Sample records for major research groups

  1. The Perception of Neighborhood Disorder in Flemish Belgium: Differences between Ethnic Majority and Minority Group Members and Bearing on Fear of Crime

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vancluysen, Kris; Van Craen, Maarten; Ackaert, Johan

    2011-01-01

    The present research examines whether the perception of neighborhood disorder differs between ethnic majority and minority group members and whether perceived disorder has the same impact on fear of crime among ethnic minorities as among the majority group. To answer the research questions, data are used from a survey among persons of Moroccan,…

  2. Toward the Long-Term Scientific Study of Encounter Group Phenomena: I. Methodological Considerations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diamond, Michael Jay; Shapiro, Jerrold Lee

    This paper proposes a model for the long-term scientific study of encounter, T-, and sensitivity groups. The authors see the need for overcoming major methodological and design inadequacies of such research. They discuss major methodological flaws in group outcome research as including: (1) lack of adequate base rate or pretraining measures; (2)…

  3. The effects of wilderness settings on organized groups: a state-of-knowledge paper

    Treesearch

    Alan Ewert; Leo H. McAvoy

    2000-01-01

    Organized groups present a major use of wilderness resources. The focus of this paper is on the research findings that have emerged over the past 12 years concerning the benefits and effects of participation by groups in wilderness and wilderness-like areas. In general, the majority of research in this area has provided evidence of the beneficial and positive effects...

  4. Transportation research synthesis : effects of major traffic generators on local highway systems.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-01-01

    The Minnesota Department of Transportation initiated a study focused on the effects of major traffic generators on : local highway systems. Minnesota State University and SRF Consulting Group, Inc. will conduct a major research : study on the topic. ...

  5. Empirical Studies on Television Composition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metallinos, Nikos

    A review of research on television's major compositional factors was undertaken to determine the status of such research and to note the major variables involved in the structure of television pictures. It was found that such research could be grouped in four categories--lighting and color, staging, editing, and sound--and that these areas covered…

  6. Self-definition, defensive processing, and influence: the normative impact of majority and minority groups.

    PubMed

    Wood, W; Pool, G J; Leck, K; Purvis, D

    1996-12-01

    Past research has found that recipients agree with majority group positions and resist minority group positions on direct measures of influence. The authors suggest that these attitude shifts reflect normative pressures to align with valued majorities and to differentiate from derogated minorities. In support of this idea, participants who considered a majority group relevant to their own self-definitions (but not those who judged it irrelevant), on learning that the group held a counterattitudinal position, shifted their attitudes to agree with the source. In a second study, recipients who judged a minority group (negatively) self-relevant, on learning that the group held a similar attitude to their own, shifted their attitudes to diverge from the source. These shifts in attitudes were based on participants' interpretations of the attitude issues.

  7. Cornell Astronomy REU: Casting a Wide Net to Increase Access to Research Opportunities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandez de Castro, Patricia; Haynes, Martha P.

    2018-01-01

    We describe a Research Experience for Undergraduates program in astrophysics and planetary science hosted in a major university setting that is geared especially but not exclusively to students who matriculate at smaller colleges and universities without major astronomy research programs, have not previously had off-campus research experiences and/or have non-traditional academic backgrounds.Individual research projects which students undertake with faculty mentors and their research groups are the keystone of the program. Built around this central activity are a set of other components that aim to expose students to the broad areas of astrophysical and planetary science research and to foster their appreciation of the research enterprise and their possible place within it. We describe the professional development activities that are offered to students, including lectures and workshops on a broad range of topics in astrophysics and planetary science, research group meetings, tutorials on research and scientific presentation skills, participation in outreach, education on the graduate school experience and application process, and discussions of the scientific enterprise, career paths and options in astronomy and related fields as well as the role REU group meetings with the program director (which complement meetings students attend within the context of their research group) play in developing students’ scientific competencies and pre-professional development. Also described are program elements that aim to make the program accessible to all students, including older students, those in relationships or with children as well as cohort building. Finally, we discuss lessons learned on how recruiting on merit and suitability to the research projects on offer, with a strong emphasis on smaller colleges and universities without major astronomy research programs can work towards a broader and more inclusive recruitment.This work was supported by NSF award AST-1156780.

  8. A Center Moves toward Multiage Grouping: What Have We Learned?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schrier, Deborah; Mercado, Betsy

    1994-01-01

    Notes that, despite concerns from parents and caregivers, recent research suggests that major benefits result from multiage grouping. Examines the concept of multiage grouping and explores practical issues raised by parents, teachers, and administrators in the Early Childhood Research Center at the State University of New York at Buffalo as it…

  9. Public and Biobank Participant Attitudes toward Genetic Research Participation and Data Sharing

    PubMed Central

    Lemke, A.A.; Wolf, W.A.; Hebert-Beirne, J.; Smith, M.E.

    2010-01-01

    Research assessing attitudes toward consent processes for high-throughput genomic-wide technologies and widespread sharing of data is limited. In order to develop a better understanding of stakeholder views toward these issues, this cross-sectional study assessed public and biorepository participant attitudes toward research participation and sharing of genetic research data. Forty-nine individuals participated in 6 focus groups; 28 in 3 public focus groups and 21 in 3 NUgene biorepository participant focus groups. In the public focus groups, 75% of participants were women, 75% had some college education or more, 46% were African-American and 29% were Hispanic. In the NUgene focus groups, 67% of participants were women, 95% had some college education or more, and the majority (76%) of participants was Caucasian. Five major themes were identified in the focus group data: (a) a wide spectrum of understanding of genetic research; (b) pros and cons of participation in genetic research; (c) influence of credibility and trust of the research institution; (d) concerns about sharing genetic research data and need for transparency in the Policy for Sharing of Data in National Institutes of Health-Supported or Conducted Genome-Wide Association Studies; (e) a need for more information and education about genetic research. In order to increase public understanding and address potential concerns about genetic research, future efforts should be aimed at involving the public in genetic research policy development and in identifying or developing appropriate educational strategies to meet the public's needs. PMID:20805700

  10. Making the Most of Ability Grouping. Research in Brief.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maxwell, Laurie

    This summary presents the major findings of recent research carried out at the Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools at Johns Hopkins University and published in "Ability Grouping and Student Achievement in Elementary Schools: A Best-Evidence Synthesis." The center examined more than 100 studies of five ability-grouping…

  11. Earth Sciences annual report, 1987

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

    Younker, L.W.; Donohue, M.L.; Peterson, S.J.

    1988-12-01

    The Earth Sciences Department at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory conducts work in support of the Laboratory's energy, defense, and research programs. The Department is organized into ten groups. Five of these -- Nuclear Waste Management, Fossil Energy, Containment, Verification, and Research -- represent major programmatic activities within the Department. Five others -- Experimental Geophysics, Geomechanics, Geology/Geological Engineering, Geochemistry, and Seismology/Applied Geophysics -- are major disciplinary areas that support these and other laboratory programs. This report summarizes work carried out in 1987 by each group and contains a bibliography of their 1987 publications.

  12. Preparation of Social Studies Teachers at Major Research Universities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dumas, Wayne

    1993-01-01

    Reports on a study of the preparation of secondary social studies teachers at major state-supported research universities. Finds relatively few institutions have followed the Holmes Group recommendations and many continue to prepare broad field social studies teachers leaving them deficient in some social science fields. (CFR)

  13. Competence and Elementary School Achievement: Case Studies in an Urban Ghetto. Research Report, Vol. 4, No. 7.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hirsch, Jay G; Costello, Joan

    This paper has presented some of the major conclusions arising out of a clinical study of a group of fifth grade achievers and underachievers from an urban lower class Negro public elementary school. The major factors which distinguished the group of achievers from the group of underachievers were those in the area of quality of interpersonal…

  14. Assessing flight safety differences between the United States regional and major airlines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharp, Broderick H.

    During 2008, the U.S. domestic airline departures exceeded 28,000 flights per day. Thirty-nine or less than 0.2 of 1% of these flights resulted in operational incidents or accidents. However, even a low percentage of airline accidents and incidents continue to cause human suffering and property loss. The charge of this study was the comparison of U.S. major and regional airline safety histories. The study spans safety events from January 1982 through December 2008. In this quantitative analysis, domestic major and regional airlines were statistically tested for their flight safety differences. Four major airlines and thirty-seven regional airlines qualified for the safety study which compared the airline groups' fatal accidents, incidents, non-fatal accidents, pilot errors, and the remaining six safety event probable cause types. The six other probable cause types are mechanical failure, weather, air traffic control, maintenance, other, and unknown causes. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated each airline safety event, and assigned a probable cause to each event. A sample of 500 events was randomly selected from the 1,391 airlines' accident and incident population. The airline groups' safety event probabilities were estimated using the least squares linear regression. A probability significance level of 5% was chosen to conclude the appropriate research question hypothesis. The airline fatal accidents and incidents probability levels were 1.2% and 0.05% respectively. These two research questions did not reach the 5% significance level threshold. Therefore, the airline groups' fatal accidents and non-destructive incidents probabilities favored the airline groups' safety differences hypothesis. The linear progression estimates for the remaining three research questions were 71.5% for non-fatal accidents, 21.8% for the pilot errors, and 7.4% significance level for the six probable causes. These research questions' linear regressions are greater than the 5% level. Consequently, these three research questions favored airline groups' safety similarities hypothesis. The study indicates the U.S. domestic major airlines were safer than the regional airlines. Ideas for potential airline safety progress can examine pilot fatigue, the airline groups' hiring policies, the government's airline oversight personnel, or the comparison of individual airline's operational policies.

  15. Reaching the hard-to-reach: a systematic review of strategies for improving health and medical research with socially disadvantaged groups

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background This study aims to review the literature regarding the barriers to sampling, recruitment, participation, and retention of members of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in health research and strategies for increasing the amount of health research conducted with socially disadvantaged groups. Methods A systematic review with narrative synthesis was conducted. Searches of electronic databases Medline, PsychInfo, EMBASE, Social Science Index via Web of Knowledge and CINHAL were conducted for English language articles published up to May 2013. Qualitative and quantitative studies as well as literature reviews were included. Articles were included if they reported attempts to increase disadvantaged group participation in research, or the barriers to research with disadvantaged groups. Groups of interest were those described as socially, culturally or financially disadvantaged compared to the majority of society. Eligible articles were categorised according to five phases of research: 1) sampling, 2) recruitment and gaining consent, 3) data collection and measurement, 4) intervention delivery and uptake, and 5) retention and attrition. Results In total, 116 papers from 115 studies met inclusion criteria and 31 previous literature reviews were included. A comprehensive summation of the major barriers to working with various disadvantaged groups is provided, along with proposed strategies for addressing each of the identified types of barriers. Most studies of strategies to address the barriers were of a descriptive nature and only nine studies reported the results of randomised trials. Conclusions To tackle the challenges of research with socially disadvantaged groups, and increase their representation in health and medical research, researchers and research institutions need to acknowledge extended timeframes, plan for higher resourcing costs and operate via community partnerships. PMID:24669751

  16. A THEORETICAL MODEL FOR RESEARCH IN EDUCATION.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ARMSTRONG, JENNY R.

    THE FAILURE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH TO CONTRIBUTE LARGE CONSISTENT BODIES OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS HAS BEEN DUE TO FIVE MAJOR FACTORS--(1) FAULTY EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, (2) FAILURE TO CONSIDER ALL OF THE MAJOR INPUT ELEMENTS OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS, (3) FAILURE TO MAKE MEANINGFUL COMPARISONS (FOR EXAMPLE THE CONTROL GROUP IS NOT…

  17. An Intercultural Reading Programme (IRP) to Enhance Intercultural Knowledge among Secondary School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Singh, Manjet Kaur Mehar; Marsani, Fatin Najwa Amelia; Jaganathan, Paramaswari; Karupiah, Premalatha; Abdullah, Ahmad Sofwan Nathan

    2017-01-01

    As a multi ethnic country, Malaysia consists of three major ethnic groups mainly Malays, Chinese, and Indians with unity as its building block. Although education is seen as the best medium for the three major ethnic groups to work together, contemporary research shows that there is lack of intercultural understanding among these three ethnic…

  18. Promoting Intercultural Understanding among School Students through an English Language Based Reading Programme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Singh, Manjet Kaur Mehar; Marsani, Fatin Najwa Amelia binti; Jaganathan, Paramaswari; Abdullah, Ahmad Sofwan Nathan; Karupiah, Premalatha

    2016-01-01

    Malaysian intercultural society is typified by three major ethnic groups mainly Malays, Chinese and Indians. Although education system is the best tool for these three major ethnic groups to work together, contemporary research reveals that there is still lack of intercultural embedding education context and national schools are seen as breeding…

  19. Immigrant Integration policies and perceived Group Threat: A Multilevel Study of 27 Western and Eastern European Countries.

    PubMed

    Schlueter, Elmar; Meuleman, Bart; Davidov, Eldad

    2013-05-01

    Although immigrant integration policies have long been hypothesized to be associated with majority members' anti-immigrant sentiments, systematic empirical research exploring this relationship is largely absent. To address this gap in the literature, the present research takes a cross-national perspective. Drawing from theory and research on group conflict and intergroup norms, we conduct two studies to examine whether preexisting integration policies that are more permissive promote or impede majority group members' subsequent negative attitudes regarding immigrants. For several Western and Eastern European countries, we link country-level information on immigrant integration policies from 2006 with individual-level survey data from the Eurobarometer 71.3 collected in 2009 (Study 1) and from the fourth wave of the European Value Study collected between 2008 and 2009 (Study 2). For both studies, the results from multilevel regression models demonstrate that immigrant integration policies that are more permissive are associated with decreased perceptions of group threat from immigrants. These findings suggest that immigrant integration policies are of key importance in improving majority members' attitudes regarding immigrants, which is widely considered desirable in modern immigrant-receiving societies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Operational Evaluation of Self-Paced Instruction in U.S. Army Training.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-01-01

    one iteration of each course, and the on -going refinement and adjustment of managerial techniques. Research Approach A quasi - experimental approach was...research design employed experimental and control groups , posttest only with non-random groups . The design dealt with the six major areas identified as...course on Interpersonal Communications were conducted in the conventional, group -paced manner. Experimental course materials. Wherever possible, existing

  1. A Quasi-Experimental Study on Using Short Stories: Statistical and Inferential Analyses on the Non-English Major University Students' Speaking and Writing Achievements

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iman, Jaya Nur

    2017-01-01

    This research was conducted to find out whether or not using short stories significantly improve the speaking and writing achievements. A quasi-experimental study of non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group design or comparison group design was used in this research. The population of this research was the all first semester undergraduate…

  2. The International Research Training Group on "Brain-Behavior Relationship of Normal and Disturbed Emotions in Schizophrenia and Autism" as an Example of German-American Cooperation in Doctoral Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schneider, Frank; Gur, Ruben C.

    2008-01-01

    The International Research Training Group "Brain-Behavior Relationship of Normal and Disturbed Emotions in Schizophrenia and Autism" (IRTG 1328), funded by the German Research Council (DFG), is a German-American cooperation. Its major aims are interdisciplinary and international scientific cooperation and the support of young scientists…

  3. Leadership styles in secondary school science teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawson, Michael A.

    A comparison of United States secondary school science teachers who mentor high quality student research and teachers who do not mentor research was conducted using a demographic survey and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-Form 5X. The major demographic difference between the two groups was a significantly greater number of years of teaching experience in the research group, a factor that correlated significantly with Extra Effort in students. Research group teachers self-reported higher mean scores than non-research group teachers on the five transformational leadership scales plus the transactional scale of Contingent Reward; however, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance found no significant difference between the groups. Independent t-tests found no significant difference between the groups based upon the remaining transactional scales. The research group was found to be significantly higher on the outcome variable of Extra Effort generated by students while the non-research group rated themselves significantly higher on Satisfaction of students. Transformational leadership in teachers should be addressed by future studies as a possible method of identifying motivational teachers.

  4. Korea's developmental program for superconductivity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hong, Gye-Won; Won, Dong-Yeon; Kuk, Il-Hyun; Park, Jong-Chul

    1995-01-01

    Superconductivity research in Korea was firstly carried out in the late 70's by a research group in Seoul National University (SNU), who fabricated a small scale superconducting magnetic energy storage system under the financial support from Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO). But a few researchers were involved in superconductivity research until the oxide high Tc superconductor was discovered by Bednorz and Mueller. After the discovery of YBaCuO superconductor operating above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K)(exp 2), Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) sponsored a special fund for the high Tc superconductivity research to universities and national research institutes by recognizing its importance. Scientists engaged in this project organized 'High Temperature Superconductivity Research Association (HITSRA)' for effective conducting of research. Its major functions are to coordinate research activities on high Tc superconductivity and organize the workshop for active exchange of information. During last seven years the major superconductivity research has been carried out through the coordination of HITSRA. The major parts of the Korea's superconductivity research program were related to high temperature superconductor and only a few groups were carrying out research on conventional superconductor technology, and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) have led this research. In this talk, the current status and future plans of superconductivity research in Korea will be reviewed based on the results presented in interim meeting of HITSRA, April 1-2, 1994. Taejeon, as well as the research activity of KAERI.

  5. Korea's developmental program for superconductivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, Gye-Won; Won, Dong-Yeon; Kuk, Il-Hyun; Park, Jong-Chul

    1995-04-01

    Superconductivity research in Korea was firstly carried out in the late 70's by a research group in Seoul National University (SNU), who fabricated a small scale superconducting magnetic energy storage system under the financial support from Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO). But a few researchers were involved in superconductivity research until the oxide high Tc superconductor was discovered by Bednorz and Mueller. After the discovery of YBaCuO superconductor operating above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K)(exp 2), Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) sponsored a special fund for the high Tc superconductivity research to universities and national research institutes by recognizing its importance. Scientists engaged in this project organized 'High Temperature Superconductivity Research Association (HITSRA)' for effective conducting of research. Its major functions are to coordinate research activities on high Tc superconductivity and organize the workshop for active exchange of information. During last seven years the major superconductivity research has been carried out through the coordination of HITSRA. The major parts of the Korea's superconductivity research program were related to high temperature superconductor and only a few groups were carrying out research on conventional superconductor technology, and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) have led this research. In this talk, the current status and future plans of superconductivity research in Korea will be reviewed based on the results presented in interim meeting of HITSRA, April 1-2, 1994. Taejeon, as well as the research activity of KAERI.

  6. Trends in Large Proposal Development at Major Research Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mulfinger, Lorraine M.; Dressler, Kevin A.; James, L. Eric; Page, Niki; Serrano, Eduardo; Vazquez, Jorge

    2016-01-01

    Research administrator interest in large research proposal development and submission support is high, arguably in response to the bleak funding landscape for research and federal agency trends toward making more frequent larger awards. In response, a team from Penn State University and Huron Consulting Group initiated a baseline study to…

  7. 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…

  8. Black Education: A Transformative Research and Action Agenda for the New Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Joyce E., Ed.

    2005-01-01

    This volume presents the findings and recommendations of the American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Commission on Research in Black Education (CORIBE) and offers new directions for research and practice. By commissioning an independent group of scholars of diverse perspectives and voices to investigate major issues hindering the…

  9. The efficacy of group metacognitive therapy on self-esteem and mental health of patients suffering from major depressive disorder.

    PubMed

    Farahmand, Vahid; Hassanzadeh, Ramezan; Mirzaian, Bahram; Fayyazi Bordbar, Mohammad Reza; Feizi, Jaleh

    2014-01-01

    The present research aims to analyze the efficacy of group metacognitive therapy (MCT) on self-esteem and mental Health of those who suffer from major depressive disorder. The research was a randomized clinical controlled trial, using pretest and posttest with 2 months of follow-up. Twenty-two patients with major depressive disorder based on DSM-IV-TR criteria were selected through available sampling from patients of two psychiatric hospitals of Mashhad, Iran, in 2011. They were allocated randomly into two groups of trial (n = 11) and control (n = 11). Citalopram and sertraline were prescribed as antidepressant to both groups. The experimental group also attended nine 90-minute sessions of MCT (a 5-week program). Eysenck self-esteem scale (ESES) and Mental Health Checklist (MHC) were used in pretest, posttest, and follow-up as the study instrument. The data were analyzed by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) using SPSS. ANCOVA revealed that the patients receiving group MCT had significantly increased (p < 0.001) self-esteem in posttest, which remained significant in the follow up (p < 0.001). Moreover, mental health scores had increased in the MCT group (posttest, p < 0.001; follow up, p < 0.001). Group MCT has beneficial therapeutic roles in improving the self-steam and recuperation of mental health in MDD patients.

  10. Engaging Patients in Setting a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Agenda in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

    PubMed Central

    Burns, Linda J; Abbetti, Beatrice; Arnold, Stacie D; Bender, Jeffrey; Doughtie, Susan; El-Jawahiri, Areej; Gee, Gloria; Hahn, Theresa; Horowitz, Mary M; Johnson, Shirley; Juckett, Mark; Krishnamurit, Lakshmanan; Kullberg, Susan; LeMaistre, C. Fred; Loren, Alison; Majhail, Navneet S; Murphy, Elizabeth A; Rizzo, Doug; Roche-Green, Alva; Saber, Wael; Schatz, Barry A; Schmit-Pokorny, Kim; Shaw, Bronwen E; Syrjala, Karen L; Tierney, D. Kathryn; Ullrich, Christina; Vanness, David J; Wood, William A; Denzen, Ellen M

    2018-01-01

    The goal of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) is to help patients and those who care for them make informed decisions about healthcare. However, the clinical research enterprise has not involved patients, caregivers, and other non-providers routinely in the process of prioritizing, designing and conducting research in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). To address this need, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match® engaged patients, caregivers, researchers and other key stakeholders in a two-year project with the goal of setting a PCOR agenda for the HCT community. Through a collaborative process, we identified six major areas of interest: 1) Patient, Caregiver and Family Education and Support; 2) Emotional, Cognitive and Social Health; 3) Physical Health and Fatigue; 4) Sexual Health and Relationships; 5) Financial Burden; and 6) Models of Survivorship Care Delivery. We then organized into multi-stakeholder Working Groups to identify gaps in knowledge and make priority recommendations for critical research to fill those gaps. Gaps varied by Working Group, but all noted that a historical lack of consistency in measures utilized and patient populations made it difficult to compare outcomes across studies and urged investigators to incorporate uniform measures and homogenous patient groups in future research. Some groups advised that additional pre-emptory work is needed before conducting prospective interventional trials, whereas others felt ready to proceed with comparative clinical effectiveness research studies. This report presents the results of this major initiative, and makes recommendations by Working Group on priority questions for PCOR in HCT. PMID:29408289

  11. How to Assign Individualized Scores on a Group Project: An Empirical Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Bo; Ohland, Matthew W.

    2009-01-01

    One major challenge in using group projects to assess student learning is accounting for the differences of contribution among group members so that the mark assigned to each individual actually reflects their performance. This research addresses the validity of grading group projects by evaluating different methods that derive individualized…

  12. Supporting Unemployed, Middle-Aged Men: A Psychoeducational Group Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphey, Charlotte M.; Shillingford, M. Ann

    2012-01-01

    This article presents a comprehensive group counseling approach to support unemployed, middle-aged men. An inclusive group curriculum designed to provide support and address potential mental health issues related to unemployment is introduced. The focus of the group is divided into 6 major areas that research has shown to have a significant impact…

  13. Needs and priorities in agroforestry research in the Pacific

    Treesearch

    Roger R. Bay

    1993-01-01

    This paper summarizes a longer presentation of research needs identified by two working groups commissioned by the Land Grant Colleges of the Pacific. Major discussion points by the workshop participants are also summarized.

  14. Symbiotic New Program Development through Marketing Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Urban, David J.; And Others

    1993-01-01

    The applicability of marketing research to development of college programs in collaboration with other institutions or individuals is discussed. It is recommended that college administrators conduct ongoing environmental scanning to identify major opportunities for joint programs, forming research groups to screen basic ideas and explore program…

  15. Priming irrational beliefs in recovered-depressed people.

    PubMed

    Solomon, A; Haaga, D A; Brody, C; Kirk, L; Friedman, D G

    1998-08-01

    Major depression has been linked with endorsement of irrational beliefs in cross-sectional research, consistent with the rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) model. In this study, the authors extended prior research by using multiple measures of irrationality and by comparing never-depressed (ND) controls with people who had recovered from major depression. Contrary to the REBT model, the recovered-depressed (RD) group did not significantly exceed the ND group in irrational beliefs before, during, or after exposure to simulated stressful situations. However, associations between irrationality and negative mood, and to a lesser extent between situation-specific irrationality and personality vulnerabilities, were obtained in the RD group but not in the ND group. These findings are consistent with the possibility that RD persons on average may be especially susceptible to having irrationality primed by negative mood states or by the important setbacks that can lead to such mood states.

  16. Ethics and epistemology of accurate prediction in clinical research.

    PubMed

    Hey, Spencer Phillips

    2015-07-01

    All major research ethics policies assert that the ethical review of clinical trial protocols should include a systematic assessment of risks and benefits. But despite this policy, protocols do not typically contain explicit probability statements about the likely risks or benefits involved in the proposed research. In this essay, I articulate a range of ethical and epistemic advantages that explicit forecasting would offer to the health research enterprise. I then consider how some particular confidence levels may come into conflict with the principles of ethical research. 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.

  17. More dialectical thinking, less creativity? The relationship between dialectical thinking style and creative personality: the case of China.

    PubMed

    Liu, Hui; Wang, Fei-xue; Yang, Xiao-yang

    2015-01-01

    People use dialectical thinking to be holistic, reconcile contradictions, and emphasize changes when processing information and managing problems. Using a questionnaire survey, this study examined the relationship between dialectical thinking and creative personality in the Chinese culture, which encourages a holistic and collective thinking style. Undergraduates majoring in different subjects and adults in different professions were surveyed. The results showed that 1) compared with undergraduates majoring in art and adults from the design industry, undergraduates majoring in other disciplines significantly showed the least creative personality; 2) the highest score for dialectical thinking was found in the group of undergraduates who majored in other disciplines, followed by the adult group, and the undergraduates majoring in art had the lowest score; and 3) A negative relationship between dialectical thinking and creative personality was found mostly in the UMA group. The limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

  18. 77 FR 18804 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-28

    ... primarily related to survey development for economics projects. Focus groups are groups of individuals... referred to collectively as ``focus groups'') used as a qualitative research tool have three major purposes... later quantitative studies; and To further explore findings obtained from quantitative studies. Through...

  19. Grouping for Inequity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macqueen, Suzanne Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    The inequity of streaming as a method of organising classes was established by research conducted in the 1960s and 1970s. While the practice produces small advantages for limited groups of students, it hinders the academic and social advancement of the majority. Although streaming has declined, new forms of achievement grouping have emerged, with…

  20. A Servant of Two Masters: Designing Research To Advance Knowledge and Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    James, Mary; Pedder, David; Swaffield, Sue; Conner, Colin; Frost, David; MacBeath, John

    This paper describes aspects of the design and implementation of "Learning How To Learnin Classrooms, Schools, and Networks," a major development and research project within the Teaching and Learning Research Programme in the United Kingdom. It focuses on how a group of Cambridge academics and researchers, working in partnership with other…

  1. Research on Race and Ethnic Relations in the Army

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-06-01

    one - group pretest - posttest design24 ). In another case, it...training--and then compare the two groups both on their pretest and on their posttest scores (a nonequivalent control group design25). Thus the possible...whether there are aspects of Army life to which majority- and minority- group soldiers respond differently. One project sought to gather

  2. Neuropsychological correlates of complicated grief in older spousally bereaved adults.

    PubMed

    O'Connor, Mary-Frances; Arizmendi, Brian J

    2014-01-01

    Across many research domains, evidence for complicated grief as a distinct psychopathology continues to grow. Previous research from neuropsychology has shown an increased attentional bias to emotionally relevant stimuli in those suffering from complicated grief. This study furthers our understanding of the characteristics that distinguish complicated grief. We expand on previous research by (a) testing older adults, (b) excluding those with comorbid major depressive disorder, (c) using participant-chosen grief-related stimuli, and (d) using a married, nonbereaved control group. We recruited 76 older adults in 3 groups: spousally bereaved with complicated grief, spousally bereaved with noncomplicated grief, and nonbereaved controls. Performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, Digit Span Backwards, and the emotional counting Stroop was examined. Results indicate longer reaction time across 3 blocks of grief-related words in the complicated grief group but no difference across 3 blocks of the neutral words. The 3 groups performed comparably on the other neurocognitive tasks, indicating no cognitive differences in working memory or set shifting between groups. Furthermore, these effects of complicated grief generalize to older adults and appear independent of major depression. Complicated grief has cognitive interference as a neuropsychological component highlighting it as distinct from noncomplicated grief.

  3. Eating disorder risk, exercise dependence, and body weight dissatisfaction among female nutrition and exercise science university majors.

    PubMed

    Harris, Natalie; Gee, David; d'Acquisto, Debra; Ogan, Dana; Pritchett, Kelly

    2015-09-01

    Past research has examined eating disorder risk among college students majoring in Nutrition and has suggested an increased risk, while other studies contradict these results. Exercise Science majors, however, have yet to be fully examined regarding their risk for eating disorders and exercise dependence. Based on pressures to fit the image associated with careers related to these two disciplines, research is warranted to examine the potential risk for both eating disorder and exercise dependence. The purpose of this study is to compare eating disorder risk, exercise dependence, and body weight dissatisfaction (BWD) between Nutrition and Exercise Science majors, compared to students outside of these career pathways. Participants (n = 89) were divided into three groups based on major; Nutrition majors (NUTR; n = 31), Exercise Science majors (EXSC; n = 30), and other majors (CON; n = 28). Participants were given the EAT-26 questionnaire and the Exercise Dependence Scale. BWD was calculated as the discrepancy between actual BMI and ideal BMI. The majority of participants expressed a desire to weigh less (83%) and EXSC had significantly (p = .03) greater BWD than NUTR. However, there were no significant differences in eating disorder risk or exercise dependence among majors. This study suggested there was no significant difference in eating disorder risk or exercise dependence between the three groups (NUTR, EXSC, and CON).

  4. Eating disorder risk, exercise dependence, and body weight dissatisfaction among female nutrition and exercise science university majors

    PubMed Central

    Harris, Natalie; Gee, David; D’Acquisto, Debra; Ogan, Dana; Pritchett, Kelly

    2015-01-01

    Background and Aims Past research has examined eating disorder risk among college students majoring in Nutrition and has suggested an increased risk, while other studies contradict these results. Exercise Science majors, however, have yet to be fully examined regarding their risk for eating disorders and exercise dependence. Based on pressures to fit the image associated with careers related to these two disciplines, research is warranted to examine the potential risk for both eating disorder and exercise dependence. The purpose of this study is to compare eating disorder risk, exercise dependence, and body weight dissatisfaction (BWD) between Nutrition and Exercise Science majors, compared to students outside of these career pathways. Methods Participants (n = 89) were divided into three groups based on major; Nutrition majors (NUTR; n = 31), Exercise Science majors (EXSC; n = 30), and other majors (CON; n = 28). Participants were given the EAT-26 questionnaire and the Exercise Dependence Scale. BWD was calculated as the discrepancy between actual BMI and ideal BMI. Results The majority of participants expressed a desire to weigh less (83%) and EXSC had significantly (p = .03) greater BWD than NUTR. However, there were no significant differences in eating disorder risk or exercise dependence among majors. Discussion and Conclusions This study suggested there was no significant difference in eating disorder risk or exercise dependence between the three groups (NUTR, EXSC, and CON). PMID:26551912

  5. A Collaborative Effort to Increase Enrollment and Retention in Geoscience Majors in North Carolina

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thomas, C. J.; Fountain, J. C.; Bartek, C. S.; Tang, G.

    2004-12-01

    Under an NSF Opportunities for Enhancement of Diversity in Geosciences grant, the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University partnered with NC A&T University, a HBCU, to implement a multi-faceted effort to increase enrollment and retention in geoscience majors, with particular emphasis on under represented groups. New student recruitment is facilitated by a trained graduate student who visits high schools and presents a multi-media presentation on research at NCSU and career opportunities in the geosciences. Interested high school students are then invited to participate in a hands-on, summer science camp. Community college students are recruited through a new introductory geology course developed for and offered at Robeson Community College (77% of students from under represented groups). NC A&T has developed a track in their physics curriculum to prepare students for a geophysics career. The track includes a planned semester in residence at NCSU. Students who choose to enroll at NCSU, register for an introductory course developed as part of our NSF STEP grant, Environmental Issues in Water Resources, during which geoscience careers are highlighted and in-class research focuses on a local watershed. The emphasis on undergraduate research continues with Environmental Geology, an upper division course in which the entire class studies water and sediment contamination on local watersheds. All courses developed build upon our physics department's successful model of integrating lectures and laboratories and engaging first-year students in group-oriented, undergraduate research (http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/physics_ed/). Following the group research courses, advanced undergraduate students are placed in traditional research labs with faculty mentors while participating in a career development seminar in which research methods, proposal writing and presentation skills are introduced. Tutoring and mentoring programs provide support for all majors. Formative assessment is ongoing, including pre and post surveys to assess course effectiveness and changes in attitudes toward science.

  6. Increasing Persistence in Undergraduate Science Majors: A Model for Institutional Support of Underrepresented Students

    PubMed Central

    Toven-Lindsey, Brit; Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Barber, Paul H.; Hasson, Tama

    2015-01-01

    The 6-yr degree-completion rate of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at U.S. colleges and universities is less than 40%. Persistence among women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), including African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students, is even more troubling, as these students leave STEM majors at significantly higher rates than their non-URM peers. This study utilizes a matched comparison group design to examine the academic achievement and persistence of students enrolled in the Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences (PEERS), an academic support program at the University of California, Los Angeles, for first- and second-year science majors from underrepresented backgrounds. Results indicate that PEERS students, on average, earned higher grades in most “gatekeeper” chemistry and math courses, had a higher cumulative grade point average, completed more science courses, and persisted in a science major at significantly higher rates than the comparison group. With its holistic approach focused on academics, counseling, creating a supportive community, and exposure to research, the PEERS program serves as an excellent model for universities interested in and committed to improving persistence of underrepresented science majors and closing the achievement gap. PMID:25828403

  7. Reserve Component Attitude Study Wave V. 1982 Tracking Study. Volume 1. Major Findings and Implications.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-05-01

    by block number) FIELD GROUP SUB-GROUP Military/Manpower/Reserve Force/Recruiting Market/ 05 09 Research / Non -prior service/Prior Service/Male/Female...7 RD-R149 32 RESERVE COMPONENT ATTITUDE STUDY WAVE V 1982 TRACKING L/~STUDY VOLUME ± MAJO..(U) AS OCIATES FOR RESEARCH INBEHAVIOR INC PHILADELPHIA PA... RESEARCH IN BEHAVIOR, INC.) PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA .2A~* -ION4 STA~EMEwzw AK Apploved fat public telecoo, DiatiLi]tion Unlimited -- .- .. ..i- -- k

  8. Peer Learning Group among College Voice Majors: Collaborative Inquiry Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jung, Joo Yeon

    2013-01-01

    This collaborative inquiry case study investigated a pre-existing peer learning group composed of five Korean college voice students and a non-musician facilitator. The group was chosen for this research to understand the implications of a diversified learning context in addition to the typical master-apprenticeship context of higher music…

  9. Biotechnology in the southern research station: a problem analysis

    Treesearch

    F.E. Bridgwater; C.D. Nelson

    2006-01-01

    We provide an analysis of opportunities and challenges for biotechnology in forest research in the southern United States. Four major areas of biotechnology were identified and described and then rated for priority among three groups of researchers—private sector, public sector, and the USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station (SRS). The four areas of...

  10. How to Improve Students' Comprehension Concerning the Major Terms of Functional Groups?--In the Experiment of OrCheTaboo Game

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akkuzu, Nalan; Uyulgan, Melis Arzu

    2016-01-01

    In this research, for an effective learning of concepts in the scope of functional groups in organic chemistry, it has been developed as "Organic Chemistry Taboo (OrCheTaboo)" which is an educational activity by the researchers. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the game OrCheTaboo on learning of concepts related to…

  11. A scoping review of qualitative research in peer-reviewed dental publications.

    PubMed

    Gussy, M; Dickson-Swift, V; Adams, J

    2013-08-01

    Qualitative research designs are being used increasingly in dental research. This paper describes the extent and range of dental research in which qualitative methods have been employed as well as the techniques of data collection and analysis preferred by dental researchers. A scoping review was conducted to locate studies published in dental journals, which reported the use of qualitative methods. Data concerning the focus of the research and the reported qualitative techniques were extracted. Studies included in the review totalled 197. The majority of qualitative research captured in this scoping study focussed on three main areas: dental education, professional dental and dental educators' activities and experiences and the patient/public perceptions. Interviews and focus group discussions were the most commonly selected techniques for data collection. The majority of the studies included in the scoping review had a focus on education of dental professionals the activities of dental professionals or the reported perceptions of or experiences with dental services by patients or members of the public. Little research was located, which explored peoples' personal experience of dental conditions. Research reported in dental publications has a heavy bias towards the use of focus groups and interview data collection techniques. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  12. Involving citizens in priority setting for public health research: Implementation in infection research.

    PubMed

    Rawson, Timothy M; Castro-Sánchez, Enrique; Charani, Esmita; Husson, Fran; Moore, Luke S P; Holmes, Alison H; Ahmad, Raheelah

    2018-02-01

    Public sources fund the majority of UK infection research, but citizens currently have no formal role in resource allocation. To explore the feasibility and willingness of citizens to engage in strategic decision making, we developed and tested a practical tool to capture public priorities for research. A scenario including six infection themes for funding was developed to assess citizen priorities for research funding. This was tested over two days at a university public festival. Votes were cast anonymously along with rationale for selection. The scenario was then implemented during a three-hour focus group exploring views on engagement in strategic decisions and in-depth evaluation of the tool. 188/491(38%) prioritized funding research into drug-resistant infections followed by emerging infections(18%). Results were similar between both days. Focus groups contained a total of 20 citizens with an equal gender split, range of ethnicities and ages ranging from 18 to >70 years. The tool was perceived as clear with participants able to make informed comparisons. Rationale for funding choices provided by voters and focus group participants are grouped into three major themes: (i) Information processing; (ii) Knowledge of the problem; (iii) Responsibility; and a unique theme within the focus groups (iv) The potential role of citizens in decision making. Divergent perceptions of relevance and confidence of "non-experts" as decision makers were expressed. Voting scenarios can be used to collect, en-masse, citizens' choices and rationale for research priorities. Ensuring adequate levels of citizen information and confidence is important to allow deployment in other formats. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Diverse Pathways of Psychology Majors: Vocational Interests, Self-Efficacy, and Intentions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rottinghaus, Patrick J.; Gaffey, Abigail R.; Borgen, Fred H.; Ralston, Christopher A.

    2006-01-01

    The authors examine the differences in vocational interests and self-efficacy of 254 undergraduate psychology majors organized by 7 career intention groups (e.g., psychological research). The explanatory power of individual General Occupational Themes (GOTs), Basic Interest Scales (BISs), and Personal Style Scales (PPSs) of the Strong Interest…

  14. A summary of major activities of the UNH and NRL groups

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chupp, E. L.

    1988-01-01

    The major activities of the SMM GRS team members at the University of New Hampshire and the Naval Research Laboratory since the last semi-annual report are summarized. An updated list of published papers and invited papers or contributed papers presented at scientific meetings is provided.

  15. Exploring the Research Mindset and Information-Seeking Behaviors of Undergraduate Music Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Joe C.; Johnstone, Jennifer

    2018-01-01

    This article examines the mindset and process of undergraduate music majors conducting research in their discipline. While working with students in a writing-intensive music history class, the authors conducted several surveys, focus groups, and task-based assessments. Results indicated that most were overconfident in their research abilities,…

  16. How to Increase Minority Participation in Educational Research and Development at Large Universities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, David G., Sr.

    Approaches to increasing minority group participation (women, Chicanos, Native Americans, and Blacks) in educational research and development at large universities are addressed. It is suggested that commitment by a college to increase minority participation in research should be indicated in its mission statement. One of the major problems has…

  17. National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research Survey Report, 2002.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Southwest Educational Development Lab., Austin, TX. National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research.

    This report focuses on three major areas of disability research information. Part 1 discusses findings from a series of online focus groups conducted from July 2001 through June 2002 that explored types of additional disability-related research information consumers would like to see. Of the total responses received, persons with a disability…

  18. Division of Computer Research Summary of Awards. Fiscal Year 1984.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Foundation, Washington, DC. Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

    Provided in this report are summaries of grants awarded by the National Science Foundation Division of Computer Research in fiscal year 1984. Similar areas of research are grouped (for the purposes of this report only) into these major categories: (1) computational mathematics; (2) computer systems design; (3) intelligent systems; (4) software…

  19. More Dialectical Thinking, Less Creativity? The Relationship between Dialectical Thinking Style and Creative Personality: The Case of China

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Hui; Wang, Fei-xue; Yang, Xiao-yang

    2015-01-01

    People use dialectical thinking to be holistic, reconcile contradictions, and emphasize changes when processing information and managing problems. Using a questionnaire survey, this study examined the relationship between dialectical thinking and creative personality in the Chinese culture, which encourages a holistic and collective thinking style. Undergraduates majoring in different subjects and adults in different professions were surveyed. The results showed that 1) compared with undergraduates majoring in art and adults from the design industry, undergraduates majoring in other disciplines significantly showed the least creative personality; 2) the highest score for dialectical thinking was found in the group of undergraduates who majored in other disciplines, followed by the adult group, and the undergraduates majoring in art had the lowest score; and 3) A negative relationship between dialectical thinking and creative personality was found mostly in the UMA group. The limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed. PMID:25856372

  20. Iconic Meaning in Music: An Event-Related Potential Study.

    PubMed

    Cai, Liman; Huang, Ping; Luo, Qiuling; Huang, Hong; Mo, Lei

    2015-01-01

    Although there has been extensive research on the processing of the emotional meaning of music, little is known about other aspects of listeners' experience of music. The present study investigated the neural correlates of the iconic meaning of music. Event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded while a group of 20 music majors and a group of 20 non-music majors performed a lexical decision task in the context of implicit musical iconic meaning priming. ERP analysis revealed a significant N400 effect of congruency in time window 260-510 ms following the onset of the target word only in the group of music majors. Time-course analysis using 50 ms windows indicated significant N400 effects both within the time window 410-460 ms and 460-510 ms for music majors, whereas only a partial N400 effect during time window 410-460 ms was observed for non-music majors. There was also a trend for the N400 effects in the music major group to be stronger than those in the non-major group in the sub-windows of 310-360 ms and 410-460 ms. Especially in the sub-window of 410-460 ms, the topographical map of the difference waveforms between congruent and incongruent conditions revealed different N400 distribution between groups; the effect was concentrated in bilateral frontal areas for music majors, but in central-parietal areas for non-music majors. These results imply probable neural mechanism differences underlying automatic iconic meaning priming of music. Our findings suggest that processing of the iconic meaning of music can be accomplished automatically and that musical training may facilitate the understanding of the iconic meaning of music.

  1. Iconic Meaning in Music: An Event-Related Potential Study

    PubMed Central

    Luo, Qiuling; Huang, Hong; Mo, Lei

    2015-01-01

    Although there has been extensive research on the processing of the emotional meaning of music, little is known about other aspects of listeners’ experience of music. The present study investigated the neural correlates of the iconic meaning of music. Event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded while a group of 20 music majors and a group of 20 non-music majors performed a lexical decision task in the context of implicit musical iconic meaning priming. ERP analysis revealed a significant N400 effect of congruency in time window 260-510 ms following the onset of the target word only in the group of music majors. Time-course analysis using 50 ms windows indicated significant N400 effects both within the time window 410-460 ms and 460-510 ms for music majors, whereas only a partial N400 effect during time window 410-460 ms was observed for non-music majors. There was also a trend for the N400 effects in the music major group to be stronger than those in the non-major group in the sub-windows of 310-360ms and 410-460ms. Especially in the sub-window of 410-460 ms, the topographical map of the difference waveforms between congruent and incongruent conditions revealed different N400 distribution between groups; the effect was concentrated in bilateral frontal areas for music majors, but in central-parietal areas for non-music majors. These results imply probable neural mechanism differences underlying automatic iconic meaning priming of music. Our findings suggest that processing of the iconic meaning of music can be accomplished automatically and that musical training may facilitate the understanding of the iconic meaning of music. PMID:26161561

  2. Claims about the Reliability of Student Evaluations of Instruction: The Ecological Fallacy Rides Again

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morley, Donald D.

    2012-01-01

    The vast majority of the research on student evaluation of instruction has assessed the reliability of groups of courses and yielded either a single reliability coefficient for the entire group, or grouped reliability coefficients for each student evaluation of teaching (SET) item. This manuscript argues that these practices constitute a form of…

  3. Item Construction Using Reflective, Formative, or Rasch Measurement Models: Implications for Group Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Christina Hamme; Gischlar, Karen L.; Peterson, N. Andrew

    2017-01-01

    Measures that accurately capture the phenomenon are critical to research and practice in group work. The vast majority of group-related measures were developed using the reflective measurement model rooted in classical test theory (CTT). Depending on the construct definition and the measure's purpose, the reflective model may not always be the…

  4. Urban and Rural Chinese Adolescents' Judgments and Reasoning about Personal and Group Jurisdiction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helwig, Charles C.; Yang, Shaogang; Tan, Dingliang; Liu, Chunqiong; Shao, Tiffany

    2011-01-01

    This research applied social domain theory to illuminate reasoning about the perceived legitimacy and limits of group decision making (majority rule) among adolescents from urban and rural China (N = 160). Study 1 revealed that adolescents from both urban and rural China judged group decision making as acceptable for both social conventional and…

  5. Mixed Methods in Education Research. IES Technical Working Group Meeting. Meeting Summary (Washington, DC, May 29, 2015)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Institute of Education Sciences, 2015

    2015-01-01

    This meeting summary is organized into two major sections. The first section captures the individual contribution of meeting participants, including both Institute of Education Sciences (IES) staff and the invited technical working group members. The second section captures themes that arose during the group discussions, which were organized…

  6. A Research Preparatory Program for First-Year College Students: Student Selection and Preparation Lead to Persistence in Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baiduc, Rachael R.; Drane, Denise; Beitel, Greg J.; Flores, Luke C.

    2017-01-01

    Undergraduate research experiences may increase persistence in STEM majors. We describe a research program that targets first-year students selected for their curiosity and attitudes towards science. We explain the implementation of the program over 3 years and present evaluation data using a group of matched controls. Participants and controls…

  7. Pedagogy and Interactive White Board Technology Integration in Higher Education Institutions: Computer-Based Teaching Scenario Protoypes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Qirim, Nabeel; Mesmari, Ahlam; Mazroeei, Khawlah; Khatri, Shamma; Kaabi, Zuwainah

    2017-01-01

    This research is part of a research trilogy that investigated issues impacting Interactive White Board Technology (IWBT) adoption and use in a higher education institution. The other two research studies in this trilogy used (1) focus group approach and (2) survey research to identify such impacting factors. One major insight from these two…

  8. Multiple attachments and group psychotherapy: implications for college counseling centers.

    PubMed

    Marmarosh, Cheri L

    2009-10-01

    A large body of literature has supported the application of attachment theory to the understanding of college student development and the process of individual psychotherapy. Despite group treatment being one of the major methods of intervention in college counseling centers, there has been very little research guided by attachment theory that has been applied to the area of group psychotherapy. Many current assessment instruments used in college counseling centers can be supported with attachment theory, and many group therapy interventions are aimed at facilitating secure working models of self, other, and groups. This paper explores the importance of personal and group attachments in group psychotherapy and specifically addresses implications for clinical training and research in university counseling centers.

  9. Analyzing data from open enrollment groups: current considerations and future directions.

    PubMed

    Morgan-Lopez, Antonio A; Fals-Stewart, William

    2008-07-01

    Difficulties in modeling turnover in treatment-group membership have been cited as one of the major impediments to ecological validity of substance abuse and alcoholism treatment research. In this review, our primary foci are on (a) the discussion of approaches that draw on state-of-the-science analytic methods for modeling open-enrollment group data and (b) highlighting emerging issues that are critical to this relatively new area of methodological research (e.g., quantifying membership change, modeling "holiday" effects, and modeling membership change among group members and leaders). Continuing refinement of new modeling tools to address these analytic complexities may ultimately lead to the development of more federally funded open-enrollment trials. These developments may also facilitate the building of a "community-friendly" treatment research portfolio for funding agencies that support substance abuse and alcoholism treatment research.

  10. Balancing Computer Resources with Institutional Needs. AIR Forum Paper 1978.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McLaughlin, Gerald W.; And Others

    To estimate computer needs at a higher education institution, the major types of users and their future needs should be determined. In a large or complex university, three major groups of users are typically instructional, research, and administrative. After collecting information on the needs of these users, the needs can be translated into…

  11. Investigating Language Learning Strategies of EFL Children for the Development of a Taxonomy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gürsoy, Esim

    2010-01-01

    As a still growing area, Language Learning Strategies (LLS) research needs to expand so that it covers different contexts and age groups. Previous research shows that most of LLS research is conducted in ESL contexts and the majority looked into strategies of adolescents and adults. Consequently, strategy taxonomies as well as the inventories…

  12. Teaching Historical Research Skills to Generation Y: One Instructor's Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thaler, Valerie S.

    2013-01-01

    In this article, the author offers a summary of the major research assignment she has developed for HIST 100, as well as the successes and struggles she has had along the way. The project requires students to experience research as a difficult process that demands their patience, perseverance, and assiduousness. Group work in class clearly plays…

  13. The use of control groups in music therapy research: a content analysis of articles in the Journal of Music Therapy.

    PubMed

    Jones, Jennifer D

    2006-01-01

    The use of a control group is fundamental to experimental research design, though the use with clinical populations must be carefully considered. The purpose of this research was to examine the use of control groups in research with clinical and nonclinical populations published in Journal of Musical Therapy from 1964 through 2004. Criteria for inclusion were music or music therapy as an independent variable applied to one or more groups and at least one control group that did not receive a music treatment. Control groups were qualified as alternative treatment, placebo, no contact, and treatment as usual. Of the 692 articles, 94 met these criteria, 62 clinical and 32 nonclinical, representing 13.5% of the publications. Results indicated that research with clinical populations involved a mean of 38.1 subjects typically divided into two groups, an experimental and a control group. The pretest-posttest design was the most common (55%) as was a treatment as usual control group (45%). These design methods maximized the impact of the experimental music treatment on outcome. Experimental music groups significantly improved over control groups in the vast majority of studies identified. Undoubtedly, the foundation for evidence-based clinical practice is firm.

  14. INTERAGENCY PROGRAM IN ENERGY-RELATED HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS RESEARCH. PROJECT STATUS REPORT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Projects reported in this document are grouped under one of four major research areas. The first area is identification of hazardous agents associated with non-nuclear energy technologies. These projects involved the development of qualitative methods for the identification of ha...

  15. Group Work and the Impact, if Any, of the Use of Google Applications for Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maqbool, Jannat

    2016-01-01

    The use of group work in teaching practices has been well supported in educational theories however the researcher has experienced a number of issues or areas of concern in having students work in groups to complete a major assessment for a second year Project Management course at a leading polytechnic in New Zealand. Factors potentially…

  16. The Impact and Racial Identity on Academic Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mulzac, Anica Camela

    2012-01-01

    Research has shown that academic achievement among racial minority groups, particularly African Americans, and the majority Caucasian group is profoundly disproportionate. A number of variables have been shown to influence the academic achievement of students, such as stereotype threat, racial identity, and academic self-concept (Awad, 2007;…

  17. Comprehension Questioning Small Group Reading Instruction for Urban Students with Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Valerie

    2012-01-01

    It is evident from reading research that students with learning disabilities (LD) greatly benefit from teacher-student interactions during small group comprehension instruction (e.g., Berkeley, Scruggs, & Mastropieri, 2010). Given that questioning takes up the vast majority of instructional interactions between teachers and students (Chin,…

  18. Promoting public health research in BRICS through a multinational public health prize fund.

    PubMed

    Campbell, Michael

    2014-01-01

    This article proposes the establishment of a prize fund to incentivise public health research within the BRICS association, which comprises the five major emerging world economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This would stimulate cooperative healthcare research within the group and, on the proviso that the benefits of the research are made freely available within the association, would be rewarding for researchers. The results of the research stimulated by the prize would provide beneficial new healthcare technologies, targeting the most vulnerable and needy groups. The proposed fund is consistent with current international patent law and would not only avoid some of the problems associated with the "Health Impact Fund", but also create a new model for healthcare research.

  19. African-American males in computer science---Examining the pipeline for clogs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stone, Daryl Bryant

    The literature on African-American males (AAM) begins with a statement to the effect that "Today young Black men are more likely to be killed or sent to prison than to graduate from college." Why are the numbers of African-American male college graduates decreasing? Why are those enrolled in college not majoring in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines? This research explored why African-American males are not filling the well-recognized industry need for Computer Scientist/Technologists by choosing college tracks to these careers. The literature on STEM disciplines focuses largely on women in STEM, as opposed to minorities, and within minorities, there is a noticeable research gap in addressing the needs and opportunities available to African-American males. The primary goal of this study was therefore to examine the computer science "pipeline" from the African-American male perspective. The method included a "Computer Science Degree Self-Efficacy Scale" be distributed to five groups of African-American male students, to include: (1) fourth graders, (2) eighth graders, (3) eleventh graders, (4) underclass undergraduate computer science majors, and (5) upperclass undergraduate computer science majors. In addition to a 30-question self-efficacy test, subjects from each group were asked to participate in a group discussion about "African-American males in computer science." The audio record of each group meeting provides qualitative data for the study. The hypotheses include the following: (1) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between fourth and eighth graders. (2) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between eighth and eleventh graders. (3) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between eleventh graders and lower-level computer science majors. (4) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between lower-level computer science majors and upper-level computer science majors. (5) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between each of the five groups of students. Finally, the researcher selected African-American male students attending six primary schools, including the predominately African-American elementary, middle and high school that the researcher attended during his own academic career. Additionally, a racially mixed elementary, middle and high school was selected from the same county in Maryland. Bowie State University provided both the underclass and upperclass computer science majors surveyed in this study. Of the five hypotheses, the sample provided enough evidence to support the claim that there are significant differences in the "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between each of the five groups of students. ANOVA analysis by question and total self-efficacy scores provided more results of statistical significance. Additionally, factor analysis and review of the qualitative data provide more insightful results. Overall, the data suggest 'a clog' may exist in the middle school level and students attending racially mixed schools were more confident in their computer, math and science skills. African-American males admit to spending lots of time on social networking websites and emailing, but are 'dis-aware' of the skills and knowledge needed to study in the computing disciplines. The majority of the subjects knew little, if any, AAMs in the 'computing discipline pipeline'. The collegian African-American males, in this study, agree that computer programming is a difficult area and serves as a 'major clog in the pipeline'.

  20. Gender differences in neurological emergencies part II: a consensus summary and research agenda on traumatic brain injury.

    PubMed

    Wright, David W; Espinoza, Tamara R; Merck, Lisa H; Ratcliff, Jonathan J; Backster, Anika; Stein, Donald G

    2014-12-01

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. There is strong evidence that gender and sex play an important role across the spectrum of TBI, from pathophysiology to clinical care. In May 2014, Academic Emergency Medicine held a consensus conference "Gender-Specific Research in Emergency Care: Investigate, Understand, and Translate How Gender Affects Patient Outcomes." A TBI working group was formed to explore what was known about the influence of sex and gender on TBI and to identify gaps for future research. The findings resulted in four major recommendations to guide the TBI research agenda. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  1. Gender Differences in Neurological Emergencies Part II: A Consensus Summary and Research Agenda on Traumatic Brain Injury

    PubMed Central

    Wright, David W.; Espinoza, Tamara R.; Merck, Lisa H.; Ratcliff, Jonathan J.; Backster, Anika; Stein, Donald G.

    2015-01-01

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. There is strong evidence that gender and sex play an important role across the spectrum of TBI, from pathophysiology to clinical care. In May 2014, Academic Emergency Medicine held a consensus conference “Gender-Specific Research in Emergency Care: Investigate, Understand, and Translate How Gender Affects Patient Outcomes.” A TBI working group was formed to explore what was known about the influence of sex and gender on TBI and to identify gaps for future research. The findings resulted in four major recommendations to guide the TBI research agenda. PMID:25420582

  2. Bridging the Gap: Racial concordance as a strategy to increase African American participation in breast cancer research.

    PubMed

    Frierson, Georita M; Pinto, Bernardine M; Denman, Deanna C; Leon, Pierre A; Jaffe, Alex D

    2017-11-01

    Lack of African American females in breast cancer research has been receiving substantial attention. This study seeks to identify research perceptions and motivating factors needed to increase racial/ethnic minority participation in breast cancer research. A total of 57 African American women (Σ = 47.8 years), from Rhode Island and Texas, completed a questionnaire and focus group. While many participants were not breast cancer survivors, they reported knowledge of their racial group's risk for breast cancer. One major finding that could be seen as both a facilitator and barrier is racial concordance between participant and researcher. Cultural sensitivity and trust building is recommended to increase minority participation.

  3. Asian Network for Biological Sciences (ANBS).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asian Network for Biological Sciences.

    The Asian Network for Biological Sciences (ANBS) is a group of institutions, laboratories, research centers, and scholars who are willing to cooperate in programs and activities aimed at improving teaching and research in the biological sciences. This publication: (1) outlines ANBS aims and objectives; (2) describes major activities in the past;…

  4. Development of insect resistant sunflowers: Updates and challenges

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Entomology research of the sunflower research unit, USDA-ARS, in Fargo, ND, was discussed in a presentation to a group of producers, industry representatives, and scientists. There are 4 major insect pests for which we have no genetic resistance currently, and the goal of our work is to find genetic...

  5. Stakeholders' Perception of Sustainability Orientation within a Major Romanian University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dabija, Dan-Cristian; Postelnicu, Catalin; Dinu, Vasile; Mihaila, Alin

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The research attempts to aim to evaluate the perception that different stakeholder groups have of one of the largest and most important Romanian university with respect to its sustainability orientation. The exploratory empirical research reveals some important aspects which must be closely pursued and properly implemented by the…

  6. Differential Outcomes in Agency-Based Mental Health Care between Minority and Majority Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patterson, David A.; Dulmus, Catherine N.; Maguin, Eugene; Perkins, Jacob

    2016-01-01

    Background: Childhood mental health problems represent a significant public health concern globally. There is a converging discussion among researchers and practitioners alike that the research results of effectiveness studies are not fully generalizable and applicable to ethnoracial minority groups in real-world practice settings. Methods:…

  7. An Initial Analysis of Learning Styles Exhibited by High School Science Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Donelson, Frederick; Bensel, H.; Miller, D.; Seebode, S.; Ciardi, D. R.; Howell, S. B.

    2014-01-01

    Educational research magazines are filled with information on learning styles and how they affect the learning process, but few studies have been conducted to specifically look at learning styles exhibited by high school science students. This project attempted to obtain a general “snapshot” of learning styles found in the high school science classroom, and then compare that to one derived from a subgroup of highly motivated science students involved in a NITARP student team. Control students (N=54) from elective science courses at four high schools (urban, suburban, and rural) were administered the Felder Learning Style (FLS) assessment and rated on Likert scales in four learning constructs: Active/Reflective, Sensing/Intuitive, Visual/Verbal, and Sequential/Global. NITARP student team members (N=7) were given the FLS before project work began, and then re-tested approximately three months later, after project work concluded. Chi Square Analysis showed no clear significant difference between the general group and the NITARP group (p = .52). Both groups tended to be very visual and sequential, but more reflective than active. The results suggest several concerns that science teachers may need to address: (1) Research shows best practice science classes often are hands on, yet a majority of students are more reflective than active; (2) Big ideas tend to be better understood by global students, but a majority are more sequential; (3) Since a majority of students are visual, information given verbally may not be very effective. Further research is indicated for these areas of discontinuity. This research was conducted as part of the NASA/IPAC Training in Archival Research Project (NITARP) and was funded by NASA Astrophysics Data Program and Archive Outreach funds.

  8. Myositis registries and biorepositories: powerful tools to advance clinical, epidemiologic and pathogenic research.

    PubMed

    Rider, Lisa G; Dankó, Katalin; Miller, Frederick W

    2014-11-01

    Clinical registries and biorepositories have proven extremely useful in many studies of diseases, especially rare diseases. Given their rarity and diversity, the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, or myositis syndromes, have benefited from individual researchers' collections of cohorts of patients. Major efforts are being made to establish large registries and biorepositories that will allow many additional studies to be performed that were not possible before. Here, we describe the registries developed by investigators and patient support groups that are currently available for collaborative research purposes. We have identified 46 myositis research registries, including many with biorepositories, which have been developed for a wide variety of purposes and have resulted in great advances in understanding the range of phenotypes, clinical presentations, risk factors, pathogenic mechanisms, outcome assessment, therapeutic responses, and prognoses. These are now available for collaborative use to undertake additional studies. Two myositis patient registries have been developed for research, and myositis patient support groups maintain demographic registries with large numbers of patients available to be contacted for potential research participation. Investigator-initiated myositis research registries and biorepositories have proven extremely useful in understanding many aspects of these rare and diverse autoimmune diseases. These registries and biorepositories, in addition to those developed by myositis patient support groups, deserve continued support to maintain the momentum in this field as they offer major opportunities to improve understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of these diseases in cost-effective ways.

  9. Hazardous workplace review program in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Chang, Yi-Kuo; Chuang, Kuen-Yuan; Tseng, Jo-Ming; Lin, Fang-Chen; Su, Teh-Sheng

    2013-01-01

    In Taiwan, relevant mid-term plans and projects of mitigating occupational hazards have been launched in recent years in the hopes of lowering the incidence of occupational hazards. In light of the lack of objective methodologies for researches on issues pertaining occupational safety and health, this research aims to explore the priorities of safety and health issues through focal groups, expert questionnaires and interviews on relevant issues such as hazard installations identified in R181 Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Recommendation, 1993 proposed during the 18th World Congress on Safety and Health at work in Seoul 2008. Results revealed that distribute reports of major domestic/foreign occupational disasters to relevant sectors for the prevention of major accidents is needed, both from the importance and feasibility analysis. It is the only topic that scored over 4 points in average for expert and focal group consensus. Furthermore, the experts and focal groups came to consensus in the ranking of priority for 4 items, namely: 1) Installations containing/using large quantities of hazardous materials should be prioritized for inspection, 2) Incorporation of hazard installation review/inspection into OSH management system accreditation, 3) Impose operation shutdown as a means of penalty) and 4) Prioritize the promotion of preliminary PHA.

  10. Student Input, Student Involvement, and College Environment Factors Impacting the Choice of Academic Major.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coperthwaite, Corby A.; Knight, William E.

    This study investigated the ability of student inputs, student involvements, and college environments to predict seven groups of academic majors. The research was conducted using a sample of college sophomores extracted from High School and Beyond 1982 follow-up cohort, N=43,614 (weighted). Among the findings of the hierarchical discriminant…

  11. "Science Is Not My Thing": Exploring Deaf Non-Science Majors' Science Identities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gormally, Cara L.; Marchut, Amber

    2017-01-01

    Students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing are underrepresented in science majors, yet we know little about why. Students from other underrepresented groups in science--women and people of color--tend to highly value altruistic or communal career goals, while perceiving science as uncommunal. Research suggests that holding stereotypical conceptions…

  12. Survey of Experience Using Reinforced Concrete in Floating Marine Structures.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-01-01

    organizations involved in materials research and testing . The second largest group consists of those involved in design, consulting, and construction...This distribution is consistent with the open literature where the majority of articles are concerned with materials research, testing , and design. Only...example, organizations involved in materials research, design, testing , and certification were visited in the Netherlands, France, Norway, Scotland, and

  13. Fiscal Year 1970 Work Program for the Department of the Army; Research and Development in Training, Motivation, and Leadership.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Human Resources Research Organization, Alexandria, VA.

    Activities (28 Work Units and six other research efforts) performed by the Human Resources Research Organization for the Department of the Army for Fiscal Year 1970 have been grouped by six major areas: individual training and performance; unit training and performance; training for leadership, command, and control; language and area training;…

  14. Research in Theoretical High-Energy Physics at Southern Methodist University

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

    Olness, Fredrick; Nadolsky, Pavel

    2016-08-05

    The SMU Theory group has developed a strong expertise in QCD, PDFs, and incisive comparisons between collider data and theory. The group pursues realistic phenomenological calculations for high-energy processes, the highly demanded research area driven by the LHC physics. Our field has seen major discoveries in recent years from a variety of experiments, large and small, including a number recognized by Nobel Prizes. There is a wealth of novel QCD data to explore. The SMU theory group develops the most advanced and innovative tools for comprehensive analysis in applications ranging from Higgs physics and new physics searches to nuclear scattering.

  15. Nursing research on a first aid model of double personnel for major burn patients.

    PubMed

    Wu, Weiwei; Shi, Kai; Jin, Zhenghua; Liu, Shuang; Cai, Duo; Zhao, Jingchun; Chi, Cheng; Yu, Jiaao

    2015-03-01

    This study explored the effect of a first aid model employing two nurses on the efficient rescue operation time and the efficient resuscitation time for major burn patients. A two-nurse model of first aid was designed for major burn patients. The model includes a division of labor between the first aid nurses and the re-organization of emergency carts. The clinical effectiveness of the process was examined in a retrospective chart review of 156 cases of major burn patients, experiencing shock and low blood volume, who were admitted to the intensive care unit of the department of burn surgery between November 2009 and June 2013. Of the 156 major burn cases, 87 patients who received first aid using the double personnel model were assigned to the test group and the 69 patients who received first aid using the standard first aid model were assigned to the control group. The efficient rescue operation time and the efficient resuscitation time for the patients were compared between the two groups. Student's t tests were used to the compare the mean difference between the groups. Statistically significant differences between the two groups were found on both measures (P's < 0.05), with the test group having lower times than the control group. The efficient rescue operation time was 14.90 ± 3.31 min in the test group and 30.42 ± 5.65 min in the control group. The efficient resuscitation time was 7.4 ± 3.2 h in the test group and 9.5 ± 2.7 h in the control group. A two-nurse first aid model based on scientifically validated procedures and a reasonable division of labor can shorten the efficient rescue operation time and the efficient resuscitation time for major burn patients. Given these findings, the model appears to be worthy of clinical application.

  16. The surfacing of past assessment strategies within interdisciplinary teams when encountering an open-ended assignment in an undergraduate sustainability course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hartman, K.; Dzulkifli, D. D. B.; Moynihan, M. A.; Salman, R.; Goodkin, N.

    2017-12-01

    267 undergraduate students in an interdisciplinary environmental sustainability course were divided into 66 groups for the duration of the semester. The formation of the groups proceeded by first assigning all of the science majors to groups in a random order. This was followed by assigning the engineering majors, the liberal arts majors, and finally the business majors in turn. After all of the students had been assigned to a group, every group had at least one engineering student and one science student. 11 groups had a liberal arts student but no business student. 26 groups had a business student but no liberal arts student. 29 groups were composed of students from all four majors. During the semester, the groups created an environmental action plan to address one of Singapore's major sustainability concerns: food. In service of the course's emphasis on interdisciplinary communication, the groups were required to create a video to support their environmental action plan. The evaluation method for the videos built on our prior work with rubrics (Hartman & Goodkin, 2016). While we provided a number of examples of videos communicating environmental action plans, students were not prescribed a particular format for their video. To the consternation of some students, the instructor deliberately left the video assessment open-ended. After the semester ended, a researcher coded all 66 videos for the food sustainability issues they identified, their proposed solutions, and their video approach. Approaches included animations, virtual handwriting/drawing, role-playing, PowerPoint presentations, and picture slideshows. Given the open-ended nature of the video project, we hypothesized that groups would converge on approaches that at least one team member was familiar with. We knew from prior work with the business school, that its students engage in role-play activities fairly frequently. Teams with a business major and without a liberal arts major adopted the role-play approach 23% of the time. Teams with both, exhibited the role-play approach 10% of the time. Teams without a business major did not exhibit the role-play approach. The differences in approach rates support the notion that students carry their repertoire of assessment practices with them to courses outside of their domain.

  17. A bibliometric analysis of digestive health research in Canada.

    PubMed

    Tuitt, Desiree; Knight, Frank; Lipman, Tara

    2011-11-01

    Measurement of the impact and influence of medical⁄scientific journals, and of individual researchers has become more widely practiced in recent decades. This is driven, in part, by the increased availability of data regarding citations of research articles, and by increased competition for research funding. Digestive disease research has been identified as a particularly strong discipline in Canada. The authors collected quantitative data on the impact and influence of Canadian digestive health research. The present study involved an analysis of the research impact (Hirsch factor) and research influence (Influence factor) of 106 digestive health researchers in Canada. Rankings of the top 25 researchers on the basis of the two metrics were dominated by the larger research groups at the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario), McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario), and the Universities of Calgary (Calgary, Alberta) and Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta), but with representation by other research groups at the Universities of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Western Ontario (London, Ontario) and McGill University (Montreal, Quebec). Female and male researchers had similar scores for the two metrics, as did basic scientists versus clinical investigators. Strategic recruitment, particularly of established investigators, can have a major impact on the ranking of research groups. Comparing these metrics over different time frames can provide insights into the vulnerabilities and strengths of research groups.

  18. The Search for Methods of Group Instruction as Effective as One-to-One Tutoring.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bloom, Benjamin S.

    1984-01-01

    Summarizes research exploring six solutions to the "2 sigma problem" of devising teaching-learning conditions that will enable the majority of students under group instruction to achieve at levels now possible only when students are tutored. Recommendations include using mastery learning, improving the home environment, and emphasizing higher…

  19. Re-Operationalizing Established Groups in Brainstorming: Validating Osborn's Claims

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levine, Kenneth J.; Heuett, Kyle B.; Reno, Katie M.

    2017-01-01

    Since the introduction of brainstorming as an idea-generation technique to address organizational problems, researchers have struggled to replicate some of the claims around the technique. One major concern has been the differences in the number of ideas generated between established groups as found in industry versus the non-established groups…

  20. 75 FR 74061 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Focus Groups as...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-30

    ..., motivations, and feelings than do quantitative studies. Focus groups serve the narrowly defined need for direct and informal opinion on a specific topic and as a qualitative research tool have three major... quantitative studies, To better understand consumers' attitudes and emotions in response to topics and concepts...

  1. Ethnic Attitudes of Minority Students and Their Contact with Majority Group Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thijs, Jochem; Verkuyten, Maykel

    2012-01-01

    Research on intergroup attitudes in children has focused on contact with out-group peers but neglected the role of adults. This cross-sectional self-report study examined the association between the ethnic attitudes of 174 minority (Turkish- and Moroccan-Dutch) preadolescents (ages 9-13) and the perceived interpersonal relationships with their…

  2. The role and importance of veterinary laboratories in the prevention and control of infectious diseases of animals.

    PubMed

    Truszczyński, M J

    1998-08-01

    Veterinary laboratories which deal with infectious diseases form three groups according to the tasks for which they are responsible. The first group includes central or national veterinary laboratories, national or international reference laboratories, high-security laboratories, district regional or state veterinary diagnostic laboratories. The major role of these laboratories is to assist national Veterinary Services in diagnosing infectious animal diseases. The second group comprises laboratories that produce veterinary diagnostic kits and those that produce veterinary vaccines. The third group is composed of veterinary research laboratories, which generally concentrate on basic research and do not contribute directly to the diagnosis and control of infectious animal diseases. The author describes the objectives of each of the three groups of laboratories.

  3. Reconnaissance of Near-Earth Objects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Binzel, Richard P.

    2002-01-01

    NASA sponsorship of asteroid research for this grant has resulted in 30 publications and major new results relating near-Earth asteroids to known meteorite groups, most especially ordinary chondrites. Analysis of observations continues.

  4. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of antidepressant treatment in primary health care: a six-month randomised study comparing fluoxetine to imipramine.

    PubMed

    Serrano-Blanco, A; Gabarron, E; Garcia-Bayo, I; Soler-Vila, M; Caramés, E; Peñarrubia-Maria, M T; Pinto-Meza, A; Haro, J M

    2006-04-01

    Over the past decade, studies of the effectiveness of pharmacological treatment for depression have often been based on research designs intended to measure efficacy, and for this reason the results are of limited generalizability. Research is needed comparing the clinical and economic outcomes of antidepressants in day-to-day clinical practice. A six-month randomised prospective naturalistic study comparing fluoxetine to imipramine carried out in three primary care health centres. Outcome measures were the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), direct costs, indirect costs and total costs. Subjects were evaluated at the beginning of treatment and at one, three and six months thereafter. Of the 103 patients, 38.8% (n = 40) were diagnosed with major depressive disorder, 14.6% (n = 15) with dysthymic disorder, and 46.6% (n = 48) with depressive disorder not otherwise specified. Patients with major depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder achieved similar clinical improvement in both treatment groups (mean MADRS ratings decrease in major depressive disorder from baseline to 6 months of 18.3 for imipramine and 18.8 for fluoxetine). For patients with major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder, the imipramine group had fewer treatment-associated costs (imipramine 469.66 Euro versus fluoxetine 1,585.93 Euro in major depressive disorder, p < 0.05; imipramine 175.39 Euro versus fluoxetine 2,929.36 Euro in dysthymic disorder, p < 0.05). The group with depressive disorder not otherwise specified did not experience statistically significant differences in clinical and costs outcomes between treatment groups. Exclusion criteria, participating physicians may not represent GPs. In a primary care context, imipramine may represent a more cost-effective treatment option than fluoxetine for treating major depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder. There were no differences in cost-effectiveness in the treatment of depressive disorder not otherwise specified.

  5. Focused Molding Using Adhesive Pads in Mehta Casting for Early-Onset Scoliosis.

    PubMed

    Abraham, Roby; Sponseller, Paul D

    2014-11-01

    Prospective clinical series. To determine the effect of adhesive pads placed over the apex of scoliosis curves on curve correction 1) after the first cast and 2) after the final cast. Early-onset scoliosis is often effectively managed by serial casting. Properly localizing the apex of the molds with the cast in place is challenging. The authors explored the effectiveness of a novel technique: incorporation of adhesive pads placed over the major curve apex before Mehta casting. The 27 patients who received body casts (2000-2013) were divided into 2 groups: those without and with apical adhesive pads (5-6 layers of pads placed on the major curve's apex during casting): non-pad (NP) group (n = 12) and pad (P) group (n = 15), respectively. Groups were compared regarding the percentage of Cobb angle change from the first cast and curve correction to a Cobb angle of <25° with Student t and chi-square tests (significance was p < .05). The mean percentage of major first-cast curve correction was 39% ± 18% and 56% ± 17% in the NP and P groups, respectively. Of the 26 patients out of a cast, 11 (42%) had a Cobb angle of <25°: 3 (25%) and 8 (57%) in the NP and P groups, respectively. The mean differences between the 2 groups in percentage of major curve correction and this Cobb angle correction were significant: p = .023 and .005, respectively. Adhesive pads placed over major curve(s) during Mehta casting were effective in increasing the amount of major curve correction from the first cast for idiopathic early-onset scoliosis and in decreasing curves to <25° at final follow-up. Copyright © 2014 Scoliosis Research Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Engaging Urban Parents of Early Adolescents in Parenting Interventions: Home Visits vs. Group Sessions.

    PubMed

    Finigan-Carr, Nadine M; Copeland-Linder, Nikeea; Haynie, Denise L; Cheng, Tina L

    2014-01-01

    Interventions targeting parents of young children have shown effectiveness, but research is lacking about best practices for engaging parents of early adolescents. Low levels of enrollment and attendance in parenting interventions present major problems for researchers and clinicians. Effective and efficient ways to engage and collaborate with parents to strengthen parenting practices and to promote healthy development of early adolescents are needed. This exploratory mixed methods study examined the feasibility of three methods of engaging parents in positive parenting activities. Participants were parents of youth ages 11-13 enrolled in three urban, public middle schools in neighborhoods characterized by high rates of community violence. Families ( N = 144) were randomized into one of three interventions: six home sessions, two home sessions followed by four group sessions, or six group sessions. The majority of parents were single, non-Hispanic, African American mothers. Urban parents of middle school students were more likely to participate in home visits than in group sessions; offering a combination did not increase participation in the group sessions. As only 34% of those who consented participated in the intervention, qualitative data were examined to explain the reasons for non-participation.

  7. Engaging Urban Parents of Early Adolescents in Parenting Interventions: Home Visits vs. Group Sessions

    PubMed Central

    Finigan-Carr, Nadine M.; Copeland-Linder, Nikeea; Haynie, Denise L.; Cheng, Tina L.

    2016-01-01

    Interventions targeting parents of young children have shown effectiveness, but research is lacking about best practices for engaging parents of early adolescents. Low levels of enrollment and attendance in parenting interventions present major problems for researchers and clinicians. Effective and efficient ways to engage and collaborate with parents to strengthen parenting practices and to promote healthy development of early adolescents are needed. This exploratory mixed methods study examined the feasibility of three methods of engaging parents in positive parenting activities. Participants were parents of youth ages 11–13 enrolled in three urban, public middle schools in neighborhoods characterized by high rates of community violence. Families (N = 144) were randomized into one of three interventions: six home sessions, two home sessions followed by four group sessions, or six group sessions. The majority of parents were single, non-Hispanic, African American mothers. Urban parents of middle school students were more likely to participate in home visits than in group sessions; offering a combination did not increase participation in the group sessions. As only 34% of those who consented participated in the intervention, qualitative data were examined to explain the reasons for non-participation. PMID:27122960

  8. The "Wallpaper Effect" Revisited: Divergent Findings on the Effects of Intergroup Contact on Attitudes in Diverse Versus Nondiverse Contexts.

    PubMed

    Schmid, Katharina; Wölfer, Ralf; Swart, Herman; Christ, Oliver; Al Ramiah, Ananthi; Vertovec, Steven; Hewstone, Miles

    2017-09-01

    This article reexamines the so-called "wallpaper effect" of intergroup contact, which contends that for minority group members living in areas more densely populated by majority group members, intergroup contact fails to reduce prejudice. We tested this claim in five studies, using data from five countries, two types of contexts, a range of measures, and involving different minority versus majority groups. Using multilevel cross-level interaction models, we considered whether effects of contact on outgroup attitudes were moderated by relative outgroup size. Results failed to replicate the previously reported findings, revealing, by and large, nonsignificant cross-level moderation effects; instead, we witnessed consistent positive contact effects on attitudes. Findings are discussed against the backdrop of recent research on the consequences of diversity, as well as context-based considerations regarding minority versus majority constellations. We also discuss some exceptions to our findings that emerged for some respondent groups and contexts across the five studies.

  9. Reformulating General Engineering and Biological Systems Engineering Programs at Virginia Tech

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lohani, Vinod K.; Wolfe, Mary Leigh; Wildman, Terry; Mallikarjunan, Kumar; Connor, Jeffrey

    2011-01-01

    In 2004, a group of engineering and education faculty at Virginia Tech received a major curriculum reform and engineering education research grant under the department-level reform (DLR) program of the NSF. This DLR project laid the foundation of sponsored research in engineering education in the Department of Engineering Education. The DLR…

  10. Engaging Urban Parents of Early Adolescents in Parenting Interventions: Home Visits vs. Group Sessions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Finigan-Carr, Nadine M.; Copeland-Linder, Nikeea; Haynie, Denise L.; Cheng, Tina L.

    2014-01-01

    Interventions targeting parents of young children have shown effectiveness, but research is lacking about best practices for engaging parents of early adolescents. Low levels of enrollment and attendance in parenting interventions present major problems for researchers and clinicians. Effective and efficient ways to engage and collaborate with…

  11. The Use of Television in Adult Education; Research Evidence and Theoretical Considerations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zettl, Herbert Lorenz

    This study sought to detect major trends and areas in the use of television in adult education and to suggest useful generalizations. Research studies were grouped by program source, educational method, program format, production techniques, program reception, and viewer reaction. These communication categories were then correlated, with the…

  12. Research: Annotated Bibliography of New Canadian Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toronto Board of Education (Ontario). Research Dept.

    This annotated bibliography of twenty-one research reports that provide knowledge about various cultures and educational experiences of the major ethnic groups in the Toronto schools is designed to present information for not only special English teachers, but other school personnel as well. The bibliography consists of reports that aim to: 1)…

  13. Collecting and describing macrofungi

    Treesearch

    D. Jean Lodge; Joseph F. Ammirati; Thomas E. O' Dell; Gregory M. Mueller

    2004-01-01

    Before initiating a survey or a monitoring program of any group of organisms in an area, an investigator should carry out some preliminary background research. Essential materials for the research include maps of the area and descriptions of its climate, geology, and vegetation. Learning to recognize the woody plant species and major plant associations likely to be...

  14. Brain Activity Associated with Logical Inferences in Geometry: Focusing on Students with Different Levels of Ability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waisman, Ilana; Leikin, Mark; Leikin, Roza

    2016-01-01

    Mathematical processing associated with solving short geometry problems requiring logical inference was examined among students who differ in their levels of general giftedness (G) and excellence in mathematics (EM) using ERP research methodology. Sixty-seven male adolescents formed four major research groups designed according to various…

  15. Myositis registries and biorepositories: powerful tools to advance clinical, epidemiologic and pathogenic research

    PubMed Central

    Rider, Lisa G.; Dankó, Katalin; Miller, Frederick W.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose of review Clinical registries and biorepositories have proven extremely useful in many studies of diseases, especially rare diseases. Given their rarity and diversity, the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, or myositis syndromes, have benefited from individual researchers’ collections of cohorts of patients. Major efforts are being made to establish large registries and biorepositories that will allow many additional studies to be performed that were not possible before. Here we describe the registries developed by investigators and patient support groups that are currently available for collaborative research purposes. Recent findings We have identified 46 myositis research registries, including many with biorepositories, which have been developed for a wide variety of purposes and have resulted in great advances in understanding the range of phenotypes, clinical presentations, risk factors, pathogenic mechanisms, outcome assessment, therapeutic responses, and prognoses. These are now available for collaborative use to undertake additional studies. Two myositis patient registries have been developed for research, and myositis patient support groups maintain demographic registries with large numbers of patients available to be contacted for potential research participation. Summary Investigator-initiated myositis research registries and biorepositories have proven extremely useful in understanding many aspects of these rare and diverse autoimmune diseases. These registries and biorepositories, in addition to those developed by myositis patient support groups, deserve continued support to maintain the momentum in this field as they offer major opportunities to improve understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of these diseases in cost-effective ways. PMID:25225838

  16. Rethinking Ovarian Cancer: Recommendations for Improving Outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Vaughan, Sebastian; Coward, Jermaine I.; Bast Jr., Robert C.; Berchuck, Andy; Berek, Jonathan S.; Brenton, James D.; Coukos, George; Crum, Christopher C.; Drapkin, Ronny; Etemadmoghadam, Dariush; Friedlander, Michael; Gabra, Hani; Kaye, Stan B.; Lord, Chris J.; Lengyel, Ernst; Levine, Douglas A.; McNeish, Iain A.; Menon, Usha; Mills, Gordon B.; Nephew, Kenneth P.; Oza, Amit M.; Sood, Anil K.; Stronach, Euan A.; Walczak, Henning; Bowtell, David D.; Balkwill, Frances R.

    2012-01-01

    There have been major advances in our understanding of the cellular and molecular biology of the human malignancies collectively referred to as ovarian cancer. At a recent Helene Harris Memorial Trust meeting, an international group of researchers considered actions that should be taken to improve the outcome for women with ovarian cancer. Nine major recommendations are outlined in this Perspective. PMID:21941283

  17. Exploring the Nature and Reasons for Sexual Violence within Marriage among Young Women in Nepal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puri, Mahesh; Shah, Iqbal; Tamang, Jyotsna

    2010-01-01

    Sexual violence within marriage (SVWM) is a major public health and human right issue and yet remains a much neglected research area, especially in Nepal. An exploratory study using free listing, in-depth case histories and causal flow analysis was conducted among two major ethnic groups in Nepal. Descriptive data collected from free listing…

  18. The History and Contributions of the Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group of North America (1997-2015).

    PubMed

    Rosen, Julie A; Langer, Oded; Reece, E Albert; Miodovnik, Menachem

    2016-11-01

    The Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group of North America (DPSG-NA) was founded in 1997 in San Antonio, Texas, out of the recognition that the field of maternal-fetal medicine should support and conduct research to address the specialized needs of pregnant women with type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes mellitus. Since its inception, the DPSG-NA meetings have become a vehicle for the dissemination of data, gathered through collaboration among basic, translational, and clinical researchers and care centers, both in the United States and abroad. Although the meetings cover a range of topics related to diabetes in pregnancy, they have often highlighted a major, timely issue. Utilizing presentations, roundtable discussions, and debates, members of the DPSG-NA discussed the latest research, treatments, and approaches to significantly improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant women with diabetes and their offspring. The following commentary highlights the major contributions of each meeting. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  19. Conducting Science in Disasters: Recommendations from the NIEHS Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research.

    PubMed

    Packenham, Joan P; Rosselli, Richard T; Ramsey, Steve K; Taylor, Holly A; Fothergill, Alice; Slutsman, Julia; Miller, Aubrey

    2017-09-25

    Research involving human subjects after public health emergencies and disasters may pose ethical challenges. These challenges may include concerns about the vulnerability of prospective disaster research participants, increased research burden among disaster survivors approached by multiple research teams, and potentially reduced standards in the ethical review of research by institutional review boards (IRBs) due to the rush to enter the disaster field. The NIEHS Best Practices Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research was formed to identify and address ethical and regulatory challenges associated with the review of disaster research. The working group consists of a diverse collection of disaster research stakeholders across a broad spectrum of disciplines. The working group convened in July 2016 to identify recommendations that are instrumental in preparing IRBs to review protocols related to public health emergencies and disasters. The meeting included formative didactic presentations and facilitated breakout discussions using disaster-related case studies. Major thematic elements from these discussions were collected and documented into 15 working group recommendations, summarized in this article, that address topics such as IRB disaster preparedness activities, informed consent, vulnerable populations, confidentiality, participant burden, disaster research response integration and training, IRB roles/responsibilities, community engagement, and dissemination of disaster research results. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2378.

  20. Conducting Science in Disasters: Recommendations from the NIEHS Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research

    PubMed Central

    Rosselli, Richard T.; Ramsey, Steve K.; Taylor, Holly A.; Fothergill, Alice; Slutsman, Julia; Miller, Aubrey

    2017-01-01

    Summary: Research involving human subjects after public health emergencies and disasters may pose ethical challenges. These challenges may include concerns about the vulnerability of prospective disaster research participants, increased research burden among disaster survivors approached by multiple research teams, and potentially reduced standards in the ethical review of research by institutional review boards (IRBs) due to the rush to enter the disaster field. The NIEHS Best Practices Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research was formed to identify and address ethical and regulatory challenges associated with the review of disaster research. The working group consists of a diverse collection of disaster research stakeholders across a broad spectrum of disciplines. The working group convened in July 2016 to identify recommendations that are instrumental in preparing IRBs to review protocols related to public health emergencies and disasters. The meeting included formative didactic presentations and facilitated breakout discussions using disaster-related case studies. Major thematic elements from these discussions were collected and documented into 15 working group recommendations, summarized in this article, that address topics such as IRB disaster preparedness activities, informed consent, vulnerable populations, confidentiality, participant burden, disaster research response integration and training, IRB roles/responsibilities, community engagement, and dissemination of disaster research results. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2378 PMID:28949918

  1. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (20th, Raleigh, NC, October 31-November 3, 1998). Volume 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berenson, Sarah, Ed.; Dawkins, Karen, Ed.; Blanton, Maria, Ed.; Coulombe, Wendy, Ed.; Kolb, John, Ed.; Norwood, Karen, Ed.; Stiff, Lee, Ed.

    This conference proceedings contains three plenary session reports, 12 working group and 79 research reports, 35 short oral reports, 60 poster session reports, and two discussion group reports. Major papers (excluding "short orals" and "posters") include: (1) "Semantical Obstacles in Mathematics Understanding" (Carlos Arteaga and Manuel Santos);…

  2. Ethical and professional challenges posed by patients with genetic concerns: a report of focus group discussions with genetic counselors, physicians, and nurses.

    PubMed

    Veach, P M; Bartels, D M; LeRoy, B S

    2001-04-01

    Ninety-seven physicians, nurses, and genetic counselors from four regions within the United States participated in focus groups to identify the types of ethical and professional challenges that arise when their patients have genetic concerns. Responses were taped and transcribed and then analyzed using the Hill et al. (1997, Counsel Psychol 25:517-522) Consensual Qualitative Research method of analysis. Sixteen major ethical and professional domains and 63 subcategories were identified. Major domains are informed consent; withholding information; facing uncertainty; resource allocation; value conflicts, directiveness/nondirectiveness; determining the primary patient; professional identity issues; emotional responses; diversity issues; confidentiality; attaining/maintaining proficiency; professional misconduct; discrimination; colleague error; and documentation. Implications for practitioners who deal with genetic issues and recommendations for additional research are given.

  3. Systematic review: methodological flaws in racial/ethnic reporting for gastroesophageal reflux disease.

    PubMed

    Craven, M R; Kia, L; O'Dwyer, L C; Stern, E; Taft, T H; Keefer, L

    2018-03-01

    Health care disparities affecting the care of multiple disease groups are of growing concern internationally. Research guidelines, governmental institutions, and scientific journals have attempted to minimize disparities through policies regarding the collection and reporting of racial/ethnic data. One area where shortcomings remain is in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This systematic review, which adheres to the PRISMA statement, focuses on characterizing existing methodological weaknesses in research focusing on studies regarding the assessment, prevalence, treatment, and outcomes of GERD patients. Search terms included GERD and typical symptoms of GERD in ethnic groups or minorities. We reviewed 62 articles. The majority of studies did not report the race/ethnicity of all participants, and among those who did, very few followed accepted guidelines. While there were diverse participants, there was also diversity in the manner in which groups were labeled, making comparisons difficult. There appeared to be a disparity with respect to countries reporting race/ethnicity, with certain countries more likely to report this variable. Samples overwhelmingly consisted of the study country's majority population. The majority of studies justified the use of race/ethnicity as a study variable and investigated conceptually related factors such as socioeconomic status and environment. Yet, many studies wrote as if race/ethnicity reflected biological differences. Despite recommendations, it appears that GERD researchers around the world struggle with the appropriate and standard way to include, collect, report, and discuss race/ethnicity. Recommendations on ways to address these issues are included with the goal of preventing and identifying health care disparities.

  4. New and evolving rare diseases research programs at the National Institutes of Health.

    PubMed

    Groft, S C; Rubinstein, Y R

    2013-01-01

    Research emphasis on rare diseases and orphan products remains a major focus of the research Institutes and Centers of National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH provides more than USD 31 billion annually in biomedical research and research support. This research is the basis of many of the health advances in rare and common diseases. Numerous efforts and a major emphasis by the public and private sector initiatives have resulted in an increase of interventions and diagnostics for rare diseases. Newer translational research programs provide a more systematic and coordinated approach to rare diseases research and orphan products development. The approach that is offered requires extensive public-private partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry, contract research organizations, philanthropic foundations, medical and scientific advisory boards, patient advocacy groups, the academic research community, research and regulatory scientists, government funding agencies, and the public. Each program is unique and requires lengthy planning and collaborative efforts to reach programmatic goals. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  5. Research support for effective state and community tobacco control programme response to electronic nicotine delivery systems.

    PubMed

    Schmitt, Carol L; Lee, Youn Ok; Curry, Laurel E; Farrelly, Matthew C; Rogers, Todd

    2014-07-01

    To identify unmet research needs of state and community tobacco control practitioners pertaining to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS or e-cigarettes) that would inform policy and practice efforts at the state and community levels, and to describe ENDS-related research and dissemination activities of the National Cancer Institute-funded State and Community Tobacco Control Research Initiative. To determine specific research gaps relevant to state and community tobacco control practice, we analysed survey data collected from tobacco control programmes (TCPs) in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia (N=51). Survey items covered a range of ENDS issues: direct harm to users, harm of secondhand vapour, cessation, flavours, constituents and youth access. There is no ENDS topic on which a majority of state TCP managers feel very informed. They feel least informed about harms of secondhand vapour while also reporting that this information is among the most important for their programme. A majority (N=31) of respondents indicated needs for research on the implications of ENDS products for existing policies. TCP managers report that ENDS research is highly important for practice and need research-based information to inform decision making around the inclusion of ENDS in existing tobacco control policies. For optimal relevance to state and community TCPs, research on ENDS should prioritise study of the health effects of ENDS use and secondhand exposure to ENDS vapour in the context of existing tobacco control policies. 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.

  6. New Zealand = Maori, New Zealand = Bicultural: Ethnic Group Differences in a National Sample of Maori and Europeans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harding, Jessica F.; Sibley, Chris G.; Robertson, Andrew

    2011-01-01

    New Zealand (NZ) Europeans show a unique implicit bicultural effect, with research using the Implicit Association Test consistently showing that they associate Maori (the Indigenous peoples) and their own (dominant/advantaged majority) group as equally representative of the nation. We replicated and extended this NZ = bicultural effect in a small…

  7. The Educational Work and Impact of the "Transylvanian School": An Agenda for Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, Joseph M.

    2005-01-01

    The "Transylvanian School," a group mainly composed of clergy of the Transylvanian Uniate Church, was chiefly responsible for originating and fostering the myth of the Roman origins of the Romanian people, elaborating it in works of history, in schoolbooks, and in grammars and dictionaries. The major figure of the group, Gheorge Sincai,…

  8. Geopathology on May Day: Expressions of Culture on Hawai'i's Elementary School Stages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steele, Jamie Simpson

    2013-01-01

    In Hawai'i's elementary schools, May Day programs feature children adorned with flower leis, singing and dancing hula about Hawaiian culture and performing traditions from major ethnic groups who settled the islands. Using the lens of geopathology, this research questions how various groups of residents long for belonging and struggle for…

  9. Efficacy of Multimedia Learning Modules as Preparation for Lecture-Based Tutorials in Electromagnetism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, James Christopher

    2018-01-01

    We have investigated the efficacy of on-line, multimedia learning modules (MLMs) as preparation for in-class, lecture-based tutorials in electromagnetism in a physics course for natural science majors (biology and marine science). Specifically, we report the results of a multiple-group pre/post-test research design comparing two groups receiving…

  10. Social support, organizational characteristics, psychological well-being, and group appraisal in three self-help group populations.

    PubMed

    Maton, K I

    1988-02-01

    This study examined the relationship of three social support and three organizational variables to two well-being and two group appraisal variables among 144 members of Compassionate Friends, Multiple Sclerosis, and Overeaters Anonymous self-help groups. An anonymous questionnaire was the major research instrument. Receiving social support was not significantly related to depression or anxiety but was positively related to perceived group benefits and group satisfaction. Providing social support and friendship were each positively related to one well-being and one group appraisal variable. Bidirectional supporters (i.e., individuals high on both receiving and providing support) reported more favorable well-being and group appraisal than Receivers, Providers, and Low Supporters. At the group level of analysis (n = 15 groups), groups with higher levels of role differentiation, greater order and organization, and in which leaders were perceived as more capable contained members who reported more positive well-being and group appraisal. The implications for future research and professional consultation to self-help groups are discussed.

  11. Condensed Matter Physics in Colombia is in its forties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Camacho, Angela

    2015-03-01

    Physics in Colombia started to develop in the 70's as a research part of basic sciences with the acquisition, at that time, of large research equipments such as x-rays and EPR. Experimental work was soon supplemented by theoretical investigations, which led to the formation of research groups in condensed matter. In the early 80's existed such groups in five universities. In this report we present, after a short history of the main steps that guided the initial research subjects, the major areas already developed and the minor research groups that are in the stage of consolidation. Currently this type of work is done at least in 20 universities. We also show the actual numbers of researchers, publications, PhD students and laboratories discriminated in gender to complete an overview of Condensed Matter Physics in Colombia. Finally, we present a short review of the main theoretical issues that have been worked in the last decade focusing on low dimensional systems, their structural and optical properties

  12. A capstone research experience for physics majors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jackson, David

    2013-03-01

    Dickinson College is a small liberal arts college with a thriving physics program. For years, one of the key features of our program has been a year-long senior research project that was required for each student. Unfortunately, as our number of majors increased, it became more and more difficult to supervise such a large number of senior research projects. To deal with this growing challenge, we developed a capstone research experience that involves a larger number of students working together on an independent group project. In this talk I will give a broad overview of our new senior research model and provide a few examples of projects that have been carried out over the past few years. I will also briefly describe the positive and negative aspects of this model from the perspective of faculty and students.

  13. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization International Symposium on "Trends in Social Science Research on Children" (Austin, Texas, September 9-13, 1979). Final Report and Recommendations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Texas Univ., Austin. Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.

    The purpose of this report is to highlight common themes and issues expressed in papers presented at the International Symposium on "Trends in Social Science Research on Children." Issues fall into four general areas: children's needs, particular groups of children, child-rearing environments, and research methodology. Major issues and…

  14. It's a Major Decision: The Process of Choosing a Major by First Generation College Students in a Scholarship Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burnett, Rebeca Inali

    2017-01-01

    First-generation college students (FGCS) are a unique group and face their own set of unique challenges when they start college. For example, they may need support in basic campus navigational skills or help communicating with professors. Existing research on FGCS tends to examine topics such as socioeconomic backgrounds and graduation rates.…

  15. Why They Leave: The Impact of Stereotype Threat on the Attrition of Women and Minorities from Science, Math and Engineering Majors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beasley, Maya A.; Fischer, Mary J.

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the effects of group performance anxiety on the attrition of women and minorities from science, math, and engineering majors. While past research has relied primarily on the academic deficits and lower socioeconomic status of women and minorities to explain their absence from these fields, we focus on the impact of stereotype…

  16. Ethnocultural women's experiences of breast cancer: a qualitative meta-study.

    PubMed

    Howard, A Fuchsia; Balneaves, Lynda G; Bottorff, Joan L

    2007-01-01

    A growing number of studies have been conducted that explore the breast cancer experiences of women from diverse ethnocultural groups. To advance knowledge and provide a foundation for future research, a synthesis was conducted of 15 qualitative research studies focusing on women from ethnocultural groups diagnosed with breast cancer. A qualitative meta-study approach was used that included analysis of the theoretical orientations and methodological approaches underlying the research, and an interpretive synthesis of research findings. Ethnocultural groups represented in the studies included Asian American, Aboriginal, Hispanic, and African American women. The synthesis revealed diverse experiences within and among these ethnocultural groups represented in 5 major themes: (a) the "othered" experience of a breast cancer diagnosis, (b) the treatment experience as "other," (c) losses associated with breast cancer, (d) the family context of breast cancer experiences, and (e) coping with cancer through spirituality and community involvement. The integration of findings from the 15 studies also revealed how methodological and theoretical approaches to conducting this research influenced understandings of the experiences of breast cancer. Further experiential breast cancer research with ethnocultural groups is needed, as well as the use of research methods that illuminate the ways that ethnicity, class, age, and gender relations are played out in healthcare settings.

  17. Research and Teaching. The Science Identity of College Students: Exploring the Intersection of Gender, Race, and Ethnicity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hazari, Zahra; Sadler, Philip M.; Sonnert, Gerhard

    2013-01-01

    This study explores students' self-perceptions across science subjects (biology, chemistry, and physics) by gender and underrepresented minority group membership. The data are drawn from the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering (PRiSE) project, which surveyed 7,505 students (enrolled in college English courses required for all majors)…

  18. Introduction to Culturo-Metrics: Measuring the Cultural Identity of Children and Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boufoy-Bastick, Beatrice

    The attainment of a cultural identity is a major challenge of social development for many children from minority groups in today's fast-changing multicultural societies. Culturo-metrics is a new area of research that teachers and researchers can use to measure cultural identity and to explore culturally preferred behaviors of children and teachers…

  19. Research in Major State Universities: Some Quantitative Measures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brush, Stephen G.; And Others

    During fall 1974, the University of Maryland at College Park evaluated its research programs as part of the decennial accreditation process. Data were collected on a comparison group of 35 state universities in order to place the Maryland activities in a national context. Most of the data presented in this report extend over a 10-year period, 1965…

  20. When Autobiography and Research Topics Collide: Two Risky School Dance Stories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conrad, Diane

    2004-01-01

    This article describes how the author engaged a group of high school drama students, in a rural Alberta community of majority Aboriginal population, in doing Popular Theatre as a form of participatory research. Popular Theatre is a process by which members of a community identify issues of concern, analyze conditions and causes, and search for…

  1. Research and Teaching: Association of Summer Bridge Program Outcomes with STEM Retention of Targeted Demographic Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tomasko, David L.; Ridgway, Judith S.; Waller, Rocquel J.; Olesik, Susan V.

    2016-01-01

    Retention of students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major has been studied for four cohorts participating in a summer bridge program supported by the National Science Foundation. Students participated in a 6-week program prior to their first term of enrollment at a research-intensive land grant university. Comparisons…

  2. The Philanthropic Recommendation Research Report: Group Project for Engl317, Writing for Business and Industry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mahin, Linda

    2007-01-01

    English 317 is a second writing course designed for business majors primarily but available to all students who need to fulfill the second writing course requirement. The purpose of the philanthropic research recommendation report is to familiarize students with the ways that corporations envision and enact social responsibility as depicted on…

  3. Roma Pupils' Identification with School in Slovenia and Serbia: Case Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macura-Milovanovic, Suncica; Munda, Milanka; Pecek, Mojca

    2013-01-01

    The research presented in this paper aims to challenge the belief held by some education professionals that Roma pupils do not value education. The research sample included groups of Roma pupils from two countries (Slovenia and Serbia) and from different socio-economic backgrounds. The results suggest that the majority of the pupils are aware of…

  4. Deliberative assessment of surrogate consent in dementia research.

    PubMed

    Kim, Scott Y H; Uhlmann, Rebecca A; Appelbaum, Paul S; Knopman, David S; Kim, H Myra; Damschroder, Laura; Beattie, Elizabeth; Struble, Laura; De Vries, Raymond

    2010-07-01

    Research involving incapacitated persons with dementia entails complex scientific, legal, and ethical issues, making traditional surveys of layperson views on the ethics of such research challenging. We therefore assessed the impact of democratic deliberation (DD), involving balanced, detailed education and peer deliberation, on the views of those responsible for persons with dementia. One hundred and seventy-eight community-recruited caregivers or primary decision-makers for persons with dementia were randomly assigned to either an all-day DD session group or a control group. Educational materials used for the DD session were vetted for balance and accuracy by an interdisciplinary advisory panel. We assessed the acceptability of family-surrogate consent for dementia research ("surrogate-based research") from a societal policy perspective as well as from the more personal perspectives of deciding for a loved one or for oneself (surrogate and self-perspectives), assessed at baseline, immediately post-DD session, and 1 month after DD date, for four research scenarios of varying risk-benefit profiles. At baseline, a majority in both the DD and control groups supported a policy of family consent for dementia research in all research scenarios. The support for a policy of family consent for surrogate-based research increased in the DD group, but not in the control group. The change in the DD group was maintained 1 month later. In the DD group, there were transient changes in attitudes from surrogate or self-perspectives. In the control group, there were no changes from baseline in attitude toward surrogate consent from any perspective. Intensive, balanced, and accurate education, along with peer deliberation provided by democratic deliberation, led to a sustained increase in support for a societal policy of family consent in dementia research among those responsible for dementia patients. Copyright 2010 The Alzheimer

  5. The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program at the University of Washington: Increasing Diversity Through Research Experiences and Mentoring Since 2005

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosenfield, Philip

    2013-01-01

    Graduate students in the astronomy department at the University of Washington began the Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) after recognizing that underrepresented students in STEM fields are not well retained after their transition from high school. Pre-MAP is a research and mentoring program that begins with a keystone seminar. First year students enroll in the Pre-MAP seminar to learn astronomical research techniques that they apply to research projects conducted in small groups. Students also receive one-on-one mentoring and peer support for the duration of the academic year and beyond. They are incorporated early into the department by attending Astronomy Department events and Pre-MAP field trips. Successful Pre-MAP students have declared astronomy and physics majors, expanded their research projects beyond the fall quarter, presented posters at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium, and received research fellowships and summer internships. In this talk, we will discuss how we identified the issues that Pre-MAP was designed to address, what we've learned after six years of Pre-MAP, and share statistical results from a long-term quantitative comparison evaluation.

  6. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions in college music majors and nonmusic majors

    PubMed Central

    Henning, Rebecca L. Warner; Bobholz, Kate

    2016-01-01

    The presence and absence of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) as well as DPOAE amplitudes were compared between college music majors and a control group of nonmusic majors. Participants included 28 music majors and 35 nonmusic majors enrolled at a university with ages ranging from 18-25 years. DPOAEs and hearing thresholds were measured bilaterally on all the participants. DPOAE amplitudes were analyzed at the following f2 frequencies: 1,187 Hz, 1,500 Hz, 1,906 Hz, 2,531 Hz, 3,031 Hz, 3812 Hz, 4,812 Hz, and 6,031 Hz. Significantly more music majors (7/28) than nonmusic majors (0/35) exhibited absent DPOAEs for at least one frequency in at least one ear. Both groups of students reported similar histories of recreational and occupational noise exposures that were unrelated to studying music, and none of the students reported high levels of noise exposure within the previous 48 h. There were no differences in audiometric thresholds between the groups at any frequency. At DPOAE f2 frequencies from 3,031 Hz to 6,031 Hz, nonsignificantly lower amplitudes of 2-4 dB were seen in the right ears of music majors versus nonmajors, and in the right ears of music majors playing brass instruments compared to music majors playing nonbrass instruments. Given the greater prevalence of absent DPOAEs in university music majors compared to nonmusic majors, it appears that early stages of cochlear damage may be occurring in this population. Additional research, preferably longitudinal and across multiple colleges/universities, would be beneficial to more definitively determine when the music students begin to show signs of cochlear damage, and to identify whether any particular subgroups of music majors are at a greater risk of cochlear damage. PMID:26780957

  7. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions in college music majors and nonmusic majors.

    PubMed

    Henning, Rebecca L Warner; Bobholz, Kate

    2016-01-01

    The presence and absence of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) as well as DPOAE amplitudes were compared between college music majors and a control group of nonmusic majors. Participants included 28 music majors and 35 nonmusic majors enrolled at a university with ages ranging from 18-25 years. DPOAEs and hearing thresholds were measured bilaterally on all the participants. DPOAE amplitudes were analyzed at the following f2 frequencies: 1,187 Hz, 1,500 Hz, 1,906 Hz, 2,531 Hz, 3,031 Hz, 3812 Hz, 4,812 Hz, and 6,031 Hz. Significantly more music majors (7/28) than nonmusic majors (0/35) exhibited absent DPOAEs for at least one frequency in at least one ear. Both groups of students reported similar histories of recreational and occupational noise exposures that were unrelated to studying music, and none of the students reported high levels of noise exposure within the previous 48 h. There were no differences in audiometric thresholds between the groups at any frequency. At DPOAE f2 frequencies from 3,031 Hz to 6,031 Hz, nonsignificantly lower amplitudes of 2-4 dB were seen in the right ears of music majors versus nonmajors, and in the right ears of music majors playing brass instruments compared to music majors playing nonbrass instruments. Given the greater prevalence of absent DPOAEs in university music majors compared to nonmusic majors, it appears that early stages of cochlear damage may be occurring in this population. Additional research, preferably longitudinal and across multiple colleges/universities, would be beneficial to more definitively determine when the music students begin to show signs of cochlear damage, and to identify whether any particular subgroups of music majors are at a greater risk of cochlear damage.

  8. A Heuristic FORTRAN Model of the Identification and Allocation of CONUS (Continental United States) Prime BEEF (Base Engineer Emergency Forces) Forces in Support of Theater OPlan (Operation Plan) Requirements.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-09-01

    and status systems (Albanese, 1981; Griffin, 1982; Lott & Lott, 1971). Group cohesiveness and norms, according to Wallace and Szilagyi (1982), were the... Wallace & Szilagyi , 1982): 1. The major difference between high and low cohesive groups would be how closely members conform to group norms ; and 2. Group...performance would be influenced not only by cohesiveness, but also by the level or strength of group norms. Research by Wallace and Szilagyi (1982

  9. Scientific writing of novice researchers: what difficulties and encouragements do they encounter?

    PubMed

    Shah, Jatin; Shah, Anand; Pietrobon, Ricardo

    2009-04-01

    Writing scientific articles is a daunting task for novice researchers. In this qualitative study carried out in 2007, the authors evaluated the experiences of a group of novice researchers engaged in the writing process, to elucidate the main difficulties and sources of encouragement they encountered. Sixteen novice researchers were interviewed. Most were women (10), and most were enrolled in programs of medicine (9), followed by nursing (4) and physical therapy (3). These were drawn via convenience sampling from a randomized control trial in which 48 of them were equally assigned to either an online or a face-to-face course of instruction. On completion, interviews were conducted in focus groups of four students each. The interviews were transcribed and read independently by two of the authors, who then encoded the material based on the principles of grounded theory. Initial categories were converted to major emerging themes, which were validated when participants were asked to review the findings. Triangulation of results was carried out by discussing the emerging themes in an online forum with five specialists in college writing education. Classifying the diverse responses of participants led to the emergence of four major themes: cognitive burden, group support and mentoring, difficulty in distinguishing between content and structure, and backward design of manuscripts. The themes produced by this study provide some insight into the challenges faced by novice researchers in their early attempts at scientific writing. Remedies that address these challenges are needed to substantially improve scientific writing instruction.

  10. Immunization with Live Human Rhinovirus (HRV) 16 Induces Protection in Cotton Rats against HRV14 Infection.

    PubMed

    Patel, Mira C; Pletneva, Lioubov M; Boukhvalova, Marina S; Vogel, Stefanie N; Kajon, Adriana E; Blanco, Jorge C G

    2017-01-01

    Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are the main cause of cold-like illnesses, and currently no vaccine or antiviral therapies against HRVs are available to prevent or mitigate HRV infection. There are more than 150 antigenically heterogeneous HRV serotypes, with ∼90 HRVs belonging to major group species A and B. Development of small animal models that are susceptible to infection with major group HRVs would be beneficial for vaccine research. Previously, we showed that the cotton rat ( Sigmodon hispidus ) is semi-permissive to HRV16 (major group, species HRV-A virus) infection, replicating in the upper and lower respiratory tracts with measurable pathology, mucus production, and expression of inflammatory mediators. Herein, we report that intranasal infection of cotton rats with HRV14 (major group, species HRV-B virus) results in isolation of infectious virus from the nose and lung. Similar to HRV16, intramuscular immunization with live HRV14 induces homologous protection that correlated with high levels of serum neutralizing antibodies. Vaccination and challenge experiments with HRV14 and HRV16 to evaluate the development of cross-protective immunity demonstrate that intramuscular immunization with live HRV16 significantly protects animals against HRV14 challenge. Determination of the immunological mechanisms involved in heterologous protection and further characterization of infection with other major HRV serotypes in the cotton rat could enhance the robustness of the model to define heterotypic relationships between this diverse group of viruses and thereby increase its potential for development of a multi-serotype HRV vaccine.

  11. The effects of an intervention to increase liberal arts mathematics and science majors' knowledge of and attitudinal favorability toward the teaching profession

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klemballa, Carolyn

    In light of the persistent shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers and the new teacher qualification provisions of the recently passed No Child Left Behind Act, This study tested the impact of an educational intervention designed to enhance interest in public school teaching careers among undergraduate students who were declared/intended majors in mathematics and/or natural science. Besides salary, research reveals content fear as the biggest roadblock to attracting mathematics and science teachers. Because of this, liberal arts majors in mathematics and science are a target pool of individuals to recruit into teaching. The researcher hypothesized that knowledge and attitudinal favorability would both increase after an intervention about teaching careers and that an increase in one variable would be associated with the other. Also, knowledge and attitudinal favorability would have a greater increase after a more intensive intervention than a less intensive intervention or no intervention. The researcher also hypothesized that if undergraduates were less decided in their career, lower classmen, and female, their attitudes toward the teaching profession would increase the most. One hundred eighty-nine college students, 73 males and 116 females, including 85 freshmen, 67 sophomores, 18 juniors and 19 seniors, at University A and University B were randomly assigned to a workshop, reading, or control group. The workshop group attended a workshop about the teaching profession. The reading group read articles with the same information presented in the workshop. The control group read unrelated articles. The findings from this study indicate that an intervention about teaching does significantly increase both knowledge and attitudinal favorability toward teaching (p < .01). A low significant correlation was found between knowledge and attitudinal favorability (p < .05). Findings also suggested that a more intensive intervention yields a higher increase in both knowledge and attitudinal favorability than a less intensive intervention (p < .01). Lastly, the level of career indecision, undergraduate class, and gender did not have a significant relationship with attitudinal favorability towards teaching. Based on these findings, the researcher made recommendations for future research and policy, in particular urging more communication between schools of education and liberal arts.

  12. Under representation of people with epilepsy and intellectual disability in research.

    PubMed

    Shankar, Rohit; Rowe, Charles; Van Hoorn, Alje; Henley, William; Laugharne, Richard; Cox, David; Pande, Raj; Roy, Ashok; Sander, Josemir W

    2018-01-01

    One quarter of people with epilepsy have an intellectual disability (ID) and one fifth of people with an ID have epilepsy. Both conditions are associated with higher levels of morbidity, stigma and premature mortality. There have been calls for action to promote more research in this group. We examined if this group are represented adequately in current research. The proportion of research output in epilepsy conferences and publications relevant to ID and the proportion in ID conferences and publications on epilepsy for 2015-2016 were identified. As the percentage of children in the population with epilepsy is 17%, research output of this group was compared with the ID group. Recognised material was classified based on whether it applied to general epilepsy/ID research, children with epilepsy or people with epilepsy and ID. Data was analysed to determine the proportion of presented research specifically identifying people with epilepsy and ID. Fewer than 2% of presentations at epilepsy conferences specifically related to the ID and epilepsy group compared to 15% relating to children with epilepsy. Similarly only 1.4% of the research presented at major ID conferences related to those with people with epilepsy and ID. About 5% of published research in the field of epilepsy related to those with ID as compared with 24% for children with epilepsy. Twelve percent of published research in ID specifically identified epilepsy. Publications and conference presentations, on the population with epilepsy and comorbid ID is under-represented. Increased research in this area might assist in improving the quality of care for this relatively neglected group.

  13. An Investigation of the Relationship Between Alcohol Use and Major Depressive Disorder Across Hispanic National Groups.

    PubMed

    Jetelina, Katelyn K; Reingle Gonzalez, Jennifer M; Vaeth, Patrice A C; Mills, Britain A; Caetano, Raul

    2016-03-01

    There has been consistent epidemiological evidence of the association between drinking, alcohol dependence, and depression. However, most of the research has ignored potential diversity across Hispanic national subgroups. This study examines the prevalence of depression and explores its association with volume of drinking, age at first drink, binge drinking, and alcohol dependence across Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and South/Central American Hispanic national groups. Data from more than 19,000 Hispanic adults were obtained from the 2010 to 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Survey logistic regression methods were used to test for differences in the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and alcohol consumption across national groups. The prevalence of MDD varied significantly across Hispanic national groups (χ(2)  = 67.06, p < 0.001). Puerto Ricans (14%) and Mexican Americans (9%) were most likely to have MDD. Mexican Americans had the highest prevalence of alcohol dependence, volume of consumption, and youngest age at first drink compared to Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and Central/South Americans. Multivariate results suggest that the odds of alcohol dependence were nearly 4 times greater among Hispanics with MDD compared to Hispanics who did not meet the criteria for MDD. Hispanic national origin did not modify the association between MDD and alcohol use. Although significant differences in the prevalence rates of MDD and alcohol-use measures emerged across Hispanic national groups, there was no evidence that the relationships between these measures were different across Hispanic national groups. Further research should investigate the root causes of these variable MDD prevalence rates to inform detection and intervention efforts targeted toward specific national groups. Copyright © 2016 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

  14. Gender Rationales in Selecting a Major in Information Technology at the Undergraduate Level of a University Program: A Focus Group Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mishra, Sushma; Draus, Peter; Caputo, Donald; Leone, Gregory; Kohun, Frederick; Repack, Diana

    2014-01-01

    Previous research studies of women applying to, enrolling and completing computing degrees at the undergraduate collegiate level suggest a significant underrepresentation of females in the Information Technology domain in the past decade. This study employs a focus group approach to the gender gap that encompasses forays into the qualitative…

  15. USSR Report, Kommunist, No. 13, September 1986.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-01-07

    all-union) program for specialization of NPO and industrial enterprises and their scientific research institutes and design bureaus could play a major...machine tools with numerical programming (ChPU), processing centers, automatic machines and groups of automatic machines controlled by computers, and...automatic lines, computer- controlled groups of equipment, comprehensively automated shops and sections) is the most important feature of high technical

  16. Discussing Sexual Orientation and Gender in Classrooms: A Testimonial-Based Approach to Fighting Homophobia in Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richard, Gabrielle; Vallerand, Olivier; Petit, Marie-Pier; Charbonneau, Amélie

    2015-01-01

    To fight homophobia in schools in Québec, many teachers rely on community organizations such as the Groupe de Recherche et d'Intervention Sociale (Research and Social Intervention Group) to address sexual diversity in class. This article documents major outcomes of these workshops as seen by students. Students identified topics related to…

  17. Feasibility, acceptability, and effects of gentle Hatha yoga for women with major depression: Findings from a randomized controlled mixed-methods study

    PubMed Central

    Kinser, Patricia Anne; Bourguignon, Cheryl; Whaley, Diane; Hauenstein, Emily; Taylor, Ann Gill

    2013-01-01

    Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common, debilitating chronic condition in the United States and worldwide. Particularly in women, depressive symptoms are often accompanied by high levels of stress and ruminations, or repetitive self-critical negative thinking. There is a research and clinical imperative to evaluate complementary therapies that are acceptable and feasible for women with depression and that target specific aspects of depression in women, such as ruminations. To begin to address this need, we conducted a randomized, controlled, mixed-methods community-based study comparing an 8-week yoga intervention with an attention-control activity in 27 women with MDD. After controlling for baseline stress, there was a decrease in depression over time in both the yoga group and the attention-control group, with the yoga group having a unique trend in decreased ruminations. Participants in the yoga group reported experiencing increased connectedness and gaining a coping strategy through yoga. The findings provide support for future large scale research to explore the effects of yoga for depressed women and the unique role of yoga in decreasing rumination. PMID:23706890

  18. Competence of depressed patients for consent to research.

    PubMed

    Appelbaum, P S; Grisso, T; Frank, E; O'Donnell, S; Kupfer, D J

    1999-09-01

    The capacities of depressed patients to consent to research have been questioned by commentators who fear that the cognitive effects of a disorder may impair subjects' abilities to protect their interests. This study used a new instrument for assessing depressed patients' capacities to consent to research and examined their performance, including the relation between severity of depression and extent of impairment. Twenty-six female outpatients with major depression (assessed with the Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Version) enrolled in a study of maintenance psychotherapy were recruited for this project. Consent-related abilities were measured with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) 1 week after intake and again 8-10 weeks later. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Almost all subjects performed quite well on the capacity measures and maintained that level of performance over time. There was no correlation between performance and degree of depressive symptoms and little relation to prior research experience. Some subjects appeared confused about the extent to which decisions about assignment to treatment groups would be made on the basis of their clinical condition rather than randomly. This outpatient group with major depression showed few impairments in their decision-making capacities related to research. As in other studies, some concerns were raised about subjects' appreciation that treatment assignments would not be individualized for their needs. Examination of hospitalized patients and those with psychotic depression would help to determine whether they show greater degrees of impairment. The MacCAT-CR was easily adapted for use with this depressed group.

  19. Report to DHS on Summer Internship 2006

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

    Beckwith, R H

    2006-07-26

    This summer I worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in a bioforensics collection and extraction research group under David Camp. The group is involved with researching efficiencies of various methods for collecting bioforensic evidence from crime scenes. The different methods under examination are a wipe, swab, HVAC filter and a vacuum. The vacuum is something that has particularly gone uncharacterized. My time was spent mostly on modeling and calculations work, but at the end of the summer I completed my internship with a few experiments to supplement my calculations. I had two major projects this summer. My first major projectmore » this summer involved fluid mechanics modeling of collection and extraction situations. This work examines different fluid dynamic models for the case of a micron spore attached to a fiber. The second project I was involved with was a statistical analysis of the different sampling techniques.« less

  20. A Randomized Control Study on Psycho-Education Group on Improving Health-Related Quality of Life of Chinese Persons with Major Neurocognitive Disorder.

    PubMed

    Young, Kim-Wan

    2016-01-01

    People with a major neurocognitive disorder (PwND) are found to have a lower health related quality of life (HRQoL) than those without neurocognitive disorder. This research study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a psycho-education group in improving the HRQoL of Chinese PwND. By adopting randomized control trial (RCT), Chinese PwND were randomly assigned to either a 10-session psycho-education group or the control group. Family caregivers of treatment group were encouraged to take part in two sessions focusing on the caring and communication skills. Control group and their family caregivers received standardized educational materials on basic information on neurocognitive disorder for them to read at home. Standardized assessment was conducted both with PwND and their caregivers independently to give the self-rated and caregiver-rated HRQoL of PwND in the pre- and post- treatment periods by a research assistant who was blind to the group assignment of the participants. Moreover, qualitative interviews were also conducted for ten participants and five family caregivers of the treatment group to identify those group elements relating to its effectiveness. 2 × 2 repeated measures ANCOVA demonstrated that the treatment group (n = 32) was significantly more effective than the control group (n = 32) in improving the caregiver-rated HRQoL (F[1, 61] = 4.35, p = .04 < .05) with a moderate effect size, but not self-rated HRQoL, Qualitative analysis suggested several group elements relating to its effectiveness. This present RCT shows that the psycho-education group significantly improves caregiver-rated HRQoL of PwND, supporting the feasibility and effectiveness of the psycho-education group.

  1. What does it mean to be an exemplary science teacher?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tobin, Kenneth; Fraser, Barry J.

    In order to provide a refreshing alternative to the majority of research reports, which malign science education and highlight its major problems and shortcomings, a series of case studies of exemplary practice was initiated to provide a focus on the successful and positive facets of schooling. The major data-collection approach was qualitative and involved 13 researchers in hundreds of hours of intensive classroom observation involving 20 exemplary teachers and a comparison group of nonexemplary teachers. A distinctive feature of the methodology was that the qualitative information was complemented by quantitative information obtained from the administration of questionnaires assessing student perceptions of classroom psychosocial environment. The major trends were that exemplary science teachers (1) used management strategies that facilitated sustained student engagement, (2) used strategies designed to increase student understanding of science, (3) utilized strategies that encouraged students to participate in learning activities, and (4) maintained a favorable classroom learning environment.

  2. EUROGRAM: European Office of Aerospace Research and Development, 00-06, Nov-Dec 2000

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-12-01

    Aeronautical Research Institute ( FFA ), in Bromma, near Stockholm, Sweden. Major Solti was an Associate Professor of Engineering Mechanics at the US Air...with the electric propulsion group and brief the NASA Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program ( BPP ). The ESTEC personnel were very interested and said...release of this study. The objective of this workshop would be to invite European researchers with ideas in the BPP area to give talks and receive

  3. Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection as a Tool for Measuring Greek University Students' Evolution Knowledge: Differences between Novice and Advanced Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Athanasiou, Kyriacos; Mavrikaki, Evangelia

    2014-01-01

    The primary objective of this research was to compare various groups of Greek university students for their level of knowledge of Evolution by means of Natural Selection (ENS). For the purpose of the study, we used a well known questionnaire the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS) and 352 biology majors and non-majors students from…

  4. Gender equity in STEM: The role of dual enrollment science courses in selecting a college major

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Persons, Christopher Andrew

    A disproportionately low number of women, despite rigorous high school preparation and evidenced interest in STEM through voluntary participation in additional coursework, declare a STEM-related college major. The result of this drop in participation in STEM-related college majors is a job market flooded with men and the support of an incorrect stereotype: STEM is for men. This research seeks to assess the effects, if any, that Dual Enrollment (DE) science courses have on students' self-identified intent to declare a STEM-related college major as well as the respective perceptions of both male and female students. Self-Determination Theory and Gender Equity Framework were used respectively as the theoretical frames. High school students from six schools in two district participated in an online survey and focus groups in this mixed methods study. The results of the research identified the role the DE course played in their choice of college major, possible interventions to correct the underrepresentation, and societal causes for the stereotype.

  5. Body Weight Reducing Effect of Oral Boric Acid Intake

    PubMed Central

    Aysan, Erhan; Sahin, Fikrettin; Telci, Dilek; Yalvac, Mehmet Emir; Emre, Sinem Hocaoglu; Karaca, Cetin; Muslumanoglu, Mahmut

    2011-01-01

    Background: Boric acid is widely used in biology, but its body weight reducing effect is not researched. Methods: Twenty mice were divided into two equal groups. Control group mice drank standard tap water, but study group mice drank 0.28mg/250ml boric acid added tap water over five days. Total body weight changes, major organ histopathology, blood biochemistry, urine and feces analyses were compared. Results: Study group mice lost body weight mean 28.1% but in control group no weight loss and also weight gained mean 0.09% (p<0.001). Total drinking water and urine outputs were not statistically different. Cholesterol, LDL, AST, ALT, LDH, amylase and urobilinogen levels were statistically significantly high in the study group. Other variables were not statistically different. No histopathologic differences were detected in evaluations of all resected major organs. Conclusion: Low dose oral boric acid intake cause serious body weight reduction. Blood and urine analyses support high glucose, lipid and middle protein catabolisms, but the mechanism is unclear. PMID:22135611

  6. Body weight reducing effect of oral boric acid intake.

    PubMed

    Aysan, Erhan; Sahin, Fikrettin; Telci, Dilek; Yalvac, Mehmet Emir; Emre, Sinem Hocaoglu; Karaca, Cetin; Muslumanoglu, Mahmut

    2011-01-01

    Boric acid is widely used in biology, but its body weight reducing effect is not researched. Twenty mice were divided into two equal groups. Control group mice drank standard tap water, but study group mice drank 0.28mg/250ml boric acid added tap water over five days. Total body weight changes, major organ histopathology, blood biochemistry, urine and feces analyses were compared. Study group mice lost body weight mean 28.1% but in control group no weight loss and also weight gained mean 0.09% (p<0.001). Total drinking water and urine outputs were not statistically different. Cholesterol, LDL, AST, ALT, LDH, amylase and urobilinogen levels were statistically significantly high in the study group. Other variables were not statistically different. No histopathologic differences were detected in evaluations of all resected major organs. Low dose oral boric acid intake cause serious body weight reduction. Blood and urine analyses support high glucose, lipid and middle protein catabolisms, but the mechanism is unclear.

  7. Diesel Exhaust and Lung Cancer-Aftermath of Becoming an IARC Group 1 Carcinogen.

    PubMed

    Silverman, Debra T

    2018-06-01

    The International Agency for Research on Cancer reclassified diesel exhaust from Group 2A (probably carcinogenic to humans) to Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans) in 2012. Since then, reevaluation and reanalysis of 2 major studies (Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study and Trucking Industry Particle Study) that were influential to the International Agency for Research on Cancer evaluation have replicated the original findings and demonstrated the suitability of these epidemiologic data for the quantitative risk assessment needed to set safe exposure limits in occupational and outdoor ambient environments. The challenge now is to protect the workers and general populations in urban areas from the carcinogenicity of diesel exhaust.

  8. The Role of Interschool Sports in the Secondary Schools of Ontario--Focus on SWOSSA and OFSAA.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moriarty, Dick; And Others

    This document focuses on a study conducted by the Windsor Sports Institute for Research/Change Agent Research (SIR/CAR) group into problems in educational sport. Major thesis of the investigation was that many of the problems plaguing educational sport originate not from the technical skills level but from (1) administrative decision making, and…

  9. Website on Protein Interaction and Protein Structure Related Work

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Samanta, Manoj; Liang, Shoudan; Biegel, Bryan (Technical Monitor)

    2003-01-01

    In today's world, three seemingly diverse fields - computer information technology, nanotechnology and biotechnology are joining forces to enlarge our scientific knowledge and solve complex technological problems. Our group is dedicated to conduct theoretical research exploring the challenges in this area. The major areas of research include: 1) Yeast Protein Interactions; 2) Protein Structures; and 3) Current Transport through Small Molecules.

  10. Engaging Biology Undergraduates in the Scientific Process through Writing a Theoretical Research Proposal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stanford, Jennifer S.; Duwel, Laura E.

    2013-01-01

    It has been suggested that research experiences are an important element that should be included in all undergraduate Biology curricula. This is a difficult suggestion to accommodate due to issues with cost, space and time. We addressed this challenge through development of a capstone project in which Biology majors work in groups to develop novel…

  11. Scholar outcomes for dental internship research program in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative evaluation.

    PubMed

    Bahammam, Laila A; Linjawi, Amal I

    2017-04-01

    To explore the potential, challenges and needs for internship research activities in achieving scholar outcomes among graduates. A qualitative general needs assessment and evaluation of an internship research program was conducted at King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD), KSA, from December 2014 to February 2015 using focus groups and interviews. The participants included: administrates, faculty, and internship students. Data were transcribed and analyzed following the grounded theory. The participants were two administrative personnel, 21 faculty members, and 16 internship students. Results were clustered around five main domains; curriculum design, faculty, students, administrative, and institutional domain. Reported potentials included: a multi-faceted educational intervention approach, and building evidence-based skills and inquiry minds among graduates. Time, load, and incentives were major challenges reported by faculty. Interesting and achievable research topics were major challenges reported by students. Areas that needed development included: equipped research personnel, aligned administrative and institutional support, faculty skills, students' knowledge and skills, aligned curriculum, and clear program goals, objectives, and outcomes. Curriculum design, faculty and students' skills; as well as administrative and institutional support were found to play major roles in the success of the current internship research program at KAUFD.

  12. Contradictions in stem cell research education amongst science educators and Buddhist, Christian and Muslim theologians

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elhayboubi, Samira Nawal

    We examine how teachers approach stem cell research (SCR) as a controversial religio-scientific issue, and how theologians derive rulings in SCR. We also examine the contradictions teachers have regarding religio-scientific aspect of SCR. Two observations were the igniters of this study, increasing public involvement in political decision-making and changing demographics among voters. Two samples were gathered, a teachers' group and a theologians' group. The teachers' group consisted of 43 graduate-level Science education teachers and teachers-in-training from the University of Texas at Dallas and Stanford University. The theologian's group consisted of theologians from 3 denominations, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. Data was obtained using Likert-surveys, open-ended questions and interviews. Results show that majority of the teachers' group are open to discussing SCR but fear retaliation.

  13. First epidemiological study of contact dermatitis in Spain - 1977. Spanish Contact Dermatitis Research Group.

    PubMed

    Camarasa, J M

    1979-01-01

    The present work is the first epidemiological study carried out by the Spanish Contact Dermatitis Research Group during 1977. During this year 2806 patients were studied with patch test among 30873 dermatological patients. The 60-62% of the totality had reactivity to one or more patches. Four major groups of allergens were able to consider, following the incidence in their power of sensitize. First group with strong incidence include: Nickel, Chromate, Cobalt, T.M.T.D.,P.P.D.A., Mercapto mix., and Wood tars. Second and third groups with medium incidence contain: Caines, Carbonates, Neomycin, Balsam of Peru, Mercury, Lanolin, Naphtyl mix., Formaldehyde, Benzalkonium chloride, P. P. D. A. mix, and Turpentine. Four group show very low incidence substances, as: Epoxi, Sulfonamides, Etilendiamine, Parabens, Chinoform, Colophony and Cinnamon oil. Few comments about age and occupations are included.

  14. US annual report to the ICES working group on introductions and transfers of marine organisms

    EPA Science Inventory

    Provides annual update on new introductions to the US, new regulations, and major research/management efforts in the US related to marine invasive species, with focus on activities in the North Atlantic

  15. Theory-Informed Research Training and Mentoring of Underrepresented Early-Career Faculty at Teaching-Intensive Institutions: The Obesity Health Disparities PRIDE Program.

    PubMed

    Beech, Bettina M; Bruce, Marino A; Thorpe, Roland J; Heitman, Elizabeth; Griffith, Derek M; Norris, Keith C

    2018-01-01

    Mentoring has been consistently identified as an important element for career advancement in many biomedical and health professional disciplines and has been found to be critical for success and promotion in academic settings. Early-career faculty from groups underrepresented in biomedical research, however, are less likely to have mentors, and in general, receive less mentoring than their majority-group peers, particularly among those employed in teaching-intensive institutions. This article describes Obesity Health Disparities (OHD) PRIDE, a theoretically and conceptually based research training and mentoring program designed for early-career faculty who trained or are employed at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

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

    PubMed

    van Bavel, René; Esposito, Gabriele; Baranowski, Tom

    2014-07-31

    The study explores whether messages about the physical activity levels of the majority (i.e. normative messages) affect young adults' intention to engage in regular physical activity. An experimental survey among 16 to 24 year-olds in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania (n = 1200) was conducted in March 2013. A control group received no message; one treatment group was told that the majority was physically active (positive message); and another treatment group was told that the majority was not physically active (negative message). Both the positive and (unexpectedly) the negative normative messages showed a significant and positive effect on intention to be physically active. There was no difference between the effects of the messages. Normative messages affect intention, which is encouraging for public health campaigns. The effect of the positive message confirms previous findings on conformity to the norm; the effect of the negative message is unexpected and requires further research to be understood.

  17. Deliberative Assessment of Surrogate Consent in Dementia Research

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Scott Y. H.; Uhlmann, Rebecca A.; Appelbaum, Paul S.; Knopman, David S.; Kim, H. Myra; Damschroder, Laura; Beattie, Elizabeth; Struble, Laura; De Vries, Raymond

    2009-01-01

    Background Research involving incapacitated persons with dementia involves complex scientific, legal, and ethical issues, making traditional surveys of layperson views regarding the ethics of such research challenging. We therefore assessed the impact of democratic deliberation (DD)—involving balanced, detailed education and peer deliberation—on the views of those responsible for persons with dementia. Methods 178 community-recruited caregivers or primary decision-makers for persons with dementia were randomly assigned to either an all-day DD session group or a control group. Educational materials used for the DD session were vetted for balance and accuracy by an interdisciplinary advisory panel. We assessed the acceptability of family surrogate consent for dementia research (‘surrogate-based research’ or SBR) from a societal policy perspective as well as from the more personal perspectives of deciding for a loved one or for oneself (surrogate and self perspectives), assessed at baseline, immediately post-DD session, and a month after DD date, for 4 research scenarios of varying risk-benefit profiles. Results At baseline, a majority in both DD and control groups supported a policy of family consent for dementia research for all research scenarios. The support for a policy of family consent for SBR increased for the DD group, but not for the control group; the change in the DD group was maintained one month later. In the DD group, there were transient changes in attitudes from surrogate or self perspectives; in the control group, there were no changes from baseline in attitude toward surrogate consent from any perspective. Conclusions Intensive, balanced, and accurate education along with peer deliberation provided by democratic deliberation leads to a sustained increase in support for a societal policy of family consent for dementia research among those responsible for dementia patients. PMID:20188635

  18. Model for understanding consumer textural food choice

    PubMed Central

    Jeltema, Melissa; Beckley, Jacqueline; Vahalik, Jennifer

    2015-01-01

    The current paradigm for developing products that will match the marketing messaging is flawed because the drivers of product choice and satisfaction based on texture are misunderstood. Qualitative research across 10 years has led to the thesis explored in this research that individuals have a preferred way to manipulate food in their mouths (i.e., mouth behavior) and that this behavior is a major driver of food choice, satisfaction, and the desire to repurchase. Texture, which is currently thought to be a major driver of product choice, is a secondary factor, and is important only in that it supports the primary driver—mouth behavior. A model for mouth behavior is proposed and the qualitative research supporting the identification of different mouth behaviors is presented. The development of a trademarked typing tool for characterizing mouth behavior is described along with quantitative substantiation of the tool's ability to group individuals by mouth behavior. The use of these four groups to understand textural preferences and the implications for a variety of areas including product design and weight management are explored. PMID:25987995

  19. Model for understanding consumer textural food choice.

    PubMed

    Jeltema, Melissa; Beckley, Jacqueline; Vahalik, Jennifer

    2015-05-01

    The current paradigm for developing products that will match the marketing messaging is flawed because the drivers of product choice and satisfaction based on texture are misunderstood. Qualitative research across 10 years has led to the thesis explored in this research that individuals have a preferred way to manipulate food in their mouths (i.e., mouth behavior) and that this behavior is a major driver of food choice, satisfaction, and the desire to repurchase. Texture, which is currently thought to be a major driver of product choice, is a secondary factor, and is important only in that it supports the primary driver-mouth behavior. A model for mouth behavior is proposed and the qualitative research supporting the identification of different mouth behaviors is presented. The development of a trademarked typing tool for characterizing mouth behavior is described along with quantitative substantiation of the tool's ability to group individuals by mouth behavior. The use of these four groups to understand textural preferences and the implications for a variety of areas including product design and weight management are explored.

  20. Students' Participation in an Interdisciplinary, Socioscientific Issues Based Undergraduate Human Biology Major and Their Understanding of Scientific Inquiry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eastwood, Jennifer L.; Sadler, Troy D.; Sherwood, Robert D.; Schlegel, Whitney M.

    2013-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine whether Socioscientific Issues (SSI) based learning environments affect university students' epistemological understanding of scientific inquiry differently from traditional science educational contexts. We identify and compare conceptions of scientific inquiry of students participating in an interdisciplinary, SSI-focused undergraduate human biology major (SSI) and those participating in a traditional biology major (BIO). Forty-five SSI students and 50 BIO students completed an open-ended questionnaire examining their understanding of scientific inquiry. Eight general themes including approximately 60 subthemes emerged from questionnaire responses, and the numbers of students including each subtheme in their responses were statistically compared between groups. A subset of students participated in interviews, which were used to validate and triangulate questionnaire data and probe students' understanding of scientific inquiry in relation to their majors. We found that both groups provided very similar responses, differing significantly in only five subthemes. Results indicated that both groups held generally adequate understandings of inquiry, but also a number of misconceptions. Small differences between groups supported by both questionnaires and interviews suggest that the SSI context contributed to nuanced understandings, such as a more interdisciplinary and problem-centered conception of scientific inquiry. Implications for teaching and research are discussed.

  1. Community perceptions of genomic research: implications for addressing health disparities.

    PubMed

    Isler, Malika Roman; Sutton, Karey; Cadigan, R Jean; Corbie-Smith, Giselle

    2013-01-01

    Increasing the engagement of racial and ethnic minorities in genomic research may help alleviate health disparities. This paper examines community perceptions of the relationships between race, genes, environment, and health disparities, and it discusses how such perceptions may influence participation in genomic research. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 91 African American, Latino, and white lay community members and community leaders in North Carolina. Using constant comparison methods, we identified, compared, and developed linkages between conceptual categories and respondent groups. Participants described gene-environment interactions as contributing to group differences in health outcomes, expressed the belief that genetic predisposition to disease differs across groups, and said that social conditions trigger group-level genetic differences and create poorer health outcomes among African Americans. Given the regional presence of major research institutions and the relatively high education level of many participants, this sample may not reflect the perspectives of those most disparately affected by health disparities. Members from multiple community sectors share perceptions and may respond to similar approaches when attempts are made to increase participation in genomic research. Researchers may inadvertently fuel the perception that health disparities experienced by minorities are rooted in the shared genomes of a particular group as distinct from those of other groups. The way researchers use race and ethnicity in recruitment, analysis, and communication of research findings inaccurately implies that there are genetic differences between races, when categories of social experience or ancestry may more accurately characterize health differences. Understanding these issues is crucial to designing effective community engagement strategies, recruitment plans, and messages about genomic research, which could ultimately help to lessen health disparities.

  2. Narrowing the Gap in Outcomes for Vulnerable Groups. A Review of the Research Evidence: Summary of Key Findings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kendall, Sally; Straw, Suzanne; Jones, Megan; Springate, Iain; Lord, Pippa; Stoney, Sheila

    2007-01-01

    In 2007, the Local Government Association (LGA) commissioned the NFER to review the best evidence on what works in narrowing the gap in outcomes for vulnerable groups across the five Every Child Matters areas. The review aimed to underpin the Narrowing the Gap Programme, a major development programme being implemented by the LGA and the DCSF. …

  3. An Evaluation of Minority and Female Performance in Army Rotary Wing Aviation Training. Volume II: Evaluation Report. Research Report 1319.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, William R.; And Others

    An evaluation was conducted of minority (Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian) and female performance in the Army's Initial Entry Rotary Wing flight training program. Each minority group was compared to a matched sample of majority students. The groups were matched on several test scores, education level, age, rank, and source of entry. The…

  4. Boomers, Xers, and Millennials: Who Are They and What Do They Really Want from Continuing Higher Education?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandeen, Cathy

    2008-01-01

    In this article, the author focuses on three major generational groups in the US: Baby Boomers (born between 1943 and 1960), Generation Xers (born between 1961 and 1981), and Millennials (born between 1982 and 2003), examining what the preferences of each group are for continuing higher education and how market research can be employed, by…

  5. Measurement of Selected Organic Trace Gases During TRACE-P

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Atlas, Elliot

    2004-01-01

    Major goals of the TRACE-P mission were: 1) to investigate the chemical composition of radiatively important gases, aerosols, and their precursors in the Asian outflow over the western Pacific, and 2) to describe and understand the chemical evolution of the Asian outflow as it is transported and mixed into the global troposphere. The research performed as part of this proposal addressed these major goals with a study of the organic chemical composition of gases in the TRACE-P region. This work was a close collaboration with the Blake/Rowland research group at UC-Irvine, and they have provided a separate report for their funded effort.

  6. Perspectives from the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute: Amphibians and wilderness

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Corn, Paul Stephen

    2001-01-01

    The decline of amphibian species has emerged as a major global conservation issue in the last decade. Last year, the Department of the Interior (DOI) initiated a major national initiative to detect trends in amphibian populations and research the causes of declines. The program, conducted principally by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), emphasizes lands managed by DOI, but collaboration with the Forest Service is encouraged to increase the scope of inference about population trends. Although amphibians are not usually the first group of animals that comes to mind when one thinks of wilderness, conservation of amphibian populations is clearly a wilderness issue.

  7. A look at spatial abilities in undergraduate women science majors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lord, Thomas R.

    Contemporary investigations indicate that men generally perform significantly better in tasks involving visuo-spatial awareness than do women. Researchers have attempted to explain this difference through several hypotheses but as yet the reason for the dimorphism has not been established. Further, contemporary studies have indicated that enhancement of mental image formation and manipulation is possible when students are subjected to carefully designed spatial interventions. Present research was conducted to see if women in the sciences were as spatial perceptively accurate as their male counterparts. The researcher also was interested to find if the women that received the intervention excercises improved in their visuo-spatial awareness as rapidly as their male counterparts.The study was conducted on science majors at a suburban two year college. The population was randomly divided into groups (experimental, placebo, and control) each containing approximately the same number of men and women. All groups were given a battery of spatial perception tests (Ekstrom et al, 1976) at the onset of the winter semester and a second version of the battery at the conclusion of the semester. An analysis of variance followed by Scheffe contrasts were run on the results. The statistics revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the nonexperimental groups on the tests. When the differences between the mean scores for the women in the experimental group were statistically compared to those of the men in the experimental group the women were improving at a more rapid rate. Many women have the capacity to develop visuo-spatial aptitude and although they may start out behind men in spatial ability, they learn quickly and often catch up to the men's level when given meaningful visuo-spatial interventions.

  8. User-driven conversations about dialysis through Facebook: A qualitative thematic analysis.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Salim; Haines-Saah, Rebecca J; Afzal, Arfan R; Tam-Tham, Helen; Al Mamun, Mohammad; Hemmelgarn, Brenda R; Turin, Tanvir C

    2017-04-01

    As one of the most popular social networking sites in the world, Facebook has strong potential to enable peer support and the user-driven sharing of health information. We carried out a qualitative thematic analysis of the wall posts of a public Facebook group focused on dialysis to identify some of the major themes discussed. We searched Facebook using the word 'dialysis'. A Facebook group (Dialysis Discussion Uncensored) with the highest number of members was selected amongst publicly available forums related to dialysis and operated in English (http://www.facebook.com/groups/DialysisUncensored). Two researchers independently extracted information on features of the group including purpose, group members and the user-generated posts on the group wall. Posts were further analysed to develop major themes. Characteristics of a Facebook group based on its participants and activities are presented. Three themes are described with representative quotations. In a period of 2 weeks, we found 1257 wall posts with total of 31 636 likes and 15 972 comments. All messages were in English, and the majority of the participants were dialysis patients. However, we observed the participation of family members and care providers as well. Posts were categorized into three major themes: sharing information, seeking and providing emotional and social support and sharing experience. Findings of this study provide an example of how a social networking platform can enable patients and their families to share information and to encourage peer-based support for managing dialysis-related experiences. © 2016 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

  9. [Complaints of low back pain among private farmers exposed to whole body vibration].

    PubMed

    Solecki, Leszek

    2014-01-01

    Work-related lower back disorders, which involve the lumbo-sacral region, as well as injuries of the lumbar section of the spine, are a serious and constantly growing problem in Europe. Whole body vibration is one of the major hazardous factors suspected of the development of back pain. The study covered a selected group of males, 98 farmers (aged 55.3 +/- 10.1) from the area of 7 communes in the Lublin Region, engaged in the mixed agricultural production (plant-animal). The control group consisted of 40 academic workers (university and research institute employees) aged 48.9 +/- 9.6 years. A questionnaire concerning low back pain (in the lumbar region) designed by the researchers of the Institute of Rural Health in Lublin was used as a major research tool. The degree of farmers' exposure to whole body vibration was evaluated based on the parameter known as a cumulative vibration dose (d) (years x m2 x s(-1)). The measurements showed that the cumulative vibration dose for the selected group of farmers (98) remained within the range of 2.90-9.68 (years x m2 x s(-1)), in the time interval between 15-50 years of work in conditions of exposure to vibration. The survey confirmed that private farmers exposed to whole body vibration considerably more frequently complained of back pain (92 farmers, 94% of the total number of respondents), than academic workers (control group not exposed to whole body vibration (25 researchers, 63%); p < 0.0001. Also the frequency of back pain in all the three time intervals of employment (15-25, 26-35, 36-50 years) is significantly higher in the group of farmers than in the control group (p < 0.05). The frequency of back pains experienced by farmers during the entire period of occupational activity increases with a growing dose of whole body vibration (p = 0.005). In the incidence of chronic pain an upward tendency was observed (statistically insignificant).

  10. Are there temperament differences between major depression and dysthymic disorder in adolescent clinical outpatients?

    PubMed

    Dinya, Elek; Csorba, Janos; Grósz, Zsofia

    2012-05-01

    The aim of the study was to explore possible differences in temperament and character dimensions between 2 monodiagnostic adolescent groups of depression, namely, one with a present episode of major depression and subjects with the other being their dysthymic peers. From a multisite Western Hungarian sample of consecutively referred 14- to 18-year-old new psychiatric adolescent outpatients, 2 groups were compared: group I, n = 56 (9 males, 47 females), with major depressive disorder (MDD) and group II, n = 27 (6 males, 21 females), with a diagnosis of dysthymic disorder (DD). All other comorbid diagnoses including bipolar and double depression (MDD + DD) cases were excluded. Present suicide events, if the attempter had an underlying diagnosis of depression, were not causes for exclusion. Assessment methods used were the adapted Hungarian versions of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the Junior Temperament (Cloninger) Character Inventory. The only difference between the major depressive and dysthymic adolescents was harm avoidance, adolescents with major depression having a higher level practice of harm avoidance, whereas the temperament type of MDD vs DD seems to differ only in the aspect of avoiding painful stress. Expectations regarding a worse degree of self-directedness and lower levels of persistence and cooperativeness in the MDD sample were not proved. No essential temperament differences were found between the 2 adolescent depressive groups. Scarce differences between temperament qualities of MDD and DD may support Akiskal's continuum theory of depressive disorders. More research and the use of closer clinical personality typologies are warranted to explore possible personality trait differences (if they exist) between clinical diagnostic groups of adolescent patients. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Gay fathers: a review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Bozett, F W

    1989-01-01

    This article reviews the research literature on gay fathers, and includes brief historical perspectives and statistical data. The major portion of the article compares studies of gay fathers with other groups such as lesbian mothers and nongay fathers. Because the literature is sparse, and the research has severe limitations such as small sample size, few definitive statements about these men can be made with certainty. Even so, tentative generalizations are proposed. The article concludes with some suggestions for future research.

  12. Latinos' Perceptions of Interethnic Couples

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, Amber L.; Riggio, Heidi R.; Palavinelu, Subha; Culpepper, Lane Locher

    2012-01-01

    Numerous survey findings indicate that the majority of White Americans are accepting of interracial romantic relationships. However, relatively few studies have looked at how different American ethnic minority groups view such relationships. The current research examined Latinos' evaluations of intraethnic and interethnic couples. Latino…

  13. GPS based pilot survey of freight movements in the Midwest region.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-05-01

    This report explains the methodology and results surrounding a recently completed study of a major grocery trucking firms travel patterns. The research group used Global Positioning System (GPS) logging devices to trace the temporal and spatial mo...

  14. CHEMICAL SYNTHESES IN AQUEOUS MEDIA USING MICROWAVES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The development of efficient, selective and eco-friendly synthetic methods has remained a major focus of our research group. Microwave (MW) irradiation as alternative energy source in conjunction with water as reaction media has proven to be a successful 'greener' chemical appro...

  15. My career as an immunoglycobiologist.

    PubMed

    Marcus, Donald M

    2013-01-01

    The research program of my laboratory included three major topics: the structures and immunology of human carbohydrate blood group and glycosphingolipid antigens; the tissue distribution, subcellular localization and biosynthesis of glycosphingolipids; and the structural basis of the binding of carbohydrates by antibodies and lectins.

  16. Digitised audio questionnaire for assessment of informed consent comprehension in a low-literacy African research population: development and psychometric evaluation.

    PubMed

    Afolabi, Muhammed O; Bojang, Kalifa; D'Alessandro, Umberto; Ota, Martin O C; Imoukhuede, Egeruan B; Ravinetto, Raffaella; Larson, Heidi J; McGrath, Nuala; Chandramohan, Daniel

    2014-06-24

    To develop and psychometrically evaluate an audio digitised tool for assessment of comprehension of informed consent among low-literacy Gambian research participants. We conducted this study in the Gambia where a high illiteracy rate and absence of standardised writing formats of local languages pose major challenges for research participants to comprehend consent information. We developed a 34-item questionnaire to assess participants' comprehension of key elements of informed consent. The questionnaire was face validated and content validated by experienced researchers. To bypass the challenge of a lack of standardised writing formats, we audiorecorded the questionnaire in three major Gambian languages: Mandinka, Wolof and Fula. The questionnaire was further developed into an audio computer-assisted interview format. The digitised questionnaire was administered to 250 participants enrolled in two clinical trials in the urban and rural areas of the Gambia. One week after first administration, the questionnaire was readministered to half of the participants who were randomly selected. Participants were eligible if enrolled in the parent trials and could speak any of the three major Gambian languages. The primary outcome measure was reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Item reduction by factor analysis showed that 21 of the question items have strong factor loadings. These were retained along with five other items which were fundamental components of informed consent. The 26-item questionnaire has high internal consistency with a Cronbach's α of 0.73-0.79 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.94 (95% CI 0.923 to 0.954). Hypotheses testing also showed that the questionnaire has a positive correlation with a similar questionnaire and discriminates between participants with and without education. We have developed a reliable and valid measure of comprehension of informed consent information for the Gambian context, which might be easily adapted to similar settings. This is a major step towards engendering comprehension of informed consent information among low-literacy participants. 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.

  17. Selection criteria for patients with chronic ankle instability in controlled research: a position statement of the International Ankle Consortium.

    PubMed

    Gribble, Phillip A; Delahunt, Eamonn; Bleakley, Chris; Caulfield, Brian; Docherty, Carrie; Fourchet, François; Fong, Daniel Tik-Pui; Hertel, Jay; Hiller, Claire; Kaminski, Thomas; McKeon, Patrick; Refshauge, Kathryn; van der Wees, Philip; Vincenzino, Bill; Wikstrom, Erik

    2014-07-01

    While research on chronic ankle instability (CAI) and awareness of its impact on society and health care systems has grown substantially in the last 2 decades, the inconsistency in participant/patient selection criteria across studies presents a potential obstacle to addressing the problem properly. This major gap within the literature limits the ability to generalise this evidence to the target patient population. Therefore, there is a need to provide standards for patient/participant selection criteria in research focused on CAI with justifications using the best available evidence. The International Ankle Consortium provides this position paper to present and discuss an endorsed set of selection criteria for patients with CAI based on the best available evidence to be used in future research and study designs. These recommendations will enhance the validity of research conducted in this clinical population with the end goal of bringing the research evidence to the clinician and patient. 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.

  18. Immunization with Live Human Rhinovirus (HRV) 16 Induces Protection in Cotton Rats against HRV14 Infection

    PubMed Central

    Patel, Mira C.; Pletneva, Lioubov M.; Boukhvalova, Marina S.; Vogel, Stefanie N.; Kajon, Adriana E.; Blanco, Jorge C. G.

    2017-01-01

    Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are the main cause of cold-like illnesses, and currently no vaccine or antiviral therapies against HRVs are available to prevent or mitigate HRV infection. There are more than 150 antigenically heterogeneous HRV serotypes, with ∼90 HRVs belonging to major group species A and B. Development of small animal models that are susceptible to infection with major group HRVs would be beneficial for vaccine research. Previously, we showed that the cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is semi-permissive to HRV16 (major group, species HRV-A virus) infection, replicating in the upper and lower respiratory tracts with measurable pathology, mucus production, and expression of inflammatory mediators. Herein, we report that intranasal infection of cotton rats with HRV14 (major group, species HRV-B virus) results in isolation of infectious virus from the nose and lung. Similar to HRV16, intramuscular immunization with live HRV14 induces homologous protection that correlated with high levels of serum neutralizing antibodies. Vaccination and challenge experiments with HRV14 and HRV16 to evaluate the development of cross-protective immunity demonstrate that intramuscular immunization with live HRV16 significantly protects animals against HRV14 challenge. Determination of the immunological mechanisms involved in heterologous protection and further characterization of infection with other major HRV serotypes in the cotton rat could enhance the robustness of the model to define heterotypic relationships between this diverse group of viruses and thereby increase its potential for development of a multi-serotype HRV vaccine. PMID:28912760

  19. A threshold model of content knowledge transfer for socioscientific argumentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sadler, Troy D.; Fowler, Samantha R.

    2006-11-01

    This study explores how individuals make use of scientific content knowledge for socioscientific argumentation. More specifically, this mixed-methods study investigates how learners apply genetics content knowledge as they justify claims relative to genetic engineering. Interviews are conducted with 45 participants, representing three distinct groups: high school students with variable genetics knowledge, college nonscience majors with little genetics knowledge, and college science majors with advanced genetics knowledge. During the interviews, participants advance positions concerning three scenarios dealing with gene therapy and cloning. Arguments are assessed in terms of the number of justifications offered as well as justification quality, based on a five-point rubric. Multivariate analysis of variance results indicate that college science majors outperformed the other groups in terms of justification quality and frequency. Argumentation does not differ among nonscience majors or high school students. Follow-up qualitative analyses of interview responses suggest that all three groups tend to focus on similar, sociomoral themes as they negotiate socially complex, genetic engineering issues, but that the science majors frequently reference specific science content knowledge in the justification of their claims. Results support the Threshold Model of Content Knowledge Transfer, which proposes two knowledge thresholds around which argumentation quality can reasonably be expected to increase. Research and educational implications of these findings are discussed.

  20. The White ceiling heuristic and the underestimation of Asian-American income.

    PubMed

    Martin, Chris C; Nezlek, John B

    2014-01-01

    The belief that ethnic majorities dominate ethnic minorities informs research on intergroup processes. This belief can lead to the social heuristic that the ethnic majority sets an upper limit that minority groups cannot surpass, but this possibility has not received much attention. In three studies of perceived income, we examined how this heuristic, which we term the White ceiling heuristic leads people to inaccurately estimate the income of a minority group that surpasses the majority. We found that Asian Americans, whose median income has surpassed White median income for nearly three decades, are still perceived as making less than Whites, with the least accurate estimations being made by people who strongly believe that Whites are privileged. In contrast, income estimates for other minorities were fairly accurate. Thus, perceptions of minorities are shaped both by stereotype content and a heuristic.

  1. Increasing persistence in undergraduate science majors: a model for institutional support of underrepresented students.

    PubMed

    Toven-Lindsey, Brit; Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Barber, Paul H; Hasson, Tama

    2015-01-01

    The 6-yr degree-completion rate of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at U.S. colleges and universities is less than 40%. Persistence among women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), including African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students, is even more troubling, as these students leave STEM majors at significantly higher rates than their non-URM peers. This study utilizes a matched comparison group design to examine the academic achievement and persistence of students enrolled in the Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences (PEERS), an academic support program at the University of California, Los Angeles, for first- and second-year science majors from underrepresented backgrounds. Results indicate that PEERS students, on average, earned higher grades in most "gatekeeper" chemistry and math courses, had a higher cumulative grade point average, completed more science courses, and persisted in a science major at significantly higher rates than the comparison group. With its holistic approach focused on academics, counseling, creating a supportive community, and exposure to research, the PEERS program serves as an excellent model for universities interested in and committed to improving persistence of underrepresented science majors and closing the achievement gap. © 2015 B. Toven-Lindsey et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  2. Issues for the Eighties. Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum Proceedings No. 2. Nineteenth Annual Forum. (San Diego, California, May 13-17, 1979).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Staskey, Paul J., Ed.

    Proceedings of the nineteenth annual AIR (Association for Institutional Research) forum on issues for the 1980's are provided. The proceedings contain 71 abstracts or descriptions of the contributed papers, seminars, panels, special interest groups, and workshops presented during the four-day event. The following four major addresses are included…

  3. Drug Themes in Science Fiction. National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Issues 9.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silverberg, Robert

    This booklet is part of a series most of which focus on empirical research findings and major theoretical approaches in the area of drug usage. In this volume, the author has compiled a group of English-language short stories and novels which deal with the use of mind-altering drugs, all written since 1900 and falling within the literary category…

  4. Toxic Hazards Research Unit. Annual Technical Report: 1983

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-10-01

    the adrenal gland. However, in a review of spontaneous and non-viral induced neoplasms by Kirkman and Algard (1968) the combined...this study was supplied to the Toxic Hazards Research Unit by the U. S. Navy. The material was received from a major petroleum company in 55 gallon steel...and high dose groups. The severity of the degeneration ranged from mininal to mild and mild to moderate

  5. The Development of Mathematical Self-Concept during College: Unique Benefits for Women in Math-Intensive Majors? ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sax, Linda J.

    While previous research has outlined factors that can be used to predict academic self-concept among college students, much of this research pays little attention to how self-concept develops differently for unique subgroups of students. This paper examines the development of mathematical self-concept during college for four groups of students who…

  6. Broadening Participation in Biology Education Research: Engaging Community College Students and Faculty

    PubMed Central

    Schinske, Jeffrey N.; Balke, Virginia L.; Bangera, M. Gita; Bonney, Kevin M.; Brownell, Sara E.; Carter, Robert S.; Curran-Everett, Douglas; Dolan, Erin L.; Elliott, Samantha L.; Fletcher, Linnea; Gonzalez, Beatriz; Gorga, Joseph J.; Hewlett, James A.; Kiser, Stacey L.; McFarland, Jenny L.; Misra, Anjali; Nenortas, Apryl; Ngeve, Smith M.; Pape-Lindstrom, Pamela A.; Seidel, Shannon B.; Tuthill, Matthew C.; Yin, Yue; Corwin, Lisa A.

    2017-01-01

    Nearly half of all undergraduates are enrolled at community colleges (CCs), including the majority of U.S. students who represent groups underserved in the sciences. Yet only a small minority of studies published in discipline-based education research journals address CC biology students, faculty, courses, or authors. This marked underrepresentation of CC biology education research (BER) limits the availability of evidence that could be used to increase CC student success in biology programs. To address this issue, a diverse group of stakeholders convened at the Building Capacity for Biology Education Research at Community Colleges meeting to discuss how to increase the prevalence of CC BER and foster participation of CC faculty as BER collaborators and authors. The group identified characteristics of CCs that make them excellent environments for studying biology teaching and learning, including student diversity and institutional cultures that prioritize teaching, learning, and assessment. The group also identified constraints likely to impede BER at CCs: limited time, resources, support, and incentives, as well as misalignment between doing research and CC faculty identities as teachers. The meeting culminated with proposing strategies for faculty, administrators, journal editors, scientific societies, and funding agencies to better support CC BER. PMID:28450448

  7. Nuclear winter from gulf war discounted

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

    Marshall, E.

    Would a major conflagration in Kuwait's oil fields trigger a climate catastrophe akin to the 'nuclear winter' that got so much attention in the 1980s This question prompted a variety of opinions. The British Meteorological Office and researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory concluded that the effect of smoke from major oil fires in Kuwait on global temperatures is likely to be small; however, the obscuration of sunlight might significantly reduce surface temperatures locally. Michael MacCracken, leader of the researchers at Livermore, predicts that the worst plausible oil fires in the Gulf would produce a cloud of pollution about asmore » severe as that found on a bad day at the Los Angeles airport. The results of some mathematical modeling by the Livermore research group are reported.« less

  8. Social isolation, survey nonresponse, and nonresponse bias: An empirical evaluation using social network data within an organization.

    PubMed

    Watanabe, Megumi; Olson, Kristen; Falci, Christina

    2017-03-01

    Survey researchers have long hypothesized that social isolation negatively affects the probability of survey participation and biases survey estimates. Previous research, however, has relied on proxy measures of isolation, such as being a marginalized group member within a population. We re-examine the relationship between social isolation and survey participation using direct measures of social isolation derived from social network data; specifically, instrumental research and expressive friendship connections among faculty within academic departments. Using a reconceptualization of social isolation, we find that social network isolation is negatively associated with unit response. Among women (a numerical minority group within the organization), we further find that social group isolation (i.e., lacking instrumental network connections to men, the majority group in the organization) is negatively associated with survey participation. Finally, we show that some survey estimates are systematically biased due to nonparticipation from socially isolated people. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Model development for health promotion and control of agricultural occupational health hazards and accidents in Pathumthani, Thailand.

    PubMed

    Buranatrevedh, Surasak; Sweatsriskul, Peeungjun

    2005-10-01

    In Thailand, agriculture is one of the major occupations; however, there is no comprehensive agricultural occupational health promotion and disease prevention model available. Objectives of this study were to empower farmers to study occupational health and safety situation in rice farming and to develop model to promote their health and prevent occupational health hazards among them. This participatory action research was performed in Tambol Klong 7, Klongluang district, Pathumthani, Thailand. The 24 rice farmers from 9 villages were voluntarily recruited as members of research team called farmer-leader research group. This group had a monthly meeting to discuss issues of agricultural occupational health and safety during 3 yr study period. At first stage, farmer-leader research group analyzed occupational health and safety during rice farming process. After we had results from situation analysis, farmer-leader research group decided which problems would be solved first. We developed model to solve those problems during the second stage. Finally, model was implemented to farmers in the study area. During first stage, results of questionnaires showed that there were 3 major occupational health and safety problems among these farmers; symptoms from pesticide exposure (65% of respondents), musculoskeletal problems during various process (16.6%-75.9%), and injuries during various process (1.1%-83.2%). From these results, farmer-leader research group decided to deal with pesticide problem. There was an experiment comparing using biofertilizers and bio pest-control with using chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the rice paddy. Results showed that the biological field produced the same amount of rice as the chemical field but cost less money than the chemical one. Benefits from using biofertilizers and bio pest-control were having higher profit, less exposure to chemicals, and good mental health from higher profit. After this experiment, biofertilizers and bio pest-control were disseminated to rice-farmers and students and teachers in local schools. At the end of study, we found that there were networks of farmers and networks of students-teachers using biological methods. This study showed that participation with farmers could create a real sustainable model to promote farmers' health and prevent them from occupational health hazards.

  10. Towards a consumer-informed research agenda for aphasia: preliminary work.

    PubMed

    Hinckley, Jacqueline; Boyle, Erika; Lombard, Diane; Bartels-Tobin, Lori

    2014-01-01

    Person-centeredness in clinical practice incorporates the values of clients into a shared decision-making approach. The values of person-centeredness can be extended into the realm of research when the views of consumers towards relevant and important research topics are sought. Work in other health domains has shown the importance of gathering consumer views on health care research, which ultimately extends into health care policy and practice. The purpose of this paper is to report methods used successfully to gather the views of individuals living with aphasia on research topics they view as important. The project is founded on principles of community-based participatory research. Using a modified nominal group technique, members of an aphasia support group generated a list of research topics. The Aphasia Support Group identified twenty-two potential research questions. Although a majority (59%) of the research questions generated by persons with aphasia could be addressed with accumulated scientific evidence, the remainder of the generated questions has not been addressed in the research literature. This project demonstrates that consumers with aphasia can participate as stakeholders in the discussion of research needs in aphasia. Additional work is needed to fully develop a consumer-informed research agenda for aphasia. The perspectives of individuals with post-stroke aphasia on research needs can be successfully collected using nominal group techniques. Consumer input to research agendas and priorities can help to address potential research biases. Clinicians and researchers can use these techniques and other communication supports to foster collaborative, patient-centered care in their practice and work.

  11. Mutations in the S gene and in the overlapping reverse transcriptase region in chronic hepatitis B Chinese patients with coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs.

    PubMed

    Ding, Feng; Miao, Xi-Li; Li, Yan-Xia; Dai, Jin-Fen; Yu, Hong-Gang

    2016-01-01

    The mechanism underlying the coexistence of hepatitis B surface antigen and antibodies to HBsAg in chronic hepatitis B patients remains unknown. This research aimed to determine the clinical and virological features of the rare pattern. A total of 32 chronic hepatitis B patients infected by HBV genotype C were included: 15 carrying both HBsAg and anti-HBs (group I) and 17 solely positive for HBsAg (group II). S gene and reverse transcriptase region sequences were amplified, sequenced and compared with the reference sequences. The amino acid variability within major hydrophilic region, especially the "a" determinant region, and within reverse transcriptase for regions overlapping the major hydrophilic region in group I is significantly higher than those in group II. Mutation sI126S/T within the "a" determinant was the most frequent change, and only patients from group I had the sQ129R, sG130N, sF134I, sG145R amino acid changes, which are known to alter immunogenicity. In chronic patients, the concurrent HBsAg/anti-HBs serological profile is associated with an increased aa variability in several key areas of HBV genome. Additional research on these genetic mutants are needed to clarify their biological significance for viral persistence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  12. EPM - The European Facility for human physiology research on ISS.

    PubMed

    Rieschel, Mats; Nasca, Rosario; Junk, Peter; Gerhard, Ingo

    2002-07-01

    The European Physiology Modules (EPM) Facility is one of the four major Space Station facilities being developed within the framework of ESA's Microgravity Facilities for Columbus (MFC) programme. In order to allow a wide spectrum of physiological studies in weightlessness conditions, the facility provides the infrastructure to accommodate a variable set of scientific equipment. The initial EPM configuration supports experiments in the fields of neuroscience, bone & muscle research, cardiovascular research and metabolism. The International Space Life Science Working Group (ISLSWG) has recommended co-locating EPM with the 2 NASA Human Research Facility racks.

  13. Reflections on the Journal of Applied Psychology for 1989 to 1994: Changes in major research themes and practices over 25 years.

    PubMed

    Schmitt, Neal

    2017-03-01

    Informal observations concerning journal content indicates that research investigating organizational behavior topics, including work on the structure of groups and determinants and consequences of group process along with the role of leadership in groups, has increased. Some topics have disappeared (e.g., job analysis, human factors, union-related work, consumer behavior) and others are declining (e.g., research methods, psychometrics). Perhaps the biggest change is in the length of articles, which is mostly a function of the inclusion of greater numbers of references and appendix material. Publishing some of this material in supplementary online materials is now current practice in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Concerns about use of journal space may also be entirely moot, if electronic publishing as opposed to print publishing becomes the norm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. BURECS: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Climate Science Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dennis, D. P.; Marchant, D. R.; Christ, A. J.; Ehrenfeucht, S.

    2017-12-01

    The current structure of many undergraduate programs, particularly those at large research universities, requires students to engage with a major or academic emphasis early in their university careers. This oftentimes curbs exploration outside the major and can inhibit interdisciplinary collaboration. The Boston University Research Education and Communication of Science (BURECS) program seeks to bridge this institutional divide by fostering interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration on climate change-related issues by students from across Boston University (B.U.). Every year, approximately fifteen first-year students from B.U.'s College of Arts and Sciences, College of Communication, and School of Education are selected to join BURECS, which includes a climate science seminar, a hands-on lab course, a supported summer internship with Boston-area researchers, and the opportunity to participate in Antarctic field work during subsequent B.U. Antarctic Research Group expeditions. Currently in its third year, BURECS is funded through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Professors Program.

  15. Automatic fall monitoring: a review.

    PubMed

    Pannurat, Natthapon; Thiemjarus, Surapa; Nantajeewarawat, Ekawit

    2014-07-18

    Falls and fall-related injuries are major incidents, especially for elderly people, which often mark the onset of major deterioration of health. More than one-third of home-dwelling people aged 65 or above and two-thirds of those in residential care fall once or more each year. Reliable fall detection, as well as prevention, is an important research topic for monitoring elderly living alone in residential or hospital units. The aim of this study is to review the existing fall detection systems and some of the key research challenges faced by the research community in this field. We categorize the existing platforms into two groups: wearable and ambient devices; the classification methods are divided into rule-based and machine learning techniques. The relative merit and potential drawbacks are discussed, and we also outline some of the outstanding research challenges that emerging new platforms need to address.

  16. Automatic Fall Monitoring: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Pannurat, Natthapon; Thiemjarus, Surapa; Nantajeewarawat, Ekawit

    2014-01-01

    Falls and fall-related injuries are major incidents, especially for elderly people, which often mark the onset of major deterioration of health. More than one-third of home-dwelling people aged 65 or above and two-thirds of those in residential care fall once or more each year. Reliable fall detection, as well as prevention, is an important research topic for monitoring elderly living alone in residential or hospital units. The aim of this study is to review the existing fall detection systems and some of the key research challenges faced by the research community in this field. We categorize the existing platforms into two groups: wearable and ambient devices; the classification methods are divided into rule-based and machine learning techniques. The relative merit and potential drawbacks are discussed, and we also outline some of the outstanding research challenges that emerging new platforms need to address. PMID:25046016

  17. Development of a core outcome set for studies involving patients undergoing major lower limb amputation for peripheral arterial disease: study protocol for a systematic review and identification of a core outcome set using a Delphi survey.

    PubMed

    Ambler, Graeme K; Bosanquet, David C; Brookes-Howell, Lucy; Thomas-Jones, Emma; Waldron, Cherry-Ann; Edwards, Adrian G K; Twine, Christopher P

    2017-12-28

    The development of a standardised reporting set is important to ensure that research is directed towards the most important outcomes and that data is comparable. To ensure validity, the set must be agreed by a consensus of stakeholders including patients, healthcare professionals and lay representatives. There is currently no agreed core outcome set for patients undergoing major lower limb amputation for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) for either short- or medium-term research outcomes. By developing these sets we aim to rationalise future trial outcomes, facilitate meta-analysis and improve the quality and applicability of amputation research. We will undertake a comprehensive systematic review of studies of patients undergoing major lower limb amputation for PAD. Data regarding all primary and secondary outcomes reported in relevant studies will be extracted and summarised as outcome domains. We will then undertake focus groups with key stakeholders (patients, carers, health and social care workers) to collect qualitative data to identify the main short- and medium-term research outcomes for patients undergoing major lower limb amputation. Results of the systematic review and focus groups will be combined to create a comprehensive list of potential key outcomes. Stakeholders (patients, researchers and health and social care workers) will then be polled to determine which of the outcomes are considered to be important in a general context using a three-phase Delphi process. After preliminary analysis, results will be presented at a face-to-face meeting of key stakeholders for discussion and voting on the final set of core outcomes. This project is being run in parallel with a feasibility trial assessing perineural catheters in patients undergoing lower limb amputation (the PLACEMENT trial). Full ethical approval has been granted for the study (Wales REC 3 reference number 16/WA/0353). Core outcome sets will be developed for short- and medium-term outcomes of research involving patients undergoing major lower limb amputation for PAD. This will help with the design of future trials and facilitate meta-analyses of trial data. PROSPERO: CRD42017059329 . Registered on 30 March 2017. 975 . Registered on 5 April 2017.

  18. 1999 LDRD Laboratory Directed Research and Development

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

    Rita Spencer; Kyle Wheeler

    This is the FY 1999 Progress Report for the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It gives an overview of the LDRD Program, summarizes work done on individual research projects, relates the projects to major Laboratory program sponsors, and provides an index to the principal investigators. Project summaries are grouped by their LDRD component: Competency Development, Program Development, and Individual Projects. Within each component, they are further grouped into nine technical categories: (1) materials science, (2) chemistry, (3) mathematics and computational science, (4) atomic, molecular, optical, and plasma physics, fluids, and particle beams, (5)more » engineering science, (6) instrumentation and diagnostics, (7) geoscience, space science, and astrophysics, (8) nuclear and particle physics, and (9) bioscience.« less

  19. Laboratory Directed Research and Development FY 1998 Progress Report

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

    John Vigil; Kyle Wheeler

    This is the FY 1998 Progress Report for the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It gives an overview of the LDRD Program, summarizes work done on individual research projects, relates the projects to major Laboratory program sponsors, and provides an index to the principle investigators. Project summaries are grouped by their LDRD component: Competency Development, Program Development, and Individual Projects. Within each component, they are further grouped into nine technical categories: (1) materials science, (2) chemistry, (3) mathematics and computational science, (4) atomic, molecular, optical, and plasma physics, fluids, and particle beams, (5)more » engineering science, (6) instrumentation and diagnostics, (7) geoscience, space science, and astrophysics, (8) nuclear and particle physics, and (9) bioscience.« less

  20. A Multidisciplinary Research Agenda for Understanding Vaccine-Related Decisions

    PubMed Central

    Larson, Heidi; Leask, Julie; Aggett, Sian; Sevdalis, Nick; Thomson, Angus

    2013-01-01

    There is increasingly broad global recognition of the need to better understand determinants of vaccine acceptance. Fifteen social science, communication, health, and medical professionals (the “Motors of Trust in Vaccination” (MOTIV) think tank) explored factors relating to vaccination decision-making as a step to building a multidisciplinary research agenda. One hundred and forty seven factors impacting decisions made by consumers, professionals, and policy makers on vaccine acceptance, delay, or refusal were identified and grouped into three major categories: cognition and decision-making; groups and social norms; and communication and engagement. These factors should help frame a multidisciplinary research agenda to build an evidence base on the determinants of vaccine acceptance to inform the development of interventions and vaccination policies. PMID:26344114

  1. Laboratory directed research and development: FY 1997 progress report

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

    Vigil, J.; Prono, J.

    1998-05-01

    This is the FY 1997 Progress Report for the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It gives an overview of the LDRD program, summarizes work done on individual research projects, relates the projects to major Laboratory program sponsors, and provides an index to the principal investigators. Project summaries are grouped by their LDRD component: Competency Development, Program Development, and Individual Projects. Within each component, they are further grouped into nine technical categories: (1) materials science, (2) chemistry, (3) mathematics and computational science, (4) atomic and molecular physics and plasmas, fluids, and particle beams, (5)more » engineering science, (6) instrumentation and diagnostics, (7) geoscience, space science, and astrophysics, (8) nuclear and particle physics, and (9) bioscience.« less

  2. Who Is Doing the Housework in Multicultural Britain?

    PubMed Central

    Kan, Man-Yee; Laurie, Heather

    2016-01-01

    There is an extensive literature on the domestic division of labour within married and cohabiting couples and its relationship to gender equality within the household and the labour market. Most UK research focuses on the white majority population or is ethnicity ‘blind’, effectively ignoring potentially significant intersections between gender, ethnicity, socio-economic position and domestic labour. Quantitative empirical research on the domestic division of labour across ethnic groups has not been possible due to a lack of data that enables disaggregation by ethnic group. We address this gap using data from a nationally representative panel survey, Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study containing sufficient sample sizes of ethnic minority groups for meaningful comparisons. We find significant variations in patterns of domestic labour by ethnic group, gender, education and employment status after controlling for individual and household characteristics. PMID:29416186

  3. Parenting and globalization in western countries: explaining differences in parent-child interactions.

    PubMed

    Prevoo, Mariëlle Jl; Tamis-LeMonda, Catherine S

    2017-06-01

    We review research on intra-cultural differences in parenting, and the sources of those differences. Ethnic-minority parents differ from majority parents in parenting values, childrearing goals and resources-differences that affect parenting practices and children's development. Within-country comparisons indicate less sensitivity, more authoritarian discipline, less child-focused communications, and less engagement in learning activities in ethnic-minority compared to ethnic-majority parents, which help account for disparities in children. Despite group differences in parenting, associations between parenting and child development generalize across cultures, with rare exceptions. However, a focus on intra-cultural differences is based on comparisons of group 'averages', which masks the enormous variation within ethnic-minority samples. Within-group variation can be partly explained by stressors associated with low socioeconomic status (SES), acculturation and discrimination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Results of the Annual DOD/FAI Acquisition Research Symposium (9th)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-10-01

    study is directed toward the four major DSARC and (S)SARC decision milestones and the use of the Decision Coordination Paper (DCP) and Mission...the techniques of systems engineering. The emphasis of this study is directed toward the four major-decision milestones (0, I, II, and III), the...grade level. Two years later the pilot study group presented an entirely different picture: 60 percent were reading at or above the 9th grade level

  5. Cultural Adaptations: Conceptual, Ethical, Contextual, and Methodological Issues for Working with Ethnocultural and Majority-World Populations.

    PubMed

    Bernal, Guillermo; Adames, Cristina

    2017-08-01

    Mayor advancements have been achieved in research on the cultural adaptation of prevention and treatment interventions that are conducted with diverse ethnocultural groups. This commentary addresses conceptual, ethical, contextual, and methodological issues related to cultural adaptations. The articles in this special issue represent a major contribution to the study of cultural adaptations in prevention science. We frame our analysis of fidelity to core intervention components using a conceptual approach that examines (a) the propositional model (theory of change), (b) the procedural model (theory of action, methods), and (c) the philosophical assumptions that undergird these models. Regarding ethics, we caution against imposing the norms, values, and world views of the Western dominant society onto vulnerable populations such as ethnocultural groups. Given that the assumption of universality in behavioral science has been questioned, and as randomized clinical trials (RCTs) seldom examine the ecological validity of evidence-based interventions and treatments (EBI/T), imposing such interventions onto ethnocultural groups is problematic since these interventions contain values, norms, beliefs, and worldviews that may be contrary to those held by many ethnocultural groups. Regarding methods, several innovative designs are discussed that serve as alternatives to the RCT and represent an important contribution to prevention science. Also, we discuss guidelines for conducting cultural adaptations. Finally, the articles in this special issue make a major contribution to the growing field of cultural adaptation of preventive interventions with ethnocultural groups and majority-world populations.

  6. Implications of the ethical-legal framework for adolescent HIV vaccine trials--report of a consultative forum.

    PubMed

    Slack, Catherine; Strode, Ann; Grant, Catherine; Milford, Cecilia

    2005-09-01

    The ethical-legal framework in South Africa is in a period of transition, with a number of new developments changing the substantive principles and procedures for health research in the country. Some of the changing dynamics include both law reform and the review of ethical guidelines. This changing environment poses many complexities for researchers, research ethics committees and participating communities involved in planning, implementing and reviewing research with child participants, including HIV vaccine trials. This paper presents the major themes and outcomes of a consultative meeting convened by the HIV AIDS Vaccines Ethics Group in July 2004 for key stakeholder groups. At this forum participants discussed the complexities posed by a transitional and sometimes contradictory ethical-legal framework and how the framework could be improved to simultaneously promote critical research and the welfare of child participants.

  7. Princeton University High Energy Physics Research

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

    Marlow, Daniel R.

    This is the Final Report on research conducted by the Princeton Elementary Particles group over the approximately three-year period from May 1, 2012 to April 30, 2015. The goal of our research is to investigate the fundamental constituents of matter, their fields, and their interactions; to understand the properties of space and time; and to study the profound relationships between cosmology and particle physics. During the funding period covered by this report, the group has been organized into a subgroup concentrating on the theory of particles, strings, and cosmology; and four subgroups performing major experiments at laboratories around the world: CERN, Daya Bay, Gran Sasso as well as detector R\\&D on the Princeton campus. Highlights in of this research include the discovery of the Higgs Boson at CERN and the measurement ofmore » $$\\sin^22\\theta_{13}$$ by the Daya Bay experiment. In both cases, Princeton researchers supported by this grant played key roles.« less

  8. Willingness to Participate in a National Precision Medicine Cohort: Attitudes of Chronic Kidney Disease Patients at a Cleveland Public Hospital.

    PubMed

    Cooke Bailey, Jessica N; Crawford, Dana C; Goldenberg, Aaron; Slaven, Anne; Pencak, Julie; Schachere, Marleen; Bush, William S; Sedor, John R; O'Toole, John F

    2018-06-26

    Multiple ongoing, government-funded national efforts longitudinally collect health data and biospecimens for precision medicine research with ascertainment strategies increasingly emphasizing underrepresented groups in biomedical research. We surveyed chronic kidney disease patients from an academic, public integrated tertiary care system in Cleveland, Ohio, to examine local attitudes toward participation in large-scale government-funded studies. Responses ( n = 103) indicate the majority (71%) would participate in a hypothetical national precision medicine cohort and were willing to send biospecimens to a national repository and share de-identified data, but <50% of respondents were willing to install a phone app to track personal data. The majority of participants (62%) indicated that return of research results was very important, and the majority (54%) also wanted all of their research-collected health and genetic data returned. Response patterns did not differ by race/ethnicity. Overall, we found high willingness to participate among this Cleveland patient population already participating in a local genetic study. These data suggest that despite common perceptions, subjects from communities traditionally underrepresented in genetic research will participate and agree to store samples and health data in repositories. Furthermore, most participants want return of research results, which will require a plan to provide these data in a secure, accessible, and understandable manner.

  9. Statewide Tuskegee Alliance for clinical trials. A community coalition to enhance minority participation in medical research.

    PubMed

    Fouad, M N; Partridge, E; Wynn, T; Green, B L; Kohler, C; Nagy, S

    2001-01-01

    Cancer mortality rates for all sites are nearly 2.5 times greater for African-Americans compared with whites. In addition, there are data implying that cancer treatment outcomes for minorities are unfavorable compared with whites. Whether this is due to poor access to health care or a biologic property of malignancies occurring in specific populations remains to be determined. Because of these unknown factors, targeting minorities for clinical trials may contribute toward the reduction of the overall morbidity and mortality associated with specific cancers. The current study describes the establishment of a genuine collaborative partnership between the targeted minority community and clinical investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. This partnership was formed for the purpose of identifying strategies that would enhance the accrual and retention of minority participants into current and future cancer prevention and control trials. Focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted to ascertain the community's perception of participating in clinical trials. The majority of focus group participants were unclear regarding the nature of clinical trials. Participants indicated that they would participate in research studies if they received adequate information regarding the purpose and benefits of the study, and if the charge came from a pastor or physician. Barriers to participation included time commitments, family obligations, whether blood was involved, and past experiences. The majority of the participants indicated that their knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study did not influence their decision to participate in research. A major outcome of the conference was the formation of the Statewide Tuskegee Alliance Coalition. The planning coalition decided to continue their efforts to work with communities and promote cancer awareness among minorities. After the conference, the coalition conducted several meetings and in July 1998, 1 year after the conference, the coalition selected a chair, co-chair, and a formal name for the organized group. The planning, development, and implementation of this conference provided a valuable experience for researchers and community members. It was discovered that community involvement in the early phase of this project contributed to its success. Furthermore, the partnership that developed between researchers (academic institutions) and communities successfully provided an infrastructure that supported the interest of both groups. Copyright 2001 American Cancer Society.

  10. Some Implications of Farm Practice Diffusion--Adoption Research for Extension Program Development. A Research Summary of a Graduate Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jalihal, Krishna A.; Dotson, Robert S.

    The study was made to consider cultural factors related to the acceptance or nonacceptance of farm practices. Some major conclusions were: (1) demonstrators should be in the age group 30-45, (2) reading material should be at the seventh or eighth grade level, (3) meetings should be convenient for small or disadvantaged farmers to attend, (4)…

  11. Support of experimental high energy physics research at the University of South Carolina. Final technical report, 1980--1992

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

    Childers, R.L.; Darden, C.W.; Rosenfeld, C.

    1992-12-31

    Twelve years of support by the US Department of Energy have turned a two man team with no equipment and no graduate students working on a single experiment into an active group of four professors, one post-doctoral research associate and three graduate students working with appropriate equipment on three major experiments and several other projects. 162 references.

  12. Counter-Attrition Programs in the United States Armed Forces

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-07-01

    the average pretest - posttest improvement of ART students on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test was 2.5 RGL. No comparison control group change scores...retraining programs, elaborate quasi - experimentation could be readily built Into the existing operational system. Every major installation has one or more...research on teach-n. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1963, pp. 171-246. Reprinted as Experimental and quasi - experimental designs for research. Chicago: Rand

  13. NATIONAL CROP LOSS ASSESSMENT NETWORK (NCLAN) 1982 ANNUAL REPORT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The National Crop Loss Assessment Network (NCLAN) is a group of organizations cooperating in research to assess the short- and long-term economic impact of air pollution on crop production. The primary objectives are (1) to define relationships between yield of major agricultural...

  14. Challenges for developing biopesticides against Varroa destructor (Mesostigamata: Varroidae)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Control of the major pest of apiculture, the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, using biopesticides would resolve many of the problems experienced with other forms of control, such as chemical control, hive manipulation or selection of resistant strains. Several research groups have developed and...

  15. Risk of major depression in patients with chronic renal failure on different treatment modalities: A matched-cohort and population-based study in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Chen, Shih-Feng; Wang, I-Jen; Lang, Hui-Chu

    2016-01-01

    The influence of different treatment modalities on the risk of developing major depression in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) is not well understood. We aimed to explore the incidence of major depression among patients with CRF who were on different dialysis modalities, who had received renal transplantation (RT), and those who had not yet received any of the aforementioned renal replacement therapies. We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using a national health insurance research database. This study investigated 89,336 study controls, 17,889 patients with chronic kidney disease on conservative treatment, 3823 patients on hemodialysis (HD), 351 patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD), and 322 patients who had RT. We followed all individuals until the occurrence of major depression or the date of loss to follow-up. The PD group had the highest risk (hazard ratio [HR] 2.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26-4.69), whereas the RT group had the lowest risk (HR 0.18; 95% CI 0.03-1.29) of developing major depression compared with the control group. Patients initiated on PD had a higher risk of developing major depression than patients initiated on HD (pairwise comparison: HR 2.20; 95% CI 1.09-4.46). Different treatment modalities are associated with different risks of developing major depression in patients with CRF. Among renal replacement therapies, patients who have had RT have the lowest risk of developing major depression. Patients who initiate renal therapy on PD may have a higher risk of major depression compared with patients who initiate renal therapy on HD. © 2015 International Society for Hemodialysis.

  16. Defining Responses to Therapy and Study Outcomes in Clinical Trials of Invasive Fungal Diseases: Mycoses Study Group and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Consensus Criteria

    PubMed Central

    Segal, Brahm H.; Herbrecht, Raoul; Stevens, David A.; Ostrosky-Zeichner, Luis; Sobel, Jack; Viscoli, Claudio; Walsh, Thomas J.; Maertens, Johan; Patterson, Thomas F.; Perfect, John R.; Dupont, Bertrand; Wingard, John R.; Calandra, Thierry; Kauffman, Carol A.; Graybill, John R.; Baden, Lindsey R.; Pappas, Peter G.; Bennett, John E.; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P.; Cordonnier, Catherine; Viviani, Maria Anna; Bille, Jacques; Almyroudis, Nikolaos G.; Wheat, L. Joseph; Graninger, Wolfgang; Bow, Eric J.; Holland, Steven M.; Kullberg, Bart-Jan; Dismukes, William E.; De Pauw, Ben E.

    2009-01-01

    Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) have become major causes of morbidity and mortality among highly immunocompromised patients. Authoritative consensus criteria to diagnose IFD have been useful in establishing eligibility criteria for antifungal trials. There is an important need for generation of consensus definitions of outcomes of IFD that will form a standard for evaluating treatment success and failure in clinical trials. Therefore, an expert international panel consisting of the Mycoses Study Group and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer was convened to propose guidelines for assessing treatment responses in clinical trials of IFDs and for defining study outcomes. Major fungal diseases that are discussed include invasive disease due to Candida species, Aspergillus species and other molds, Cryptococcus neoformans, Histoplasma capsulatum, and Coccidioides immitis. We also discuss potential pitfalls in assessing outcome, such as conflicting clinical, radiological, and/or mycological data and gaps in knowledge. PMID:18637757

  17. A Critical Commentary on the 2017 AGNP Consensus Guidelines for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Neuropsychopharmacology.

    PubMed

    de Leon, Jose

    2018-01-01

    In 2004, 2011, and 2017, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Neuropsychopharmakologie und Pharmakopsychiatrie (AGNP), a group of German-speaking psychiatric researchers and psychiatrists, published successive versions of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) expert group consensus guidelines. The 2017 version has as a major strength its encyclopedic nature, including 1358 references. The guideline has 3 major sections: 1) theoretical aspects of TDM, 2) drug concentration levels in blood to guide neuropsychopharmacotherapy, and 3) practical aspects of TDM in psychiatry and neurology. The writer hopes the time is right for a TDM guideline in psychiatry, which is indicated for: 1) psychiatric researchers ready to value how TDM can contribute to moving psychopharmacology forward, 2) flexible clinicians ready to improve their patient care by personalizing dosing, and 3) today's psychiatry residents prepared as a new generation ready to be trained in TDM and willing to continue incorporating TDM as new psychiatric drugs are marketed. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  18. The Symposium Proceedings of the 1998 Air Transport Research Group (ATRG). Volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reynolds-Feighan, Aisling (Editor); Bowen, Brent D. (Editor)

    1998-01-01

    The Air Transport Research Group of the World Conference on Transportation Research (WCTR) Society was formally launched as a special interest group at the 7th Triennial WCTR in Sydney, Australia in 1995. Since then, our membership base has expanded rapidly, and now includes over 400 active transportation researchers, policy-makers, industry executives, major corporations and research institutes from 28 countries. It became a tradition that the ATRG would hold an international conference at least once a year. In 1998, the ATRG organized a consecutive stream of 14 aviation sessions at the 8th Triennial WCTR Conference (July 12-17: Antwerp). Again, on 19-21 July, 1998, the ATRG Symposium was organized and executed very successfully by Dr. Aisling Reynolds-Feighan of the University College of Dublin. The Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha has published the Proceedings of the 1998 ATRG Dublin Symposium (being co-edited by Dr. Aisling Reynolds-Feighan and Professor Brent Bowen), and the Proceedings of the 1998 WCTR-ATRG Conference (being co-edited by Professors Tae H. Oum and Brent Bowen).

  19. Genome-wide identification of the potato WRKY transcription factor family.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chao; Wang, Dongdong; Yang, Chenghui; Kong, Nana; Shi, Zheng; Zhao, Peng; Nan, Yunyou; Nie, Tengkun; Wang, Ruoqiu; Ma, Haoli; Chen, Qin

    2017-01-01

    WRKY transcription factors play pivotal roles in regulation of stress responses. This study identified 79 WRKY genes in potato (Solanum tuberosum). Based on multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic relationships, WRKY genes were classified into three major groups. The majority of WRKY genes belonged to Group II (52 StWRKYs), Group III had 14 and Group I consisted of 13. The phylogenetic tree further classified Group II into five sub-groups. All StWRKY genes except StWRKY79 were mapped on potato chromosomes, with eight tandem duplication gene pairs and seven segmental duplication gene pairs found from StWRKY family genes. The expression analysis of 22 StWRKYs showed their differential expression levels under various stress conditions. Cis-element prediction showed that a large number of elements related to drought, heat and salicylic acid were present in the promotor regions of StWRKY genes. The expression analysis indicated that seven StWRKYs seemed to respond to stress (heat, drought and salinity) and salicylic acid treatment. These genes are candidates for abiotic stress signaling for further research.

  20. Genome-wide identification of the potato WRKY transcription factor family

    PubMed Central

    Kong, Nana; Shi, Zheng; Zhao, Peng; Nan, Yunyou; Nie, Tengkun; Wang, Ruoqiu; Ma, Haoli

    2017-01-01

    WRKY transcription factors play pivotal roles in regulation of stress responses. This study identified 79 WRKY genes in potato (Solanum tuberosum). Based on multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic relationships, WRKY genes were classified into three major groups. The majority of WRKY genes belonged to Group II (52 StWRKYs), Group III had 14 and Group I consisted of 13. The phylogenetic tree further classified Group II into five sub-groups. All StWRKY genes except StWRKY79 were mapped on potato chromosomes, with eight tandem duplication gene pairs and seven segmental duplication gene pairs found from StWRKY family genes. The expression analysis of 22 StWRKYs showed their differential expression levels under various stress conditions. Cis-element prediction showed that a large number of elements related to drought, heat and salicylic acid were present in the promotor regions of StWRKY genes. The expression analysis indicated that seven StWRKYs seemed to respond to stress (heat, drought and salinity) and salicylic acid treatment. These genes are candidates for abiotic stress signaling for further research. PMID:28727761

  1. Costs and Effects of Abdominal versus Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: Systematic Review of Controlled Trials

    PubMed Central

    Bijen, Claudia B. M.; Vermeulen, Karin M.; Mourits, Marian J. E.; de Bock, Geertruida H.

    2009-01-01

    Objective Comparative evaluation of costs and effects of laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) and abdominal hysterectomy (AH). Data sources Controlled trials from Cochrane Central register of controlled trials, Medline, Embase and prospective trial registers. Selection of studies Twelve (randomized) controlled studies including the search terms costs, laparoscopy, laparotomy and hysterectomy were identified. Methods The type of cost analysis, perspective of cost analyses and separate cost components were assessed. The direct and indirect costs were extracted from the original studies. For the cost estimation, hospital stay and procedure costs were selected as most important cost drivers. As main outcome the major complication rate was taken. Findings Analysis was performed on 2226 patients, of which 1013 (45.5%) in the LH group and 1213 (54.5%) in the AH group. Five studies scored ≥10 points (out of 19) for methodological quality. The reported total direct costs in the LH group ($63,997) were 6.1% higher than the AH group ($60,114). The reported total indirect costs of the LH group ($1,609) were half of the total indirect in the AH group ($3,139). The estimated mean major complication rate in the LH group (14.3%) was lower than in the AH group (15.9%). The estimated total costs in the LH group were $3,884 versus $3,312 in the AH group. The incremental costs for reducing one patient with major complication(s) in the LH group compared to the AH group was $35,750. Conclusions The shorter hospital stay in the LH group compensates for the increased procedure costs, with less morbidity. LH points in the direction of cost effectiveness, however further research is warranted with a broader costs perspective including long term effects as societal benefit, quality of life and survival. PMID:19806210

  2. Characteristics of internalizing and externalizing disorders in medication-naive, clinically referred children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type and dysthymic disorder.

    PubMed

    Sanders, Michelle; Arduca, Yolanda; Karamitsios, Mary; Boots, Marilyn; Vance, Alasdair

    2005-05-01

    Internalizing and externalizing disorders are frequently comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type (ADHD-CT) and dysthymic disorder (DD) in referred primary school-age children, yet there has been relatively little systematic research of the nature of these comorbid disorders. We describe the characteristics of parent- and child-reported internalizing and externalizing disorders in primary school-age children with ADHD-CT and DD. A cross-sectional study of 45 clinically referred medication naive children with ADHD-CT and DD, examining parent and child reports of internalizing and externalizing disorders, defined categorically and dimensionally. Generalized anxiety disorder and separation anxiety disorder were increased in the DD groups, whether ADHD-CT was present or not. Major depressive disorder was increased in the ADHD-CT and DD group compared to the ADHD-CT alone and the DD alone groups. Conduct disorder was increased in the ADHD-CT alone group compared to the DD with and without ADHD-CT groups. Verbal and fullscale IQ were increased in the DD groups, whether ADHD-CT was present or not, compared to the ADHD-CT alone group. There is emerging evidence that DD and anxiety may represent a different phenotypic expression of a common underlying aetiological process, while the co-occurrence of ADHD-CT and anxiety disorders remains unclear. Only the ADHD-CT and DD group is significantly associated with major depressive disorder, which suggests an additive effect. In contrast, conduct disorder and decreased verbal and fullscale IQ are only associated with the ADHD-CT group, which may suggest a protective effect of DD when comorbid with ADHD-CT. From a research perspective, it is important to confirm these found associations in larger samples derived from epidemiological populations.

  3. Minimalist transcatheter aortic valve replacement: The new standard for surgeons and cardiologists using transfemoral access?

    PubMed

    Jensen, Hanna A; Condado, Jose F; Devireddy, Chandan; Binongo, Jose; Leshnower, Bradley G; Babaliaros, Vasilis; Sarin, Eric L; Lerakis, Stamatios; Guyton, Robert A; Stewart, James P; Syed, Amjadullah Q; Mavromatis, Kreton; Kaebnick, Brian; Rajaei, Mohammad Hossein; Tsai, Lillian L; Rahman, Ayaz; Simone, Amy; Keegan, Patricia; Block, Peter C; Thourani, Vinod H

    2015-10-01

    A minimalist approach for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (MA-TAVR) utilizing transfemoral access under conscious sedation and transthoracic echocardiography is increasing in popularity. This relatively novel technique may necessitate a learning period to achieve proficiency in performing a successful and safe procedure. This report evaluates our MA-TAVR cohort with specific characterization between our early, midterm, and recent experience. We retrospectively reviewed 151 consecutive patients who underwent MA-TAVR with surgeons and interventionists equally as primary operator at Emory University between May 2012 and July 2014. Our institution had performed 300 TAVR procedures before implementation of MA-TAVR. Patient characteristics and early outcomes were compared using Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 definitions among 3 groups: group 1 included the first 50 patients, group 2 included patients 51 to 100, and group 3 included patients 101 to 151. Median age for all patients was 84 years and similar among groups. The majority of patients were men (56%) and the median ejection fraction for all patients was 55% (interquartile range, 38.0%-60.0%). The majority of patients were high-risk surgical candidates with a median Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality of 10.0% and similar among groups. The overall major stroke rate was 3.3%, major vascular complications occurred in 3% of patients, and greater-than-mild paravalvular leak rate was 7%. In-hospital mortality and morbidity were similar among all 3 groups. In a high-volume TAVR center, transition to MA-TAVR is feasible with acceptable outcomes and a diminutive procedural learning curve. We advocate for TAVR centers to actively pursue the minimalist technique with equal representation by cardiologists and surgeons. Copyright © 2015 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The White Ceiling Heuristic and the Underestimation of Asian-American Income

    PubMed Central

    Martin, Chris C.; Nezlek, John B.

    2014-01-01

    The belief that ethnic majorities dominate ethnic minorities informs research on intergroup processes. This belief can lead to the social heuristic that the ethnic majority sets an upper limit that minority groups cannot surpass, but this possibility has not received much attention. In three studies of perceived income, we examined how this heuristic, which we term the White ceiling heuristic leads people to inaccurately estimate the income of a minority group that surpasses the majority. We found that Asian Americans, whose median income has surpassed White median income for nearly three decades, are still perceived as making less than Whites, with the least accurate estimations being made by people who strongly believe that Whites are privileged. In contrast, income estimates for other minorities were fairly accurate. Thus, perceptions of minorities are shaped both by stereotype content and a heuristic. PMID:25268366

  5. Biotechnology in Turkey: an overview.

    PubMed

    Ozdamar, Tunçer H

    2009-07-01

    The term biotechnology first appeared in the programs of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) in 1982. The State Planning Organization (SPO) in 1988 defined biotechnology and the scientific fields. Moreover, it put forward an institutional framework and suggested priority areas for research and development. Turkey has been researching and investing in biotechnology for almost four decades. This review covers the development of science and technology policy with its history, consensus and consequences, bio-industries in Turkey, and research activities in biotechnology at Turkish Universities. Details are provided by the research groups in response to a common request for information on their activities and major publications in the field. The information provided has been grouped under thematic topics within the broad theme of biotechnology, and summarized within these topics. Although many aspects of biotechnological research are being pursued in Turkey, it appears that the most common research activities of the field are in fermentation processes, environmental biotechnology, and biomedical engineering.

  6. Characterizing the Undergraduate Neuroscience Major in the U.S.: An Examination of Course Requirements and Institution-Program Associations

    PubMed Central

    Pinard-Welyczko, Kira M.; Garrison, Anna C. S.; Ramos, Raddy L.; Carter, Bradley S.

    2017-01-01

    Neuroscience is a rapidly expanding field, and many colleges and universities throughout the country are implementing new neuroscience degree programs. Despite the field’s growth and popularity, little data exists on the structural character of current undergraduate neuroscience programs. We collected and examined comprehensive data on existing undergraduate neuroscience programs, including academic major requirements and institution characteristics such as size, financial resources, and research opportunities. Thirty-one variables covering information about course requirements, department characteristics, financial resources, and institution characteristics were collected from 118 colleges and universities in the United States that offer a major titled “neuroscience” or “neural sciences.” Data was collected from publicly available sources (online databases, institutions’ neuroscience program websites) and then analyzed to define the average curriculum and identify associations between institution and program characteristics. Our results suggest that the average undergraduate neuroscience major requires 3 chemistry, 3 biology, 3 laboratory, 2–3 neuroscience, 1 physics, 1 math, and 2 psychology courses, suggesting that most neuroscience programs emphasize the natural sciences over the social sciences. Additionally, while 98% of institutions in our database offer research opportunities, only 31% required majors to perform research. Of note, 70% of institutions offering a neuroscience major do not have a neuroscience department, suggesting that most institutions offer neuroscience as an interdisciplinary major spanning several departments. Finally, smaller liberal arts colleges account for the majority of institutions offering a neuroscience major. Overall, these findings may be useful for informing groups interested in undergraduate neuroscience training, including institutions looking to improve or establish programs, students wanting to major in neuroscience and employers hiring neuroscience graduates. PMID:29371843

  7. The Hampstead Clinic at work. Discussions in the Diagnostic Profile Research Group.

    PubMed

    Koch, Ehud

    2012-01-01

    Minutes of the Hampstead Clinic's Diagnostic Profile Research Group during a fifteen-month period (1964-1965) are reviewed and discussed. A wide range of topics were considered and discussed, with a special focus on the affective life, object relations, and ego function of atypical children in comparison to the early ego functions and differentiation of normal and neurotic children. These lively clinical and theoretical discussions and their implications for therapeutic work with a wide range of children, demonstrate the multifaceted leadership and contributions of Anna Freud as teacher, clinician, and thinker, and of the Hampstead Clinic as a major center for psychoanalytic studies.

  8. Research Projects for Undergraduates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Troncalli, Andra

    2010-03-01

    Physics majors, by enrolling in our research experience in physics course, have the opportunity to work in small groups on independent research projects. Over the last few years, I have directed a few of these research projects; some were closely related to my own research in the field of high temperature superconductivity, and students participated in growing and characterizing samples. Other projects involved nanotechnology, Hall probes, and programming in LabVIEW. For some students, this was their very first research project, while others had more experience. I will talk about the projects and about the particular type of challenges and benefits this type of course brings to both students and instructors.

  9. A paradigm for multidisciplinary disaster research: the Oklahoma City experience.

    PubMed

    Quick, G

    1998-01-01

    The objective of this article is to describe the creation and operation of a multidisciplinary group to examine the Oklahoma City (OKC) bombing. The OKC bombing presented an opportunity to study a major disaster within 2 days of the incident. The Disaster Health Studies Group (DHSG) was created to facilitate this effort. The creation, organization, and operation of the DHSG is outlined. In addition the mission statement, participants, communications, political empowerment, data preservation and collection, data ownership, patient rights, threats to the DHSG, media interactions, funding, the institutional review board process, and results reporting will be detailed. The 22 projects of the DHSG are listed. In conclusion, four main findings are examined: 1) A multidisciplinary disaster study group is feasible and can be rapidly organized; 2) certain organizations and institutions form a core group for facilitation of the research effort; 3) specific issues must be addressed in order for the group to succeed; and 4) the group leader should have disaster expertise and be committed to the multidisciplinary process.

  10. The Effect of Problem-Solving Instruction on the Programming Self-efficacy and Achievement of Introductory Computer Science Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maddrey, Elizabeth

    Research in academia and industry continues to identify a decline in enrollment in computer science. One major component of this decline in enrollment is a shortage of female students. The primary reasons for the gender gap presented in the research include lack of computer experience prior to their first year in college, misconceptions about the field, negative cultural stereotypes, lack of female mentors and role models, subtle discriminations in the classroom, and lack of self-confidence (Pollock, McCoy, Carberry, Hundigopal, & You, 2004). Male students are also leaving the field due to misconceptions about the field, negative cultural stereotypes, and a lack of self-confidence. Analysis of first year attrition revealed that one of the major challenges faced by students of both genders is a lack of problem-solving skills (Beaubouef, Lucas & Howatt, 2001; Olsen, 2005; Paxton & Mumey, 2001). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether specific, non-mathematical problem-solving instruction as part of introductory programming courses significantly increased computer programming self-efficacy and achievement of students. The results of this study showed that students in the experimental group had significantly higher achievement than students in the control group. While this shows statistical significance, due to the effect size and disordinal nature of the data between groups, care has to be taken in its interpretation. The study did not show significantly higher programming self-efficacy among the experimental students. There was not enough data collected to statistically analyze the effect of the treatment on self-efficacy and achievement by gender. However, differences in means were observed between the gender groups, with females in the experimental group demonstrating a higher than average degree of self-efficacy when compared with males in the experimental group and both genders in the control group. These results suggest that the treatment from this study may provide a gender-based increase in self-efficacy and future research should focus on exploring this possibility.

  11. Introducing Research Methods to Undergraduate Majors Through an On-Campus Observatory with The University of Toledo's Ritter Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richardson, Noel; Hardegree-Ullman, Kevin; Bjorkman, Jon Eric; Bjorkman, Karen S.; Ritter Observing Team

    2017-01-01

    With a 1-m telescope on the University of Toledo (OH) main campus, we have initiated a grad student-undergraduate partnership to help teach the undergraduates observational methods and introduce them to research through peer mentorship. For the last 3 years, we have trained up to 21 undergraduates (primarily physics/astronomy majors) in a given academic semester, ranging from freshman to seniors. Various projects are currently being conducted by undergraduate students with guidance from graduate student mentors, including constructing three-color images, observations of transiting exoplanets, and determination of binary star orbits from echelle spectra. This academic year we initiated a large group research project to help students learn about the databases, journal repositories, and online observing tools astronomers use for day-to-day research. We discuss early inclusion in observational astronomy and research of these students and the impact it has on departmental retention, undergraduate involvement, and academic success.

  12. Innovative research on the group teaching mode based on the LabVIEW virtual environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Pei; Huang, Jie; Gong, Hua-ping; Dong, Qian-min; Dong, Yan-yan; Sun, Cai-xia

    2017-08-01

    This paper discusses the widely existing problems of increasing demand of professional engineer in electronic science major and the backward of the teaching mode at present. From one specialized course "Virtual Instrument technique and LABVIEW programming", we explore the new group-teaching mode based on the Virtual Instrument technique, and then the Specific measures and implementation procedures and effect of this teaching mode summarized in the end.

  13. DMSO Production and Logistics Functional Working Group workshop. Proceedings held in McLean, VA on 16-18 Nov 1992

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-04-02

    Issues and other environmental Impact concerns r ation: Manufacturing ateIgoJy: Technology Timaame: Near term Imoact of not MTeetln reaulrement...simulation (M&S needs of the defense M&S community. This community is partitioned into five major areas: Education , Training and Military Operations (ETMO...requirements throughout the community. The five DMSO Functional Work Groups ( Education , Training and Military Operations; Research and Development

  14. Sustaining AMEDD Professional Strength in the Reserve Components

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-05-03

    During the 8 May 2003 Reserve Component Coordination Council meeting8, General John Keane, then Vice Chief of Staff of the Army; Major General Kenneth...retirement. 2001 FOCUS GROUP DATA John Whaley and Dr. Sandra Baxter of Applied Research Analysts moderated six focus groups with the 313th and 399th...with the remainder to be made up from realignment of local structure, contracting medical professionals for the local hospital, or outsourcing to

  15. The role of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Germany - a focus group study of GPs.

    PubMed

    Joos, Stefanie; Musselmann, Berthold; Miksch, Antje; Rosemann, Thomas; Szecsenyi, Joachim

    2008-06-12

    There has been a marked increase in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in recent years worldwide. In Germany, apart from 'Heilpraktiker' (= state-licensed, non-medical CAM practitioners), some general practitioners (GPs) provide CAM in their practices. This paper aims to explore the attitudes of GPs about the role of CAM in Germany, in relation to the healthcare system, quality of care, medical education and research. Furthermore, experiences of GPs integrating CAM in their daily practice were explored. Using a qualitative methodological approach 3 focus groups with a convenience sample of 17 GPs were conducted. The discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The majority of the participating GPs had integrated one or more CAM therapies into their every-day practice. Four key themes were identified based on the topics covered in the focus groups: the role of CAM within the German healthcare system, quality of care, education and research. Within the theme 'role of CAM within the healthcare system' there were five categories: integration of CAM, CAM in the Statutory Health Insurance, modernisation of the Statutory Health Insurance Act, individual healthcare services and 'Heilpraktiker'. Regarding quality of care there were two broad groups of GPs: those who thought patients would benefit from standardizing CAM and those who feared that quality control would interfere with the individual approach of CAM. The main issues identified relating to research and education were the need for the development of alternative research strategies and the low quality of existing CAM education respectively. The majority of the participating GPs considered CAM as a reasonable complementary approach within primary care. The study increased our understanding of GPs attitudes about the role of CAM within the German healthcare system and the use of 'Heilpraktiker' as a competing CAM-provider. It seems to be a need for increased funding for research, better education and remuneration by the Statutory Health Insurance in order to improve access to 'Integrative medicine' in Germany.

  16. Mutual Distrust: Perspectives From Researchers and Policy Makers on the Research to Policy Gap in 2013 and Recommendations for the Future

    PubMed Central

    Gollust, Sarah E.; Seymour, Jane W.; Pany, Maximilian J.; Goss, Adeline; Meisel, Zachary F.; Grande, David

    2017-01-01

    The production of health policy-relevant research is necessary, but not sufficient, to promote its utilization in policy. Our objective was to understand the perspectives of United States’ state-level policy makers and health researchers on the barriers and facilitators to the translation of health evidence into the policy process, with a particular focus on issues related to relationship building. We conducted interviews with 215 US health services and health policy researchers and 40 state-level staffers and legislators. Researchers and policy makers faced the same major barrier to research translation: lack of dedicated time to do so. Some policy makers questioned the credibility of research, and researchers questioned policy makers’ authentic desire to use evidence in decision making. For some study participants, a mutual mistrust of the other group challenges stronger relationship formation. Interventions are needed to help both groups understand a broader role that research plays in policy making and to increase personal contact, and ultimately trusted relationships, across various actors in the policy process. PMID:28452251

  17. Research options for controlling zoonotic disease in India, 2010-2015.

    PubMed

    Sekar, Nitin; Shah, Naman K; Abbas, Syed Shahid; Kakkar, Manish

    2011-02-25

    Zoonotic infections pose a significant public health challenge for low- and middle-income countries and have traditionally been a neglected area of research. The Roadmap to Combat Zoonoses in India (RCZI) initiative conducted an exercise to systematically identify and prioritize research options needed to control zoonoses in India. Priority setting methods developed by the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative were adapted for the diversity of sectors, disciplines, diseases and populations relevant for zoonoses in India. A multidisciplinary group of experts identified priority zoonotic diseases and knowledge gaps and proposed research options to address key knowledge gaps within the next five years. Each option was scored using predefined criteria by another group of experts. The scores were weighted using relative ranks among the criteria based upon the feedback of a larger reference group. We categorized each research option by type of research, disease targeted, factorials, and level of collaboration required. We analysed the research options by tabulating them along these categories. Seventeen experts generated four universal research themes and 103 specific research options, the majority of which required a high to medium level of collaboration across sectors. Research options designated as pertaining to 'social, political and economic' factorials predominated and scored higher than options focussing on ecological, genetic and biological, or environmental factors. Research options related to 'health policy and systems' scored highest while those related to 'research for development of new interventions' scored the lowest. We methodically identified research themes and specific research options incorporating perspectives of a diverse group of stakeholders. These outputs reflect the diverse nature of challenges posed by zoonoses and should be acceptable across diseases, disciplines, and sectors. The identified research options capture the need for 'actionable research' for advancing the prevention and control of zoonoses in India.

  18. Differences among Major Taxa in the Extent of Ecological Knowledge across Four Major Ecosystems

    PubMed Central

    Fisher, Rebecca; Knowlton, Nancy; Brainard, Russell E.; Caley, M. Julian

    2011-01-01

    Existing knowledge shapes our understanding of ecosystems and is critical for ecosystem-based management of the world's natural resources. Typically this knowledge is biased among taxa, with some taxa far better studied than others, but the extent of this bias is poorly known. In conjunction with the publically available World Registry of Marine Species database (WoRMS) and one of the world's premier electronic scientific literature databases (Web of Science®), a text mining approach is used to examine the distribution of existing ecological knowledge among taxa in coral reef, mangrove, seagrass and kelp bed ecosystems. We found that for each of these ecosystems, most research has been limited to a few groups of organisms. While this bias clearly reflects the perceived importance of some taxa as commercially or ecologically valuable, the relative lack of research of other taxonomic groups highlights the problem that some key taxa and associated ecosystem processes they affect may be poorly understood or completely ignored. The approach outlined here could be applied to any type of ecosystem for analyzing previous research effort and identifying knowledge gaps in order to improve ecosystem-based conservation and management. PMID:22073172

  19. STEM Education.

    PubMed

    Xie, Yu; Fang, Michael; Shauman, Kimberlee

    2015-08-01

    Improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, especially for traditionally disadvantaged groups, is widely recognized as pivotal to the U.S.'s long-term economic growth and security. In this article, we review and discuss current research on STEM education in the U.S., drawing on recent research in sociology and related fields. The reviewed literature shows that different social factors affect the two major components of STEM education attainment: (1) attainment of education in general, and (2) attainment of STEM education relative to non-STEM education conditional on educational attainment. Cognitive and social psychological characteristics matter for both major components, as do structural influences at the neighborhood, school, and broader cultural levels. However, while commonly used measures of socioeconomic status (SES) predict the attainment of general education, social psychological factors are more important influences on participation and achievement in STEM versus non-STEM education. Domestically, disparities by family SES, race, and gender persist in STEM education. Internationally, American students lag behind those in some countries with less economic resources. Explanations for group disparities within the U.S. and the mediocre international ranking of US student performance require more research, a task that is best accomplished through interdisciplinary approaches.

  20. STEM Education

    PubMed Central

    Xie, Yu; Fang, Michael; Shauman, Kimberlee

    2015-01-01

    Improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, especially for traditionally disadvantaged groups, is widely recognized as pivotal to the U.S.’s long-term economic growth and security. In this article, we review and discuss current research on STEM education in the U.S., drawing on recent research in sociology and related fields. The reviewed literature shows that different social factors affect the two major components of STEM education attainment: (1) attainment of education in general, and (2) attainment of STEM education relative to non-STEM education conditional on educational attainment. Cognitive and social psychological characteristics matter for both major components, as do structural influences at the neighborhood, school, and broader cultural levels. However, while commonly used measures of socioeconomic status (SES) predict the attainment of general education, social psychological factors are more important influences on participation and achievement in STEM versus non-STEM education. Domestically, disparities by family SES, race, and gender persist in STEM education. Internationally, American students lag behind those in some countries with less economic resources. Explanations for group disparities within the U.S. and the mediocre international ranking of US student performance require more research, a task that is best accomplished through interdisciplinary approaches. PMID:26778893

  1. Capacity for Cancer Care Delivery Research in National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program Community Practices: Availability of Radiology and Primary Care Research Partners.

    PubMed

    Carlos, Ruth C; Sicks, JoRean D; Chang, George J; Lyss, Alan P; Stewart, Teresa L; Sung, Lillian; Weaver, Kathryn E

    2017-12-01

    Cancer care spans the spectrum from screening and diagnosis through therapy and into survivorship. Delivering appropriate care requires patient transitions across multiple specialties, such as primary care, radiology, and oncology. From the program's inception, the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) sites were tasked with conducting cancer care delivery research (CCDR) that evaluates structural, organizational, and social factors, including care transitions that determine patient outcomes. The aim of this study is to describe the capacity of the NCORP to conduct multidisciplinary CCDR that includes radiology and primary care practices. The NCORP includes 34 community and 12 minority and underserved community sites. The Landscape Capacity Assessment was conducted in 2015 across these 46 sites, composed of the 401 components and subcomponents designated to conduct CCDR. Each respondent had the opportunity to designate an operational practice group, defined as a group of components and subcomponents with common care practices and resources. The primary outcomes were the proportion of adult oncology practice groups with affiliated radiology and primary care practices. The secondary outcomes were the proportion of those affiliated radiology and primary care groups that participate in research. Eighty-seven percent of components and subcomponents responded to at least some portion of the assessment, representing 230 practice groups. Analyzing the 201 adult oncology practice groups, 85% had affiliated radiologists, 69% of whom participate in research. Seventy-nine percent had affiliated primary care practitioners, 31% of whom participate in research. Institutional size, multidisciplinary group practice, and ownership by large regional or multistate health systems was associated with research participation by affiliated radiology and primary care groups. Research participation by these affiliated specialists was not significantly different between the community and the minority and underserved community sites. Research relationships exist between the majority of community oncology sites and affiliated radiology practices. Research relationships with affiliated primary care practices lagged. NCORP as a whole has the opportunity to encourage continued and expanded engagement where relationships exist. Where no relationship exists, the NCORP can encourage recruitment, particularly of primary care practices as partners. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Frontiers in Ecosystem Science: Energizing the Research Agenda

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weathers, K. C.; Groffman, P. M.; VanDolah, E.

    2014-12-01

    Ecosystem science has a long history as a core component of the discipline of Ecology, and although topics of research have fluctuated over the years, it retains a clear identity and continues to be a vital field. As science is becoming more interdisciplinary, particularly the science of global environmental change, ecosystem scientists are addressing new and important questions at the interface of multiple disciplines. Over the last two years, we organized a series of workshops and discussion groups at multiple scientific-society meetings, including AGU to identify frontiers in ecosystem research. The workshops featured short "soapbox" presentations where speakers highlighted key questions in ecosystem science. The presentations were recorded (video and audio) and subjected to qualitative text analysis for identification of frontier themes, attendees completed surveys, and a dozen additional "key informants" were interviewed about their views about frontiers of the discipline. Our effort produced 253 survey participants; the two largest groups of participants were full professors (24%) and graduate students (24%); no other specific group was > 10%. Formal text analysis of the soapbox presentations produced three major themes; "frontiers," "capacity building," and "barriers to implementation" with four or five sub-themes within each major theme. Key "frontiers" included; 1) better understanding of the drivers of ecosystem change, 2) better understanding of ecosystem process and function, 3) human dimensions of ecosystem science, and 4) problem-solving/applied research. Under "capacity building," key topics included: holistic approaches, cross-disciplinary collaboration, public support for research, data, training, and technology investment. Under "barriers" key topics included: limitations in theoretical thinking, insufficient funding/support, fragmentation across discipline, data access and data synthesis. In-depth interviews with 13 experts validated findings from analysis of soapbox presentations and surveys and also resulted in a conceptual model for understanding disciplinary frontiers.

  3. Young Scientists Discuss Recent Advances, Future Challenges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baum, Rudy M.

    1989-01-01

    Discusses a National Academy of Science forum at which a group of outstanding young researchers in astronomy, molecular and developmental biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, atmospheric science, and materials science met for three days of formal presentations and informal conversations. Provides a short synopsis of major speakers. (MVL)

  4. Home-Defense and the Police: Black and White Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feagin, Joe R.

    1970-01-01

    This paper re -analyzes data collected by the Opinion Research Corp. for the Columbia Broadcasting Corp. in 1968. Two defense orientations among black and white adults are analyzed: reliance on police protection, and armed self-defense. Majorities of both groups were self- defense-oriented. (DB)

  5. Communication, Cooperation, and Negotiation in Culturally Heterogeneous Groups.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fiedler, Fred E.; Triandis, Harry C.

    This research program has been concerned with three major subprojects: identifying concepts and behaviors which critically affect intercultural relations; developing principles and methods for programed self-instructional cultural training to help Americans adjust to, and work more effectively in, foreign cultures, or with persons from different…

  6. 75 FR 13548 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Focus Groups...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-22

    ...-depth understanding of individuals' attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and feelings than do quantitative... and as a qualitative research tool have three major purposes: To obtain information that is useful for developing variables and measures for quantitative studies, To better understand people's attitudes and...

  7. Analysis of the In-Water and Sky Radiance Distribution Data Acquired During the RaDyO Project

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-09-30

    radiative transfer to model the BRDF of particulate surfaces. OBJECTIVES The major objective of this research is to understand the downwelling spectral...in the water, was also used by the two major modeling groups in RaDyO, to successfully validate their radiative transfer models . This work is...image and radiative transfer models used in the ocean. My near term ocean optics objectives have been: 1) to improve the measurement capability of

  8. Support of the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics for Dynamics of the Solid Earth (DOSE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vandenberg, Nancy R.; Ma, C. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    This final report summarizes the accomplishments during the contract period. Under the contract NVI, Inc. provided support to the VLBI group at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The contract covered a period of approximately eight years during which geodetic and astrometric VLBI evolved through several major changes. This report is divided into four sections which correspond to major task areas in the contract: A) Coordination and Scheduling, B) Field System, C) Station Support, and D) Analysis and Research and Development.

  9. Support for the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics for Dynamics of the Solid Earth (DOSE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ma, C. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    This final report summarizes the accomplishments during the contract period. Under the contract NVI, Inc. provided support to the VLBI group at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The contract covered a period of approximately eight years during which geodetic and astrometric VLBI evolved through several major changes. This report is divided into four sections which correspond to major task areas in the contract: A) Coordination and Scheduling, B) Field System, C) Station Support, and D) Analysis and Research and Development.

  10. Johnson Space Center Research and Technology 1997 Annual Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    This report highlights key projects and technologies at Johnson Space Center for 1997. The report focuses on the commercial potential of the projects and technologies and is arranged by CorpTech Major Products Groups. Emerging technologies in these major disciplines we summarized: solar system sciences, life sciences, technology transfer, computer sciences, space technology, and human support technology. Them NASA advances have a range of potential commercial applications, from a school internet manager for networks to a liquid metal mirror for optical measurements.

  11. Beginning literacy: links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning.

    PubMed

    McCutchen, Deborah; Abbott, Robert D; Green, Laura B; Beretvas, S Natasha; Cox, Susanne; Potter, Nina S; Quiroga, Teresa; Gray, Audra L

    2002-01-01

    Although the importance of phonological awareness has been discussed widely in the research literature, the concept is not well understood by many classroom teachers. In the study described here, we worked with groups of kindergarten and first-grade teachers (the experimental group) during a 2-week summer institute and throughout the school year. We shared with them research about learning disabilities and effective instruction, stressing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological and orthographic awareness. We followed the experimental group and a control group into their classrooms for a year, assessing teachers' classroom practices and their students' (n = 779) learning. The study yielded three major findings: We can deepen teachers' own knowledge of the role of phonological and orthographic information in literacy instruction; teachers can use that knowledge to change classroom practice; and changes in teacher knowledge and classroom practice can improve student learning.

  12. Implicit and Explicit Illusory Correlation as a Function of Political Ideology

    PubMed Central

    Carraro, Luciana; Negri, Paolo; Castelli, Luigi; Pastore, Massimiliano

    2014-01-01

    Research has demonstrated that people who embrace different ideological orientations often show differences at the level of basic cognitive processes. For instance, conservatives (vs. liberals) display an automatic selective attention for negative (vs. positive) stimuli, and tend to more easily form illusory correlations between negative information and minority groups. In the present work, we further explored this latter effect by examining whether it only involves the formation of explicit attitudes or it extends to implicit attitudes. To this end, following the typical illusory correlation paradigm, participants were presented with members of two numerically different groups (majority and minority) each performing either a positive or negative behaviour. Negative behaviors were relatively infrequent, and the proportion of positive and negative behaviors within each group was the same. Next, explicit and implicit (i.e., IAT-measured) attitudes were assessed. Results showed that conservatives (vs. liberals) displayed stronger explicit as well as implicit illusory correlations effects, forming more negative attitudes toward the minority (vs. majority) group at both the explicit and implicit level. PMID:24820311

  13. Influence of ethnicity on recreation and natural environment use patterns: Managing recreation sites for ethnic and racial diversity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baas, John M.; Ewert, Alan; Chavez, Deborah J.

    1993-07-01

    Management of natural environment sites is becoming increasingly complex because of the influx of urbanized society into wildland areas. This worldwide phenomenon impacts a wide range of countries. In southern California ethnicity is often a major factor influencing recreation site use and behavior at sites in the wildland-urban interface. This study investigated the role of ethnicity and race on the use patterns, perception of environment, and recreation behaviors at an outdoor recreation site visited by an ethnically diverse population. Two research questions were asked: (1) What ethnic groups engage in outdoor recreation at this site, and (2) what differences can be assigned to these various groups? Data were collected from 250 recreationists during 1991. Three major ethnic groups were identified, and statistically significant differences were found in the importance of site attributes, activity participation, and in preferred and actual communication channels. Management implications and strategies based on group differences are discussed.

  14. Implicit and explicit illusory correlation as a function of political ideology.

    PubMed

    Carraro, Luciana; Negri, Paolo; Castelli, Luigi; Pastore, Massimiliano

    2014-01-01

    Research has demonstrated that people who embrace different ideological orientations often show differences at the level of basic cognitive processes. For instance, conservatives (vs. liberals) display an automatic selective attention for negative (vs. positive) stimuli, and tend to more easily form illusory correlations between negative information and minority groups. In the present work, we further explored this latter effect by examining whether it only involves the formation of explicit attitudes or it extends to implicit attitudes. To this end, following the typical illusory correlation paradigm, participants were presented with members of two numerically different groups (majority and minority) each performing either a positive or negative behaviour. Negative behaviors were relatively infrequent, and the proportion of positive and negative behaviors within each group was the same. Next, explicit and implicit (i.e., IAT-measured) attitudes were assessed. Results showed that conservatives (vs. liberals) displayed stronger explicit as well as implicit illusory correlations effects, forming more negative attitudes toward the minority (vs. majority) group at both the explicit and implicit level.

  15. The dilemma in prioritizing chemicals for environmental analysis: known versus unknown hazards.

    PubMed

    Anna, Sobek; Sofia, Bejgarn; Christina, Rudén; Magnus, Breitholtz

    2016-08-10

    A major challenge for society is to manage the risks posed by the many chemicals continuously emitted to the environment. All chemicals in production and use cannot be monitored and science-based strategies for prioritization are essential. In this study we review available data to investigate which substances are included in environmental monitoring programs and published research studies reporting analyses of chemicals in Baltic Sea fish between 2000 and 2012. Our aim is to contribute to the discussion of priority settings in environmental chemical monitoring and research, which is closely linked to chemical management. In total, 105 different substances or substance groups were analyzed in Baltic Sea fish. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were the most studied substances or substance groups. The majority, 87%, of all analyses comprised 20% of the substances or substance groups, whereas 46 substance groups (44%) were analyzed only once. Almost three quarters of all analyses regarded a POP-substance (persistent organic pollutant). These results demonstrate that the majority of analyses on environmental contaminants in Baltic Sea fish concern a small number of already regulated chemicals. Legacy pollutants such as POPs pose a high risk to the Baltic Sea due to their hazardous properties. Yet, there may be a risk that prioritizations for chemical analyses are biased based on the knowns of the past. Such biases may lead to society failing in identifying risks posed by yet unknown hazardous chemicals. Alternative and complementary ways to identify priority chemicals are needed. More transparent communication between risk assessments performed as part of the risk assessment process within REACH and monitoring programs, and information on chemicals contained in consumer articles, would offer ways to identify chemicals for environmental analysis.

  16. Disparities in breast cancer care and research: report from a Breast Cancer Research Foundation sponsored workshop, 9-10 October 2014.

    PubMed

    Canin, Beverly; Freund, Karen M; Ganz, Patricia A; Hershman, Dawn L; Paskett, Electra D

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this workshop was to bring together diverse stakeholders from the breast cancer research community to discuss critical issues related to disparities in breast cancer care and to identify potential strategies for reducing disparities and inequities in care through research. The workshop format included a series of formal content presentations, participation in break out groups that focused on specific topics highlighted in the content presentations, reporting back of findings and a facilitated discussion that focused on shaping a research agenda. The workshop members concluded that numerous groups of women are at increased risk for disparities in breast cancer care: many patients and survivors suffer disproportionately from inadequate access to high-quality diagnosis and treatment, resulting in more frequent and severe adverse outcomes from the disease. Research on breast cancer disparities provides a major opportunity for reducing the burden of breast cancer. Thus, it is important for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and other research funders to consider how to best promote research focused on ensuring breast cancer health equity.

  17. Influence of coping with prostate cancer threat on frequency of digital rectal examinations.

    PubMed

    Kudadjie-Gyamfi, Elizabeth; Consedine, Nathan S; Ungar, Tracey; Magai, Carol

    2008-01-01

    To determine the role of personality variables in coping with cancer threat in the receipt of digital rectal examinations among men from 7 ethnic subpopulations composing 3 major ethnic groups. Three hundred eight men were assessed on how often they obtained digital rectal exams and their likelihood of coping with a hypothetical cancer diagnosis. There were ethnic disparities in screening frequency that were not accounted for by demographic/background variables. Coping styles that reflect problem solving, use of social support, and avoidance provided unique and additional variance in understanding these disparities. Cancer researchers and educators must account for heterogeneity within typical major ethnic groups, as well as consider the role of personality variables, as they differentially predict outcomes in ethnic subpopulations.

  18. Increased cooperative behavior across remitted bipolar I disorder and major depression: Insights utilizing a behavioral economic trust game.

    PubMed

    Ong, Desmond C; Zaki, Jamil; Gruber, June

    2017-01-01

    Mood disorders impact social functioning, but might contribute to experiences-like affective distress-that might result in increased cooperative behavior under certain circumstances. We recruited participants with a history of bipolar I disorder (n = 28), major depressive disorder (n = 30), and healthy controls (n = 27)-to play a well-validated behavioral economic Trust Game, a task that provides a well-controlled experimental scenario, to measure cooperative behavior for the first time across both groups. Both remitted mood-disordered groups cooperated significantly more than the control group, but did not differ from one another. These results suggest that, in some contexts, a history of mood disturbance can produce enhanced cooperation, even in the absence of current mood symptoms. We discuss the clinical significance of enhanced cooperation in mood disorders and point to key directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  19. Down syndrome: national conference on patient registries, research databases, and biobanks.

    PubMed

    Oster-Granite, Mary Lou; Parisi, Melissa A; Abbeduto, Leonard; Berlin, Dorit S; Bodine, Cathy; Bynum, Dana; Capone, George; Collier, Elaine; Hall, Dan; Kaeser, Lisa; Kaufmann, Petra; Krischer, Jeffrey; Livingston, Michelle; McCabe, Linda L; Pace, Jill; Pfenninger, Karl; Rasmussen, Sonja A; Reeves, Roger H; Rubinstein, Yaffa; Sherman, Stephanie; Terry, Sharon F; Whitten, Michelle Sie; Williams, Stephen; McCabe, Edward R B; Maddox, Yvonne T

    2011-01-01

    A December 2010 meeting, "Down Syndrome: National Conference on Patient Registries, Research Databases, and Biobanks," was jointly sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, and the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GDSF)/Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome based in Denver, CO. Approximately 70 attendees and organizers from various advocacy groups, federal agencies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and various NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices), members of industry, clinicians, and researchers from various academic institutions were greeted by Drs. Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director of NICHD, and Edward McCabe, Executive Director of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome. They charged the participants to focus on the separate issues of contact registries, research databases, and biobanks through both podium presentations and breakout session discussions. Among the breakout groups for each of the major sessions, participants were asked to generate responses to questions posed by the organizers concerning these three research resources as they related to Down syndrome and then to report back to the group at large with a summary of their discussions. This report represents a synthesis of the discussions and suggested approaches formulated by the group as a whole. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Conference Proceedings: “Down Syndrome: National Conference on Patient Registries, Research Databases, and Biobanks”

    PubMed Central

    Oster-Granite, Mary Lou; Parisi, Melissa A.; Abbeduto, Leonard; Berlin, Dorit S.; Bodine, Cathy; Bynum, Dana; Capone, George; Collier, Elaine; Hall, Dan; Kaeser, Lisa; Kaufmann, Petra; Krischer, Jeffrey; Livingston, Michelle; McCabe, Linda L.; Pace, Jill; Pfenninger, Karl; Rasmussen, Sonja A.; Reeves, Roger H.; Rubinstein, Yaffa; Sherman, Stephanie; Terry, Sharon F.; Whitten, Michelle Sie; Williams, Stephen; McCabe, Edward R.B.; Maddox, Yvonne T.

    2011-01-01

    A December 2010 meeting, “Down Syndrome: National Conference on Patient Registries, Research Databases, and Biobanks,” was jointly sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, and the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GDSF)/Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome based in Denver, CO. Approximately 70 attendees and organizers from various advocacy groups, federal agencies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and various NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices), members of industry, clinicians, and researchers from various academic institutions were greeted by Drs. Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director of NICHD, and Edward McCabe, Executive Director of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome. They charged the participants to focus on the separate issues of contact registries, research databases, and biobanks through both podium presentations and breakout session discussions. Among the breakout groups for each of the major sessions, participants were asked to generate responses to questions posed by the organizers concerning these three research resources as they related to Down syndrome and then to report back to the group at large with a summary of their discussions. This report represents a synthesis of the discussions and suggested approaches formulated by the group as a whole. PMID:21835664

  1. Use of formative research and social network theory to develop a group walking intervention: Sumter County on the Move!

    PubMed

    Forthofer, Melinda; Burroughs-Girardi, Ericka; Stoisor-Olsson, Liliana; Wilcox, Sara; Sharpe, Patricia A; Pekuri, Linda M

    2016-10-01

    Although social support is a frequently cited enabler of physical activity, few studies have examined how to harness social support in interventions. This paper describes community-based formative research to design a walking program for mobilizing naturally occurring social networks to support increases in walking behavior. Focus group methods were used to engage community members in discussions about desired walking program features. The research was conducted with underserved communities in Sumter County, South Carolina. The majority of focus group participants were women (76%) and African American (92%). Several important themes emerged from the focus group results regarding attitudes toward walking, facilitators of and barriers to walking, ideal walking program characteristics, and strategies for encouraging community members to walk. Most noteably, the role of existing social networks as a supportive influence on physical activity was a recurring theme in our formative research and a gap in the existing evidence base. The resulting walking program focused on strategies for mobilizing, supporting and reinforcing existing social networks as mechanisms for increasing walking. Our approach to linking theory, empirical evidence and community-based formative research for the development of a walking intervention offers an example for practitioners developing intervention strategies for a wide range of behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Overview of the Center for Space Construction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hearth, Donald P.

    1989-01-01

    The purpose of this overview is to outline the position of the Center for Space Construction within the context of space-related programs at the University of Colorado. the University's historically strong research and graduate programs in space science and its strong undergraduate aerospace engineering program were the starting point in 1984 for a major expansion of space-related education and research programs at the Boulder campus. This initiative has resulted in a tripling of space-related research as well as a large increase in the enrollment of high quality engineering students, particularly at the graduate level. The Center for Space Construction is a major element of this initiative, since it represents a mechanism for interdisciplinary and system level research and education within the Engineering College, thus filling a major need. Seventeen faculty members and 37 students from 7 academic units are associated with the Center and are interacting with each other and with the CSC Associates (a group of industrial organizations and government laboratories). The first Ph.D. has been awarded to a student working in the Center; the second Ph.D. is expected later this year. Several new courses have been introduced in the College. Finally, excellent research is being conducted and Center participants are publishing in the open literature.

  3. Polar marine biology science in Portugal and Spain: Recent advances and future perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xavier, José C.; Barbosa, Andrés; Agustí, Susana; Alonso-Sáez, Laura; Alvito, Pedro; Ameneiro, Julia; Ávila, Conxita; Baeta, Alexandra; Canário, João; Carmona, Raquel; Catry, Paulo; Ceia, Filipe; Clark, Melody S.; Cristobo, Francisco J.; Cruz, Bruno; Duarte, Carlos M.; Figuerola, Blanca; Gili, Josep-Maria; Gonçalves, Ana R.; Gordillo, Francisco J. L.; Granadeiro, José P.; Guerreiro, Miguel; Isla, Enrique; Jiménez, Carlos; López-González, Pablo J.; Lourenço, Sílvia; Marques, João C.; Moreira, Elena; Mota, Ana M.; Nogueira, Marta; Núñez-Pons, Laura; Orejas, Covadonga; Paiva, Vitor H.; Palanques, Albert; Pearson, Gareth A.; Pedrós-Alió, Carlos; Peña Cantero, Álvaro L.; Power, Deborah M.; Ramos, Jaime A.; Rossi, Sergi; Seco, José; Sañé, Elisabet; Serrão, Ester A.; Taboada, Sergi; Tavares, Sílvia; Teixidó, Núria; Vaqué, Dolors; Valente, Tiago; Vázquez, Elsa; Vieira, Rui P.; Viñegla, Benjamin

    2013-10-01

    Polar marine ecosystems have global ecological and economic importance because of their unique biodiversity and their major role in climate processes and commercial fisheries, among others. Portugal and Spain have been highly active in a wide range of disciplines in marine biology of the Antarctic and the Arctic. The main aim of this paper is to provide a synopsis of some of the results and initiatives undertaken by Portuguese and Spanish polar teams within the field of marine sciences, particularly on benthic and pelagic biodiversity (species diversity and abundance, including microbial, molecular, physiological and chemical mechanisms in polar organisms), conservation and ecology of top predators (particularly penguins, albatrosses and seals), and pollutants and evolution of marine organisms associated with major issues such as climate change, ocean acidification and UV radiation effects. Both countries have focused their polar research more in the Antarctic than in the Arctic. Portugal and Spain should encourage research groups to continue increasing their collaborations with other countries and develop multi-disciplinary research projects, as well as to maintain highly active memberships within major organizations, such as the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Council (IASC) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), and in international research projects.

  4. Teachers Focus on Motivation for Reading: "It's All about Knowing the Relationship"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Unrau, Norman; Ragusa, Gisele; Bowers, Erica

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative study focused on teacher's beliefs about students' motivation for reading and how teachers act on those beliefs in classrooms. After conducting five focus groups of teachers, researchers analyzed and interpreted transcripts to identify major themes. While instructional processes mediated the building of relationships between…

  5. The Impact of Changes to Finance-Major Assessment Structures on Student Engagement and Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burrow, Michael; McIver, Ron P.

    2012-01-01

    Analysis of assessment activities that encourage student engagement and attainment of higher-order cognitive outcomes within Bloom's Taxonomy (deep learning; Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) supports greater use of individual and group presentations, research reports, and open-book exams. Consistent with this analysis this paper outlines changes…

  6. Status and Future of Lunar Geoscience.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1986

    A review of the status, progress, and future direction of lunar research is presented in this report from the lunar geoscience working group of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Information is synthesized and presented in four major sections. These include: (1) an introduction (stating the reasons for lunar study and identifying…

  7. Enriching the Curriculum Through Consumer Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Euclid City Schools, OH.

    The guide contains class activities for consumer education at the elementary grade level. The interdisciplinary activities are appropriate for whole class, small group, or individual research in consumerism. Teachers can adjust the activities to any elementary grade level by varying the approach. The guide's major objective is to help children…

  8. Methods for Chemical Analysis of Fresh Waters.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Golterman, H. L.

    This manual, one of a series prepared for the guidance of research workers conducting studies as part of the International Biological Programme, contains recommended methods for the analysis of fresh water. The techniques are grouped in the following major sections: Sample Taking and Storage; Conductivity, pH, Oxidation-Reduction Potential,…

  9. IPI Science Today.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Champagne, Audrey B.

    The paper related what has been accomplished during the past six years in the development of IPI Science at the Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh. There have been three major accomplishments: (1) Goals for the program have been established, (2) The serious problems that face a group of curriculum developers…

  10. Language Learning Strategies of Multilingual Adults Learning Additional Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dmitrenko, Violetta

    2017-01-01

    The main goal consisted in identifying and bringing together strategies of multilinguals as a particular learner group. Therefore, research was placed in the intersection of the three fields: language learning strategies (LLS), third language acquisition (TLA), and the didactics of plurilingualism. First, the paper synthesises the major findings…

  11. 76 FR 21892 - SFIREG POM Working Committee; Notice of Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-19

    ... Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO)/State FIFRA Issues Research and Evaluation Group... and sets forth the tentative agenda topics. DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, May 16, 2011... Topics 1. Implementing and communicating major pesticide regulatory changes--Panel discussion. 2. SFIREG...

  12. Teaching Ethnic Psychology to Undergraduates: Course Development, Delivery, and Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Romero, Dan; And Others

    This paper discusses the development, delivery, and evaluation of university undergraduate courses in ethnic psychology, which is defined as research and literature about four major racial/ethnic minority groups, Asian American/Pacific Islanders, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. Following a brief history of the role of…

  13. International Environmental Monitoring: A Bellagio Conference, February 16-18, 1977 (Revised Publication).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rockefeller Foundation, New York, NY.

    The proceedings of a conference on international environmental monitoring is presented, along with a commentary, reports from activity groups, and appended tabular information. Major objectives of the 25 participants from international organizations, national governments, and research institutions were to review accomplishments in global and…

  14. Studies in Group Upbringing. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bronfenbrenner, Urie

    Four years of an ongoing research project designed to investigate the joint impact of family, peers, teacher, and professional upbringers on the socialization of children in Israel are reported. Data are gathered on child behavior and socialization practices from fifth, sixth, and seventh graders. Settings in the two major waves of field work…

  15. Knowledge Exchange with Sistema Scotland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allan, Julie; Moran, Nikki; Duffy, Celia; Loening, Gica

    2010-01-01

    This paper reports on a knowledge exchange project, funded by the Scottish Funding Council and undertaken by a group of researchers from three higher education institutions in Scotland and the project partner, Sistema Scotland. This newly established charity is attempting to implement a major programme of social change, developed in Venezuela,…

  16. Research priorities in Maternal, Newborn, & Child Health & Nutrition for India: An Indian Council of Medical Research-INCLEN Initiative.

    PubMed

    Arora, Narendra K; Swaminathan, Soumya; Mohapatra, Archisman; Gopalan, Hema S; Katoch, Vishwa M; Bhan, Maharaj K; Rasaily, Reeta; Shekhar, Chander; Thavaraj, Vasantha; Roy, Malabika; Das, Manoja K; Wazny, Kerri; Kumar, Rakesh; Khera, Ajay; Bhatla, Neerja; Jain, Vanita; Laxmaiah, Avula; Nair, M K C; Paul, Vinod K; Ramachandran, Prema; Ramji, Siddharth; Vaidya, Umesh; Verma, I C; Shah, Dheeraj; Bahl, Rajiv; Qazi, Shamim; Rudan, Igor; Black, Robert E

    2017-05-01

    In India, research prioritization in Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) themes has traditionally involved only a handful of experts mostly from major cities. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-INCLEN collaboration undertook a nationwide exercise engaging faculty from 256 institutions to identify top research priorities in the MNCHN themes for 2016-2025. The Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative method of priority setting was adapted. The context of the exercise was defined by a National Steering Group (NSG) and guided by four Thematic Research Subcommittees. Research ideas were pooled from 498 experts located in different parts of India, iteratively consolidated into research options, scored by 893 experts against five pre-defined criteria (answerability, relevance, equity, investment and innovation) and weighed by a larger reference group. Ranked lists of priorities were generated for each of the four themes at national and three subnational (regional) levels [Empowered Action Group & North-Eastern States, Southern and Western States, & Northern States (including West Bengal)]. Research priorities differed between regions and from overall national priorities. Delivery domain of research which included implementation research constituted about 70 per cent of the top ten research options under all four themes. The results were endorsed in the NSG meeting. There was unanimity that the research priorities should be considered by different governmental and non-governmental agencies for investment with prioritization on implementation research and issues cutting across themes.

  17. Research priorities in Maternal, Newborn, & Child Health & Nutrition for India: An Indian Council of Medical Research-INCLEN Initiative

    PubMed Central

    Arora, Narendra K.; Swaminathan, Soumya; Mohapatra, Archisman; Gopalan, Hema S.; Katoch, Vishwa M.; Bhan, Maharaj K.; Rasaily, Reeta; Shekhar, Chander; Thavaraj, Vasantha; Roy, Malabika; Das, Manoja K.; Wazny, Kerri; Kumar, Rakesh; Khera, Ajay; Bhatla, Neerja; Jain, Vanita; Laxmaiah, Avula; Nair, M.K.C.; Paul, Vinod K.; Ramachandran, Prema; Ramji, Siddharth; Vaidya, Umesh; Verma, I.C.; Shah, Dheeraj; Bahl, Rajiv; Qazi, Shamim; Rudan, Igor; Black, Robert E.

    2017-01-01

    In India, research prioritization in Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) themes has traditionally involved only a handful of experts mostly from major cities. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-INCLEN collaboration undertook a nationwide exercise engaging faculty from 256 institutions to identify top research priorities in the MNCHN themes for 2016-2025. The Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative method of priority setting was adapted. The context of the exercise was defined by a National Steering Group (NSG) and guided by four Thematic Research Subcommittees. Research ideas were pooled from 498 experts located in different parts of India, iteratively consolidated into research options, scored by 893 experts against five pre-defined criteria (answerability, relevance, equity, investment and innovation) and weighed by a larger reference group. Ranked lists of priorities were generated for each of the four themes at national and three subnational (regional) levels [Empowered Action Group & North-Eastern States, Southern and Western States, & Northern States (including West Bengal)]. Research priorities differed between regions and from overall national priorities. Delivery domain of research which included implementation research constituted about 70 per cent of the top ten research options under all four themes. The results were endorsed in the NSG meeting. There was unanimity that the research priorities should be considered by different governmental and non-governmental agencies for investment with prioritization on implementation research and issues cutting across themes. PMID:28948951

  18. The mountains hold things in: the use of community research review work groups to address cancer disparities in Appalachia.

    PubMed

    Hutson, Sadie P; Dorgan, Kelly A; Phillips, Amber N; Behringer, Bruce

    2007-11-01

    To review regional findings about cancer disparities with grass roots community leaders in Appalachia and to identify perspectives about what makes the cancer experience unique in Appalachia. A community-based participatory approach that includes focus-group methodology. Work groups gathered in well-known community locations in northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. 22 lay adult community members (12 in Tennessee and 10 in Virginia), all of whom had a personal and community interest in cancer and were reputed as informal community leaders. Work groups engaged in a series of five sequential sessions designed to (a) review regional data about cancer disparities and identify perspectives about what makes the cancer experience unique in Appalachia, (b) promote dialogue between the work group members and healthcare providers to identify methods for improved collaboration, and (c) integrate the work group with regional efforts of the states' comprehensive cancer control plans. Four major themes emerged from the focus group sessions with each work group: cancer storytelling, cancer collectivism, healthcare challenges, and cancer expectations. The community research review work groups proved to be a successful method to disseminate information about regional cancer disparities. Study findings provide a unique foundation so that healthcare providers and researchers can begin to address cancer disparities in the Appalachian region. Nurses are in key positions to partner with trusted community leaders to address disparities across the cancer continuum in Appalachia.

  19. Differences between immigrant and non-immigrant groups in the use of primary medical care; a systematic review

    PubMed Central

    Uiters, Ellen; Devillé, Walter; Foets, Marleen; Spreeuwenberg, Peter; Groenewegen, Peter P

    2009-01-01

    Background Studies on differences between immigrant and non-immigrant groups in health care utilization vary with respect to the extent and direction of differences in use. Therefore, our study aimed to provide a systematic overview of the existing research on differences in primary care utilization between immigrant groups and the majority population. Methods For this review PubMed, PsycInfo, Cinahl, Sociofile, Web of Science and Current Contents were consulted. Study selection and quality assessment was performed using a predefined protocol by 2 reviewers independently of each other. Only original, quantitative, peer-reviewed papers were taken into account. To account for this hierarchical structure, logistic multilevel analyses were performed to examine the extent to which differences are found across countries and immigrant groups. Differences in primary care use were related to study characteristics, strength of the primary care system and methodological quality. Results A total of 37 studies from 7 countries met all inclusion criteria. Remarkably, studies performed within the US more often reported a significant lower use among immigrant groups as compared to the majority population than the other countries. As studies scored higher on methodological quality, the likelihood of reporting significant differences increased. Adjustment for health status and use of culture-/language-adjusted procedures during the data collection were negatively related to reporting significant differences in the studies. Conclusion Our review underlined the need for careful design in studies of differences in health care use between immigrant groups and the majority population. The results from studies concerning differences between immigrant and the majority population in primary health care use performed within the US might be interpreted as a reflection of a weaker primary care system in the US compared to Europe and Canada. PMID:19426567

  20. International coordination of biomedical research.

    PubMed

    Owen, S G

    1976-01-01

    Recent efforts at international coordination in biomedical research have taken place at two levels. At the level of the working clinician and scientist, European regionalism has become increasingly manifest in such organizations as the European Society for Clinical Investigation, the European Organization for Research into the Treatment of Cancer, the European Molecular Biology Organization and many others. These have developed largely, though not entirely, independently of government funding. At the level of science policy, i.e. of bodies supporting biomedical research mainly from public funds, the major developments have been the Comité de la Recherche Médicale of the European Community and the much wider association of European Medical Research Councils, based on the whole of Western Europe; in October 1975 the latter group became incorporated into the new European Science Foundation as the first Standing Committee of that body. Wider, interregional, cooperation presents greater problems, though there have been some modest successes, and the multinational drive on research into six of the major health problems of the Third World now being proposed by WHO holds further promise for the future.

  1. Induced Innovation and Social Inequality: Evidence from Infant Medical Care.

    PubMed

    Cutler, David M; Meara, Ellen; Richards-Shubik, Seth

    2012-01-01

    We develop a model of induced innovation that applies to medical research. Our model yields three empirical predictions. First, initial death rates and subsequent research effort should be positively correlated. Second, research effort should be associated with more rapid mortality declines. Third, as a byproduct of targeting the most common conditions in the population as a whole, induced innovation leads to growth in mortality disparities between minority and majority groups. Using information on infant deaths in the U.S. between 1983 and 1998, we find support for all three empirical predictions.

  2. Incidence of Major Cardiovascular Events in Immigrants to Ontario, Canada

    PubMed Central

    Chu, Anna; Rezai, Mohammad R.; Guo, Helen; Maclagan, Laura C.; Austin, Peter C.; Booth, Gillian L.; Manuel, Douglas G.; Chiu, Maria; Ko, Dennis T.; Lee, Douglas S.; Shah, Baiju R.; Donovan, Linda R.; Sohail, Qazi Zain; Alter, David A.

    2015-01-01

    Background— Immigrants from ethnic minority groups represent an increasing proportion of the population in many high-income countries, but little is known about the causes and amount of variation between various immigrant groups in the incidence of major cardiovascular events. Methods and Results— We conducted the Cardiovascular Health in Ambulatory Care Research Team (CANHEART) Immigrant Study, a big data initiative, linking information from Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Permanent Resident database to 9 population-based health databases. A cohort of 824 662 first-generation immigrants aged 30 to 74 as of January 2002 from 8 major ethnic groups and 201 countries of birth who immigrated to Ontario, Canada between 1985 and 2000 were compared with a reference group of 5.2 million long-term residents. The overall 10-year age-standardized incidence of major cardiovascular events was 30% lower among immigrants than among long-term residents. East Asian immigrants (predominantly ethnic Chinese) had the lowest incidence overall (2.4 in males, 1.1 in females per 1000 person-years), but this increased with greater duration of stay in Canada. South Asian immigrants, including those born in Guyana, had the highest event rates (8.9 in males, 3.6 in females per 1000 person-years), along with immigrants born in Iraq and Afghanistan. Adjustment for traditional risk factors reduced but did not eliminate the differences in cardiovascular risk between various ethnic groups and long-term residents. Conclusions— Striking differences in the incidence of cardiovascular events exist among immigrants to Canada from different ethnic backgrounds. Traditional risk factors explain a part but not all of these differences. PMID:26324719

  3. GSFC VLBI Analysis Center Annual Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gordon, David; Ma, Chopo; MacMillan, Dan

    1999-01-01

    The GSFC VLBI group, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, is a part of the NASA Space Geodesy Program. Since its inception in the mid 1970's, this group has been involved with and been a leader in most aspects of geodetic and astrometric VLBI. Current major activities include coordination of the international geodetic observing program; coordination and analysis of the CORE program; VLBI technique development; and all types of data processing, analysis, and research activities.

  4. [Mental health status of young children (clinico-epidemiological study)].

    PubMed

    Kozlovskaia, G V; Skoblo, G V

    1989-01-01

    The work is based upon a combined prospective investigation into an urban children population aged 0 to 4 years by a group of psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists and an expert in neurophysiology. The age group under investigation showed a high incidence of mental disorders (10% on average). The authors have singled out some major lines of clinical research into the mental disorders and micropsychiatry including a number of practical issues of improving special therapeutic-preventive assistance to children population.

  5. Seeking Help in Domestic Violence Among Muslim Women in Muslim-Majority and Non-Muslim-Majority Countries: A Literature Review.

    PubMed

    Afrouz, Rojan; Crisp, Beth R; Taket, Ann

    2018-01-01

    Women from different backgrounds and cultures are at risk of domestic violence. Disclosing the abusive experience and seeking help is not straightforward and easy and might be a complicated and long-term process. Muslim women, like other groups of women, may face various barriers to disclose abusive relationships and for seeking help. Some of the barriers may be common for the majority of Muslim women in different contexts, while others might be related to women's situations and the wider society they live. To identify these barriers and make recommendations for future studies, this article reviews related papers conducted in both Muslim-majority and non-Muslim-majority countries. A critical systematic review of the literature was conducted for identifying Muslim women's barriers in disclosing abuse and seeking help. Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. The main identified barriers are discussed into under four themes: social context, family context, individual factors, and expectations of service providers. Although the researchers tried to investigate various barriers in seeking help, many of them have not focused on structural obstacles. Besides, in many Muslim-majority countries, the issue has not been explored. Therefore, the results of the current article will not apply to those countries. Recommendation for future research comprises more qualitative research compatible with the women's cultures and backgrounds in different societies, focusing more on structural and cultural factors to explore and find women's barriers to seek help.

  6. Evaluation of an ongoing psychoeducational inflammatory bowel disease support group in an adult outpatient setting.

    PubMed

    McMaster, Kristin; Aguinaldo, Laika; Parekh, Nimisha K

    2012-01-01

    Previous studies assessing efficacy of support groups for patients with inflammatory bowel disease showed mixed results in terms of attendance and overall effectiveness. In this study, researchers evaluated the use of an ongoing open psychoeducational support group for adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease in an outpatient tertiary setting. The sample consisted of 18 adults who have attended more than 2 meetings of the support group. Topics addressed in the support group include complementary medicine, diet and nutrition, the psychological impact of inflammatory bowel disease, medication and side effects, and insurance/disability. Participants were asked to complete the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, Multidimensional Support Scale, 11 general demographic questions, and a brief open-ended qualitative questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results demonstrated that participants reported very high satisfaction with the support group and rated the adequacy of peer support from others with inflammatory bowel disease higher than support from family/friends and professionals. A majority of group members reported joining the group for mutual support and education; this expectation was met through the psychoeducational structure of the group. This study demonstrates the potential for success of an ongoing psychoeducational inflammatory bowel disease support group for adult patients and their caregivers.

  7. RESEARCH RECORDS AND THE RESOLUTION OF MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AT RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

    PubMed Central

    WILSON, KENNETH; SCHREIER, ALAN; GRIFFIN, ANGEL; RESNIK, DAVID

    2014-01-01

    Accurate record keeping is an important part of the responsible conduct of research. However, there is very little empirical research on scientific record keeping. No one knows the incidence of serious problems with research records, the types of problems that occur, nor their consequences. In this study, we examined the role of research records in the resolution of misconduct allegations as a useful barometer for the incidence and types of problems that occur with records. We interviewed Research Integrity Officers (RIOs) at 90 major research universities and conducted focus groups with active research faculty. RIOs reported problems with research records in 38% of the 553 investigations they conducted. Severe problems with research records often prevented completion of investigations while problems that are more typical lengthened them by 2 to 3 weeks. Five types of poor record keeping practices accounted for 75% of the problems with incomplete/inadequate records being the most common (30%). The focus groups concurred with the findings from the interviews with RIOs, stressed the importance of the research group leader in setting and maintaining record practices, and offered additional insights. While university officials and faculty members have suspected for many years that there are serious problems with research record keeping, our study provides empirical evidence for this belief. By documenting some of the problems with record keeping in university-based research, the results of our study provide information that will be useful for policy development at academic institutions. PMID:17847607

  8. Research records and the resolution of misconduct allegations at research universities.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Kenneth; Schreier, Alan; Griffin, Angel; Resnik, David

    2007-01-01

    Accurate record keeping is an important part of the responsible conduct of research. However, there is very little empirical research on scientific record keeping. No one knows the incidence of serious problems with research records, the types of problems that occur, nor their consequences. In this study, we examined the role of research records in the resolution of misconduct allegations as a useful barometer for the incidence and types of problems that occur with records. We interviewed Research Integrity Officers (RIOs) at 90 major research universities and conducted focus groups with active research faculty. RIOs reported problems with research records in 38% of the 553 investigations they conducted. Severe problems with research records often prevented completion of investigations while problems that are more typical lengthened them by 2 to 3 weeks. Five types of poor record keeping practices accounted for 75 % of the problems with incomplete/inadequate records being the most common (30%). The focus groups concurred with the findings from the interviews with RIOs, stressed the importance of the research group leader in setting and maintaining record practices, and offered additional insights. While university officials and faculty members have suspected for many years that there are serious problems with research record keeping, our study provides empirical evidence for this belief. By documenting some of the problems with record keeping in university-based research, the results of our study provide information that will be useful for policy development at academic institutions.

  9. Cognitive Styles in Mood Disorders: Discriminative Ability of Unipolar and Bipolar Cognitive Profiles

    PubMed Central

    Shapero, Benjamin G.; Stange, Jonathan P.; Goldstein, Kim E.; Black, Chelsea L.; Molz, Ashleigh R.; Hamlat, Elissa J.; Black, Shimrit K.; Boccia, Angelo S.; Abramson, Lyn Y.; Alloy, Lauren B.

    2015-01-01

    Although previous research has identified cognitive styles that distinguish individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD), and individuals without mood disorders from one another, findings have been inconsistent. The current study included 381 participants classified into a BD group, a MDD group, and a no mood disorder group. To differentiate between these groups, this study evaluated cognitive styles with a battery of traditional and more recently-developed measures. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses were used to determine the discriminate ability of variables with significant between group differences. Results supported that BD and MDD may be characterized by distinct cognitive styles. Given work showing that interventions for MDD may not be effective at treating BD, it is important to directly compare individuals with these disorders. By clarifying the overlapping and divergent cognitive styles characterizing BD and MDD, research can not only improve diagnostic validity, but also provide more efficacious and effective interventions. PMID:25893033

  10. Trends in biotechnological production of fuel ethanol from different feedstocks.

    PubMed

    Sánchez, Oscar J; Cardona, Carlos A

    2008-09-01

    Present work deals with the biotechnological production of fuel ethanol from different raw materials. The different technologies for producing fuel ethanol from sucrose-containing feedstocks (mainly sugar cane), starchy materials and lignocellulosic biomass are described along with the major research trends for improving them. The complexity of the biomass processing is recognized through the analysis of the different stages involved in the conversion of lignocellulosic complex into fermentable sugars. The features of fermentation processes for the three groups of studied feedstocks are discussed. Comparative indexes for the three major types of feedstocks for fuel ethanol production are presented. Finally, some concluding considerations on current research and future tendencies in the production of fuel ethanol regarding the pretreatment and biological conversion of the feedstocks are presented.

  11. How culture shapes community: bible belief, theological unity, and a sense of belonging in religious congregations.

    PubMed

    Stroope, Samuel

    2011-01-01

    Feeling that you belong in a group is an important and powerful need. The ability to foster a sense of belonging can also determine whether groups survive. Organizational features of groups cultivate feelings of belonging, yet prior research fails to investigate the idea that belief systems also play a major role. Using multilevel data, this study finds that church members' traditional beliefs, group-level belief unity, and their interaction associate positively with members' sense of belonging. In fact, belief unity can be thought of as a “sacred canopy” under which the relationship between traditional beliefs and feelings of belonging thrives.

  12. The Conference Proceedings of the 1998 Air Transport Research Group (ATRG) of the WCTR Society. Volume 4

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bowen, Brent D. (Editor); Oum, Tae Hoon (Editor)

    1998-01-01

    The Air Transport Research Group of the WCTR Society was formally launched as a special interest group at the 7h Triennial WCTR in Sydney, Australia in 1995. Since then, our membership base has expanded rapidly, and now includes over 400 active transportation researchers, policy-makers, industry executives, major corporations and research institutes from 28 countries. It became a tradition that the ATRG would hold an international conference at least once a year. In 1998, the ATRG organized a consecutive stream of 14 aviation sessions at the 8th Triennial WCTR Conference (July 12-17: Antwerp). Again, on 19-21 July, 1998, the ATRG Symposium was organized and executed every successfully by Dr. Aisling Reynolds-Feighan of the University College of Dublin. The Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha has published the Proceedings of the 1998 ATRG Dublin Symposium (being co-edited by Dr. Aisling Reynolds-Feighan and Professor Brent Bowen), and the Proceedings of the 1998 WCTR- ATRG Conference (being co-edited by Professors Tae H. Oum and Brent Bowen).

  13. The Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions Environmental Technology Consortium annual report 1994--1995

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

    NONE

    1998-07-01

    The HBCU/MI ET Consortium was established in January 1990, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among its member institutions. This group of research oriented Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MIs) agreed to work together to initiate or revise education programs, develop research partnerships with public and private sector organizations, and promote technology development to address the nation`s critical environmental contamination problems. The Consortium`s Research, Education and Technology Transfer (RETT) Plan became the working agenda. The Consortium is a resource for collaboration among the member institutions and with federal an state agencies, national and federal laboratories, industries, (includingmore » small businesses), majority universities, and two and four-year technical colleges. As a group of 17 institutions geographically located in the southern US, the Consortium is well positioned to reach a diverse group of women and minority populations of African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. This Report provides a status update on activities and achievements in environmental curriculum development, outreach at the K--12 level, undergraduate and graduate education, research and development, and technology transfer.« less

  14. Proceedings of the magnetic fusion energy blanket and shield workshop. A technical assessment. Volume I

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

    Powell, J.R.; Fillo, J.A.; Twining, B.G.

    1975-08-01

    The first volume of these Proceedings is devoted to summarizing the results of the activities of the five technical area Study Groups. These Study Groups played a major role in the Workshop since it was their mission to identify key research and development requirements in their technical areas, etimate the prospects for success of research and development projects directed toward fulfilling these requirements, and determine appropriate time scales for the initiation and completion of these efforts. The determination of which new scientific and technological knowledge, data, and techniques will be required to achieve the Division of Magnetic Fusion Energy programmore » goals, and the construction of an evaluated compilation of research and development needs along with suggestions for levels of effort needed to achieve these goals were among the objectives of the Study Groups. The Conclusions and Recommendations of the Study Groups are summaries of the individual Study Group's findings prepared by the chairmen and co-chairmen/secretaries. These findings were presented to all the Workshop participants in a plenary session, and the discussion and comments on the findings are included in this volume.« less

  15. The 1990 progress report and future plans

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Friedland, Peter; Zweben, Monte; Compton, Michael

    1990-01-01

    This document describes the progress and plans of the Artificial Intelligence Research Branch (RIA) at ARC in 1990. Activities span a range from basic scientific research to engineering development and to fielded NASA applications, particularly those applications that are enabled by basic research carried out at RIA. Work is conducted in-house and through collaborative partners in academia and industry. Our major focus is on a limited number of research themes with a dual commitment to technical excellence and proven applicability to NASA short, medium, and long-term problems. RIA acts as the Agency's lead organization for research aspects of artificial intelligence, working closely with a second research laboratory at JPL and AI applications groups at all NASA centers.

  16. Suicide among immigrants in Europe--a systematic literature review.

    PubMed

    Spallek, Jacob; Reeske, Anna; Norredam, Marie; Nielsen, Signe Smith; Lehnhardt, Jessica; Razum, Oliver

    2015-02-01

    Concerns about increased suicide risk among immigrants to European countries have been raised. We review the scientific literature on differences in suicide among immigrants compared with the majority populations in Europe's major immigration countries. We searched the databases PubMed and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed epidemiological studies published in 1990-2011, which compared suicide risks of adult immigrant groups with the risks of the majority population in European countries. Hits were screened by two researchers. We included 24 studies in the review. No generalizable pattern of suicide among immigrants was found. Immigrants from countries in which suicide risks are particularly high, i.e. countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, experienced higher suicide rates relative to groups without migration background. Gender and age differences were observed. Young female immigrants from Turkey, East Africa and South Asia are a risk group. Immigrants 'bring along' their suicide risk, at least for the initial period they spend in the immigration country. Health-care planners and providers need to be aware of this 'imported risks'. However, most immigrant groups do not have an increased suicide risk relative to the local-born population; some may even experience substantially lower risks. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

  17. Attitudes towards antenatal vaccination, Group B streptococcus and participation in clinical trials: Insights from focus groups and interviews of parents and healthcare professionals.

    PubMed

    McQuaid, Fiona; Pask, Sophie; Locock, Louise; Davis, Elizabeth; Stevens, Zoe; Plumb, Jane; Snape, Matthew D

    2016-07-25

    Antenatal vaccination has become a part of routine care during pregnancy in the UK and worldwide, leading to improvements in health for both pregnant women and their infants. However, uptake remains sub-optimal. Other antenatal vaccines targeting major neonatal pathogens, such as Group B streptococcus (GBS), the commonest cause of sepsis and meningitis in the neonatal period, are undergoing clinical trials but more information is needed on how to improve acceptance of such vaccines. Qualitative study using focus groups and interviews; involving 14 pregnant women, 8 mothers with experience of GBS, and 28 maternity healthcare professionals. Questions were asked regarding antenatal vaccines, knowledge of GBS, attitudes to a potential future GBS vaccine and participation in antenatal vaccine trials. All participants were very cautious about vaccination during pregnancy, with harm to the baby being a major concern. Despite this, the pregnant women and parents with experience of GBS were open to the idea of an antenatal GBS vaccine and participating in research, while the maternity professionals were less positive. Major barriers identified included lack of knowledge about GBS and the reluctance of maternity professionals to be involved. In order for a future GBS vaccine to be acceptable to both pregnant women and the healthcare professionals advising them, a major awareness campaign would be required with significant focus on convincing and training maternity professionals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Clinical presentation of postnatal and non-postnatal depressive episodes.

    PubMed

    Cooper, Carly; Jones, Lisa; Dunn, Emma; Forty, Liz; Haque, Sayeed; Oyebode, Femi; Craddock, Nick; Jones, Ian

    2007-09-01

    The relationship of postnatal (postpartum) depression (PND) to episodes of depression occurring at other times is not well understood. Despite a number of studies of clinical presentation, there is little consistency in the literature. We have undertaken within- and between-individual comparisons of the clinical presentation of postnatal (PN) and non-postnatal (NPN) depressive episodes in women with recurrent depression. In a sample of well-characterized, parous women meeting DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for recurrent major depressive disorder, the clinical presentation of episodes of major depression with onset within 4 weeks of giving birth (PND group, n=50) were compared with (i) the non-postnatal episodes of women with PND, and (ii) episodes of major depression in parous women who had not experienced episodes of mood disorder in relation to childbirth (NPND group, n=132). In addition, the non-postnatal episodes of the PND group of women were compared with the depressive episodes of the NPND group. The small number of differences found between PN and NPN depressive episodes, such as reduced early morning wakening in postnatal episodes, are likely to be explicable by the context of having a new baby rather than by any difference in the nature of the underlying depression. The results do not point to substantial differences in clinical presentation between episodes of major depression occurring in relation to childbirth and at other times. Other avenues of research are therefore required to demonstrate a specific relationship between childbirth and depression.

  19. Bringing Students out of the Classroom and into Research Projects: An Undergraduate Team Research (UTR) Program at the University of Southern California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cox, I. V.; Quirk, M.; Culbert, K. N.; Whitesides, A. S.; Sun, H.; Black, C. J.; Cao, W.; Zhang, T.; Paterson, S. R.; Memeti, V.; Anderson, J. L.

    2010-12-01

    In 2006, USC Earth Sciences professors Paterson and Anderson created the Undergraduate Team Research (UTR) program, a year-long, multidisciplinary, learner-centered, student research experience. This program is open to all USC undergraduate students, but has also involved a few outstanding undergraduate students from other universities. Since its inception the 47 participants have been a diverse group: 53% women, ~17% minorities, and 43% non-Earth Science majors. To date, 15 abstracts written by UTR participants have been presented at national GSA and AGU meetings and several research papers for publication are in preparation. 12 presentations have been produced at University-sponsored research symposia and culminated in a number of senior theses. The central component of this program is a field-based research experience which involves several weeks of geologic mapping in various locations around the world. During the summer expedition, participants organize themselves into 3-4 person mapping teams consisting of a mix of undergraduate geology majors, non-majors, and mentors (professors and graduate students). At the end of each day, student researchers (with limited mentoring) work together to draft a geologic map while discussing their findings, formulating hypotheses about possible geologic histories, and planning research goals and organizing mapping teams for the next day. Throughout the following academic year, the student researchers continue to work in teams to digitize their geologic map, decide which analyses need to be done, and prepare collected rock samples for various structural, geochemical, and geochronologic studies. Most student researchers agree that they learned more in a few weeks than they often did in an entire semester course. What aspects of the UTR program elicit these high-yield results, even for non-majors that can be applied to other learning environments? We speculate that three critical elements are important: (1) The most notable is the collaborative nature, both in regards to the research itself and meeting the daily demands of living in the backcountry or a foreign country while working together as a research group. Students divided tasks amongst themselves while instructing and helping each other. Students with more geology expertise were able to reinforce their own knowledge by assisting in the teaching process that led to more rapid learning for the newcomers. (2) Student researchers developed a greater feeling of ownership in the program, which led to a greater commitment to learning and to sharing a broad range of ideas about both science and non-science activities. (3) Researchers are rewarded not only through grades, but through the excitement of daily new scientific discoveries, the joint publications of their research, and recognition by their peers. It is intriguing to speculate on what would happen if classrooms and particularly labs were designed to function as collaborative, student- run exercises with the ultimate goal to not only learn a subject, but also produce research papers on the class material.

  20. Attitudes toward medical and genetic confidentiality in the Saudi research biobank: An exploratory survey.

    PubMed

    Alahmad, Ghiath; Hifnawy, Tamer; Abbasi, Badaruddin; Dierickx, Kris

    2016-03-01

    Achieving a balance between giving access to information and respecting donors' confidentiality is a crucial issue for any biobank, with its large number of samples and associated information. Despite the existence of much empirical literature on confidentiality, there are too few surveys in the Middle East about the topic, particularly in the Saudi context. A survey was conducted of 200 respondents at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, among 5 groups of equal size, comprised of researchers, physicians, medical students, donors and laypersons, respectively. The majority of participants agreed that confidentiality is an important issue and that it is well protected in the Saudi biobank. All 5 groups showed different attitudes toward disclosing information to various third parties. They were in favor of allowing treating physicians, and to a certain extent family members, to have access to medical and genetic results from research. No significant differences were found between views on medical and genetic confidentiality. The majority of respondents agreed that confidentiality might be breached in cases with specific justified reasons. Even considering differences in religion, culture and other factors, the results of the study were consistent with those reported in the literature and research conducted in other countries. We therefore place emphasis on the importance of protecting and promoting patient/donor confidentiality and privacy. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  1. The delta cooperative model: a dynamic and innovative team-work activity to develop research skills in microbiology.

    PubMed

    Rios-Velazquez, Carlos; Robles-Suarez, Reynaldo; Gonzalez-Negron, Alberto J; Baez-Santos, Ivan

    2006-05-01

    The Delta Cooperative Model (DCM) is a dynamic and innovative teamwork design created to develop fundamentals in research skills. High school students in the DCM belong to the Upward Bound Science and Math (UBSM) program at the Inter American University, Ponce Campus. After workshops on using the scientific method, students were organized into groups of three students with similar research interests. Each student had to take on a role within the group as either a researcher, data analyst, or research editor. Initially, each research team developed hypothesis-driven ideas on their proposed project. In intrateam research meetings, they emphasized team-specific tasks. Next, interteam meetings were held to present ideas and receive critical input. Finally, oral and poster research presentations were conducted at the UBSM science fair. Several team research projects covered topics in medical, environmental, and general microbiology. The three major assessment areas for the workshop and DCM included: (i) student's perception of the workshops' effectiveness in developing skills, content, and values; (ii) research team self- and group participation evaluation, and (iii) oral and poster presentation during the science fair. More than 91% of the students considered the workshops effective in the presentation of scientific method fundamentals. The combination of the workshop and the DCM increased student's knowledge by 55% from pre- to posttests. Two rubrics were designed to assess the oral presentation and poster set-up. The poster and oral presentation scores averaged 83% and 75% respectively. Finally, we present a team assessment instrument that allows the self- and group evaluation of each research team. While the DCM has educational plasticity and versatility, here we document how the this model has been successfully incorporated in training and engaging students in scientific research in microbiology.

  2. Increasing participation in cancer research: insights from Native Hawaiian women in medically underserved communities.

    PubMed

    Ka'opua, Lana Sue; Mitschke, Diane; Lono, Joelene

    2004-09-01

    The cancer burden falls heavily on Native Hawaiian women, and of particular concern are those living in medically underserved communities where participation in potentially helpful clinical studies may be limited. Difficulty in accrual of Native Hawaiian women to a culturally-grounded intervention led researchers to conduct focus groups aimed at exploring attitudes towards research, use of a traditional Hawaiian practice for family discussion, and study promotion. Social marketing theory guided the development of discussion questions and a survey. Through purposive sampling, 30 women from medically underserved communities were recruited. Content analysis was used to identify major discussion themes. Findings indicate that lack of informational access may be a major barrier to participation. Study information disseminated through community channels with targeted outreach to social and religious organizations, promotion through face-to-face contact with researchers, and culturally tailored messages directed to families were preferred. Community oriented strategies based on linkages with organizational networks may increase participation.

  3. NRC Continental Margins Workshop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Katsouros, Mary Hope

    The Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council is organizing a workshop, “Continental Margins: Evolution of Passive Continental Margins and Active Marginal Processes,” to stimulate discussion and longterm planning in the scientific community about the evolution of all types of continental margins. We want to coordinate academic, industry, and government agency efforts in this field, and to enhance communication between sea-based and land-based research programs.The continental margins constitute the only available record of the long-term dynamic interaction of oceanic and continental lithosphere. Of great interest are the unique structures and thick sedimentary sequences associated with this interaction. A major focus of the workshop will be to define strategies for exploring and understanding the continental margins in three dimensions and through geologic time. The workshop will be divided into 7 working groups, each concentrating on a major issue in continental margins research. A background document is being prepared summarizing recent research in specific continental margin fields and identifying key scientific and technical issues.

  4. Race and Ethnic Group Differences in Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Chronic Medical Conditions.

    PubMed

    Watkins, Daphne C; Assari, Shervin; Johnson-Lawrence, Vicki

    2015-09-01

    This study tested whether race and ethnic group differences exist for lifetime major depressive disorder and/or general anxiety disorder with one or more chronic medical conditions. Data from the National Survey of American Life, which included 3570 African American, 1438 Caribbean Black, and 891 non-Hispanic White adults were analyzed. Outcomes included at least one and multiple chronic medical conditions, from a list of 14 medical conditions (e.g., arthritis, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, stroke, heart disease, etc.). Logistic regressions were fitted to data to determine how the association between major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder, and one or more chronic medical conditions vary across race and ethnicity. Lifetime major depressive disorder (but not lifetime general anxiety disorder) was associated with at least one chronic medical condition among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks, but not non-Hispanic Whites. Lifetime major depressive disorder was similarly associated with multiple chronic medical conditions among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and non-Hispanic Whites. For Caribbean Blacks, stronger associations were found between major depressive disorder and general anxiety disorder with one or more chronic medical conditions compared to African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites. Findings suggest that race and ethnicity may shape the links between comorbid psychiatric disorders and chronic medical conditions. Mental health screening of individuals with chronic medical conditions in primary health-care settings may benefit from tailoring based on race and ethnicity. More research is needed to understand why associations between physical and mental health vary among race and ethnic groups.

  5. Construction of a Solid State Research Facility, Building 3150. Environmental Assessment

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

    Not Available

    1993-07-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to construct a new facility to house the Materials Synthesis Group (MSG) and the Semiconductor Physics Group (SPG) of the Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The location of the proposed action is Roane County, Tennessee. MSG is involved in the study of crystal growth and the preparation and characterization of advanced materials, such as high-temperature superconductors, while SPG is involved in semiconductor physics research. All MSG and a major pardon of SPG research activities are now conducted in Building 2000, a deteriorating structure constructed in the 1940. The physical deterioration ofmore » the roof; the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system; and the plumbing make this building inadequate for supporting research activities. The proposed project is needed to provide laboratory and office space for MSG and SPG and to ensure that research activities can continue without interruption due to deficiencies in the building and its associated utility systems.« less

  6. Increasing efficiency of preclinical research by group sequential designs

    PubMed Central

    Piper, Sophie K.; Rex, Andre; Florez-Vargas, Oscar; Karystianis, George; Schneider, Alice; Wellwood, Ian; Siegerink, Bob; Ioannidis, John P. A.; Kimmelman, Jonathan; Dirnagl, Ulrich

    2017-01-01

    Despite the potential benefits of sequential designs, studies evaluating treatments or experimental manipulations in preclinical experimental biomedicine almost exclusively use classical block designs. Our aim with this article is to bring the existing methodology of group sequential designs to the attention of researchers in the preclinical field and to clearly illustrate its potential utility. Group sequential designs can offer higher efficiency than traditional methods and are increasingly used in clinical trials. Using simulation of data, we demonstrate that group sequential designs have the potential to improve the efficiency of experimental studies, even when sample sizes are very small, as is currently prevalent in preclinical experimental biomedicine. When simulating data with a large effect size of d = 1 and a sample size of n = 18 per group, sequential frequentist analysis consumes in the long run only around 80% of the planned number of experimental units. In larger trials (n = 36 per group), additional stopping rules for futility lead to the saving of resources of up to 30% compared to block designs. We argue that these savings should be invested to increase sample sizes and hence power, since the currently underpowered experiments in preclinical biomedicine are a major threat to the value and predictiveness in this research domain. PMID:28282371

  7. Impact of Receiving Secondary Results from Genomic Research: A 12-Month Longitudinal Study.

    PubMed

    Wynn, Julia; Martinez, Josue; Bulafka, Jessica; Duong, Jimmy; Zhang, Yuan; Chiuzan, Codruta; Preti, Jain; Cremona, Maria L; Jobanputra, Vaidehi; Fyer, Abby J; Klitzman, Robert L; Appelbaum, Paul S; Chung, Wendy K

    2018-06-01

    The impact of returning secondary results from exome sequencing (ES) on patients/participants is important to understand as ES is increasingly utilized in clinical care and research. Participants were recruited from studies using ES and were separated into two arms: 107 who had ES and were offered the choice to learn secondary results (ES group) and 85 who had not yet had ES (No ES group). Questionnaires were administered at baseline and 1 and 12 months, following results disclosure (ES group) or enrollment (No ES group). While the majority (65%) elected to learn all results following pre-test counseling, it was reduced from the 76% who indicated a desire for all results at baseline. Thirty-seven percent received results associated with an increased personal disease risk. There were no differences in changes in any of the psychological and social measures from baseline to post-results disclosure between the ES and No ES groups. Receiving a wide range of secondary findings appeared to have little measurable impact on most participants. The experience of learning secondary results may be related to participants' previous experiences with genetics, as well as the genetic counseling provided. Future research with a more diverse, genetically naïve group, as well as scalable methods of delivery, is needed.

  8. Theft reduction in a grocery store through product identification and graphing of losses for employees

    PubMed Central

    Carter, Ned; Holmström, Anne; Simpanen, Monica; Melin, Lennart

    1988-01-01

    Shoplifting and employee theft constitute a major problem for retailers. Previous research has described techniques for effectively reducing either type of theft but has not addressed the problem of thefts of unspecified origin. In a grocery store we evaluated the effect of identifying for employees frequently stolen products from three groups of items and graphing, twice weekly in the lunchroom, losses for the separate groups. After the products were identified and losses graphed, thefts from the three groups dropped from eight per day to two per day. PMID:16795718

  9. Newspaper coverage of biobanks.

    PubMed

    Ogbogu, Ubaka; Toews, Maeghan; Ollenberger, Adam; Borry, Pascal; Nobile, Helene; Bergmann, Manuela; Caulfield, Timothy

    2014-01-01

    Background. Biobanks are an important research resource that provides researchers with biological samples, tools and data, but have also been associated with a range of ethical, legal and policy issues and concerns. Although there have been studies examining the views of different stakeholders, such as donors, researchers and the general public, the media portrayal of biobanks has been absent from this body of research. This study therefore examines how biobanking has been represented in major print newspapers from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States to identify the issues and concerns surrounding biobanks that have featured most prominently in the print media discourse. Methods. Using Factiva, articles published in major broadsheet newspapers in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia were identified using specified search terms. The final sample size consisted of 163 articles. Results. Majority of articles mentioned or discussed the benefits of biobanking, with medical research being the most prevalent benefit mentioned. Fewer articles discussed risks associated with biobanking. Researchers were the group of people most quoted in the articles, followed by biobank employees. Biobanking was portrayed as mostly neutral or positive, with few articles portraying biobanking in a negative manner. Conclusion. Reporting on biobanks in the print media heavily favours discussions of related benefits over risks. Members of the scientific research community appear to be a primary source of this positive tone. Under-reporting of risks and a downtrend in reporting on legal and regulatory issues suggests that the print media views such matters as less newsworthy than perceived benefits of biobanking.

  10. The NASA/NSERC Student Airborne Research Program Land Focus Group - a Paid Training Program in Multi-Disciplinary STEM Research for Terrestrial Remote Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kefauver, S. C.; Ustin, S.; Davey, S. W.; Furey, B. J.; Gartner, A.; Kurzweil, D.; Siebach, K. L.; Slawsky, L.; Snyder, E.; Trammell, J.; Young, J.; Schaller, E.; Shetter, R. E.

    2011-12-01

    The Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Suborbital Education and Research Center (NSERC) is a unique six week multidisciplinary paid training program which directly integrates students into the forefront of airborne remote sensing science. Students were briefly trained with one week of lectures and laboratory exercises and then immediately incorporated into ongoing research projects which benefit from access to the DC-8 airborne platform and the MODIS-ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) sensor. Students were split into three major topical categories of Land, Ocean, and Air for the data collection and project portions of the program. This poster details the techniques and structure used for the student integration into ongoing research, professional development, hypothesis building and results as developed by the professor and mentor of the Land focus group. Upon assignment to the Land group, students were issued official research field protocols and split into four field specialty groups with additional specialty reading assignments. In the field each group spent more time in their respective specialty, but also participated in all field techniques through pairings with UC Davis research team members using midday rotations. After the field campaign, each specialty group then gave summary presentations on the techniques, preliminary results, and significance to overall group objectives of their specialty. Then students were required to submit project proposals within the bounds of Land airborne remote sensing science and encouraging, but not requiring the use of the field campaign data. These proposals are then reviewed by the professor and mentor and students are met with one by one to discuss the skills of each student and objectives of the proposed research project. The students then work under the supervision of the mentor and benefit again from professor feedback in a formal practice presentation session. At the end of the six week program, students present to all SARP program focus groups, mentors, professors, and, in addition, NSERC and NASA airborne science and education program directors and personnel.

  11. Overview of the University of Washington's Pre-Major in Astronomy Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haggard, Daryl; Pre-Major in Astronomy Program

    2015-01-01

    The fraction of science PhDs awarded to women, African American, Latino, and other minority students is currently far smaller than the fraction of the general population that these groups constitute (NSF 06-320, NSF 04-317). The future of Physics and Astronomy in the United States depends on recruiting and retaining these students in STEM majors and careers (Norman et al., 2009). The greatest obstacles for persistence in science reported by students are loss of interest, intimidation, poor advising, and lack of acceptance (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). In 2005, a group of University of Washington graduate students created the Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) to connect incoming undergraduate students to authentic research experiences as a means of recruiting and retaining them in STEM. Pre-MAP was one of only 13 initiatives supported by the President's Diversity Appraisal Implementation Fund and has proved to be one of its greatest success stories. At its core is a 10-week seminar in which undergraduates learn astronomical research techniques (e.g., computing, data analysis, documentation, statistics, and literature review) and apply them to projects conducted in small groups, under the supervision of faculty and postdocs. Now in its tenth year, Pre-MAP has engaged more than 100 undergraduates — its ongoing success has made it a model for similar programs at UW and other universities.I will outline the beginnings, funding streams, and structure of this long-running diversity program. The Pre-MAP sessions that follow will highlight our best practices and lessons learned, and feature first-hand accounts from several of our fantastic Pre-MAP alumni.

  12. An Archeological Overview and Management Plan for the Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Hawkins and Sullivan Counties, Tennessee

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-06-25

    Scientific Terms the proper authorized terms that Identify the major concept of the research and are sufficiently specific and precise to be used as index...ended terms written in descriptor form for those subjects for which no desCriptor exists. (c). COSATI Field/Group. Field and Group assignments are to be...taken from the 1964 COSATI Subject Category List. Since the maj’rity of documents are multidisciplinary In nature, the primary Field/Gr-up assignment

  13. Addition of CF3 across unsaturated moieties: a powerful functionalization tool

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    In the last few years, the efficient introduction of trifluoromethyl groups in organic molecules has become a major research focus. This review highlights the recent developments enabling the incorporation of CF3 groups across unsaturated moieties, preferentially alkenes, and the mechanistic scenarios governing these transformations. We have specially focused on methods involving the simultaneous formation of C–CF3 and C–C or C–heteroatom bonds by formal addition reactions across π-systems, as such difunctionalization processes hold valuable synthetic potential. PMID:24789472

  14. ReNeuron Group plc.

    PubMed

    Sinden, John D

    2006-01-01

    ReNeuron is a UK-based pioneer in stem cell research and development. The Company has leading edge, proprietary somatic stem cell technologies from which it is developing groundbreaking cell therapy products. ReNeuron's focus is on cell therapy treatments designed to reverse the effects of major diseases such as stroke, diabetes and diseases of the eye.

  15. Design and Evaluation of a Virtual Environment Infrastructure to Support Experiments in Social Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hmeljak, Dimitrij

    2010-01-01

    Virtual worlds provide useful platforms for social behavioral research, but impose stringent limitations on the rules of engagement, responsiveness, and data collection, along with other resource restrictions. The major challenge from a computer science standpoint in developing group behavior applications for such environments is accommodating the…

  16. Sex, Income, and Achievement: Reward-Dualism in Academia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Mary Frank

    A report is presented on an analysis of sex factors in academic income variation as determined by achieved, ascribed, and university location characteristics. The study group consisted of 5450 individuals at a major midwestern university as of June 1971. The subjects included 4541 men and 908 women research assistants and associates, deans and…

  17. The Writing Process: Effects of Life-Span Development on Imaging.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shock, Diane Hahn

    A qualitative study focused on incubation and illumination within the act of writing to determine if life-span development affects image production during these creative, cognitive acts. Sixteen subjects of both sexes from four age groups represented major developmental stages in the life cycle. The research design provided two 90-minute sessions…

  18. Hypothetical: The Case for an Australian "Group of Seven"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turner, Michael; Brown, Alistair

    2013-01-01

    This paper examines the hypothetical cost-savings that might ensue from a merger of most of Australia's major research universities. The results of the textual analysis show that a merger of these universities has the potential to reduce expenses and professional and support staff salaries, increase comprehensive income returns and improve…

  19. Elementary School Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of Good Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Ji-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Tae

    2005-01-01

    This study describes a classroom action research activity regarding a group of elementary school teacher candidates' perceptions of good mathematics problems. A questionnaire containing 20 problems was given, and the candidates were asked to rate the quality of each problem on a 5-point scale. The results revealed that the majority of the teacher…

  20. Science, Politics, and the IQ Controversy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snyderman, Mark; Rothman, Stanley

    1986-01-01

    The controversy over intelligence testing is more often influenced by political considerations than empirical research. A survey of 1,020 experts found that a majority agree that (1) intelligence can be defined; (2) heredity plays a role in individual and group IQ differences; and (3) intelligence testing in schools should continue at its present…

  1. The Kurdish Child in America: A Handbook for Educators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rytterager, Linda

    Recent research in second language acquisition (SLA) suggests that cultural pluralism can be an effective approach to assisting immigrants blend into the majority society. This handbook was designed to assist educators to be responsive and sensitive to the needs of a group of Kurdish political refugees who recently resettled in Idaho. It provides…

  2. Methylmercury in Marine Ecosystems: From Sources to Seafood Consumers -- A Work Group Report

    EPA Science Inventory

    Consumption of marine fish and shellfish is a major route of human exposure to methyl mercury. This paper is the result of a workshop by the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Research Program in November 2006 on "Fate and Bioavailability of Mercury in Aquatic Ecosystems and Effects on Human...

  3. "Why You Throwing Subs?": An Exploration of Community College Students' Immediate Responses to Microaggressions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Casanova, Saskias; McGuire, Keon M.; Martin, Margary

    2018-01-01

    Background/Context: Current research within four-year university settings reveals the daily encounters students of color and faculty have with microaggressions--brief, intentional or unintentional comments and behaviors communicating covert biases toward individuals based on their social group membership (Sue et al., 2007). The majority of all…

  4. Female Attractiveness and Eating Disorders: Do Children's Television Commercials Play a Role?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ogletree, Shirley M.; And Others

    1990-01-01

    This study analyzed commercials from Saturday morning cartoon programing. A majority (60.6 percent) were for food products, and of these 13.8 percent dealt with enhancement of appearance. This group of commercials featured female narrators, characters, and consumers disproportionately. The research offers support for the possible influence of…

  5. Art Therapy, Men and the Expressivity Gap

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trombetta, Robert

    2007-01-01

    Men as a discrete subject group and the gender-based nuances of their visual expression is a relatively unexplored art therapy research topic. The author describes a study designed to investigate the lived experience of a male subject in communicating about an episode of major depression, through both verbal communication and associations to…

  6. Systematic Review of Social Network Analysis in Adolescent Cigarette Smoking Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seo, Dong-Chul; Huang, Yan

    2012-01-01

    Background: Social networks are important in adolescent smoking behavior. Previous research indicates that peer context is a major causal factor of adolescent smoking behavior. To date, however, little is known about the influence of peer group structure on adolescent smoking behavior. Methods: Studies that examined adolescent social networks with…

  7. A Bibliography of the Literature on Optical Storage Technology. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, James R.

    Compiled to serve as a working tool for those involved in optical storage research, planning, and development, this bibliography contains nearly 700 references related to the optical storage and retrieval of digital computer data. Citations are divided into two major groups covering the general and patent literatures. Each citation includes the…

  8. Race Preferences in Children: Insights from South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shutts, Kristin; Kinzler, Katherine D.; Katz, Rachel C.; Tredoux, Colin; Spelke, Elizabeth S.

    2011-01-01

    Minority-race children in North America and Europe often show less own-race favoritism than children of the majority (White) race, but the reasons for this asymmetry are unresolved. The present research tested South African children in order to probe the influences of group size, familiarity, and social status on children's race-based social…

  9. Proxemics and Kinesics of Adolescents in Dual-Gender Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Terneus, Sandra K.; Malone, Yvonne

    2004-01-01

    Ethological research indicates that during courtship, men and women usually communicate their interests via body language and interpersonal space (kinesics and proxemics). Many studies have validated the usage of kinesics and the ebb and flow of proximity during the process of courtship. Although the majority of studies have focused on young…

  10. Interest Groups and the Development of Federal Legislation Affecting Older Americans.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harootyan, Robert A.

    Changes in the development of federal legislation affecting the elderly are analyzed in this study, which concentrates on the use of chronological and non-chronological eligibility criteria. Data for this research are contained in a computerized annotated index of federal legislation impacting on older Americans. The index covers seven major areas…

  11. To Improve the Academy. Resources for Student, Faculty, and Institutional Development. Volume 9.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilsen, Linda, Ed.

    This collection contains 19 articles which address the themes of helping teaching and research come into balance, improving the art of teaching, seeing and envisioning teachers as developers, modeling effective faculty development practice, and looking at the faculty spectrum. The essays are grouped under six major subject headings: (1) Teaching…

  12. 78 FR 72092 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-02

    ... quantitative studies. Focus groups serve the narrowly defined need for direct and informal opinion on a specific topic and as a qualitative research tool have three major purposes: To obtain information that is useful for developing variables and measures for quantitative studies, To better understand people's...

  13. Organizational Communication: Theoretical Implications of Communication Technology Applications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Danowski, James A.

    Communication technology (CT), which involves the use of computers in private and group communication, has had a major impact on theory and research in organizational communication over the past 30 years. From the 1950s to the early 1970s, mainframe computers were seen as managerial tools in creating more centralized organizational structures.…

  14. Cosmic collaboration in an undergraduate astrophysics laboratory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gunter, Ramona; Spiczak, Glenn; Madsen, James

    2010-10-01

    Lessons learned during the first offering of a lab component of an intermediate astrophysics course at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls are discussed. The course enrolled students from a variety of majors. Students worked in mixed-gender, mixed-major collaborative groups. They explored cosmic rays through hands-on, inquiry-based activities that took them from classic, fundamental discoveries to open-ended questions of their own design. We find that students divided their labor and brought the various parts of their research project together with little or no discussion regarding the various pieces and how they inform each other. Aspects of the lab design helped disrupt some typical gender dynamics in that men did not dominate group discussions. However, men did dominate the hands-on activities of the lab.

  15. Self-reported Health and Physician Diagnosed Illnesses in Women with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Calhoun, Patrick S.; Wiley, Matthew; Dennis, Michelle F.; Beckham, Jean C.

    2010-01-01

    PTSD has been associated with poor physical health. Depression is also associated with poor health, and may be responsible for the apparent relationship between PTSD and health outcomes. The current study examined self-reported and physician diagnosed medical morbidity in women. Women with PTSD alone were compared to three other groups of women: women with PTSD and comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD), women with MDD only, or women with neither diagnosis (comparison group). Results suggest that PTSD, with or without MDD, is associated with poor health in women. PTSD severity was related to health complaints beyond the effects of both somatization and depressive symptoms among women with PTSD. Findings and implications are discussed in relation to previous research in the area. PMID:19301251

  16. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Physlet-Based Materials in Supporting Conceptual Learning About Electricity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ülen, Simon; Gerlič, Ivan; Slavinec, Mitja; Repnik, Robert

    2017-04-01

    To provide a good understanding of many abstract concepts in the field of electricity above that of their students is often a major challenge for secondary school teachers. Many educational researchers promote conceptual learning as a teaching approach that can help teachers to achieve this goal. In this paper, we present Physlet-based materials for supporting conceptual learning about electricity. To conduct research into the effectiveness of these materials, we designed two different physics courses: one group of students, the experimental group, was taught using Physlet-based materials and the second group of students, the control group, was taught using expository instruction without using Physlets. After completion of the teaching, we assessed students' thinking skills and analysed the materials with an independent t test, multiple regression analyses and one-way analysis of covariance. The test scores were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group ( p < 0.05). The results of this study confirmed the effectiveness of conceptual learning about electricity with the help of Physlet-based materials.

  17. CAD/CAM Technology Working Group Report IDA/OSD R&M (Institute for Defense Analyses/Office of the Secretary of Defense Research and Maintainability) Study.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-08-01

    remain a major force in the military tracked vehicle market . ABC Corporation is about to begin a sixteen-month effort to design a new amphibious tracked...in industry and efforts within DOD itself. Each system, many proprietary and very marketable , has been developed with major investments in dollars...A good systems person will tell you very quickly the solution is to go through a data base. The problem then simplifies 5 like this. 75 CAE . .’-.M

  18. Support of the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics for Dynamics of the Solid Earth (DOSE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vandenberg, N. R.; Ma, C. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    This final report summarizes the accomplishments during the contract period. Under the contract Nepal, Inc. provided support to the VLBI group at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The contract covered a period of approximately eight years during high geodetic and astrometric VLBI evolved through several major changes. This report is divided into five sections that correspond to major task areas in the contract: A) Coordination rid Scheduling, B) Field System, CN Station Support, D) Analysis and Research and Development, and E) Computer Support.

  19. Toward Defining "Vocal Constriction": Practitioner Perspectives.

    PubMed

    Lemon-McMahon, Belinda; Hughes, Diane

    2018-01-01

    This research investigated the terminology used in relation to constriction of the singing voice from a range of practitioner perspectives. It focused on the locality, causes, consequences, management, trends, identification, and vocabulary of constriction. The research aimed to develop a holistic understanding of the term "vocal constriction" from participant experiences and perceptions (N = 10). Data collection occurred through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a range of voice care professionals. Participants included three professional groups: (1) Ear, Nose, and Throat medical specialists or laryngologists, (2) speech pathologists or speech therapists, and (3) singing teachers. Purposive sampling was used to ensure that the participants from groups 1 and 2 had extensive experience with singers in their practice. The singing teachers were experienced in either classical or contemporary styles, or both. Participant responses highlighted a discrepancy in preferred terminology, with "constriction" being less favored overall. Several anatomical locations were identified including postural, supraglottic (anteroposterior and false fold), articulatory, and in the intrinsic and extrinsic laryngeal musculature; psychological issues were also identified. Primary causes, secondary causes, and influencing factors were identified. Inefficient technique and poor posture or alignment were considered primary causes; similarly, emotion and anxiety or stress were identified as influencing factors by the majority of participants. There was less uniformity in responses regarding other causes. The major findings of this research are the respective participant group distinctions, an uncertainty regarding anteroposterior constriction, and that the location and effects of constriction are individual to the singer and must be considered contextually. A definition is offered, and areas for further research are identified. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. A Successful Experiment in Collaboration: U.S. Science Agencies Forge Major Joint IPY Outreach Efforts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cole, S.; Goldman, J.; West, P.

    2008-12-01

    The International Polar Year (IPY) provided U.S. agencies involved in polar research with a major outreach challenge: how to portray a unified view of the wealth of federal activity through a communications network dominated by agency-focused channels. To meet this challenge, 16 federal agencies joined together in an ongoing interagency working group, lead by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, resulting in a series of successful media and public outreach endeavors. These included a unique interagency U.S. IPY web site (www.ipy.gov) that allowed participating agencies to independently upload relevant information every day; a major IPY kickoff event at the National Academies of Science; and a joint NASA/NSF/USGS televised press conference unveiling a new satellite map of Antarctica. Key to these successes was the interagency working group, which facilitated in-depth and sustained interaction between the agencies in coordinating development of outreach strategies both at the agency and federal level.

  1. A Call to Develop Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) for Nonmajors Courses

    PubMed Central

    Ballen, Cissy J.; Blum, Jessamina E.; Brownell, Sara; Hebert, Sadie; Hewlett, James; Klein, Joanna R.; McDonald, Erik A.; Monti, Denise L.; Nold, Stephen C.; Slemmons, Krista E.; Soneral, Paula A. G.; Cotner, Sehoya

    2017-01-01

    Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) for non–science majors (nonmajors) are potentially distinct from CUREs for developing scientists in their goals, learning objectives, and assessment strategies. While national calls to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education have led to an increase in research revealing the positive effects of CUREs for science majors, less work has specifically examined whether nonmajors are impacted in the same way. To address this gap in our understanding, a working group focused on nonmajors CUREs was convened to discuss the following questions: 1) What are our laboratory-learning goals for nonmajors? 2) What are our research priorities to determine best practices for nonmajors CUREs? 3) How can we collaborate to define and disseminate best practices for nonmajors in CUREs? We defined three broad student outcomes of prime importance to the nonmajors CURE: improvement of scientific literacy skills, proscience attitudes, and evidence-based decision making. We evaluated the state of knowledge of best practices for nonmajors, and identified research priorities for the future. The report that follows is a summary of the conclusions and future directions from our discussion. PMID:28450449

  2. Performance of automated and manual coding systems for occupational data: a case study of historical records.

    PubMed

    Patel, Mehul D; Rose, Kathryn M; Owens, Cindy R; Bang, Heejung; Kaufman, Jay S

    2012-03-01

    Occupational data are a common source of workplace exposure and socioeconomic information in epidemiologic research. We compared the performance of two occupation coding methods, an automated software and a manual coder, using occupation and industry titles from U.S. historical records. We collected parental occupational data from 1920-40s birth certificates, Census records, and city directories on 3,135 deceased individuals in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Unique occupation-industry narratives were assigned codes by a manual coder and the Standardized Occupation and Industry Coding software program. We calculated agreement between coding methods of classification into major Census occupational groups. Automated coding software assigned codes to 71% of occupations and 76% of industries. Of this subset coded by software, 73% of occupation codes and 69% of industry codes matched between automated and manual coding. For major occupational groups, agreement improved to 89% (kappa = 0.86). Automated occupational coding is a cost-efficient alternative to manual coding. However, some manual coding is required to code incomplete information. We found substantial variability between coders in the assignment of occupations although not as large for major groups.

  3. The Global Research Collaboration of Network Meta-Analysis: A Social Network Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Li, Lun; Catalá-López, Ferrán; Alonso-Arroyo, Adolfo; Tian, Jinhui; Aleixandre-Benavent, Rafael; Pieper, Dawid; Ge, Long; Yao, Liang; Wang, Quan; Yang, Kehu

    2016-01-01

    Background and Objective Research collaborations in biomedical research have evolved over time. No studies have addressed research collaboration in network meta-analysis (NMA). In this study, we used social network analysis methods to characterize global collaboration patterns of published NMAs over the past decades. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched (at 9th July, 2015) to include systematic reviews incorporating NMA. Two reviewers independently selected studies and cross-checked the standardized data. Data was analyzed using Ucinet 6.0 and SPSS 17.0. NetDraw software was used to draw social networks. Results 771 NMAs published in 336 journals from 3459 authors and 1258 institutions in 49 countries through the period 1997–2015 were included. More than three-quarters (n = 625; 81.06%) of the NMAs were published in the last 5-years. The BMJ (4.93%), Current Medical Research and Opinion (4.67%) and PLOS One (4.02%) were the journals that published the greatest number of NMAs. The UK and the USA (followed by Canada, China, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany) headed the absolute global productivity ranking in number of NMAs. The top 20 authors and institutions with the highest publication rates were identified. Overall, 43 clusters of authors (four major groups: one with 37 members, one with 12 members, one with 11 members and one with 10 members) and 21 clusters of institutions (two major groups: one with 62 members and one with 20 members) were identified. The most prolific authors were affiliated with academic institutions and private consulting firms. 181 consulting firms and pharmaceutical industries (14.39% of institutions) were involved in 199 NMAs (25.81% of total publications). Although there were increases in international and inter-institution collaborations, the research collaboration by authors, institutions and countries were still weak and most collaboration groups were small sizes. Conclusion Scientific production on NMA is increasing worldwide with research leadership of Western countries (most notably, the UK, the USA and Canada). More authors, institutions and nations are becoming involved in research collaborations, but frequently with limited international collaborations. PMID:27685998

  4. Engaging undergradate students in interdisciplinary courses in nanotechnology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goodchild, Fiona

    2008-03-01

    Two new courses at UCSB engage both undergraduate and graduate students in situated learning so that they can acquire the knowledge and skills they will need for future academic courses and career development. These courses are designed and taught by research faculty and education staff at the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) at UC Santa Barbara. The speaker, Dr. Goodchild, Education Director at CNSI, collaborated in the course design and is advisor on assessment and pedagogy for both courses. The first course, entitled INSCITES, is aimed at first and second year students who are interested in the impacts of science and technology in society. This general education course is team taught by three Graduate Teaching Scholars from across engineering, science and social sciences. They collaborate with lead faculty from Materials Science and History to design both the curriculum and instructional format for the 10 week course that is supported by the National Science Foundation. INSCITES was taught for the first time in Spring 2007 and feedback indicated that the course had convinced the undergraduate students that they would like to take further courses outside their majors. The second course, entitled the Practice of Science is open to all majors in science and engineering, especially those in second and third year who are interested in scientific research and related career opportunities. The course has been taught for the past 4 years as a two quarter course by two research faculty who focus on the nature of scientific discovery, the role of graduate researchers and faculty, the challenges of collaboration across disciplines and the mechanisms for funding research in academia and industry. In the first quarter each students is expected to identify a mentor and a research group in which they can pursue an individual research project, to be completed during the second quarter when the classes are designed to operate like research group meetings. Evaluation indicates that both courses attract students from underrepresented groups in science who value gaining a broader perspective about nanotechnology and the career opportunities that it offers to undergraduate students.

  5. Longitudinal changes in microstructural white matter metrics in Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Mayo, Chantel D; Mazerolle, Erin L; Ritchie, Lesley; Fisk, John D; Gawryluk, Jodie R

    2017-01-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Current avenues of AD research focus on pre-symptomatic biomarkers that will assist with early diagnosis of AD. The majority of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based biomarker research to date has focused on neuronal loss in grey matter and there is a paucity of research on white matter. Longitudinal DTI data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 2 database were used to examine 1) the within-group microstructural white matter changes in individuals with AD and healthy controls at baseline and year one; and 2) the between-group microstructural differences in individuals with AD and healthy controls at both time points. 1) Within-group: longitudinal Tract-Based Spatial Statistics revealed that individuals with AD and healthy controls both had widespread reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased mean diffusivity (MD) with changes in the hippocampal cingulum exclusive to the AD group. 2) Between-group: relative to healthy controls, individuals with AD had lower FA and higher MD in the hippocampal cingulum, as well as the corpus callosum, internal and external capsule; corona radiata; posterior thalamic radiation; superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus; fronto-occipital fasciculus; cingulate gyri; fornix; uncinate fasciculus; and tapetum. The current results indicate that sensitivity to white matter microstructure is a promising avenue for AD biomarker research. Additional longitudinal studies on both white and grey matter are warranted to further evaluate potential clinical utility.

  6. How to create innovation by building the translation bridge from basic research into medicinal drugs: an industrial perspective

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    The global healthcare industry is undergoing substantial changes and adaptations to the constant decline of approved new medical entities. This decrease in internal research productivity is resulting in a major decline of patent-protected sales (patent cliff) of most of the pharmaceutical companies. Three major global adaptive trends as driving forces to cope with these challenges are evident: cut backs of internal research and development jobs in the western hemisphere (Europe and USA), following the market growth potential of Asia by building up internal or external research and development capabilities there and finally, ‘early innovation hunting’ with an increased focus on identifying and investing in very early innovation sources within academia and small start-up companies. Early innovation hunting can be done by different approaches: increased corporate funding, establishment of translational institutions to bridge innovation, increasing sponsored collaborations and formation of technology hunting groups for capturing very early scientific ideas and concepts. This emerging trend towards early innovation hunting demands special adaptations from both the pharmaceutical industry and basic researchers in academia to bridge the translation into new medicines which deliver innovative medicines that matters to the patient. This opinion article describes the different modalities of cross-fertilisation between basic university or publicly funded institutional research and the applied research and development activities within the pharmaceutical industry. Two key factors in this important translational bridge can be identified: preparation of both partnering organisations to open up for new and sometime disruptive ideas and creation of truly trust-based relationships between the different groups allowing long-term scientific collaborations while acknowledging that value-creating differences are an essential factor for successful collaboration building. PMID:23496921

  7. How to create innovation by building the translation bridge from basic research into medicinal drugs: an industrial perspective.

    PubMed

    Germann, Paul G; Schuhmacher, Alexander; Harrison, Juan; Law, Ronald; Haug, Kevin; Wong, Gordon

    2013-03-05

    The global healthcare industry is undergoing substantial changes and adaptations to the constant decline of approved new medical entities. This decrease in internal research productivity is resulting in a major decline of patent-protected sales (patent cliff) of most of the pharmaceutical companies. Three major global adaptive trends as driving forces to cope with these challenges are evident: cut backs of internal research and development jobs in the western hemisphere (Europe and USA), following the market growth potential of Asia by building up internal or external research and development capabilities there and finally, 'early innovation hunting' with an increased focus on identifying and investing in very early innovation sources within academia and small start-up companies. Early innovation hunting can be done by different approaches: increased corporate funding, establishment of translational institutions to bridge innovation, increasing sponsored collaborations and formation of technology hunting groups for capturing very early scientific ideas and concepts. This emerging trend towards early innovation hunting demands special adaptations from both the pharmaceutical industry and basic researchers in academia to bridge the translation into new medicines which deliver innovative medicines that matters to the patient. This opinion article describes the different modalities of cross-fertilisation between basic university or publicly funded institutional research and the applied research and development activities within the pharmaceutical industry. Two key factors in this important translational bridge can be identified: preparation of both partnering organisations to open up for new and sometime disruptive ideas and creation of truly trust-based relationships between the different groups allowing long-term scientific collaborations while acknowledging that value-creating differences are an essential factor for successful collaboration building.

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

    Derrick, M.

    These proceedings document a number of aspects of a big science facility and its impact on science, on technology, and on the continuing program of a major US research institution. The Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS) was a 12.5 GeV weak focusing proton accelerator that operated at Argonne for fifteen years--from 1964 to 1979. It was a major user facility which led to new close links between the Laboratory and university groups: in the research program; in the choice of experiments to be carried out; in the design and construction of beams and detectors; and even in the Laboratory management. Formore » Argonne, it marked a major move from being a Laboratory dominated by nuclear reactor development to one with a stronger basic research orientation. The present meeting covered the progress in accelerator science, in the applications of technology pioneered or developed by people working at the ZGS, as well as in physics research and detector construction. At this time, when the future of the US research programs in science is being questioned as a result of the ending of the Cold War and plans to balance the Federal budget, the specific place of the National Laboratories in the spectrum of research activities is under particular examination. This Symposium highlights one case history of a major science program that was completed more than a decade ago--so that the further developments of both the science and the technology can be seen in some perspective. The subsequent activities of the people who had worked in the ZGS program as well as the redeployment of the ZGS facilities were addressed. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.« less

  9. Attitudes of Infertile Couples, Fertility Clinic Staff and Researchers toward Personhood of The Human Embryo in Iran

    PubMed Central

    Kayssan, Marjaneh; Dolatian, Mahrokh; Omani Samani, Reza; Maroufizadeh, Saman

    2017-01-01

    Objective After the introduction of assisted reproductive techniques, human embryos were officially introduced into laboratories and now thousands of them are cryopreserved in such settings. Embryonic stem cells and the future application of such cells in the treatment of disease opened the door to further research on human embryos. These developments raise many ethical issues, some of which have religious aspects. The main question is: what is the embryo? Should we consider it a human being? Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes towards the personhood of the embryo. Materials and Methods In this cross sectional study, 203 infertile patients (n=406), 54 clinic staff and 49 embryo researchers, selected using convenience sampling at the Royan Institute, completed a questionnaire on personhood of human embryo. The questionnaire had been developed following qualitative research and had satisfied face and content validity tests. Results At the pre-implantation stage the majority of participants in all three groups considered the human embryo as "not a human being". Also, at the post-implantation stage of development, the majority of infertile couples and clinic staff considered the embryo as "not a human being" but, half the researchers (51%) considered the embryo in this stage as a "potential human". Half of the infertile couples considered the human fetus before ensoulment time (19th week of pregnancy according to the Shiite Islamic scholars) as "not-human being", while more than half of researchers (55.1%) considered it as a "potential human". Conclusion Ensoulment time is a major and important border for personhood. Most infertile couples and clinic staff consider the human embryo as "not a human being" but majority of all study participants considered the human fetus to be a complete human after ensoulment time. PMID:28670524

  10. Deciding on Science: An Analysis of Higher Education Science Student Major Choice Criteria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    White, Stephen Wilson

    The number of college students choosing to major in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the United States affects the size and quality of the American workforce (Winters, 2009). The number of graduates in these academic fields has been on the decline in the United States since the 1960s, which, according to Lips and McNeil (2009), has resulted in a diminished ability of the United States to compete in science and engineering on the world stage. The purpose of this research was to learn why students chose a STEM major and determine what decision criteria influenced this decision. According to Ajzen's (1991) theory of planned behavior (TPB), the key components of decision-making can be quantified and used as predictors of behavior. In this study the STEM majors' decision criteria were compared between different institution types (two-year, public four-year, and private four-year), and between demographic groups (age and sex). Career, grade, intrinsic, self-efficacy, and self-determination were reported as motivational factors by a majority of science majors participating in this study. Few students reported being influenced by friends and family when deciding to major in science. Science students overwhelmingly attributed the desire to solve meaningful problems as central to their decision to major in science. A majority of students surveyed credited a teacher for influencing their desire to pursue science as a college major. This new information about the motivational construct of the studied group of science majors can be applied to the previously stated problem of not enough STEM majors in the American higher education system to provide workers required to fill the demand of a globally STEM-competitive United States (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, & Institute of Medicine, 2010).

  11. Participation in Clinical Research Registries: A Focus Group Study Examining Views From Patients With Arthritis and Other Chronic Illnesses.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sara B; Zak, Agnes; Iversen, Maura D; Polletta, Valerie L; Shadick, Nancy A; Solomon, Daniel H

    2016-07-01

    Patient registries have contributed substantially to progress in clinical research in rheumatic diseases. However, not much is known about how to optimize the patient experience in such registries. We assessed patient views, motivations, and potential barriers towards participation in registry research to better understand how registries can be improved to maximize patient engagement. Focus groups were held with 23 patients (mean ± SD age 59 ± 13 years) from the Boston area and led by a bilingual moderator trained in focus group methodology, using a semistructured moderator guide. Three separate focus groups were conducted to thematic saturation: patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had registry experience, patients with any chronic illness, and Spanish-speaking patients with RA or osteoarthritis. Patients in the latter 2 groups had no prior registry experience. Focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed. Four researchers independently analyzed transcripts using open data coding to identify themes. A normative group process was used to consolidate and refine themes. Seven major themes were identified, including personalization/convenience of data collection, trust and confidentiality, camaraderie, learning about yourself and your disease, altruism, material motivators, and capturing mental health and other elements of the lived experience. We observed distinct differences in the discussion content of the Spanish-speaking patients compared to the English-speaking patients. This study identified patient attitudes towards registry research among those with and without prior experience in a registry. The results provide insight into strategies for registry design to maximize patient engagement, which can lead to more robust registry data. © 2016, American College of Rheumatology.

  12. OSC in the 1970s: a springboard for a career in optical engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harvey, James E.

    2014-09-01

    Anecdotes and recollections from a graduate student at the Optical Sciences Center (OSC) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The early faculty of the OCS fostered an exciting environment where even graduate students served significant roles on major government research contracts. Teamwork and collaboration between research groups was often required to meet the contract goals. This unique learning experience at the OSC almost 50 years ago served as a springboard for a satisfying and rewarding career in Optical Engineering.

  13. Testing the Role of p21-Activated Kinases in Schwannoma Formation Using a Novel Genetically Engineered Murine Model that Closely Phenocopies Human NF2 Disease

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-01

    control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. The major goal of this research project was to genetically and pharmacologically ...with three different pharmacologic PAK inhibitors to determine if targeted PAK inhibition in a preclinical model of schwannoma genesis rescues tumor...this research project was to genetically and pharmacologically test the requirement of Group A PAK signaling in Nf2 deficient schwannoma genesis. We

  14. Leaving School — learning at SEA: Regular high school education alongside polar research, not only during IPY

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gatti, S.

    2006-12-01

    Against the background of unsatisfactory results from the international OECD study PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), Germany is facing a period of intense school reforms. Looking back at a tradition of school culture with too few changes during the last century, quick and radical renewal of the school system is rather unlikely. Furthermore students are increasingly turning away from natural sciences. The AWI aims at providing impulses for major changes in the schooling system and is offering solid science education not only for university students but also for a much younger audience. All efforts towards this goal are interconnected within the project SEA (Science & Education @ the AWI). Fife years ago the AWI started HIGHSEA (High school of SEA). Each year 22 high school students (grade 11) are admitted to HIGHSEA spending their last three years of school not at school but at the institute. Four subjects (biology as a major, chemistry, math and English as accessory subjects) are combined and taught fully integrated. Students leave their schools for two days each week to study, work and explore all necessary topics at the AWI. All of the curricular necessities of the four subjects are being met. After rearrangement of the temporal sequencing conceptual formulation of four major questions around AWI-topics was possible. Students are taught by teachers of the cooperating schools as well as by scientists of the AWI. Close links and intense cooperation between all three groups are the basis of fundamental changes in teaching and learning climate. For each group of students we organize a short research expedition: in August 2005 we worked in the high Arctic, in January and February 2006 we performed measurements at two eastern Atlantic seamounts. Even if the amount of data coming from these expeditions is comparatively small they still contribute to ongoing research projects of the oceanographic department. The first two groups of students finished their final exams — with outstanding results. External evaluation of HIGHSEA performed by the University Duisburg-Essen presents spectacular results of HIGHSEA students when compared with a control group. By exploring and establishing new ways of teaching and learning we are contributing to the ongoing discussion about the renewal of the German school system. Drawing on our rich experience in cooperation with local schools we are offering an international role-play game focusing around the sustainable use of Polar regions in times of global climate change. After regional, national and international runs of the game the activities will culminate during an international "World Youth Polar Conference" (WYPC) late in 2007. We offer the unique opportunity for researchers in the field of polar research to actively contribute to a major outreach activity during IPY and participate in our role-play as national ambassadors.

  15. A century of work teams in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

    PubMed

    Mathieu, John E; Hollenbeck, John R; van Knippenberg, Daan; Ilgen, Daniel R

    2017-03-01

    Work groups are a vital link between individuals and organizations. Systematic psychological research on the nature and effects of work groups dates back at least to the Hawthorne studies of the 1920s and 1930s. Yet little to none of this work appeared in the Journal of Applied Psychology until the 1950s when groups were treated primarily as foils against which to compare the performance of individuals. From the 1990s to the present, the volume of research and the nature of topics addressing work group/teams expanded significantly. The authors review the evolution of team research over the past century with a particular focus on that which has appeared in this journal. They chronicle the shift from a focus on individuals within teams, or on individual versus team comparisons, to a focus on the team itself and larger systems of teams. They describe the major outcomes studied within this literature, and how they relate to the nature of team tasks and structures. Further, the authors consider the roles of team members' characteristics and composition, and team dynamics in terms of processes and emergent states. They close with a call for future research that models dynamic team relationships in context and as they operate in complex systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  16. Assessing Group Dynamics in a Mars Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bishop, S. L.

    2007-10-01

    International interest in psychosocial functioning generally and issues of group and inter-group function for space crews has increased as focus has shifted towards longer duration spaceflight and, particularly, the issues involved in sending a human crew to Mars (Kanas, et al., 2001; Dawson, 2002). Planning documents for a human mission to Mars such as the NASA Design Reference Mission (DRM 1.0) emphasize the need for adaptability of crewmembers and autonomy in the crew as a whole (Hoffman and Kaplan, 1997). Similarly a major study by the International Space University (ISU, 1991) emphasized the need for autonomy and initiative for a Mars crew given that many of the scenarios that will be encountered on Mars cannot be rehearsed on earth and given the lack of any realistic possibility for rescue of the crew. This research project was only one subset of data collected during the larger AustroMars Expedition at the Mars Desert Research Facility (MDRS) in 2006. The participating crew comprises part of a multi-year investigation on teams utilizing the MDRS facility. The program of research has included numerous researchers since 2002 with a progressive evolution of key foci addressing stress, personality, coping, adaptation, cognitive functioning, and group identity assessed across the duration period of the individual missions.

  17. EU-funded malaria research under the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes for research and technological development.

    PubMed

    Holtel, Andreas; Troye-Blomberg, Marita; Penas-Jimenez, Inmaculada

    2011-01-14

    While malaria research has traditionally been strong in Europe, targeted and sustained support for cooperative malaria research at EU level, namely through the EU's 6th and 7th Framework Programmes for research and technological development, FP6 (2002-2006) and FP7 (2007-2013), has boosted both impact and visibility of European malaria research. Most of the European malaria research community is now organized under a number of comprehensive and complementary research networks and projects, assembled around four key areas: (1) fundamental research on the malaria parasite and the disease, (2) development of new malaria drugs, (3) research and development of a malaria vaccine, and (4) research to control the malaria-transmitting mosquito vector. Considerable efforts were undertaken to ensure adequate participation of research groups from disease-endemic countries, in particular from Africa, with the long-term aim to strengthen cooperative links and research capacities in these countries. The concept of organizing European research through major strategic projects to form a "European Research Area" (ERA) was originally developed in the preparation of FP6, and ERA formation has now turned into a major EU policy objective explicitly inscribed into the Lisbon Treaty. EU-funded malaria research may serve as a showcase to demonstrate how ERA formation can successfully be implemented in a given area of science when several surrounding parameters converge to support implementation of this strategic concept: timely coincidence of political stimuli, responsive programming, a clearly defined--and well confined--area of research, and the readiness of the targeted research community who is well familiar with transnational cooperation at EU level. Major EU-funded malaria projects have evolved into thematic and organizational platforms that can collaborate with other global players. Europe may thus contribute more, and better, to addressing the global research agenda for malaria.

  18. The role of family phenomena in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

    PubMed

    Paidipati, Cynthia P; Deatrick, Janet A

    2015-02-01

    Previous research suggests that families are integral to the understanding of children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this article is to identify family phenomena related to children and adolescents with ADHD and highlight research findings that intersect family phenomena with the care and treatment of ADHD in youth. A literature review was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania in spring of 2014 using an online library system. The four major databases utilized are Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Ovid Medline, Scopus, and Psyc-INFO. A wide array of family-related concepts are identified in the literature and represent a multifaceted and dynamic range of family phenomena related to ADHD youth. Four major themes emerged in the literature, including family stress and strain, parenting practices and caregiver health, family relationships, and family processes related to ADHD management. Different cultural and ethnic groups are reflected in the studies, but the majority of participants are self-identified Caucasian. As a collective, the research findings suggest family-related phenomena are essential and relevant to the investigation of children and adolescents with ADHD and worthwhile to explore in future research endeavors, especially in diverse populations. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Using a tag team of undergraduate researchers to construct an empirical model of auroral Poynting flux, from satellite data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cosgrove, R. B.; Bahcivan, H.; Klein, A.; Ortega, J.; Alhassan, M.; Xu, Y.; Chen, S.; Van Welie, M.; Rehberger, J.; Musielak, S.; Cahill, N.

    2012-12-01

    Empirical models of the incident Poynting flux and particle kinetic energy flux, associated with auroral processes, have been constructed using data from the FAST satellite. The models were constructed over a three-year period by a tag-team of three groups of undergraduate researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), working under the supervision of researchers at SRI International, a nonprofit research institute. Each group spent one academic quarter in residence at SRI, in fulfillment of WPI's Major Qualifying Project (MQP), required for graduation from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The MQP requires a written group report, which was used to transition from one group to the next. The student's research involved accessing and processing a data set of 20,000 satellite orbits, replete with flaws associated with instrument failures, which had to be removed. The data had to be transformed from the satellite reference frame into solar coordinates, projected to a reference altitude, sorted according to geophysical conditions, and etc. The group visits were chaperoned by WPI, and were jointly funded. Researchers at SRI were supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, which was tailored to accommodate the undergraduate tag-team approach. The NSF grant extended one year beyond the student visits, with increased funding in the final year, permitting the researchers at SRI to exercise quality control, and to produce publications. It is expected that the empirical models will be used as inputs to large-scale general circulation models (GCMs), to specify the atmospheric heating rate at high altitudes.; Poynting Flux with northward IMF ; Poynting flux with southward IMF

  20. Ammonia oxidation: Ecology, physiology, biochemistry and why they must all come together.

    PubMed

    Lehtovirta-Morley, Laura E

    2018-05-01

    Ammonia oxidation is a fundamental core process in the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. Oxidation of ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2 -) is the first and rate-limiting step in nitrification and is carried out by distinct groups of microorganisms. Ammonia oxidation is essential for nutrient turnover in most terrestrial, aquatic and engineered ecosystems and plays a major role, both directly and indirectly, in greenhouse gas production and environmental damage. Although ammonia oxidation has been studied for over a century, this research field has been galvanised in the past decade by the surprising discoveries of novel ammonia oxidising microorganisms. This review reflects on the ammonia oxidation research to date and discusses the major gaps remaining in our knowledge of the biology of ammonia oxidation.

  1. Who's in Charge: Role Clarity in a Midwestern Watershed Group

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Floress, Kristin; Prokopy, Linda Stalker; Ayres, Janet

    2011-10-01

    Studies of collaborative watershed groups show that effective leadership is an important factor for success. This research uses data from in-depth interviews and meeting observation to qualitatively examine leadership in a Midwestern collaborative watershed group operating with government funding. One major finding was a lack of role definition for volunteer steering-committee members. Lack of role clarity and decision-making processes led to confusion regarding project management authority among the group, paid project staff members, and agency personnel. Given the important role of government grants for funding projects to protect water quality, this study offers insight into leadership issues that groups with Clean Water Act Section 319 (h) funds may face and suggestions on how to resolve them.

  2. The Longevity Consortium: Harnessing diverse approaches to understand the genetic basis of human longevity and healthy aging. An introduction to a series of articles.

    PubMed

    Kahn, Arnold

    2011-04-01

    The Longevity Consortium is a multi-investigator, multi-institutional research group focused on identifying the genetic variants that regulate human lifespan and healthy aging. The text that follows is an introduction to a series of seven articles prepared by Consortium investigators that represent a profile of planned and ongoing research and up-to-date reviews of topics of major interest to biogerontologists and others scientists and clinicians interested in ageing research. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Risk Factors for Dog Relinquishment to a Los Angeles Municipal Animal Shelter

    PubMed Central

    Dolan, Emily D.; Scotto, Jamie; Slater, Margaret; Weiss, Emily

    2015-01-01

    Simple Summary Low income has been reported to be a risk factor for dog relinquishment to shelters in the U.S. The majority of people with lower incomes, however, do not relinquish. Risk factors for relinquishment in a low socioeconomic region of Los Angeles were examined. Cost was associated with relinquishment, and most people were not aware of available assistance. Those who relinquished reported emotional attachment to the dog and higher perceived stress than a comparison group. The majority of reasons for relinquishment were likely solvable with assistance, highlighting an opportunity to provide community-specific alternatives to relinquishment. Abstract Dog relinquishment is a large component of shelter intake in the United States. Research has shown traits of the dog are associated with relinquishment as well as general characteristics of those relinquishing. Low income is often cited as a risk factor for relinquishment. The majority of people with lower incomes, however, do not relinquish. A group of people accessing a shelter in a low socioeconomic region of Los Angeles to relinquish their dogs was surveyed. This study examined risk factors for relinquishment, controlling for household income, compared to a group utilizing low cost spay/neuter services. A total of 76.9% of those relinquishing noted cost as a reason for relinquishment. Of participants in the relinquishment group, 80.7% reported not being aware of any services available to them. Most notable in the findings was that the odds of relinquishment were generally higher as the amount of perceived stress in the home in the past three months increased. The majority of people in both groups reported being emotionally attached to the dog. In this sample from a South Los Angeles community, the majority of reasons for relinquishment were likely solvable with assistance. These findings highlight an opportunity to assess community needs and provide community specific alternatives to relinquishment. PMID:26690483

  4. Distinctive role of income in the all-cause mortality among working age migrants and the settled population in Finland: A follow-up study from 2001 to 2014.

    PubMed

    Patel, Kishan; Kouvonen, Anne; Koskinen, Aki; Kokkinen, Lauri; Donnelly, Michael; O'Reilly, Dermot; Vaananen, Ari

    2018-03-01

    Although income level may play a significant part in mortality among migrants, previous research has not focused on the relationship between income, migration and mortality risk. The aim of this register study was to compare all-cause mortality by income level between different migrant groups and the majority settled population of Finland. A random sample was drawn of 1,058,391 working age people (age range 18-64 years; 50.4% men) living in Finland in 2000 and linked to mortality data from 2001 to 2014. The data were obtained from Statistics Finland. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the association between region of origin and all-cause mortality in low- and high-income groups. The risk for all-cause mortality was significantly lower among migrants than among the settled majority population (hazards ratio (HR) 0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53-0.62). After adjustment for age, sex, marital status, employment status and personal income, the risk of mortality was significantly reduced for low-income migrants compared with the settled majority population with a low income level (HR 0.46; 95% CI 0.42-0.50) and for high-income migrants compared with the high-income settled majority (HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.69-0.95). Results comparing individual high-income migrant groups and the settled population were not significant. Low-income migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia had the lowest mortality risk of any migrant group studied (HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.27-0.39). Particularly low-income migrants seem to display a survival advantage compared with the corresponding income group in the settled majority population. Downward social mobility, differences in health-related lifestyles and the healthy migrant effect may explain this phenomenon.

  5. Model for Developing Educational Research Productivity: The Medical Education Research Group.

    PubMed

    Perry, Marcia; Hopson, Laura; House, Joseph B; Fischer, Jonathan P; Dooley-Hash, Suzanne; Hauff, Samantha; Wolff, Margaret S; Sozener, Cemal; Nypaver, Michele; Moll, Joel; Losman, Eve D; Carney, Michele; Santen, Sally A

    2015-11-01

    Education research and scholarship are essential for promotion of faculty as well as dissemination of new educational practices. Educational faculty frequently spend the majority of their time on administrative and educational commitments and as a result educators often fall behind on scholarship and research. The objective of this educational advance is to promote scholarly productivity as a template for others to follow. We formed the Medical Education Research Group (MERG) of education leaders from our emergency medicine residency, fellowship, and clerkship programs, as well as residents with a focus on education. First, we incorporated scholarship into the required activities of our education missions by evaluating the impact of programmatic changes and then submitting the curricula or process as peer-reviewed work. Second, we worked as a team, sharing projects that led to improved motivation, accountability, and work completion. Third, our monthly meetings served as brainstorming sessions for new projects, research skill building, and tracking work completion. Lastly, we incorporated a work-study graduate student to assist with basic but time-consuming tasks of completing manuscripts. The MERG group has been highly productive, achieving the following scholarship over a three-year period: 102 abstract presentations, 46 journal article publications, 13 MedEd Portal publications, 35 national didactic presentations and five faculty promotions to the next academic level. An intentional focus on scholarship has led to a collaborative group of educators successfully improving their scholarship through team productivity, which ultimately leads to faculty promotions and dissemination of innovations in education.

  6. Which positive factors determine the GP satisfaction in clinical practice? A systematic literature review.

    PubMed

    Le Floch, B; Bastiaens, H; Le Reste, J Y; Lingner, H; Hoffman, R D; Czachowski, S; Assenova, R; Koskela, T H; Klemenc-Ketis, Z; Nabbe, P; Sowinska, A; Montier, T; Peremans, L

    2016-09-13

    Looking at what makes General Practitioners (GPs) happy in their profession, may be important in increasing the GP workforce in the future. The European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) created a research team (eight national groups) in order to clarify the factors involved in GP job satisfaction throughout Europe. The first step of this study was a literature review to explore how the satisfaction of GPs had been studied before. The research question was "Which factors are related to GP satisfaction in Clinical Practice?" Systematic literature review according to the PRISMA statement. The databases searched were Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane. All articles were identified, screened and included by two separate research teams, according to inclusion or exclusion criteria. Then, a qualitative appraisal was undertaken. Next, a thematic analysis process was undertaken to capture any issue relevant to the research question. The number of records screened was 458. One hundred four were eligible. Finally, 17 articles were included. The data revealed 13 subthemes, which were grouped into three major themes for GP satisfaction. First there were general profession-related themes, applicable to many professions. A second group of issues related specifically to a GP setting. Finally, a third group was related to professional life and personal issues. A number of factors leading to GP job satisfaction, exist in literature They should be used by policy makers within Europe to increase the GP workforce. The research team needs to undertake qualitative studies to confirm or enhance those results.

  7. Management of Hepatoblastoma: ICMR Consensus Document.

    PubMed

    Agarwala, Sandeep; Gupta, Alisha; Bansal, Deepak; Vora, Tushar; Prasad, Maya; Arora, Brijesh; Kapoor, Gauri; Chinnaswamy, Girish; Radhakrishnan, Venkatraman; Laskar, Siddharth; Kaur, Tanvir; Dhaliwal, Rupinder Singh; Rath, G K; Bakhshi, Sameer

    2017-06-01

    Dramatic advancement has been made in the management of children with hepatoblastoma (HB) over the past 3 decades owing to the improvement in diagnostic imaging, new chemotherapeutic agents, better surgical care and availability of liver transplantation. These advances are the end results of contributions from 4 major study groups across the globe including International Society of Pediatric Oncology - Liver Tumor Strategy Group (SIOPEL), Children's Oncology Group (COG), German Pediatric Hematology Oncology Group (GPOH) and Japanese Pediatric Liver Tumor Study Group (JPLT). The current manuscript is written with the objective of developing a consensus guideline for practitioners at a National level. Based on literature and personal experience over last 3 decades, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Expert group has made recommendations for management of children with HB in resource-challenged nations including India.

  8. Research Options for Controlling Zoonotic Disease in India, 2010–2015

    PubMed Central

    Sekar, Nitin; Shah, Naman K.; Abbas, Syed Shahid; Kakkar, Manish

    2011-01-01

    Background Zoonotic infections pose a significant public health challenge for low- and middle-income countries and have traditionally been a neglected area of research. The Roadmap to Combat Zoonoses in India (RCZI) initiative conducted an exercise to systematically identify and prioritize research options needed to control zoonoses in India. Methods and Findings Priority setting methods developed by the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative were adapted for the diversity of sectors, disciplines, diseases and populations relevant for zoonoses in India. A multidisciplinary group of experts identified priority zoonotic diseases and knowledge gaps and proposed research options to address key knowledge gaps within the next five years. Each option was scored using predefined criteria by another group of experts. The scores were weighted using relative ranks among the criteria based upon the feedback of a larger reference group. We categorized each research option by type of research, disease targeted, factorials, and level of collaboration required. We analysed the research options by tabulating them along these categories. Seventeen experts generated four universal research themes and 103 specific research options, the majority of which required a high to medium level of collaboration across sectors. Research options designated as pertaining to ‘social, political and economic’ factorials predominated and scored higher than options focussing on ecological, genetic and biological, or environmental factors. Research options related to ‘health policy and systems’ scored highest while those related to ‘research for development of new interventions’ scored the lowest. Conclusions We methodically identified research themes and specific research options incorporating perspectives of a diverse group of stakeholders. These outputs reflect the diverse nature of challenges posed by zoonoses and should be acceptable across diseases, disciplines, and sectors. The identified research options capture the need for ‘actionable research’ for advancing the prevention and control of zoonoses in India. PMID:21364879

  9. Clinical use of the Kessler psychological distress scales with culturally diverse groups.

    PubMed

    Stolk, Yvonne; Kaplan, Ida; Szwarc, Josef

    2014-06-01

    The Kessler 10 (K10) and embedded Kessler 6 (K6) was developed to screen for non-specific psychological distress and serious mental illness in mental health surveys of English-speaking populations, but has been adopted in Western and non-Western countries as a screening and outcome measure in primary care and mental health settings. This review examines whether the original K6/K10's validity for culturally diverse populations was established, and whether the cultural equivalence, and sensitivity to change of translated or culturally adapted K6/K10s, has been demonstrated with culturally diverse client groups. Evidence for the original K6/K10's validity for culturally diverse populations is limited. Questions about the conceptual and linguistic equivalence of translated/adapted K6/K10s arise from reports of changes in item connotation and differential item functioning. Evidence for structural equivalence is inconsistent, as is support for criterion equivalence, with the majority of studies compromising on accuracy in case prediction. Research demonstrating sensitivity to change with culturally diverse groups is lacking. Inconsistent evidence for the K6/K10's cultural appropriateness in clinical settings, and a lack of clinical norms for either majority or culturally diverse groups, indicate the importance of further research into the psychological distress construct with culturally diverse clients, and the need for caution in interpreting K6/K10 scores. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  10. The Alsep Data Recovery Focus Group of NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagihara, S.; Lewis, L. R.; Nakamura, Y.; Williams, D. R.; Taylor, P. T.; Hills, H. K.; Kiefer, W. S.; Neal, C. R.; Schmidt, G. K.

    2014-12-01

    Astronauts on Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 deployed instruments on the Moon for 14 geophysical experiments (passive & active seismic, heat flow, magnetics, etc.) from 1969 to 1972. These instruments were called Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Packages (ALSEPs). ALSEPs kept transmitting data to the Earth until September 1977. When the observation program ended in 1977, a large portion of these data were not delivered to the National Space Science Data Center for permanent archive. In 2010, for the purpose of searching, recovering, preserving, and analyzing the data that were not previously archived, NASA's then Lunar Science Institute formed the ALSEP Data Recovery Focus Group. The group consists of current lunar researchers and those involved in the ALSEP design and data analysis in the 1960s and 1970s. Among the data not previously archived were the 5000+ 7-track open-reel tapes that recorded raw data from all the ALSEP instruments from April 1973 to February 1976 ('ARCSAV tapes'). These tapes went missing in the decades after Apollo. One of the major achievements of the group so far is that we have found 450 ARCSAV tapes from April to June 1975 and that we are extracting data from them. There are 3 other major achievements by the group. First, we have established a web portal at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, where ~700 ALSEP-related documents, totaling ~40,000 pages, have been digitally scanned and cataloged. Researchers can search and download these documents at www.lpi.usra.edu/ lunar/ALSEP/. Second, we have been retrieving notes and reports left behind by the now deceased/retired ALSEP investigators at their home institutions. Third, we have been re-analyzing the ALSEP data using the information from the recently recovered metadata (instrument calibration data, operation logs, etc.). Efforts are ongoing to get these data permanently archived in the Planetary Data System (PDS).

  11. Focus on Exercise: Client and Clinician Perspectives on Exercise in Individuals with Serious Mental Illness.

    PubMed

    Browne, Julia; Mihas, Paul; Penn, David L

    2016-05-01

    The health benefits of exercise are well established, yet individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) have a shorter life expectancy due in large part to physical health complications associated with poor diet and lack of exercise. There is a paucity of research examining exercise in this population with the majority of studies having examined interventions with limited feasibility and sustainability. Before developing an intervention, a thorough exploration of client and clinician perspectives on exercise and its associated barriers is warranted. Twelve clients and fourteen clinicians participated in focus groups aimed at examining exercise, barriers, incentives, and attitudes about walking groups. Results indicated that clients and clinicians identified walking as the primary form of exercise, yet barriers impeded consistent participation. Distinct themes arose between groups; however, both clients and clinicians reported interest in a combination group/pedometer based walking program for individuals with SMI. Future research should consider examining walking programs for this population.

  12. Using AD biomarker research results for clinical care: a survey of ADNI investigators.

    PubMed

    Shulman, Melanie B; Harkins, Kristin; Green, Robert C; Karlawish, Jason

    2013-09-24

    To inform whether the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) should change its policy of not returning research results to ADNI participants, we surveyed investigators and research staff about disclosing ADNI biomarker information to research participants, with particular emphasis on amyloid imaging results. In April 2012, just before Food and Drug Administration approval of the amyloid-binding radiotracer, florbetapir, all ADNI investigators and personnel were recruited to complete an anonymous online survey that contained fixed choice and free-text questions. Although ADNI participants often requested amyloid imaging results (the proportions of investigators who reported requests from more than half of their participants with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment were 20% and 22%, respectively), across all diagnostic groups, the majority of ADNI investigators (approximately 90%) did not return amyloid imaging results to ADNI participants. However, the majority of investigators reported that, if the Food and Drug Administration approved florbetapir, they would support the return of amyloid imaging results to participants with mild cognitive impairment and normal cognition, but they emphasized the need for guidance on how to provide these results to participants and for research to assess the value of returning results as well as how returning results will affect study validity and participant well-being. A majority of ADNI investigators support returning amyloid imaging results to ADNI participants. The findings that they want guidance on how to do this and research on the impact of disclosure suggest how to develop and monitor a disclosure process.

  13. Beyond the proteome: Mass Spectrometry Special Interest Group (MS-SIG) at ISMB/ECCB 2013

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

    Ryu, Soyoung; Payne, Samuel H.; Schaab, Christoph

    2014-07-02

    Mass spectrometry special interest group (MS-SIG) aims to bring together experts from the global research community to discuss highlights and challenges in the field of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics and computational biology. The rapid echnological developments in MS-based proteomics have enabled the generation of a large amount of meaningful information on hundreds to thousands of proteins simultaneously from a biological sample; however, the complexity of the MS data require sophisticated computational algorithms and software for data analysis and interpretation. This year’s MS-SIG meeting theme was ‘Beyond the Proteome’ with major focuses on improving protein identification/quantification and using proteomics data tomore » solve interesting problems in systems biology and clinical research.« less

  14. DNA barcoding amphibians and reptiles.

    PubMed

    Vences, Miguel; Nagy, Zoltán T; Sonet, Gontran; Verheyen, Erik

    2012-01-01

    Only a few major research programs are currently targeting COI barcoding of amphibians and reptiles (including chelonians and crocodiles), two major groups of tetrapods. Amphibian and reptile species are typically old, strongly divergent, and contain deep conspecific lineages which might lead to problems in species assignment with incomplete reference databases. As far as known, there is no single pair of COI primers that will guarantee a sufficient rate of success across all amphibian and reptile taxa, or within major subclades of amphibians and reptiles, which means that the PCR amplification strategy needs to be adjusted depending on the specific research question. In general, many more amphibian and reptile taxa have been sequenced for 16S rDNA, which for some purposes may be a suitable complementary marker, at least until a more comprehensive COI reference database becomes available. DNA barcoding has successfully been used to identify amphibian larval stages (tadpoles) in species-rich tropical assemblages. Tissue sampling, DNA extraction, and amplification of COI is straightforward in amphibians and reptiles. Single primer pairs are likely to have a failure rate between 5 and 50% if taxa of a wide taxonomic range are targeted; in such cases the use of primer cocktails or subsequent hierarchical usage of different primer pairs is necessary. If the target group is taxonomically limited, many studies have followed a strategy of designing specific primers which then allow an easy and reliable amplification of all samples.

  15. Discovery of the Collaborative Nature of Science with Undergraduate Science Majors and Non-Science Majors through the Identification of Microorganisms Enriched in Winogradsky Columns.

    PubMed

    Ramirez, Jasmine; Pinedo, Catalina Arango; Forster, Brian M

    2015-12-01

    Today's science classrooms are addressing the need for non-scientists to become scientifically literate. A key aspect includes the recognition of science as a process for discovery. This process relies upon interdisciplinary collaboration. We designed a semester-long collaborative exercise that allows science majors taking a general microbiology course and non-science majors taking an introductory environmental science course to experience collaboration in science by combining their differing skill sets to identify microorganisms enriched in Winogradsky columns. These columns are self-sufficient ecosystems that allow researchers to study bacterial populations under specified environmental conditions. Non-science majors identified phototrophic bacteria enriched in the column by analyzing the signature chlorophyll absorption spectra whereas science majors used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify the general bacterial diversity. Students then compiled their results and worked together to generate lab reports with their final conclusions identifying the microorganisms present in their column. Surveys and lab reports were utilized to evaluate the learning objectives of this activity. In pre-surveys, nonmajors' and majors' answers diverged considerably, with majors providing responses that were more accurate and more in line with the working definition of collaboration. In post-surveys, the answers between majors and nonmajors converged, with both groups providing accurate responses. Lab reports showed that students were able to successfully identify bacteria present in the columns. These results demonstrate that laboratory exercises designed to group students across disciplinary lines can be an important tool in promoting science education across disciplines.

  16. Theoretical & Experimental Studies of Elementary Particles

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

    McFarland, Kevin

    2012-10-04

    Abstract High energy physics has been one of the signature research programs at the University of Rochester for over 60 years. The group has made leading contributions to experimental discoveries at accelerators and in cosmic rays and has played major roles in developing the theoretical framework that gives us our ``standard model'' of fundamental interactions today. This award from the Department of Energy funded a major portion of that research for more than 20 years. During this time, highlights of the supported work included the discovery of the top quark at the Fermilab Tevatron, the completion of a broad programmore » of physics measurements that verified the electroweak unified theory, the measurement of three generations of neutrino flavor oscillations, and the first observation of a ``Higgs like'' boson at the Large Hadron Collider. The work has resulted in more than 2000 publications over the period of the grant. The principal investigators supported on this grant have been recognized as leaders in the field of elementary particle physics by their peers through numerous awards and leadership positions. Most notable among them is the APS W.K.H. Panofsky Prize awarded to Arie Bodek in 2004, the J.J. Sakurai Prizes awarded to Susumu Okubo and C. Richard Hagen in 2005 and 2010, respectively, the Wigner medal awarded to Susumu Okubo in 2006, and five principal investigators (Das, Demina, McFarland, Orr, Tipton) who received Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator awards during the period of this grant. The University of Rochester Department of Physics and Astronomy, which houses the research group, provides primary salary support for the faculty and has waived most tuition costs for graduate students during the period of this grant. The group also benefits significantly from technical support and infrastructure available at the University which supports the work. The research work of the group has provided educational opportunities for graduate students, undergraduate students and high school students and teachers. Seventy-two graduate students received a Ph.D. in physics for research supported by this grant.« less

  17. Student evaluations of their physics teachers: Evaluative bias and its relationship to classroom pedagogy and students' career aspirations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Potvin, Geoff

    2013-04-01

    Using data collected from a nationally-representative sample of college students, the evaluation of high school physics teachers by their students is examined. Confirming earlier work, student evaluations (of both male and female students) exhibit bias with respect to the gender of their teacher. Pedagogical practices that impact student evaluations are explored, but these factors do not change the gender bias effect. We also consider how this evaluative bias is affected by students' career intentions. Grouping students according to their career intentions (e.g. physics majors, engineering majors, and health/medical science majors) shows that physics and engineering majors exhibit this bias to the same extent as the general population, but health/medical science majors exhibit a bias with nearly twice the size as average. The implications of this research for our understanding of physics culture regarding stereotypes and students' gendered expectations of teacher behavior is discussed.

  18. Advanced placement math and science courses: Influential factors and predictors for success in college STEM majors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoepner, Cynthia Colon

    President Obama has recently raised awareness on the need for our nation to grow a larger pool of students with knowledge in science mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM). Currently, while the number of women pursuing college degrees continues to rise, there remains an under-representation of women in STEM majors across the country. Although research studies offer several contributing factors that point to a higher attrition rate of women in STEM than their male counterparts, no study has investigated the role that high school advanced placement (AP) math and science courses play in preparing students for the challenges of college STEM courses. The purpose of this study was to discover which AP math and science courses and/or influential factors could encourage more students, particularly females, to consider pursuing STEM fields in college. Further, this study examined which, if any, AP math or science courses positively contribute to a student's overall preparation for college STEM courses. This retrospective study combined quantitative and qualitative research methods. The survey sample consisted of 881 UCLA female and male students pursuing STEM majors. Qualitative data was gathered from four single-gender student focus groups, two female groups (15 females) and two male groups (16 males). This study examined which AP math and science courses students took in high school, who or what influenced them to take those courses, and which particular courses influenced student's choice of STEM major and/or best prepared her/him for the challenges of STEM courses. Findings reveal that while AP math and science course-taking patterns are similar of female and male STEM students, a significant gender-gap remains in five of the eleven AP courses. Students report four main influences on their choice of AP courses; self, desire for math/science major, higher grade point average or class rank, and college admissions. Further, three AP math and science courses were highlighted throughout the study. First, AP Chemistry was described as a foundational course necessary for the challenges of STEM courses. AP Calculus was considered a course with practical benefits across STEM majors. Finally, AP Biology was found to be a gateway course, which inspired students to continue to pursue STEM majors in college. All three courses were strongly recommended to high school students considering a STEM major. The findings will help grow a larger and equally prepared pool of females and males and help sustain a more even distribution of women across STEM fields.

  19. Family and Friend Influence on Urban Dwelling American Indian Adolescent Girl Sexual Risk Behavior

    PubMed Central

    Saftner, Melissa A.

    2015-01-01

    Previous research with American Indian (AI) adolescent sexual risk behavior primarily focused on reservation dwelling youth despite 70% of AIs living off Native lands. Using grounded theory methodology, I sampled twenty adolescent AI girls via talking circles and interviews to explore the perceptions of AI adolescent girls living in an urban, Midwest area about the influence of family and friends on their sexual behavior. Similar to research with other racial groups, participants cited their family and friends as a major influence. Five unique themes emerged related to family and friend influence. Urban dwelling AI girls rely on their female family members and peers for information related to sex and receive varying messages from their networks of family and friends, which often overlap. AI youth have unique family groups yet have some similarities to other ethnic groups with regards to family and friend relationships that may allow for enhanced intervention development. PMID:26612887

  20. The impact of hyperhidrosis on patients' daily life and quality of life: a qualitative investigation.

    PubMed

    Kamudoni, P; Mueller, B; Halford, J; Schouveller, A; Stacey, B; Salek, M S

    2017-06-08

    An understanding of the daily life impacts of hyperhidrosis and how patients deal with them, based on qualitative research, is lacking. This study investigated the impact of hyperhidrosis on the daily life of patients using a mix of qualitative research methods. Participants were recruited through hyperhidrosis patient support groups such as the Hyperhidrosis Support Group UK. Data were collected using focus groups, interviews and online surveys. A grounded theory approach was used in the analysis of data transcripts. Data were collected from 71 participants, out of an initial 100 individuals recruited. Seventeen major themes capturing the impacts of hyperhidrosis were identified; these covered all areas of life including daily life, psychological well-being, social life, professional /school life, dealing with hyperhidrosis, unmet health care needs and physical impact. Psychosocial impacts are central to the overall impacts of hyperhidrosis, cutting across and underlying the limitations experienced in other areas of life.

  1. Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events Are Associated With Nontraumatic Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head.

    PubMed

    Sung, Pei-Hsun; Yang, Yao-Hsu; Chiang, Hsin-Ju; Chiang, John Y; Chen, Chi-Jen; Yip, Hon-Kan; Lee, Mel S

    2018-04-01

    Endothelial dysfunction has been identified as an etiologic factor for osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (defined as major cardiovascular disease [CVD] and cerebrovascular accident [CVA]). However, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with nontraumatic ONFH and any association between the two diagnoses remain unclear. We compared a large cohort of patients with nontraumatic ONFH and a matched control group without this diagnosis and (1) examined the frequency and hazard ratio (HR) of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in both groups adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and associated comorbidities (which we defined as the adjusted HR), (2) determined whether any association of ONFH and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events was stable after adjusting for confounding variables, and (3) compared the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events with time in both groups. A population-based cohort with a 14-year dataset period (1997-2010) from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was used for this retrospective study. The database includes a greater than 99.5% Asian population randomly selected from more than 23 million citizens and foreigners residing in Taiwan for longer than 6 months. A total of 1562 patients with nontraumatic ONFH were identified from a population of one million patients in the database after excluding initially concomitant diagnoses of major CVD and CVA. The comparison group (n = 15,620) without ONFH was analyzed in a one-to-10 ratio by matching the study cohort based on age, sex, income, and urbanization. The patients with ONFH had a higher frequency of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events than their counterparts without ONFH (19% versus 14%; p < 0.001). The patients with ONFH had 1.34- and 1.27-fold adjusted HRs for occurrence of major CVD and CVA as compared with the normal population (95% CI, 1.11-1.61, p = 0.002, and 95% CI, 1.09-1.47, p = 0.002, respectively). Sensitivity analysis showed a consistent association between ONFH and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events after controlling for potentially relevant confounding variables such as hypertension and diabetes. After adjusting for potential confounders including surgery and medications, ONFH remained independently associated with major CVD (adjusted HR, 1.51, 95% CI 1.09-2.03, p = 0.026) and CVA (adjusted HR, 2.44, 95% CI 1.69-3.51, p < 0.001), apart from age older than 65 years and traditional atherosclerotic risk factors. The cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events also was higher in the ONFH group than the non-ONFH group (30.3% vs 23.1% at the end of followup, p < 0.001). Patients with ONFH have a strong association with major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events as compared with the normal population, suggesting a potential common pathway involving endothelial dysfunction. In view of this association in the relatively young population with ONFH, it is important to closely monitor these patients, treat relevant comorbidities early, and investigate preventative measures for these major adverse events. Level III, prognostic study.

  2. Integration of ethnic minorities during group-work for vocational teachers-in-training in health studies.

    PubMed

    Goth, Ursula Småland; Bergsli, Oddhild; Johanesen, Else Marie

    2017-01-28

    To determine how to enhance integration of minority students in health education, and thereby improve intercultural communication skills and cultural sensitivity in a sample of health teacher students in Norway. After a group-work intervention and for a period of six months afterwards we followed an "action research" approach and observed 47 health teachers-in-training in their first year at the Oslo and Akershus University College during classroom interactions. Data were qualitative and comprised student self-reports and survey results along with observations from three teachers, the authors of the study. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach with opinion categorization and an open coding procedure, with separate analyses performed on observations from minority students, majority students, and teachers. Both ethnic majority and minority students experienced an increase in intercultural knowledge and problem-solving ability after the experience of an early intervention in their first academic year of tertiary education. Students reacted favorably to the intervention and noted in class assessments both the challenges and rewards of overcoming cultural barriers. Teacher observation notes confirmed that early intervention led to an increase in interaction and cross-cultural engagement between minority and majority students compared to previous years' classes without the intervention. Early classroom intervention to promote intercultural engagement can prevent clique formation along majority/minority lines. The method used here, tailored group assignments in ethnically diverse working groups at the very beginning of students' tertiary academic career, can be an effective approach to cultivating attitudes and skills fostering intercultural awareness and sensitivity.

  3. Comparing and Exploring the Sensory Processing Patterns of Higher Education Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    PubMed

    Clince, Maria; Connolly, Laura; Nolan, Clodagh

    2016-01-01

    Research regarding sensory processing and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited. This study aimed to compare sensory processing patterns of groups of higher education students with ADHD or ASD and to explore the implications of these disorders for their college life. The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile was administered to 28 students with ADHD and 27 students with ASD. Students and professionals were interviewed. The majority of students received scores that differed from those of the general population. Students with ADHD received significantly higher scores than students with ASD in relation to sensation seeking; however, there were no other major differences. Few differences exist between the sensory processing patterns of students with ADHD and ASD; however, both groups differ significantly from the general population. Occupational therapists should consider sensory processing patterns when designing supports for these groups. Copyright © 2016 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

  4. Women and Careers: Issues and Challenges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Konek, Carol Wolfe, Ed.; Kitch, Sally L., Ed.

    This book presents, in 11 chapters, results of a major survey to discover how women feel about the key issues surrounding their experiences in the workplace. The survey, conducted by the Research Group on Women and Work, was sent to 770 women in Wichita, Kansas; it received 494 responses, augmented by 238 responses to a follow-up survey 5 years…

  5. Investigations of Students' Motivation Towards Learning Secondary School Physics through Mastery Learning Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Changeiywo, Johnson M.; Wambugu, P. W.; Wachanga, S. W.

    2011-01-01

    Teaching method is a major factor that affects students' motivation to learn physics. This study investigated the effects of using mastery learning approach (MLA) on secondary school students' motivation to learn physics. Solomon four non-equivalent control group design under the quasi-experimental research method was used in which a random sample…

  6. Cultural Values at the Individual Level and the Malleability of Ways of Knowing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schommer-Aikins, Marlene; Easter, Marilyn

    2014-01-01

    This research tested the relationship between individuals cultural values and the malleability in their ways of knowing in two social contexts. Two hundred and ninety-two college students majoring in either business or social sciences initially received two priming conditions (two weeks apart) where they reflected on either their in-group or their…

  7. Determining the Significance of Item Order in Randomized Problem Sets

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pardos, Zachary A.; Heffernan, Neil T.

    2009-01-01

    Researchers who make tutoring systems would like to know which sequences of educational content lead to the most effective learning by their students. The majority of data collected in many ITS systems consist of answers to a group of questions of a given skill often presented in a random sequence. Following work that identifies which items…

  8. Diversity in Initial Teacher Education in Ireland: The Socio-Demographic Backgrounds of Postgraduate Post-Primary Entrants in 2013 and 2014

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keane, Elaine; Heinz, Manuela

    2015-01-01

    The homogeneity of the teaching profession is an international phenomenon; teaching bodies are generally from majority-group backgrounds, frequently in contrast to student populations. Research in Ireland suggests a similar situation, yet we lack adequate data describing our national context. Diversifying the teaching population is an…

  9. A Comparative Cross-Cultural Examination of Community Art Education Programs in South Korea and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shin, Ryan; Kim, Junghee

    2014-01-01

    The authors conducted comparative cross-cultural research to examine a select group of the available and more noteworthy art education organizations and their programs after observing significant differences in the community art education programs offered in Tucson, Arizona, and Anyang, South Korea. The study reports several major differences…

  10. A New Field Study Identifies Eight Major Types of Digital Scholarship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howard, Jennifer

    2008-01-01

    Innovative digital scholarship now takes place across disciplines, but much digital publishing still operates by the rules of traditional scholarly culture, even as new genres and behaviors are appearing. These are some of the chief findings of a report released on November 10 by the Association of Research Libraries and the Ithaka group, a…

  11. Achievement, Activity Choice, and Self-Perception from Early to Late Adolescence.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huntsinger, Carol S.; Jose, Paul E.; Shutay, Jeanette; Boelcke, Kristin

    Most research on adolescents has been conducted with white, middle-class adolescents, which has created a lack of differentiation among the majority and minority cultures in the United States. To correct this, adolescents from two cultural groups at two points in time were studied so as to see how their trajectories differ in terms of academic…

  12. Listening in a Multilingual World: The Challenges of Second Language (L2) Listening

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rost, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Research into language acquisition and oral language use was examined in order to identify key factors that contribute to the successful acquisition of second language (L2) listening ability. The factors were grouped into three major domains: affective, cognitive, and interpersonal. It is claimed that in each domain, proficient L2 listeners have…

  13. Darwin versus Intelligent Design in US Courts: Does Teaching Intelligent Design in Biology Classes Violate the US Constitution?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bradt, Patricia T.

    2006-01-01

    Darwinian evolution is accepted by the great majority of scientists as the method by which the diversity of earth's organisms, including humans, evolved. Current research continues to expand our knowledge of evolutionary mechanisms. However, certain religious groups, supporting teaching the creation of earth's species as outlined in Genesis…

  14. Arabs in the New World: Studies on Arab-American Communities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abraham, Sameer Y., Ed.; Abraham, Nabeel, Ed.

    This book is a collection of articles and research materials on Arab-Americans. Part one of the book provides an historical overview of Arab-Americans, their reasons for emigration from Greater Syria, and profiles of the two major religious groups, Muslims and Christians, in the United States Arab population. Authors of this section include Alixa…

  15. Wildlife Displacement and Dispersal Area Reduction by Human Activities within Kimana Group Ranch Corridor Near Amboseli, Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNaught, Megan

    2007-01-01

    The Tsavo/Amboseli Ecosystem represents one of the major remaining wildlife conservation blocks in Kenya. This ecosystem consists of four protected areas which are safe havens for wildlife: Amboseli National Park, Kimana Wildlife Sanctuary, Tsavo West National Park, and Chyulu Hills. This research focused on the wildlife displacement and dispersal…

  16. A Systematic Review of Literature on Culturally Adapted Obesity Prevention Interventions for African American Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lofton, Saria; Julion, Wrenetha A.; McNaughton, Diane B.; Bergren, Martha Dewey; Keim, Kathryn S.

    2016-01-01

    Obesity and overweight prevalence in African American (AA) youth continues to be one of the highest of all major ethnic groups, which has led researchers to pursue culturally based approaches as a means to improve obesity prevention interventions. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate culturally adapted obesity prevention…

  17. Serving the Needs of Performing Arts Students: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayer, Jennifer

    2015-01-01

    The intent of this case study was to gain insight into the information needs and research behaviors of upper-division performing arts students, and how to best address those needs. This article presents findings from focus group interviews of thirty music, dance, and theater majors at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The data revealed several…

  18. Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Student Cohort. Report to Congress

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dynarski, Mark; Agodini, Roberto; Heaviside, Sheila: Novak, Timothy; Carey, Nancy; Campuzano, Larissa; Means, Barbara; Murphy, Robert; Penuel, William; Javitz, Hal; Emery, Deborah; Sussex, Willow

    2007-01-01

    The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance produced this major study of the effectiveness of education technology. Mandated by Congress, the report uses scientifically based research methods and control groups to focus on the impact of technology on student academic achievement. Thirty-three districts, 132 schools, and…

  19. Losing Its Expected Communal Value: How Stereotype Threat Undermines Women's Identity as Research Scientists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Jessi L.; Brown, Elizabeth R.; Thoman, Dustin B.; Deemer, Eric D.

    2015-01-01

    The worry or concern over confirming negative gender group stereotypes, called stereotype threat, is one explanation for women's worldwide underrepresentation in undergraduate science classes and majors. But how does stereotype threat translate into fewer women motivated for science? In this quantitative study with a sample from the US, we use…

  20. The Use of Psychopharmaceutical Stimulants for the Control of Childhood Hyperkinesis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cronin, John Patrick

    Reviewed is literature and research on the use of psychoactive drugs for control of hyperkinesis in children. Briefly discussed are such topics as the prelevance (close to 1.5 million children on medication) of drug therapy, the misuse of stimulant drugs in the schools, the three major drug groups (stimulants, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants)…

  1. Mindful Teaching: Laying the Dharma Foundations for Buddhist Education in Australia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rhea, Zane Ma

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports on research conducted in the first mainstream school in Australia being guided by Buddhist philosophy. It focuses on a group of teachers, examining the impact of Buddhism on their teaching, exploring the challenge for them of bringing together their professional knowledge with Buddhist worldview. The major conclusion is that the…

  2. Framing Health Messages for Adolescents: Should We Use Objective Time Periods, Temporal Benchmarks, or Both?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKay, Michael T.; Cole, Jon C.; Sumnall, Harry R.; Goudie, Andrew J.

    2012-01-01

    Time perspective is a cognitive-motivational construct, which has been shown to be related to decision-making, motivation and adjustment. The majority of research into time perspective has been conducted in college students and/or general population samples. Focus groups were held as part of a larger investigation into the relationship between…

  3. Learning Style Preferences of Korean-, Mexican-, Armenian-American, and Anglo Students in Secondary Schools. Research Brief.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Clara C.

    1997-01-01

    Investigated the four basic learning style preferences (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile) of Korean-, Armenian-, and Mexican-American students attending 10 Los Angeles schools and compared them with those of Anglo students. All four ethnic groups, regardless of sex and academic achievement level, indicate a major preference for…

  4. Effortful Control and Adaptive Functioning of Homeless Children: Variable-Focused and Person-Focused Analyses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Obradovic, Jelena

    2010-01-01

    Homeless children show significant developmental delays across major domains of adaptation, yet research on protective processes that may contribute to resilient adaptation in this highly disadvantaged group of children is extremely rare. This study examined the role of effortful control for adaption in 58 homeless children, ages 5-6, during their…

  5. The House Always Wins: Responding to Student Gambling at the University of Delaware

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newton, Franklin A.

    2010-01-01

    Several national groups have identified youth gambling as a major public health concern that merits more attention, research and understanding. This is an important topic for college campuses since, even before the recent rise in gambling popularity, many students come to campus already having gambled at some point during their adolescence. …

  6. Addressing gaps in international blood availability and transfusion safety in low- and middle-income countries: a NHLBI workshop.

    PubMed

    Custer, Brian; Zou, Shimian; Glynn, Simone A; Makani, Julie; Tayou Tagny, Claude; El Ekiaby, Magdy; Sabino, Ester C; Choudhury, Nabajyoti; Teo, Diana; Nelson, Kenrad; Peprah, Emmanuel; Price, LeShawndra; Engelgau, Michael M

    2018-05-01

    In April 2017, a workshop sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Division of Blood Diseases and Resources, and the Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science was held to discuss blood availability and transfusion safety in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The purpose of the workshop was to identify research opportunities for implementation science (IS) to improve the availability of safe blood and blood components and transfusion practices in LMICs. IS describes the late stages of the translational research spectrum and studies optimal and sustainable strategies to deliver proven-effective interventions. Regional working groups were formed to focus on opportunities and challenges in East Africa, Central/West Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Western Pacific Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The need for an "adequate supply of safe blood" emerged as the major overriding theme. Among the regional working groups, common cross-cutting themes were evident. The majority of research questions, priorities, and strategies fell into the categories of blood availability, blood transfusion safety, appropriate use of blood, quality systems, health economics and budgeting, and training and education in IS. The workshop also brought into focus inadequate country-level data that can be used as the basis for IS initiatives. A mixed approach of needs assessment and targeted interventions with sufficient evidence base to move toward sustainment is an appropriate next step for blood availability and transfusion safety research in LMICs. © 2018 AABB.

  7. The Relationships of Intergroup Ideologies to Ethnic Prejudice: A Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Whitley, Bernard E; Webster, Gregory D

    2018-04-01

    This meta-analysis summarizes the results of research on the relationships of majority group members' endorsement of assimilation, colorblindness, multiculturalism, and the relative relationships of colorblindness and multiculturalism to ethnic prejudice. Random effects analyses found that assimilation was positively related to explicit prejudice ( g. = 0.80), multiculturalism was negatively related to both explicit ( g. = -0.26) and implicit prejudice ( g. = -0.19), and colorblindness was negatively related to explicit prejudice ( g. = -0.07). Multiculturalism was more closely associated with low prejudice than colorblindness ( g. = 0.15). Effect sizes varied as a function of methodology (experimental vs. correlational), country in which research was conducted (United States vs. other countries), and, in experimental studies of multiculturalism, type of prime used (abstract vs. concrete). Discussion points include methodological issues, groups used as targets of prejudice, national diversity norms, additional issues raised in the studies reviewed, and directions for future research.

  8. A computer-aided design system geared toward conceptual design in a research environment. [for hypersonic vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    STACK S. H.

    1981-01-01

    A computer-aided design system has recently been developed specifically for the small research group environment. The system is implemented on a Prime 400 minicomputer linked with a CDC 6600 computer. The goal was to assign the minicomputer specific tasks, such as data input and graphics, thereby reserving the large mainframe computer for time-consuming analysis codes. The basic structure of the design system consists of GEMPAK, a computer code that generates detailed configuration geometry from a minimum of input; interface programs that reformat GEMPAK geometry for input to the analysis codes; and utility programs that simplify computer access and data interpretation. The working system has had a large positive impact on the quantity and quality of research performed by the originating group. This paper describes the system, the major factors that contributed to its particular form, and presents examples of its application.

  9. The recovery paradigm - a model of hope and change for alcohol and drug addiction.

    PubMed

    Best, David W; Lubman, Dan I

    2012-08-01

    Alcohol and drug disorders remain major health and social problems in Australia, contributing enormously to the global burden of disease and the everyday practice of primary care. A recent growth in recovery research and recovery focused policies are starting to have an impact in Australia, with implications for how we attempt to resolve these problems. In this article we discuss recent international findings in recovery research, and explore their implications for primary care. Research indicates that over half of dependent substance users will eventually achieve stable recovery. Key predictors of recovery are active engagement in the community and immersion in peer support groups and activities. Recovery requires a twin track approach: enabling and supporting individual recovery journeys, while creating environmental conditions that enable and support a 'social contagion' of recovery, in which recovery is transmitted through supportive social networks and dedicated recovery groups, such as mutual aid.

  10. Differences among incarcerated women with assaultive offenses: isolated versus patterned use of violence.

    PubMed

    Kubiak, Sheryl Pimlott; Kim, Woo Jong; Fedock, Gina; Bybee, Deborah

    2013-08-01

    A majority of the existing research on women's use of violence focuses on intimate partner violence, often excluding other types of violence for which women may be incarcerated. The current study expands this area of research by assessing between and within-group differences among a randomly selected group of incarcerated women (n = 543). Comparisons between violent and nonviolent offense types among women found few differences, but significant differences among women with an assaultive offense, based on the presence or absence of a self-reported uncaught violence, were found. Differences in women with isolated (i.e., single incident of violence perpetration through a review of formal and self-report data) and patterned uses of violence were present in relation to issues of mental health, substance abuse, criminogenic risk, and expressions of anger and personality factors. These findings have important implications for intervention as well as future research.

  11. Secondary transfer effect among children: The role of social dominance orientation and outgroup attitudes.

    PubMed

    Vezzali, Loris; Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio; Stathi, Sofia; Cadamuro, Alessia; Lášticová, Barbara; Andraščiková, Simona

    2018-02-24

    Research has provided evidence that the effects of intergroup contact on prejudice reduction are not limited to the outgroup one has contact with (primary outgroup). Rather, they extend to secondary outgroups uninvolved in the contact situation (secondary transfer effect; Pettigrew, 2009, Social Psychology, 40, 55). We aimed to provide the first empirical evidence for the emergence of the secondary transfer effect among children. Majority (Italian) and minority (with an immigrant background) elementary schoolchildren were administered a questionnaire including measures of contact with the primary outgroup (minority children for the majority, majority children for the minority), prejudice towards the primary outgroup and towards a dissimilar secondary outgroup (disabled children), and social dominance orientation. Results revealed that among the majority group, contact with the primary outgroup had indirect associations with reduced prejudice towards the secondary outgroup. Specifically, we found evidence for sequential mediation by social dominance orientation and prejudice towards the primary outgroup. No secondary transfer effects emerged among minority group members. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings, arguing for the importance of identifying the core processes driving the secondary transfer effect. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

  12. Comparison of tests of accommodation for computer users.

    PubMed

    Kolker, David; Hutchinson, Robert; Nilsen, Erik

    2002-04-01

    With the increased use of computers in the workplace and at home, optometrists are finding more patients presenting with symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome. Among these symptomatic individuals, research supports that accommodative disorders are the most common vision finding. A prepresbyopic group (N= 30) and a presbyopic group (N = 30) were selected from a private practice. Assignment to a group was determined by age, accommodative amplitude, and near visual acuity with their distance prescription. Each subject was given a thorough vision and ocular health examination, then administered several nearpoint tests of accommodation at a computer working distance. All the tests produced similar results in the presbyopic group. For the prepresbyopic group, the tests yielded very different results. To effectively treat symptomatic VDT users, optometrists must assess the accommodative system along with the binocular and refractive status. For presbyopic patients, all nearpoint tests studied will yield virtually the same result. However, the method of testing accommodation, as well as the test stimulus presented, will yield significantly different responses for prepresbyopic patients. Previous research indicates that a majority of patients prefer the higher plus prescription yielded by the Gaussian image test.

  13. The feasibility, perceived satisfaction, and value of using synchronous webinars to educate clinical research professionals on reporting adverse events in clinical trials: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

    PubMed

    Borgerson, Dawn; Dino, Jennifer

    2012-01-01

    Clinical research professionals are faced with decreased funding and increased workloads; innovative methods of professional development programs are necessary to accommodate these factors. This study evaluated the feasibility, perceived satisfaction, and value of using webinars to educate clinical research professionals on reporting adverse events commonly experienced in pediatric oncology clinical trials. The setting incorporated synchronous web-based educational technology. Constructivist learning provides the theoretical framework for this study. Participants evaluated the professional development program at 2 time points: (a) at the conclusion and (b) 4 to 6 weeks afterward, using survey method. Synchronous webinars were both economical and effective in educating clinical research professionals across institutional sites. Participants reported exceptionally high levels of satisfaction with the accessibility, scope, quality, and interactivity of the professional development program. The vast majority of participants reported that the education would assist with reporting adverse events in pediatric oncology clinical trials and this perception persisted into clinical practice. Although the results of this study were intended to guide future educational efforts of the Children's Oncology Group, they may also apply to other cooperative groups.

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

    Kabisch, Nadja, E-mail: nadja.kabisch@geo.hu-berlin.de; Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research — UFZ, 04318 Leipzig; Qureshi, Salman

    Scientific papers on landscape planning underline the importance of maintaining and developing green spaces because of their multiple environmental and social benefits for city residents. However, a general understanding of contemporary human–environment interaction issues in urban green space is still incomplete and lacks orientation for urban planners. This review examines 219 publications to (1) provide an overview of the current state of research on the relationship between humans and urban green space, (2) group the different research approaches by identifying the main research areas, methods, and target groups, and (3) highlight important future prospects in urban green space research. -more » Highlights: • Reviewed literature on urban green pins down a dearth of comparative studies. • Case studies in Africa and Russia are marginalized – the Europe and US dominate. • Questionnaires are used as major tool followed by GIS and quantitative approaches. • Developing countries should contribute in building an urban green space agenda. • Interdisciplinary, adaptable and pluralistic approaches can satiate a knowledge gap.« less

  15. The "race" concept in smoking: a review of the research on African Americans.

    PubMed

    King, G

    1997-10-01

    This paper presents an analysis of the "race" concept as used by researchers who have studied the smoking behavior of African Americans. Most researchers in the field have failed to address the conceptual dimensions and meanings of "race" and accept uncritically the use of the term. This practice is viewed as an impediment in explaining inter- and intra-racial group differences and intervening effectively to reduce consumption of tobacco products. Adopting the majority-minority intergroup relations paradigm, the conceptual and practical meanings of "race" are reviewed by focusing on the history of relations between blacks and tobacco, conceptions of "race," "biology" and cigarette smoking, and the sociological nucleus (e.g. social class, racism and culture) of "race." Genetic or biologic assumptions and meanings of "race" in research on the smoking behavior of African Americans are critically examined. It is argued that "race" is a dynamic social construct reflecting societal transformations in relations between racially classified social groups (RCSGs).

  16. Discrimination, Harassment, Abuse and Bullying in the Workplace: Contribution of Workplace Injustice to Occupational Health Disparities

    PubMed Central

    Okechukwu, Cassandra A.; Souza, Kerry; Davis, Kelly D.; de Castro, A. Butch

    2013-01-01

    This paper synthesizes research on the contribution of workplace injustices – discrimination, harassment, abuse and bullying – to occupational health disparities. A conceptual framework is presented to illustrate the pathways through which injustices at the interpersonal and institutional level lead to differential risk of vulnerable workers to adverse occupational health outcomes. Members of demographic minority groups are more likely to be victims of workplace injustice and suffer more adverse outcomes when exposed to workplace injustice compared to demographic majority groups. A growing body of research links workplace injustice to poor psychological and physical health, and a smaller body of evidence links workplace injustice to unhealthy behaviors. Although not as well studied, studies also show that workplace injustice can influence workers’ health through effects on workers’ family life and job-related outcomes. Lastly, this paper discusses methodological limitations in research linking injustices and occupational health disparities and makes recommendations to improve the state of research. PMID:23813664

  17. Representations and coverage of non-English-speaking immigrants and multicultural issues in three major Australian health care publications

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background No recent Australian studies or literature, provide evidence of the extent of coverage of multicultural health issues in Australian healthcare research. A series of systematic literature reviews in three major Australian healthcare journals were undertaken to discover the level, content, coverage and overall quality of research on multicultural health. Australian healthcare journals selected for the study were The Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), The Australian Health Review (AHR), and The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZPH). Reviews were undertaken of the last twelve (12) years (1996-August 2008) of journal articles using six standard search terms: 'non-English-speaking', 'ethnic', 'migrant', 'immigrant', 'refugee' and 'multicultural'. Results In total there were 4,146 articles published in these journals over the 12-year period. A total of 90 or 2.2% of the total articles were articles primarily based on multicultural issues. A further 62 articles contained a major or a moderate level of consideration of multicultural issues, and 107 had a minor mention. Conclusions The quantum and range of multicultural health research and evidence required for equity in policy, services, interventions and implementation is limited and uneven. Most of the original multicultural health research articles focused on newly arrived refugees, asylum seekers, Vietnamese or South East Asian communities. While there is some seminal research in respect of these represented groups, there are other communities and health issues that are essentially invisible or unrepresented in research. The limited coverage and representation of multicultural populations in research studies has implications for evidence-based health and human services policy. PMID:20044938

  18. Major variation of paleo-maximum temperature and consolidation state within post Miocene forearc basin, central Japan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamiya, N.; Yamamoto, Y.; Takemura, T.

    2015-12-01

    Since forearc-basin evolve associated with development of the accretionary prisms, their geologic structures have clues to understanding the tectonic processes associated with plate subduction. We found a major difference in paleo-geothermal structure and consolidation states between the unconformity in the forearc basin in the Boso Peninsula, central Japan. The geology of the Boso Peninsula, central Japan is divided into three parts; Early Miocene and Late Miocene accretionary prisms in the southern part, the Hayama-Mineoka tectonic belt mainly composed of ophiolite in the middle part, and post-Middle Miocene forearc basin in the northern part. Sediments in the forearc basin are composed of 15-3Ma Miura Group and 3-0.6Ma Kazusa Group. Boundary of the two groups is the Kurotaki Unconformity formed about 3Ma, when convergent direction of the Philippine Sea Plate has been changed (Takahashi, 2006). Vitrinite reflectance (Ro) analyses were conducted and revealed that major variation of paleo-maximum temperature between the Miura and Kazusa groups. The maximum paleo-temperature in the Miura Group is estimated as 70-95˚C, whereas in the lower part of the Kazusa Group is less than 10-35˚C. Given 20˚C/km (Sakai et al, 2011) paleo-geothermal gradient, approximately 2000 m uplifting/erosion of the Miura Group is expected when the unconformity formed. To verify the amount of this uplifting/erosion, we are performing consolidation test of mudstone. [Reference] Takahashi, M., 2006, Tectonic Development of the Japanese Islands Controlled by Philippine Sea Plate Motion, Journal of Geography, 115, 116-123. Sakai R., Munakata M., Kimura H., Ichikawa Y., and Nakamura M., 2011, Study on Validation Method of Regional Groundwater Flow Model : Case Study for Boso Peninsula, JAEA-research 2010(66), 1-20, 1-2.

  19. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in the Era of International Cooperation.

    PubMed

    Uziel, Yosef

    2017-01-30

    Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Improved understanding of its pathogenesis has led to international cooperation in clinical studies. Multicenter, international collaborations and research facilitate rapid enrollment of enough patients to enable a variety of studies, including those of epidemiology, diagnostic and classification criteria, genetic disease predisposition, pathogenesis, outcomes, and treatment protocols. In the last 20 years, the vision of the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trial Organization (PRINTO) has become a reality of worldwide collaboration in pediatric rheumatology research, including North American and European research groups. Major advances have been made in treating systemic JIA and its main complication, macrophage-activating syndrome (MAS). Single Hub and Access Point to Pediatric Rheumatology in Europe (SHARE) is a project of the European Society of Pediatric Rheumatology with the goal of improving clinical care. Based on evidence in the scientific literature, position papers regarding optimal clinical approaches and care have been published. Formal, validated assessment tools to evaluate response to treatment have been developed. Recommendations have been established to encourage international research collaborations, especially in light of major advances achieved in the genetics of pediatric rheumatologic diseases and the need to share biological samples among different countries and continents. Every participating country has disease information available for patients and families. Additionally, educational programs and updated syllabi for pediatric rheumatology have been written to promote similar, high-level academic training in different countries. These efforts have resulted in significant improvements in treatment and in patient prognosis. However, improved cooperation is needed to enhance research with biological and genetic samples. The Israeli Research Group for Pediatric Rheumatology is very active and has made significant contributions to the field.

  20. Creating collaboration opportunities for marine research across the Arctic: The SEARCH-ACCESS partnership and an emerging sea ice prediction research network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eicken, H.; Bitz, C. M.; Gascard, J.; Kaminski, T.; Karcher, M. J.; Kauker, F.; Overland, J. E.; Stroeve, J. C.; Wiggins, H. V.

    2013-12-01

    Rapid Arctic environmental and socio-economic change presents major challenges and opportunities to Arctic residents, government agencies and the private sector. The Arctic Ocean and its ice cover, in particular, are in the midst of transformative change, ranging from declines in sea-ice thickness and summer ice extent to threats to coastal communities and increases in maritime traffic and offshore resource development. The US interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) and the European Arctic Climate Change, Economy and Society (ACCESS) project are addressing both scientific research needs and stakeholder information priorities to improve understanding and responses to Arctic change. Capacity building, coordination and integration of activities at the international level and across sectors and stakeholder groups are major challenges that have to be met. ACCESS and SEARCH build on long-standing collaborations with a focus on environmental change in the Arctic ocean-ice-atmosphere system and the most pressing research needs to inform marine policy, resource management and threats to Arctic coastal communities. To illustrate the approach, key results and major conclusions from this international coordination and collaboration effort, we focus on a nascent sea-ice prediction research network. This activity builds on the Arctic Sea Ice Outlook that was initiated by SEARCH and the European DAMOCLES project (a precursor to ACCESS) and has now grown into an international community of practice that synthesizes, evaluates and discusses sea-ice predictions on seasonal to interannual scales. Key goals of the effort which is now entering into a new phase include the comparative evaluation of different prediction approaches, including the combination of different techniques, the compilation of reference datasets and model output, guidance on the design and implementation of observing system efforts to improve predictions and information transfer into private industry and the broader public. The latter relies on informal focus groups convened by ACCESS that help identify stakeholder priorities and provide feedback on science and policy documents resulting from this work. Most important, the research network effort explores the nature and ramifications of sea ice in an ice-diminished Arctic.

  1. What do young people with rheumatic disease believe to be important to research about their condition? A UK-wide study.

    PubMed

    Parsons, Suzanne; Thomson, Wendy; Cresswell, Katharine; Starling, Bella; McDonagh, Janet E

    2017-07-03

    The involvement of people of all ages including young people in research is now widely advocated but prioritisation of research topics is still driven largely by professional agendas. Evidence from adult literature has reported a mismatch between a researcher and patient generated list of research topics. There have been no studies to date exploring the priorities of young people with long term conditions other than in SLE. The study aimed to explore the research priorities of young people across the UK with respect to rheumatic conditions. Focus groups were undertaken with young people aged 11-24 years with rheumatic conditions recruited across the UK via members of the Barbara Ansell National Network for Adolescent Rheumatology BANNAR and relevant national charities. Data was analysed using a Framework approach. Participants discussed their beliefs about what should be researched in: Basic Science; Clinical Medicine; Health Services, Psychosocial, and Public Health. They were then invited to prioritize these areas in terms of how much funding they should receive. Thirteen focus groups were held involving 63 participants (18 males: 45 females, mean age 16 years, range 10 to 24) in all four nations of the UK. Young people's research priorities were influenced by whether they felt research would achieve benefits for all or just some patients and long or short term goals. Another influence was whether participants felt that research areas were already well funded. Across all groups, Basic Science was a key priority and participants felt that psychosocial research should be prioritized more. Health Services Research was a lower priority, as the majority of participants were happy with their care. Clinical medicine was not a high priority as young people were happy with their medication or uncomfortable with trying new ones. Finally, for nearly all groups, Public Health was a low priority. Differences were also observed between the two age groups and across the geographically diverse focus groups. Understanding young people's research priorities is important to develop research that is in tune with their needs. The results highlight the importance of considering the whole age range of adolescence and young adulthood as well as geographical diversity. The findings from this work will inform the future research of the Barbara Ansell National Network for Adolescent Rheumatology BANNAR in the UK.

  2. Sunflower therapy for children with specific learning difficulties (dyslexia): a randomised, controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Bull, Leona

    2007-02-01

    The aim of the study was to determine the clinical and perceived effectiveness of the Sunflower therapy in the treatment of childhood dyslexia. The Sunflower therapy includes applied kinesiology, physical manipulation, massage, homeopathy, herbal remedies and neuro-linguistic programming. A multi-centred, randomised controlled trial was undertaken with 70 dyslexic children aged 6-13 years. The research study aimed to test the research hypothesis that dyslexic children 'feel better' and 'perform better' as a result of treatment by the Sunflower therapy. Children in the treatment group and the control group were assessed using a battery of standardised cognitive, Literacy and self-esteem tests before and after the intervention. Parents of children in the treatment group gave feedback on their experience of the Sunflower therapy. Test scores were compared using the Mann Whitney, and Wilcoxon statistical tests. While both groups of children improved in some of their test scores over time, there were no statistically significant improvements in cognitive or Literacy test performance associated with the treatment. However, there were statistically significant improvements in academic self-esteem, and reading self-esteem, for the treatment group. The majority of parents (57.13%) felt that the Sunflower therapy was effective in the treatment of learning difficulties. Further research is required to verify these findings, and should include a control group receiving a dummy treatment to exclude placebo effects.

  3. A reassessment of state-level covariates of militia groups.

    PubMed

    Freilich, Joshua D; Pridemore, William Alex

    2005-01-01

    This study investigated state-level variation in the number of right-wing militia groups. We built on prior quantitative examinations by more carefully operationalizing theoretical concepts and testing alternative hypotheses offered to account for the etiology of social movements generally and of militias specifically. Using negative binomial regression, we found that, consistent with previous research, states with higher levels of farm job loss had more militia groups. However, in contrast to prior studies, we did not find gun culture, hospitable political climate, female empowerment, or general economic deprivation to be associated with the number of militia groups. We also found no relationship between the number of militia groups and levels of fundamentalist religious culture and minority empowerment. Our study was the first to test the effects of social disorganization on the number of militias in a state, and we found the two to be positively and significantly associated. We situate our results in the theoretical and empirical literature and outline two challenges for future research. First, scholars must operationalize variables carefully since different measures of the same theoretical concept may result in diverging conclusions. Second, since one major factor (i.e., social disorganization) found in this study to be associated with the number of militia groups in a state was examined here for the first time, it is important for researchers to continue to investigate new hypotheses.

  4. High-predation habitats affect the social dynamics of collective exploration in a shoaling fish.

    PubMed

    Ioannou, Christos C; Ramnarine, Indar W; Torney, Colin J

    2017-05-01

    Collective decisions play a major role in the benefits that animals gain from living in groups. Although the mechanisms of how groups collectively make decisions have been extensively researched, the response of within-group dynamics to ecological conditions is virtually unknown, despite adaptation to the environment being a cornerstone in biology. We investigate how within-group interactions during exploration of a novel environment are shaped by predation, a major influence on the behavior of prey species. We tested guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ) from rivers varying in predation risk under controlled laboratory conditions and find the first evidence of differences in group interactions between animals adapted to different levels of predation. Fish from high-predation habitats showed the strongest negative relationship between initiating movements and following others, which resulted in less variability in the total number of movements made between individuals. This relationship between initiating movements and following others was associated with differentiation into initiators and followers, which was only observed in fish from high-predation rivers. The differentiation occurred rapidly, as trials lasted 5 min, and was related to shoal cohesion, where more diverse groups from high-predation habitats were more cohesive. Our results show that even within a single species over a small geographical range, decision-making in a social context can vary with local ecological factors.

  5. Priorities for research in child maltreatment, intimate partner violence and resilience to violence exposures: results of an international Delphi consensus development process.

    PubMed

    Wathen, C Nadine; MacGregor, Jennifer C D; Hammerton, Joanne; Coben, Jeffrey H; Herrman, Helen; Stewart, Donna E; MacMillan, Harriet L

    2012-08-21

    Intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment (CM) are major global public health problems. The Preventing Violence Across the Lifespan (PreVAiL) Research Network, an international group of over 60 researchers and national and international knowledge-user partners in CM and IPV, sought to identify evidence-based research priorities in IPV and CM, with a focus on resilience, using a modified Delphi consensus development process. Review of existing empirical evidence, PreVAiL documents and team discussion identified a starting list of 20 priorities in the following categories: resilience to violence exposure (RES), CM, and IPV, as well as priorities that cross-cut the content areas (CC), and others specific to research methodologies (RM) in violence research. PreVAiL members (N = 47) completed two online survey rounds, and one round of discussions via three teleconference calls to rate, rank and refine research priorities. Research priorities were: to examine key elements of promising or successful programmes in RES/CM/IPV to build intervention pilot work; CC: to integrate violence questions into national and international surveys, and RM: to investigate methods for collecting and collating datasets to link data and to conduct pooled, meta and sub-group analyses to identify promising interventions for particular groups. These evidence-based research priorities, developed by an international team of violence, gender and mental health researchers and knowledge-user partners, are of relevance for prevention and resilience-oriented research in the areas of IPV and CM.

  6. Priorities for research in child maltreatment, intimate partner violence and resilience to violence exposures: results of an international Delphi consensus development process

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment (CM) are major global public health problems. The Preventing Violence Across the Lifespan (PreVAiL) Research Network, an international group of over 60 researchers and national and international knowledge-user partners in CM and IPV, sought to identify evidence-based research priorities in IPV and CM, with a focus on resilience, using a modified Delphi consensus development process. Methods Review of existing empirical evidence, PreVAiL documents and team discussion identified a starting list of 20 priorities in the following categories: resilience to violence exposure (RES), CM, and IPV, as well as priorities that cross-cut the content areas (CC), and others specific to research methodologies (RM) in violence research. PreVAiL members (N = 47) completed two online survey rounds, and one round of discussions via three teleconference calls to rate, rank and refine research priorities. Results Research priorities were: to examine key elements of promising or successful programmes in RES/CM/IPV to build intervention pilot work; CC: to integrate violence questions into national and international surveys, and RM: to investigate methods for collecting and collating datasets to link data and to conduct pooled, meta and sub-group analyses to identify promising interventions for particular groups. Conclusions These evidence-based research priorities, developed by an international team of violence, gender and mental health researchers and knowledge-user partners, are of relevance for prevention and resilience-oriented research in the areas of IPV and CM. PMID:22908894

  7. NorthStar, a support tool for the design and evaluation of quality improvement interventions in healthcare.

    PubMed

    Akl, Elie A; Treweek, Shaun; Foy, Robbie; Francis, Jill; Oxman, Andrew D

    2007-06-26

    The Research-Based Education and Quality Improvement (ReBEQI) European partnership aims to establish a framework and provide practical tools for the selection, implementation, and evaluation of quality improvement (QI) interventions. We describe the development and preliminary evaluation of the software tool NorthStar, a major product of the ReBEQI project. We focused the content of NorthStar on the design and evaluation of QI interventions. A lead individual from the ReBEQI group drafted each section, and at least two other group members reviewed it. The content is based on published literature, as well as material developed by the ReBEQI group. We developed the software in both a Microsoft Windows HTML help system version and a web-based version. In a preliminary evaluation, we surveyed 33 potential users about the acceptability and perceived utility of NorthStar. NorthStar consists of 18 sections covering the design and evaluation of QI interventions. The major focus of the intervention design sections is on how to identify determinants of practice (factors affecting practice patterns), while the major focus of the intervention evaluation sections is on how to design a cluster randomised trial. The two versions of the software can be transferred by email or CD, and are available for download from the internet. The software offers easy navigation and various functions to access the content. Potential users (55% response rate) reported above-moderate levels of confidence in carrying out QI research related tasks if using NorthStar, particularly when developing a protocol for a cluster randomised trial NorthStar is an integrated, accessible, practical, and acceptable tool to assist developers and evaluators of QI interventions.

  8. NorthStar, a support tool for the design and evaluation of quality improvement interventions in healthcare

    PubMed Central

    Akl, Elie A; Treweek, Shaun; Foy, Robbie; Francis, Jill; Oxman, Andrew D

    2007-01-01

    Background The Research-Based Education and Quality Improvement (ReBEQI) European partnership aims to establish a framework and provide practical tools for the selection, implementation, and evaluation of quality improvement (QI) interventions. We describe the development and preliminary evaluation of the software tool NorthStar, a major product of the ReBEQI project. Methods We focused the content of NorthStar on the design and evaluation of QI interventions. A lead individual from the ReBEQI group drafted each section, and at least two other group members reviewed it. The content is based on published literature, as well as material developed by the ReBEQI group. We developed the software in both a Microsoft Windows HTML help system version and a web-based version. In a preliminary evaluation, we surveyed 33 potential users about the acceptability and perceived utility of NorthStar. Results NorthStar consists of 18 sections covering the design and evaluation of QI interventions. The major focus of the intervention design sections is on how to identify determinants of practice (factors affecting practice patterns), while the major focus of the intervention evaluation sections is on how to design a cluster randomised trial. The two versions of the software can be transferred by email or CD, and are available for download from the internet. The software offers easy navigation and various functions to access the content. Potential users (55% response rate) reported above-moderate levels of confidence in carrying out QI research related tasks if using NorthStar, particularly when developing a protocol for a cluster randomised trial Conclusion NorthStar is an integrated, accessible, practical, and acceptable tool to assist developers and evaluators of QI interventions. PMID:17594495

  9. Telling our stories: heroin-assisted treatment and SNAP activism in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

    PubMed

    Boyd, Susan; Murray, Dave; MacPherson, Donald

    2017-05-18

    This article highlights the experiences of a peer-run group, SALOME/NAOMI Association of Patients (SNAP), that meets weekly in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SNAP is a unique independent peer- run drug user group that formed in 2011 following Canada's first heroin-assisted treatment trial (HAT), North America Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI). SNAP's members are now made up of former research participants who participated in two heroin-assisted trials in Vancouver. This article highlights SNAP members' experiences as research subjects in Canada's second clinical trial conducted in Vancouver, Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness (SALOME), that began recruitment of research participants in 2011. This paper draws on one brainstorming session, three focus groups, and field notes, with the SALOME/NAOMI Association of Patients (SNAP) in late 2013 about their experiences as research subjects in Canada's second clinical trial, SALOME in the DTES of Vancouver, and fieldwork from a 6-year period (March 2011 to February 2017) with SNAP members. SNAP's research draws on research principles developed by drug user groups and critical methodological frameworks on community-based research for social justice. The results illuminate how participating in the SALOME clinical trial impacted the lives of SNAP members. In addition, the findings reveal how SNAP member's advocacy for HAT impacts the group in positive ways. Seven major themes emerged from the analysis of the brainstorming and focus groups: life prior to SALOME, the clinic setting and routine, stability, 6-month transition, support, exiting the trial and ethics, and collective action, including their participation in a constitutional challenge in the Supreme Court of BC to continue receiving HAT once the SALOME trial ended. HAT benefits SNAP members. They argue that permanent HAT programs should be established in Canada because they are an effective harm reduction initiative, one that also reduces opioid overdose deaths.

  10. Post-decision consolidation in large group decision-making.

    PubMed

    Bäck, Emma A; Esaiasson, Peter; Gilljam, Mikael; Svenson, Ola; Lindholm, Torun

    2011-08-01

    Decision-makers tend to change the psychological attractiveness of decision alternatives in favor of their own preferred alternative after the decision is made. In two experiments, the present research examined whether such decision consolidation occurs also among individual group members in a large group decision-making situation. High-school students were presented with a decision scenario on an important issue in their school. The final decision was made by in-group authority, out-group authority or by majority after a ballot voting. Results showed that individual members of large groups changed the attractiveness of their preferred alternative from a pre- to a post-decision phase, that these consolidation effects increased when decisions were made by in-group members, and when participants identified strongly with their school. Implications of the findings for understanding of group behavior and subgroup relations are discussed. © 2011 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2011 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

  11. Minimizing the injury potential of deploying airbag interactions with car occupants.

    PubMed

    Mertz, Harold J; Prasad, Priya; Dalmotas, Dainius

    2013-11-01

    Minimizing the injury potential of the interactions between deploying airbags and car occupants is the major issue with the design of airbag systems. This concern was identified in 1964 by Carl Clark when he presented the results of human volunteer and dummy testing of the "Airstop" system that was being developed for aircraft. The following is a chronological summary of the actions taken by the car manufacturers, airbag suppliers, SAE and ISO task groups, research institutes and universities, and consumer and government groups to address this issue.

  12. Invasive reptiles and amphibians.

    PubMed

    Moutou, F; Pastoret, P P

    2010-08-01

    Although they are frequently lumped together, reptiles and amphibians belong to two very different zoological groups. Nevertheless, one fact is clear: while numerous reptile and amphibian species on Earth are in decline, others have taken advantage of trade or human movements to become established in new lands, adopting different, and sometimes unusual, strategies. The authors have taken a few examples from these two zoological groups that illustrate the majority of cases. A brief analysis of the causes and effects of their introductions into new areas reveals connections with economic interests, trade in companion animals, medical research and public health.

  13. Impact of preoperative dual antiplatelet therapy on bleeding complications in patients with acute coronary syndromes who undergo urgent coronary artery bypass grafting.

    PubMed

    Nagashima, Zenko; Tsukahara, Kengo; Uchida, Keiji; Hibi, Kiyoshi; Karube, Norihisa; Ebina, Toshiaki; Imoto, Kiyotaka; Kimura, Kazuo; Umemura, Satoshi

    2017-01-01

    A 5- to 7-day washout period before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is recommended for patients who have recently received a thienopyridine derivative; however, data supporting this guideline recommendation are lacking in Japanese patients. Urgent isolated CABG was performed in 130 consecutive patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) (101 men; mean age, 69 years). Urgent CABG was defined as operation performed within 5 days after coronary angiography. All patients continued to receive aspirin 100mg/day. The subjects were retrospectively divided into 2 groups: 30 patients with preoperative thienopyridine (clopidogrel in 15 patients, ticlopidine in 15) exposure within 5 days [dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) group] and 100 patients without exposure [single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) group]. Although the DAPT group had a higher proportion of patients who received perioperative platelet transfusions than the SAPT group (50% vs. 18%, p<0.001), intraoperative bleeding (median, 1100ml; interquartile range, 620-1440 vs. 920ml; 500-1100) and total drain output within 48h after surgery (577±262 vs. 543±277ml) were similar. CABG-related major bleeding, which was defined as type 4 or 5 bleeding according to the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium definitions, occurred in a significantly higher proportion of patients in the DAPT group than in the SAPT group (20% vs. 3%, p=0.005). This difference in major bleeding was driven mainly by the higher rate of transfusion of ≥5U red blood cells within a 48-h period in the DAPT group (13% vs. 1%, p=0.01). There was no significant difference in the 30-day composite endpoint including death, myocardial (re)infarction, ischemic stroke, and refractory angina between the DAPT group and SAPT group (17% vs. 19%). Preoperative DAPT increases the risk of CABG-related major bleeding in Japanese patients with ACS undergoing urgent CABG. Copyright © 2016 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. The effect of explicit, inquiry instruction on freshman college science majors' understanding of the nature of science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kenyon, Lisa Orvik

    Reform efforts have placed strong emphasis on teaching practices that should help students learn about the nature of science. Researchers have examined two general instructional approaches, explicit and implicit, believed to be useful in teaching science. Of these two approaches, researchers emphasize explicit instruction as the more effective approach when enhancing students' views of the scientific endeavor (Abd-El-Khalick & Lederman, 2000; Bell, 2001; Billeh & Hasan, 1975; Carey & Stauss, 1968; Schwartz et al., 2000). Furthermore, recent studies (Schwartz et al ., 2000, 2001) indicate that teaching science inquiry through investigative activities and reflective discussions have demonstrated to be most effective for understanding science. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of explicit, inquiry instruction on the understanding of freshman college science majors regarding the nature of science. Participants included 74 freshman college science majors, 50 students in the experimental group and 24 students in the control group. The experimental group was exposed to the treatment of the study, which took place in a Succeeding in Science course. The course content included explicit instruction on the nature of science, emphasizing scientific inquiry and the processes that scientists carry out in their work. The course reflected three aspects of inquiry-based science that are discussed in the Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (2000) which are (1) to learn the principles and concepts of science; (2) to participate in scientific investigations; and (3) to reflect on the epistemology of science. The research design of this study used a pretest-posttest instrument, The Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire Form C (VNOS-C) (Lederman et al., 2001) and an essay paper at the end of the course to assess students' understanding about the nature of science. The results from the VNOS-C were analyzed using analysis of covariance in which the dependent variable was student understanding of science as measured by the posttest, and the covariate was student understanding of nature of science as measured by the pretest. The results indicated that the understanding of the nature of science of freshman college science majors who have participated in explicit, inquiry instruction is statistically greater than the understanding of the nature of science of freshman college science majors who have participated in traditional instruction. The essays provided insight into the apparent increase in student understanding of the nature of science. The results from pretesting and posttesting indicated that a one-semester credit hour course, which focuses directly on teaching about the nature of science can improve freshman science majors' understanding of the nature of science.

  15. Lessons from the evaluation of the UK's NHS R&D Implementation Methods Programme

    PubMed Central

    Soper, Bryony; Hanney, Stephen R

    2007-01-01

    Background Concern about the effective use of research was a major factor behind the creation of the NHS R&D Programme in 1991. In 1994, an advisory group was established to identify research priorities in research implementation. The Implementation Methods Programme (IMP) flowed from this, and its commissioning group funded 36 projects. In 2000 responsibility for the programme passed to the National Co-ordinating Centre for NHS Service Delivery and Organisation R&D, which asked the Health Economics Research Group (HERG), Brunel University, to conduct an evaluation in 2002. By then most projects had been completed. This evaluation was intended to cover: the quality of outputs, lessons to be learnt about the communication strategy and the commissioning process, and the benefits from the projects. Methods We adopted a wide range of quantitative and qualitative methods. They included: documentary analysis, interviews with key actors, questionnaires to the funded lead researchers, questionnaires to potential users, and desk analysis. Results Quantitative assessment of outputs and dissemination revealed that the IMP funded useful research projects, some of which had considerable impact against the various categories in the HERG payback model, such as publications, further research, research training, impact on health policy, and clinical practice. Qualitative findings from interviews with advisory and commissioning group members indicated that when the IMP was established, implementation research was a relatively unexplored field. This was reflected in the understanding brought to their roles by members of the advisory and commissioning groups, in the way priorities for research were chosen and developed, and in how the research projects were commissioned. The ideological and methodological debates associated with these decisions have continued among those working in this field. The need for an effective communication strategy for the programme as a whole was particularly important. However, such a strategy was never developed, making it difficult to establish the general influence of the IMP as a programme. Conclusion Our findings about the impact of the work funded, and the difficulties faced by those developing the IMP, have implications for the development of strategic programmes of research in general, as well as for the development of more effective research in this field. PMID:17309803

  16. An Exploration of Attitudes Among Black Americans Towards Psychiatric Genetic Research

    PubMed Central

    Murphy, Eleanor; Thompson, Azure

    2011-01-01

    With increasing emphasis on understanding genetic contribution to disease, inclusion of all racial and ethnic groups in molecular genetic research is necessary to ensure parity in distribution of research benefits. Blacks are underrepresented in large-scale genetic studies of psychiatric disorders. In an effort to understand the reasons for the underrepresentation, this study explored black participants’ attitudes towards genetic research of psychiatric disorders. Twenty-six adults, the majority of whom were black (n = 18) were recruited from a New York City community to participate in six 90-minute focus groups. This paper reports findings about respondents’ understanding of genetics and genetic research, and opinions about psychiatric genetic research. Primary themes revealed participants’ perceived lack of knowledge about genetics, concerns about potentially harmful study procedures, and confidentiality surrounding mental illness in families. Participation incentives included provision of treatment or related service, monetary compensation, and reporting of results to participants. These findings suggest that recruitment of subjects into genetic studies should directly address procedures, privacy, benefits and follow-up with results. Further, there is critical need to engage communities with education about genetics and mental illness, and provide opportunities for continued discussion about concerns related to genetic research. PMID:19614555

  17. Preliminary Results from Powell Research Group on Integrating GRACE Satellite and Ground-based Estimates of Groundwater Storage Changes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scanlon, B. R.; Zhang, Z.; Reitz, M.; Rodell, M.; Sanford, W. E.; Save, H.; Wiese, D. N.; Croteau, M. J.; McGuire, V. L.; Pool, D. R.; Faunt, C. C.; Zell, W.

    2017-12-01

    Groundwater storage depletion is a critical issue for many of the major aquifers in the U.S., particularly during intense droughts. GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite-based estimates of groundwater storage changes have attracted considerable media attention in the U.S. and globally and interest in GRACE products continues to increase. For this reason, a Powell Research Group was formed to: (1) Assess variations in groundwater storage using a variety of GRACE products and other storage components (snow, surface water, and soil moisture) for major aquifers in the U.S., (2) Quantify long-term trends in groundwater storage from ground-based monitoring and regional and national modeling, and (3) Use ground-based monitoring and modeling to interpret GRACE water storage changes within the context of extreme droughts and over-exploitation of groundwater. The group now has preliminary estimates from long-term trends and seasonal fluctuations in water storage using different GRACE solutions, including CSR, JPL and GSFC. Approaches to quantifying uncertainties in GRACE data are included. This work also shows how GRACE sees groundwater depletion in unconfined versus confined aquifers, and plans for future work will link GRACE data to regional groundwater models. The wealth of ground-based observations for the U.S. provides a unique opportunity to assess the reliability of GRACE-based estimates of groundwater storage changes.

  18. Mixed-Meal Tolerance Test Versus Glucagon Stimulation Test for the Assessment of β-Cell Function in Therapeutic Trials in Type 1 Diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Greenbaum, Carla J.; Mandrup-Poulsen, Thomas; McGee, Paula Friedenberg; Battelino, Tadej; Haastert, Burkhard; Ludvigsson, Johnny; Pozzilli, Paolo; Lachin, John M.; Kolb, Hubert

    2008-01-01

    OBJECTIVE—β-Cell function in type 1 diabetes clinical trials is commonly measured by C-peptide response to a secretagogue in either a mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT) or a glucagon stimulation test (GST). The Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Research Group and the European C-peptide Trial (ECPT) Study Group conducted parallel randomized studies to compare the sensitivity, reproducibility, and tolerability of these procedures. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In randomized sequences, 148 TrialNet subjects completed 549 tests with up to 2 MMTT and 2 GST tests on separate days, and 118 ECPT subjects completed 348 tests (up to 3 each) with either two MMTTs or two GSTs. RESULTS—Among individuals with up to 4 years’ duration of type 1 diabetes, >85% had measurable stimulated C-peptide values. The MMTT stimulus produced significantly higher concentrations of C-peptide than the GST. Whereas both tests were highly reproducible, the MMTT was significantly more so (R2 = 0.96 for peak C-peptide response). Overall, the majority of subjects preferred the MMTT, and there were few adverse events. Some older subjects preferred the shorter duration of the GST. Nausea was reported in the majority of GST studies, particularly in the young age-group. CONCLUSIONS—The MMTT is preferred for the assessment of β-cell function in therapeutic trials in type 1 diabetes. PMID:18628574

  19. The International Association for Danube Research (IAD)-portrait of a transboundary scientific NGO.

    PubMed

    Bloesch, Jürg

    2009-08-01

    The International Association for Danube Research (IAD), a legal association (Verein) according to Austrian law, presently consists of 13 member countries and 12 expert groups covering all water-relevant scientific disciplines. IAD, founded in 1956, represents a traditional and significant stakeholder in the Danube River Basin, fulfilling an important task towards an integrative water and river basin management requested by the EU Water Framework Directive. IAD, stretching between basic and applied research, adapted its strategy after the major political changes in 1989. IAD fosters transdisciplinary and transboundary projects to support integrative Danube River protection in line with the governmental International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) in which IAD has had observer status since 1998. Recent scientific outputs of IAD encompass, amongst others, a water quality map of the Danube and major tributaries, the Sturgeon Action Plan, hydromorphological mapping of the Drava, a macrophyte inventory, and a Mures River study. Further information about IAD can be found on our website http://www.iad.gs.

  20. Neuroimaging in psychiatric pharmacogenetics research: the promise and pitfalls.

    PubMed

    Falcone, Mary; Smith, Ryan M; Chenoweth, Meghan J; Bhattacharjee, Abesh Kumar; Kelsoe, John R; Tyndale, Rachel F; Lerman, Caryn

    2013-11-01

    The integration of research on neuroimaging and pharmacogenetics holds promise for improving treatment for neuropsychiatric conditions. Neuroimaging may provide a more sensitive early measure of treatment response in genetically defined patient groups, and could facilitate development of novel therapies based on an improved understanding of pathogenic mechanisms underlying pharmacogenetic associations. This review summarizes progress in efforts to incorporate neuroimaging into genetics and treatment research on major psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and addiction. Methodological challenges include: performing genetic analyses in small study populations used in imaging studies; inclusion of patients with psychiatric comorbidities; and the extensive variability across studies in neuroimaging protocols, neurobehavioral task probes, and analytic strategies. Moreover, few studies use pharmacogenetic designs that permit testing of genotype × drug effects. As a result of these limitations, few findings have been fully replicated. Future studies that pre-screen participants for genetic variants selected a priori based on drug metabolism and targets have the greatest potential to advance the science and practice of psychiatric treatment.

  1. Facilitator and Participant Use of Facebook in a Community-Based Intervention for Parents: The InFANT Extend Program.

    PubMed

    Downing, Katherine L; Campbell, Karen J; van der Pligt, Paige; Hesketh, Kylie D

    2017-12-01

    Social networking sites such as Facebook afford new opportunities for behavior-change interventions. Although often used as a recruitment tool, few studies have reported the use of Facebook as an intervention component to facilitate communication between researchers and participants. The aim of this study was to examine facilitator and participant use of a Facebook component of a community-based intervention for parents. First-time parent groups participating in the intervention arm of the extended Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT Extend) Program were invited to join their own private Facebook group. Facilitators mediated the Facebook groups, using them to share resources with parents, arrange group sessions, and respond to parent queries. Parents completed process evaluation questionnaires reporting on the usefulness of the Facebook groups. A total of 150 parents (from 27 first-time parent groups) joined their private Facebook group. There were a mean of 36.9 (standard deviation 11.1) posts/group, with the majority being facilitator posts. Facilitator administration posts (e.g., arranging upcoming group sessions) had the highest average comments (4.0), followed by participant health/behavior questions (3.5). The majority of participants reported that they enjoyed being a part of their Facebook group; however, the frequency of logging on to their groups' page declined over the 36 months of the trial, as did their perceived usefulness of the group. Facebook appears to be a useful administrative tool in this context. Parents enjoyed being part of their Facebook group, but their reported use of and engagement with Facebook declined over time.

  2. Diversity of Microsporidia, Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

    PubMed Central

    Sak, Bohumil; Petrželková, Klára J.; Květoňová, Dana; Mynářová, Anna; Pomajbíková, Kateřina; Modrý, David; Cranfield, Michael R.; Mudakikwa, Antoine; Kváč, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Background Infectious diseases represent the greatest threats to endangered species, and transmission from humans to wildlife under increased anthropogenic pressure has been always stated as a major risk of habituation. Aims To evaluate the impact of close contact with humans on the occurrence of potentially zoonotic protists in great apes, one hundred mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) from seven groups habituated either for tourism or for research in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda were screened for the presence of microsporidia, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. using molecular diagnostics. Results The most frequently detected parasites were Enterocytozoon bieneusi found in 18 samples (including genotype EbpA, D, C, gorilla 2 and five novel genotypes gorilla 4–8) and Encephalitozoon cuniculi with genotype II being more prevalent (10 cases) compared to genotype I (1 case). Cryptosporidium muris (2 cases) and C. meleagridis (2 cases) were documented in great apes for the first time. Cryptosporidium sp. infections were identified only in research groups and occurrence of E. cuniculi in research groups was significantly higher in comparison to tourist groups. No difference in prevalence of E. bieneusi was observed between research and tourist groups. Conclusion Although our data showed the presence and diversity of important opportunistic protists in Volcanoes gorillas, the source and the routes of the circulation remain unknown. Repeated individual sampling, broad sampling of other hosts sharing the habitat with gorillas and quantification of studied protists would be necessary to acquire more complex data. PMID:25386754

  3. Diversity of microsporidia, Cryptosporidium and Giardia in mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

    PubMed

    Sak, Bohumil; Petrželková, Klára J; Květoňová, Dana; Mynářová, Anna; Pomajbíková, Kateřina; Modrý, David; Cranfield, Michael R; Mudakikwa, Antoine; Kváč, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Infectious diseases represent the greatest threats to endangered species, and transmission from humans to wildlife under increased anthropogenic pressure has been always stated as a major risk of habituation. To evaluate the impact of close contact with humans on the occurrence of potentially zoonotic protists in great apes, one hundred mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) from seven groups habituated either for tourism or for research in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda were screened for the presence of microsporidia, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. using molecular diagnostics. The most frequently detected parasites were Enterocytozoon bieneusi found in 18 samples (including genotype EbpA, D, C, gorilla 2 and five novel genotypes gorilla 4-8) and Encephalitozoon cuniculi with genotype II being more prevalent (10 cases) compared to genotype I (1 case). Cryptosporidium muris (2 cases) and C. meleagridis (2 cases) were documented in great apes for the first time. Cryptosporidium sp. infections were identified only in research groups and occurrence of E. cuniculi in research groups was significantly higher in comparison to tourist groups. No difference in prevalence of E. bieneusi was observed between research and tourist groups. Although our data showed the presence and diversity of important opportunistic protists in Volcanoes gorillas, the source and the routes of the circulation remain unknown. Repeated individual sampling, broad sampling of other hosts sharing the habitat with gorillas and quantification of studied protists would be necessary to acquire more complex data.

  4. The establishment of DOHaD working groups in Australia and New Zealand.

    PubMed

    Prescott, S L; Allen, K; Armstrong, K; Collins, C; Dickinson, H; Gardiner, K; Jacka, F; Jasoni, C; Moore, T; Moritz, K M; Muhlhausler, B; Siero, W; Sim, K; Nanan, R; Saffery, R; Singh, G; Vickers, M H; Craig, J M

    2016-10-01

    The evidence underpinning the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) is overwhelming. As the emphasis shifts more towards interventions and the translational strategies for disease prevention, it is important to capitalize on collaboration and knowledge sharing to maximize opportunities for discovery and replication. DOHaD meetings are facilitating this interaction. However, strategies to perpetuate focussed discussions and collaborations around and between conferences are more likely to facilitate the development of DOHaD research. For this reason, the DOHaD Society of Australia and New Zealand (DOHaD ANZ) has initiated themed Working Groups, which convened at the 2014-2015 conferences. This report introduces the DOHaD ANZ Working Groups and summarizes their plans and activities. One of the first Working Groups to form was the ActEarly birth cohort group, which is moving towards more translational goals. Reflecting growing emphasis on the impact of early life biodiversity - even before birth - we also have a Working Group titled Infection, inflammation and the microbiome. We have several Working Groups exploring other major non-cancerous disease outcomes over the lifespan, including Brain, behaviour and development and Obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic health. The Epigenetics and Animal Models Working Groups cut across all these areas and seeks to ensure interaction between researchers. Finally, we have a group focussed on 'Translation, policy and communication' which focusses on how we can best take the evidence we produce into the community to effect change. By coordinating and perpetuating DOHaD discussions in this way we aim to enhance DOHaD research in our region.

  5. Missing Data in the Field of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery: Need for Improvement.

    PubMed

    Netten, Anouk P; Dekker, Friedo W; Rieffe, Carolien; Soede, Wim; Briaire, Jeroen J; Frijns, Johan H M

    Clinical studies are often facing missing data. Data can be missing for various reasons, for example, patients moved, certain measurements are only administered in high-risk groups, and patients are unable to attend clinic because of their health status. There are various ways to handle these missing data (e.g., complete cases analyses, mean substitution). Each of these techniques potentially influences both the analyses and the results of a study. The first aim of this structured review was to analyze how often researchers in the field of otorhinolaryngology/head & neck surgery report missing data. The second aim was to systematically describe how researchers handle missing data in their analyses. The third aim was to provide a solution on how to deal with missing data by means of the multiple imputation technique. With this review, we aim to contribute to a higher quality of reporting in otorhinolaryngology research. Clinical studies among the 398 most recently published research articles in three major journals in the field of otorhinolaryngology/head & neck surgery were analyzed based on how researchers reported and handled missing data. Of the 316 clinical studies, 85 studies reported some form of missing data. Of those 85, only a small number (12 studies, 3.8%) actively handled the missingness in their data. The majority of researchers exclude incomplete cases, which results in biased outcomes and a drop in statistical power. Within otorhinolaryngology research, missing data are largely ignored and underreported, and consequently, handled inadequately. This has major impact on the results and conclusions drawn from this research. Based on the outcomes of this review, we provide solutions on how to deal with missing data. To illustrate, we clarify the use of multiple imputation techniques, which recently became widely available in standard statistical programs.

  6. A new vision for the study of benign prostate disease: the NIDDK Prostate Research Strategic Plan.

    PubMed

    Mullins, Chris; Kaplan, Steven A

    2009-03-01

    The American population continues to enjoy a steady increase in life expectancy. A major goal for this population is to maintain and improve quality of life as it ages. For men a major source of age related health burden is benign disorders of the prostate which, despite much research, remain poorly defined and require greater advancement in prevention and treatment. Thus, there is a substantial need to develop a long-range vision to focus and promote efforts to better understand and manage benign prostate disease. In response the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases convened a panel of key opinion leaders including basic researchers, translational scientists, epidemiologists, and clinicians and clinical researchers to develop a comprehensive strategic plan to advance research in benign prostate disease. The overall mission statement of this effort is "To discuss, evaluate, and propose research needs and a long-range research agenda (ie a strategic plan) for NIDDK grant portfolios related to research into benign prostate disease." Implementation and practical application of this strategic plan will require a partnership of the scientific community, the Federal Government, and other public and private organizations and institutions. This focused group of research and thought leaders identified 4 major areas of key significance for future investigation: basic science, epidemiology/population based studies, translational opportunities and clinical sciences. Great opportunities are identified within these 4 areas to develop new insights, and translate findings for benign prostate diseases and related syndromes between the research laboratory and the clinical setting. The product of these efforts, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Prostate Research Strategic Plan, represents a blueprint that researchers and Federal Government can use to review where the field has been, define where the field is and, most importantly, identify where and how future research efforts should be directed. To accomplish this goal many priorities must be addressed, including the need to create more effective lines of communication among scientific disciplines to improve translation of research findings and ultimately advance patient treatment. The overall goals and missions of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Prostate Research Strategic Plan, along with key scientific recommendations and priorities for the major areas of focus, are summarized.

  7. Leaving School — learning at SEA: Regular high school education alongside polar research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gatti, Susanne

    2010-05-01

    Against the background of unsatisfactory results from the international OECD study PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), Germany is facing a period of intense school reforms. Looking back at a tradition of school culture with too few changes during the last century, quick and radical renewal of the school system is rather unlikely. Furthermore students are increasingly turning away from natural sciences [1]. The AWI aims at providing impulses for major changes in the schooling system and is offering solid science education not only for university students but also for a larger audience. All efforts towards this goal are interconnected within the project SEA (Science & Education @ the AWI). With the school-term of 2002/03 the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research started HIGHSEA (High school of SEA). The program is the most important component of SEA. Each year 22 high school students (grade 10 or 11) are admitted to HIGHSEA spending their last three years of school not at school but at the institute. Four subjects (biology as a major, chemistry, math and English as accessory subjects) are combined and taught fully integrated. Students leave their school for two days each week to study, work and explore all necessary topics at the AWI. All of the curricular necessities of the four subjects have been rearranged in their temporal sequencing thus enabling a conceptual formulation of four major questions to be dealt with in the course of the three-year program [2]. Students are taught by teachers of the cooperation schools as well as by scientists of the AWI. Close links and intense cooperation between both groups are the basis of fundamental changes in teaching and learning climate. We are organizing expeditions for every group of HIGHSEA-students (e. g. to the Arctic or to mid-Atlantic seamounts). For each student expedition we devise a "real" research question. Usually a single working group at the AWI has a special interest in the data but no opportunity to collect them. Thus the data data gathered by the students during "their" expedition contribute to ongoing research projects of different departments of the AWI. Meanwhile five groups of students have finished their final exams — with outstanding results. We are providing excellent starting conditions for students with a strong interest in natural sciences who whish to take up university courses. Currently some students of the first groups of HIGHSEA are working on their bachelor or master theses at the AWI. HIGHSEA has gone through an external evaluation process by the University Duisburg Essen. By exploring and establishing new ways of teaching and learning we are contributing to the ongoing discussion about the renewal of the German school system. [1] Q Schiermeier (2002): Lessons in research aim to win pupils over to science, Nature (418), p 714 [2] S Goodman (2002): Put your lab in a different class, Nature (420), p 12-14

  8. Identifying and Prioritizing Gaps in Neuroendocrine Tumor Research: A Modified Delphi Process With Patients and Health Care Providers to Set the Research Action Plan for the Newly Formed Commonwealth Neuroendocrine Tumor Collaboration

    PubMed Central

    Chan, David; Lawrence, Ben; Pavlakis, Nick; Kennecke, Hagen F.; Jackson, Christopher; Law, Calvin; Singh, Simron

    2017-01-01

    Purpose Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a diverse group of malignancies that pose challenges common to all rare tumors. The Commonwealth Neuroendocrine Tumor Collaboration (CommNETS) was established in 2015 to enhance outcomes for patients with NETs in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A modified Delphi process was undertaken involving patients, clinicians, and researchers to identify gaps in NETs research to produce a comprehensive and defensible research action plan. Methods A three-round modified Delphi process was undertaken with larger representation than usual for medical consensus processes. Patient/advocate and health care provider/researcher expert panels undertook Round 1, which canvassed 17 research priorities and 42 potential topics; in Round 2, these priorities were ranked. Round 3 comprised a face-to-face meeting to generate final consensus rankings and formulate the research action plan. Results The Delphi groups consisted of 203 participants in Round 1 (64% health care providers/researchers, 36% patient/advocates; 52% Canadian, 32% Australian, and 17% New Zealander), of whom 132 participated in Round 2. The top eight priorities were biomarker development; peptide receptor radionuclide therapy optimization; trials of new agents in advanced NETs; functional imaging; sequencing therapies for metastatic NETs, including development of validated surrogate end points for studies; pathologic classification; early diagnosis; interventional therapeutics; and curative surgery. Two major areas were ranked significantly higher by patients/advocates: early diagnosis and curative surgery. Six CommNETS working parties were established. Conclusion This modified Delphi process resulted in a well-founded set of research priorities for the newly formed CommNETS collaboration by involving a large, diverse group of stakeholders. This approach to setting a research agenda for a new collaborative group should be adopted to ensure that research plans reflect unmet needs and priorities in the field. PMID:28831446

  9. Identifying and Prioritizing Gaps in Neuroendocrine Tumor Research: A Modified Delphi Process With Patients and Health Care Providers to Set the Research Action Plan for the Newly Formed Commonwealth Neuroendocrine Tumor Collaboration.

    PubMed

    Segelov, Eva; Chan, David; Lawrence, Ben; Pavlakis, Nick; Kennecke, Hagen F; Jackson, Christopher; Law, Calvin; Singh, Simron

    2017-08-01

    Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a diverse group of malignancies that pose challenges common to all rare tumors. The Commonwealth Neuroendocrine Tumor Collaboration (CommNETS) was established in 2015 to enhance outcomes for patients with NETs in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A modified Delphi process was undertaken involving patients, clinicians, and researchers to identify gaps in NETs research to produce a comprehensive and defensible research action plan. A three-round modified Delphi process was undertaken with larger representation than usual for medical consensus processes. Patient/advocate and health care provider/researcher expert panels undertook Round 1, which canvassed 17 research priorities and 42 potential topics; in Round 2, these priorities were ranked. Round 3 comprised a face-to-face meeting to generate final consensus rankings and formulate the research action plan. The Delphi groups consisted of 203 participants in Round 1 (64% health care providers/researchers, 36% patient/advocates; 52% Canadian, 32% Australian, and 17% New Zealander), of whom 132 participated in Round 2. The top eight priorities were biomarker development; peptide receptor radionuclide therapy optimization; trials of new agents in advanced NETs; functional imaging; sequencing therapies for metastatic NETs, including development of validated surrogate end points for studies; pathologic classification; early diagnosis; interventional therapeutics; and curative surgery. Two major areas were ranked significantly higher by patients/advocates: early diagnosis and curative surgery. Six CommNETS working parties were established. This modified Delphi process resulted in a well-founded set of research priorities for the newly formed CommNETS collaboration by involving a large, diverse group of stakeholders. This approach to setting a research agenda for a new collaborative group should be adopted to ensure that research plans reflect unmet needs and priorities in the field.

  10. Contraceptive research: still inadequate after all these years?

    PubMed

    Diconsiglio, J M

    1992-01-01

    Scientists and executives at Upjohn Company stopped further research and development of prostaglandins, mainly used for contraceptive purposes, after anti-abortion groups harassed employees, destroyed property, and camped in the parking lot for weeks. 3 million women face an unplanned pregnancy yearly due to contraceptive failure. So Upjohn's retreat from contraception research adds another obstacle to any chances of a contraceptive revolution. In 1970, there were 13 major drug companies in the world (9 in the US) doing research and development on contraception. By 1987, only 4 companies were doing such research (1 in the US). So government agencies, universities, and nongovernmental and international organizations are the only groups conducting contraceptive development. They also suffer political or economic constraints. The research and approval process make any significant new contraceptive breakthrough likely to occur only after at least 10-15 years. The cost of developing a new contraceptive ranges from US$20 to 70 million and, if the cost of failed leads is added, it ranges from US$200 to 250 million. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and USAID conduct most contraceptive research and most of the US$165 million dedicated to it goes to basic research on reproductive physiology. In addition, contraceptive research scientists submit only 1/10,000 new chemicals identified in laboratories to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). So cost of applied contraceptive development and research actually equals US$30 million. The current US administration bars NIH and USAID from conducting any research on any contraceptive that is even close to abortion, e.g., RU-486. Anti-abortion groups have also motivated the government to restrict funds it distributes for contraception research to nongovernmental groups. Thus the Population Council does not have the funds to begin the approval process for its levonorgestrel releasing IUD. FDA may soon approve the female condom and Depo-Provera, however.

  11. Mechanistic Studies on the Use of Polygonum multiflorum for the Treatment of Hair Graying

    PubMed Central

    Han, Ming-Nuan; Lu, Jian-Mei; Zhang, Guang-Yuan; Zhao, Rong-Hua

    2015-01-01

    Polygonum multiflorum is a traditional Chinese medicine with a long history in hair growth promotion and hair blackening. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect and the mechanism of Polygonum multiflorum in hair blackening. C57BL/6 mice hair fade was induced with H2O2 and used in this research. Hair pigmentogenesis promotion activities of Polygonum Multiflorum Radix (PMR, raw crude drug), Polygonum Multiflorum Radix Preparata (PMRP, processed crude drug), and their major chemical constituent TSG were investigated. The regulation effects of several cytokines and enzymes such as POMC, α-MSH, MC1R, ASIP, MITF, TYR, TRP-1, and TRP-2 were investigated. PMR group gave out the most outstanding black hair among all groups with the highest contents of total melanin, α-MSH, MC1R, and TYR. Promotion of hair pigmentogenesis was slightly decreased after processing in the PMRP group. TSG as the major constituent of PMR showed weaker hair color regulation effects than both PMR and PMRP. PMR, but not PMRP, should be used to blacken hair. The α-MSH, MC1R, and TYR were the major targets in the medicinal use of PMR in hair graying. Chemical constituents other than TSG may contribute to the hair color regulation activity of PMR. PMID:26640791

  12. Patching the Leaky STEM Pipeline: Identifying Institutional Factors That Influence a STEM Qualified Female Undergraduate s Choice of Institution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hurlock, Ashley J.

    Despite increased female participation in the workforce and females earning more undergraduate degrees than men over the past decade, women are still awarded fewer undergraduate degrees than men and hold less than 25% of jobs in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM (Beede, et al., 2011). Research shows that females may be leaking from the STEM pipeline because they are not choosing to attend institutions that fulfill their interdisciplinary and non-academic interests or have learning environments that are supportive of their needs. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional survey study, conducted at one non-research intensive university, was to identify institutional factors most pertinent to the decision to attend a non-research intensive university by a "STEM qualified" female undergraduate student. 23 of 45 factors were reported as positively influencing their decision regardless of major. The top six factors for both groups were: average class size, campus environment, a visit to campus, university population size, and major/department offered. The seven factors ranked statistically significantly different between STEM and non-STEM majors were undergraduate research opportunities, faculty reputation, graduate/professional school admission, academic support/tutoring, graduate program available, intramural sports, and off-campus housing. Only two of 17 factors negatively influenced STEM majors who were accepted to a research intensive university: the research intensive university's size and average class sizes were undesirable compared to their current institution. STEM qualified females weighed the importance of non-academic factors as high, or higher, than critical academic factors. STEM qualified females are also choosing to attend the non-research intensive university for a variety of reasons and not simply because another institution did not offer certain academic factors. Future studies should expanded to include other non-research intensive universities, research intensive universities, and high schools in order to further understand the impact that certain factors have on female choice of institution. The authors strongly feel that if institutions which provide a more supportive environment for female undergraduates create successful recruitment initiatives, their female students may be more likely to persist as STEM majors. This could potentially patch one of the substantial leaks in the STEM pipeline for women.

  13. Early Care and Education in Tribal Communities: Research to Policy Resources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grate, Sheree; Stephens, Samuel A.

    2016-01-01

    There are approximately 390,000 children age nine and under who are identified by their parents as being of American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) heritage alone, while more than 400,000 other children in the same age range share this heritage with that of other race and ethnic groups. The large majority--about 80 percent--of AIAN individuals…

  14. Birding economics and birder demographics studies as conservation tools

    Treesearch

    Paul Kerlinger

    1993-01-01

    Birders are the primary user-group of neotropical migratory birds. In the United States, birders number in the tens of millions and spend upwards of $20 billion dollars per year on bird seed, travel, and birding paraphernalia. Average yearly spending by active birders averages between $1,500 and $3,400, with travel being the major expenditure. Research needs include...

  15. Using Managerial Role Motivation Training to Overcome Motivational Deficiencies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miner, John B.

    Research on motivation to manage can be summarized in five points: (1) motivation to manage is a major factor for success; (2) motivation to manage declined in students from the 1960's to the 1970's; (3) this decline is evident in the relevant age groups; (4) differences between United States students and foreign students place the United States…

  16. Teaching for Quality Learning in Chemistry. Research Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teixeira-Dias, Jose J. C.; Pedrosa de Jesus, Helena; Neri de Souza, Francisle; Watts, Mike

    2005-01-01

    In Portugal, the number of students in higher education increased from 80,000 in 1975 to 381,000 in 2000 (a change from 11% to 53% in the age group 18-22), meaning a major change in the diversity of student population with consequences well known and studied in other countries. The teaching of chemistry at the University of Aveiro, for the…

  17. Sisters and Brothers, Brothers and Sisters in the Family Affected by Traumatic Brain Injury.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pieper, Betty

    This report is based on a qualitative research study which utilized a nominal group process to identify major life stressors for parents of children with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). It focuses first on effects of TBI on siblings and then on effective interventions. The first section uses quotes from participating parents to identify their…

  18. Overcoming the Challenges of Retaining Novice Teachers in a County Public School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Albert, Ernst

    2017-01-01

    Retaining novice teachers in a Northeast Florida county public school is an ongoing challenge. Research indicates that 14% of new teachers will leave the field within 5 years. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the major factors that contributed to this unique group of novice teachers' decisions to continue to teach at the school…

  19. A Key Role for Experimental Task Performance: Effects of Math Talent, Gender and Performance on the Neural Correlates of Mental Rotation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoppe, Christian; Fliessbach, Klaus; Stausberg, Sven; Stojanovic, Jelena; Trautner, Peter; Elger, Christian E.; Weber, Bernd

    2012-01-01

    The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying superior cognitive performance are a research area of high interest. The majority of studies on the brain-performance relationship assessed the effects of capability-related group factors (e.g. talent, gender) on task-related brain activations while only few studies examined the effect of the inherent…

  20. An Assessment of the Effect of Collaborative Groups on Students' Problem-Solving Strategies and Abilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Melanie M.; Cox, Charles T., Jr.; Nammouz, Minory; Case, Edward; Stevens, Ronald

    2008-01-01

    Improving students' problem-solving skills is a major goal for most science educators. While a large body of research on problem solving exists, assessment of meaningful problem solving is very difficult, particularly for courses with large numbers of students in which one-on-one interactions are not feasible. We have used a suite of software…

  1. 107 Range Commanders Council Meteorology Group Meeting (RCC-MG): NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Range Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Roberts, Barry C.

    2016-01-01

    The following is a summary of the major meteorological/atmospheric projects and research that have been or currently are being accomplished at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Listed below are highlights of work done during the past 6 months in the Engineering Directorate (ED) and in the Science and Mission Systems Office (ZP).

  2. An Overview of the Labor Market Problems of Indians and Native Americans. Research Report No. 89-02.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ainsworth, Robert G.

    This booklet provides an overview of the labor market problems facing Indians and Native Americans, the most economically disadvantaged ethnic group in the United States. It summarizes Indian policy, particularly major policies and laws that relate to early trade restrictions and the exploitation of Indians through trade; their forced removal from…

  3. Youth Attitude Tracking Study II, Wave 15 - Fall 1984.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-04-01

    key component of the Joint Market Research Program which contributes to policy formation and the development of recruiting marketing strategies . The...unrelated to advertising awareness for young males, but positive propensity females have higher aware- ness of advertising . * Majorities in each market group... advertising programs * Examine the potential effect of enlistment incentives on propensity to enlist Develop further the market segmentation analysis

  4. Mapping Conceptual Understanding of Algebraic Concepts: An Exploratory Investigation Involving Grade 8 Chinese Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jin, Haiyue; Wong, Khoon Yoong

    2015-01-01

    Conceptual understanding is a major aim of mathematics education, and concept map has been used in non-mathematics research to uncover the relations among concepts held by students. This article presents the results of using concept map to assess conceptual understanding of basic algebraic concepts held by a group of 48 grade 8 Chinese students.…

  5. Choice of Variables and Gender Differentiated Prediction within Selected Academic Programs. Research Report #105.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gamache, LeAnn M.; Novick, Melvin R.

    The existence of differential prediction of two-year grade point average is reported for gender groups within programs of study at the University of Iowa. Academic records of all freshmen entering the University in 1978 in the fields of Business, Liberal Arts, Pre-Medicine, and those undecided as to major were analyzed with respect to American…

  6. The Economic Impact of Higher Education on the Kansas City Metropolitan Area 1988-1989. A Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kansas City Regional Council for Higher Education, MO.

    A study was formally requested by the Kansas City Regional Council for Higher Education Institutional Research Directors' Group in the spring of 1990, to examine the economic impact of higher education on the Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas, metropolitan area. An economic impact model was used which includes the four major components of direct…

  7. Improvements to a PCR-based serogrouping scheme for Salmonella enterica from dairy farm samples

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The PCR method described by Herrera-León, et al. (Research in Microbiology 158:122-127, 2007) has proved to be a simple and useful technique for characterizing isolates of Salmonella enterica enterica belonging to serogroups B, C1, C2, D1, and E1, groups which encompass a majority of the isolates fr...

  8. A CADD-alog of strategies in pharma.

    PubMed

    Warr, Wendy A

    2017-03-01

    A special issue on computer-aided drug design (CADD) strategies in pharma discusses how CADD groups in different environments work. Perspectives were collected from authors in 11 organizations: four big pharmaceutical companies, one major biotechnology company, one smaller biotech, one private pharmaceutical company, two contract research organizations (CROs), one university, and one that spans the breadth of big pharmaceutical companies and one smaller biotech.

  9. "Learning English Is Like Going to Hell": Using Learner Stories to Make Critical Pedagogical Decisions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lo, Yi-Hsuan Gloria

    2011-01-01

    Research has shown that English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in Taiwan fall into two peaks of the curve. This is to say, learners can be classified into two major groups: those who perform quite well on standardized tests, such as college entrance examinations, and those who perform poorly. From a socioeconomic perspective, the correlation…

  10. Coping Strategies of Patients with Haemophilia as a Risk Group for AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Brief Research Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Naji, Simon; And Others

    1986-01-01

    Plans are described for a 2-year project whose major focus is the identification of ways in which patients with hemophilia and their families assimilate, interpret, and act on information about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Findings will be related to perceived risk, anxiety levels, and the development of coping strategies.…

  11. Fulfilling Multiple Missions Concurrently: An Ethnographic Study of a Campus Children's Center's Trials and Triumphs in Serving Six Populations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Calica, Corinna Dy-Liacco

    2017-01-01

    The study is a comprehensive ethnographic investigation into how a campus children's center and laboratory school site can simultaneously serve six major population groups (i.e., parents, college students, teachers, faculty, administrators, and researchers) while maintaining program operations. The study carefully examines the converging and…

  12. The Storytelling Project Model: A Theoretical Framework for Critical Examination of Racism through the Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bell, Lee Anne; Roberts, Rosemarie A.

    2010-01-01

    Background/Context: Research in Europe and the United States shows that racial position shapes and gives voice to the stories people tell about race and racism, and filters how such stories are perceived and understood by listeners. Although not uniformly the case, people from the majority White racial group tend to emphasize forward progress and…

  13. Use of artificial nests to investigate predation on freshwater turtle nests

    Treesearch

    Michael N. Marchand; John A. Litvaitis; Thomas J. Maier; Richard M. DeGraaf

    2002-01-01

    Habitat fragmentation has raised concerns that populations of generalist predators have increased and are affecting a diverse group of prey. Previous research has included the use of artificial nests to investigate the role of predation on birds that nest on or near the ground. Because predation also is a major factor limiting populations of freshwater turtles, we...

  14. Exploring Value Orientations toward the Human-Nature Relationship: A Comparison of Urban Youth in Minnesota, USA and Guangdong, China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Jie; Ernst, Julie

    2015-01-01

    Research exploring urban youths' value orientations toward the human-nature relationship was conducted with 59 students from a school in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA) and 51 students from a school in Guangzhou, Guangdong (China). Quantitative findings suggest that the majority of participants in both groups shared a similar value orientation,…

  15. Learning from Children: Mathematics from a Classroom Perspective. ACER Research Monograph No. 52.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doig, Brian; Lokan, Jan

    This volume has been assembled to show what can be learned about learning from large groups of children's responses to well-constructed assessment questions. The wide range of information gathered through the Basic Skills Testing Program (BSTP) has been divided into chapters that focus either on key aspects of mathematics or the major concerns of…

  16. The Construction of Elder Abuse as a Social Problem: A Canadian Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leroux, Thomas G.; Petrunik, Michael

    This paper focuses on the referral structure (and the primary definers within this structure) in terms of which elder abuse is being defined as a social problem in Canada and interest groups are being mobilized to deal with the alleged problem. Preliminary research indicates that the major impetus is, in the main, not coming from organizations of…

  17. A Qualitative Inquiry into the Self-Regulated Learning of First-Semester College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toms, Marcia L.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to discover and describe the self-regulated learning (SRL) of a group of first-semester college students. Using Zimmerman's model of self-regulated learning, this study considered two major research questions: (a) how and why do first-semester college students decide to self-regulate? and (b) how do first-semester…

  18. 108 Range Commanders Council Meteorology Group Meeting (RCC-MG) NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Range Report - April 2017

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Roberts, Barry C.

    2017-01-01

    The following is a summary of the major meteorological/atmospheric projects and research that have been or currently are being accomplished at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Listed below are highlights of work done during the past 6 months in the Engineering Directorate (ED) and in the Science and Technology Office (ST).

  19. A CADD-alog of strategies in pharma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Warr, Wendy A.

    2017-03-01

    A special issue on computer-aided drug design (CADD) strategies in pharma discusses how CADD groups in different environments work. Perspectives were collected from authors in 11 organizations: four big pharmaceutical companies, one major biotechnology company, one smaller biotech, one private pharmaceutical company, two contract research organizations (CROs), one university, and one that spans the breadth of big pharmaceutical companies and one smaller biotech.

  20. Impact of Redesigning a Large-Lecture Introductory Earth Science Course to Increase Student Achievement and Streamline Faculty Workload

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kapp, Jessica L.; Slater, Timothy F.; Slater, Stephanie J.; Lyons, Daniel J.; Manhart, Kelly; Wehunt, Mary D.; Richardson, Randall M.

    2011-01-01

    A Geological Perspective is a general education survey course for non-science majors at a large southwestern research extensive university. The class has traditionally served 600 students per semester in four 150-student lectures taught by faculty, and accompanied by optional weekly study groups run by graduate teaching assistants. We radically…

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