica; Fierascu, Radu Claudiu; Ditu, Lia Mara

2018-02-01

Aim of this research is the structural analysis by comparison of the biodegradable properties of two polymeric products made by non-biodegradable polymeric material (polypropylene TIPPLEN H949 A) and biodegradable polymeric material (ECOVIO IS 1335), under microorganism activity in order to give the best solution for the manufacture of food packaging biodegradable products. It presents the results of experimental determinations on comparative analysis of tensile strength for the two types of polymers. The sample weight variations after fungal biodegradation activity revealed that, after 3 months, there are no significant changes in polymeric substratum for non-biodegradable polymeric. The microscopically analysis showed that the fungal filaments did not strongly adhered on the non-biodegradable polymeric material, instead, both filamentous fungi strains adhered and covered the surface of the biodegradable sample with germinated filamentous conidia. The spectral analysis of polymer composition revealed that non-biodegradable polymer polypropylene spectra are identical for control and for samples that were exposed to fungal activity, suggesting that this type of sample was not degraded by the fungi strains. Instead, for biodegradable polymer sample, it was observed significant structural changes across multiple absorption bands, suggesting enzyme activity manifested mainly by Aspergillus niger strain. Structural analysis of interdisciplinary research results, lead, to achieving optimal injection molded technology emphasizing technological parameters, in order to obtain food packaging biodegradable products.

Current and Future Research in Active Control of Lightweight, Flexible Structures Using the X-56 Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, John J.; Bosworth, John T.; Burken, John J.; Suh, Peter M.

2014-01-01

The X-56 Multi-Utility Technology Testbed aircraft system is a versatile experimental research flight platform. The system was primarily designed to investigate active control of lightweight flexible structures, but is reconfigurable and capable of hosting a wide breadth of research. Current research includes flight experimentation of a Lockheed Martin designed active control flutter suppression system. Future research plans continue experimentation with alternative control systems, explore the use of novel sensor systems, and experiments with the use of novel control effectors. This paper describes the aircraft system, current research efforts designed around the system, and future planned research efforts that will be hosted on the aircraft system.

Learning in Activity: Exploring the Methodological Potential of Action Research in Activity Theorising of Social Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darwin, Stephen

2011-01-01

Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), founded on the seminal work of Vygotsky and evolving in the subsequent work of Leont'ev and Engestrom, continues to emerge as a robust and increasingly widely used conceptual framework for the research and analysis of the complex social mediation of human learning and development. Yet there remains…

Annual Report for 2003 Wild Horse Research and Field Activities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ransom, Jason; Singer, Francis J.; Zeigenfuss, Linda C.

2004-01-01

This report is meant to highlight the activities of the 2003 field season, as well as to provide a general overview of the data collected. More in-depth data analysis will be conducted following the conclusion of each I phase of the research project, and in many cases will not be possible until several seasons of data are collected.

26 CFR 1.41-1 - Credit for increasing research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Section 1.41-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY INCOME TAX INCOME TAXES Credits Against Tax § 1.41-1 Credit for increasing research activities. (a) Amount of credit. The...) Section 1.41-3A also addresses the special rule in section 221(d)(2) of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of...

Barriers to Research Activities from the Perspective of the Students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Ashrafi-Rizi, Hasan; Fateme, Zarmehr; Khorasgani, Zahra Ghazavi; Kazempour, Zahra; Imani, Sona Taebi

2015-06-01

Necessity to establish a coherent and targeted research context in order to development of any country is increasingly important. But the basic step in creating an effective research context would be enrichment motivation of researchers especially students and resolve barriers of research. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine barriers of research activities from the perspective of students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. This is research. Data was collected with author made questionnaire. The study sample consisted of students from Isfahan medical university and sample size based on Krejcie and Morgan table was 357. Sampling was Stratified Random. The validity of questionnaire confirmed by Library and information professionals and reliability based on Cronbach's Alpha was 0.933, respectively. The type of descriptive statistics was (percentage, frequency and mean) and inferential statistics (T-test, ANOVA, one-Sample Statistics) and SPSS software was used. Results showed that the mean of barriers to research activities among students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences was 3.89 ± 0. 483. The highest mean was related to density of students' curriculum (4.22± 0.968) and lowest mean related to lack of access to appropriate library resources. Also, the mean of research activities 's barriers, according to aspects showed that the mean in individual barriers level (4.06±0.635) was more than other aspects: social and cultural aspects (4.01± 0.661), economical aspect (4.04± 0.787) and organizational barriers (3.78±0.503). The lowest mean was related to organizational barriers. Also there is no difference between mean of research activities' barriers of student of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences with regarded of gender, level of education and college. According to results of this research, although, the main barriers between students was individual barriers such as: lack of sufficient familiarity with research methods

(WISCONSIN) OVERVIEW OF US EPA RESEARCH ACTIVITIES AIMED AT CHARACTERIZING CHILDRENS EXPOSURES

EPA Science Inventory

Overview of significant research activities that have been initiated by the USEPA to increase understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and to better characterize children’s exposures to chemical stressors.

The activity of French research ethics committees and characteristics of biomedical research protocols involving humans: a retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Decullier, Evelyne; Lhéritier, Véronique; Chapuis, François

2005-10-17

Clinical trials throughout the world must be evaluated by research ethics committees. No one has yet attempted to clearly quantify at the national level the activity of ethics committees and describe the characteristics of the protocols submitted. The objectives of this study were to describe 1) the workload and the activity of Research Ethics Committees in France, and 2) the characteristics of protocols approved on a nation-wide basis. Retrospective cohort of 976 protocols approved by a representative sample of 25/48 of French Research Ethics Committees in 1994. Protocols characteristics (design, study size, investigator), number of revisions requested by the ethics committee before approval, time to approval and number of amendments after approval were collected for each protocol by trained research assistant using the committee's files and archives. Thirty-one percent of protocols were approved with no modifications requested in 16 days (95% CI: 14-17). The number of revisions requested by the committee, and amendments submitted by the investigator was on average respectively 39 (95% CI: 25-53) and 37 (95% CI: 27-46), per committee and per year. When revisions were requested, the main reasons were related to information to the patient (28%) and consent modalities (18%). Drugs were the object of research in 68% of the protocols examined. The majority of the research was national (80%) with a predominance of single-centre studies. Workload per protocol has been estimated at twelve and half hours on average for administrative support and at eleven and half hours for expertise. The estimated workload justifies specific and independent administrative and financial support for Research Ethics Committees.

Translating active living research into policy and practice: one important pathway to chronic disease prevention.

PubMed

Giles-Corti, Billie; Sallis, James F; Sugiyama, Takemi; Frank, Lawrence D; Lowe, Melanie; Owen, Neville

2015-05-01

Global concerns about rising levels of chronic disease make timely translation of research into policy and practice a priority. There is a need to tackle common risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use. Using evidence to inform policy and practice is challenging, often hampered by a poor fit between academic research and the needs of policymakers and practitioners--notably for active living researchers whose objective is to increase population physical activity by changing the ways cities are designed and built. We propose 10 strategies that may facilitate translation of research into health-enhancing urban planning policy. Strategies include interdisciplinary research teams of policymakers and practitioners; undertaking explicitly policy-relevant research; adopting appropriate study designs and methodologies (evaluation of policy initiatives as 'natural experiments'); and adopting dissemination strategies that include knowledge brokers, advocates, and lobbyists. Conducting more policy-relevant research will require training for researchers as well as different rewards in academia.

Structured Observation of School Administrator Work Activities: Methodological Limitations and Recommendations for Research, Part II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitner, Nancy J.; Russell, James S.

1986-01-01

This paper critically reviews administrator work activity studies which follow the research of Henry Mintzberg. It discusses directions for future research using qualitative and quantitative methods and discourages research that relies solely on Mintzberg's structure. (Author/JAZ)

Activity Theory in Information Systems Research and Practice: Theoretical Underpinnings for an Information Systems Development Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mursu, Anja; Luukkonen, Irmeli; Toivanen, Marika; Korpela, Mikko

2007-01-01

Introduction: The purpose of information systems is to facilitate work activities: here we consider how Activity Theory can be applied in information systems development. Method. The requirements for an analytical model for emancipatory, work-oriented information systems research and practice are specified. Previous research work in Activity…

Advancing Research on Productive Aging Activities in Greater Chinese Societies.

PubMed

Lum, Terry Yat-Sang

2013-06-01

The public discourse on productive aging as a research and policy initiative has just begun in greater China. Two conferences in Mainland China in 2009 and 2011 and subsequent conferences in Taiwan and Hong Kong in 2012 have set it in motion. Because applied social science research has just started in greater China, researchers in Chinese societies will benefit from the experience and rich literature accumulated over the last three decades in the West. In this paper, I review and reflect on the research methods used in productive aging research in both Chinese societies and in the West. I believe that to advance productive aging research in greater China, we need to (1) discuss and agree upon a definition of productive aging, (2) identify and differentiate outputs and outcomes of productive aging activities in greater China, (3) develop precise measures for productive aging involvement, (4) focus on institutional (program and public policy) factors that promote productive aging involvement, (5) use a strong research design (such as a quasi-experimental design) to establish the internal validity of productive aging programs, and (6) be theory-driven. Lastly, productive aging should be seen as a choice, not an obligation for older people; otherwise, the productive aging agenda will be seen as exploiting older people. It is important that Chinese researchers and policy-makers have this in mind when they are advocating productive engagement of older people in China.

Promoting Science Outdoor Activities for Elementary School Children: Contributions from a Research Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boaventura, Diana; Faria, Claudia; Chagas, Isabel; Galvao, Cecilia

2013-01-01

The purposes of the study were to analyse the promotion of scientific literacy through practical research activities and to identify children's conceptions about scientists and how they do science. Elementary school children were engaged in two scientific experiments in a marine biology research laboratory. A total of 136 students answered a…

Active Provenance in Data-intensive Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spinuso, Alessandro; Mihajlovski, Andrej; Filgueira, Rosa; Atkinson, Malcolm

2017-04-01

Scientific communities are building platforms where the usage of data-intensive workflows is crucial to conduct their research campaigns. However managing and effectively support the understanding of the 'live' processes, fostering computational steering, sharing and re-use of data and methods, present several bottlenecks. These are often caused by the poor level of documentation on the methods and the data and how users interact with it. This work wants to explore how in such systems, flexibility in the management of the provenance and its adaptation to the different users and application contexts can lead to new opportunities for its exploitation, improving productivity. In particular, this work illustrates a conceptual and technical framework enabling tunable and actionable provenance in data-intensive workflow systems in support of reproducible science. It introduces the concept of Agile data-intensive systems to define the characteristic of our target platform. It shows a novel approach to the integration of provenance mechanisms, offering flexibility in the scale and in the precision of the provenance data collected, ensuring its relevance to the domain of the data-intensive task, fostering its rapid exploitation. The contributions address aspects of the scale of the provenance records, their usability and active role in the research life-cycle. We will discuss the use of dynamically generated provenance types as the approach for the integration of provenance mechanisms into a data-intensive workflow system. Enabling provenance can be transparent to the workflow user and developer, as well as fully controllable and customisable, depending from their expertise and the application's reproducibility, monitoring and validation requirements. The API that allows the realisation and adoption of a provenance type is presented, especially for what concerns the support of provenance profiling, contextualisation and precision. An actionable approach to provenance

Research Strategies for Nutritional and Physical Activity Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

In response to a series of controversial articles about nutritional epidemiology and cancer published in 2014, staff from the Environmental Epidemiology Branch initiated a series of meetings to refine programmatic priorities for human nutrition/physical activity and cancer etiology research in the near term.

Bibliometric analysis of nutrition and dietetics research activity in Arab countries using ISI Web of Science database.

PubMed

Sweileh, Waleed M; Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sawalha, Ansam F; Zyoud, Sa'ed H

2014-01-01

Reducing nutrition-related health problems in Arab countries requires an understanding of the performance of Arab countries in the field of nutrition and dietetics research. Assessment of research activity from a particular country or region could be achieved through bibliometric analysis. This study was carried out to investigate research activity in "nutrition and dietetics" in Arab countries. Original and review articles published from Arab countries in "nutrition and dietetics" Web of Science category up until 2012 were retrieved and analyzed using the ISI Web of Science database. The total number of documents published in "nutrition and dietetics" category from Arab countries was 2062. This constitutes 1% of worldwide research activity in the field. Annual research productivity showed a significant increase after 2005. Approximately 60% of published documents originated from three Arab countries, particularly Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. However, Kuwait has the highest research productivity per million inhabitants. Main research areas of published documents were in "Food Science/Technology" and "Chemistry" which constituted 75% of published documents compared with 25% for worldwide documents in nutrition and dietetics. A total of 329 (15.96%) nutrition - related diabetes or obesity or cancer documents were published from Arab countries compared with 21% for worldwide published documents. Interest in nutrition and dietetics research is relatively recent in Arab countries. Focus of nutrition research is mainly toward food technology and chemistry with lesser activity toward nutrition-related health research. International cooperation in nutrition research will definitely help Arab researchers in implementing nutrition research that will lead to better national policies regarding nutrition.

Advanced ASON prototyping research activities in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, WeiSheng; Jin, Yaohui; Guo, Wei; Su, Yikai; He, Hao; Sun, Weiqiang

2005-02-01

This paper provides an overview of prototyping research activities of automatically switched optical networks and transport networks (ASONs/ASTNs) in China. In recent years, China has recognized the importance and benefits of the emerging ASON/ASTN techniques. During the period of 2001 and 2002, the national 863 Program of China started the preliminary ASON research projects with the main objectives to build preliminary ASON testbeds, develop control plane protocols and test their performance in the testbeds. During the period of 2003 and 2004, the 863 program started ASTN prototyping equipment projects for more practical applications. Totally 12 ASTN equipments are being developed by three groups led by Chinese venders: ZTE with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), Wuhan Research Institute of Posts and Telecommunication (WRI) with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), and Huawei Inc. Meanwhile, as the ASTN is maturing, some of the China"s carries are participating in the OIF"s World Interoperability Demonstration, carrying out ASTN test, or deploying ASTN backbone networks. Finally, several ASTN backbone networks being tested or deployed now will be operated by the carries in 2005. The 863 Program will carry out an ASTN field trail in Yangtse River Delta, and finally deploy the 3TNET. 3TNET stands for Tbps transmission, Tbps switching, and Tbps routing, as well as a network integrating the above techniques. A task force under the "863" program is responsible for ASTN equipment specifications and interoperation agreements, technical coordination among all the participants, schedule of the whole project during the project undergoing, and organization of internetworking of all the equipments in the laboratories and field trials.

Active parental consent in school-based research. An examination of ethical and methodological issues.

PubMed

Esbensen, F A; Deschenes, E P; Vogel, R E; West, J; Arboit, K; Harris, L

1996-12-01

To date, most school-based research has used passive parental consent. However, the Family Privacy Protection Act of 1995 aims to change these requirements. The proposed legislation requires written parental consent if minors are to be asked "sensitive" questions as part of any program or activity funded in whole or in part by the federal government. This act is representative of a growing trend toward restricting research involving minors. Whether or not this act is passed by Congress, two lines of concern are highlighted by this legislation. The first deals with ethical issues surrounding consent procedures. For instance, are parental rights compromised when active consent is not mandated? A second line of inquiry pertains to the effect of active consent procedures on response rates and sample bias. In this article, the authors discuss ethical issues surrounding passive and active consent procedures and then report response rates from two projects in which active consent procedures were implemented.

US EPA, NERL-LAS VEGAS ACTIVITIES AND RESEARCH ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

There is no abstract available for this product. If further information is requested, please refer to the bibliographic citation and contact the person listed under Contact field. The research focused on in the subtasks is the development and application of state-of the-art technologies to meet the needs of the public, Office of Water, and ORD in the area of Water Quality. Located In the subtasks are the various research projects being performed in support of this Task and more in-depth coverage of each project. Briefly, each project's objective is stated below.Subtask 1: To integrate state-of-the-art technologies (polar organic chemical integrative samplers, advanced solid-phase extraction methodologies with liquid chromatography/electrospray/mass spectrometry) and apply them to studying the sources and fate of a select list of PPCPs. Application and improvement of analytical methodologies that can detect non-volatile, polar, water-soluble pharmaceuticals in source waters at levels that could be environmentally significant (at concentrations less than parts per billion, ppb). IAG with USGS ends in FY05. APM 20 due in FY05.Subtask 2: Coordination of interagency research and public outreach activities for PPCPs. Participate on NSTC Health and Environment subcommittee working group on PPCPs. Web site maintenance and expansion, invited technical presentations, invited articles for peer-reviewed journals, interviews for media, responding to public inquiries. S

77 FR 60997 - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-05

... care, including activities with respect to the quality, effectiveness, efficiency, appropriateness and... Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice announces the intention of the Agency for...

OCLC Research: 2012 Activity Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., 2013

2013-01-01

The mission of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Research is to expand knowledge that advances OCLC's public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing library costs. OCLC Research is dedicated to three roles: (1)To act as a community resource for shared research and development (R&D); (2) To provide advanced…

Contributions to Active Buffeting Alleviation Programs by the NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moses, Robert W.

1999-01-01

Buffeting is an aeroelastic phenomenon which plagues high performance aircraft, especially those with twin vertical tails like the F/A-18, at high angles of attack. This buffeting is a concern from fatigue and inspection points of view. By means of wind-tunnel and flight tests, this phenomenon is well studied to the point that buffet loads can be estimated and fatigue life can be increased by structural enhancements to the airframe. In more recent years, buffeting alleviation through active control of smart materials has been highly researched in wind-tunnel proof-of-concept demonstrations and full-scale ground tests using the F/A-18 as a test bed. Because the F/A-18 resides in fleets outside as well as inside the United States, these tests have evolved into international collaborative research activities with Australia and Canada, coordinated by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and conducted under the auspices of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP). With the recent successes and advances in smart materials, the main focus of these buffeting alleviation tests has also evolved to a new level: utilize the F/A-18 as a prototype to mature smart materials for suppressing vibrations of aerospace structures. The role of the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) in these programs is presented.

A Survey of Marketing and Market Research Activities in Two and Four-Year Colleges and Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Janet D.; And Others

A survey of marketing and market research activities in large, urban, two- and four-year colleges was conducted to identify the nature of marketing problems faced by institutions; current and preferred emphasis placed on market research activities; modes of assessing the needs of target groups and developing appropriate programs; the location of…

In-situ resource utilization activities at the NASA Space Engineering Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramohalli, Kumar

1992-01-01

The paper describes theoretical and experimental research activities at the NASA Space Engineering Research Center aimed at realizing significant cost savings in space missions through the use of locally available resources. The fundamental strategy involves idea generation, scientific screening, feasibility demonstrations, small-scale process plant design, extensive testing, scale-up to realistic production rates, associated controls, and 'packaging', while maintaining sufficient flexibility to respond to national needs in terms of specific applications. Aside from training, the principal activities at the Center include development of a quantitative figure-of-merit to quickly assess the overall mission impact of individual components that constantly change with advancing technologies, extensive tests on a single-cell test bed to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide, and the use of this spent stream to produce methane.

The Role of Entrepreneurial Activities in Academic Pharmaceutical Science Research

PubMed Central

Stinchcomb, Audra L.

2010-01-01

Academic pharmaceutical science research is expanding further and further from the University setting to encompass the for-profit private company setting. This parallels the National Institutes of Health momentum to include multiple funding opportunities for University and private company collaboration. It has been recognized that the non-profit and for-profit combination research model can accelerate the commercialization of pharmaceutical products, and therefore more efficiently improve human health. Entrepreneurial activities require unique considerations in the University environment, but can be modeled after the commercialization expansion of the academic healthcare enterprise. Challenges and barriers exist to starting a company as an entrepreneurial faculty member, but the rewards to one's personal and professional lives are incomparable. PMID:20017206

A study for active control research and validation using the Total In-Flight Simulator (TIFS) aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, R. T. N.; Daughaday, H.; Andrisani, D., II; Till, R. D.; Weingarten, N. C.

1975-01-01

The results of a feasibility study and preliminary design for active control research and validation using the Total In-Flight Simulator (TIFS) aircraft are documented. Active control functions which can be demonstrated on the TIFS aircraft and the cost of preparing, equipping, and operating the TIFS aircraft for active control technology development are determined. It is shown that the TIFS aircraft is as a suitable test bed for inflight research and validation of many ACT concepts.

Description of a research-based health activism curriculum for medical students.

PubMed

Cha, Stephen S; Ross, Joseph S; Lurie, Peter; Sacajiu, Galit

2006-12-01

Few curricula train medical students to engage in health system reform. To develop physician activists by teaching medical students the skills necessary to advocate for socially equitable health policies in the U.S. health system. Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. We designed a 1-month curriculum in research-based health activism to develop physician activists. The annual curriculum includes a student project and 4 course sections;health policy, research methods, advocacy, and physician activists as role models; taught by core faculty and volunteers from academic institutions, government, and nongovernmental organizations. From 2002 to 2005, 47 students from across the country have participated. Students reported improved capabilities to generate a research question, design a research proposal,and create an advocacy plan. Our curriculum demonstrates a model for training physician activists to engage in health systems reform.

Tales from the Dark Side: Teacher Professional Development , Support , Activities, Student Research & Presentations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, C. E.; Pompea, S. M.

2013-12-01

In a partnership last Spring with Arizona Public Service, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) created the 'Dark-Skies Energy Education Program: Energy Awareness for a Sustainable Future'. In this program, experienced science and technology education specialists from NOAO led 2 one-day professional development workshops for thirteen 6th grade teachers on dark skies and energy education. The workshops focused on three foundational, scaffolding activities and a final student research project. This in turn culminated in a Family Science Night where students presented their projects. In between these events, our NOAO team provided support for teachers through real-time video conferencing using FaceTime. In addition to the professional development, each teacher received a kit full of resource materials to perform the activities and research project. The kit was at no cost to the teacher, school, or district. Each kit contained the latest version of a tablet, which was used to facilitate communication and support for the teachers, as well as provide all the program's written teaching materials. The activities are in accordance with state, Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. Our NOAO instructors gave firsthand experiences on how best to use these materials in a classroom or public setting. They also discussed opportunities on how they can incorporate, adapt and expand upon the activities and research projects in the classroom. Evaluation reports from the program's independent evaluator showed that the students enjoyed learning from the three foundational activities and research projects. The project presentations by the Yuma students were outstanding in their creativity, level of effort, and scientific accuracy. To summarize the evaluations, significant changes in knowledge and attitude were made with the teachers and students (from one-on-one interviews and surveys), but behavioral changes (albeit only over a semester) seemed minimal. The AGU

Compositional data analysis for physical activity, sedentary time and sleep research.

PubMed

Dumuid, Dorothea; Stanford, Tyman E; Martin-Fernández, Josep-Antoni; Pedišić, Željko; Maher, Carol A; Lewis, Lucy K; Hron, Karel; Katzmarzyk, Peter T; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Fogelholm, Mikael; Hu, Gang; Lambert, Estelle V; Maia, José; Sarmiento, Olga L; Standage, Martyn; Barreira, Tiago V; Broyles, Stephanie T; Tudor-Locke, Catrine; Tremblay, Mark S; Olds, Timothy

2017-01-01

The health effects of daily activity behaviours (physical activity, sedentary time and sleep) are widely studied. While previous research has largely examined activity behaviours in isolation, recent studies have adjusted for multiple behaviours. However, the inclusion of all activity behaviours in traditional multivariate analyses has not been possible due to the perfect multicollinearity of 24-h time budget data. The ensuing lack of adjustment for known effects on the outcome undermines the validity of study findings. We describe a statistical approach that enables the inclusion of all daily activity behaviours, based on the principles of compositional data analysis. Using data from the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment, we demonstrate the application of compositional multiple linear regression to estimate adiposity from children's daily activity behaviours expressed as isometric log-ratio coordinates. We present a novel method for predicting change in a continuous outcome based on relative changes within a composition, and for calculating associated confidence intervals to allow for statistical inference. The compositional data analysis presented overcomes the lack of adjustment that has plagued traditional statistical methods in the field, and provides robust and reliable insights into the health effects of daily activity behaviours.

The Need to Objectively Measure Physical Activity During Pregnancy: Considerations for Clinical Research and Public Health Impact.

PubMed

Guérin, Eva; Ferraro, Zachary M; Adamo, Kristi B; Prud'homme, Denis

2018-05-01

Engaging in recommended levels of physical activity during pregnancy can provide a host of physical and mental health benefits for the expecting mother and her child. However, methodological issues related to physical activity measurement have plagued many studies examining the effects of physical activity during this important life stage. Burgeoning support exists for the more widespread use of objective methods, and accelerometers specifically, for an accurate appraisal of maternal physical activity. In this commentary, we highlight discrepancies between activity estimates obtained via self-report and objective measures and describe the implications of erroneous measurement when making clinical recommendations and in conducting future physical activity and pregnancy research. Most importantly, we aim to foster academic discussion and propose a call to action requiring a paradigm shift where we acknowledge the shortcomings of self-report and move toward an empirically driven approach for physical activity measurement. Results from more high-quality research studies will help support public health messaging and facilitate trust among health care providers, clinical researchers, and expecting mothers regarding the health benefits of physical activity recommendations.

Top 10 Research Questions Related to Preventing Sudden Death in Sport and Physical Activity.

PubMed

Katch, Rachel K; Scarneo, Samantha E; Adams, William M; Armstrong, Lawrence E; Belval, Luke N; Stamm, Julie M; Casa, Douglas J

2017-09-01

Participation in organized sport and recreational activities presents an innate risk for serious morbidity and mortality. Although death during sport or physical activity has many causes, advancements in sports medicine and evidence-based standards of care have allowed clinicians to prevent, recognize, and treat potentially fatal injuries more effectively. With the continual progress of research and technology, current standards of care are evolving to enhance patient outcomes. In this article, we provided 10 key questions related to the leading causes and treatment of sudden death in sport and physical activity, where future research will support safer participation for athletes and recreational enthusiasts. The current evidence indicates that most deaths can be avoided when proper strategies are in place to prevent occurrence or provide optimal care.

TU-AB-204-03: Research Activities in Medical Physics

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

Badano, A.

The responsibilities of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have increased since the inception of the Food and Drugs Act in 1906. Medical devices first came under comprehensive regulation with the passage of the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In 1971 FDA also took on the responsibility for consumer protection against unnecessary exposure to radiation-emitting devices for home and occupational use. However it was not until 1976, under the Medical Device Regulation Act, that the FDA was responsible for the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. This session will be presented by the Division of Radiological Health (DRH) andmore » the Division of Imaging, Diagnostics, and Software Reliability (DIDSR) from the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) at the FDA. The symposium will discuss on how we protect and promote public health with a focus on medical physics applications organized into four areas: pre-market device review, post-market surveillance, device compliance, current regulatory research efforts and partnerships with other organizations. The pre-market session will summarize the pathways FDA uses to regulate the investigational use and commercialization of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy medical devices in the US, highlighting resources available to assist investigators and manufacturers. The post-market session will explain the post-market surveillance and compliance activities FDA performs to monitor the safety and effectiveness of devices on the market. The third session will describe research efforts that support the regulatory mission of the Agency. An overview of our regulatory research portfolio to advance our understanding of medical physics and imaging technologies and approaches to their evaluation will be discussed. Lastly, mechanisms that FDA uses to seek public input and promote collaborations with professional, government, and international organizations, such as AAPM, International Electrotechnical Commission

Organic Research Activities of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Organic research is a vital and ongoing part of the overall ARS research portfolio and occurs at approximately 20 % of ARS research locations across the United States. The vision for ARS organic agriculture research is to help the organic industry overcome the challenges it faces related to producti...

Neighborhoods on the move: a community-based participatory research approach to promoting physical activity.

PubMed

Suminski, Richard R; Petosa, Rick L; Jones, Larry; Hall, Lisa; Poston, Carlos W

2009-01-01

There is a scientific and practical need for high-quality effectiveness studies of physical activity interventions in "real-world" settings. To use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop, implement, operate, and evaluate an intervention for promoting physical activity called Neighborhoods on the Move. Two communities with similar physical and social characteristics participated in this study. One community was involved in Neighborhoods on the Move; the other (comparison community) participated only in the assessments. Academic personnel and residents/organizations in the Neighborhoods on the Move community worked together to create a community environment that was more conducive for physical activity. Pre- and posttest data on new initiatives promoting physical activity, existing physical activity initiatives, and business policies supporting physical activity were collected simultaneously in both communities. The success of the CBPR approach was evidenced by several developments, including substantial resident involvement and the formation of a leadership committee, marketing campaign, and numerous community partnerships. The number of businesses with policies promoting physical activity and breadth of existing physical activity initiatives (participants, activities, hours) increased substantially more in the Neighborhoods on the Move community than in the comparison community. A total of sixty new initiatives promoting physical activity were implemented in the Neighborhoods on the Move community during the intervention. The CBPR approach is an effective strategy for inducing environmental changes that promote physical activity. Additional research is needed to assess the portability and sustainability of Neighborhoods on the Move.

Carbon Beam Radio-Therapy and Research Activities at HIMAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanazawa, Mitsutaka

2007-05-01

Radio-therapy with carbon ion beam has been carried out since 1994 at HIMAC (Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba) in NIRS (National Institute of Radiological Sciences). Now, many types of tumors can be treated with carbon beam with excellent local controls of the tumors. Stimulated with good clinical results, requirement of the dedicated compact facility for carbon beam radio-therapy is increased. To realize this requirement, design study of the facility and the R&D's of the key components in this design are promoted by NIRS. According successful results of these activities, the dedicated compact facility will be realized in Gunma University. In this facility, the established irradiation method is expected to use, which is passive irradiation method with wobbler magnets and ridge filter. In this presentation, above R&D's will be presented together with clinical results and basic research activities at HIMAC.

Magnet Coil Test Facility for Researching Magnetic Activity of Pico/Nano/Micro Satellites (PNMSats)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-16

research involving the College of Agriculture was initiated as a major activity of this research. Specific Objectives: The specific objectives...from the College of Agriculture and another form College of Arts and Science - may be benefitted by it. It is an asset to showcase to visitors and

Recent CESAR (Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research) research activities in sensor based reasoning for autonomous machines

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

Pin, F.G.; de Saussure, G.; Spelt, P.F.

1988-01-01

This paper describes recent research activities at the Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) in the area of sensor based reasoning, with emphasis being given to their application and implementation on our HERMIES-IIB autonomous mobile vehicle. These activities, including navigation and exploration in a-priori unknown and dynamic environments, goal recognition, vision-guided manipulation and sensor-driven machine learning, are discussed within the framework of a scenario in which an autonomous robot is asked to navigate through an unknown dynamic environment, explore, find and dock at the panel, read and understand the status of the panel's meters and dials, learn the functioningmore » of a process control panel, and successfully manipulate the control devices of the panel to solve a maintenance emergency problems. A demonstration of the successful implementation of the algorithms on our HERMIES-IIB autonomous robot for resolution of this scenario is presented. Conclusions are drawn concerning the applicability of the methodologies to more general classes of problems and implications for future work on sensor-driven reasoning for autonomous robots are discussed. 8 refs., 3 figs.« less

Distinguishing between gaming and gambling activities in addiction research.

PubMed

King, Daniel L; Gainsbury, Sally M; Delfabbro, Paul H; Hing, Nerilee; Abarbanel, Brett

2015-12-01

Gambling and gaming activities have become increasingly recognised as sharing many common features at a structural and aesthetic level. Both have also been implicated as contributing to harm through excessive involvement. Despite this, relatively little attention has been given to the fundamental characteristics that differentiate these two classes of activity, especially in situations where the boundaries between them may be particularly hard to distinguish. This is evident, for example, in digital games that incorporate free and paid virtual currencies or items, as well as the capacity for wagering. Such overlaps create problems for regulatory classifications, screening, diagnosis and treatment. Is the problem related to the gambling or gaming content? In this paper, we review the principal sources of overlap between the activity classes in terms of several dimensions: interactivity, monetisation, betting and wagering, types of outcomes, structural fidelity, context and centrality of content, and advertising. We argue that gaming is principally defined by its interactivity, skill-based play, and contextual indicators of progression and success. In contrast, gambling is defined by betting and wagering mechanics, predominantly chance-determined outcomes, and monetisation features that involve risk and payout to the player. A checklist measure is provided, with practical examples, to examine activities according to features of design and function, which may inform guidelines for policy makers, researchers and treatment providers. We suggest that, in some instances, using category-based nomenclature (e.g., "gambling-like game") may be too vague or cumbersome to adequately organise our understanding of new gaming/gambling hybrid activities.

Distinguishing between gaming and gambling activities in addiction research

PubMed Central

King, Daniel L.; Gainsbury, Sally M.; Delfabbro, Paul H.; Hing, Nerilee; Abarbanel, Brett

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Gambling and gaming activities have become increasingly recognised as sharing many common features at a structural and aesthetic level. Both have also been implicated as contributing to harm through excessive involvement. Despite this, relatively little attention has been given to the fundamental characteristics that differentiate these two classes of activity, especially in situations where the boundaries between them may be particularly hard to distinguish. This is evident, for example, in digital games that incorporate free and paid virtual currencies or items, as well as the capacity for wagering. Such overlaps create problems for regulatory classifications, screening, diagnosis and treatment. Is the problem related to the gambling or gaming content? Methods In this paper, we review the principal sources of overlap between the activity classes in terms of several dimensions: interactivity, monetisation, betting and wagering, types of outcomes, structural fidelity, context and centrality of content, and advertising. Results We argue that gaming is principally defined by its interactivity, skill-based play, and contextual indicators of progression and success. In contrast, gambling is defined by betting and wagering mechanics, predominantly chance-determined outcomes, and monetisation features that involve risk and payout to the player. A checklist measure is provided, with practical examples, to examine activities according to features of design and function, which may inform guidelines for policy makers, researchers and treatment providers. Discussion and conclusions We suggest that, in some instances, using category-based nomenclature (e.g., “gambling-like game”) may be too vague or cumbersome to adequately organise our understanding of new gaming/gambling hybrid activities. PMID:26690615

Research on active imaging information transmission technology of satellite borne quantum remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bi, Siwen; Zhen, Ming; Yang, Song; Lin, Xuling; Wu, Zhiqiang

2017-08-01

According to the development and application needs of Remote Sensing Science and technology, Prof. Siwen Bi proposed quantum remote sensing. Firstly, the paper gives a brief introduction of the background of quantum remote sensing, the research status and related researches at home and abroad on the theory, information mechanism and imaging experiments of quantum remote sensing and the production of principle prototype.Then, the quantization of pure remote sensing radiation field, the state function and squeezing effect of quantum remote sensing radiation field are emphasized. It also describes the squeezing optical operator of quantum light field in active imaging information transmission experiment and imaging experiments, achieving 2-3 times higher resolution than that of coherent light detection imaging and completing the production of quantum remote sensing imaging prototype. The application of quantum remote sensing technology can significantly improve both the signal-to-noise ratio of information transmission imaging and the spatial resolution of quantum remote sensing .On the above basis, Prof.Bi proposed the technical solution of active imaging information transmission technology of satellite borne quantum remote sensing, launched researches on its system composition and operation principle and on quantum noiseless amplifying devices, providing solutions and technical basis for implementing active imaging information technology of satellite borne Quantum Remote Sensing.

The role of entrepreneurial activities in academic pharmaceutical science research.

PubMed

Stinchcomb, Audra L

2010-06-01

Academic pharmaceutical science research is expanding further and further from the University setting to encompass the for-profit private company setting. This parallels the National Institutes of Health momentum to include multiple funding opportunities for University and private company collaboration. It has been recognized that the nonprofit and for-profit combination research model can accelerate the commercialization of pharmaceutical products, and therefore more efficiently improve human health. Entrepreneurial activities require unique considerations in the University environment, but can be modeled after the commercialization expansion of the academic healthcare enterprise. Challenges and barriers exist to starting a company as an entrepreneurial faculty member, but the rewards to one's personal and professional lives are incomparable. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

The future of physical activity research: funding, opportunities and challenges.

PubMed

Fernhall, Bo; Borghi-Silva, Audrey; Babu, Abraham S

2015-01-01

The worldwide impact of physical activity (PA) on health consequences has received increasing attention. At this point in time, there is little disagreement that increasing levels of PA is an important aspect of public health worldwide. The world literature on PA, exercise and fitness has also grown exponentially since the early 1990's. It is clear that there is a voluminous literature in this area of research and the exponential increase in the number of manuscripts has gained substantial momentum since the year 2000. Given the importance of PA research in regards to health outcomes, and apparent popularity of such research (based on the number of manuscripts published), one could argue that the viability and future of PA are indeed bright. However, one could also assume a different view, that although the field is popular, it is saturated and we already know what we need to know regarding the impact of PA on public health. Much of the future viability of PA research will also be dependent on funding sources available. It is also possible that the impact of PA may vary around the world, thus the "global" impact of PA research may be dependent on location. This review will discuss what we perceive as the current landscape and the future of PA research in three select areas of the world, the United States, South America and Asia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A meta-study of qualitative research examining determinants of children's independent active free play.

PubMed

Lee, Homan; Tamminen, Katherine A; Clark, Alexander M; Slater, Linda; Spence, John C; Holt, Nicholas L

2015-01-24

To produce a meta-study by completing a systematic review of qualitative research examining determinants of independent active free play in children. Following systematic electronic and manual searches and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 46 studies were retained and subjected to meta-method, meta-theory, and meta-data analyses, followed by a final meta-synthesis. Identified determinants of independent active free play were child characteristics (age, competence, and gender), parental restrictions (safety concerns and surveillance), neighborhood and physical environment (fewer children to play with, differences in preferences for play spaces between parents and children, accessibility and proximity, and maintenance), societal changes (reduced sense of community, good parenting ideal, changing roles of parents, privatization of playtime and play spaces), and policy issues (need to give children voice). An ecological model depicting these factors, and the relationships therein, was created. This comprehensive meta-study helps establish a knowledge base for children's independent active free play research by synthesizing a previously fragmented set of studies. Parents' perceived safety concerns are the primary barrier to children's active free play. These safety concerns are moderated by child-level factors (age, competence, gender) and broader social issues. Interventions should focus on community-level solutions that include children's perspectives. From a methods perspective, the reviewed studies used a range of data collection techniques, but methodological details were often inadequately reported. The theoretical sophistication of research in this area could be improved. To this end, the synthesis reported in this study provides a framework for guiding future research.

Coherent Lidar Activities at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kavaya, Michael J.; Amzajerdian, Farzin; Koch, Grady J.; Singh, Upendra N.; Yu, Jirong

2007-01-01

NASA Langley Research Center has been developing and using coherent lidar systems for many years. The current projects at LaRC are the Global Wind Observing Sounder (GWOS) mission preparation, the Laser Risk Reduction Program (LRRP), the Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) compact, rugged Doppler wind lidar project, the Autonomous precision Landing and Hazard detection and Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) project for lunar landing, and the Skywalker project to find and use thermals to extend UAV flight time. These five projects encompass coherent lidar technology development; characterization, validation, and calibration facilities; compact, rugged packaging; computer simulation; trade studies; data acquisition, processing, and display development; system demonstration; and space mission design. This paper will further discuss these activities at LaRC.

Global variations in the level of cancer-related research activity and correlation to cancer-specific mortality: Proposal for a global curriculum.

PubMed

Are, C; Caniglia, A; Malik, Mohammed; Smith, L; Cummings, Charmaine; Lecoq, Carine; Berman, R; Audisio, R; Wyld, L

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze global variations in the level of cancer-related research activity and correlate this with cancer-specific mortality. The SCOPUS database was explored to obtain data relating to the number of cancer-related publications per country. Cancer-specific mortality rates were obtained from the World Health Organization. Global variations in the level of scholarly activity were analyzed and correlated with variations in cancer-specific mortality. Data for 142 countries were obtained and significant variations in the level of research activity was noted. The level of research activity increased with rising socio-economic status. The United States was the most prolific country with 222,300 publications followed by Japan and Germany. Several countries in different regions of the world had a low level of research activity. An inverse relationship between the level of research activity and cancer-specific mortality was noted. This relationship persisted even in countries with a low level of research activity. The socioeconomic status of a nation and geographic location (continent) had a mixed influence with an overall apparent correlation with cancer-related research activity. This study demonstrates significant global variation in the level of cancer-related research activity and a correlation with cancer-specific mortality. The presence of a minimum set of standards for research literacy, as proposed by the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the Society of Surgical Oncology may contribute to enhanced research activity and improve outcomes for cancer patients worldwide. Copyright © 2017 Society of Surgical Oncology, European Society of Surgical Oncology. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

75 FR 48921 - Administrative Guidance for Multistate Extension Activities and Integrated Research and Extension...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-12

.... Section 105 of AREERA amended the Smith-Lever Act to require that a specified amount of agricultural... Hatch Act and Smith-Lever Act to require that a specified amount of agricultural research and extension... Smith- Lever Act funds on multistate extension activities and 25 percent on integrated research and...

Students' Research-Informed Socio-scientific Activism: Re/Visions for a Sustainable Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bencze, Larry; Sperling, Erin; Carter, Lyn

2012-01-01

In many educational contexts throughout the world, increasing focus has been placed on socio-scientific issues; that is, disagreements about potential personal, social and/or environmental problems associated with fields of science and technology. Some suggest (as do we) that many of these potential problems, such as those associated with climate change, are so serious that education needs to be oriented towards encouraging and enabling students to become citizen activists, ready and willing to take personal and social actions to reduce risks associated with the issues. Towards this outcome, teachers we studied encouraged and enabled students to direct open-ended primary (e.g., correlational studies), as well as secondary (e.g., internet searches), research as sources of motivation and direction for their activist projects. In this paper, we concluded, based on constant comparative analyses of qualitative data, that school students' tendencies towards socio-political activism appeared to depend on myriad, possibly interacting, factors. We focused, though, on curriculum policy statements, school culture, teacher characteristics and student-generated research findings. Our conclusions may be useful to those promoting education for sustainability, generally, and, more specifically, to those encouraging activism on such issues informed by student-led research.

Do researchers have an obligation to actively look for genetic incidental findings?

PubMed

Gliwa, Catherine; Berkman, Benjamin E

2013-01-01

The rapid growth of next-generation genetic sequencing has prompted debate about the responsibilities of researchers toward genetic incidental findings. Assuming there is a duty to disclose significant incidental findings, might there be an obligation for researchers to actively look for these findings? We present an ethical framework for analyzing whether there is a positive duty to look for genetic incidental findings. Using the ancillary care framework as a guide, we identify three main criteria that must be present to give rise to an obligation to look: high benefit to participants, lack of alternative access for participants, and reasonable burden on researchers. Our analysis indicates that there is no obligation to look for incidental findings today, but during the ongoing translation of genomic analysis from research to clinical care, this obligation may arise.

Do Researchers Have an Obligation to Actively Look for Genetic Incidental Findings?

PubMed Central

Gliwa, Catherine; Berkman, Benjamin E.

2014-01-01

The rapid growth of next-generation genetic sequencing has prompted debate about the responsibilities of researchers toward genetic incidental findings. Assuming there is a duty to disclose significant incidental findings, might there be an obligation for researchers to actively look for these findings? We present an ethical framework for analyzing whether there is a positive duty to look for genetic incidental findings. Using the ancillary care framework as a guide, we identify three main criteria that must be present to give rise to an obligation to look: high benefit to participants, lack of alternative access for participants, and reasonable burden on researchers. Our analysis indicates that there is no obligation to look for incidental findings today, but during the ongoing translation of genomic analysis from research to clinical care, this obligation may arise. PMID:23391059

Combustion research activities at the Gas Turbine Research Institute

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shao, Zhongpu

1986-01-01

The Gas Turbine Research Institute (GTRI) is responsible mainly for basic research in aeronautical propulsion. An annular diffuser for the turbofan augmentor, combustor ignition performance, combustor airflow distribution, fuel injectors, a vaporizer fuel injector, and an airblast atomizer are discussed.

Characteristics of urban parks associated with park use and physical activity: a review of qualitative research.

PubMed

McCormack, Gavin R; Rock, Melanie; Toohey, Ann M; Hignell, Danica

2010-07-01

Given that recent literature reviews on physical activity in urban parks deliberately excluded qualitative findings, we reviewed qualitative research on this topic informed by a published classification scheme based on quantitative research. Twenty-one studies met our inclusion criteria. These studies relied mainly on semi-structured interviews with individuals or in focus groups; only five studies involved in situ observation. Our synthesis aligns with previous quantitative research showing that attributes including safety, aesthetics, amenities, maintenance, and proximity are important for encouraging park use. Furthermore, our synthesis of qualitative research suggests that perceptions of the social environment entwine inextricably with perceptions of the physical environment. If so, physical attributes of parks as well as perceptions of these attributes (formed in relation to broader social contexts) may influence physical activity patterns. Both qualitative and quantitative methods provide useful information for interpreting such patterns, and in particular, when designing and assessing interventions intended to improve the amount and intensity of physical activity. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

IAU Project and Research Activity in Nepal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautam, Suman

2015-08-01

The second half of the twentieth century has witnessed a tremendous development in the field of astronomy and space exploration. The large telescope both on the land and in the orbit, using the whole range of the electromagnetic spectra from radio waves to gamma rays are extending their range of exploration, right to the edge of the observable universe, and making astounding discoveries in the process. Many large international telescope facilities and global plans are accessible to all astronomers throughout the world, providing an inexpensive entry to cutting- edge international research for developing countries.Nepal is a mountainous country it has a wide range of climatic and altitude variations which varies from an elevation of 200 meter to ≥ 4000 meter. The average temperature varies from ≥ 25 o C to ≤ 0 to 5oC. Because of these diverse weather and climatic variation there is the potential for the establishment of sophisticated observatory/ data centre and link with each other. So, the future possible opportunity of astronomy in Nepal will be discussed. Besides Education and Research activities conducted in Tribhuvan University, Nepal under the support of International Astronomical Union (IAU) will also be highlighted. The importance brought by those two workshops conducted on data simulation supported by IAU under TF1 will also be discussed which is believed to play a vital role for the promotion and development of astronomy and astrophysics in developing countries.

Survey on astrobiology research and teaching activities within the United kingdom.

PubMed

Dartnell, Lewis R; Burchell, Mark J

2009-10-01

While astrobiology is apparently growing steadily around the world, in terms of the number of researchers drawn into this interdisciplinary area and teaching courses provided for new students, there have been very few studies conducted to chart this expansion quantitatively. To address this deficiency, the Astrobiology Society of Britain (ASB) conducted a questionnaire survey of universities and research institutions nationwide to ascertain the current extent of astrobiology research and teaching in the UK. The aim was to provide compiled statistics and an information resource for those who seek research groups or courses of study, and to facilitate new interdisciplinary collaborations. The report here summarizes details gathered on 33 UK research groups, which involved 286 researchers (from undergraduate project students to faculty members). The survey indicates that around 880 students are taking university-level courses, with significant elements of astrobiology included, every year in the UK. Data are also presented on the composition of astrobiology students by their original academic field, which show a significant dominance of physics and astronomy students. This survey represents the first published systematic national assessment of astrobiological academic activity and indicates that this emerging field has already achieved a strong degree of penetration into the UK academic community.

The Research and Training Activities for the Joint Institute for Aeronautics and Acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cantwell, Brian

1995-01-01

This proposal requests continued support for the program of activities to be undertaken by the Ames-Stanford Joint Institute for Aeronautics and Acoustics during the period 1 Oct. 1995 - 30 Sept. 1996. The emphasis in this program is on training and research in experimental and computational methods with application to aerodynamics, acoustics and the important interactions between them. The program comprises activities in active flow control, Large Eddy Simulation of jet noise, flap aerodynamics and acoustics and high lift modeling studies. During the proposed period there will be a continued emphasis on the interaction between NASA Ames, Stanford University and Industry, particularly in connection with the high lift activities.

An approach to developing an integrated pyroprocessing simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hyo Jik; Ko, Won Il; Choi, Sung Yeol; Kim, Sung Ki; Kim, In Tae; Lee, Han Soo

2014-02-01

Pyroprocessing has been studied for a decade as one of the promising fuel recycling options in Korea. We have built a pyroprocessing integrated inactive demonstration facility (PRIDE) to assess the feasibility of integrated pyroprocessing technology and scale-up issues of the processing equipment. Even though such facility cannot be replaced with a real integrated facility using spent nuclear fuel (SF), many insights can be obtained in terms of the world's largest integrated pyroprocessing operation. In order to complement or overcome such limited test-based research, a pyroprocessing Modelling and simulation study began in 2011. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) suggested a Modelling architecture for the development of a multi-purpose pyroprocessing simulator consisting of three-tiered models: unit process, operation, and plant-level-model. The unit process model can be addressed using governing equations or empirical equations as a continuous system (CS). In contrast, the operation model describes the operational behaviors as a discrete event system (DES). The plant-level model is an integrated model of the unit process and an operation model with various analysis modules. An interface with different systems, the incorporation of different codes, a process-centered database design, and a dynamic material flow are discussed as necessary components for building a framework of the plant-level model. As a sample model that contains methods decoding the above engineering issues was thoroughly reviewed, the architecture for building the plant-level-model was verified. By analyzing a process and operation-combined model, we showed that the suggested approach is effective for comprehensively understanding an integrated dynamic material flow. This paper addressed the current status of the pyroprocessing Modelling and simulation activity at KAERI, and also predicted its path forward.

An approach to developing an integrated pyroprocessing simulator

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

Lee, Hyo Jik; Ko, Won Il; Choi, Sung Yeol

Pyroprocessing has been studied for a decade as one of the promising fuel recycling options in Korea. We have built a pyroprocessing integrated inactive demonstration facility (PRIDE) to assess the feasibility of integrated pyroprocessing technology and scale-up issues of the processing equipment. Even though such facility cannot be replaced with a real integrated facility using spent nuclear fuel (SF), many insights can be obtained in terms of the world's largest integrated pyroprocessing operation. In order to complement or overcome such limited test-based research, a pyroprocessing Modelling and simulation study began in 2011. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) suggestedmore » a Modelling architecture for the development of a multi-purpose pyroprocessing simulator consisting of three-tiered models: unit process, operation, and plant-level-model. The unit process model can be addressed using governing equations or empirical equations as a continuous system (CS). In contrast, the operation model describes the operational behaviors as a discrete event system (DES). The plant-level model is an integrated model of the unit process and an operation model with various analysis modules. An interface with different systems, the incorporation of different codes, a process-centered database design, and a dynamic material flow are discussed as necessary components for building a framework of the plant-level model. As a sample model that contains methods decoding the above engineering issues was thoroughly reviewed, the architecture for building the plant-level-model was verified. By analyzing a process and operation-combined model, we showed that the suggested approach is effective for comprehensively understanding an integrated dynamic material flow. This paper addressed the current status of the pyroprocessing Modelling and simulation activity at KAERI, and also predicted its path forward.« less

ASPIRE: Active Societal Participation in Research and Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garza, C.; Parrish, J.; Harris, L.; Posselt, J.; Hatch, M.

2017-12-01

Active Societal Participation In Research and Education (ASPIRE) aims to cultivate a generation of geoscientists with the leadership knowledge and skills, scholarship, and material support to reframe and rebrand the geosciences as socially relevant and, thereby, to broaden participation in these fields. This generation of geoscientists will do so by bridging longstanding divides that impede access to and inclusion in the geosciences: between basic and applied science, between scholars in the academy and members of historically marginalized communities, and between the places where science is needed and the places where it is typically conducted. To bring about these types of change, we draw upon, refine, and institutionalize the working group model as the Mobile Working Group (MWG), directly referencing the need to move outside of the "ivory tower" and into the community. Led by a geoscientist with one foot in the academy and the other in the community - the Boundary Spanner - each MWG will focus on a single issue linked to a single community. ASPIRE supports multiple MWGs working across the geographic, ethnographic and "in practice" community space, as well as across the body of geoscience research and application. We hypothesize that in institutionalizing a new mode of geoscience research (MWG), learning from Boundary Spanners experiences with MWG, and refining a leadership development program from our findings, that we will have a scalable leadership tool and organizational structure that will rebrand the geosciences as socially relevant and inclusive of geoscientists from diverse backgrounds even as the "science space" of geoscience expands to incorporate in-community work.

Constructive alignment of a research-informed teaching activity within an undergraduate diagnostic radiography curriculum: A reflection.

PubMed

Higgins, R; Hogg, P; Robinson, L

2017-09-01

To evaluate the learning experience of a level 5 (year 2) student cohort within a research-informed teaching (RiT) activity and to map findings against learning outcomes and level descriptors using constructive alignment. An online questionnaire was used to explore the level 5 student experience of a Research-informed Teaching (RiT) activity. Responses were retrospectively mapped against Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) level descriptors for level 5 using constructive alignment. Thirty one out of 46 level 5 students completed the questionnaire (67% response rate). Analysis of the questionnaire supported the integration of this RiT activity within the curriculum in terms of learning and research skill development by students. However, it was identified that this activity could be revised further to better align with level 5 descriptors and incorporate additional higher level cognitive processes. Learning outcomes for this RiT activity were constructively aligned with FHEQ level 5 descriptors. Recommendations are provided on how these could be further refined to ensure students undertake a more critical approach to the application of theory into practice. Discussion also considers how this process could be used to develop a similar RiT activity at level 6 (year 3). Copyright © 2016 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Student Activism as a Vehicle for Change on College Campuses: Emerging Research and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Michael T.; Tolliver, David V., III

2017-01-01

Civic engagement initiatives and activities are crucial to the progression of modern society. By raising awareness of social issues and problems, citizens can make a greater impact and have their voices be heard. "Student Activism as a Vehicle for Change on College Campuses: Emerging Research and Opportunities" is a critical source of…

Active Learning in Aging Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singelis, Theodore M.

2006-01-01

This article describes the involvement of undergraduate students in research at the California State University (CSU), Chico funded through an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). CSU, Chico is a "teaching" university and has students with a variety of motivations and abilities. The…

Research activities at the Center for Modeling of Turbulence and Transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Tsan-Hsing

1993-01-01

The main research activities at the Center for Modeling of Turbulence and Transition (CMOTT) are described. The research objective of CMOTT is to improve and/or develop turbulence and transition models for propulsion systems. The flows of interest in propulsion systems can be both compressible and incompressible, three dimensional, bounded by complex wall geometries, chemically reacting, and involve 'bypass' transition. The most relevant turbulence and transition models for the above flows are one- and two-equation eddy viscosity models, Reynolds stress algebraic- and transport-equation models, pdf models, and multiple-scale models. All these models are classified as one-point closure schemes since only one-point (in time and space) turbulent correlations, such as second moments (Reynolds stresses and turbulent heat fluxes) and third moments, are involved. In computational fluid dynamics, all turbulent quantities are one-point correlations. Therefore, the study of one-point turbulent closure schemes is the focus of our turbulence research. However, other research, such as the renormalization group theory, the direct interaction approximation method, and numerical simulations are also pursued to support the development of turbulence modeling.

Impacts and societal benefits of research activities at Summit Station, Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawley, R. L.; Burkhart, J. F.; Courville, Z.; Dibb, J. E.; Koenig, L.; Vaughn, B. H.

2017-12-01

Summit Station began as the site for the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 ice core in 1989. Since then, it has hosted both summer campaign science, and since 1997, year-round observations of atmospheric and cryospheric processes. The station has been continuously occupied since 2003. While most of the science activities at the station are supported by the US NSF Office of Polar Programs, the station also hosts many interagency and international investigations in physical glaciology, atmospheric chemistry, satellite validation, astrophysics and other disciplines. Summit is the only high elevation observatory north of the Arctic circle that can provide clean air or snow sites. The station is part of the INTER-ACT consortium of Arctic research stations with the main objective to identify, understand, predict and respond to diverse environmental changes, and part of the International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA) that coordinates Arctic research activities and provides a networked, observations-based view of the Arctic. The Summit Station Science Summit, sponsored by NSF, assembled a multidisciplinary group of scientists to review Summit Station science, define the leading research questions for Summit, and make community-based recommendations for future science goals and governance for Summit. The impact of several on-going observation records was summarized in the report "Sustaining the Science Impact of Summit Station, Greenland," including the use of station data in weather forecasts and climate models. Observations made at the station as part of long-term, year-round research or during shorter summer-only campaign seasons contribute to several of the identified Social Benefit Areas (SBAs) outlined in the International Arctic Observations Assessment Framework published by the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute and Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks as an outcome of the 2016 Arctic Science Ministerial. The SBAs supported by research

Methodological considerations for researchers and practitioners using pedometers to measure physical (ambulatory) activity.

PubMed

Tudor-Locke, C E; Myers, A M

2001-03-01

Researchers and practitioners require guidelines for using electronic pedometers to objectively quantify physical activity (specifically ambulatory activity) for research and surveillance as well as clinical and program applications. Methodological considerations include choice of metric and length of monitoring frame as well as different data recording and collection procedures. A systematic review of 32 empirical studies suggests we can expect 12,000-16,000 steps/day for 8-10-year-old children (lower for girls than boys); 7,000-13,000 steps/day for relatively healthy, younger adults (lower for women than men); 6,000-8,500 steps/day for healthy older adults; and 3,500-5,500 steps/day for individuals living with disabilities and chronic illnesses. These preliminary recommendations should be modified and refined, as evidence and experience using pedometers accumulates.

Active Learning in PhysicsTechnology and Research-based Techniques Emphasizing Interactive Lecture Demonstrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thornton, Ronald

2010-10-01

Physics education research has shown that learning environments that engage students and allow them to take an active part in their learning can lead to large conceptual gains compared to traditional instruction. Examples of successful curricula and methods include Peer Instruction, Just in Time Teaching, RealTime Physics, Workshop Physics, Scale-Up, and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs). An active learning environment is often difficult to achieve in lecture sessions. This presentation will demonstrate the use of sequences of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) that use real experiments often involving real-time data collection and display combined with student interaction to create an active learning environment in large or small lecture classes. Interactive lecture demonstrations will be done in the area of mechanics using real-time motion probes and the Visualizer. A video tape of students involved in interactive lecture demonstrations will be shown. The results of a number of research studies at various institutions (including international) to measure the effectiveness of ILDs and guided inquiry conceptual laboratories will be presented.

Construction of a century solar chromosphere data set for solar activity related research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Ganghua; Wang, Xiao Fan; Yang, Xiao; Liu, Suo; Zhang, Mei; Wang, Haimin; Liu, Chang; Xu, Yan; Tlatov, Andrey; Demidov, Mihail; Borovik, Aleksandr; Golovko, Aleksey

2017-06-01

This article introduces our ongoing project "Construction of a Century Solar Chromosphere Data Set for Solar Activity Related Research". Solar activities are the major sources of space weather that affects human lives. Some of the serious space weather consequences, for instance, include interruption of space communication and navigation, compromising the safety of astronauts and satellites, and damaging power grids. Therefore, the solar activity research has both scientific and social impacts. The major database is built up from digitized and standardized film data obtained by several observatories around the world and covers a time span of more than 100 years. After careful calibration, we will develop feature extraction and data mining tools and provide them together with the comprehensive database for the astronomical community. Our final goal is to address several physical issues: filament behavior in solar cycles, abnormal behavior of solar cycle 24, large-scale solar eruptions, and sympathetic remote brightenings. Significant signs of progress are expected in data mining algorithms and software development, which will benefit the scientific analysis and eventually advance our understanding of solar cycles.

Stand up, sit down, keep moving: turning circles in physical activity research?

PubMed

Brown, W J; Bauman, A E; Owen, N

2009-02-01

This review tracks the evidence and associated recommendations and guidelines for optimal levels of physical activity for health benefit. In the 1950s, early epidemiological studies focused on the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality associated with sitting at work. The period from the mid-seventies to the turn of the century saw an initial focus on the health benefits of vigorous exercise give way to mounting evidence for the benefits of moderate-intensity physical activity. As daily energy expenditure in most domains of human activity (travel, domestic and occupational work, and leisure) continues to decline, early 21st century researchers are starting to turn full circle, with a rekindling of interest in the health effects of sedentary behaviour at work, and indeed in the balance between activity and sedentariness in all aspects of daily life.

An Activity Theory Approach to Research of ICT Integration in Singapore Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Cher Ping; Hang, David

2003-01-01

This paper explains how activity theory is used as a framework to study the information and communication technologies (ICT) integration processes in Singapore schools, both from the sociocultural and pedagogical perspectives. The research study addresses the pertinent question of "How has ICT been integrated in Singapore schools such that…

Boost-phase discrimination research activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, David M.; Deiwert, George S.

1989-01-01

Theoretical research in two areas was performed. The aerothermodynamics research focused on the hard-body and rocket plume flows. Analytical real gas models to describe finite rate chemistry were developed and incorporated into the three-dimensional flow codes. New numerical algorithms capable of treating multi-species reacting gas equations and treating flows with large gradients were also developed. The computational chemistry research focused on the determination of spectral radiative intensity factors, transport properties and reaction rates. Ab initio solutions to the Schrodinger equation provided potential energy curves transition moments (radiative probabilities and strengths) and potential energy surfaces. These surfaces were then coupled with classical particle reactive trajectories to compute reaction cross-sections and rates.

Imbalance in Individual Researcher's Peer Review Activities Quantified for Four British Ecological Society Journals, 2003-2010

PubMed Central

Petchey, Owen L.; Fox, Jeremy W.; Haddon, Lindsay

2014-01-01

Researchers contribute to the scientific peer review system by providing reviews, and “withdraw” from it by submitting manuscripts that are subsequently reviewed. So far as we are aware, there has been no quantification of the balance of individual's contributions and withdrawals. We compared the number of reviews provided by individual researchers (i.e., their contribution) to the number required by their submissions (i.e. their withdrawals) in a large and anonymised database provided by the British Ecological Society. The database covered the Journal of Ecology, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology, and Functional Ecology from 2003–2010. The majority of researchers (64%) did not have balanced contributions and withdrawals. Depending on assumptions, 12% to 44% contributed more than twice as much as required; 20% to 52% contributed less than half as much as required. Balance, or lack thereof, varied little in relation to the number of years a researcher had been active (reviewing or submitting). Researchers who contributed less than required did not lack the opportunity to review. Researchers who submitted more were more likely to accept invitations to review. These finding suggest overall that peer review of the four analysed journals is not in crisis, but only due to the favourable balance of over- and under-contributing researchers. These findings are limited to the four journals analysed, and therefore cannot include researcher's other peer review activities, which if included might change the proportions reported. Relatively low effort was required to assemble, check, and analyse the data. Broader analyses of individual researcher's peer review activities would contribute to greater quality, efficiency, and fairness in the peer review system. PMID:24658631

Imbalance in individual researcher's peer review activities quantified for four British Ecological Society journals, 2003-2010.

PubMed

Petchey, Owen L; Fox, Jeremy W; Haddon, Lindsay

2014-01-01

Researchers contribute to the scientific peer review system by providing reviews, and "withdraw" from it by submitting manuscripts that are subsequently reviewed. So far as we are aware, there has been no quantification of the balance of individual's contributions and withdrawals. We compared the number of reviews provided by individual researchers (i.e., their contribution) to the number required by their submissions (i.e. their withdrawals) in a large and anonymised database provided by the British Ecological Society. The database covered the Journal of Ecology, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology, and Functional Ecology from 2003-2010. The majority of researchers (64%) did not have balanced contributions and withdrawals. Depending on assumptions, 12% to 44% contributed more than twice as much as required; 20% to 52% contributed less than half as much as required. Balance, or lack thereof, varied little in relation to the number of years a researcher had been active (reviewing or submitting). Researchers who contributed less than required did not lack the opportunity to review. Researchers who submitted more were more likely to accept invitations to review. These finding suggest overall that peer review of the four analysed journals is not in crisis, but only due to the favourable balance of over- and under-contributing researchers. These findings are limited to the four journals analysed, and therefore cannot include researcher's other peer review activities, which if included might change the proportions reported. Relatively low effort was required to assemble, check, and analyse the data. Broader analyses of individual researcher's peer review activities would contribute to greater quality, efficiency, and fairness in the peer review system.

Quantifying the Modern City: Emerging Technologies and Big Data for Active Living Research.

PubMed

Adlakha, Deepti

2017-01-01

Opportunities and infrastructure for active living are an important aspect of a community's design, livability, and health. Features of the built environment influence active living and population levels of physical activity, but objective study of the built environment influence on active living behaviors is challenging. The use of emerging technologies for active living research affords new and promising means to obtain objective data on physical activity behaviors and improve the precision and accuracy of measurements. This is significant for physical activity promotion because precise measurements can enable detailed examinations of where, when, and how physical activity behaviors actually occur, thus enabling more effective targeting of particular behavior settings and environments. The aim of this focused review is to provide an overview of trends in emerging technologies that can profoundly change our ability to understand environmental determinants of active living. It discusses novel technological approaches and big data applications to measure and track human behaviors that may have broad applications across the fields of urban planning, public health, and spatial epidemiology.

Quantifying the Modern City: Emerging Technologies and Big Data for Active Living Research

PubMed Central

Adlakha, Deepti

2017-01-01

Opportunities and infrastructure for active living are an important aspect of a community’s design, livability, and health. Features of the built environment influence active living and population levels of physical activity, but objective study of the built environment influence on active living behaviors is challenging. The use of emerging technologies for active living research affords new and promising means to obtain objective data on physical activity behaviors and improve the precision and accuracy of measurements. This is significant for physical activity promotion because precise measurements can enable detailed examinations of where, when, and how physical activity behaviors actually occur, thus enabling more effective targeting of particular behavior settings and environments. The aim of this focused review is to provide an overview of trends in emerging technologies that can profoundly change our ability to understand environmental determinants of active living. It discusses novel technological approaches and big data applications to measure and track human behaviors that may have broad applications across the fields of urban planning, public health, and spatial epidemiology. PMID:28611973

Developing a research agenda for promoting physical activity in Brazil through environmental and policy change.

PubMed

Reis, Rodrigo S; Kelly, Cheryl M; Parra, Diana C; Barros, Mauro; Gomes, Grace; Malta, Deborah; Schmid, Thomas; Brownson, Ross C

2012-08-01

To identify the highest priorities for research on environmental and policy changes for promoting physical activity (PA) in Brazil; to uncover any gaps between researchers' and practitioners' priorities; and to consider which tools, methods, collaborative strategies, and actions could be useful to moving a research agenda forward. This was a mixed-methods study (qualitative and quantitative) conducted by Project GUIA (Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Brazil and Latin America) in February 2010-January 2011. A total of 240 individuals in the PA field (186 practitioners and 54 researchers) were asked to generate research ideas; 82 participants provided 266 original statements from which 52 topics emerged. Participants rated topics by "importance" and "feasibility;" a separate convenience sample of 21 individuals categorized them. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling were used to create concept maps and pattern matches. Five distinct clusters emerged from the concept mapping, of which "effectiveness and innovation in PA interventions" was rated most important by both practitioners and researchers. Pattern matching showed a divergence between the groups, especially regarding feasibility, where there was no consensus. The study results provided the basis for a research agenda to advance the understanding of environmental and policy influences on PA promotion in Brazil and Latin America. These results should stimulate future research and, ultimately, contribute to the evidence-base of successful PA strategies in Latin America.

Research on Physical Activity in the Elderly: Practical Implications for Program Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Anita M.; Gonda, Gail

1986-01-01

The authors critically examine the research on physical activity in the elderly to assess the elderly's capacity for exercise and the benefits accruing from exercise. Lower-intensity exercise programs attract a more representative group of senior participants and overcome many barriers. Implications for program planning and efforts are discussed.…

Actively Teaching Research Methods with a Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullins, Mary H.

2017-01-01

Active learning approaches have shown to improve student learning outcomes and improve the experience of students in the classroom. This article compares a Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning style approach to a more traditional teaching method in an undergraduate research methods course. Moving from a more traditional learning environment to…

Research priorities for child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviours: an international perspective using a twin-panel Delphi procedure

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The quantity and quality of studies in child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour have rapidly increased, but research directions are often pursued in a reactive and uncoordinated manner. Aim To arrive at an international consensus on research priorities in the area of child and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Methods Two independent panels, each consisting of 12 experts, undertook three rounds of a Delphi methodology. The Delphi methodology required experts to anonymously answer questions put forward by the researchers with feedback provided between each round. Results The primary outcome of the study was a ranked set of 29 research priorities that aimed to be applicable for the next 10 years. The top three ranked priorities were: developing effective and sustainable interventions to increase children’s physical activity long-term; policy and/or environmental change and their influence on children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour; and prospective, longitudinal studies of the independent effects of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on health. Conclusions These research priorities can help to guide decisions on future research directions. PMID:24228891

Conceptualizing and Comparing Neighborhood and Activity Space Measures for Food Environment Research

PubMed Central

Crawford, Thomas W.; Pitts, Stephanie B. Jilcott; McGuirt, Jared T.; Keyserling, Thomas C.; Ammerman, Alice S.

2014-01-01

Greater accessibility to geospatial technologies has led to a surge of spatialized public health research, much of which has focused on food environments. The purpose of this study was to analyze differing spatial measures of exposure to supermarkets and farmers’ markets among women of reproductive age in eastern North Carolina. Exposure measures were derived using participant-defined neighborhoods, investigator-defined road network neighborhoods, and activity spaces incorporating participants’ time space behaviors. Results showed that mean area for participant-defined neighborhoods (0.04 sq. miles) was much smaller than 2.0 mile road network neighborhoods (3.11 sq. miles) and activity spaces (26.36 sq. miles), and that activity spaces provided the greatest market exposure. The traditional residential neighborhood concept may not be particularly relevant for all places. Time-space approaches capturing activity space may be more relevant, particularly if integrated with mixed methods strategies. PMID:25306420

Applied PhD Research in a Work-Based Environment: An Activity Theory-Based Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granata, S. N.; Dochy, F.

2016-01-01

Activity theory is used to compare PhD undertaken at university, that is, academic PhD, with PhD performed in collaboration with industry, that is, semi-industrial PhD. The research is divided into a literature review and a case study. Semi-industrial and academic PhD are modelled as activity systems, and differences are highlighted in terms of…

Gender, aging, and the economics of "active aging": Setting a new research agenda.

PubMed

Paz, Amira; Doron, Israel; Tur-Sinai, Aviad

2018-01-01

The world is aging, and the percentages of older people are on a dramatic ascent. This dramatic demographic aging of human society is not gender neutral; it is mostly about older women. One of the key policy approaches to address the aging revolution is known as "active aging," crystalized by the WHO in 2002 by three pillars: participation, health, and security. The active aging policy has financial and economic aspects and affects both men and women. However, as argued in this article, a gender-based approach has not been adopted within the existing active aging framework. Therefore, a new gender-specific research agenda is needed, one that focuses on an interrelation between gender and different economic aspects of "active aging" from international, comparative, cultural, and longitudinal perspectives.

VII. The history of physical activity and academic performance research: informing the future.

PubMed

Castelli, Darla M; Centeio, Erin E; Hwang, Jungyun; Barcelona, Jeanne M; Glowacki, Elizabeth M; Calvert, Hannah G; Nicksic, Hildi M

2014-12-01

The study of physical activity, physical fitness, and academic performance research are reviewed from a historical perspective, by providing an overview of existing publications focused on children and adolescents. Using rigorous inclusion criteria, the studies were quantified and qualified using both meta-analytic and descriptive evaluations analyses, first by time-period and then as an overall summary, particularly focusing on secular trends and future directions. This review is timely because the body of literature is growing exponentially, resulting in the emergence of new terminology, methodologies, and identification of mediating and moderating factors. Implications and recommendations for future research are summarized. © 2014 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Faculty Identity through Spheres of Teaching and Research Activity and Associated Genres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallego, Liliana; Castelló, Montserrat; Badia, Antoni

2017-01-01

This study aims to understand how faculty identity development is related to a differential use of writing genres in the teaching and research spheres of activity and whether this development follows different paths, on the bases of faculty perceptions regarding what they consider their main goal at university and their preferred sphere of…

Usability of Mobile Phones in Physical Activity-Rrelated Research: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monroe, Courtney M.; Thompson, Dixie L.; Bassett, David R., Jr.; Fitzhugh, Eugene C.; Raynor, Hollie A.

2015-01-01

Background: The use of mobile phones for physical activity (PA) promotion and assessment represents an attractive research area because this technology is characterized by a widespread reach and dynamic features. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of mobile phone-based approaches for encouraging and assessing PA.…

Substance use disorders in Arab countries: research activity and bibliometric analysis

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Substance use disorders, which include substance abuse and substance dependence, are present in all regions of the world including Middle Eastern Arab countries. Bibliometric analysis is an increasingly used tool for research assessment. The main objective of this study was to assess research productivity in the field of substance use disorders in Arab countries using bibliometric indicators. Methodology Original or review research articles authored or co-authored by investigators from Arab countries about substance use disorders during the period 1900 – 2013 were retrieved using the ISI Web of Science database. Research activity was assessed by analyzing the annual research productivity, contribution of each Arab country, names of journals, citations, and types of abused substances. Results Four hundred and thirteen documents in substance use disorders were retrieved. Annual research productivity was low but showed a significant increase in the last few years. In terms of quantity, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (83 documents) ranked first in research about substance use disorders while Lebanon (17.4 documents per million) ranked first in terms of number of documents published per million inhabitants. Retrieved documents were found in different journal titles and categories, mostly in Drug and Alcohol Dependence Journal. Authors from USA appeared in 117 documents published by investigators from Arab countries. Citation analysis of retrieved documents showed that the average citation per document was 10.76 and the h - index was 35. The majority of retrieved documents were about tobacco and smoking (175 documents) field while alcohol consumption and abuse research was the least with 69 documents. Conclusion The results obtained suggest that research in this field was largely neglected in the past. However, recent research interest was observed. Research output on tobacco and smoking was relatively high compared to other substances of abuse like illicit drugs

The examination of headache activity using time-series research designs.

PubMed

Houle, Timothy T; Remble, Thomas A; Houle, Thomas A

2005-05-01

The majority of research conducted on headache has utilized cross-sectional designs which preclude the examination of dynamic factors and principally rely on group-level effects. The present article describes the application of an individual-oriented process model using time-series analytical techniques. The blending of a time-series approach with an interactive process model allows consideration of the relationships of intra-individual dynamic processes, while not precluding the researcher to examine inter-individual differences. The authors explore the nature of time-series data and present two necessary assumptions underlying the time-series approach. The concept of shock and its contribution to headache activity is also presented. The time-series approach is not without its problems and two such problems are specifically reported: autocorrelation and the distribution of daily observations. The article concludes with the presentation of several analytical techniques suited to examine the time-series interactive process model.

Eurocan plus report: feasibility study for coordination of national cancer research activities.

PubMed

2008-01-01

The EUROCAN+PLUS Project, called for by the European Parliament, was launched in October 2005 as a feasibility study for coordination of national cancer research activities in Europe. Over the course of the next two years, the Project process organized over 60 large meetings and countless smaller meetings that gathered in total over a thousand people, the largest Europe-wide consultation ever conducted in the field of cancer research.Despite a strong tradition in biomedical science in Europe, fragmentation and lack of sustainability remain formidable challenges for implementing innovative cancer research and cancer care improvement. There is an enormous duplication of research effort in the Member States, which wastes time, wastes money and severely limits the total intellectual concentration on the wide cancer problem. There is a striking lack of communication between some of the biggest actors on the European scene, and there are palpable tensions between funders and those researchers seeking funds.It is essential to include the patients' voice in the establishment of priority areas in cancer research at the present time. The necessity to have dialogue between funders and scientists to establish the best mechanisms to meet the needs of the entire community is evident. A top priority should be the development of translational research (in its widest form), leading to the development of effective and innovative cancer treatments and preventive strategies. Translational research ranges from bench-to-bedside innovative cancer therapies and extends to include bringing about changes in population behaviours when a risk factor is established.The EUROCAN+PLUS Project recommends the creation of a small, permanent and independent European Cancer Initiative (ECI). This should be a model structure and was widely supported at both General Assemblies of the project. The ECI should assume responsibility for stimulating innovative cancer research and facilitating processes

NASDA activities in space solar power system research, development and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsuda, Sumio; Yamamoto, Yasunari; Uesugi, Masato

1993-01-01

NASDA activities in solar cell research, development, and applications are described. First, current technologies for space solar cells such as Si, GaAs, and InP are reviewed. Second, future space solar cell technologies intended to be used on satellites of 21st century are discussed. Next, the flight data of solar cell monitor on ETS-V is shown. Finally, establishing the universal space solar cell calibration system is proposed.

Physical Activity and Older Adults: Expert Consensus for a New Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Susan L.; Leith, Katherine H.; Marquez, David X.; Moni, Gwen; Nguyen, Huong Q.; Desai, Pankaja; Jones, Dina L.

2011-01-01

Purpose: This study sought to advance the state of knowledge regarding physical activity and aging by identifying areas of agreement among experts regarding topics that are well understood versus those that are in urgent need of continued research efforts. Design and methods: We used a web-based survey with snowball sampling to identify 348…

[Evaluation of interest in research among surgically active medical officers in the German Armed Forces].

PubMed

Back, D A; Palm, H G; Willms, A; Westerfeld, A; Hinck, D; Schulze, C; Brodauf, L; Bieler, D; Küper, M A

2015-10-01

Research in military medicine and in particular combat surgery is a broad field that has gained international importance during the last decade. In the context of increased NATO missions, this also holds true for the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces); however, medical officers in surgery must balance research between their clinical work load, missions, civilian and family obligation. To evaluate engagement with and interest in research, a questionnaire was distributed among the doctors of the surgical departments of the Bundeswehr hospitals by the newly founded working group Chirurgische Forschung der Bundeswehr (surgical research of the Bundeswehr). Returned data were recorded from October 2013 to January 2014 and descriptive statistics were performed. Answers were received from 87 out of 193 military surgeons (45 %). Of these 81 % announced a general interest in research with a predominance on clinical research in preference to experimental settings. At the time of the evaluation 32 % of the participants were actively involved in research and 53 % regarded it as difficult to invest time in research activities parallel to clinical work. Potential keys to increase the interest and engagement in research were seen in the implementation of research coordinators and also in a higher amount of free time, for example by research rotation. Research can be regarded as having a firm place in the daily work of medical officers in the surgical departments of the Bundeswehr; however, the engagement is limited by time and structural factors. At the departmental level and in the command structures of the military medical service, more efforts are recommended in the future in order to enhance the engagement with surgical research. This evaluation should be repeated in the coming years as a measuring instrument and data should be compared in an international context.

Community development corporations could potentially improve research on causal associations between environmental features and physical activity.

PubMed

Suminski, Richard; Wasserman, Jason A; Mayfield, Carlene A; Kubic, Micah; Porter, Julie

2014-09-01

Community development corporations (CDC) are worldwide entities that create environments facilitating physical activity. At the same time, researchers face challenges conducting cost-effective, longitudinal studies on how environmental changes affect physical activity. To provide evidence suggesting that CDC initiatives could potentially be integrated into a research framework for examining the influence of environmental improvements on physical activity. Quality of Life Plans (QLP) developed by a CDC and stakeholders from 6 lower-income neighborhoods were systematically reviewed to obtain data about environmental features targeted for change and the strategies used to bring about those changes. Strategies were deemed pro-physical activity if previous studies suggested they have the potential to affect physical activity. A total of 348 strategies were proposed of which 164 were pro-physical activity. Six environmental features were targeted including crime (57 strategies), aesthetics (39), facilities (30), walkability (17), destinations (14), and programs (5). Strategies involved implementing (90 strategies), planning (33), assessing (26), and securing funding (13). Progress reports indicated that 37.4% of the pro-physical activity strategies were implemented 1 year following the development of the QLPs. These results suggest that activities of CDCs could potentially be systematically integrated into the scientific study of environmental influences on physical activity.

An Overview of Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) Use in Classroom Research 2000 to 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nussbaumer, Doris

2012-01-01

Western educational researchers have eagerly accepted activity theory (AT) also known as cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) to collect and analyze data in rich description of complex situations. As this theory is applicable to a wide variety of disciplines, this review is limited to education and specifically to qualitative studies of…

Developing a research agenda for promoting physical activity in Brazil through environmental and policy change

PubMed Central

Reis, Rodrigo S.; Kelly, Cheryl M.; Parra, Diana C.; Barros, Mauro; Gomes, Grace; Malta, Deborah; Schmid, Thomas; Brownson, Ross C.

2016-01-01

Objective To identify the highest priorities for research on environmental and policy changes for promoting physical activity (PA) in Brazil; to uncover any gaps between researchers' and practitioners' priorities; and to consider which tools, methods, collaborative strategies, and actions could be useful to moving a research agenda forward. Methods This was a mixed-methods study (qualitative and quantitative) conducted by Project GUIA (Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Brazil and Latin America) in February 2010–January 2011. A total of 240 individuals in the PA field (186 practitioners and 54 researchers) were asked to generate research ideas; 82 participants provided 266 original statements from which 52 topics emerged. Participants rated topics by “importance” and “feasibility;” a separate convenience sample of 21 individuals categorized them. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling were used to create concept maps and pattern matches. Results Five distinct clusters emerged from the concept mapping, of which “effectiveness and innovation in PA interventions” was rated most important by both practitioners and researchers. Pattern matching showed a divergence between the groups, especially regarding feasibility, where there was no consensus. Conclusions The study results provided the basis for a research agenda to advance the understanding of environmental and policy influences on PA promotion in Brazil and Latin America. These results should stimulate future research and, ultimately, contribute to the evidence-base of successful PA strategies in Latin America. PMID:23099869

Effects of Active Sting Damping on Common Research Model Data Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acheson, Michael J.; Balakrishna, S.

2011-01-01

Recent tests using the Common Research Model (CRM) at the Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF) and the Ames 11-foot Transonic Wind Tunnel (11' TWT) produced large sets of data that have been used to examine the effects of active damping on transonic tunnel aerodynamic data quality. In particular, large statistically significant sets of repeat data demonstrate that the active damping system had no apparent effect on drag, lift and pitching moment repeatability during warm testing conditions, while simultaneously enabling aerodynamic data to be obtained post stall. A small set of cryogenic (high Reynolds number) repeat data was obtained at the NTF and again showed a negligible effect on data repeatability. However, due to a degradation of control power in the active damping system cryogenically, the ability to obtain test data post-stall was not achieved during cryogenic testing. Additionally, comparisons of data repeatability between NTF and 11-ft TWT CRM data led to further (warm) testing at the NTF which demonstrated that for a modest increase in data sampling time, a 2-3 factor improvement in drag, and pitching moment repeatability was readily achieved not related with the active damping system.

Research in the Work of New Zealand Teacher Educators: A Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berg, David A. G.; Gunn, Alexandra C.; Hill, Mary F.; Haigh, Mavis

2016-01-01

In this article we use cultural-historical activity theory to explore the place of research in the work of New Zealand university-based teacher educators (TEs). We consider how aspirations for a research-informed initial teacher education are served by New Zealand universities' recruitment practices and TEs' actual work. We suggest that TEs value…

[Factors influencing research activity of Andalusian nurses and improvement strategies].

PubMed

López Alonso, Sergio R; Gálvez González, María; Amezcua, Manuel

2013-04-01

To identify factors influencing research activity of Andalusian nurses and to find improvement strategies. Qualitative research using SWOT analysis (weaknesses, threats, strengths, opportunities). Nurses were selected deliberately in eight groups according to predetermined criteria. Analysis included categorization and relationship of factors and strategies. 81 participants were included in groups of 7-12 range. 45 categories were identified with 212 factors: 12 weaknesses (50 factors), 10 strengths (44 factors), 12 threats (68 factors) and 11 opportunities (50 factors). In addition, 32 categories were identified with 53 strategies: 14 categories of W-T strategies (42 strategies), 3 categories of S-T strategies (11 strategies), 5 categories of W-O strategies (13 strategies) and 10 categories of S-O strategies (41 strategies). Nurses identified numerous factors, mainly threats. The strategies are focused on W-T but they also suggest many but weak 5-0 strategies due to the low potential of the opportunities and strengths perceived.

Local technicians in long-term research projects: evaluation of 25 years experience in an active tropical research station.

PubMed

Hurtado, Johanna; Clark, David B

2011-12-01

Most field ecology is conceived and financed by scientists from urban areas but is actually carried out in rural areas. Field staff can either be imported from urban areas or recruited from local residents. We evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of involving rural residents as local technicians over a 25- year period at active field research site in Costa Rica. We defined "local technicians" as local residents with no university education who acquired significant experience in field data collection, data management and/or laboratory work. We analyzed the experiences of incorporating these technicians into field research in developing countries from the points of view of scientist and of the local technicians themselves. Primary data were written responses from to a standardized survey of 19 senior scientists and Ph.D. students,and results from standardized personal interviews with 22 local technicians. Researchers highlighted the advantages of highly-skilled technicians with minimal staff turnover, as well as the technicians' knowledge of local ecological conditions. Local technicians considered the primary advantages of their jobs to be opportunities for continuing education training in science as well as cultural enrichment through interactions with people of different cultures. The main challenges identified by researchers were the lack of long-term funding for projects and extended training required for local technicians. Local technicians can be of great benefit to research projects by providing high-quality data collection at reasonable costs with low staff turnover. Over the last 25 years the research model at the field station we studied has evolved to the point that most long-term projects now depend heavily on local technicians. This model of involving local technicians in long-term research has multiple benefits for the researchers, the technicians and the local community, and could be adapted to a variety of settings in rural areas of developing

An assessment of long term ecosystem research activities across European socio-ecological gradients.

PubMed

Metzger, M J; Bunce, R G H; van Eupen, M; Mirtl, M

2010-06-01

Integration of European long term ecosystem research (LTER) would provide important support for the management of the pan-European environment and ecosystems, as well as international policy commitments. This does require appropriate coverage of Europe and standardised frameworks and research methods between countries. Emerging interest in socio-ecological systems prompted the present assessment of the distribution of LTER activities across European socio-ecological gradients. This paper presents a European stratification with a 1 km(2) resolution, delineating 48 broad socio-ecological regions. The dataset is based on an existing biogeophysical stratification constructed using multivariate clustering of mainly climatic variables and a newly developed socio-economic stratification based on an economic density indicator. The coverage of European LTER facilities across the socio-ecological gradients is tested using this dataset. The analysis shows two strong biases in the present LTER effort. Firstly, urban and disturbed regions are consistently under-represented, illustrating a bias for traditional ecological research away from human activity. Secondly, the Mediterranean, for which some of the most extreme global change impacts are projected, is receiving comparatively little attention. Both findings can help guide future investment in the European LTER network - and especially in a Long Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) component- to provide a more balanced coverage. This will provide better scientific understanding of pan-European environmental concerns and support the management of natural resources and international policy commitments in the European Union. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research activities on Antarctic middle atmosphere by JARE 25th team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirasawa, T.; Eiwasaka, Y. AFTANAKA, M. agfujii, r.0 typ; Eiwasaka, Y. AFTANAKA, M. agfujii, r.0 typ

1985-01-01

The Antarctic Middle Atmosphere (AMA)-Japan research project was set about by the JARE (Japan Antarctic Research Expedition) 23rd team in 1982, and since then the JARE-24th and JARE-25th teams have been continuing reseach on the Antarctic Middle Atmosphere. Results gained by JARE-25th team members who are now working at Syowa Station (69.99 deg S, 39.35 deg E), Antarctica are presented. In their activities satellite measurements (Exos-C) and rocket soundings are used. Three rockets of the S310 type were launched at Syowa Station (Geomagnetic Latitude = 69.9 deg S) for the purpose of directly observing the electron density, ionospheric temperature, auroral patterns and luminosity in situ. Vertical profiles of electron density and auroral emission 4278A measured by three rockets are compared.

Activities of the Japanese space weather forecast center at Communications Research Laboratory.

PubMed

Watari, Shinichi; Tomita, Fumihiko

2002-12-01

The International Space Environment Service (ISES) is an international organization for space weather forecasts and belongs to the International Union of Radio Science (URSI). There are eleven ISES forecast centers in the world, and Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) runs the Japanese one. We make forecasts on the space environment and deliver them over the phones and through the Internet. Our forecasts could be useful for human activities in space. Currently solar activity is near maximum phase of the solar cycle 23. We report the several large disturbances of space environment occurred in 2001, during which low-latitude auroras were observed several times in Japan.

MEMS sensor technologies for human centred applications in healthcare, physical activities, safety and environmental sensing: a review on research activities in Italy.

PubMed

Ciuti, Gastone; Ricotti, Leonardo; Menciassi, Arianna; Dario, Paolo

2015-03-17

Over the past few decades the increased level of public awareness concerning healthcare, physical activities, safety and environmental sensing has created an emerging need for smart sensor technologies and monitoring devices able to sense, classify, and provide feedbacks to users' health status and physical activities, as well as to evaluate environmental and safety conditions in a pervasive, accurate and reliable fashion. Monitoring and precisely quantifying users' physical activity with inertial measurement unit-based devices, for instance, has also proven to be important in health management of patients affected by chronic diseases, e.g., Parkinson's disease, many of which are becoming highly prevalent in Italy and in the Western world. This review paper will focus on MEMS sensor technologies developed in Italy in the last three years describing research achievements for healthcare and physical activity, safety and environmental sensing, in addition to smart systems integration. Innovative and smart integrated solutions for sensing devices, pursued and implemented in Italian research centres, will be highlighted, together with specific applications of such technologies. Finally, the paper will depict the future perspective of sensor technologies and corresponding exploitation opportunities, again with a specific focus on Italy.

MEMS Sensor Technologies for Human Centred Applications in Healthcare, Physical Activities, Safety and Environmental Sensing: A Review on Research Activities in Italy

PubMed Central

Ciuti, Gastone; Ricotti, Leonardo; Menciassi, Arianna; Dario, Paolo

2015-01-01

Over the past few decades the increased level of public awareness concerning healthcare, physical activities, safety and environmental sensing has created an emerging need for smart sensor technologies and monitoring devices able to sense, classify, and provide feedbacks to users’ health status and physical activities, as well as to evaluate environmental and safety conditions in a pervasive, accurate and reliable fashion. Monitoring and precisely quantifying users’ physical activity with inertial measurement unit-based devices, for instance, has also proven to be important in health management of patients affected by chronic diseases, e.g., Parkinson’s disease, many of which are becoming highly prevalent in Italy and in the Western world. This review paper will focus on MEMS sensor technologies developed in Italy in the last three years describing research achievements for healthcare and physical activity, safety and environmental sensing, in addition to smart systems integration. Innovative and smart integrated solutions for sensing devices, pursued and implemented in Italian research centres, will be highlighted, together with specific applications of such technologies. Finally, the paper will depict the future perspective of sensor technologies and corresponding exploitation opportunities, again with a specific focus on Italy. PMID:25808763

Research Activities at Plasma Research Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharma, S. P.; Rao, M. V. V. S.; Meyyappan, Meyya

2000-01-01

In order to meet NASA's requirements for the rapid development and validation of future generation electronic devices as well as associated materials and processes, enabling technologies are being developed at NASA-Ames Research Center using a multi-discipline approach. The first step is to understand the basic physics of the chemical reactions in the area of plasma reactors and processes. Low pressure glow discharges are indispensable in the fabrication of microelectronic circuits. These plasmas are used to deposit materials and also etch fine features in device fabrication. However, many plasma-based processes suffer from stability and reliability problems leading to a compromise in performance and a potentially increased cost for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Although a great deal of laboratory-scale research has been performed on many of these processing plasmas, little is known about the gas-phase and surface chemical reactions that are critical in many etch and deposition processes, and how these reactions are influenced by the variation in operating conditions. Such a lack of understanding has hindered the development of process models that can aid in the scaling and improvement of plasma etch and deposition systems. Our present research involves the study of such plasmas. An inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) source in place of the standard upper electrode assembly of the Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC) radio-frequency (RF) Reference Cell is used to investigate the discharge characteristics. This ICP source generates plasmas with higher electron densities and lower operating pressures than obtainable with the original parallel-plate version of the GEC Cell. This expanded operating regime is more relevant to new generations of industrial plasma systems being used by the microelectronics industry. The research goal is to develop an understanding of the physical phenomena involved in plasma processing and to measure much needed fundamental

Fitness and Physical Activity. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Karen

2005-01-01

What can be done to support fitness and physical activity? Schools can guide students in developing life-long habits of participating in physical activities. According to the National Association for Sports and Physical Education, the concepts of physical fitness activities and physical education are used synonymously, however, they are not the…

A brief overview of computational structures technology related activities at NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopkins, Dale A.

1992-01-01

The presentation gives a partial overview of research and development underway in the Structures Division of LeRC, which collectively is referred to as the Computational Structures Technology Program. The activities in the program are diverse and encompass four major categories: (1) composite materials and structures; (2) probabilistic analysis and reliability; (3) design optimization and expert systems; and (4) computational methods and simulation. The approach of the program is comprehensive and entails exploration of fundamental theories of structural mechanics to accurately represent the complex physics governing engine structural performance, formulation, and implementation of computational techniques and integrated simulation strategies to provide accurate and efficient solutions of the governing theoretical models by exploiting the emerging advances in computer technology, and validation and verification through numerical and experimental tests to establish confidence and define the qualities and limitations of the resulting theoretical models and computational solutions. The program comprises both in-house and sponsored research activities. The remainder of the presentation provides a sample of activities to illustrate the breadth and depth of the program and to demonstrate the accomplishments and benefits that have resulted.

AMSARA: Accession Medical Standards Analysis and Research Activity. Report of 2006 Attrition and Morbidity Data for 2005 Accessions

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-17

and Research Activity (AMSARA) NUMBER Department of Epidemiology Division of Preventive Medicine Walter Reed Army Institute of Research 503 Robert...Hospitalizations, Recruits, Epidemiology, Attrition, Disability, Statistics, Preventive Medicine , Physical Fitness, Motivation, Accession, Waiver, Existing Prior to...an active duty Army enlistee. These findings are presented in abstract form in this report and as a full manuscript submitted to Military Medicine in

Systematic framework to evaluate the status of physical activity research for persons with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Dixon-Ibarra, Alicia; Vanderbom, Kerri; Dugala, Anisia; Driver, Simon

2014-04-01

Exploring the current state of health behavior research for individuals with multiple sclerosis is essential to understanding the next steps required to reducing preventable disability. A way to link research to translational health promotion programs is by utilizing the Behavioral Epidemiological Framework, which describes a sequence of phases used to categorize health-related behavioral research. This critical audit of the literature examines the current state of physical activity research for persons with multiple sclerosis by utilizing the proposed Behavioral Epidemiological Framework. After searching MEDLINE, PUBMED, PsycINFO, Google Scholar and several major areas within EBSCOHOST (2000 to present), retrieved articles were categorized according to the framework phases and coding rules. Of 139 articles, 49% were in phase 1 (establishing links between behavior and health), 18% phase 2 (developing methods for measuring behavior), 24% phase 3 (identifying factors influencing behavior and implications for theory), and 9% phase 4 and 5 (evaluating interventions to change behavior and translating research into practice). Emphasis on phase 1 research indicates the field is in its early stages of development. Providing those with multiple sclerosis with necessary tools through health promotion programs is needed to reduce secondary conditions and co-morbidities. Reassessment of the field of physical activity and multiple sclerosis in the future could provide insight into whether the field is evolving over time or remaining stagnant. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Selectivity of physiotherapist programs in the United States does not differ by institutional funding source or research activity level.

PubMed

Riley, Sean P; Covington, Kyle; Landry, Michel D; McCallum, Christine; Engelhard, Chalee; Cook, Chad E

2016-01-01

This study aimed to compare selectivity characteristics among institution characteristics to determine differences by institutional funding source (public vs. private) or research activity level (research vs. non-research). This study included information provided by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) and the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Data were extracted from all students who graduated in 2011 from accredited physical therapy programs in the United States. The public and private designations of the institutions were extracted directly from the classifications from the 'CAPTE annual accreditation report,' and high and low research activity was determined based on Carnegie classifications. The institutions were classified into four groups: public/research intensive, public/non-research intensive, private/research intensive, and private/non-research intensive. Descriptive and comparison analyses with post hoc testing were performed to determine whether there were statistically significant differences among the four groups. Although there were statistically significant baseline grade point average differences among the four categorized groups, there were no significant differences in licensure pass rates or for any of the selectivity variables of interest. Selectivity characteristics did not differ by institutional funding source (public vs. private) or research activity level (research vs. non-research). This suggests that the concerns about reduced selectivity among physiotherapy programs, specifically the types that are experiencing the largest proliferation, appear less warranted.

Linking Research and Teaching: Are Research-Active Staff Members Different Teachers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mägi, Eve; Beerkens, Maarja

2016-01-01

In the global competition of higher education, research intensity has become the key indicator of the quality of universities. This raises the issue of how, and whether at all, a research-intensive environment offers a better learning experience for students. One potential answer to this dilemma lies in research-related teaching. In this empirical…

Putting Families Into Place: Using Neighborhood-Effects Research and Activity Spaces to Understand Families

PubMed Central

Noah, Aggie J.

2015-01-01

Neighborhood is an important context in which individuals and families are embedded. Yet family studies researchers have been relatively slow to incorporate spatial approaches into family science. Although limited theoretical and methodological attention has been devoted to families in neighborhood-effects research, family scholars can contribute greatly to theories about neighborhood effects, and neighborhood-effects research can help move the field of family studies forward. This article reviews the theories, applications, and limitations of research on neighborhood effects and discusses how family studies can benefit from incorporating a spatial perspective from neighborhood-effects research. I then present an innovative methodology—referred to as activity spaces—emerging in neighborhood-effects research, and I discuss how this approach can be used to better understand the complexity and heterogeneity of families. Last, I highlight ways to incorporate space into family studies by “putting families into place.” PMID:26681979

Data to action: using formative research to develop intervention programs to increase physical activity in adolescent girls.

PubMed

Young, Deborah Rohm; Johnson, Carolyn C; Steckler, Allan; Gittelsohn, Joel; Saunders, Ruth P; Saksvig, Brit I; Ribisl, Kurt M; Lytle, Leslie A; McKenzie, Thomas L

2006-02-01

Formative research is used to inform intervention development, but the processes of transmitting results to intervention planners and incorporating information into intervention designs are not well documented. The authors describe how formative research results from the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) were transferred to planners to guide intervention development. Methods included providing oral and written reports, prioritizing recommendations, and cross-checking recommendations with intervention objectives and implementation strategies. Formative work influenced the intervention in many ways. For example, results indicated that middle schools offered only coeducational physical education and health education classes, so the TAAG intervention was designed to be appropriate for both sexes, and intervention strategies were developed to directly address girls' stated preferences (e.g., enjoyable activities, opportunity to socialize) and barriers (e.g., lack of skills, fear of injury) for physical activity. The challenges of using formative research for intervention development are discussed.

Remote identification of research and educational activities using spectral properties of nighttime light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rybnikova, Nataliya A.; Portnov, Boris A.

2017-06-01

Research and educational activities (R&EAs) are major forces behind modern economic growth. However, data on geographic location of such activities are often poorly reported. According to our research hypothesis, intensities and spectral properties of artificial light-at-night (ALAN) can be used for remote identification of R&EAs, due to their unique ALAN signatures. In order to develop activity identification models, we carried out a series of in situ measurements of ALAN intensities and spectral properties in a major metropolitan area in Israel. For this task, we used an illuminance CL-500A spectrophotometer that measures the total intensity and spectral irradiance of ALAN, incremented by a 1-nm pitch, from 360 to 780 nm. As our analysis shows, logistic regressions, incorporating ALAN intensities at the peak or near-peak wavelengths, and geographical attributes of the measurement sites as controls, succeeded to predict correctly up to 98.6% of the actual locations of R&EAs. A digital camera satellite image, obtained from the Astronaut Photography Database, was used for the model's validation. According to the validation results, the actual locations of R&EAs coincided well with the estimated high probability areas, as confirmed by the values of Cohen's Kappa index of up to 64%, which indicate a reasonable level of agreement.

Active LifestyLe Rehabilitation interventions in aging spinal cord injury (ALLRISC): a multicentre research program.

PubMed

van der Woude, L H V; de Groot, S; Postema, K; Bussmann, J B J; Janssen, T W J; Post, M W M

2013-06-01

With today's specialized medical care, life expectancy of persons with a spinal cord injury (SCI) has considerably improved. With increasing age and time since injury, many individuals with SCI, however, show a serious inactive lifestyle, associated with deconditioning and secondary health conditions (SHCs) (e.g. pressure sores, urinary and respiratory tract infections, osteoporosis, upper-extremity pain, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and resulting in reduced participation and quality of life (QoL). Avoiding this downward spiral, is crucial. To understand possible deconditioning and SHCs in persons aging with a SCI in the context of active lifestyle, fitness, participation and QoL and to examine interventions that enhance active lifestyle, fitness, participation and QoL and help prevent some of the SHCs. A multicentre multidisciplinary research program (Active LifestyLe Rehabilitation Interventions in aging Spinal Cord injury, ALLRISC) in the setting of the long-standing Dutch SCI-rehabilitation clinical research network. ALLRISC is a four-study research program addressing inactive lifestyle, deconditioning, and SHCs and their associations in people aging with SCI. The program consists of a cross-sectional study (n = 300) and three randomized clinical trials. All studies share a focus on fitness, active lifestyle, SHCs and deconditioning and outcome measures on these and other (participation, QoL) domains. It is hypothesized that a self-management program, low-intensity wheelchair exercise and hybrid functional electrical stimulation-supported leg and handcycling are effective interventions to enhance active life style and fitness, help to prevent some of the important SHCs in chronic SCI and improve participation and QoL. ALLRISC aims to provide evidence-based preventive components of a rehabilitation aftercare system that preserves functioning in aging persons with SCI.

Online Classroom Research and Analysis Activities Using MARGINS-Related Resources for the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Subduction System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, J. G.

2007-12-01

Students today have online access to nearly unlimited scientific information in an entirely unfiltered state. As such, they need guidance and training in identifying and assessing high-quality information resources for educational and research use. The extensive research data resources available online for the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) subduction system that have been developed with MARGINS Program and related NSF funding are an ideal venue for focused Web research exercises that can be tailored to a range of undergraduate geoscience courses. This presentation highlights student web research activities examining: a) The 2003-2005 eruptions of Anatahan Volcano in the Mariana volcanic arc. MARGINS-supported geophysical research teams were in the region when the eruption initiated, permitting a unique "event response" data collection and analysis process, with preliminary results presented online at websites linked to the MARGINS homepage, and ultimately published in a special issue of the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. In this activity, students will conduct a directed Web surf/search effort for information on and datasets from the Anatahan arc volcano, which they will use in an interpretive study of recent magmatic activity in the Mariana arc. This activity is designed as a homework exercise for use in a junior-senior level Petrology course, but could easily be taken into greater depth for the benefit of graduate-level volcanology or geochemistry offerings. b) Geochemical and mineralogical results from ODP Legs 125 and 195 focused on diapiric serpentinite mud volcanoes, which erupt cold, high pH fluids, serpentine muds, and serpentinized ultramafic clasts at a number of sites in the forearc region of the Mariana subduction zone. The focus of this activity is an examination of the trace element chemistry of the forearc serpentines and their associated upwelling porefluids as a means of understanding the roles of ionic radius, valence, and system

NASA SPoRT Modeling and Data Assimilation Research and Transition Activities Using WRF, LIS and GSI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; Blankenship, Clay B.; Zavodsky, Bradley T.; Srikishen, Jayanthi; Berndt, Emily B.

2014-01-01

weather research and forecasting ===== The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) program has numerous modeling and data assimilation (DA) activities in which the WRF model is a key component. SPoRT generates realtime, research satellite products from the MODIS and VIIRS instruments, making the data available to NOAA/NWS partners running the WRF/EMS, including: (1) 2-km northwestern-hemispheric SST composite, (2) daily, MODIS green vegetation fraction (GVF) over CONUS, and (3) NASA Land Information System (LIS) runs of the Noah LSM over the southeastern CONUS. Each of these datasets have been utilized by specific SPoRT partners in local EMS model runs, with select offices evaluating the impacts using a set of automated scripts developed by SPoRT that manage data acquisition and run the NCAR Model Evaluation Tools verification package. SPoRT is engaged in DA research with the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) and Ensemble Kalman Filter in LIS for soil moisture DA. Ongoing DA projects using GSI include comparing the impacts of assimilating Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) radiances versus retrieved profiles, and an analysis of extra-tropical cyclones with intense non-convective winds. As part of its Early Adopter activities for the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, SPoRT is conducting bias correction and soil moisture DA within LIS to improve simulations using the NASA Unified-WRF (NU-WRF) for both the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity and upcoming SMAP mission data. SPoRT has also incorporated real-time global GVF data into LIS and WRF from the VIIRS product being developed by NOAA/NESDIS. This poster will highlight the research and transition activities SPoRT conducts using WRF, NU-WRF, EMS, LIS, and GSI.

Physical Activity as a Nonpharmacological Symptom Management Approach in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: Recommendations for Future Research

PubMed Central

Eckert, Ryan; Huberty, Jennifer; Gowin, Krisstina; Mesa, Ruben; Marks, Lisa

2016-01-01

Purpose: Essential thrombocythemia, polycythemia vera, and myelofibrosis are rare chronic hematological malignancies known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and are characterized by deregulated myeloid lineage cell production, splenomegaly, and heterogeneous symptom profiles. MPN patients suffer from a significant symptom burden (eg, fatigue, depressive symptoms, early satiety) and an impaired overall quality of life (QoL). Current treatments typically include pharmacological approaches, which may come with additional side effects and may be limited by treatment-associated toxicities (ie, cytopenias). Nonpharmacological approaches such as physical activity may be beneficial for reducing symptom burden and improving QoL. To date, no studies have examined physical activity as a nonpharmacological approach in MPN patients despite preliminary evidence supporting its benefit in other hematological cancers. The purpose of this article is to (1) review the literature related to physical activity and specific hematological cancer subtypes and to (2) make suggestions for future research involving physical activity in MPN patients as a symptom management strategy. Methods: A brief review of studies examining physical activity in leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas (excluding stem-cell transplant patients) was conducted. Results: There is preliminary evidence to suggest that physical activity may be an effective approach to improve patient-reported outcomes (fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep), physical fitness (cardiovascular fitness, balance, body composition), and overall QoL in other hematological cancers. Conclusions: Based on encouraging findings in other hematological cancers, future research should examine the feasibility and effectiveness of physical activity in MPN patients. PMID:27458250

Cohort Profile of the Goals Study: A Large-Scale Research of Physical Activity in Dutch Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Groot, Renate H. M.; van Dijk, Martin L.; Kirschner, Paul A.

2015-01-01

The GOALS study (Grootschalig Onderzoek naar Activiteiten van Limburgse Scholieren [Large-scale Research of Activities in Dutch Students]) was set up to investigate possible associations between different forms of physical activity and inactivity with cognitive performance, academic achievement and mental well-being. It was conducted at a…

Research use and support needs, and research activity in social care: a cross-sectional survey in two councils with social services responsibilities in the UK.

PubMed

Cooke, Jo; Bacigalupo, Ruth; Halladay, Linsay; Norwood, Hayley

2008-09-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of research activity, research use, research interests and research skills in the social care workforce in two UK councils with social service responsibilities (CSSRs). A cross-sectional survey was conducted of the social care workforce in two CSSRs (n = 1512) in 2005. The sample was identified in partnership with the councils, and included employees with professional qualifications (social workers and occupational therapists); staff who have a role to assess, plan and monitor care; service managers; commissioners of services; and those involved with social care policy, information management and training. The survey achieved a response rate of 24% (n = 368). The Internet was reported as an effective source of research information; conversely, research-based guidelines were reported to have a low impact on practice. Significant differences were found in research use, by work location, and postgraduate training. Most respondents saw research as useful for practice (69%), and wanted to collaborate in research (68%), but only 11% were planning to do research within the next 12 months. Having a master's degree was associated with a greater desire to lead or collaborate in research. A range of research training needs, and the preferred modes of delivery were identified. Support to increase research activity includes protected time and mentorship. The study concludes that a range of mechanisms to make research available for the social care workforce needs to be in place to support evidence-informed practice. Continual professional development to a postgraduate level supports the use and production of evidence in the social care workforce, and promotes the development of a research culture. The term research is used to include service user consultations, needs assessment and service evaluation. The findings highlight a relatively large body of the social care workforce willing to collaborate and conduct research

Integrating psychological research on girls with feminist activism: a model for building a liberation psychology in the United States.

PubMed

Grant, Kathryn E; Finkelstein, Jo-Ann S; Lyons, Aoife L

2003-03-01

A liberation psychology is needed to bridge the gap between psychology's focus on individual distress and broad social forces that foster such distress. We offer a model for bridging this gap by focusing on a specific area of psychology (psychological research on girls) and a specific social movement (feminist activism). Psychological research on girls and feminist activism share the common goal of improving the lives of girls and women. However, both have fallen short of this goal. This is due, in part, to the weaknesses associated with each endeavor and to the fact that the complementary strengths of each have remained isolated from the other. In this paper, we propose a common language and shared framework to integrate psychological research with feminist activism. First, we review the basic strengths and weaknesses associated with psychological research and feminist activism, with a particular focus on how they are distinct from one another. Second, we provide a taxonomic framework for integrating these two areas on the basis of the stress paradigm, with specific examples provided from our recent reviews of the literature and our own empirical work with adolescent girls. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for future work needed to integrate psychological research on girls with feminist activism toward the goal of building a liberation psychology in the United States.

Accelerating Translation of Physical Activity and Cancer Survivorship Research into Practice: Recommendations for a More Integrated and Collaborative Approach

PubMed Central

Phillips, Siobhan M.; Alfano, Catherine M.; Perna, Frank M.; Glasgow, Russell E.

2015-01-01

Physical activity has been deemed safe and effective in reducing many negative side effects of treatment for cancer survivors and promoting better overall health. However, most of this research has focused on highly controlled randomized trials and little of this research has been translated into care or policy for survivors. The purpose of the present paper is to present a research agenda for the field to accelerate the dissemination and implementation of empirically-supported physical activity interventions into care. We provide rationale for the role of basic, behavioral, clinical implementation and population scientists in moving this science forward and call for a more coordinated effort across different phases of research. In addition, we provide key strategies and examples for ongoing and future studies using the RE-AIM (Reach, Efficacy/Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance) framework and pose recommendations for collaborations between researchers and stakeholders to enhance the integration of this research into policy and practice. Overall, we recommend that physical activity and cancer survivorship research employ additional study designs, include relevant stakeholders and be more collaborative, integrated, contextual, and representative in terms of both setting and participants. PMID:24599577

Research and training activities of the Joint Institute for Aeronautics and Acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, L.

1993-01-01

During the period October 1992 to September 1993 progress was made on each of the following tasks: (1) experimental studies of free shear flows; (2) analysis of conical flow; (3) experimental and theoretical studies of vortex flows; and (4) aircraft attitude control using active flow control devices. The details of this work was discussed with the technical and management staff at Ames Research Center.

75 FR 31795 - Office of Biotechnology Activities; Recombinant DNA Research: Amended Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-04

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Office of Biotechnology Activities; Recombinant DNA Research: Amended Notice of Meeting ACTION: Notice of cancellation of... information. Dated: May 26, 2010. Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, Acting Director, Office of Biotechnology...

An Action Research Study on the Effect of Interactive Technology and Active Learning on Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bear, Teresa J.

2013-01-01

This quantitative action science research study utilized a causal-comparative experimental research design in order to determine if the use of student response systems (clickers), as an active learning strategy in a community college course, improved student performance in the course. Students in the experimental group (n = 26) used clickers to…

Design of a website on nutrition and physical activity for adolescents: results from formative research.

PubMed

Thompson, Debbe; Cullen, Karen Weber; Boushey, Carol; Konzelmann, Karen

2012-04-26

Teens do not meet guidelines for healthy eating and physical activity. The Internet may be an effective method for delivering programs that help them adopt healthy behaviors. To collect information to design content and structure for a teen-friendly website promoting healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Qualitative research, encompassing both focus group and interview techniques, were used to design the website. Participants were 12-17 year olds in Houston, Texas, and West Lafayette, Indiana. A total of 133 participants took part in 26 focus groups while 15 participated in one-on-one interviews to provide guidance for the development of teen-friendly content and structure for an online behavior change program promoting healthy eating and physical activity to 12-17 year olds. The youth made suggestions to overcome common barriers to healthy eating and physical activity. Their feedback was used to develop "Teen Choice: Food & Fitness," a 12-week online behavior change program, populated by 4 cartoon character role models. It is critical that members of the target audience be included in formative research to develop behavior change programs that are relevant, appealing, and address their needs and interests.

Sensory Tours as a Method for Engaging Children as Active Researchers: Exploring the Use of Wearable Cameras in Early Childhood Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Carie

2016-01-01

This article explores the use of wearable cameras with children as a data collection means to engage young children as active researchers in recording their experiences in natural environments. This method captures children's unique perspectives of being-in-the-world, depicting what they see, hear, say, touch, and their interactions with others.…

Knowledge Activism: Bridging the Research/Policy Divide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillies, Donald

2014-01-01

How research can better inform policy and how policy can have a better research base are longstanding issues both in educational research and across public policy generally. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt, this article argues that progress in increasing the impact of research can be made through a clearer understanding of the nature of…

Increasing Specificity of Correlate Research: Exploring Correlates of Children’s Lunchtime and After-School Physical Activity

PubMed Central

Stanley, Rebecca M.; Ridley, Kate; Olds, Timothy S.; Dollman, James

2014-01-01

Background The lunchtime and after-school contexts are critical windows in a school day for children to be physically active. While numerous studies have investigated correlates of children’s habitual physical activity, few have explored correlates of physical activity occurring at lunchtime and after-school from a social-ecological perspective. Exploring correlates that influence physical activity occurring in specific contexts can potentially improve the prediction and understanding of physical activity. Using a context-specific approach, this study investigated correlates of children’s lunchtime and after-school physical activity. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from 423 South Australian children aged 10.0–13.9 years (200 boys; 223 girls) attending 10 different schools. Lunchtime and after-school physical activity was assessed using accelerometers. Correlates were assessed using purposely developed context-specific questionnaires. Correlated Component Regression analysis was conducted to derive correlates of context-specific physical activity and determine the variance explained by prediction equations. Results The model of boys’ lunchtime physical activity contained 6 correlates and explained 25% of the variance. For girls, the model explained 17% variance from 9 correlates. Enjoyment of walking during lunchtime was the strongest correlate for both boys and girls. Boys’ and girls’ after-school physical activity models explained 20% variance from 14 correlates and 7% variance from the single item correlate, “I do an organised sport or activity after-school because it gets you fit”, respectively. Conclusions Increasing specificity of correlate research has enabled the identification of unique features of, and a more in-depth interpretation of, lunchtime and after-school physical activity behaviour and is a potential strategy for advancing the physical activity correlate research field. The findings of this study could be used to inform

Office of Commercial Programs' research activities for Space Station Freedom utilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fountain, James A.

1992-01-01

One of the objectives of the Office of Commercial Programs (OCP) is to encourage, enable, and help implement space research which meets the needs of the U.S. industrial sector. This is done mainly through seventeen Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS's) which are located throughout the United States. The CCDS's are composed of members from U.S. companies, universities, and other government agencies. These Centers are presently engaged in industrial research in space using a variety of carriers to reach low Earth orbit. One of the goals is to produce a body of experience and knowledge that will allow U.S. industrial entities to make informed decisions regarding their participation in commercial space endeavors. A total of 32 items of payload hardware were built to date. These payloads have flown in space a total of 73 times. The carriers range from the KC-135 parabolic aircraft and expendable launch vehicles to the Space Shuttle. This range of carriers allows the experimenter to evolve payloads in complexity and cost by progressively extending the time in microgravity. They can start with a few seconds in the parabolic aircraft and go to several minutes on the rocket flights, before they progress to the complexities of manned flight on the Shuttle. Next year, two new capabilities will become available: COMET, an expendable-vehicle-launched experiment capsule that can carry experiments aloft for thirty days; and SPACEHAB, a new Shuttle borne module which will greatly add to the capability to accommodate small payloads. All of these commercial research activities and carrier capabilities are preparing the OCP to evolve those experiments that prove successful to Space Station Freedom. OCP and the CCDS's are actively involved in Space Station design and utilization planning and have proposed a set of experiments to be launched in 1996 and 1997. These experiments are to be conducted both internal and external to Space Station Freedom and will

An Action Research Inquiry into the Relationship Among Aerobic Activities, Memory, and Stress with Students Identified as Gifted

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, Denise Marie

Students identified as gifted come from varying socio-economic strata and nationalities with a range of talents and temperaments comprising a diverse community. They may experience stress for a variety of reasons. Although a certain amount of stress can enhance the learning process, too much stress can impede learning, especially memory. Strategies have been offered for relieving stress, yet the benefits of physical activities as stress reducers for the gifted have frequently been overlooked. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among aerobic activity, stress, and memory ability in students in an elementary school gifted program. An exceptional aspect of this research was that the students were an integral part of their own study. As co-researchers they had a vested interest in what they were doing, enhancing the significance of the experience and heightening learning. This action research project conducted in a mid-western school district with fourth and fifth grade students examined the impact of aerobic movement on physical indicators of stress and memory. The study lasted twelve weeks with data collected on physical indicators of stress, memory test scores, parent observations, interviews with students, a parent focus group session, observational data, student comments, and investigator/teacher journal. By infusing regular exercise into curricula, stress levels in students identified as gifted were examined. Students' scores on declarative memory tasks conducted with and without an accompanying aerobic activity were documented. Students learned of the delicate relationship between stress and memory as they studied the physiology of the brain. Twenty-four hour retention rates of declarative memory items were higher when a 20-minute aerobic activity intervention preceded the memory activity. Perceived stress levels were lowered for 14 of the 16 co-researchers. Students indicated a positive attitude toward physical activity and its

Bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: research activity in Arab countries

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Chronic respiratory diseases, like bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are a worldwide health problem. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of asthma and COPD-related research from Arab countries has not been explored and there are few internationally published reports on such field. The main objectives of this study were to analyze research output originating from Arab countries in the field of bronchial asthma and COPD. Methods Original scientific articles or reviews published from the 22 Arab countries were screened using specific words pertaining to asthma and COPD using Scopus database and search engine. Research productivity was evaluated based on: (a) total and trends of contribution of each Arab country to asthma and COPD research and (b) journals in which researchers from Arab countries published their research. Results The total number of original research and review articles published globally about bronchial asthma and COPD was 163,964. The leading country in bronchial asthma and COPD research was United States of America (38,632; 23.56%). Worldwide, Turkey ranked 19th while Israel and Iran ranked 25th and 29th respectively. Among Arab countries, Egypt and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came on positions 39th and 43rd, respectively. A total of 1,304 documents about bronchial asthma and COPD were published from Arab countries which represents 0.8% of the global research output. Research in bronchial asthma was almost double that in COPD. Research from Arab countries was low and showed a significant increase after 2000. Approximately 12% of research activity in asthma and COPD from Arab countries was published in Saudi Medical Journal, Annals of Saudi Medicine, Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal and Tunisie Medicale. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a total publication of 353 (27.07%) ranked first among the Arab countries while University of Kuwait was the most productive institution with a total of 123 (9

Commercial Style Market Research for Navy Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

confused with or used interchangeably with the term " marketing research ." Marketing research is generally concerned with investigating opportunities to...sell goods and services. [Ref. 64:p. 35] In particular, marketing research deals with influencing and persuading potential customers that a particular...product is better than other products, or that a product meets a parti- cular customer’s need. Marketing research is also used in defining

Science and Social Practice: Action Research and Activity Theory as Socio-Critical Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langemeyer, Ines

2011-01-01

Action research and activity theory are considered by a number of followers as socio-critical approaches, whereas others do not relate them to social-criticism and use them merely as methods to improve practice. This article searches for general insights in Kurt Lewin's and Lev S. Vygotsky's work into how one proceeds and acts critically. In their…

LDRD 2014 Annual Report: Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program Activities

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

Hatton, Diane

Each year, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is required to provide a program description and overview of its Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program (LDRD) to the Department of Energy (DOE) in accordance with DOE Order 413.2B dated April 19, 2006. This report provides a detailed look at the scientific and technical activities for each of the LDRD projects funded by BNL in FY 2014, as required. In FY 2014, the BNL LDRD Program funded 40 projects, 8 of which were new starts, at a total cost of $9.6M.

LDRD 2012 Annual Report: Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program Activities

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

Bookless, William

Each year, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is required to provide a program description and overview of its Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program (LDRD) to the Department of Energy in accordance with DOE Order 413.2B dated April 19, 2006. This report provides a detailed look at the scientific and technical activities for each of the LDRD projects funded by BNL in FY2012, as required. In FY2012, the BNL LDRD Program funded 52 projects, 14 of which were new starts, at a total cost of $10,061,292.

Phenylethanoid Glycosides: Research Advances in Their Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Activity and Pharmacokinetics.

PubMed

Xue, Zhenzhen; Yang, Bin

2016-07-29

Phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs) are widely distributed in traditional Chinese medicines as well as in other medicinal plants, and they were characterized by a phenethyl alcohol (C₆-C₂) moiety attached to a β-glucopyranose/β-allopyranose via a glycosidic bond. The outstanding activity of PhGs in diverse diseases proves their importance in medicinal chemistry research. This review summarizes new findings on PhGs over the past 10 years, concerning the new structures, their bioactivities, including neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and antivirus, cytotoxic, immunomodulatory, and enzyme inhibitory effects, and pharmacokinetic properties.

LDRD 2015 Annual Report: Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program Activities

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

Hatton, D.

Each year, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is required to provide a program description and overview of its Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program (LDRD) to the Department of Energy (DOE) in accordance with DOE Order 413.2B dated April 19, 2006. This report provides a detailed look at the scientific and technical activities for each of the LDRD projects funded by BNL in FY 2015, as required. In FY 2015, the BNL LDRD Program funded 43 projects, 12 of which were new starts, at a total cost of $9.5M.

Addressing Three Common Issues in Research on Youth Activities: An Integrative Approach for Operationalizing and Analyzing Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busseri, Michael A.; Rose-Krasnor, Linda

2010-01-01

Youth activity involvement has been operationalized and analyzed using a wide range of approaches. Researchers face the challenges of distinguishing between the effects of involvement versus noninvolvement and intensity of involvement in a particular activity, accounting simultaneously for cumulative effects of involvement, and addressing multiple…

Active and Healthy Ageing as a Wicked Problem: The Contribution of a Multidisciplinary Research University.

PubMed

Riva, Giuseppe; Graffigna, Guendalina; Baitieri, Maddalena; Amato, Alessandra; Bonanomi, Maria Grazia; Valentini, Paolo; Castelli, Guido

2014-01-01

The quest for an active and healthy ageing can be considered a "wicked problem." It is a social and cultural problem, which is difficult to solve because of incomplete, changing, and contradictory requirements. These problems are tough to manage because of their social complexity. They are a group of linked problems embedded in the structure of the communities in which they occur. First, they require the knowledge of the social and cultural context in which they occur. They can be solved only by understanding of what people do and why they do it. Second, they require a multidisciplinary approach. Wicked problems can have different solutions, so it is critical to capture the full range of possibilities and interpretations. Thus, we suggest that Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) is well suited for accepting and managing this challenge because of its applied research orientation, multidisciplinary approach, and integrated vision. After presenting the research activity of UCSC, we describe a possible "systems thinking" strategy to consider the complexity and interdependence of active ageing and healthy living.

Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) foundational research : Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) capabilities assessment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-06-01

As part of the Federal Highway Administrations (FHWAs) Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) Foundational Research, this publication identifies the AMS needs to support simulated real-time and real-time analysis to evaluate the imp...

Index to NASA tech briefs, 1973. [technology transfer of research and development activities chemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Short announcements of technology derived from the research and development activities of NASA or the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission are issued to encourage commercial application. Emphasis is placed on information considered likely to be transferrable across industrial, regional, or disciplinary lines. Abstracts and indexes are given.

Evaluation of doctoral nursing programs in Japan by faculty members and their educational and research activities.

PubMed

Arimoto, Azusa; Gregg, Misuzu F; Nagata, Satoko; Miki, Yuko; Murashima, Sachiyo

2012-07-01

Evaluation of doctoral programs in nursing is becoming more important with the rapid increase in the programs in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate doctoral nursing programs by faculty members and to analyze the relationship of the evaluation with educational and research activities of faculty members in Japan. Target settings were all 46 doctoral nursing programs. Eighty-five faculty members from 28 programs answered the questionnaire, which included 17 items for program evaluation, 12 items for faculty evaluation, 9 items for resource evaluation, 3 items for overall evaluations, and educational and research activities. A majority gave low evaluations for sources of funding, the number of faculty members and support staff, and administrative systems. Faculty members who financially supported a greater number of students gave a higher evaluation for extramural funding support, publication, provision of diverse learning experiences, time of supervision, and research infrastructure. The more time a faculty member spent on advising doctoral students, the higher were their evaluations on the supportive learning environment, administrative systems, time of supervision, and timely feedback on students' research. The findings of this study indicate a need for improvement in research infrastructure, funding sources, and human resources to achieve quality nursing doctoral education in Japan. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors related to physical activity adherence in women: review and suggestions for future research.

PubMed

White, Jennifer L; Ransdell, Lynda B; Vener, Jamie; Flohr, Judith A

2005-01-01

Approximately 50 percent of individuals who start an exercise program withdraw within 6 months. Thus, many individuals withdraw before health benefits have been realized. This is a disconcerting statistic considering the well known benefits of physical activity for decreasing risk of hypokinetic diseases and improving quality of life. The literature has suggested a plethora of factors to increase the number of individuals who initiate a physical activity program. However, little is known about the factors that keep women exercising-otherwise known as exercise adherence. The purpose of this paper is to: (a) systematically review the quantitative literature to discern the major factors contributing to adherence to physical activity in women and men and make recommendations for specific gender-based considerations that are important when designing PA interventions for women, and (b) suggest areas of future research related to increasing adherence to physical activity in women. Key factors reviewed in this paper may be useful in developing efficacious physical activity programs for women.

Clinical physical therapists research activity reality and barriers to their utilizing research findings

PubMed Central

Park, Kyungyeon; Choi, Boram; Han, Dongwook

2015-01-01

[Purpose] This research study was performed to investigate the barriers to using the research findings of physical therapists on evidence-based practice. [Subjects] The subjects of this research were physical therapists employed by hospitals that agreed to cooperate with the research in B city. [Methods] A questionnaire made up of 6 research items, 8 physical therapist items, 6 presentation items, and 8 setting items, for a total of 28 items, was distributed. The responses were scored so the higher result scores indicate a higher barrier level to using research findings. Differences in barrier levels related to the likelihood of therapists using research findings in their practice varied according to the general characteristics of the result as according to the t-test and ANOVA. Scheffe’s test was used as a post hoc test. [Results] The analysis of 158 returned questionnaires revealed that there were significant relationships between the age, educational level, and professional satisfaction of the therapists and the barriers to using research finding. Significant relationships were also found between the items of “Research participation in clinical research”, “Frequency of reading research articles”, and “Support of manager to use research” and the barrier level. No relationship was demonstrated between the recognition level of evidence-based practice and the performance level with the barrier score to using research findings. [Conclusion] This study demonstrated that to improve the utilization of research findings, there is a need to provide therapists with continual education and opportunities to participate in research, and environments and ways in which the research results can be given practical applications. PMID:26311932

Action Research as a Professional Development Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Chad

2011-01-01

Reflective teachers are always searching for ways to improve their teaching. When this reflection becomes intentional and systematic, they are engaging in teacher research. This type of research, sometimes called "action research", can help bridge the gap between theory and practice by addressing topics that are relevant to practicing teachers.…

Innovative Training of In-service Teachers for Active Learning: A Short Teacher Development Course Based on Physics Education Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zavala, Genaro; Alarcón, Hugo; Benegas, Julio

2007-08-01

In this contribution we describe a short development course for in-service physics teachers. The course structure and materials are based on the results of educational research, and its main objective is to provide in-service teachers with a first contact with the active learning strategy “Tutorials in Introductory Physics,” developed by the Physics Education Research Group at the University of Washington. The course was organized in a constructivist, active learning environment, so that teachers have first to experience, as regular students, the whole Tutorial sequence of activities: Tutorial pre-test, Tutorial, and Tutorial Homework. After each Tutorial, teachers reflect on, and recognize their own students’ learning difficulties, discussing their teaching experiences with their colleagues in small collaborative groups first and the whole class later. Finally they read and discuss specific Physics Education Research literature, where these learning difficulties have been extensively studied by researchers. At the beginning and at the end of the course the participants were given the conceptual multiple-choice test Force Concept Inventory (FCI). The pre-/post-instruction FCI data were presented as a practical example of the use of a research-based test widely used in educational research and in formative assessment processes designed to improve instruction.

[Involvement of researchers with patient associations: what is the role of their opinions, their clinical activity and their nature?].

PubMed

Demagny, Lise; Bungener, Martine; Faurisson, François

2015-11-01

Although the involvement of patient associations in biomedical research is well known, conversely, researchers' views and perceptions of these associations have remained unknown. For this reason, Inserm's Patients' Association Liaison Group (GRAM) launched the CAIRNET survey in 2012, based on questionnaires and interviews conducted with researchers working at Inserm. The variety of their opinions made it possible to distinguish four profiles, the committed, the pragmatic, the reticent and the distant. Thus 41 % of respondents reported ongoing relationships with at least one association, 72 % for the committed and 16 % for the distant. Although these relationships are formed more easily among researchers involved in clinical activity, they also encourage collaborations between clinicians and basic researchers. The apparently lower degree of involvement of female researchers proved to be associated with a lower level of clinical activity, limited permanent recruitment, and a lower hierarchical status. © 2015 médecine/sciences – Inserm.

Physical Activity Research in Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review Using the Behavioral Epidemiological Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitchford, E. Andrew; Dixon-Ibarra, Alicia; Hauck, Janet L.

2018-01-01

Through a scoping review, the current state of physical activity research in people with intellectual disability was examined. A search of publications between 2000 and 2014 retrieved 362 articles that met inclusion criteria. Eligible studies were coded according to the Behavioral Epidemiological Framework. Of the articles identified, 48% examined…

Recent Research in Antihypertensive Activity of Food Protein-derived Hydrolyzates and Peptides.

PubMed

Saleh, Ahmed S M; Zhang, Qing; Shen, Qun

2016-01-01

Year to year obesity prevalence, reduced physical activities, bad habits/or stressful lifestyle, and other environmental and physiological impacts lead to increase in diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension worldwide. Hypertension is considered as one of the most common serious chronic diseases; however, discovery of medications with high efficacy and without side effects for treatment of patients remains a challenge for scientists. Recent trends in functional foods have evidenced that food bioactive proteins play a major role in the concepts of illness and curing; therefore, nutritionists, biomedical scientists, and food scientists are working together to develop improved systems for the discovery of peptides with increased potency and therapeutic benefits. This review presents a recent research carried out to date for the purpose of isolation and identification of bioactive hydrolyzates and peptides with angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory activity and antihypertensive effect from animal, marine, microbial, and plant food proteins. Effects of food processing and hydrolyzation conditions as well as some other impacts on formation, activity, and stability of these hydrolyzates and peptides are also presented.

What is the role played by physical activity and exercise in the frailty syndrome? Perspectives for future research.

PubMed

de Souto Barreto, Philipe

2010-01-01

Exercise and physical activity play an important role in physical frailty, but we do not know if they are markers, components and/or correlates of this syndrome. The purpose of this paper is briefly to discuss the potential roles played by physical activity and exercise on the development and progression of frailty, and to propose directions for future research in this field. Exercise practice lowers the levels of some frailty markers, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and uric acid, and also resistance to insulin. The influence of exercise on the main frailty domains is also well established in the literature. Exercise improves muscle strength, gait speed, cognition (particularly executive control related-tasks), weight maintenance, mood and, to a lesser extent, feelings of energy. Although exercise and physical activity positively influence the main frailty markers and domains, most findings were obtained for other elderly populations (e.g., healthy elderly, clinical populations). For future research, efforts must be made to define some key concepts (exercise or physical activity) in selecting study samples and in establishing intervention length. Attention must also be paid to identifying the most efficacious exercise interventions regarding type, frequency, intensity and session duration, and approaching a dose-response relationship between a physically active life-style and frailty. Thus, further research, especially longitudinal randomized controlled trials, is needed to understand the role of physical activity and exercise in the frailty syndrome.

New experimental research stand SVICKA neutron field analysis using neutron activation detector technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varmuza, Jan; Katovsky, Karel; Zeman, Miroslav; Stastny, Ondrej; Haysak, Ivan; Holomb, Robert

2018-04-01

Knowledge of neutron energy spectra is very important because neutrons with various energies have a different material impact or a biological tissue impact. This paper presents basic results of the neutron flux distribution inside the new experimental research stand SVICKA which is located at Brno University of Technology in Brno, Czech Republic. The experiment also focused on the investigation of the sandwich biological shielding quality that protects staff against radiation effects. The set of indium activation detectors was used to the investigation of neutron flux distribution. The results of the measurement provide basic information about the neutron flux distribution inside all irradiation channels and no damage or cracks are present in the experimental research stand biological shielding.

Human Research Program Integrated Research Plan: December 20, 2007, Interim Baseline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

The Human Research Program (HRP) delivers human health and performance countermeasures, knowledge, technologies, and tools to enable safe, reliable, and productive human space exploration. This Integrated Research Plan (IRP) describes the program s research activities that are intended to address the needs of human space exploration and serve HRP customers. The timescale of human space exploration is envisioned to take many decades. The IRP illustrates the program s research plan through the timescale of early lunar missions of extended duration. The document serves several purposes for the Human Research Program: The IRP provides a means to assure that the most significant risks to human space explorers are being adequately mitigated and/or addressed, The IRP shows the relationship of research activities to expected outcomes and need dates, The IRP shows the interrelationships among research activities that may interact to produce products that are integrative or cross defined research disciplines, The IRP illustrates the non-deterministic nature of research and technology activities by showing expected decision points and potential follow-on activities, The IRP shows the assignments of responsibility within the program organization and, as practical, the intended solicitation approach, The IRP shows the intended use of research platforms such as the International Space Station, NASA Space Radiation Laboratory, and various space flight analogs. The IRP does not show all budgeted activities of the Human research program, as some of these are enabling functions, such as management, facilities and infrastructure