Some New Theoretical Issues in Systems Thinking Relevant for Modelling Corporate Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minati, Gianfranco

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe fundamental concepts and theoretical challenges with regard to systems, and to build on these in proposing new theoretical frameworks relevant to learning, for example in so-called learning organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper focuses on some crucial fundamental aspects introduced…

A Theoretical Framework for the Studio as a Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandt, Carol B.; Cennamo, Katherine; Douglas, Sarah; Vernon, Mitzi; McGrath, Margarita; Reimer, Yolanda

2013-01-01

In this article we describe a holistic, ecological framework that takes into account the surface structures and pedagogical approaches in the studio and how these elements are connected to the construction of design knowledge: epistemology. In our development of this framework, we came to understand how disciplinary underpinnings and academic…

Assessing Students' Understandings of Biological Models and Their Use in Science to Evaluate a Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grünkorn, Juliane; Upmeier zu Belzen, Annette; Krüger, Dirk

2014-01-01

Research in the field of students' understandings of models and their use in science describes different frameworks concerning these understandings. Currently, there is no conjoint framework that combines these structures and so far, no investigation has focused on whether it reflects students' understandings sufficiently (empirical evaluation).…

Goal setting and action planning in the rehabilitation setting: development of a theoretically informed practice framework.

PubMed

Scobbie, Lesley; Dixon, Diane; Wyke, Sally

2011-05-01

Setting and achieving goals is fundamental to rehabilitation practice but has been criticized for being a-theoretical and the key components of replicable goal-setting interventions are not well established. To describe the development of a theory-based goal setting practice framework for use in rehabilitation settings and to detail its component parts. Causal modelling was used to map theories of behaviour change onto the process of setting and achieving rehabilitation goals, and to suggest the mechanisms through which patient outcomes are likely to be affected. A multidisciplinary task group developed the causal model into a practice framework for use in rehabilitation settings through iterative discussion and implementation with six patients. Four components of a goal-setting and action-planning practice framework were identified: (i) goal negotiation, (ii) goal identification, (iii) planning, and (iv) appraisal and feedback. The variables hypothesized to effect change in patient outcomes were self-efficacy and action plan attainment. A theory-based goal setting practice framework for use in rehabilitation settings is described. The framework requires further development and systematic evaluation in a range of rehabilitation settings.

Exploring Occupational and Behavioral Risk Factors for Obesity in Firefighters: A Theoretical Framework and Study Design

PubMed Central

Schnall, Peter; Dobson, Marnie; Israel, Leslie; Landsbergis, Paul; Galassetti, Pietro; Pontello, Andria; Kojaku, Stacey; Baker, Dean

2011-01-01

Firefighters and police officers have the third highest prevalence of obesity among 41 male occupational groups in the United States (US). However, few studies have examined the relationship of firefighter working conditions and health behaviors with obesity. This paper presents a theoretical framework describing the relationship between working conditions, health behaviors, and obesity in firefighters. In addition, the paper describes a detailed study plan for exploring the role of occupational and behavioral risk factors in the development of obesity in firefighters enrolled in the Orange County Fire Authority Wellness Fitness Program. The study plan will be described with emphasis on its methodological merits: adopting a participatory action research approach, developing a firefighter-specific work and health questionnaire, conducting both a cross-sectional epidemiological study using the questionnaire and a sub-study to assess the validity of the questionnaire with dietary intake and physical activity measures, and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the body mass index as an obesity measure in comparison to skinfold-based percent body fat. The study plan based on a theoretical framework can be an essential first step for establishing effective intervention programs for obesity among professional and voluntary firefighters. PMID:22953214

Exploring occupational and behavioral risk factors for obesity in firefighters: a theoretical framework and study design.

PubMed

Choi, Bongkyoo; Schnall, Peter; Dobson, Marnie; Israel, Leslie; Landsbergis, Paul; Galassetti, Pietro; Pontello, Andria; Kojaku, Stacey; Baker, Dean

2011-12-01

Firefighters and police officers have the third highest prevalence of obesity among 41 male occupational groups in the United States (US). However, few studies have examined the relationship of firefighter working conditions and health behaviors with obesity. This paper presents a theoretical framework describing the relationship between working conditions, health behaviors, and obesity in firefighters. In addition, the paper describes a detailed study plan for exploring the role of occupational and behavioral risk factors in the development of obesity in firefighters enrolled in the Orange County Fire Authority Wellness Fitness Program. The study plan will be described with emphasis on its methodological merits: adopting a participatory action research approach, developing a firefighter-specific work and health questionnaire, conducting both a cross-sectional epidemiological study using the questionnaire and a sub-study to assess the validity of the questionnaire with dietary intake and physical activity measures, and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the body mass index as an obesity measure in comparison to skinfold-based percent body fat. The study plan based on a theoretical framework can be an essential first step for establishing effective intervention programs for obesity among professional and voluntary firefighters.

Nursing management of sensory overload in psychiatry – Theoretical densification and modification of the framework model

PubMed

Scheydt, Stefan; Needham, Ian; Behrens, Johann

2017-01-01

Background: Within the scope of the research project on the subjects of sensory overload and stimulus regulation, a theoretical framework model of the nursing care of patients with sensory overload in psychiatry was developed. In a second step, this theoretical model should now be theoretically compressed and, if necessary, modified. Aim: Empirical verification as well as modification, enhancement and theoretical densification of the framework model of nursing care of patients with sensory overload in psychiatry. Method: Analysis of 8 expert interviews by summarizing and structuring content analysis methods based on Meuser and Nagel (2009) as well as Mayring (2010). Results: The developed framework model (Scheydt et al., 2016b) could be empirically verified, theoretically densificated and extended by one category (perception modulation). Thus, four categories of nursing care of patients with sensory overload can be described in inpatient psychiatry: removal from stimuli, modulation of environmental factors, perceptual modulation as well as help somebody to help him- or herself / coping support. Conclusions: Based on the methodological approach, a relatively well-saturated, credible conceptualization of a theoretical model for the description of the nursing care of patients with sensory overload in stationary psychiatry could be worked out. In further steps, these measures have to be further developed, implemented and evaluated regarding to their efficacy.

Theoretical Models and Operational Frameworks in Public Health Ethics

PubMed Central

Petrini, Carlo

2010-01-01

The article is divided into three sections: (i) an overview of the main ethical models in public health (theoretical foundations); (ii) a summary of several published frameworks for public health ethics (practical frameworks); and (iii) a few general remarks. Rather than maintaining the superiority of one position over the others, the main aim of the article is to summarize the basic approaches proposed thus far concerning the development of public health ethics by describing and comparing the various ideas in the literature. With this in mind, an extensive list of references is provided. PMID:20195441

Narrative Means to Preventative Ends: A Narrative Engagement Framework for Designing Prevention Interventions

PubMed Central

Miller-Day, Michelle; Hecht, Michael L.

2013-01-01

This paper describes a Narrative Engagement Framework (NEF) for guiding communication-based prevention efforts. This framework suggests that personal narratives have distinctive capabilities in prevention. The paper discusses the concept of narrative, links narrative to prevention, and discusses the central role of youth in developing narrative interventions. As illustration, the authors describe how the NEF is applied in the keepin’ it REAL adolescent drug prevention curriculum, pose theoretical directions, and offer suggestions for future work in prevention communication. PMID:23980613

A Model of Resource Allocation in Public School Districts: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chambers, Jay G.

This paper formulates a comprehensive model of resource allocation in a local public school district. The theoretical framework specified could be applied equally well to any number of local public social service agencies. Section 1 develops the theoretical model describing the process of resource allocation. This involves the determination of the…

Natural Information Processing Rules: Formal Theory and Applications to Ethnography. Monographs of the Language Behavior Research Laboratory, No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geoghegan, William H.

This monograph represents the results of an attempt to construct at least one portion of a theoretical framework for describing and analyzing the performance routines used by the native actor to realize his competence to make culturally appropriate decisions. In general the concern is to describe in theoretical terms the structure and operation of…

Quantum-mechanical predictions of electron-induced ionization cross sections of DNA components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Champion, Christophe

2013-05-01

Ionization of biomolecules remains still today rarely investigated on both the experimental and the theoretical sides. In this context, the present work appears as one of the first quantum mechanical approaches providing a multi-differential description of the electron-induced ionization process of the main DNA components for impact energies ranging from the target ionization threshold up to about 10 keV. The cross section calculations are here performed within the 1st Born approximation framework in which the ejected electron is described by a Coulomb wave whereas the incident and the scattered electrons are both described by a plane wave. The biological targets of interest, namely, the DNA nucleobases and the sugar-phosphate backbone, are here described by means of the GAUSSIAN 09 system using the restricted Hartree-Fock method with geometry optimization. The theoretical predictions also obtained have shown a reasonable agreement with the experimental total ionization cross sections while huge discrepancies have been pointed out with existing theoretical models, mainly developed within a semi-classical framework.

Model-theoretic framework for sensor data fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zavoleas, Kyriakos P.; Kokar, Mieczyslaw M.

1993-09-01

The main goal of our research in sensory data fusion (SDF) is the development of a systematic approach (a methodology) to designing systems for interpreting sensory information and for reasoning about the situation based upon this information and upon available data bases and knowledge bases. To achieve such a goal, two kinds of subgoals have been set: (1) develop a theoretical framework in which rational design/implementation decisions can be made, and (2) design a prototype SDF system along the lines of the framework. Our initial design of the framework has been described in our previous papers. In this paper we concentrate on the model-theoretic aspects of this framework. We postulate that data are embedded in data models, and information processing mechanisms are embedded in model operators. The paper is devoted to analyzing the classes of model operators and their significance in SDF. We investigate transformation abstraction and fusion operators. A prototype SDF system, fusing data from range and intensity sensors, is presented, exemplifying the structures introduced. Our framework is justified by the fact that it provides modularity, traceability of information flow, and a basis for a specification language for SDF.

"Machine" consciousness and "artificial" thought: an operational architectonics model guided approach.

PubMed

Fingelkurts, Andrew A; Fingelkurts, Alexander A; Neves, Carlos F H

2012-01-05

Instead of using low-level neurophysiology mimicking and exploratory programming methods commonly used in the machine consciousness field, the hierarchical operational architectonics (OA) framework of brain and mind functioning proposes an alternative conceptual-theoretical framework as a new direction in the area of model-driven machine (robot) consciousness engineering. The unified brain-mind theoretical OA model explicitly captures (though in an informal way) the basic essence of brain functional architecture, which indeed constitutes a theory of consciousness. The OA describes the neurophysiological basis of the phenomenal level of brain organization. In this context the problem of producing man-made "machine" consciousness and "artificial" thought is a matter of duplicating all levels of the operational architectonics hierarchy (with its inherent rules and mechanisms) found in the brain electromagnetic field. We hope that the conceptual-theoretical framework described in this paper will stimulate the interest of mathematicians and/or computer scientists to abstract and formalize principles of hierarchy of brain operations which are the building blocks for phenomenal consciousness and thought. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

IEP goals for school-age children with speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Farquharson, Kelly; Tambyraja, Sherine R; Justice, Laura M; Redle, Erin E

2014-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to describe the current state of practice for writing Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals for children with speech sound disorders (SSDs). IEP goals for 146 children receiving services for SSDs within public school systems across two states were coded for their dominant theoretical framework and overall quality. A dichotomous scheme was used for theoretical framework coding: cognitive-linguistic or sensory-motor. Goal quality was determined by examining 7 specific indicators outlined by an empirically tested rating tool. In total, 147 long-term and 490 short-term goals were coded. The results revealed no dominant theoretical framework for long-term goals, whereas short-term goals largely reflected a sensory-motor framework. In terms of quality, the majority of speech production goals were functional and generalizable in nature, but were not able to be easily targeted during common daily tasks or by other members of the IEP team. Short-term goals were consistently rated higher in quality domains when compared to long-term goals. The current state of practice for writing IEP goals for children with SSDs indicates that theoretical framework may be eclectic in nature and likely written to support the individual needs of children with speech sound disorders. Further investigation is warranted to determine the relations between goal quality and child outcomes. (1) Identify two predominant theoretical frameworks and discuss how they apply to IEP goal writing. (2) Discuss quality indicators as they relate to IEP goals for children with speech sound disorders. (3) Discuss the relationship between long-term goals level of quality and related theoretical frameworks. (4) Identify the areas in which business-as-usual IEP goals exhibit strong quality.

Promoting mental wellbeing: developing a theoretically and empirically sound complex intervention.

PubMed

Millar, S L; Donnelly, M

2014-06-01

This paper describes the development of a complex intervention to promote mental wellbeing using the revised framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions produced by the UK Medical Research Council (UKMRC). Application of the first two phases of the framework is described--development and feasibility and piloting. The theoretical case and evidence base were examined analytically to explicate the theoretical and empirical foundations of the intervention. These findings informed the design of a 12-week mental wellbeing promotion programme providing early intervention for people showing signs of mental health difficulties. The programme is based on the theoretical constructs of self-efficacy, self-esteem, purpose in life, resilience and social support and comprises 10 steps. A mixed methods approach was used to conduct a feasibility study with community and voluntary sector service users and in primary care. A significant increase in mental wellbeing was observed following participation in the intervention. Qualitative data corroborated this finding and suggested that the intervention was feasible to deliver and acceptable to participants, facilitators and health professionals. The revised UKMRC framework can be successfully applied to the development of public health interventions. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Systems View of School Climate: A Theoretical Framework for Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudasill, Kathleen Moritz; Snyder, Kate E.; Levinson, Heather; Adelson, Jill L.

2018-01-01

School climate has been widely examined through both empirical and theoretical means. However, there is little conceptual consensus underlying the landscape of this literature, offering inconsistent guidance for research examining this important construct. In order to best assist the efforts of developing causal models that describe how school…

Competence and Drug Use: Theoretical Frameworks, Empirical Evidence and Measurement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindenberg, Cathy Strachan; Solorzano, Rosa; Kelley, Maureen; Darrow, Vicki; Gendrop, Sylvia C.; Strickland, Ora

1998-01-01

Discusses the Social Stress Model of Substance Abuse. Summarizes theoretical and conceptual formulations for the construct of competence, reviews empirical evidence for the association of competence with drug use, and describes the preliminary development of a multiscale instrument designed to assess drug-protective competence among low-income…

Transmedia Teaching Framework: From Group Projects to Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, James; Gilardi, Filippo

2016-01-01

This paper describes an innovative project-based learning framework theoretically based on the ideas of Transmedia Storytelling, Participatory Cultures and Multiple intelligences that can be integrated into the f?lipped classroom method, and practically addressed using Content- Based Instruction (CBI) and Project-Based Learning (PBL) approaches.…

Negotiation Process Analysis: A Research and Training Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Timothy

This paper proposes the use of interaction process analysis to study negotiation behaviors. Following a review of current literature in the field, the paper presents a theoretical framework for the analysis of both labor/management and social negotiation processes. Central to the framework described are two systems of activities that together…

Assessing Quality of Critical Thought in Online Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weltzer-Ward, Lisa; Baltes, Beate; Lynn, Laura Knight

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a theoretically based coding framework for an integrated analysis and assessment of critical thinking in online discussion. Design/methodology/approach: The critical thinking assessment framework (TAF) is developed through review of theory and previous research, verified by comparing results to…

Control of Distributed Parameter Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-01

vari- ant of the general Lotka - Volterra model for interspecific competition. The variant described the emergence of one subpopulation from another as a...distribut ion unlimited. I&. ARSTRACT (MAUMUnw2O1 A unified arioroximation framework for Parameter estimation In general linear POE models has been completed...unified approximation framework for parameter estimation in general linear PDE models. This framework has provided the theoretical basis for a number of

Field-widened Michelson interferometer for spectral discrimination in high-spectral-resolution lidar: theoretical framework.

PubMed

Cheng, Zhongtao; Liu, Dong; Luo, Jing; Yang, Yongying; Zhou, Yudi; Zhang, Yupeng; Duan, Lulin; Su, Lin; Yang, Liming; Shen, Yibing; Wang, Kaiwei; Bai, Jian

2015-05-04

A field-widened Michelson interferometer (FWMI) is developed to act as the spectral discriminator in high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL). This realization is motivated by the wide-angle Michelson interferometer (WAMI) which has been used broadly in the atmospheric wind and temperature detection. This paper describes an independent theoretical framework about the application of the FWMI in HSRL for the first time. In the framework, the operation principles and application requirements of the FWMI are discussed in comparison with that of the WAMI. Theoretical foundations for designing this type of interferometer are introduced based on these comparisons. Moreover, a general performance estimation model for the FWMI is established, which can provide common guidelines for the performance budget and evaluation of the FWMI in the both design and operation stages. Examples incorporating many practical imperfections or conditions that may degrade the performance of the FWMI are given to illustrate the implementation of the modeling. This theoretical framework presents a complete and powerful tool for solving most of theoretical or engineering problems encountered in the FWMI application, including the designing, parameter calibration, prior performance budget, posterior performance estimation, and so on. It will be a valuable contribution to the lidar community to develop a new generation of HSRLs based on the FWMI spectroscopic filter.

Contextualising Vocational Knowledge: A Theoretical Framework and Illustrations from Culinary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heusdens, W. T.; Bakker, A.; Baartman, L. K. J.; De Bruijn, E.

2016-01-01

The nature of knowledge in vocational education is often described in dichotomies such as theory versus practice or general versus specific. Although different scholars now acknowledge that vocational knowledge is more than putting bits of theoretical and practical knowledge together, it is still unclear how vocational knowledge should be…

Couples coping with cancer: exploration of theoretical frameworks from dyadic studies.

PubMed

Regan, Tim W; Lambert, Sylvie D; Kelly, Brian; Falconier, Mariana; Kissane, David; Levesque, Janelle V

2015-12-01

A diagnosis of cancer and subsequent treatment are distressing not only for the person directly affected, but also for their intimate partner. The aim of this review is to (a) identify the main theoretical frameworks underpinning research addressing dyadic coping among couples affected by cancer, (b) summarise the evidence supporting the concepts described in these theoretical frameworks, and (c) examine the similarities and differences between these theoretical perspectives. A literature search was undertaken to identify descriptive studies published between 1990 and 2013 (English and French) that examined the interdependence of patients' and partners' coping, and the impact of coping on psychosocial outcomes. Data were extracted using a standardised form and reviewed by three of the authors. Twenty-three peer-reviewed manuscripts were identified, from which seven theoretical perspectives were derived: Relationship-Focused Coping, Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, Systemic-Transactional Model (STM) of dyadic coping, Collaborative Coping, Relationship Intimacy model, Communication models, and Coping Congruence. Although these theoretical perspectives emphasised different aspects of coping, a number of conceptual commonalities were noted. This review identified key theoretical frameworks of dyadic coping used in cancer. Evidence indicates that responses within the couple that inhibit open communication between partner and patient are likely to have an adverse impact on psychosocial outcomes. Models that incorporate the interdependence of emotional responses and coping behaviours within couples have an emerging evidence base in psycho-oncology and may have greatest validity and clinical utility in this setting. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Enactivism as a Powerful Theoretical Framework for Research and Tool to Reflect on My Own Role as a Supervisor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schäfer, Marc

2016-01-01

Enactivism, as an interesting and useful theoretical underpinning is gaining traction in Mathematics Education research. It forms the central theme of this paper whose aim is two-fold: first to describe and engage with how elements of enactivism informed a PhD study, both on a theoretical and analytical level, and second to reflect on the enacted…

General System Theory: Toward a Conceptual Framework for Science and Technology Education for All.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, David; Stroup, Walter

1993-01-01

Suggests using general system theory as a unifying theoretical framework for science and technology education for all. Five reasons are articulated: the multidisciplinary nature of systems theory, the ability to engage complexity, the capacity to describe system dynamics, the ability to represent the relationship between microlevel and…

Argumentation in Science Education: A Model-Based Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottcher, Florian; Meisert, Anke

2011-01-01

The goal of this article is threefold: First, the theoretical background for a model-based framework of argumentation to describe and evaluate argumentative processes in science education is presented. Based on the general model-based perspective in cognitive science and the philosophy of science, it is proposed to understand arguments as reasons…

Using the 4MAT Framework to Design a Problem-Based Learning Biostatistics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nowacki, Amy S.

2011-01-01

The study presents and applies the 4MAT theoretical framework to educational planning to transform a biostatistics course into a problem-based learning experience. Using a four-question approach, described are specific activities/materials utilized at both the class and course levels. Two web-based instruments collected data regarding student…

Can we Build on Social Movement Theories to Develop and Improve Community-Based Participatory Research? A Framework Synthesis Review.

PubMed

Tremblay, Marie-Claude; Martin, Debbie H; Macaulay, Ann C; Pluye, Pierre

2017-06-01

A long-standing challenge in community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been to anchor practice and evaluation in a relevant and comprehensive theoretical framework of community change. This study describes the development of a multidimensional conceptual framework that builds on social movement theories to identify key components of CBPR processes. Framework synthesis was used as a general literature search and analysis strategy. An initial conceptual framework was developed from the theoretical literature on social movement. A literature search performed to identify illustrative CBPR projects yielded 635 potentially relevant documents, from which eight projects (corresponding to 58 publications) were retained after record and full-text screening. Framework synthesis was used to code and organize data from these projects, ultimately providing a refined framework. The final conceptual framework maps key concepts of CBPR mobilization processes, such as the pivotal role of the partnership; resources and opportunities as necessary components feeding the partnership's development; the importance of framing processes; and a tight alignment between the cause (partnership's goal), the collective action strategy, and the system changes targeted. The revised framework provides a context-specific model to generate a new, innovative understanding of CBPR mobilization processes, drawing on existing theoretical foundations. © 2017 The Authors American Journal of Community Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Community Research and Action.

Theories of behaviour change synthesised into a set of theoretical groupings: introducing a thematic series on the theoretical domains framework.

PubMed

Francis, Jill J; O'Connor, Denise; Curran, Janet

2012-04-24

Behaviour change is key to increasing the uptake of evidence into healthcare practice. Designing behaviour-change interventions first requires problem analysis, ideally informed by theory. Yet the large number of partly overlapping theories of behaviour makes it difficult to select the most appropriate theory. The need for an overarching theoretical framework of behaviour change was addressed in research in which 128 explanatory constructs from 33 theories of behaviour were identified and grouped. The resulting Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) appears to be a helpful basis for investigating implementation problems. Research groups in several countries have conducted TDF-based studies. It seems timely to bring together the experience of these teams in a thematic series to demonstrate further applications and to report key developments. This overview article describes the TDF, provides a brief critique of the framework, and introduces this thematic series.In a brief review to assess the extent of TDF-based research, we identified 133 papers that cite the framework. Of these, 17 used the TDF as the basis for empirical studies to explore health professionals' behaviour. The identified papers provide evidence of the impact of the TDF on implementation research. Two major strengths of the framework are its theoretical coverage and its capacity to elicit beliefs that could signify key mediators of behaviour change. The TDF provides a useful conceptual basis for assessing implementation problems, designing interventions to enhance healthcare practice, and understanding behaviour-change processes. We discuss limitations and research challenges and introduce papers in this series.

Theories of behaviour change synthesised into a set of theoretical groupings: introducing a thematic series on the theoretical domains framework

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Behaviour change is key to increasing the uptake of evidence into healthcare practice. Designing behaviour-change interventions first requires problem analysis, ideally informed by theory. Yet the large number of partly overlapping theories of behaviour makes it difficult to select the most appropriate theory. The need for an overarching theoretical framework of behaviour change was addressed in research in which 128 explanatory constructs from 33 theories of behaviour were identified and grouped. The resulting Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) appears to be a helpful basis for investigating implementation problems. Research groups in several countries have conducted TDF-based studies. It seems timely to bring together the experience of these teams in a thematic series to demonstrate further applications and to report key developments. This overview article describes the TDF, provides a brief critique of the framework, and introduces this thematic series. In a brief review to assess the extent of TDF-based research, we identified 133 papers that cite the framework. Of these, 17 used the TDF as the basis for empirical studies to explore health professionals’ behaviour. The identified papers provide evidence of the impact of the TDF on implementation research. Two major strengths of the framework are its theoretical coverage and its capacity to elicit beliefs that could signify key mediators of behaviour change. The TDF provides a useful conceptual basis for assessing implementation problems, designing interventions to enhance healthcare practice, and understanding behaviour-change processes. We discuss limitations and research challenges and introduce papers in this series. PMID:22531601

The concept of relative non-locality: theoretical implications in consciousness research.

PubMed

Neppe, Vernon M; Close, Edward R

2015-01-01

We argue that "non-local" events require further descriptors for us to understand the degree of non-locality, what the framework of the observer describing it is, and where we humans are located relative to the ostensible non-locality. This suggests three critical factors: Relative to, from the framework of, and a hierarchy of "to what degree?" "Non-locality" without the prefix "relative" compromises its description by making it an absolute: We must scientifically ensure that, qualitatively, we can describe events that correspond with each other-like with like-and differentiate these events from those that are hierarchically dissimilar. Recognition of these levels of "relative non-locality" is important: Non-locality from "the general framework of" the infinite, or mystic or near-death experient, markedly differs theoretically from "relative to our sentient reality in three dimensions of space in the present moment (3S-1t)". Specific events may be described "relative to" our living 3S-1t reality, but conceptualized differently from the framework of observers in altered states of consciousness experiencing higher dimensions. Hierarchical questions to ask would include IMMEDIACY PRINCIPLE: We also propose that events happening immediately, not even requiring light speed, are fundamental properties of non-local time involving more dimensions than just 3S-1t. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development and implementation of an empirical frequency map for use in MD simulations of isotope-edited proteins, and, Development, implementation, and evaluation of an online student portal as a textbook replacement in an advanced general chemistry course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shorb, Justin Matthew

The first portion of this thesis describes an extension of work done in the Skinner group to develop an empirical frequency map for N-methylacetamide (NMA) in water. NMA is a peptide bond capped on either side by a methyl group and is therefore a common prototypical molecule used when studying complicated polypeptides and proteins. This amide bond is present along the backbone of every protein as it connects individual component amino acids. This amide bond also has a strong observable frequency in the IR due to the Amide-I mode (predominantly carbon-oxygen stretching motion). This project describes the simplification of the prior model for mapping the frequency of the Amide-I mode from the electric field due to the environment and develops a parallel implementation of this algorithm for use in larger biological systems, such as the trans-membrane portion of the tetrameric polypeptide bundle protein CD3zeta. The second portion of this thesis describes the development, implementation and evaluation of an online textbook within the context of a cohesive theoretical framework. The project begins by describing what is meant when discussing a digital textbook, including a survey of various types of digital media being used to deliver textbook-like content. This leads into the development of a theoretical framework based on constructivist pedagogical theory, hypertext learning theory, and chemistry visualization and representation frameworks. The implementation and design of ChemPaths, the general chemistry online text developed within the Chemistry Education Digital Library (ChemEd DL) is then described. The effectiveness of ChemPaths being used as a textbook replacement in an advanced general chemistry course is evaluated within the developed theoretical framework both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Applying a Developmental Framework to the Self-Regulatory Difficulties of Young Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: A Review.

PubMed

Reid, Natasha; Petrenko, Christie L M

2018-06-01

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can be associated with significant difficulties in self-regulatory abilities. As such, interventions have been developed that focus on improving varying aspects of self-regulation for this population. The application of a multilevel theoretical framework that describes the development of self-regulation during early childhood could further advance the field. First, this framework could assist in elucidating mechanisms in the trajectories of early adjustment problems in this population and, second, informing the development of more precise assessment and interventions for those affected by PAE. The aims of the current review were to provide an overview of the self-regulatory framework proposed by Calkins and colleagues (e.g., Calkins, 2007; Calkins and Fox, 2002); examine the self-regulatory difficulties that are commonly experienced during infancy (i.e., 0 to 2 years) and early childhood (i.e., 3 to 8 years) in children with PAE in the context of the developmental framework; and describe how the framework can inform the development of future assessment and intervention provision for young children with PAE. The application of a developmental framework, such as proposed by Calkins and colleagues, allows for a systematic and theoretically driven approach to assessment and intervention programs for young children with PAE. Copyright © 2018 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Sound propagation from a simple source in a wind tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, J. E., III

1975-01-01

The nature of the acoustic field of a simple source in a wind tunnel under flow conditions was examined theoretically and experimentally. The motivation of the study was to establish aspects of the theoretical framework for interpreting acoustic data taken (in wind) tunnels using in wind microphones. Three distinct investigations were performed and are described in detail.

Cross-Cultural Counseling and Cross-Cultural Meanings: An Exploration of Morita Psychotherapy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldous, Jane L.

1994-01-01

Describes theoretical framework and techniques of Morita psychotherapy. Western research indicates that Asian American clients prefer active-directive, logical, rational, and structured approaches. Suggests that ethnocentric counseling approaches may be imposed upon clients of Asian origin because meanings attached to terms describing counseling…

Critical Argument and Writer Identity: Social Constructivism as a Theoretical Framework for EFL Academic Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinley, Jim

2015-01-01

This article makes the argument that we need to situate student's academic writing as socially constructed pieces of writing that embody a writer's cultural identity and critical argument. In support, I present and describe a comprehensive model of an original English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing analytical framework. This article explains…

Teaching for clinical reasoning - helping students make the conceptual links.

PubMed

McMillan, Wendy Jayne

2010-01-01

Dental educators complain that students struggle to apply what they have learnt theoretically in the clinical context. This paper is premised on the assumption that there is a relationship between conceptual thinking and clinical reasoning. The paper provides a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between conceptual learning and clinical reasoning. A review of current literature is used to explain the way in which conceptual understanding influences clinical reasoning and the transfer of theoretical understandings to the clinical context. The paper argues that the connections made between concepts are what is significant about conceptual understanding. From this point of departure the paper describes teaching strategies that facilitate the kinds of learning opportunities that students need in order to develop conceptual understanding and to be able to transfer knowledge from theoretical to clinical contexts. Along with a variety of teaching strategies, the value of concept maps is discussed. The paper provides a framework for understanding the difficulties that students have in developing conceptual networks appropriate for later clinical reasoning. In explaining how students learn for clinical application, the paper provides a theoretical framework that can inform how dental educators facilitate the conceptual learning, and later clinical reasoning, of their students.

A theoretical framework to guide a study of patients' bowel symptoms and self-care strategies following sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer.

PubMed

Landers, Margaret; McCarthy, Geraldine; Savage, Eileen

2013-08-01

A paucity of research is available on patients' bowel symptom experiences and self-care strategies following sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer. Most research undertaken to date on patients' bowel symptoms following surgery for rectal cancer has been largely atheoretical. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of choosing a theoretical framework to guide a study of patients' bowel symptoms and self-care strategies following sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer. As a result of a thorough literature review, we determined that the Symptom Management Theory provided the most comprehensive framework to guide our research. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BEING DELIVERED: SPIRITUALITY IN SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE

PubMed Central

Knapik, Gregory P.; Martsolf, Donna S.; Draucker, Claire B.

2011-01-01

A theoretical framework explaining how survivors of sexual violence use spirituality to respond to or recover from sexual violence is presented. Data were drawn from open-ended interviews of 27 women and 23 men who participated in a larger, ongoing study of women’s and men’s responses to sexual violence. Grounded theory methodology was used to develop the core category of Being Delivered, reflecting the participants’ experiences of being rescued, saved, or set free from the effects of sexual violence by a spiritual being or power. The theoretical framework describing Being Delivered is composed of three dimensions: Spiritual Connection, Spiritual Journey, and Spiritual Transformation. The framework can be used by clinicians to guide discussions of spirituality and healing with survivors of sexual violence. PMID:18382913

Dealing with the multidimensionality of sustainability through the use of multiple perspectives - a theoretical framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lönngren, Johanna; Svanström, Magdalena; Ingerman, Åke; Holmberg, John

2016-05-01

The concept of perspectives is important in discussions about the multidimensionality of sustainability problems and the need to consider many different aspects when dealing with them. This paper aims to facilitate discussions among both educators and researchers about didactical approaches to developing students' abilities to deal with the multidimensionality of sustainability challenges through the use of multiple perspectives. For this purpose, a theoretical framework was developed that describes perspectives in terms of a set of general characteristics, as well as a number of ways in which students can develop and reflect on perspectives. Development of the framework was supported by a qualitative content analysis of transcripts from interviews with undergraduate engineering students in Sweden.

Talking Cure Models: A Framework of Analysis

PubMed Central

Marx, Christopher; Benecke, Cord; Gumz, Antje

2017-01-01

Psychotherapy is commonly described as a “talking cure,” a treatment method that operates through linguistic action and interaction. The operative specifics of therapeutic language use, however, are insufficiently understood, mainly due to a multitude of disparate approaches that advance different notions of what “talking” means and what “cure” implies in the respective context. Accordingly, a clarification of the basic theoretical structure of “talking cure models,” i.e., models that describe therapeutic processes with a focus on language use, is a desideratum of language-oriented psychotherapy research. Against this background the present paper suggests a theoretical framework of analysis which distinguishes four basic components of “talking cure models”: (1) a foundational theory (which suggests how linguistic activity can affect and transform human experience), (2) an experiential problem state (which defines the problem or pathology of the patient), (3) a curative linguistic activity (which defines linguistic activities that are supposed to effectuate a curative transformation of the experiential problem state), and (4) a change mechanism (which defines the processes and effects involved in such transformations). The purpose of the framework is to establish a terminological foundation that allows for systematically reconstructing basic properties and operative mechanisms of “talking cure models.” To demonstrate the applicability and utility of the framework, five distinct “talking cure models” which spell out the details of curative “talking” processes in terms of (1) catharsis, (2) symbolization, (3) narrative, (4) metaphor, and (5) neurocognitive inhibition are introduced and discussed in terms of the framework components. In summary, we hope that our framework will prove useful for the objective of clarifying the theoretical underpinnings of language-oriented psychotherapy research and help to establish a more comprehensive understanding of how curative language use contributes to the process of therapeutic change. PMID:28955286

The Fundamentals of Care Framework as a Point-of-Care Nursing Theory.

PubMed

Kitson, Alison L

Nursing theories have attempted to shape the everyday practice of clinical nurses and patient care. However, many theories-because of their level of abstraction and distance from everyday caring activity-have failed to help nurses undertake the routine practical aspects of nursing care in a theoretically informed way. The purpose of the paper is to present a point-of-care theoretical framework, called the fundamentals of care (FOC) framework, which explains, guides, and potentially predicts the quality of care nurses provide to patients, their carers, and family members. The theoretical framework is presented: person-centered fundamental care (PCFC)-the outcome for the patient and the nurse and the goal of the FOC framework are achieved through the active management of the practice process, which involves the nurse and the patient working together to integrate three core dimensions: establishing the nurse-patient relationship, integrating the FOC into the patient's care plan, and ensuring that the setting or context where care is transacted and coordinated is conducive to achieving PCFC outcomes. Each dimension has multiple elements and subelements, which require unique assessment for each nurse-patient encounter. The FOC framework is presented along with two scenarios to demonstrate its usefulness. The dimensions, elements, and subelements are described, and next steps in the development are articulated.

A Conceptual Model of Spirituality in Music Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Merwe, Liesl; Habron, John

2015-01-01

This article aims to describe the phenomenon of spirituality in music education by means of a model derived from the academic literature on the topic. Given the centrality of lived experience within this literature, we adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological theoretical framework to describe the phenomenon. The NCT (noticing, collecting, and…

The role of language in learning physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brookes, David T.

Many studies in PER suggest that language poses a serious difficulty for students learning physics. These difficulties are mostly attributed to misunderstanding of specialized terminology. This terminology often assigns new meanings to everyday terms used to describe physical models and phenomena. In this dissertation I present a novel approach to analyzing of the role of language in learning physics. This approach is based on the analysis of the historical development of physics ideas, the language of modern physicists, and students' difficulties in the areas of quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, and thermodynamics. These data are analyzed using linguistic tools borrowed from cognitive linguistics and systemic functional grammar. Specifically, I combine the idea of conceptual metaphor and grammar to build a theoretical framework that accounts for: (1) the role and function that language serves for physicists when they speak and reason about physical ideas and phenomena, (2) specific features of students' reasoning and difficulties that may be related to or derived from language that students read or hear. The theoretical framework is developed using the methodology of a grounded theoretical approach. The theoretical framework allows us to make predictions about the relationship between student discourse and their conceptual and problem solving difficulties. Tests of the theoretical framework are presented in the context of "heat" in thermodynamics and "force" in dynamics. In each case the language that students use to reason about the concepts of "heat" and "force" is analyzed using the theoretical framework. The results of this analysis show that language is very important in students' learning. In particular, students are (1) using features of physicists' conceptual metaphors to reason about physical phenomena, often overextending and misapplying these features, (2) drawing cues from the grammar of physicists' speech and writing to categorize physics concepts; this categorization of physics concepts plays a key role in students' ability to solve physics problems. In summary, I present a theoretical framework that provides a possible explanation of the role that language plays in learning physics. The framework also attempts to account for how and why physicists' language influences students in the way that it does.

Diversity and Women's Career Development: From Adolescence to Adulthood. Women's Mental Health and Development, Volume 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Helen S.

This book presents a variety of perspectives on career development for women that grew from an extensive study of high school students in 1980 with follow-ups in 1990 and 1993. "Theoretical Overview: The Longitudinal Study" (Helen S. Farmer) outlines the social learning theoretical framework underlying the study and describes study procedures,…

Coherent evolution of parahydrogen induced polarisation using laser pump, NMR probe spectroscopy: Theoretical framework and experimental observation.

PubMed

Halse, Meghan E; Procacci, Barbara; Henshaw, Sarah-Louise; Perutz, Robin N; Duckett, Simon B

2017-05-01

We recently reported a pump-probe method that uses a single laser pulse to introduce parahydrogen (p-H 2 ) into a metal dihydride complex and then follows the time-evolution of the p-H 2 -derived nuclear spin states by NMR. We present here a theoretical framework to describe the oscillatory behaviour of the resultant hyperpolarised NMR signals using a product operator formalism. We consider the cases where the p-H 2 -derived protons form part of an AX, AXY, AXYZ or AA'XX' spin system in the product molecule. We use this framework to predict the patterns for 2D pump-probe NMR spectra, where the indirect dimension represents the evolution during the pump-probe delay and the positions of the cross-peaks depend on the difference in chemical shift of the p-H 2 -derived protons and the difference in their couplings to other nuclei. The evolution of the NMR signals of the p-H 2 -derived protons, as well as the transfer of hyperpolarisation to other NMR-active nuclei in the product, is described. The theoretical framework is tested experimentally for a set of ruthenium dihydride complexes representing the different spin systems. Theoretical predictions and experimental results agree to within experimental error for all features of the hyperpolarised 1 H and 31 P pump-probe NMR spectra. Thus we establish the laser pump, NMR probe approach as a robust way to directly observe and quantitatively analyse the coherent evolution of p-H 2 -derived spin order over micro-to-millisecond timescales. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Model Wind Turbine Design in a Project-Based Middle School Engineering Curriculum Built on State Frameworks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cogger, Steven D.; Miley, Daniel H.

2012-01-01

This paper proposes that project-based active learning is a key part of engineering education at the middle school level. One project from a comprehensive middle school engineering curriculum developed by the authors is described to show how active learning and state frameworks can coexist. The theoretical basis for learning and assessment in a…

Interpreting the NLN Jeffries Framework in the context of Nurse Educator preparation.

PubMed

Young, Patricia K; Shellenbarger, Teresa

2012-08-01

The NLN Jeffries Framework describing simulation in nursing education has been used widely to guide construction of human patient simulation scenarios and serve as a theoretical framework for research on the use of simulation. This framework was developed with a focus on prelicensure nursing education. However, use of human patient simulation scenarios is also a way of providing practice experiences for graduate students learning the educator role. High-fidelity human patient simulation offers nurse educator faculty a unique opportunity to cultivate the practical knowledge of teaching in an interactive and dynamic environment. This article describes how the components of The NLN Jeffries Framework can help to guide simulation design for nurse educator preparation. Adapting the components of the framework-which include teacher, student, educational practices, design characteristics, and outcomes-helps to ensure that future faculty gain hands-on experience with nurse educator core competencies. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

What is This Thing Called Sensemaking?: A Theoretical Framework for How Physics Students Resolve Inconsistencies in Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odden, Tor Ole B.

Students often emerge from introductory physics courses with a feeling that the concepts they have learned do not make sense. In recent years, science education researchers have begun to attend to this type of problem by studying the ways in which students make sense of science concepts. However, although many researchers agree intuitively on what sensemaking looks like, the literature on sensemaking is both theoretically fragmented and provides few guidelines for how to encourage and support the process. In this dissertation, I address this challenge by proposing a theoretical framework to describe students' sensemaking processes. I base this framework both on the science education research literature on sensemaking and on a series of video-recorded cognitive, clinical interviews conducted with introductory physics students enrolled in a course on electricity and magnetism. Using the science education research literature on sensemaking as well as a cognitivist, dynamic network model of mind as a theoretical lens, I first propose a coherent definition of sensemaking. Then, using this definition I analyze the sensemaking processes of these introductory physics students during episodes when they work to articulate and resolve gaps or inconsistencies in their understanding. Based on the students' framing, gestures, and dialogue I argue that the process of sensemaking unfolds in a distinct way, which we can describe as an epistemic game in which students first build a framework of knowledge, then identify a gap or inconsistency in that framework, iteratively build an explanation to resolve the gap or inconsistency, and (sometimes) successfully resolve it. I further argue that their entry into the sensemaking frame is facilitated by a specific question, which is in turn motivated by a gap or inconsistency in knowledge that I call the vexation point. I also investigate the results of sensemaking, arguing that students may use the technique of conceptual blending to both "defragment" their knowledge and resolve their vexation points.

Spiritual Diversity and Living with Early-Stage Dementia.

PubMed

McGee, Jocelyn Shealy; Zhao, Holly Carlson; Myers, Dennis R; Seela Eaton, Hannah

2018-01-01

Attention to spiritual diversity is necessary for the provision of culturally informed clinical care for people with early-stage dementia and their family members. In this article, an evidence-based theoretical framework for conceptualizing spiritual diversity is described in detail (Pargament, 2011). The framework is then applied to two clinical case studies of people living with early-stage dementia to elucidate the multilayered components of spiritual diversity in this population. The case studies were selected from a larger mixed-methods study on spirituality, positive psychological factors, health, and well-being in people living with early-stage dementia and their family members. To our knowledge this is the first systematic attempt to apply a theoretical framework for understanding spiritual diversity in this population. Implications for clinical practice are provided.

Phase Equilibrium, Chemical Equilibrium, and a Test of the Third Law: Experiments for Physical Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dannhauser, Walter

1980-01-01

Described is an experiment designed to provide an experimental basis for a unifying point of view (utilizing theoretical framework and chemistry laboratory experiments) for physical chemistry students. Three experiments are described: phase equilibrium, chemical equilibrium, and a test of the third law of thermodynamics. (Author/DS)

Integrating Multimedia Technology in a High School EFL Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayora, Carlos A.

2006-01-01

The author describes a Technologically Enhanced Language Learning program in Venezuela and how it helped improve high school EFL instruction. The author presents six challenges of teaching EFL and describes the context for the program. The author then provides a rationale for using multimedia in language teaching, based on theoretical frameworks.…

Challenge 98: Sustaining the Work of a Regional Technology Integration Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billig, Shelley H.; Sherry, Lorraine; Havelock, Bruce

2005-01-01

In this article, we offer a research-based theoretical framework for sustainability, describing the proven qualities of a project and the innovations that support its sustained existence over time. We then describe how a US Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge grantee, working to promote technology integration in a…

Rehabilitation goal setting with community dwelling adults with acquired brain injury: a theoretical framework derived from clinicians' reflections on practice.

PubMed

Prescott, Sarah; Fleming, Jennifer; Doig, Emmah

2017-06-11

The aim of this study was to explore clinicians' experiences of implementing goal setting with community dwelling clients with acquired brain injury, to develop a goal setting practice framework. Grounded theory methodology was employed. Clinicians, representing six disciplines across seven services, were recruited and interviewed until theoretical saturation was achieved. A total of 22 clinicians were interviewed. A theoretical framework was developed to explain how clinicians support clients to actively engage in goal setting in routine practice. The framework incorporates three phases: a needs identification phase, a goal operationalisation phase, and an intervention phase. Contextual factors, including personal and environmental influences, also affect how clinicians and clients engage in this process. Clinicians use additional strategies to support clients with impaired self-awareness. These include structured communication and metacognitive strategies to operationalise goals. For clients with emotional distress, clinicians provide additional time and intervention directed at new identity development. The goal setting practice framework may guide clinician's understanding of how to engage in client-centred goal setting in brain injury rehabilitation. There is a predilection towards a client-centred goal setting approach in the community setting, however, contextual factors can inhibit implementation of this approach. Implications for Rehabilitation The theoretical framework describes processes used to develop achievable client-centred goals with people with brain injury. Building rapport is a core strategy to engage clients with brain injury in goal setting. Clients with self-awareness impairment benefit from additional metacognitive strategies to participate in goal setting. Clients with emotional distress may need additional time for new identity development.

Abstraction and Consolidation of the Limit Procept by Means of Instrumented Schemes: The Complementary Role of Three Different Frameworks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kidron, Ivy

2008-01-01

I investigate the contributions of three theoretical frameworks to a research process and the complementary role played by each. First, I describe the essence of each theory and then follow the analysis of their specific influence on the research process. The research process is on the conceptualization of the notion of limit by means of the…

What Can We Do to Bring the Sparkle Back into This Child's Eyes? Child Rights/Community Development Principles: Key Elements for a Strengths-Based Child Protection Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Susan; McKenzie, Margaret; Schjelderup, Liv; Omre, Cecilie; Walker, Shayne

2014-01-01

Working from practice experiences, Social Work educators from Aotearoa/New Zealand, Norway and Western Australia have developed a framework for child welfare work . The framework brings together the Rights of the Child, Community Development and Child Protection. This article describes the principles and theoretical underpinnings of this…

Application of theory to enhance audit and feedback interventions to increase the uptake of evidence-based transfusion practice: an intervention development protocol.

PubMed

Gould, Natalie J; Lorencatto, Fabiana; Stanworth, Simon J; Michie, Susan; Prior, Maria E; Glidewell, Liz; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Francis, Jill J

2014-07-29

Audits of blood transfusion demonstrate around 20% transfusions are outside national recommendations and guidelines. Audit and feedback is a widely used quality improvement intervention but effects on clinical practice are variable, suggesting potential for enhancement. Behavioural theory, theoretical frameworks of behaviour change and behaviour change techniques provide systematic processes to enhance intervention. This study is part of a larger programme of work to promote the uptake of evidence-based transfusion practice. The objectives of this study are to design two theoretically enhanced audit and feedback interventions; one focused on content and one on delivery, and investigate the feasibility and acceptability. Study A (Content): A coding framework based on current evidence regarding audit and feedback, and behaviour change theory and frameworks will be developed and applied as part of a structured content analysis to specify the key components of existing feedback documents. Prototype feedback documents with enhanced content and also a protocol, describing principles for enhancing feedback content, will be developed. Study B (Delivery): Individual semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals and observations of team meetings in four hospitals will be used to specify, and identify views about, current audit and feedback practice. Interviews will be based on a topic guide developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Analysis of transcripts based on these frameworks will form the evidence base for developing a protocol describing an enhanced intervention that focuses on feedback delivery. Study C (Feasibility and Acceptability): Enhanced interventions will be piloted in four hospitals. Semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and observations will be used to assess feasibility and acceptability. This intervention development work reflects the UK Medical Research Council's guidance on development of complex interventions, which emphasises the importance of a robust theoretical basis for intervention design and recommends systematic assessment of feasibility and acceptability prior to taking interventions to evaluation in a full-scale randomised study. The work-up includes specification of current practice so that, in the trials to be conducted later in this programme, there will be a clear distinction between the control (usual practice) conditions and the interventions to be evaluated.

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

PubMed

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

2004-01-01

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

Argumentation in Science Education: A Model-based Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böttcher, Florian; Meisert, Anke

2011-02-01

The goal of this article is threefold: First, the theoretical background for a model-based framework of argumentation to describe and evaluate argumentative processes in science education is presented. Based on the general model-based perspective in cognitive science and the philosophy of science, it is proposed to understand arguments as reasons for the appropriateness of a theoretical model which explains a certain phenomenon. Argumentation is considered to be the process of the critical evaluation of such a model if necessary in relation to alternative models. Secondly, some methodological details are exemplified for the use of a model-based analysis in the concrete classroom context. Third, the application of the approach in comparison with other analytical models will be presented to demonstrate the explicatory power and depth of the model-based perspective. Primarily, the framework of Toulmin to structurally analyse arguments is contrasted with the approach presented here. It will be demonstrated how common methodological and theoretical problems in the context of Toulmin's framework can be overcome through a model-based perspective. Additionally, a second more complex argumentative sequence will also be analysed according to the invented analytical scheme to give a broader impression of its potential in practical use.

Innovation adoption: a review of theories and constructs.

PubMed

Wisdom, Jennifer P; Chor, Ka Ho Brian; Hoagwood, Kimberly E; Horwitz, Sarah M

2014-07-01

Many theoretical frameworks seek to describe the dynamic process of the implementation of innovations. Little is known, however, about factors related to decisions to adopt innovations and how the likelihood of adoption of innovations can be increased. Using a narrative synthesis approach, this paper compared constructs theorized to be related to adoption of innovations proposed in existing theoretical frameworks in order to identify characteristics likely to increase adoption of innovations. The overall goal was to identify elements across adoption frameworks that are potentially modifiable and, thus, might be employed to improve the adoption of evidence-based practices. The review identified 20 theoretical frameworks that could be grouped into two broad categories: theories that mainly address the adoption process (N = 10) and theories that address adoption within the context of implementation, diffusion, dissemination, and/or sustainability (N = 10). Constructs of leadership, operational size and structure, innovation fit with norms and values, and attitudes/motivation toward innovations each are mentioned in at least half of the theories, though there were no consistent definitions of measures for these constructs. A lack of precise definitions and measurement of constructs suggests further work is needed to increase our understanding of adoption of innovations.

Innovation Adoption: A Review of Theories and Constructs

PubMed Central

Chor, Ka Ho Brian; Hoagwood, Kimberly E.; Horwitz, Sarah M.

2013-01-01

Many theoretical frameworks seek to describe the dynamic process of the implementation of innovations. Little is known, however, about factors related to decisions to adopt innovations and how the likelihood of adoption of innovations can be increased. Using a narrative synthesis approach, this paper compared constructs theorized to be related to adoption of innovations proposed in existing theoretical frameworks in order to identify characteristics likely to increase adoption of innovations. The overall goal was to identify elements across adoption frameworks that are potentially modifiable and, thus, might be employed to improve the adoption of evidence-based practices. The review identified 20 theoretical frameworks that could be grouped into two broad categories: theories that mainly address the adoption process (N = 10) and theories that address adoption within the context of implementation, diffusion, dissemination, and/or sustainability (N = 10). Constructs of leadership, operational size and structure, innovation fit with norms and values, and attitudes/motivation toward innovations each are mentioned in at least half of the theories, though there were no consistent definitions of measures for these constructs. A lack of precise definitions and measurement of constructs suggests further work is needed to increase our understanding of adoption of innovations. PMID:23549911

Neonatal physical therapy. Part II: Practice frameworks and evidence-based practice guidelines.

PubMed

Sweeney, Jane K; Heriza, Carolyn B; Blanchard, Yvette; Dusing, Stacey C

2010-01-01

(1) To outline frameworks for neonatal physical therapy based on 3 theoretical models, (2) to describe emerging literature supporting neonatal physical therapy practice, and (3) to identify evidence-based practice recommendations. Three models are presented as a framework for neonatal practice: (1) dynamic systems theory including synactive theory and the theory of neuronal group selection, (2) the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and (3) family-centered care. Literature is summarized to support neonatal physical therapists in the areas of examination, developmental care, intervention, and parent education. Practice recommendations are offered with levels of evidence identified. Neonatal physical therapy practice has a theoretical and evidence-based structure, and evidence is emerging for selected clinical procedures. Continued research to expand the science of neonatal physical therapy is critical to elevate the evidence and support practice recommendations.

Pedagogy for rural health.

PubMed

Reid, Stephen J

2011-04-01

As the body of literature on rural health has grown, the need to develop a unifying theoretical framework has become more apparent. There are many different ways of seeing the same phenomenon, depending on the assumptions we make and the perspective we choose. A conceptual and theoretical basis for the education of health professionals in rural health has not yet been described. This paper examines a number of theoretical frameworks that have been used in the rural health discourse and aims to identify relevant theory that originates from an educational paradigm. The experience of students in rural health is described phenomenologically in terms of two complementary perspectives, using a geographic basis on the one hand, and a developmental viewpoint on the other. The educational features and implications of these perspectives are drawn out. The concept of a 'pedagogy of place' recognizes the importance of the context of learning and allows the uniqueness of a local community to integrate learning at all levels. The theory of critical pedagogy is also found relevant to education for rural health, which would ideally produce 'transformative' graduates who understand the privilege of their position, and who are capable of and committed to engaging in the struggles for equity and justice, both within their practices as well as in the wider society. It is proposed that a 'critical pedagogy of place,' which gives due acknowledgement to local peculiarities and strengths, while situating this within a wider framework of the political, social and economic disparities that impact on the health of rural people, is an appropriate theoretical basis for a distinct rural pedagogy in the health sciences.

Investigating Music Information Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weissenberger, Lynnsey K.

2016-01-01

This dissertation, titled "Investigating Music Information Objects," is a study of the nature, description, representations, and ideas related to music information objects (MIOs). This research study investigates how music practitioners from various traditions describe and conceptualize MIOs, using a theoretical framework to classify…

Constraint-based Attribute and Interval Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jonsson, Ari; Frank, Jeremy

2013-01-01

In this paper we describe Constraint-based Attribute and Interval Planning (CAIP), a paradigm for representing and reasoning about plans. The paradigm enables the description of planning domains with time, resources, concurrent activities, mutual exclusions among sets of activities, disjunctive preconditions and conditional effects. We provide a theoretical foundation for the paradigm, based on temporal intervals and attributes. We then show how the plans are naturally expressed by networks of constraints, and show that the process of planning maps directly to dynamic constraint reasoning. In addition, we de ne compatibilities, a compact mechanism for describing planning domains. We describe how this framework can incorporate the use of constraint reasoning technology to improve planning. Finally, we describe EUROPA, an implementation of the CAIP framework.

Developing a targeted, theory-informed implementation intervention using two theoretical frameworks to address health professional and organisational factors: a case study to improve the management of mild traumatic brain injury in the emergency department.

PubMed

Tavender, Emma J; Bosch, Marije; Gruen, Russell L; Green, Sally E; Michie, Susan; Brennan, Sue E; Francis, Jill J; Ponsford, Jennie L; Knott, Jonathan C; Meares, Sue; Smyth, Tracy; O'Connor, Denise A

2015-05-25

Despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines for the management of mild traumatic brain injury in the emergency department (ED), variations in practice exist. Interventions designed to implement recommended behaviours can reduce this variation. Using theory to inform intervention development is advocated; however, there is no consensus on how to select or apply theory. Integrative theoretical frameworks, based on syntheses of theories and theoretical constructs relevant to implementation, have the potential to assist in the intervention development process. This paper describes the process of applying two theoretical frameworks to investigate the factors influencing recommended behaviours and the choice of behaviour change techniques and modes of delivery for an implementation intervention. A stepped approach was followed: (i) identification of locally applicable and actionable evidence-based recommendations as targets for change, (ii) selection and use of two theoretical frameworks for identifying barriers to and enablers of change (Theoretical Domains Framework and Model of Diffusion of Innovations in Service Organisations) and (iii) identification and operationalisation of intervention components (behaviour change techniques and modes of delivery) to address the barriers and enhance the enablers, informed by theory, evidence and feasibility/acceptability considerations. We illustrate this process in relation to one recommendation, prospective assessment of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) by ED staff using a validated tool. Four recommendations for managing mild traumatic brain injury were targeted with the intervention. The intervention targeting the PTA recommendation consisted of 14 behaviour change techniques and addressed 6 theoretical domains and 5 organisational domains. The mode of delivery was informed by six Cochrane reviews. It was delivered via five intervention components : (i) local stakeholder meetings, (ii) identification of local opinion leader teams, (iii) a train-the-trainer workshop for appointed local opinion leaders, (iv) local training workshops for delivery by trained local opinion leaders and (v) provision of tools and materials to prompt recommended behaviours. Two theoretical frameworks were used in a complementary manner to inform intervention development in managing mild traumatic brain injury in the ED. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the developed intervention is being evaluated in a cluster randomised trial, part of the Neurotrauma Evidence Translation (NET) program.

Effective Floquet Hamiltonian theory of multiple-quantum NMR in anisotropic solids involving quadrupolar spins: Challenges and Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganapathy, Vinay; Ramachandran, Ramesh

2017-10-01

The response of a quadrupolar nucleus (nuclear spin with I > 1/2) to an oscillating radio-frequency pulse/field is delicately dependent on the ratio of the quadrupolar coupling constant to the amplitude of the pulse in addition to its duration and oscillating frequency. Consequently, analytic description of the excitation process in the density operator formalism has remained less transparent within existing theoretical frameworks. As an alternative, the utility of the "concept of effective Floquet Hamiltonians" is explored in the present study to explicate the nuances of the excitation process in multilevel systems. Employing spin I = 3/2 as a case study, a unified theoretical framework for describing the excitation of multiple-quantum transitions in static isotropic and anisotropic solids is proposed within the framework of perturbation theory. The challenges resulting from the anisotropic nature of the quadrupolar interactions are addressed within the effective Hamiltonian framework. The possible role of the various interaction frames on the convergence of the perturbation corrections is discussed along with a proposal for a "hybrid method" for describing the excitation process in anisotropic solids. Employing suitable model systems, the validity of the proposed hybrid method is substantiated through a rigorous comparison between simulations emerging from exact numerical and analytic methods.

The conceptual framework and assessment methodology for the systematic reviews of community-based interventions for the prevention and control of infectious diseases of poverty.

PubMed

Lassi, Zohra S; Salam, Rehana A; Das, Jai K; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2014-01-01

This paper describes the conceptual framework and the methodology used to guide the systematic reviews of community-based interventions (CBIs) for the prevention and control of infectious diseases of poverty (IDoP). We adapted the conceptual framework from the 3ie work on the 'Community-Based Intervention Packages for Preventing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality and Improving Neonatal Outcomes' to aid in the analyzing of the existing CBIs for IDoP. The conceptual framework revolves around objectives, inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impacts showing the theoretical linkages between the delivery of the interventions targeting these diseases through various community delivery platforms and the consequent health impacts. We also describe the methodology undertaken to conduct the systematic reviews and the meta-analyses.

Demonstration of the usefulness of a theoretical framework for humanising care with reference to a residential aged care service in Australia.

PubMed

Borbasi, Sally; Galvin, Kathleen T; Adams, Trevor; Todres, Les; Farrelly, Brona

2013-03-01

To demonstrate the usefulness of a theoretical framework for humanising care of dementia patients. The term humanisation of care has been increasingly used to describe an approach to health care that is informed by core dimensions of what it means to be human. Recent developments in dementia care highlight the importance of maintaining personhood in people with dementia. A conceptual framework is proposed by which the humanisation of care can be understood and applied. Eight dimensions that articulate core features of what needs to be attended to in order for a person to feel more deeply 'met' as a human being are discussed. Evidence from an evaluative study of a dementia outreach service is used to illustrate the usefulness of the humanising framework. Case study examples demonstrate the value of this framework by describing how a dementia outreach service enables care staff in residential aged care facilities to change their focus in the provision of care to residents with dementia. Each of the eight dimensions of humanisation/dehumanisation is used to illustrate how the dementia outreach service team have led to the improvements in resident care. Positive outcomes can be achieved by providing humanised care to residents with dementia. The paper highlights the potential for the humanising framework to be used in dementia care and shows how the framework can be helpfully translated into practice so that carers are supported to adopt an inclusive view of care delivery. A comprehensive framework, grounded in a strong philosophical foundation, can name a breadth of criteria for humanly sensitive care and can be translated into practice in such a way as to potentially transform the provision of care to residents in residential aged care facilities. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Decision making and coping in healthcare: the Coping in Deliberation (CODE) framework.

PubMed

Witt, Jana; Elwyn, Glyn; Wood, Fiona; Brain, Kate

2012-08-01

To develop a framework of decision making and coping in healthcare that describes the twin processes of appraisal and coping faced by patients making preference-sensitive healthcare decisions. We briefly review the literature for decision making theories and coping theories applicable to preference-sensitive decisions in healthcare settings. We describe first decision making, then coping and finally attempt to integrate these processes by building on current theory. Deliberation in healthcare may be described as a six step process, comprised of the presentation of a health threat, choice, options, preference construction, the decision itself and consolidation post-decision. Coping can be depicted in three stages, beginning with a threat, followed by primary and secondary appraisal and ultimately resulting in a coping effort. Drawing together concepts from prominent decision making theories and coping theories, we propose a multidimensional, interactive framework which integrates both processes and describes coping in deliberation. The proposed framework offers an insight into the complexity of decision making in preference-sensitive healthcare contexts from a patient perspective and may act as theoretical basis for decision support. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Student Centered WebCT Instruction for African Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moshi, Lioba; Ojo, Akinloye

2000-01-01

Explores theoretical issues concerning instructional technology for African language instruction, gives a brief description of WebCT (a web-based instruction framework), and describes its practicality in the instruction of African languages with special focus on Swahili and Yoruba. (Author/VWL)

A general framework of automorphic inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schimmrigk, Rolf

2016-05-01

Automorphic inflation is an application of the framework of automorphic scalar field theory, based on the theory of automorphic forms and representations. In this paper the general framework of automorphic and modular inflation is described in some detail, with emphasis on the resulting stratification of the space of scalar field theories in terms of the group theoretic data associated to the shift symmetry, as well as the automorphic data that specifies the potential. The class of theories based on Eisenstein series provides a natural generalization of the model of j-inflation considered previously.

An appraisal of theoretical approaches to examining behaviours in relation to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination of young women

PubMed Central

Batista Ferrer, Harriet; Audrey, Suzanne; Trotter, Caroline; Hickman, Matthew

2015-01-01

Background Interventions to increase uptake of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination by young women may be more effective if they are underpinned by an appropriate theoretical model or framework. The aims of this review were: to describe the theoretical models or frameworks used to explain behaviours in relation to HPV vaccination of young women, and: to consider the appropriateness of the theoretical models or frameworks used for informing the development of interventions to increase uptake. Methods Primary studies were identified through a comprehensive search of databases from inception to December 2013. Results Thirty-four relevant studies were identified, of which 31 incorporated psychological health behaviour models or frameworks and three used socio-cultural models or theories. The primary studies used a variety of approaches to measure a diverse range of outcomes in relation to behaviours of professionals, parents, and young women. The majority appeared to use theory appropriately throughout. About half of the quantitative studies presented data in relation to goodness of fit tests and the proportion of the variability in the data. Conclusion Due to diverse approaches and inconsistent findings across studies, the current contribution of theory to understanding and promoting HPV vaccination uptake is difficult to assess. Ecological frameworks encourage the integration of individual and social approaches by encouraging exploration of the intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational, community and policy levels when examining public health issues. Given the small number of studies using such approach, combined with the importance of these factors in predicting behaviour, more research in this area is warranted. PMID:26314783

Toward an Accurate Theoretical Framework for Describing Ensembles for Proteins under Strongly Denaturing Conditions

PubMed Central

Tran, Hoang T.; Pappu, Rohit V.

2006-01-01

Our focus is on an appropriate theoretical framework for describing highly denatured proteins. In high concentrations of denaturants, proteins behave like polymers in a good solvent and ensembles for denatured proteins can be modeled by ignoring all interactions except excluded volume (EV) effects. To assay conformational preferences of highly denatured proteins, we quantify a variety of properties for EV-limit ensembles of 23 two-state proteins. We find that modeled denatured proteins can be best described as follows. Average shapes are consistent with prolate ellipsoids. Ensembles are characterized by large correlated fluctuations. Sequence-specific conformational preferences are restricted to local length scales that span five to nine residues. Beyond local length scales, chain properties follow well-defined power laws that are expected for generic polymers in the EV limit. The average available volume is filled inefficiently, and cavities of all sizes are found within the interiors of denatured proteins. All properties characterized from simulated ensembles match predictions from rigorous field theories. We use our results to resolve between conflicting proposals for structure in ensembles for highly denatured states. PMID:16766618

Predicting excitonic gaps of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes from a field theoretic analysis

DOE PAGES

Konik, Robert M.; Sfeir, Matthew Y.; Misewich, James A.

2015-02-17

We demonstrate that a non-perturbative framework for the treatment of the excitations of single walled carbon nanotubes based upon a field theoretic reduction is able to accurately describe experiment observations of the absolute values of excitonic energies. This theoretical framework yields a simple scaling function from which the excitonic energies can be read off. This scaling function is primarily determined by a single parameter, the charge Luttinger parameter of the tube, which is in turn a function of the tube chirality, dielectric environment, and the tube's dimensions, thus expressing disparate influences on the excitonic energies in a unified fashion. Asmore » a result, we test this theory explicitly on the data reported in [NanoLetters 5, 2314 (2005)] and [Phys. Rev. B 82, 195424 (2010)] and so demonstrate the method works over a wide range of reported excitonic spectra.« less

Acceptability of healthcare interventions: an overview of reviews and development of a theoretical framework.

PubMed

Sekhon, Mandeep; Cartwright, Martin; Francis, Jill J

2017-01-26

It is increasingly acknowledged that 'acceptability' should be considered when designing, evaluating and implementing healthcare interventions. However, the published literature offers little guidance on how to define or assess acceptability. The purpose of this study was to develop a multi-construct theoretical framework of acceptability of healthcare interventions that can be applied to assess prospective (i.e. anticipated) and retrospective (i.e. experienced) acceptability from the perspective of intervention delivers and recipients. Two methods were used to select the component constructs of acceptability. 1) An overview of reviews was conducted to identify systematic reviews that claim to define, theorise or measure acceptability of healthcare interventions. 2) Principles of inductive and deductive reasoning were applied to theorise the concept of acceptability and develop a theoretical framework. Steps included (1) defining acceptability; (2) describing its properties and scope and (3) identifying component constructs and empirical indicators. From the 43 reviews included in the overview, none explicitly theorised or defined acceptability. Measures used to assess acceptability focused on behaviour (e.g. dropout rates) (23 reviews), affect (i.e. feelings) (5 reviews), cognition (i.e. perceptions) (7 reviews) or a combination of these (8 reviews). From the methods described above we propose a definition: Acceptability is a multi-faceted construct that reflects the extent to which people delivering or receiving a healthcare intervention consider it to be appropriate, based on anticipated or experienced cognitive and emotional responses to the intervention. The theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) consists of seven component constructs: affective attitude, burden, perceived effectiveness, ethicality, intervention coherence, opportunity costs, and self-efficacy. Despite frequent claims that healthcare interventions have assessed acceptability, it is evident that acceptability research could be more robust. The proposed definition of acceptability and the TFA can inform assessment tools and evaluations of the acceptability of new or existing interventions.

Twenty Years of Learning: How To Do Research in Chemical Education. 2003 George C. Pimentel Award, sponsored by Dow Chemical Co.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodner, George M.

2004-05-01

It is twenty years since the first symposium on research in chemical education was held at the American Chemical Society meeting in St. Louis. Over the course of two decades, the number of people who have devoted their careers to doing research on the teaching and learning of chemistry has increased significantly. There have also been significant developments in the methodology for doing research in this area, and in the sophistication of the questions being investigated. This paper tries to summarize some of what the author has learned while working with graduate students pursuing research-based M.S. and/or Ph.D. degrees in chemical education. It describes the three fundamental elements of a good research study—the theoretical framework, the methodological framework, and the guiding research questions—and examines the process by which the choice of theoretical framework is made.

Statement on nursing: a personal perspective.

PubMed

McCutcheon, Tonna

2004-01-01

Contemporary nursing is based on a conglomerate of theoretical nursing models. These models each incorporate four central concepts: person, health, environment, and nursing. By defining these concepts, nurses develop an individual framework from which they base their nursing practice. As an aspiring nurse practitioner in the gastroenterology field, I have retrospectively assessed my personal definitions of person, health, environment, and nursing. From these definitions, I am able to incorporate specific theoretical frameworks into my personal belief system, thus formulating a basis for my nursing practice. This foundation is comprised of the influence of nursing theorists Jean Watson, Sister Callista Roy, Kolcaba, Florence Nightingale, and Ida J. Orlando; the Perioperative Patient-Focused Model; Watson's Theory of Human Caring; theories regarding transpersonal human caring and healing; and feminist theories. Therefore, this article describes self-examination of nursing care by defining central nursing concepts, acknowledging the influence of nursing theorists and theories, and developing a personal framework from which I base my nursing practice.

Anxiety and Threat-Related Attention: Cognitive-Motivational Framework and Treatment.

PubMed

Mogg, Karin; Bradley, Brendan P

2018-03-01

Research in experimental psychopathology and cognitive theories of anxiety highlight threat-related attention biases (ABs) and underpin the development of a computer-delivered treatment for anxiety disorders: attention-bias modification (ABM) training. Variable effects of ABM training on anxiety and ABs generate conflicting research recommendations, novel ABM training procedures, and theoretical controversy. This article summarises an updated cognitive-motivational framework, integrating proposals from cognitive models of anxiety and attention, as well as evidence of ABs. Interactions between motivational salience-driven and goal-directed influences on multiple cognitive processes (e.g., stimulus evaluation, inhibition, switching, orienting) underlie anxiety and the variable manifestations of ABs (orienting towards and away from threat; threat-distractor interference). This theoretical analysis also considers ABM training as cognitive skill training, describes a conceptual framework for evaluating/developing novel ABM training procedures, and complements network-based research on reciprocal anxiety-cognition relationships. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Conversive disorders among children and adolescents: towards new "complementarist" paradigms?

PubMed

Ouss, L; Tordjman, E

2014-10-01

This paper aims to describe current questions concerning conversive disorders among children and adolescents. We first describe prevalence and clinical characteristics of these. Many unresolved questions remain. Why do patients show excess, or loss of function? Attachment theory offers a relevant framework to answer this question. Does neurobiology of conversion disorders shed light on conversive processes? Current neurobiological research paradigms focus on the symptom, trying to infer processes, instead of proposing paradigms that test theoretical hypotheses. The most convincing theoretical framework that has already proposed a coherent theory of conversion is a psychodynamic one, which has not yet been tested with neurobiological paradigms. The interest of studying child and adolescent conversive disorders is to provide a means to more deeply investigate the two challenges we face: theoretical, and clinical ones. It provides the opportunity to access a pathopsychological process at its roots, not yet hidden by many defensive, rationalizing attitudes, and to better explore environmental features. We propose a "complementarist" model, which allows the combination of different approaches (neural, cognitive, environmental, attachment, intra-psychic) and permits proposal of different levels of therapeutic targets and means. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Home-School Relationships: Networking in One District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wanat, Carolyn Louise

2012-01-01

This article describes parents' and educators' perceptions of home-school relationships that benefited children and their families in one school district. Family involvement literature and social network theory, especially Burt's (2001) structural holes, served as the theoretical framework. In semistructured interviews, 39 participants, including…

Student-Institution Fit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Terry E.

The concept of student-institution fit in higher education is clarified, and an approach that can be applied to different types of campuses is described. Also considered is the theoretical framework, including the concept of "person-environment interaction." Three sets of factors are important: student characteristics, institutional…

Cognitive Style: Individual Differences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saracho, Olivia N.

1989-01-01

A literature review describes several dimensions of cognitive styles in an effort to illustrate individual stylistic differences. Discusses the field dependence-independence dimension, taking into account age, sex, and cultural differences. Suggests that cognitive style theory needs to be structured in a broader theoretical framework. (NH)

Early Childhood Studies in Israel: Using DAP as a Framework.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dayan, Yael

2000-01-01

This article describes the evolution of a graduate program in early childhood studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The training model was designed to enhance sensitivity and responsiveness toward children, and uses developmentally appropriate practices as a theoretical basis. (JPB)

Goal setting in paediatric rehabilitation for children with motor disabilities: a scoping review.

PubMed

Pritchard-Wiart, Lesley; Phelan, Shanon K

2018-02-01

The three objectives of this scoping review were to (1) identify key conceptual/theoretical frameworks and the extent to which they are used to inform goal setting related to rehabilitation goal setting with children with motor disabilities, (2) describe research that has evaluated goal setting processes and outcomes, and (3) summarize the purposes of goal setting described in paediatric rehabilitation literature. The scoping review process described by Arksey and O'Malley was used to guide article selection and data extraction. A total of 62 articles were included in the final review. While the concept of family-centered care was well represented, theoretical frameworks specific to goal setting (i.e. goal setting theory described by Locke and Latham, mastery motivation, social cognitive, personal construct, and self-determination theories) were rarely addressed. No articles reviewed addressed prominent behavior change theory. With the exception of the description of tools specifically designed for use with children, the role of the child in the goal setting process was generally absent or not well described. Few studies ( n = 6) discussed the linkage between goals and intervention strategies explicitly. Only two studies in the review evaluated outcomes associated with goal setting. The primary purpose for goal setting identified in the literature was to develop goals that are meaningful to families ( n = 49). The results highlight significant gaps in the literature explicating a sound theoretical basis for goal setting in paediatric rehabilitation and research evaluating the effects of goal qualities and goal setting processes on the achievement of meaningful outcomes.

The Bobath concept in contemporary clinical practice.

PubMed

Graham, Julie Vaughan; Eustace, Catherine; Brock, Kim; Swain, Elizabeth; Irwin-Carruthers, Sheena

2009-01-01

Future development in neurorehabilitation depends upon bringing together the endeavors of basic science and clinical practice. The Bobath concept is widely utilized in rehabilitation following stroke and other neurological conditions. This concept was first developed in the 1950s, based on the neuroscience knowledge of those times. The theoretical basis of the Bobath concept is redefined based on contemporary neuroscience and rehabilitation science. The framework utilized in the Bobath concept for the analysis of movement and movement dysfunction is described. This framework focuses on postural control for task performance, the ability to move selectively, the ability to produce coordinated sequences of movement and vary movement patterns to fit a task, and the role of sensory input in motor behaviour and learning. The article describes aspects of clinical practice that differentiate this approach from other models of practice. Contemporary practice in the Bobath concept utilizes a problem-solving approach to the individual's clinical presentation and personal goals. Treatment is focused toward remediation, where possible, and guiding the individual towards efficient movement strategies for task performance. The aim of this article is to provide a theoretical framework on which future research into the Bobath concept can be based.

Beyond the SCS-CN method: A theoretical framework for spatially lumped rainfall-runoff response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartlett, M. S.; Parolari, A. J.; McDonnell, J. J.; Porporato, A.

2016-06-01

Since its introduction in 1954, the Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) method has become the standard tool, in practice, for estimating an event-based rainfall-runoff response. However, because of its empirical origins, the SCS-CN method is restricted to certain geographic regions and land use types. Moreover, it does not describe the spatial variability of runoff. To move beyond these limitations, we present a new theoretical framework for spatially lumped, event-based rainfall-runoff modeling. In this framework, we describe the spatially lumped runoff model as a point description of runoff that is upscaled to a watershed area based on probability distributions that are representative of watershed heterogeneities. The framework accommodates different runoff concepts and distributions of heterogeneities, and in doing so, it provides an implicit spatial description of runoff variability. Heterogeneity in storage capacity and soil moisture are the basis for upscaling a point runoff response and linking ecohydrological processes to runoff modeling. For the framework, we consider two different runoff responses for fractions of the watershed area: "prethreshold" and "threshold-excess" runoff. These occur before and after infiltration exceeds a storage capacity threshold. Our application of the framework results in a new model (called SCS-CNx) that extends the SCS-CN method with the prethreshold and threshold-excess runoff mechanisms and an implicit spatial description of runoff. We show proof of concept in four forested watersheds and further that the resulting model may better represent geographic regions and site types that previously have been beyond the scope of the traditional SCS-CN method.

Brain and Cognitive Reserve: Translation via Network Control Theory

PubMed Central

Medaglia, John Dominic; Pasqualetti, Fabio; Hamilton, Roy H.; Thompson-Schill, Sharon L.; Bassett, Danielle S.

2017-01-01

Traditional approaches to understanding the brain’s resilience to neuropathology have identified neurophysiological variables, often described as brain or cognitive “reserve,” associated with better outcomes. However, mechanisms of function and resilience in large-scale brain networks remain poorly understood. Dynamic network theory may provide a basis for substantive advances in understanding functional resilience in the human brain. In this perspective, we describe recent theoretical approaches from network control theory as a framework for investigating network level mechanisms underlying cognitive function and the dynamics of neuroplasticity in the human brain. We describe the theoretical opportunities offered by the application of network control theory at the level of the human connectome to understand cognitive resilience and inform translational intervention. PMID:28104411

Maximizing the Biochemical Resolving Power of Fluorescence Microscopy

PubMed Central

Esposito, Alessandro; Popleteeva, Marina; Venkitaraman, Ashok R.

2013-01-01

Most recent advances in fluorescence microscopy have focused on achieving spatial resolutions below the diffraction limit. However, the inherent capability of fluorescence microscopy to non-invasively resolve different biochemical or physical environments in biological samples has not yet been formally described, because an adequate and general theoretical framework is lacking. Here, we develop a mathematical characterization of the biochemical resolution in fluorescence detection with Fisher information analysis. To improve the precision and the resolution of quantitative imaging methods, we demonstrate strategies for the optimization of fluorescence lifetime, fluorescence anisotropy and hyperspectral detection, as well as different multi-dimensional techniques. We describe optimized imaging protocols, provide optimization algorithms and describe precision and resolving power in biochemical imaging thanks to the analysis of the general properties of Fisher information in fluorescence detection. These strategies enable the optimal use of the information content available within the limited photon-budget typically available in fluorescence microscopy. This theoretical foundation leads to a generalized strategy for the optimization of multi-dimensional optical detection, and demonstrates how the parallel detection of all properties of fluorescence can maximize the biochemical resolving power of fluorescence microscopy, an approach we term Hyper Dimensional Imaging Microscopy (HDIM). Our work provides a theoretical framework for the description of the biochemical resolution in fluorescence microscopy, irrespective of spatial resolution, and for the development of a new class of microscopes that exploit multi-parametric detection systems. PMID:24204821

Looking and listening for learning in arts- and humanities-based creations.

PubMed

Varpio, Lara; Grassau, Pamela; Hall, Pippa

2017-02-01

The arts and humanities are gradually gaining a foothold in health professions education as a means of supporting the development of future clinicians who are compassionate, critical and reflexive thinkers, while also strengthening clinical skills and practices that emphasise patient-centredness, collaboration and interprofessional practices. Assignments that tap into trainee creativity are increasingly used both to prepare learners for the demands of clinical work and to understand the personal and professional challenges learners face in these contexts. Health professions educators need methods for interpreting these creations in order to understand each learner's expressions. This paper describes two theoretical frameworks that can be used to understand trainees' unique learning experiences as they are expressed in arts- and humanities-based creations. The authors introduce the philosophical underpinnings and interpretation procedures of two theoretical frameworks that enable educators to 'hear' and 'see' the multilayered expressions embedded within arts- and humanities-based student creations: Gilligan's Listening Guide and Kress and van Leeuwen's approach to visual rhetoric. To illustrate how these frameworks can be used, the authors apply them to two creative summaries that learners made as part of a humanities-informed, interprofessional education intervention that took place in a non-acute-care teaching hospital. The interpretations of two creative summaries, a poem and a pair of paintings, highlight how applying these theoretical frameworks can offer important insights into learners' experiences. This cross-cutting edge paper describes how the Listening Guide and visual rhetoric can help health professions educators listen to and read the arts- and humanities-based creative expressions made by learners. Insights gained from these interpretations can advance the understanding of students' personal experiences in different learning environments and can inform curriculum development. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Applications of system identification methods to the prediction of helicopter stability, control and handling characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Padfield, G. D.; Duval, R. K.

1982-01-01

A set of results on rotorcraft system identification is described. Flight measurements collected on an experimental Puma helicopter are reviewed and some notable characteristics highlighted. Following a brief review of previous work in rotorcraft system identification, the results of state estimation and model structure estimation processes applied to the Puma data are presented. The results, which were obtained using NASA developed software, are compared with theoretical predictions of roll, yaw and pitching moment derivatives for a 6 degree of freedom model structure. Anomalies are reported. The theoretical methods used are described. A framework for reduced order modelling is outlined.

Two theories/a sharper lens: the staff nurse voice in the workplace.

PubMed

DeMarco, Rosanna

2002-06-01

This paper (1) introduces the two theoretical frameworks, Silencing the Self and the Framework of Systemic Organization (2) describes the design and findings briefly of a study exploring spillover in nurses utilizing the frameworks, and (3) discusses the process and value of theory triangulation when conducting research in the context of complex nursing systems phenomena where gender, professional work, and gender identity merge. A research study was designed to analyse the actual workplace behaviours of nurses in the context of their lives at work and outside work. An exploration of theoretical frameworks that could direct the measurement of the phenomena in question led to the use of two frameworks, the Framework of Systemic Organization (Friedemann 1995) and the Silencing the Self Theory (Jack 1991), and the creation of a valid and reliable summative rating instrument (the Staff Nurse Workplace Behaviours Scale, SNWBS). A descriptive correlational design was used to measure behaviours between work and home. There were statistically significant relationships found between workplace behaviours, family behaviours, and silencing behaviours as measured by the two separate scales measuring framework concepts. Although both theories had different origins and philosophical tenets, the findings of a research study created an opportunity to integrate the concepts of each and unexpectedly increase and broaden the understanding of spillover for women who are often nurses.

A generalized theoretical framework for the description of spin decoupling in solid-state MAS NMR: Offset effect on decoupling performance

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

Tan, Kong Ooi; Meier, Beat H., E-mail: beme@ethz.ch, E-mail: maer@ethz.ch; Ernst, Matthias, E-mail: beme@ethz.ch, E-mail: maer@ethz.ch

2016-09-07

We present a generalized theoretical framework that allows the approximate but rapid analysis of residual couplings of arbitrary decoupling sequences in solid-state NMR under magic-angle spinning conditions. It is a generalization of the tri-modal Floquet analysis of TPPM decoupling [Scholz et al., J. Chem. Phys. 130, 114510 (2009)] where three characteristic frequencies are used to describe the pulse sequence. Such an approach can be used to describe arbitrary periodic decoupling sequences that differ only in the magnitude of the Fourier coefficients of the interaction-frame transformation. It allows a ∼100 times faster calculation of second-order residual couplings as a function ofmore » pulse sequence parameters than full spin-dynamics simulations. By comparing the theoretical calculations with full numerical simulations, we show the potential of the new approach to examine the performance of decoupling sequences. We exemplify the usefulness of this framework by analyzing the performance of commonly used high-power decoupling sequences and low-power decoupling sequences such as amplitude-modulated XiX (AM-XiX) and its super-cycled variant SC-AM-XiX. In addition, the effect of chemical-shift offset is examined for both high- and low-power decoupling sequences. The results show that the cross-terms between the dipolar couplings are the main contributions to the line broadening when offset is present. We also show that the SC-AM-XIX shows a better offset compensation.« less

A generalized theoretical framework for the description of spin decoupling in solid-state MAS NMR: Offset effect on decoupling performance.

PubMed

Tan, Kong Ooi; Agarwal, Vipin; Meier, Beat H; Ernst, Matthias

2016-09-07

We present a generalized theoretical framework that allows the approximate but rapid analysis of residual couplings of arbitrary decoupling sequences in solid-state NMR under magic-angle spinning conditions. It is a generalization of the tri-modal Floquet analysis of TPPM decoupling [Scholz et al., J. Chem. Phys. 130, 114510 (2009)] where three characteristic frequencies are used to describe the pulse sequence. Such an approach can be used to describe arbitrary periodic decoupling sequences that differ only in the magnitude of the Fourier coefficients of the interaction-frame transformation. It allows a ∼100 times faster calculation of second-order residual couplings as a function of pulse sequence parameters than full spin-dynamics simulations. By comparing the theoretical calculations with full numerical simulations, we show the potential of the new approach to examine the performance of decoupling sequences. We exemplify the usefulness of this framework by analyzing the performance of commonly used high-power decoupling sequences and low-power decoupling sequences such as amplitude-modulated XiX (AM-XiX) and its super-cycled variant SC-AM-XiX. In addition, the effect of chemical-shift offset is examined for both high- and low-power decoupling sequences. The results show that the cross-terms between the dipolar couplings are the main contributions to the line broadening when offset is present. We also show that the SC-AM-XIX shows a better offset compensation.

Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance: a systematic review.

PubMed

Koopmans, Linda; Bernaards, Claire M; Hildebrandt, Vincent H; Schaufeli, Wilmar B; de Vet Henrica, C W; van der Beek, Allard J

2011-08-01

Individual work performance is differently conceptualized and operationalized in different disciplines. The aim of the current review was twofold: (1) identifying conceptual frameworks of individual work performance and (2) integrating these to reach a heuristic conceptual framework. A systematic review was conducted in medical, psychological, and management databases. Studies were selected independently by two researchers and included when they presented a conceptual framework of individual work performance. A total of 17 generic frameworks (applying across occupations) and 18 job-specific frameworks (applying to specific occupations) were identified. Dimensions frequently used to describe individual work performance were task performance, contextual performance, counterproductive work behavior, and adaptive performance. On the basis of the literature, a heuristic conceptual framework of individual work performance was proposed. This framework can serve as a theoretical basis for future research and practice.

[The cultural history of palliative care in primitive societies: an integrative review].

PubMed

Siles González, José; Solano Ruiz, Maria Del Carmen

2012-08-01

The objective of this study is to describe the evolution of palliative care in order to reflect on the possibility of its origin in primitive cultures and their relationship with the beginnings of the cult of the dead. It describes the change in the symbolic structures and social interactions involved in palliative care during prehistory: functional unit, functional framework and functional element. The theoretical framework is based on cultural history, the dialectical structural model and symbolic interactionism. Categorization techniques, cultural history and dialectic structuralism analyses were performed. Palliative care existed in primitive societies, mostly associated with the rites of passage with a high symbolic content. The social structures - functional unit, functional framework and functional element - are the pillars that supported palliative care in prehistory societies.

Modeling Cyber Physical War Gaming

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-07

and benefits of the cyber war game vary depending on the goals of the organization. These goals may include identifying hidden vulnerabilities...example. This is a generalized case of our game -theoretic framework described in Section 2.1. Although the defender costs are not dependent on the...

Demands for School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley-Levine, Jill

2016-01-01

This article examines the ways that graduate courses in teacher leadership influenced the ways that teachers described the nature of leadership and their role as educational leaders. Using Foster's (1989) four demands for school leaders as a theoretical framework, participants' perceptions are examined to determine how teachers synthesized their…

Rational and Mechanistic Perspectives on Reinforcement Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chater, Nick

2009-01-01

This special issue describes important recent developments in applying reinforcement learning models to capture neural and cognitive function. But reinforcement learning, as a theoretical framework, can apply at two very different levels of description: "mechanistic" and "rational." Reinforcement learning is often viewed in mechanistic terms--as…

Temporal nonlocality in bistable perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atmanspacher, Harald; Filk, Thomas

2012-12-01

A novel conceptual framework for theoretical psychology is presented and illustrated for the example of bistable perception. A basic formal feature of this framework is the non-commutativity of operations acting on mental states. A corresponding model for the bistable perception of ambiguous stimuli, the Necker-Zeno model, is sketched and some empirical evidence for it so far is described. It is discussed how a temporal nonlocality of mental states, predicted by the model, can be understood and tested.

A Proposed Theoretical Model Using the Work of Thomas Kuhn, David Ausubel, and Mauritz Johnson as a Basis for Curriculum and Instruction Decisions in Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Barbara Lynn

This study presents a holistic framework which can be used as a basis for decision-making at various points in the curriculum-instruction development process as described by Johnson in a work published in 1967. The proposed framework has conceptual bases in the work of Thomas S. Kuhn and David P. Ausubel and utilizes the work of several perceptual…

Understanding the amplitudes of noise correlation measurements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tsai, Victor C.

2011-01-01

Cross correlation of ambient seismic noise is known to result in time series from which station-station travel-time measurements can be made. Part of the reason that these cross-correlation travel-time measurements are reliable is that there exists a theoretical framework that quantifies how these travel times depend on the features of the ambient noise. However, corresponding theoretical results do not currently exist to describe how the amplitudes of the cross correlation depend on such features. For example, currently it is not possible to take a given distribution of noise sources and calculate the cross correlation amplitudes one would expect from such a distribution. Here, we provide a ray-theoretical framework for calculating cross correlations. This framework differs from previous work in that it explicitly accounts for attenuation as well as the spatial distribution of sources and therefore can address the issue of quantifying amplitudes in noise correlation measurements. After introducing the general framework, we apply it to two specific problems. First, we show that we can quantify the amplitudes of coherency measurements, and find that the decay of coherency with station-station spacing depends crucially on the distribution of noise sources. We suggest that researchers interested in performing attenuation measurements from noise coherency should first determine how the dominant sources of noise are distributed. Second, we show that we can quantify the signal-to-noise ratio of noise correlations more precisely than previous work, and that these signal-to-noise ratios can be estimated for given situations prior to the deployment of seismometers. It is expected that there are applications of the theoretical framework beyond the two specific cases considered, but these applications await future work.

Probabilistic machine learning and artificial intelligence.

PubMed

Ghahramani, Zoubin

2015-05-28

How can a machine learn from experience? Probabilistic modelling provides a framework for understanding what learning is, and has therefore emerged as one of the principal theoretical and practical approaches for designing machines that learn from data acquired through experience. The probabilistic framework, which describes how to represent and manipulate uncertainty about models and predictions, has a central role in scientific data analysis, machine learning, robotics, cognitive science and artificial intelligence. This Review provides an introduction to this framework, and discusses some of the state-of-the-art advances in the field, namely, probabilistic programming, Bayesian optimization, data compression and automatic model discovery.

Probabilistic machine learning and artificial intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghahramani, Zoubin

2015-05-01

How can a machine learn from experience? Probabilistic modelling provides a framework for understanding what learning is, and has therefore emerged as one of the principal theoretical and practical approaches for designing machines that learn from data acquired through experience. The probabilistic framework, which describes how to represent and manipulate uncertainty about models and predictions, has a central role in scientific data analysis, machine learning, robotics, cognitive science and artificial intelligence. This Review provides an introduction to this framework, and discusses some of the state-of-the-art advances in the field, namely, probabilistic programming, Bayesian optimization, data compression and automatic model discovery.

Framework for Supporting Web-Based Collaborative Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Wei

The article proposes an intelligent framework for supporting Web-based applications. The framework focuses on innovative use of existing resources and technologies in the form of services and takes the leverage of theoretical foundation of services science and the research from services computing. The main focus of the framework is to deliver benefits to users with various roles such as service requesters, service providers, and business owners to maximize their productivity when engaging with each other via the Web. The article opens up with research motivations and questions, analyses the existing state of research in the field, and describes the approach in implementing the proposed framework. Finally, an e-health application is discussed to evaluate the effectiveness of the framework where participants such as general practitioners (GPs), patients, and health-care workers collaborate via the Web.

Qualitative Audience Research: Toward an Integrative Approach to Reception.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Klaus Bruhn

1987-01-01

Analyzes research about the mass communication audience and describes a theoretical and methodological framework for further empirical studies. Discusses the (1) explanatory value of qualitative research; (2) social and cultural implications of the reception process, with special reference to television; and (3) applications and social relevance…

Informing Educational Psychology Training with Students' Community Engagement Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebersohn, Liesel; Bender, C. J. Gerda; Carvalho-Malekane, Wendy M.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this article was to describe students' experiences of community engagement in an Educational Psychology practicum in order to inform relevant educational psychology training literature with experiences of students' community engagement. Experiential learning served as our theoretical framework and we employed an instrumental case…

Unveiling the South African Official Primary Mathematics Teacher Pedagogic Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pausigere, Peter; Graven, Mellony

2013-01-01

This article is theoretically informed by Bernstein's (2000) notion of pedagogic identity, supplemented by Tyler's (1999) elaboration of Bernstein's theory into an analytical framework that describes four possible identity positions relating to classification and framing properties. The article analyses key primary mathematics curriculum policy…

Teachers as Thinking Coaches: Creating Strategic Learners and Problem Solvers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaskins, Irene W.

1989-01-01

An across-the-curriculum program was developed to teach learning, thinking, and problem-solving skills to bright middle-school underachievers. This article describes the pilot program's theoretical basis, axioms of program development, guidelines for teaching metacognitive strategies, and a framework for strategy implementation. (Author/JDD)

A Theoretical Framework for Examining Geographical Variability in the Microphysical Mechanisms of Precipitation Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

Energy and Natural Resources SWS Contract Report 391 FINAL REPORT A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR EXAMINING GEOGRAPHICAL VARIABILITY IN THE MICROPHYSICAL...U) A Theoretical Framework for Examining Geographical Variability in the Microphysical Mechanisms of Precipitation Development 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S...concentration. Oter key parameters include the degree of entrainment and stability of the environment. I 5 - T17 Unclassified ,.-. . A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR

Development of a Clinical Framework for Mirror Therapy in Patients with Phantom Limb Pain: An Evidence-based Practice Approach.

PubMed

Rothgangel, Andreas; Braun, Susy; de Witte, Luc; Beurskens, Anna; Smeets, Rob

2016-04-01

To describe the development and content of a clinical framework for mirror therapy (MT) in patients with phantom limb pain (PLP) following amputation. Based on an a priori formulated theoretical model, 3 sources of data collection were used to develop the clinical framework. First, a review of the literature took place on important clinical aspects and the evidence on the effectiveness of MT in patients with phantom limb pain. In addition, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to analyze clinical experiences and preferences of physical and occupational therapists and patients suffering from PLP regarding the application of MT. All data were finally clustered into main and subcategories and were used to complement and refine the theoretical model. For every main category of the a priori formulated theoretical model, several subcategories emerged from the literature search, patient, and therapist interviews. Based on these categories, we developed a clinical flowchart that incorporates the main and subcategories in a logical way according to the phases in methodical intervention defined by the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy. In addition, we developed a comprehensive booklet that illustrates the individual steps of the clinical flowchart. In this study, a structured clinical framework for the application of MT in patients with PLP was developed. This framework is currently being tested for its effectiveness in a multicenter randomized controlled trial. © 2015 World Institute of Pain.

Model-Based Reasoning in Upper-division Lab Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewandowski, Heather

2015-05-01

Modeling, which includes developing, testing, and refining models, is a central activity in physics. Well-known examples from AMO physics include everything from the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom to the Bose-Hubbard model of interacting bosons in a lattice. Modeling, while typically considered a theoretical activity, is most fully represented in the laboratory where measurements of real phenomena intersect with theoretical models, leading to refinement of models and experimental apparatus. However, experimental physicists use models in complex ways and the process is often not made explicit in physics laboratory courses. We have developed a framework to describe the modeling process in physics laboratory activities. The framework attempts to abstract and simplify the complex modeling process undertaken by expert experimentalists. The framework can be applied to understand typical processes such the modeling of the measurement tools, modeling ``black boxes,'' and signal processing. We demonstrate that the framework captures several important features of model-based reasoning in a way that can reveal common student difficulties in the lab and guide the development of curricula that emphasize modeling in the laboratory. We also use the framework to examine troubleshooting in the lab and guide students to effective methods and strategies.

Toulmin's argument pattern as a "horizon of possibilities" in the study of argumentation in science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erduran, Sibel

2018-01-01

Kim and Roth (this issue) purport to draw on the social-psychological theory of L. S. Vygotsky in order to investigate social relations in children's argumentation in science topics. The authors argue that the argumentation framework offered by Stephen Toulmin is limited in addressing social relations. The authors thus criticize Toulmin's Argument Pattern (TAP) as an analytical tool and propose to investigate the genesis of evidence-related practices (especially burden of proof) in second- and third-grade children by studying dialogical interactions. In this paper, I illustrate how Toulmin's framework can contribute to (a) the study of "social relations", and (b) provide an example utilizing a theoretical framework on social relations, namely Engeström's Activity Theory framework, and (c) describe how we have used the Activity Theory along with TAP in order to understand the development of argumentation in the practices of science educators. Overall, I will argue that TAP is not inherently incapable of addressing social relational aspects of argumentation in science education but rather that science education researchers can transform theoretical tools such as Toulmin's framework intended for other purposes for use in science education research.

Assessing the formability of metallic sheets by means of localized and diffuse necking models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comşa, Dan-Sorin; Lǎzǎrescu, Lucian; Banabic, Dorel

2016-10-01

The main objective of the paper consists in elaborating a unified framework that allows the theoretical assessment of sheet metal formability. Hill's localized necking model and the Extended Maximum Force Criterion proposed by Mattiasson, Sigvant, and Larsson have been selected for this purpose. Both models are thoroughly described together with their solution procedures. A comparison of the theoretical predictions with experimental data referring to the formability of a DP600 steel sheet is also presented by the authors.

Analysis of Implicit Uncertain Systems. Part 1: Theoretical Framework

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-12-07

Analysis of Implicit Uncertain Systems Part I: Theoretical Framework Fernando Paganini * John Doyle 1 December 7, 1994 Abst rac t This paper...Analysis of Implicit Uncertain Systems Part I: Theoretical Framework 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S...model and a number of constraints relevant to the analysis problem under consideration. In Part I of this paper we propose a theoretical framework which

Blended Interaction Design: A Spatial Workspace Supporting HCI and Design Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geyer, Florian

This research investigates novel methods and techniques along with tool support that result from a conceptual blend of human-computer interaction with design practice. Using blending theory with material anchors as a theoretical framework, we frame both input spaces and explore emerging structures within technical, cognitive, and social aspects. Based on our results, we will describe a framework of the emerging structures and will design and evaluate tool support within a spatial, studio-like workspace to support collaborative creativity in interaction design.

The Internationalization of Creativity as a Learning Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jules, Tavis D.; Sundberg, Kelly Cebold

2018-01-01

This study uses a quantitative content analysis of learning competences -- as described and prescribed in 21st century frameworks -- and those competences evaluated by international assessments to explore the nexus between recommendation and reality. In drawing insights from the theoretical underpinnings of human capital theory we argue, with…

"Vygotsky's Neglected Legacy": Cultural-Historical Activity Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Wolff-Michael; Lee, Yew-Jin

2007-01-01

The authors describe an evolving theoretical framework that has been called one of the best kept secrets of academia: cultural-historical activity theory, the result of proposals Lev Vygotsky first articulated but that his students and followers substantially developed to constitute much expanded forms in its second and third generations. Besides…

Facilitating Facilitators: Enhancing PBL through a Structured Facilitator Development Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salinitri, Francine D.; Wilhelm, Sheila M.; Crabtree, Brian L.

2015-01-01

With increasing adoption of the problem-based learning (PBL) model, creative approaches to enhancing facilitator training and optimizing resources to maintain effective learning in small groups is essential. We describe a theoretical framework for the development of a PBL facilitator training program that uses the constructivist approach as the…

Developing Instructional Leaders through Assistant Principals' Academy: A Partnership for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gurley, D. Keith; Anast-May, Linda; Lee, H. T.

2015-01-01

This article describes findings from a single-case qualitative study of a unique 2-year professional development academy for practicing assistant principals designed and implemented in partnership between school district personnel and university educational leadership faculty members. The study was conducted based on the theoretical framework of…

The E-R-A Model: A Heuristic Framework for Classification of Skill Training Programs for Couples and Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulrici, Donna; And Others

1981-01-01

Provides a model for categorizing marital and family skill training programs according to their theoretical orientation. Describes emotional, reasoning, and action approaches to intervention which allow counselors to examine the relationship between client characteristics and intervention approaches. (JAC)

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Teaching Presence within Online Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Melinda G.; Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie L.; Zygouris-Coe, Vicky

2014-01-01

The Community of Inquiry model provides a framework for recognizing and evaluating interpersonal behaviors in online educational settings. One of its three components, teaching presence, describes behaviors that are under the auspices of the online instructor. By examining behaviors through the theoretical lens provided by teaching presence, and…

Developing Musical Creativity through Improvisation in the Large Performance Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norgaard, Martin

2017-01-01

Improvisation is an ideal way to develop musical creativity in ensemble settings. This article describes two prominent theoretical frameworks related to improvisation. Next, based on research with developing and expert improvisers, it discusses how to sequence improvisatory activities so that students feel accomplished at every step. Finally, the…

Cecilia Braslavsky and the New Educational Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filmus, Daniel

2005-01-01

This article describes Cecilia Braslavsky's role in the development of theoretical frameworks based on empirical research that, in the stage of restoration of democracy in Latin America, made it possible to advance in the construction of a Latin American socioeducational paradigm. This article discusses some propositions that may systematize the…

Teacher Education With an Inquiry Emphasis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, David P.

A program for prospective elementary and secondary teachers emphasizing inquiry and problem solving techniques for use in the classroom is described. In the conceptual framework of this program, a situation is defined as a set of circumstances that teachers commonly encounter, and an issue is a theoretical, ethical, or methodological question. A…

Learning from MOOCs: A Qualitative Case Study from the Learners' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Yeonjeong; Jung, Insung; Reeves, Thomas C.

2015-01-01

This study describes the massive open online course (MOOC) experiences of three educational technology scholars assuming the roles of learners. Adapting Carroll's model of school learning as a theoretical framework, the study employed an autoethnography method to collect empirical data in three different MOOCs. Data analysis from regularly…

Philosophic Processes and the Study of Human Moving.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bressan, Elizabeth S.; Pieter, Willy

1985-01-01

A theoretical framework describing second-order philosophical processes that can be productive for human movement studies is presented. The processes of edification and theory building can clarify issues, expand viewpoints, and establish systematic ways of dealing with a phenomenon, leading to the more mature forms of dialogues and theories. (MT)

Conscientization and Third Space: A Case Study of Tunisian Activism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boumlik, Habiba; Schwartz, Joni

2016-01-01

This case study examines, "Al Bawsala," a nongovernmental organization and a female cyber social activist, Amira Yahyaoui, in the aftermath of Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution through the lens of adult education. The theoretical frameworks of conscientization and third space are employed to describe Yahyaoui's development of the watchdog…

An Ecological Approach to the On-Line Assessment of Problem-Solving Paths: Principles and Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Robert E.; And Others

1997-01-01

Proposes a theoretical framework for designing online-situated assessment tools for multimedia instructional systems. Uses a graphic method based on ecological psychology to monitor student performance through a learning activity. Explores the method's feasibility in case studies describing instructional systems teaching critical-thinking and…

Authentic Leadership Development in the Classroom: A Narrative Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albert, Joseph F.; Vadla, Kaitlin

2009-01-01

This paper examines how a classroom designed process of constructing narratives about oneself, a group, and others helps students develop an authentic leadership voice. We begin by describing the theoretical framework behind our paper, which includes an overview of the notion of authenticity and the linkage between narrative and authentic…

Social Pedagogy in Modern Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosendal Jensen, Niels

2013-01-01

The article identifies several key concepts used to describe and categorize social pedagogy. The first section of the paper establishes a framework for considering the diversity that characterizes the field, including reflection on social pedagogy's theoretical, political and social dimensions. This is followed by a discussion based on a…

Learning Dispositions and the Role of Mutual Engagement: Factors for Consideration in Educational Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Judith; Jones, Carolyn; Carr, Margaret

2008-01-01

This article describes an emerging theoretical framework for examining relationships between learning dispositions and learning architecture. Three domains of learning dispositions--resilience, reciprocity and imagination--are discussed in relation to the structures and processes of early childhood education settings and new entrant classrooms.…

Developmental Designs: A Description of the Approach and Implementation in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwame-Ross, Terrance; Crawford, Linda; Klug, Erin

2011-01-01

This article describes the theoretical and conceptual framework upon which the Developmental Designs (DD) approach is based and four fundamental human needs especially compelling for adolescents. These are used as the foreground to explain and contextualize the Developmental Designs' 10 classroom practices and professional development…

Process-Product Research: A Cornerstone in Educational Effectiveness Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creemers, Bert; Kyriakides, Leonidas

2015-01-01

This article links the contribution of process-product studies in developing the theoretical framework of educational effectiveness by pointing out the importance of teacher behavior in the classroom. The role that Jere Brophy played in this evolving research is described within the various phases of teacher effectiveness research. Process-product…

Writing System Variation and Its Consequences for Reading and Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Peter T.; Share, David L.

2018-01-01

Most current theories of reading and dyslexia derive from a relatively narrow empirical base: research on English and a handful of other European alphabets. Furthermore, the two dominant theoretical frameworks for describing cross-script diversity--orthographic depth and psycholinguistic grain size theory--are also deeply entrenched in Anglophone…

Teaching and Learning Research Literacies in Graduate Adult Education: Appreciative Inquiry into Practitioners' Ways of Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lander, Dorothy A.

2002-01-01

Presents a theoretical framework for teaching and learning research literacies. Describes a classroom demonstration involving graduate student cohorts in appreciative inquiry into practitioners' ways of writing. Addresses the issues of human subjects, informed consent, and the ethics of representation. (Contains 49 references.) (SK)

Development of a Teaching Methodology for Undergraduate Human Development in Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Maria A.; Espinoza, José M.

2015-01-01

The development of a teaching methodology for the undergraduate Psychology course Human Development II in a private university in Lima, Peru is described. The theoretical framework consisted of an integration of Citizen Science and Service Learning, with the application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), specifically Wikipedia and…

Olson's "Cognitive Development": A Commentary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Follettie, Joseph F.

This report is a review of Olson's "Cognitive Development." Unlike a typical book review it does not compare and contrast the author's theoretical framework and methodological practices with those of others in the field, but rather it extensively describes and critiques the reported empirical work. The reasons given for this approach are that…

Academic Talent Development Programs: A Best Practices Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagné, Françoys

2015-01-01

This article aims to describe how schools should structure the development of academic talent at all levels of the K-12 educational system. Adopting as its theoretical framework the "Differentiating Model of Giftedness and Talent," the author proposes (a) a formal definition of academic talent development (ATD) inspired by the principles…

Czech Democracy and Civic Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, J. Joe

This paper describes and analyzes definitions of democracy and civic education of teachers and students in each of three types of secondary schools in an emerging democracy: the Czech Republic. The paper's theoretical framework is rooted in anthropological and sociological notions of the social context of culture that attend to the fact that all…

Comprehension Tools for Teachers: Reading for Understanding from Prekindergarten through Fourth Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connor, Carol McDonald; Phillips, Beth M.; Kaschak, Michael; Apel, Kenn; Kim, Young-Suk; Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Crowe, Elizabeth C.; Thomas-Tate, Shurita; Johnson, Lakeisha Cooper; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2014-01-01

This paper describes the theoretical framework, as well as the development and testing of the intervention, "Comprehension Tools for Teachers" (CTT), which is composed of eight component interventions targeting malleable language and reading comprehension skills that emerging research indicates contribute to proficient reading for…

A Coding Scheme to Analyse the Online Asynchronous Discussion Forums of University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biasutti, Michele

2017-01-01

The current study describes the development of a content analysis coding scheme to examine transcripts of online asynchronous discussion groups in higher education. The theoretical framework comprises the theories regarding knowledge construction in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) based on a sociocultural perspective. The coding…

A Notation for Rapid Specification of Information Visualization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Sang Yun

2013-01-01

This thesis describes a notation for rapid specification of information visualization, which can be used as a theoretical framework of integrating various types of information visualization, and its applications at a conceptual level. The notation is devised to codify the major characteristics of data/visual structures in conventionally-used…

Restorative Justice: Pedagogy, Praxis, and Discipline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Brenda E.; Vaandering, Dorothy

2012-01-01

In the ongoing effort of designing school contexts in support of proactive discipline, a range of practices and theoretical frameworks have been advanced, from behaviorist approaches to social and emotional learning. This article describes the theory and practice of restorative justice with the aim of defining this distinctive paradigm, in…

A Nascent Look at Theoretical Frameworks in Middle Level Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Cynthia; Netcoh, Steven

2015-01-01

This paper describes a qualitative content analysis of research articles published on middle level education in the last decade. This analysis was conducted on manuscripts appearing in two premier middle level education journals: "Middle Grades Research Journal" (MGRJ) and "Research in Middle Level Education Online" (RMLE) to…

Teaching Adult Ecojustice Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dentith, Audrey M.; Thompson, Onah P.

2017-01-01

An ecojustice seminar, held in May 2016 at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, is described in this chapter. The ecojustice theoretical framework, the seminar class design, and our findings relative to student learning as gleaned from follow-up focus groups, reflection papers, and online discussion are reported. Seminars such as…

New phenomena in non-equilibrium quantum physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitagawa, Takuya

From its beginning in the early 20th century, quantum theory has become progressively more important especially due to its contributions to the development of technologies. Quantum mechanics is crucial for current technology such as semiconductors, and also holds promise for future technologies such as superconductors and quantum computing. Despite of the success of quantum theory, its applications have been mostly limited to equilibrium or static systems due to 1. lack of experimental controllability of non-equilibrium quantum systems 2. lack of theoretical frameworks to understand non-equilibrium dynamics. Consequently, physicists have not yet discovered too many interesting phenomena in non-equilibrium quantum systems from both theoretical and experimental point of view and thus, non-equilibrium quantum physics did not attract too much attentions. The situation has recently changed due to the rapid development of experimental techniques in condensed matter as well as cold atom systems, which now enables a better control of non-equilibrium quantum systems. Motivated by this experimental progress, we constructed theoretical frameworks to study three different non-equilibrium regimes of transient dynamics, steady states and periodically drives. These frameworks provide new perspectives for dynamical quantum process, and help to discover new phenomena in these systems. In this thesis, we describe these frameworks through explicit examples and demonstrate their versatility. Some of these theoretical proposals have been realized in experiments, confirming the applicability of the theories to realistic experimental situations. These studies have led to not only the improved fundamental understanding of non-equilibrium processes in quantum systems, but also suggested entirely different venues for developing quantum technologies.

Making sense out of the emerging complexity inherent in professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prodromou, Theodosia; Robutti, Ornella; Panero, Monica

2017-12-01

This paper reports on a study of the process of professional development for mathematics teachers. The analysis connects two theoretical frameworks: the Meta-Didactical Transposition model developed by Arzarello et al. (2014), which describes the macro level, and, at the micro level, the idea of emergence, which has been around since at least the time of Aristotle and has been defined by Mill (1843), Lewes (1875), Blitz (1992), Huxley and Huxley (1947) and many others. The meta-didactical transposition model considers the evolution of teachers' practices as part of a community process, while the notion of emergence helps us to gain better insights into the details of the practices of individual teachers. This paper focuses on secondary school teachers' learning of new digital technologies to illuminate this theoretical framework.

Anomalous hydrodynamics kicks neutron stars

DOE PAGES

Kaminski, Matthias; Uhlemann, Christoph F.; Bleicher, Marcus; ...

2016-06-28

Observations show that, at the beginning of their existence, neutron stars are accelerated briskly to velocities of up to a thousand kilometers per second. We argue that this remarkable effect can be explained as a manifestation of quantum anomalies on astrophysical scales. To theoretically describe the early stage in the life of neutron stars we use hydrodynamics as a systematic effective-field-theory framework. Within this framework, anomalies of the Standard Model of particle physics as underlying microscopic theory imply the presence of a particular set of transport terms, whose form is completely fixed by theoretical consistency. Here, the resulting chiral transportmore » effects in proto-neutron stars enhance neutrino emission along the internal magnetic field, and the recoil can explain the order of magnitude of the observed kick velocities.« less

Use of theoretical and conceptual frameworks in qualitative research.

PubMed

Green, Helen Elise

2014-07-01

To debate the definition and use of theoretical and conceptual frameworks in qualitative research. There is a paucity of literature to help the novice researcher to understand what theoretical and conceptual frameworks are and how they should be used. This paper acknowledges the interchangeable usage of these terms and researchers' confusion about the differences between the two. It discusses how researchers have used theoretical and conceptual frameworks and the notion of conceptual models. Detail is given about how one researcher incorporated a conceptual framework throughout a research project, the purpose for doing so and how this led to a resultant conceptual model. Concepts from Abbott (1988) and Witz ( 1992 ) were used to provide a framework for research involving two case study sites. The framework was used to determine research questions and give direction to interviews and discussions to focus the research. Some research methods do not overtly use a theoretical framework or conceptual framework in their design, but this is implicit and underpins the method design, for example in grounded theory. Other qualitative methods use one or the other to frame the design of a research project or to explain the outcomes. An example is given of how a conceptual framework was used throughout a research project. Theoretical and conceptual frameworks are terms that are regularly used in research but rarely explained. Textbooks should discuss what they are and how they can be used, so novice researchers understand how they can help with research design. Theoretical and conceptual frameworks need to be more clearly understood by researchers and correct terminology used to ensure clarity for novice researchers.

Levels of theory and types of theoretical explanation in theoretical physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores, Francisco J.

In Newtonian physics, there is a clear distinction between a 'framework theory', a collection of general physical principles and definitions of physical terms, and theories that describe specific causal interactions such as gravitation, i.e., 'interaction theories'. I argue that this distinction between levels of theory can also be found in the context of Special Relativity and that recognizing it is essential for a philosophical account of how laws are explained in this theory. As a case study, I consider the history of derivations of mass-energy equivalence which shows, I argue, that there are two distinct types of theoretical explanations (i.e., explanations of laws) in physics. One type is best characterized by the 'top-down' account of scientific explanation, while the other is more accurately described by the 'bottom-up' account. What is significant, I argue, is that the type of explanation a law receives depends on whether it is part of the framework theory or part of an interaction theory. The former only receive 'top-down' explanations while the latter can also receive 'bottom- up' explanations. Thus, I argue that current debates regarding 'top-down' vs 'bottom-up' views of scientific explanation can be clarified by recognizing the distinction between two levels of physical theory.

Theoretical and numerical aspects of fluid-saturated elasto-plastic soils

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

Ehlers, W.

1995-12-31

The theoretical and numerical treatment of fluid-saturated porous solid materials generally falls into the category of porous media models, which are described within the framework of the classical theory of mixtures extended by the concept of volume fractions (porous media theories). In particular, this concept allows for the description of saturated, unsaturated and empty porous matrix materials, thus offering a well-founded theoretical background for a lot of engineering problems occurring, for instance, in the fields of geomechanics (soil and rock mechanics as well as glacier and rock ice mechanics), oil producing industries, sintering technologies, biomechanics, etc. In the present contribution,more » theoretical and numerical studies are outlined to describe a two-phase material composed of an incompressible elasto-plastic soil matrix saturated by an incompressible viscous pore fluid. In this context, the phenomenon of phase incompressibility is well known as a microscopic effect not implying bulk incompressibility in the macro regime. This is seen from the fact that even if the material density functions of the individual constituents are constant during deformation, the corresponding bulk densities can still change through changes in the volume fractions. Within the framework of a pure mechanical theory, constitutive equations are given for both the solid and the fluid partial stress tensors and for the interaction force acting between the two materials. Concerning the porous soil matrix, the elastic properties are described by an elasticity law of Hookean type, while the plastic range is governed by a {open_quote}single surface{close_quote} yield function exhibiting a smooth and closed shape in the principal stress space together with a non-associated flow rule. The viscosity effects of the pore fluid are included in the fluid stress tensor and in the drag force.« less

Combining statistical inference and decisions in ecology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Perry J.; Hooten, Mevin B.

2016-01-01

Statistical decision theory (SDT) is a sub-field of decision theory that formally incorporates statistical investigation into a decision-theoretic framework to account for uncertainties in a decision problem. SDT provides a unifying analysis of three types of information: statistical results from a data set, knowledge of the consequences of potential choices (i.e., loss), and prior beliefs about a system. SDT links the theoretical development of a large body of statistical methods including point estimation, hypothesis testing, and confidence interval estimation. The theory and application of SDT have mainly been developed and published in the fields of mathematics, statistics, operations research, and other decision sciences, but have had limited exposure in ecology. Thus, we provide an introduction to SDT for ecologists and describe its utility for linking the conventionally separate tasks of statistical investigation and decision making in a single framework. We describe the basic framework of both Bayesian and frequentist SDT, its traditional use in statistics, and discuss its application to decision problems that occur in ecology. We demonstrate SDT with two types of decisions: Bayesian point estimation, and an applied management problem of selecting a prescribed fire rotation for managing a grassland bird species. Central to SDT, and decision theory in general, are loss functions. Thus, we also provide basic guidance and references for constructing loss functions for an SDT problem.

Stochastic and Deterministic Models for the Metastatic Emission Process: Formalisms and Crosslinks.

PubMed

Gomez, Christophe; Hartung, Niklas

2018-01-01

Although the detection of metastases radically changes prognosis of and treatment decisions for a cancer patient, clinically undetectable micrometastases hamper a consistent classification into localized or metastatic disease. This chapter discusses mathematical modeling efforts that could help to estimate the metastatic risk in such a situation. We focus on two approaches: (1) a stochastic framework describing metastatic emission events at random times, formalized via Poisson processes, and (2) a deterministic framework describing the micrometastatic state through a size-structured density function in a partial differential equation model. Three aspects are addressed in this chapter. First, a motivation for the Poisson process framework is presented and modeling hypotheses and mechanisms are introduced. Second, we extend the Poisson model to account for secondary metastatic emission. Third, we highlight an inherent crosslink between the stochastic and deterministic frameworks and discuss its implications. For increased accessibility the chapter is split into an informal presentation of the results using a minimum of mathematical formalism and a rigorous mathematical treatment for more theoretically interested readers.

Theoretical foundations guiding culture change: The work of the Partnerships in Dementia Care Alliance

PubMed Central

Dupuis, Sherry; McAiney, Carrie A; Ploeg, Jenny; de Witt, Lorna

2016-01-01

Longstanding concerns about quality care provision, specifically in the area of long-term care, have prompted calls for changing the culture of care to reflect more client-driven and relationship-centred models. Despite an increase in culture change initiatives in both Canada and the United States, there is insufficient information about the theories and approaches that guide culture change. The purpose of this paper is to describe a culture change initiative currently underway in Canada, the Partnerships in Dementia Care Alliance, and the theoretical foundations informing our work. More specifically, we describe how the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of the Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias framework, the authentic partnership approach, participatory action research and Appreciative Inquiry have been integrated to guide a culture change process that encourages working collaboratively, thinking and doing differently and re-imagining new possibilities for changing the culture of dementia care. PMID:24419355

Theoretical foundations guiding culture change: The work of the Partnerships in Dementia Care Alliance.

PubMed

Dupuis, Sherry; McAiney, Carrie A; Fortune, Darla; Ploeg, Jenny; Witt, Lorna de

2016-01-01

Longstanding concerns about quality care provision, specifically in the area of long-term care, have prompted calls for changing the culture of care to reflect more client-driven and relationship-centred models. Despite an increase in culture change initiatives in both Canada and the United States, there is insufficient information about the theories and approaches that guide culture change. The purpose of this paper is to describe a culture change initiative currently underway in Canada, the Partnerships in Dementia Care Alliance, and the theoretical foundations informing our work. More specifically, we describe how the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of the Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias framework, the authentic partnership approach, participatory action research and Appreciative Inquiry have been integrated to guide a culture change process that encourages working collaboratively, thinking and doing differently and re-imagining new possibilities for changing the culture of dementia care. © The Author(s) 2014.

Disseminating research findings: what should researchers do? A systematic scoping review of conceptual frameworks

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Addressing deficiencies in the dissemination and transfer of research-based knowledge into routine clinical practice is high on the policy agenda both in the UK and internationally. However, there is lack of clarity between funding agencies as to what represents dissemination. Moreover, the expectations and guidance provided to researchers vary from one agency to another. Against this background, we performed a systematic scoping to identify and describe any conceptual/organising frameworks that could be used by researchers to guide their dissemination activity. Methods We searched twelve electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO), the reference lists of included studies and of individual funding agency websites to identify potential studies for inclusion. To be included, papers had to present an explicit framework or plan either designed for use by researchers or that could be used to guide dissemination activity. Papers which mentioned dissemination (but did not provide any detail) in the context of a wider knowledge translation framework, were excluded. References were screened independently by at least two reviewers; disagreements were resolved by discussion. For each included paper, the source, the date of publication, a description of the main elements of the framework, and whether there was any implicit/explicit reference to theory were extracted. A narrative synthesis was undertaken. Results Thirty-three frameworks met our inclusion criteria, 20 of which were designed to be used by researchers to guide their dissemination activities. Twenty-eight included frameworks were underpinned at least in part by one or more of three different theoretical approaches, namely persuasive communication, diffusion of innovations theory, and social marketing. Conclusions There are currently a number of theoretically-informed frameworks available to researchers that can be used to help guide their dissemination planning and activity. Given the current emphasis on enhancing the uptake of knowledge about the effects of interventions into routine practice, funders could consider encouraging researchers to adopt a theoretically-informed approach to their research dissemination. PMID:21092164

Learning with an App? It's a Walk in the Park

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pombo, Lúcia

2018-01-01

This article describes how the EduPARK Research and Development Project promotes articulation between research, teachers, professional practice, and initial and advanced teacher training, constituting a very useful theoretical and practical framework, with impact not only in schools, but also in the community and in the tourism sector. The EduPARK…

Evaluating Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Students' Expository Writing: Task Development, Scoring, and Psychometric Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kulikowich, Jonna M.; Mason, Linda H.; Brown, Scott W.

2008-01-01

Drawing from multiple theoretical frameworks representing cognitive and educational psychology, we present a writing task and scoring system for measurement of students' informative writing. Participants in this study were 72 fifth- and sixth-grade students who wrote compositions describing real-world problems and how mathematics, science, and…

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Teaching Presence within the Florida Online Reading Professional Development Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevison, Melinda Gay

2009-01-01

The Community of Inquiry model provides a framework for recognizing and evaluating interpersonal behaviors in online educational settings. One of its three components, teaching presence (TP), describes those behaviors that are under the auspices of the online instructor. By examining these interactions and behaviors through the theoretical lens…

Students Learn English Better… Learning to Teach It!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noel, Barbara

2008-01-01

This article provides a brief theoretical framework as well as literature review and describes the activities of an on-going research program which examines the experiences of students and professors at a specialized bilingual teacher's college in the Republic of Colombia, South America. It follows the development of a new pedagogical model as…

U.S. Comparative and International Graduate Programs: An Overview of Programmatic Size, Relevance, Philosophy, and Methodology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Timothy A.

2011-01-01

Previous work has concentrated on the epistemological foundation of comparative and international education (CIE) graduate programs. This study focuses on programmatic size, philosophy, methodology, and pedagogy. It begins by reviewing previous studies. It then provides a theoretical framework and describes the size, relevance, content, and…

Optical method for measuring the surface area of a threaded fastener

Treesearch

Douglas Rammer; Samuel Zelinka

2010-01-01

This article highlights major aspects of a new optical technique to determine the surface area of a threaded fastener; the theoretical framework has been reported elsewhere. Specifically, this article describes general surface area expressions used in the analysis, details of image acquisition system, and major image processing steps contained within the measurement...

Multicultural Leadership in School Counseling: An Autophenomenography of an African American School Counselor's Successes and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wines, Lisa A.

2013-01-01

This autophenomenography describes multicultural leadership in school counseling from the perspective of a female African American school counselor; who served as a lead counselor, researcher, and participant of a research study, while employed in a predominantly White-culture school district. The theoretical framework grounding this study was…

Engaging Indigenous Urban Youth in Environmental Learning: The Importance of Place Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swayze, Natalie

2009-01-01

This paper describes the evolution of an environmental learning program for Indigenous, urban youth called Bridging the Gap. A critical pedagogy of place provides a theoretical framework to engage in practitioner-reflection, exploring the decisions made while revising the original program to make it both culturally and ecologically relevant. Using…

High-Quality Music Teacher Professional Development: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bautista, Alfredo; Yau, Xenia; Wong, Joanne

2017-01-01

Most published journal articles describing professional development (PD) initiatives for K-12 music teachers have not explicitly alluded to the "features of high-quality PD", a solid theoretical framework arisen in content areas with more tradition in PD research (e.g. mathematics and science education). The goal of this review was to…

Consequences of Contextual Factors on Clinical Reasoning in Resident Physicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBee, Elexis; Ratcliffe, Temple; Picho, Katherine; Artino, Anthony R., Jr.; Schuwirth, Lambert; Kelly, William; Masel, Jennifer; van der Vleuten, Cees; Durning, Steven J.

2015-01-01

Context specificity and the impact that contextual factors have on the complex process of clinical reasoning is poorly understood. Using situated cognition as the theoretical framework, our aim was to evaluate the verbalized clinical reasoning processes of resident physicians in order to describe what impact the presence of contextual factors have…

Grappling with Distributed Usability: A Cultural-Historical Examination of Documentation Genres Over Four Decades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spinuzzi, Clay

2001-01-01

Describes and illustrates a distributed approach to usability (envisioning usability across the genres, practices, uses, and goals of a given activity) using a four-decade examination of a traffic accident location and analysis system. Uses the theoretical framework of "genre ecologies" to show how communities of users interact with…

Identity as a Nexus of Affect and Discourse in Mathematical Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyd-Metzuyanim, Einhat

2017-01-01

This theoretical paper suggests identity as a nexus of research on affect and discourse in mathematical learning. It broadens Sfard and Prusak's (2005) discursive definition of identity by building on an analytical framework that examines positioning of students at three levels: the objects described, the interactions achieved, and the alignment…

Uses of Children's Make-Believe Play in Family Therapy: Theory and Clinical Examples.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ariel, Shlomo; And Others

1985-01-01

Presents and illustrates by clinical examples a theoretical framework for developing, describing, and analyzing family-therapeutic techniques involving make-believe play. Induces specifications of the therapeutic goals served by the technique and its procedural details and an analysis of its rationale. Draws on a definition of the concept…

Conceptualisations of Disability and Inclusion: Perspectives of Educators of Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornton, Colleen; Underwood, Kathryn

2013-01-01

This grounded theory study explores beliefs about disability and inclusion from the perspectives of educators of young children in their respective roles as elementary school teachers and early childhood educators, in Ontario, Canada. The social relational model described by Reindal is used as a theoretical framework for interviews with four…

The Dimensions of Successful Young Adult Development: A Conceptual and Measurement Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scales, Peter C.; Benson, Peter L.; Oesterle, Sabrina; Hill, Karl G.; Hawkins, J. David; Pashak, Travis J.

2016-01-01

In this article, we draw on the theoretical and empirical literature to name what appear to be core dimensions of successful young adult development. We also describe some possible indicators and measures of those dimensions and sketch the kinds of developmental relationships and opportunities young people need in adolescence to effectively…

Collaboration, Creativity and the Co-Construction of Oral and Written Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas-Drummond, S. M.; Albarran, C. D.; Littleton, K. S.

2008-01-01

In this paper we explore how primary school children "learn to collaborate" and "collaborate to learn" on creative writing projects by using diverse cultural artefacts--including oracy, literacy and ICT. We begin by reviewing some key sociocultural concepts which serve as a theoretical framework for the research reported. Secondly, we describe the…

A Study of How Certified and Noncertified Automotive Curriculum Impact Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanDalsem, B.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to examine whether written curriculum for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified and non-certified training programs better prepares students for entry-level positions. The theoretical framework based on research by Frase described methodologies for comparing curricula at the system, school, and classroom…

Tracking Trout: Engaging Students in Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhammouri, Ahmad M.; Foley, Gregory D.; Dael, Kevin

2018-01-01

In this article, the authors describe how a theoretical framework--the modeling cycle of Bliss, Fowler, and Galluzzo (2014)--came to life in their classroom as students struggled with an open-ended modeling task. The authors share their high school students' work--warts and all. They explain how they used their students' ideas and errors to help…

Schooling as a Knowledge System: Lessons from Cramim Experimental School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, David

2010-01-01

This article describes an experiment utilizing a research and development strategy to design and implement an innovative school for the future. The development of Cramim Elementary School was a joint effort of researchers from Tel-Aviv University and the staff of the school. The design stage involved constructing a new theoretical framework that…

Elementary Teachers' Participation in Edmodo as a Community of Practice: A Phenomenology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reasoner, Cynthia Rush

2017-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the shared, lived experience of elementary teachers' participation in Edmodo as a community of practice. The theoretical framework guiding this research included Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice theory and Bandura's social learning theory (1977, 1984) which explained how…

Schools in the Nexus of Neoliberal Urban Transformation and Education Policy Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayhan, Sezen; Caner, Ayse

2017-01-01

Drawing on field research carried out on Istanbul school geography, this paper analyzes the co-constitutive relationship between school spaces and urban transformation in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey. Following a brief discussion of its theoretical framework, the paper describes how relocation of Istanbul inner-city public schools has…

Collaborative Data-Driven Decision Making: A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experiences of Primary Grade Classroom Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ralston, Christine R.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the lived experiences of primary classroom teachers participating in collaborative data-driven decision making. Hermeneutic phenomenology served as the theoretical framework. Data were collected by conducting interviews with thirteen classroom teachers who taught in grades kindergarten through…

Literacy in the 21st Century: Supporting Struggling Adolescent Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Julie Annette

2013-01-01

The purpose of this narrative bounded case study research was to describe the different perspectives of five struggling readers regarding contributing factors to their literacy experiences and success. The theoretical framework used to make meaning included: (a) high schools and literacy, (b) school culture, (c) motivation, (d) technology, and (e)…

Inside the College Writing Gap: Exploring the Mixed Messages of Remediation Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Relles, Stefani R.; Duncheon, Julia C.

2018-01-01

This case study offers a qualitative perspective on a relationship between institutional structures and student outcomes. The data describe the conditions in 10 English remediation classrooms at one urban community college district. The study uses new literacies as a theoretical framework with which to understand how these conditions supported…

Models of Sexual and Relational Orientation: A Critical Review and Synthesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moe, Jeffry L.; Reicherzer, Stacee; Dupuy, Paula J.

2011-01-01

Many frameworks exist to explain and describe the phenomenon of same-sex sexuality as it applies to human development. This conceptual article provides a critical overview and synthesis of previous models to serve as a theoretical bridge for the suggested multiple continua model of sexual and relational orientations. Recommendations for how…

Latina/o Parent Organizing for Educational Justice: An Ethnographic Account of Community Building and Radical Healing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nygreen, Kysa

2017-01-01

This article describes a parent organizing effort with Latina/o immigrant parents in a large, high-poverty, racially and linguistically diverse urban school district. Drawing from ethnographic research and the theoretical framework of "mujerismo," it examines the relational processes of community building and radical healing that…

Come to the River: Using Spirituality to Cope, Resist, and Develop Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watt, Sherry K.

2003-01-01

This chapter describes and discusses spiritual lives of African American female college students, including elements of coping, resisting, and developing identity. The theoretical frameworks of James Fowler, Sharon Parks, and Linda James Myers are viewed through the lens of experiences of African American women in college. Qualitative research…

Understanding Interscholastic Athletic Administrator Experiences and Challenges: The Importance of Mentoring and Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frawley, Liam

2016-01-01

It was not known how 12 full-time public high school interscholastic athletic administrators in southeast New York explained and described how professional mentoring and collaboration influenced their leadership skills. Bandura's social cognitive theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. A purposeful sample was drawn from a…

"No One Ever Did This to Me Before": Contemporary American Indian Texts in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purdy, John

1992-01-01

Outlines a theoretical framework to help students seek patterns in the diverse content and styles of American Indian literary works. Describes four elements: differentiation, or the "signs" of Indian culture; investigation, evoking the reader's sense of history and cosmos; affirmation of Native American identity and communal values; and…

Validation of the theoretical domains framework for use in behaviour change and implementation research.

PubMed

Cane, James; O'Connor, Denise; Michie, Susan

2012-04-24

An integrative theoretical framework, developed for cross-disciplinary implementation and other behaviour change research, has been applied across a wide range of clinical situations. This study tests the validity of this framework. Validity was investigated by behavioural experts sorting 112 unique theoretical constructs using closed and open sort tasks. The extent of replication was tested by Discriminant Content Validation and Fuzzy Cluster Analysis. There was good support for a refinement of the framework comprising 14 domains of theoretical constructs (average silhouette value 0.29): 'Knowledge', 'Skills', 'Social/Professional Role and Identity', 'Beliefs about Capabilities', 'Optimism', 'Beliefs about Consequences', 'Reinforcement', 'Intentions', 'Goals', 'Memory, Attention and Decision Processes', 'Environmental Context and Resources', 'Social Influences', 'Emotions', and 'Behavioural Regulation'. The refined Theoretical Domains Framework has a strengthened empirical base and provides a method for theoretically assessing implementation problems, as well as professional and other health-related behaviours as a basis for intervention development.

Navigation in Unfamiliar Cities: A Review of the Literature and a Theoretical Framework (Navigeren in Onbekende Steden: Een Literatuurstudie en een Theoretisch Kader)

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-02

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND A J.M.C. Schraagen THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2 Nothing from this issue may be reproduced and/or published by print, photoprint...Availability Codes Dist Special 5 Report No.: IZF 1989-36 Title: Navigation in unfamiliar cities: a review of the literature and a theoretical framework Author... theoretical framework sketched above suggests that some people may be better in encoding spatial informa- tion than others. This may be because of their

Time-Variable Phenomena in the Jovian System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belton, Michael J. S. (Editor); West, Robert A. (Editor); Rahe, Jurgen (Editor); Pereyda, Margarita

1989-01-01

The current state of knowledge of dynamic processes in the Jovian system is assessed and summaries are provided of both theoretical and observational foundations upon which future research might be based. There are three sections: satellite phenomena and rings; magnetospheric phenomena, Io's torus, and aurorae; and atmospheric phenomena. Each chapter discusses time dependent theoretical framework for understanding and interpreting what is observed; others describe the evidence and nature of observed changes or their absence. A few chapters provide historical perspective and attempt to present a comprehensive synthesis of the current state of knowledge.

Developing theoretically based and culturally appropriate interventions to promote hepatitis B testing in 4 Asian American populations, 2006-2011.

PubMed

Maxwell, Annette E; Bastani, Roshan; Glenn, Beth A; Taylor, Victoria M; Nguyen, Tung T; Stewart, Susan L; Burke, Nancy J; Chen, Moon S

2014-05-01

Hepatitis B infection is 5 to 12 times more common among Asian Americans than in the general US population and is the leading cause of liver disease and liver cancer among Asians. The purpose of this article is to describe the step-by-step approach that we followed in community-based participatory research projects in 4 Asian American groups, conducted from 2006 through 2011 in California and Washington state to develop theoretically based and culturally appropriate interventions to promote hepatitis B testing. We provide examples to illustrate how intervention messages addressing identical theoretical constructs of the Health Behavior Framework were modified to be culturally appropriate for each community. Intervention approaches included mass media in the Vietnamese community, small-group educational sessions at churches in the Korean community, and home visits by lay health workers in the Hmong and Cambodian communities. Use of the Health Behavior Framework allowed a systematic approach to intervention development across populations, resulting in 4 different culturally appropriate interventions that addressed the same set of theoretical constructs. The development of theory-based health promotion interventions for different populations will advance our understanding of which constructs are critical to modify specific health behaviors.

Very Long (> 48 hours) Shifts and Cardiovascular Strain in Firefighters: a Theoretical Framework

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Shift work and overtime have been implicated as important work-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many firefighters who contractually work on a 24-hr work schedule, often do overtime (additional 24-hr shifts) which can result in working multiple, consecutive 24-hr shifts. Very little research has been conducted on firefighters at work that examines the impact of performing consecutive 24-hr shifts on cardiovascular physiology. Also, there have been no standard field methods for assessing in firefighters the cardiovascular changes that result from 24-hr shifts, what we call “cardiovascular strain”. The objective of this study, as the first step toward elucidating the role of very long (> 48 hrs) shifts in the development of CVD in firefighters, is to develop and describe a theoretical framework for studying cardiovascular strain in firefighters on very long shifts (i.e., > 2 consecutive 24-hr shifts). The developed theoretical framework was built on an extensive literature review, our recently completed studies with firefighters in Southern California, e-mail and discussions with several firefighters on their experiences of consecutive shifts, and our recently conducted feasibility study in a small group of firefighters of several ambulatory cardiovascular strain biomarkers (heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure, salivary cortisol, and salivary C-reactive protein). The theoretical framework developed in this study will facilitate future field studies on consecutive 24-hr shifts and cardiovascular health in firefighters. Also it will increase our understanding of the mechanisms by which shift work or long work hours can affect CVD, particularly through CVD biological risk factors, and thereby inform policy about sustainable work and rest schedules for firefighters. PMID:24602344

Very Long (> 48 hours) Shifts and Cardiovascular Strain in Firefighters: a Theoretical Framework.

PubMed

Choi, Bongkyoo; Schnall, Peter L; Dobson, Marnie; Garcia-Rivas, Javier; Kim, Hyoungryoul; Zaldivar, Frank; Israel, Leslie; Baker, Dean

2014-03-06

Shift work and overtime have been implicated as important work-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many firefighters who contractually work on a 24-hr work schedule, often do overtime (additional 24-hr shifts) which can result in working multiple, consecutive 24-hr shifts. Very little research has been conducted on firefighters at work that examines the impact of performing consecutive 24-hr shifts on cardiovascular physiology. Also, there have been no standard field methods for assessing in firefighters the cardiovascular changes that result from 24-hr shifts, what we call "cardiovascular strain". The objective of this study, as the first step toward elucidating the role of very long (> 48 hrs) shifts in the development of CVD in firefighters, is to develop and describe a theoretical framework for studying cardiovascular strain in firefighters on very long shifts (i.e., > 2 consecutive 24-hr shifts). The developed theoretical framework was built on an extensive literature review, our recently completed studies with firefighters in Southern California, e-mail and discussions with several firefighters on their experiences of consecutive shifts, and our recently conducted feasibility study in a small group of firefighters of several ambulatory cardiovascular strain biomarkers (heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure, salivary cortisol, and salivary C-reactive protein). The theoretical framework developed in this study will facilitate future field studies on consecutive 24-hr shifts and cardiovascular health in firefighters. Also it will increase our understanding of the mechanisms by which shift work or long work hours can affect CVD, particularly through CVD biological risk factors, and thereby inform policy about sustainable work and rest schedules for firefighters.

Comparison of Coarse-Grained Approaches in Predicting Polymer Nanocomposite Phase Behavior

DOE PAGES

Koski, Jason P.; Ferrier, Robert C.; Krook, Nadia M.; ...

2017-11-02

Because of the considerable parameter space, efficient theoretical and simulation methods are required to predict the morphology and guide experiments in polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). Unfortunately, theoretical and simulation methods are restricted in their ability to accurately map to experiments based on necessary approximations and numerical limitations. In this study, we provide direct comparisons of two recently developed coarse-grained approaches for modeling polymer nanocomposites (PNCs): polymer nanocomposite field theory (PNC-FT) and dynamic mean-field theory (DMFT). These methods are uniquely suited to efficiently capture mesoscale phase behavior of PNCs in comparison to other theoretical and simulation frameworks. We demonstrate the ability ofmore » both methods to capture macrophase separation and describe the thermodynamics of PNCs. We systematically test how the nanoparticle morphology in PNCs is affected by a uniform probability distribution of grafting sites, common in field-based methods, versus random discrete grafting sites on the nanoparticle surface. We also analyze the accuracy of the mean-field approximation in capturing the phase behavior of PNCs. Moreover, the DMFT method introduces the ability to describe nonequilibrium phase behavior while the PNC-FT method is strictly an equilibrium method. With the DMFT method we are able to show the evolution of nonequilibrium states toward their equilibrium state and a qualitative assessment of the dynamics in these systems. These simulations are compared to experiments consisting of polystyrene grafted gold nanorods in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix to ensure the model gives results that qualitatively agree with the experiments. This study reveals that nanoparticles in a relatively high matrix molecular weight are trapped in a nonequilibrium state and demonstrates the utility of the DMFT framework in capturing nonequilibrium phase behavior of PNCs. In conclusion, both the PNC-FT and DMFT framework are promising methods to describe the thermodynamic and nonequilibrium phase behavior of PNCs.« less

Comparison of Coarse-Grained Approaches in Predicting Polymer Nanocomposite Phase Behavior

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

Koski, Jason P.; Ferrier, Robert C.; Krook, Nadia M.

Because of the considerable parameter space, efficient theoretical and simulation methods are required to predict the morphology and guide experiments in polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). Unfortunately, theoretical and simulation methods are restricted in their ability to accurately map to experiments based on necessary approximations and numerical limitations. In this study, we provide direct comparisons of two recently developed coarse-grained approaches for modeling polymer nanocomposites (PNCs): polymer nanocomposite field theory (PNC-FT) and dynamic mean-field theory (DMFT). These methods are uniquely suited to efficiently capture mesoscale phase behavior of PNCs in comparison to other theoretical and simulation frameworks. We demonstrate the ability ofmore » both methods to capture macrophase separation and describe the thermodynamics of PNCs. We systematically test how the nanoparticle morphology in PNCs is affected by a uniform probability distribution of grafting sites, common in field-based methods, versus random discrete grafting sites on the nanoparticle surface. We also analyze the accuracy of the mean-field approximation in capturing the phase behavior of PNCs. Moreover, the DMFT method introduces the ability to describe nonequilibrium phase behavior while the PNC-FT method is strictly an equilibrium method. With the DMFT method we are able to show the evolution of nonequilibrium states toward their equilibrium state and a qualitative assessment of the dynamics in these systems. These simulations are compared to experiments consisting of polystyrene grafted gold nanorods in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix to ensure the model gives results that qualitatively agree with the experiments. This study reveals that nanoparticles in a relatively high matrix molecular weight are trapped in a nonequilibrium state and demonstrates the utility of the DMFT framework in capturing nonequilibrium phase behavior of PNCs. In conclusion, both the PNC-FT and DMFT framework are promising methods to describe the thermodynamic and nonequilibrium phase behavior of PNCs.« less

Theoretical study of strength of elastic-plastic water-saturated interface under constrained shear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimaki, Andrey V.; Shilko, Evgeny V.; Psakhie, Sergey G.

2016-11-01

This paper presents a theoretical study of shear strength of an elastic-plastic water-filled interface between elastic permeable blocks under compression. The medium is described within the discrete element method. The relationship between the stress-strain state of the solid skeleton and pore pressure of a liquid is described in the framework of the Biot's model of poroelasticity. The simulation demonstrates that shear strength of an elastic-plastic interface depends non-linearly on the values of permeability and loading to a great extent. We have proposed an empirical relation that approximates the obtained results of the numerical simulation in assumption of the interplay of dilation of the material and mass transfer of the liquid.

An algorithm for hyperspectral remote sensing of aerosols: 1. Development of theoretical framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Weizhen; Wang, Jun; Xu, Xiaoguang; Reid, Jeffrey S.; Han, Dong

2016-07-01

This paper describes the first part of a series of investigations to develop algorithms for simultaneous retrieval of aerosol parameters and surface reflectance from a newly developed hyperspectral instrument, the GEOstationary Trace gas and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GEO-TASO), by taking full advantage of available hyperspectral measurement information in the visible bands. We describe the theoretical framework of an inversion algorithm for the hyperspectral remote sensing of the aerosol optical properties, in which major principal components (PCs) for surface reflectance is assumed known, and the spectrally dependent aerosol refractive indices are assumed to follow a power-law approximation with four unknown parameters (two for real and two for imaginary part of refractive index). New capabilities for computing the Jacobians of four Stokes parameters of reflected solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere with respect to these unknown aerosol parameters and the weighting coefficients for each PC of surface reflectance are added into the UNified Linearized Vector Radiative Transfer Model (UNL-VRTM), which in turn facilitates the optimization in the inversion process. Theoretical derivations of the formulas for these new capabilities are provided, and the analytical solutions of Jacobians are validated against the finite-difference calculations with relative error less than 0.2%. Finally, self-consistency check of the inversion algorithm is conducted for the idealized green-vegetation and rangeland surfaces that were spectrally characterized by the U.S. Geological Survey digital spectral library. It shows that the first six PCs can yield the reconstruction of spectral surface reflectance with errors less than 1%. Assuming that aerosol properties can be accurately characterized, the inversion yields a retrieval of hyperspectral surface reflectance with an uncertainty of 2% (and root-mean-square error of less than 0.003), which suggests self-consistency in the inversion framework. The next step of using this framework to study the aerosol information content in GEO-TASO measurements is also discussed.

Energetic particle instabilities in fusion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharapov, S. E.; Alper, B.; Berk, H. L.; Borba, D. N.; Breizman, B. N.; Challis, C. D.; Classen, I. G. J.; Edlund, E. M.; Eriksson, J.; Fasoli, A.; Fredrickson, E. D.; Fu, G. Y.; Garcia-Munoz, M.; Gassner, T.; Ghantous, K.; Goloborodko, V.; Gorelenkov, N. N.; Gryaznevich, M. P.; Hacquin, S.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Hellesen, C.; Kiptily, V. G.; Kramer, G. J.; Lauber, P.; Lilley, M. K.; Lisak, M.; Nabais, F.; Nazikian, R.; Nyqvist, R.; Osakabe, M.; Perez von Thun, C.; Pinches, S. D.; Podesta, M.; Porkolab, M.; Shinohara, K.; Schoepf, K.; Todo, Y.; Toi, K.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Voitsekhovich, I.; White, R. B.; Yavorskij, V.; TG, ITPA EP; Contributors, JET-EFDA

2013-10-01

Remarkable progress has been made in diagnosing energetic particle instabilities on present-day machines and in establishing a theoretical framework for describing them. This overview describes the much improved diagnostics of Alfvén instabilities and modelling tools developed world-wide, and discusses progress in interpreting the observed phenomena. A multi-machine comparison is presented giving information on the performance of both diagnostics and modelling tools for different plasma conditions outlining expectations for ITER based on our present knowledge.

Coupling biology and oceanography in models.

PubMed

Fennel, W; Neumann, T

2001-08-01

The dynamics of marine ecosystems, i.e. the changes of observable chemical-biological quantities in space and time, are driven by biological and physical processes. Predictions of future developments of marine systems need a theoretical framework, i.e. models, solidly based on research and understanding of the different processes involved. The natural way to describe marine systems theoretically seems to be the embedding of chemical-biological models into circulation models. However, while circulation models are relatively advanced the quantitative theoretical description of chemical-biological processes lags behind. This paper discusses some of the approaches and problems in the development of consistent theories and indicates the beneficial potential of the coupling of marine biology and oceanography in models.

The Foundations Framework for Developing and Reporting New Models of Care for Multimorbidity

PubMed Central

Stokes, Jonathan; Man, Mei-See; Guthrie, Bruce; Mercer, Stewart W.; Salisbury, Chris; Bower, Peter

2017-01-01

PURPOSE Multimorbidity challenges health systems globally. New models of care are urgently needed to better manage patients with multimorbidity; however, there is no agreed framework for designing and reporting models of care for multimorbidity and their evaluation. METHODS Based on findings from a literature search to identify models of care for multimorbidity, we developed a framework to describe these models. We illustrate the application of the framework by identifying the focus and gaps in current models of care, and by describing the evolution of models over time. RESULTS Our framework describes each model in terms of its theoretical basis and target population (the foundations of the model) and of the elements of care implemented to deliver the model. We categorized elements of care into 3 types: (1) clinical focus, (2) organization of care, (3) support for model delivery. Application of the framework identified a limited use of theory in model design and a strong focus on some patient groups (elderly, high users) more than others (younger patients, deprived populations). We found changes in elements with time, with a decrease in models implementing home care and an increase in models offering extended appointments. CONCLUSIONS By encouragin greater clarity about the underpinning theory and target population, and by categorizing the wide range of potentially important elements of an intervention to improve care for patients with multimorbidity, the framework may be useful in designing and reporting models of care and help advance the currently limited evidence base. PMID:29133498

A Social-Cognitive Theoretical Framework for Examining Music Teacher Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClellan, Edward

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine a diverse range of research literature to provide a social-cognitive theoretical framework as a foundation for definition of identity construction in the music teacher education program. The review of literature may reveal a theoretical framework based around tenets of commonly studied constructs in the…

Penetration with Long Rods: A Theoretical Framework and Comparison with Instrumented Impacts

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-01

program to begin probing the details of the interaction process. The theoretical framework underlying such a program is explained in detail. The theory of...of the time sequence of events during penetration. Data from one series of experiments, reported in detail elsewhere, is presented and discussed within the theoretical framework .

Parental coping in the context of having a child who is facing death: A theoretical framework.

PubMed

Darlington, Anne-Sophie E; Korones, David N; Norton, Sally A

2017-07-13

While improvements in healthcare have resulted in children with complex and life-threatening conditions living longer, a proportion of them still die. The death of a child puts parents at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and complicated grief. Increasing our understanding of the coping strategies that parents use under such extreme circumstances will enable us to best provide support to families, before and after a child's death. Our aim herein was to develop a theoretical framework of parental coping. Evidence from the literature was employed to develop a theoretical framework to describe parental coping in the context of having a child with a life-limiting illness who is declining and facing eventual death. The reasoning and argument consists of three guiding elements: (1) the importance of approach as well as avoidance (as coping strategies) in the context of managing the extreme emotions; (2) the importance of the social aspect of coping within a family, whereby parents cope for others as well as for themselves; and (3) the importance of a flexible and balanced coping profile, with parents using different coping strategies simultaneously. Central to the proposed framework is that effective coping, in terms of adjustment, is achieved by balancing coping strategies: accessing different coping strategies simultaneously or in parallel with a specific focus on (1) approach and avoidance and (2) coping aimed at self and others. Understanding of parental coping strategies is essential for health professionals in order to support parents effectively.

Promotion of Cultural Content Knowledge through the Use of the History and Philosophy of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galili, Igal

2012-01-01

Historical excurse was suggested as a beneficial form of using the history and philosophy of science in the modules of learning materials developed within the History and Philosophy in Science Teaching project. The paper briefly describes the theoretical framework of the produced modules, addressing ontological and epistemological aspects of…

"Everything Is about Balance": Graduate Education Faculty and the Navigation of Difficult Discourses on Race

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray-Johnson, Kayon; Ross-Gordon, Jovita M.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this multiple case study was to describe the experiences of graduate education faculty of varying racial/ethnic backgrounds, learning to navigate difficult discourses on race effectively over time. The study employed positionality as a theoretical framework. Findings indicate that faculty balance what we refer to as "strategies…

The Instrumental Genesis Process in Future Primary Teachers Using Dynamic Geometry Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruiz-López, Natalia

2018-01-01

This paper, which describes a study undertaken with pairs of future primary teachers using GeoGebra software to solve geometry problems, includes a brief literature review, the theoretical framework and methodology used. An analysis of the instrumental genesis process for a pair participating in the case study is also provided. This analysis…

The Administrator Training Program. A Model of Educational Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Funderburg, Jean; And Others

This paper describes the Administrator Training Program (ATP), a joint venture between San Jose Unified School District and Stanford University. A discussion of the ATP's theoretical framework is followed by an outline of the structure and content of the program and a review of the ATP outcomes. Then the generic elements of the ATP model are…

Linguistics and the Study of Literature. Linguistics in the Undergraduate Curriculum, Appendix 4-D.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steward, Ann Harleman

Linguistics gives the student of literature an analytical tool whose sole purpose is to describe faithfully the workings of language. It provides a theoretical framework, an analytical method, and a vocabulary for communicating its insights--all designed to serve concerns other than literary interpretation and evaluation, but all useful for…

A Working Typology of Intentions Driving Face-to-Face and Online Interaction in a Graduate Teacher Education Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vrasidas, Charalambos

2002-01-01

Describes a study that examined the intentions, social organization, and meaning of online interaction in a graduate distance education course in teacher education delivered by a combination of online and face-to-face instruction. Explains the theoretical framework which was based on symbolic interactionism and the methodological approach which…

Beyond Logic--Entering the Realm of Mystery: Hermeneutic Phenomenology as a Tool for Reflecting on Children's Spirituality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyde, Brendan

2005-01-01

This paper suggests hermeneutic phenomenology as a theoretical framework for reflecting, interpreting and gaining insight into children's spirituality. It describes an episode that took place in a Year 5 classroom involving a 10-year-old child and his response to an Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime story. The possibilities this observed incident…

The Model Method: Singapore Children's Tool for Representing and Solving Algebraic Word Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ng, Swee Fong; Lee, Kerry

2009-01-01

Solving arithmetic and algebraic word problems is a key component of the Singapore elementary mathematics curriculum. One heuristic taught, the model method, involves drawing a diagram to represent key information in the problem. We describe the model method and a three-phase theoretical framework supporting its use. We conducted 2 studies to…

Researching the Impact of Teacher Professional Development Programmes Based on Action Research, Constructivism, and Systems Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zehetmeier, Stefan; Andreitz, Irina; Erlacher, Willibald; Rauch, Franz

2015-01-01

This paper deals with the topic of professional development programmes' impact. Concepts and ideas of action research, constructivism, and systems theory are used as a theoretical framework and are combined to describe and analyse an exemplary professional development programme in Austria. Empirical findings from both quantitative and qualitative…

The Design and Development of the Phillips-Patterson Test of Inference Ability in Reading Comprehension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Linda M.

The design and development of a test of inference ability in reading comprehension for grades 6, 7, and 8 (the Phillips-Patterson Test of Inference Ability in Reading Comprehension) are described. After development of a contemporary theoretical framework for the test of inference ability in reading comprehension, the design, item development, and…

Young Children's Views of the Technology Process: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milne, Louise; Edwards, Richard

2013-01-01

This paper describes an exploratory study of an aspect of the technological knowledge of two groups of five-year-old students in their first year at school. Their emerging understandings of the steps required to develop a new product were investigated through a series of interviews. A theoretical framework linking technological knowledge to "funds…

Language Learning Strategy Use by Colombian Adult English Language Learners: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paredes, Elsie Elena

2010-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how Colombian adult English language learners (ELL) select and use language learning strategies (LLS). This study used Oxford's (1990a) taxonomy for LLS as its theoretical framework. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group interview, were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed for 12…

Towards a Dynamic Conceptual Framework for English-Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dafouz, Emma; Smit, Ute

2016-01-01

At a time of increasing internationalization in tertiary education, English-Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings (EMEMUS) has become a common practice. While there is already ample research describing this phenomenon at a local level (Smit and Dafouz 2012a), the theoretical side needs to be elaborated. This article thus aims to…

A Disability Studies Framework for Policy Activism in Postsecondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabel, Susan L.

2010-01-01

This article uses disability studies and the social model of disability as theoretical foundations for policy activism in postsecondary education. The social model is discussed and a model for policy activism is described. A case study of how disability studies and policy activism can be applied is provided utilizing the "3C Project to Provide…

Using Social Constructionist Thinking in Training Social Workers Living and Working under Threat of Political Violence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shamai, Michal

2003-01-01

Describes and analyzes an intervention program with social workers living and working in a situation of uncertainty created by political violence, such as war and terrorism. Uses a social constructionist perspective as a theoretical framework, emphasizing the effect of the social and political context in constructing the experience and a…

Achievement Together: The Development of an Intervention Using Relationship-Based Strategies to Promote Positive Learning Habits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Earhart, James; Zamora, Irina

2015-01-01

This pilot study describes the development and initial implementation of a treatment program that uses relationship-based techniques as a basis for promoting characteristics important in learning and emotional regulation. A case example has been included as an illustration of the theoretical framework of this intervention, along with preliminary…

The Convergence of Content, Pedagogy, and Technology in Online Professional Development for Teachers of German: An Intrinsic Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bustamante, Carolina; Moeller, Aleidine J.

2013-01-01

This qualitative case study describes a unique online professional development program utilizing Web 2.0 technologies for teachers of German using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model as a theoretical framework to promote technology literacy, expand German language proficiency and cultural knowledge, and integrate…

Quechua and Spanish, Evidentiality and Aspect: Commentary on Liliana Sanchez

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muysken, Pieter

2004-01-01

Liliana Sanchez' paper is a welcome contribution to the growing body of literature on Andean Spanish (cf. a recent survey in Muysken, 2004a), welcome both because a well-motivated and clearly described methodology is used and because it is embedded in an explicit theoretical framework. I do not have reservations about the overall conclusions of…

Earth's rotation in the framework of general relativity: rigid multipole moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klioner, S. A.; Soffel, M.; Xu, Ch.; Wu, X.

A set of equations describing the rotational motion of the Earth relative to the GCRS is formulated in the approximation of rigidly rotating multipoles. The external bodies are supposed to be mass monopoles. The derived set of formulas is supposed to form the theoretical basis for a practical post-Newtonian theory of Earth precession and nutation.

The Uses of the Term Hypothesis and the Inquiry Emphasis Conflation in Science Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gyllenpalm, Jakob; Wickman, Per-Olof

2011-01-01

This paper examines the use and role of the term "hypothesis" in science teacher education as described by teacher students. Data were collected through focus group interviews conducted at seven occasions with 32 students from six well-known Swedish universities. The theoretical framework is a sociocultural and pragmatist perspective on…

Expert Perceptions of Approaches to Protecting Isolated Wetlands in the Northeastern United States

Treesearch

Kristin Floress; Mary Beth Kolozsvary; Jean Mangun

2017-01-01

In this article, we describe how protecting vernal pools was discussed by experts in the northeastern United States (U.S) within the context of a theoretical policy framework. We offer insight about characteristics of feasible vernal pool policy solutions, and identify gaps in our understanding, particularly regarding conditions in states currently lacking specific...

Theoretical Framework and Empirical Evidence of Students' Cognitive Processes in Three Dimensions of Content, Complexity, and Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

von Aufschnaiter, Claudia; von Aufschnaiter, Stefan

2003-01-01

In the literature, learners' cognitive development is mainly discussed with respect to changes in learners' content-dependent knowledge (conceptual change or growth). Additional dimensions of time and complexity may also be taken into account to describe cognitive processes in at least three dimensions. We discuss these three dimensions of…

An Exploratory Study of a Story Problem Assessment: Understanding Children's Number Sense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shumway, Jessica F.; Westenskow, Arla; Moyer-Packenham, Patricia S.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe students' use of number sense as they solved story problem tasks. Three 8- and 9-year-old students participated in clinical interviews. Through a process of holistic and qualitative coding, researchers used the number sense view as a theoretical framework for exploring how students' number…

Assessing the Quality of Learning Environments in Swedish Schools: Development and Analysis of a Theory-Based Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westling Allodi, Mara

2007-01-01

The Goals, Attitudes and Values in School (GAVIS) questionnaire was developed on the basis of theoretical frameworks concerning learning environments, universal human values and studies of students' experience of learning environments. The theory hypothesises that learning environments can be described and structured in a circumplex model using…

Child- And Family-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Development and Preliminary Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavuluri, Mani N.; Graczyk, Patricia A.; Henry, David B.; Carbray, Julie A.; Heidenreich, Jodi; Miklowitz, David J.

2004-01-01

Objective: To describe child- and family-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CFF-CBT), a new developmentally sensitive psychosocial intervention for pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) that is intended for use along with medication. CFF-CBT integrates principles of family-focused therapy with those of CBT. The theoretical framework is based on (1)…

Reorganizing Freshman Business Mathematics I: Background and Philosophy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Kris; Emerson, Allen

2008-01-01

This article is the first of the two-part discussion of the development of a new Freshman Business Mathematics (FBM) course at our college. Part I of the article describes the background and history behind the course, and provides a theoretical framework for the design of the course. This design involves students in learning and applying…

Evaluating the role of coherent delocalized phonon-like modes in DNA cyclization

DOE PAGES

Alexandrov, Ludmil B.; Rasmussen, Kim Ø.; Bishop, Alan R.; ...

2017-08-29

The innate flexibility of a DNA sequence is quantified by the Jacobson-Stockmayer’s J-factor, which measures the propensity for DNA loop formation. Recent studies of ultra-short DNA sequences revealed a discrepancy of up to six orders of magnitude between experimentally measured and theoretically predicted J-factors. These large differences suggest that, in addition to the elastic moduli of the double helix, other factors contribute to loop formation. We develop a new theoretical model that explores how coherent delocalized phonon-like modes in DNA provide single-stranded ”flexible hinges” to assist in loop formation. We also combine the Czapla-Swigon-Olson structural model of DNA with ourmore » extended Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois model and, without changing any of the parameters of the two models, apply this new computational framework to 86 experimentally characterized DNA sequences. Our results demonstrate that the new computational framework can predict J-factors within an order of magnitude of experimental measurements for most ultra-short DNA sequences, while continuing to accurately describe the J-factors of longer sequences. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our computational framework can be used to describe the cyclization of DNA sequences that contain a base pair mismatch. Overall, our results support the conclusion that coherent delocalized phonon-like modes play an important role in DNA cyclization.« less

Combining statistical inference and decisions in ecology.

PubMed

Williams, Perry J; Hooten, Mevin B

2016-09-01

Statistical decision theory (SDT) is a sub-field of decision theory that formally incorporates statistical investigation into a decision-theoretic framework to account for uncertainties in a decision problem. SDT provides a unifying analysis of three types of information: statistical results from a data set, knowledge of the consequences of potential choices (i.e., loss), and prior beliefs about a system. SDT links the theoretical development of a large body of statistical methods, including point estimation, hypothesis testing, and confidence interval estimation. The theory and application of SDT have mainly been developed and published in the fields of mathematics, statistics, operations research, and other decision sciences, but have had limited exposure in ecology. Thus, we provide an introduction to SDT for ecologists and describe its utility for linking the conventionally separate tasks of statistical investigation and decision making in a single framework. We describe the basic framework of both Bayesian and frequentist SDT, its traditional use in statistics, and discuss its application to decision problems that occur in ecology. We demonstrate SDT with two types of decisions: Bayesian point estimation and an applied management problem of selecting a prescribed fire rotation for managing a grassland bird species. Central to SDT, and decision theory in general, are loss functions. Thus, we also provide basic guidance and references for constructing loss functions for an SDT problem. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Evaluating the role of coherent delocalized phonon-like modes in DNA cyclization

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

Alexandrov, Ludmil B.; Rasmussen, Kim Ø.; Bishop, Alan R.

The innate flexibility of a DNA sequence is quantified by the Jacobson-Stockmayer’s J-factor, which measures the propensity for DNA loop formation. Recent studies of ultra-short DNA sequences revealed a discrepancy of up to six orders of magnitude between experimentally measured and theoretically predicted J-factors. These large differences suggest that, in addition to the elastic moduli of the double helix, other factors contribute to loop formation. We develop a new theoretical model that explores how coherent delocalized phonon-like modes in DNA provide single-stranded ”flexible hinges” to assist in loop formation. We also combine the Czapla-Swigon-Olson structural model of DNA with ourmore » extended Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois model and, without changing any of the parameters of the two models, apply this new computational framework to 86 experimentally characterized DNA sequences. Our results demonstrate that the new computational framework can predict J-factors within an order of magnitude of experimental measurements for most ultra-short DNA sequences, while continuing to accurately describe the J-factors of longer sequences. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our computational framework can be used to describe the cyclization of DNA sequences that contain a base pair mismatch. Overall, our results support the conclusion that coherent delocalized phonon-like modes play an important role in DNA cyclization.« less

Conducting Human Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-05

Socio-cultural data acquisition, extraction, and management.??? First the idea of a theoretical framework will be very briefly discussed as well as...SUBJECT TERMS human behavior, theoretical framework , hypothesis development, experimental design, ethical research, statistical power, human laboratory...who throw rocks? • How can we make them stay too far away to throw rocks? UNCLASSIFIED – Approved for Public Release Theoretical Framework / Conceptual

An Overview of a Theoretical Framework of Phenomenography in Qualitative Education Research: An Example from Physics Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ornek, Funda

2008-01-01

One or more theoretical frameworks or orientations are used in qualitative education research. In this paper, the main tenets, the background and the appropriateness of phenomenography, which is one of the theoretical frameworks used in qualitative research, will be depicted. Further, the differences among phenomenography, phenomenology and…

Using a Theoretical Framework of Institutional Culture to Analyse an Institutional Strategy Document

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, Anthea Hydi Maxine

2016-01-01

This paper builds on a conceptual analysis of institutional culture in higher education. A theoretical framework was proposed to analyse institutional documents of two higher education institutions in the Western Cape, for the period 2002 to 2012 (Jacobs 2012). The elements of this theoretical framework are "shared values and beliefs",…

Factors Influencing the Use of Learning Management System in Saudi Arabian Higher Education: A Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asiri, Mohammed J. Sherbib; Mahmud, Rosnaini bt; Bakar, Kamariah Abu; Ayub, Ahmad Fauzi bin Mohd

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present the theoretical framework underlying a research on factors that influence utilization of the Jusur Learning Management System (Jusur LMS) in Saudi Arabian public universities. Development of the theoretical framework was done based on library research approach. Initially, the existing literature relevant to…

Professional Development and Use of Digital Technologies by Science Teachers: a Review of Theoretical Frameworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, Geraldo W. Rocha; Rodrigues, António M.; Ferreira, Carlos Alberto

2018-03-01

This article aims to characterise the research on science teachers' professional development programs that support the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the main trends concerning the theoretical frameworks (theoretical foundation, literature review or background) that underpin these studies. Through a systematic review of the literature, 76 articles were found and divided into two axes on training science teachers and the use of digital technologies with their categories. The first axis (characterisation of articles) presents the category key features that characterise the articles selected (major subjects, training and actions for the professional development and major ICT tools and digital resources). The second axis (trends of theoretical frameworks) has three categories organised in theoretical frameworks that emphasise the following: (a) the digital technologies, (b) prospects of curricular renewal and (c) cognitive processes. It also characterised a group of articles with theoretical frameworks that contain multiple elements without deepening them or that even lack a theoretical framework that supports the studies. In this review, we found that many professional development programs for teachers still use inadequate strategies for bringing about change in teacher practices. New professional development proposals are emerging with the objective of minimising such difficulties and this analysis could be a helpful tool to restructure those proposals.

A theoretical framework to support research of health service innovation.

PubMed

Fox, Amanda; Gardner, Glenn; Osborne, Sonya

2015-02-01

Health service managers and policy makers are increasingly concerned about the sustainability of innovations implemented in health care settings. The increasing demand on health services requires that innovations are both effective and sustainable; however, research in this field is limited, with multiple disciplines, approaches and paradigms influencing the field. These variations prevent a cohesive approach, and therefore the accumulation of research findings, in the development of a body of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough examination of the research findings and provide an appropriate theoretical framework to examine sustainability of health service innovation. This paper presents an integrative review of the literature available in relation to sustainability of health service innovation and provides the development of a theoretical framework based on integration and synthesis of the literature. A theoretical framework serves to guide research, determine variables, influence data analysis and is central to the quest for ongoing knowledge development. This research outlines the sustainability of innovation framework; a theoretical framework suitable for examining the sustainability of health service innovation. If left unaddressed, health services research will continue in an ad hoc manner, preventing full utilisation of outcomes, recommendations and knowledge for effective provision of health services. The sustainability of innovation theoretical framework provides an operational basis upon which reliable future research can be conducted.

A framework for the design and development of physical employment tests and standards.

PubMed

Payne, W; Harvey, J

2010-07-01

Because operational tasks in the uniformed services (military, police, fire and emergency services) are physically demanding and incur the risk of injury, employment policy in these services is usually competency based and predicated on objective physical employment standards (PESs) based on physical employment tests (PETs). In this paper, a comprehensive framework for the design of PETs and PESs is presented. Three broad approaches to physical employment testing are described and compared: generic predictive testing; task-related predictive testing; task simulation testing. Techniques for the selection of a set of tests with good coverage of job requirements, including job task analysis, physical demands analysis and correlation analysis, are discussed. Regarding individual PETs, theoretical considerations including measurability, discriminating power, reliability and validity, and practical considerations, including development of protocols, resource requirements, administrative issues and safety, are considered. With regard to the setting of PESs, criterion referencing and norm referencing are discussed. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This paper presents an integrated and coherent framework for the development of PESs and hence provides a much needed theoretically based but practically oriented guide for organisations seeking to establish valid and defensible PESs.

Coarse-graining errors and numerical optimization using a relative entropy framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaimovich, Aviel; Shell, M. Scott

2011-03-01

The ability to generate accurate coarse-grained models from reference fully atomic (or otherwise "first-principles") ones has become an important component in modeling the behavior of complex molecular systems with large length and time scales. We recently proposed a novel coarse-graining approach based upon variational minimization of a configuration-space functional called the relative entropy, Srel, that measures the information lost upon coarse-graining. Here, we develop a broad theoretical framework for this methodology and numerical strategies for its use in practical coarse-graining settings. In particular, we show that the relative entropy offers tight control over the errors due to coarse-graining in arbitrary microscopic properties, and suggests a systematic approach to reducing them. We also describe fundamental connections between this optimization methodology and other coarse-graining strategies like inverse Monte Carlo, force matching, energy matching, and variational mean-field theory. We suggest several new numerical approaches to its minimization that provide new coarse-graining strategies. Finally, we demonstrate the application of these theoretical considerations and algorithms to a simple, instructive system and characterize convergence and errors within the relative entropy framework.

Pain judgements of patients' relatives: examining the use of social contract theory as theoretical framework.

PubMed

Kappesser, Judith; de C Williams, Amanda C

2008-08-01

Observer underestimation of others' pain was studied using a concept from evolutionary psychology: a cheater detection mechanism from social contract theory, applied to relatives and friends of chronic pain patients. 127 participants estimated characters' pain intensity and fairness of behaviour after reading four vignettes describing characters suffering from pain. Four cues were systematically varied: the character continuing or stopping liked tasks; continuing or stopping disliked tasks; availability of medical evidence; and pain intensity as rated by characters. Results revealed that pain intensity and the two behavioural variables had an effect on pain estimates: high pain self-reports and stopping all tasks led to high pain estimates; pain was estimated to be lowest when characters stopped disliked but continued with liked tasks. This combination was also rated least fair. Results support the use of social contract theory as a theoretical framework to explore pain judgements.

Using Bourdieu’s Theoretical Framework to Examine How the Pharmacy Educator Views Pharmacy Knowledge

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Objective. To explore how different pharmacy educators view pharmacy knowledge within the United Kingdom MPharm program and to relate these findings to Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework. Methods. Twelve qualitative interviews were conducted with 4 faculty members from 3 different types of schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom: a newer school, an established teaching-based school, and an established research-intensive school. Selection was based on a representation of both science-based and practice-based disciplines, gender balance, and teaching experience. Results. The interview transcripts indicated how these members of the academic community describe knowledge. There was a polarization between science-based and practice-based educators in terms of Bourdieu’s description of field, species of capital, and habitus. Conclusion. A Bourdieusian perspective on the differences among faculty member responses supports our understanding of curriculum integration and offers some practical implications for the future development of pharmacy programs. PMID:26889065

Using Bourdieu's Theoretical Framework to Examine How the Pharmacy Educator Views Pharmacy Knowledge.

PubMed

Waterfield, Jon

2015-12-25

To explore how different pharmacy educators view pharmacy knowledge within the United Kingdom MPharm program and to relate these findings to Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework. Twelve qualitative interviews were conducted with 4 faculty members from 3 different types of schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom: a newer school, an established teaching-based school, and an established research-intensive school. Selection was based on a representation of both science-based and practice-based disciplines, gender balance, and teaching experience. The interview transcripts indicated how these members of the academic community describe knowledge. There was a polarization between science-based and practice-based educators in terms of Bourdieu's description of field, species of capital, and habitus. A Bourdieusian perspective on the differences among faculty member responses supports our understanding of curriculum integration and offers some practical implications for the future development of pharmacy programs.

Combined use of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF): a systematic review.

PubMed

Birken, Sarah A; Powell, Byron J; Presseau, Justin; Kirk, M Alexis; Lorencatto, Fabiana; Gould, Natalie J; Shea, Christopher M; Weiner, Bryan J; Francis, Jill J; Yu, Yan; Haines, Emily; Damschroder, Laura J

2017-01-05

Over 60 implementation frameworks exist. Using multiple frameworks may help researchers to address multiple study purposes, levels, and degrees of theoretical heritage and operationalizability; however, using multiple frameworks may result in unnecessary complexity and redundancy if doing so does not address study needs. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) are both well-operationalized, multi-level implementation determinant frameworks derived from theory. As such, the rationale for using the frameworks in combination (i.e., CFIR + TDF) is unclear. The objective of this systematic review was to elucidate the rationale for using CFIR + TDF by (1) describing studies that have used CFIR + TDF, (2) how they used CFIR + TDF, and (2) their stated rationale for using CFIR + TDF. We undertook a systematic review to identify studies that mentioned both the CFIR and the TDF, were written in English, were peer-reviewed, and reported either a protocol or results of an empirical study in MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, or Google Scholar. We then abstracted data into a matrix and analyzed it qualitatively, identifying salient themes. We identified five protocols and seven completed studies that used CFIR + TDF. CFIR + TDF was applied to studies in several countries, to a range of healthcare interventions, and at multiple intervention phases; used many designs, methods, and units of analysis; and assessed a variety of outcomes. Three studies indicated that using CFIR + TDF addressed multiple study purposes. Six studies indicated that using CFIR + TDF addressed multiple conceptual levels. Four studies did not explicitly state their rationale for using CFIR + TDF. Differences in the purposes that authors of the CFIR (e.g., comprehensive set of implementation determinants) and the TDF (e.g., intervention development) propose help to justify the use of CFIR + TDF. Given that the CFIR and the TDF are both multi-level frameworks, the rationale that using CFIR + TDF is needed to address multiple conceptual levels may reflect potentially misleading conventional wisdom. On the other hand, using CFIR + TDF may more fully define the multi-level nature of implementation. To avoid concerns about unnecessary complexity and redundancy, scholars who use CFIR + TDF and combinations of other frameworks should specify how the frameworks contribute to their study. PROSPERO CRD42015027615.

Observations, theoretical ideas and modeling of turbulent flows: Past, present and future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, G. T.; Tobak, M.

1985-01-01

Turbulence was analyzed in a historical context featuring the interactions between observations, theoretical ideas, and modeling within three successive movements. These are identified as predominantly statistical, structural and deterministic. The statistical movement is criticized for its failure to deal with the structural elements observed in turbulent flows. The structural movement is criticized for its failure to embody observed structural elements within a formal theory. The deterministic movement is described as having the potential of overcoming these deficiencies by allowing structural elements to exhibit chaotic behavior that is nevertheless embodied within a theory. Four major ideas of this movement are described: bifurcation theory, strange attractors, fractals, and the renormalization group. A framework for the future study of turbulent flows is proposed, based on the premises of the deterministic movement.

Conceptualizing, Designing, and Investigating Locative Media Use in Urban Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diamantaki, Katerina; Rizopoulos, Charalampos; Charitos, Dimitris; Kaimakamis, Nikos

This chapter investigates the social implications of locative media (LM) use and attempts to outline a theoretical framework that may support the design and implementation of location-based applications. Furthermore, it stresses the significance of physical space and location awareness as important factors that influence both human-computer interaction and computer-mediated communication. The chapter documents part of the theoretical aspect of the research undertaken as part of LOcation-based Communication Urban NETwork (LOCUNET), a project that aims to investigate the way users interact with one another (human-computer-human interaction aspect) and with the location-based system itself (human-computer interaction aspect). A number of relevant theoretical approaches are discussed in an attempt to provide a holistic theoretical background for LM use. Additionally, the actual implementation of the LOCUNET system is described and some of the findings are discussed.

VIM: A Platform for Violent Intent Modeling

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

Sanfilippo, Antonio P.; Schryver, Jack C.; Whitney, Paul D.

2009-03-31

Radical and contentious political/religious activism may or may not evolve into violent behavior depending on contextual factors related to social, political, cultural and infrastructural conditions. Significant theoretical advances have been made in understanding these contextual factors and the import of their interrelations. However, there has been relative little progress in the development of processes and capabilities which leverage such theoretical advances to automate the anticipatory analysis of violent intent. In this paper, we describe a framework which implements such processes and capabilities, and discuss the implications of using the resulting system to assess the emergence of radicalization leading to violence.

Scientific thinking in young children: theoretical advances, empirical research, and policy implications.

PubMed

Gopnik, Alison

2012-09-28

New theoretical ideas and empirical research show that very young children's learning and thinking are strikingly similar to much learning and thinking in science. Preschoolers test hypotheses against data and make causal inferences; they learn from statistics and informal experimentation, and from watching and listening to others. The mathematical framework of probabilistic models and Bayesian inference can describe this learning in precise ways. These discoveries have implications for early childhood education and policy. In particular, they suggest both that early childhood experience is extremely important and that the trend toward more structured and academic early childhood programs is misguided.

Self-injection-locking linewidth narrowing in a semiconductor laser coupled to an external fiber-optic ring resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korobko, Dmitry A.; Zolotovskii, Igor O.; Panajotov, Krassimir; Spirin, Vasily V.; Fotiadi, Andrei A.

2017-12-01

We develop a theoretical framework for modeling of semiconductor laser coupled to an external fiber-optic ring resonator. The developed approach has shown good qualitative agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental results for particular configuration of a self-injection locked DFB laser delivering narrow-band radiation. The model is capable of describing the main features of the experimentally measured laser outputs such as laser line narrowing, spectral shape of generated radiation, mode-hoping instabilities and makes possible exploring the key physical mechanisms responsible for the laser operation stability.

A general modeling framework for describing spatially structured population dynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sample, Christine; Fryxell, John; Bieri, Joanna; Federico, Paula; Earl, Julia; Wiederholt, Ruscena; Mattsson, Brady; Flockhart, Tyler; Nicol, Sam; Diffendorfer, James E.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Erickson, Richard A.; Norris, D. Ryan

2017-01-01

Variation in movement across time and space fundamentally shapes the abundance and distribution of populations. Although a variety of approaches model structured population dynamics, they are limited to specific types of spatially structured populations and lack a unifying framework. Here, we propose a unified network-based framework sufficiently novel in its flexibility to capture a wide variety of spatiotemporal processes including metapopulations and a range of migratory patterns. It can accommodate different kinds of age structures, forms of population growth, dispersal, nomadism and migration, and alternative life-history strategies. Our objective was to link three general elements common to all spatially structured populations (space, time and movement) under a single mathematical framework. To do this, we adopt a network modeling approach. The spatial structure of a population is represented by a weighted and directed network. Each node and each edge has a set of attributes which vary through time. The dynamics of our network-based population is modeled with discrete time steps. Using both theoretical and real-world examples, we show how common elements recur across species with disparate movement strategies and how they can be combined under a unified mathematical framework. We illustrate how metapopulations, various migratory patterns, and nomadism can be represented with this modeling approach. We also apply our network-based framework to four organisms spanning a wide range of life histories, movement patterns, and carrying capacities. General computer code to implement our framework is provided, which can be applied to almost any spatially structured population. This framework contributes to our theoretical understanding of population dynamics and has practical management applications, including understanding the impact of perturbations on population size, distribution, and movement patterns. By working within a common framework, there is less chance that comparative analyses are colored by model details rather than general principles

Theoretical models of parental HIV disclosure: a critical review.

PubMed

Qiao, Shan; Li, Xiaoming; Stanton, Bonita

2013-01-01

This study critically examined three major theoretical models related to parental HIV disclosure (i.e., the Four-Phase Model [FPM], the Disclosure Decision Making Model [DDMM], and the Disclosure Process Model [DPM]), and the existing studies that could provide empirical support to these models or their components. For each model, we briefly reviewed its theoretical background, described its components and/or mechanisms, and discussed its strengths and limitations. The existing empirical studies supported most theoretical components in these models. However, hypotheses related to the mechanisms proposed in the models have not yet tested due to a lack of empirical evidence. This study also synthesized alternative theoretical perspectives and new issues in disclosure research and clinical practice that may challenge the existing models. The current study underscores the importance of including components related to social and cultural contexts in theoretical frameworks, and calls for more adequately designed empirical studies in order to test and refine existing theories and to develop new ones.

Vector wind profile gust model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adelfang, S. I.

1979-01-01

Work towards establishing a vector wind profile gust model for the Space Transportation System flight operations and trade studies is reported. To date, all the statistical and computational techniques required were established and partially implemented. An analysis of wind profile gust at Cape Kennedy within the theoretical framework is presented. The variability of theoretical and observed gust magnitude with filter type, altitude, and season is described. Various examples are presented which illustrate agreement between theoretical and observed gust percentiles. The preliminary analysis of the gust data indicates a strong variability with altitude, season, and wavelength regime. An extension of the analyses to include conditional distributions of gust magnitude given gust length, distributions of gust modulus, and phase differences between gust components has begun.

Design and performance frameworks for constructing problem-solving simulations.

PubMed

Stevens, Ron; Palacio-Cayetano, Joycelin

2003-01-01

Rapid advancements in hardware, software, and connectivity are helping to shorten the times needed to develop computer simulations for science education. These advancements, however, have not been accompanied by corresponding theories of how best to design and use these technologies for teaching, learning, and testing. Such design frameworks ideally would be guided less by the strengths/limitations of the presentation media and more by cognitive analyses detailing the goals of the tasks, the needs and abilities of students, and the resulting decision outcomes needed by different audiences. This article describes a problem-solving environment and associated theoretical framework for investigating how students select and use strategies as they solve complex science problems. A framework is first described for designing on-line problem spaces that highlights issues of content, scale, cognitive complexity, and constraints. While this framework was originally designed for medical education, it has proven robust and has been successfully applied to learning environments from elementary school through medical school. Next, a similar framework is detailed for collecting student performance and progress data that can provide evidence of students' strategic thinking and that could potentially be used to accelerate student progress. Finally, experimental validation data are presented that link strategy selection and use with other metrics of scientific reasoning and student achievement.

Design and Performance Frameworks for Constructing Problem-Solving Simulations

PubMed Central

Stevens, Ron; Palacio-Cayetano, Joycelin

2003-01-01

Rapid advancements in hardware, software, and connectivity are helping to shorten the times needed to develop computer simulations for science education. These advancements, however, have not been accompanied by corresponding theories of how best to design and use these technologies for teaching, learning, and testing. Such design frameworks ideally would be guided less by the strengths/limitations of the presentation media and more by cognitive analyses detailing the goals of the tasks, the needs and abilities of students, and the resulting decision outcomes needed by different audiences. This article describes a problem-solving environment and associated theoretical framework for investigating how students select and use strategies as they solve complex science problems. A framework is first described for designing on-line problem spaces that highlights issues of content, scale, cognitive complexity, and constraints. While this framework was originally designed for medical education, it has proven robust and has been successfully applied to learning environments from elementary school through medical school. Next, a similar framework is detailed for collecting student performance and progress data that can provide evidence of students' strategic thinking and that could potentially be used to accelerate student progress. Finally, experimental validation data are presented that link strategy selection and use with other metrics of scientific reasoning and student achievement. PMID:14506505

Theoretical framework and methodological development of common subjective health outcome measures in osteoarthritis: a critical review

PubMed Central

Pollard, Beth; Johnston, Marie; Dixon, Diane

2007-01-01

Subjective measures involving clinician ratings or patient self-assessments have become recognised as an important tool for the assessment of health outcome. The value of a health outcome measure is usually assessed by a psychometric evaluation of its reliability, validity and responsiveness. However, psychometric testing involves an accumulation of evidence and has recognised limitations. It has been suggested that an evaluation of how well a measure has been developed would be a useful additional criteria in assessing the value of a measure. This paper explored the theoretical background and methodological development of subjective health status measures commonly used in osteoarthritis research. Fourteen subjective health outcome measures commonly used in osteoarthritis research were examined. Each measure was explored on the basis of their i) theoretical framework (was there a definition of what was being assessed and was it part of a theoretical model?) and ii) methodological development (what was the scaling strategy, how were the items generated and reduced, what was the response format and what was the scoring method?). Only the AIMS, SF-36 and WHOQOL defined what they were assessing (i.e. the construct of interest) and no measure assessed was part of a theoretical model. None of the clinician report measures appeared to have implemented a scaling procedure or described the rationale for the items selected or scoring system. Of the patient self-report measures, the AIMS, MPQ, OXFORD, SF-36, WHOQOL and WOMAC appeared to follow a standard psychometric scaling method. The DRP and EuroQol used alternative scaling methods. The review highlighted the general lack of theoretical framework for both clinician report and patient self-report measures. This review also drew attention to the wide variation in the methodological development of commonly used measures in OA. While, in general the patient self-report measures had good methodological development, the clinician report measures appeared less well developed. It would be of value if new measures defined the construct of interest and, that the construct, be part of theoretical model. By ensuring measures are both theoretically and empirically valid then improvements in subjective health outcome measures should be possible. PMID:17343739

Validation of the theoretical domains framework for use in behaviour change and implementation research

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background An integrative theoretical framework, developed for cross-disciplinary implementation and other behaviour change research, has been applied across a wide range of clinical situations. This study tests the validity of this framework. Methods Validity was investigated by behavioural experts sorting 112 unique theoretical constructs using closed and open sort tasks. The extent of replication was tested by Discriminant Content Validation and Fuzzy Cluster Analysis. Results There was good support for a refinement of the framework comprising 14 domains of theoretical constructs (average silhouette value 0.29): ‘Knowledge’, ‘Skills’, ‘Social/Professional Role and Identity’, ‘Beliefs about Capabilities’, ‘Optimism’, ‘Beliefs about Consequences’, ‘Reinforcement’, ‘Intentions’, ‘Goals’, ‘Memory, Attention and Decision Processes’, ‘Environmental Context and Resources’, ‘Social Influences’, ‘Emotions’, and ‘Behavioural Regulation’. Conclusions The refined Theoretical Domains Framework has a strengthened empirical base and provides a method for theoretically assessing implementation problems, as well as professional and other health-related behaviours as a basis for intervention development. PMID:22530986

A Framework for Understanding the Patterns of Student Difficulties in Quantum Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Chandralekha

2015-04-01

Compared with introductory physics, relatively little is known about the development of expertise in advanced physics courses, especially in the case of quantum mechanics. We describe a theoretical framework for understanding the patterns of student reasoning difficulties and how students develop expertise in quantum mechanics. The framework posits that the challenges many students face in developing expertise in quantum mechanics are analogous to the challenges introductory students face in developing expertise in introductory classical mechanics. This framework incorporates the effects of diversity in students' prior preparation, goals and motivation for taking upper-level physics courses in general as well as the ``paradigm shift'' from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics. The framework is based on empirical investigations demonstrating that the patterns of reasoning, problem-solving, and self-monitoring difficulties in quantum mechanics bear a striking resemblance to those found in introductory classical mechanics. Examples from research in quantum mechanics and introductory classical mechanics will be discussed to illustrate how the patterns of difficulties are analogous as students learn to unpack the respective principles and grasp the formalism in each knowledge domain during the development of expertise. Embracing such a theoretical framework and contemplating the parallels between the difficulties in these two knowledge domains can enable researchers to leverage the extensive literature for introductory physics education research to guide the design of teaching and learning tools for helping students develop expertise in quantum mechanics. Support from the National Science Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.

Framing Teacher Preparation Research: An Overview of the Field, Part 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochran-Smith, Marilyn; Villegas, Ana Maria

2015-01-01

This is the first of a two-part article that aims to chart the contemporary landscape of research on teacher preparation and certification. It is based on a review of more than 1,500 studies published between 2000 and 2012. Part 1 provides information about how the review was conducted and describes the theoretical/analytic framework the authors…

Learning by Doing: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Accounting. AAHE's Series on Service-Learning in the Disciplines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rama, D. V., Ed.

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs on service learning and the academic disciplines. It is designed to (1) develop a theoretical framework for service learning in accounting consistent with the goals identified by accounting educators and the recent efforts toward curriculum reform, and (2) describe specific active learning…

Factors Influencing the Adoption of the Internet as a Teaching Tool at Foreign Language Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martins, Claudia B. M. J.; Steil, Andrea V.; Todesco, Jose L.

2004-01-01

The present article describes a research that determined the factors influencing language schools in Brazil to adopt the Internet as a teaching tool. The theoretical framework used was Rogers, E. (1995). "Diffusion of innovation" (4th ed.). New York: The Free Press. theory of perceived attributes. A survey was carried out with 92…

Educational Process Reflection (EPR): An Evaluation of a Model for Professional Development Concerning Social Interaction and Educational Climate in the Swedish Preschool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bygdeson-Larsson, Kerstin

2006-01-01

Educational process reflection (EPR) is a professional development model aimed at supporting preschool teachers reflecting on and changing their practice. A particular focus is on interaction between practitioners and children, and between the children themselves. In this article, I first describe the theoretical frameworks that helped shape EPR,…

Letters from the Future: The Use of Therapeutic Letter Writing in Counseling Sexual Abuse Survivors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kress, Victoria E.; Hoffman, Rachel; Thomas, Amanda M.

2008-01-01

In the context of counseling sexual abuse survivors, the creative counseling technique of having clients write letters--to themselves or others--from a future context is described. A theoretical framework for writing letters to oneself from the future is presented. Specific types of letters from the future are explained, and case examples and…

Middle and high school teachers' implementation reflections of photonics and optics curriculum in a qualitative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilchrist, P. O.; Young, T. V.; Bowles, T. A.; Brady, K. P.; Grable, L. L.

2017-08-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe middle and high school science teachers' self-reported experiences learning and adopting novel optics and photonics content. The hybrid teacher professional development program design, theoretical framework, methodology, findings, and implications related to teachers' adoption decisions of optics and photonics content will be reported in the paper.

We Make This Road by Walking: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Diaconal Ministers as Emancipatory Educators of Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gable, Nancy Eileen

2014-01-01

The purpose of this mixed method study was to discover how diaconal ministers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) practice their ministry and describe and understand their role as educators of adults. The theoretical framework of the study was informed by the intersection of critical theory, feminist theory, and liberation…

Measuring Empathy in the 21st Century: Development of an Empathy Index Rooted in Social Cognitive Neuroscience and Social Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerdes, Karen E.; Lietz, Cynthia A.; Segal, Elizabeth A.

2011-01-01

Instruments currently being used to measure empathy do not reflect the recent neuroscientific scholarship on mirror neurons and the importance of self-awareness and emotion regulation in experiencing the fullest extent of empathy. The authors describe a theoretical framework for the initial development and pilot application of an empathy…

Teachers' Development of Professional Knowledge through Action Research and the Facilitation of This by Teacher Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ponte, Petra; Ax, Jan; Beijaard, Douwe; Wubbels, Theo

2004-01-01

This article describes the design and results of a descriptive and explorative case study into the development of professional knowledge by teachers through action research and the facilitation of this by teacher educators. The theoretical framework of the study links the Anglo-Saxon Action Research tradition and the German "Allgemeine Didaktik."…

Forum Theatre and Parables: A Qualitative Field Experiment in a Seventh-Day Adventist Academy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freed, Dena Davis

2012-01-01

In this article, the author describes a qualitative field study designed to test the effectiveness of Forum Theatre (FT) as a cross-disciplinary approach to Biblical parabolic literature analysis for students enrolled in a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Academy. The author provides a brief overview of the theoretical framework of the study, the study…

The Transformation of Ergonomic Affordances into Cultural Affordances: The Case of the Alnuset System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiappini, Giampaolo

2012-01-01

Is it possible to study the ergonomic affordances offered by a system designed for educational aims and their transformation into cultural affordances? To this purpose, what references can we adopt? This work describes the theoretical framework used to realise this study referring to AlNuSet, a system realised within the EC ReMath project to…

Risks and Opportunities in the Age of Information Technology: E-Learning, Commercialization, and Measures of Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Elizabeth Moore

This position paper describes a theoretical framework for learning that encompasses new conceptions of learning, namely learning as social practice, new views of the learner as self-directed, and paradigm shifts in learning as it is mandated in new social contexts. Social learning theory, especially that of situated learning, provides a new…

A New Net to Go Fishing: Messages from International Evidence-Based Research and "Kaupapa" Maori Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning, Richard F.; Macfarlane, Angus H.; Skerrett, Mere; Cooper, Garrick; De Oliveira, Vanessa; Emery, Tepora

2011-01-01

This article draws upon a Maori metaphor to describe the theoretical framework underpinning the methodology and findings of a research project completed by researchers from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2010. It explains how and why the project required the research team to synthesise key information from four New Zealand Ministry…

A Phenomenological View of Teacher Efficacy as Experienced by Secondary Teachers Engaged in the Process of Instructional Coaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snipes, Shaftina Fiesta

2017-01-01

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological was to describe teacher efficacy in the lived experiences of secondary teachers actively engaged in the instructional coaching process. The theoretical framework guiding this study was Albert Bandura's (1992) social cognitive theory as it expounds upon the role efficacy plays in human agency as it…

Examining the Relationship between Career Decision Self-Efficacy, Ethnic Identity, and Academic Self-Concept and Achievement of African American High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bounds, Patrice Sheri Robinson

2013-01-01

The exploration of African American adolescents' career development has gained increasing attention in light of literature describing various barriers impacting their educational and career development and goals. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) was used as a theoretical framework to help shed light on the contextual factors that influence…

Folding Back and the Dynamical Growth of Mathematical Understanding: Elaborating the Pirie-Kieren Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Lyndon C.

2008-01-01

The study reported here extends the work of Pirie and Kieren on the nature and growth of mathematical understanding. The research examines in detail a key aspect of their theory, the process of 'folding back', and develops a theoretical framework of categories and sub-categories that more fully describe the phenomenon. This paper presents an…

Theoretical Framework for Cooperative Participatory Action Research (CPAR) in a Multicultural Campus: The Social Drama Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hertz-Lazarowitz, Rachel; Zelniker, Tamar; Azaiza, Faisal

2010-01-01

This paper describes a long-term research seminar, developed in 2001 by Hertz-Lazarowitz at the University of Haifa (UH). The goal of the seminar was to involve students in a meaningful, experiential and cooperative-interactive learning environment, based on topics relevant to their development as individuals coming from diverse collectives to the…

Asymptotic theory of time-varying social networks with heterogeneous activity and tie allocation.

PubMed

Ubaldi, Enrico; Perra, Nicola; Karsai, Márton; Vezzani, Alessandro; Burioni, Raffaella; Vespignani, Alessandro

2016-10-24

The dynamic of social networks is driven by the interplay between diverse mechanisms that still challenge our theoretical and modelling efforts. Amongst them, two are known to play a central role in shaping the networks evolution, namely the heterogeneous propensity of individuals to i) be socially active and ii) establish a new social relationships with their alters. Here, we empirically characterise these two mechanisms in seven real networks describing temporal human interactions in three different settings: scientific collaborations, Twitter mentions, and mobile phone calls. We find that the individuals' social activity and their strategy in choosing ties where to allocate their social interactions can be quantitatively described and encoded in a simple stochastic network modelling framework. The Master Equation of the model can be solved in the asymptotic limit. The analytical solutions provide an explicit description of both the system dynamic and the dynamical scaling laws characterising crucial aspects about the evolution of the networks. The analytical predictions match with accuracy the empirical observations, thus validating the theoretical approach. Our results provide a rigorous dynamical system framework that can be extended to include other processes shaping social dynamics and to generate data driven predictions for the asymptotic behaviour of social networks.

Asymptotic theory of time-varying social networks with heterogeneous activity and tie allocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ubaldi, Enrico; Perra, Nicola; Karsai, Márton; Vezzani, Alessandro; Burioni, Raffaella; Vespignani, Alessandro

2016-10-01

The dynamic of social networks is driven by the interplay between diverse mechanisms that still challenge our theoretical and modelling efforts. Amongst them, two are known to play a central role in shaping the networks evolution, namely the heterogeneous propensity of individuals to i) be socially active and ii) establish a new social relationships with their alters. Here, we empirically characterise these two mechanisms in seven real networks describing temporal human interactions in three different settings: scientific collaborations, Twitter mentions, and mobile phone calls. We find that the individuals’ social activity and their strategy in choosing ties where to allocate their social interactions can be quantitatively described and encoded in a simple stochastic network modelling framework. The Master Equation of the model can be solved in the asymptotic limit. The analytical solutions provide an explicit description of both the system dynamic and the dynamical scaling laws characterising crucial aspects about the evolution of the networks. The analytical predictions match with accuracy the empirical observations, thus validating the theoretical approach. Our results provide a rigorous dynamical system framework that can be extended to include other processes shaping social dynamics and to generate data driven predictions for the asymptotic behaviour of social networks.

Developing Theoretically Based and Culturally Appropriate Interventions to Promote Hepatitis B Testing in 4 Asian American Populations, 2006–2011

PubMed Central

Bastani, Roshan; Glenn, Beth A.; Taylor, Victoria M.; Nguyen, Tung T.; Stewart, Susan L.; Burke, Nancy J.; Chen, Moon S.

2014-01-01

Introduction Hepatitis B infection is 5 to 12 times more common among Asian Americans than in the general US population and is the leading cause of liver disease and liver cancer among Asians. The purpose of this article is to describe the step-by-step approach that we followed in community-based participatory research projects in 4 Asian American groups, conducted from 2006 through 2011 in California and Washington state to develop theoretically based and culturally appropriate interventions to promote hepatitis B testing. We provide examples to illustrate how intervention messages addressing identical theoretical constructs of the Health Behavior Framework were modified to be culturally appropriate for each community. Methods Intervention approaches included mass media in the Vietnamese community, small-group educational sessions at churches in the Korean community, and home visits by lay health workers in the Hmong and Cambodian communities. Results Use of the Health Behavior Framework allowed a systematic approach to intervention development across populations, resulting in 4 different culturally appropriate interventions that addressed the same set of theoretical constructs. Conclusions The development of theory-based health promotion interventions for different populations will advance our understanding of which constructs are critical to modify specific health behaviors. PMID:24784908

A theoretical framework for measuring knowledge in screening decision aid trials.

PubMed

Smith, Sian K; Barratt, Alexandra; Trevena, Lyndal; Simpson, Judy M; Jansen, Jesse; McCaffery, Kirsten J

2012-11-01

To describe a theoretical framework for assessing knowledge about the possible outcomes of participating in bowel cancer screening for the faecal occult blood test. The content of the knowledge measure was based on the UK General Medical Council's screening guidelines and a theory-based approach to assessing gist knowledge (Fuzzy Trace Theory). It comprised conceptual and numeric questions to assess knowledge of the underlying construct (e.g. false positive concept) and the approximate numbers affected (e.g. likelihood of a false positive). The measure was used in a randomised controlled trial involving 530 adults with low education, to compare the impact of a bowel screening decision aid with a screening information booklet developed for the Australian Government National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. The numeric knowledge scale was particularly responsive to the effects of the decision aid; at follow-up decision aid participants' numeric knowledge was significantly greater than the controls (P<0.001). This contrasts with the conceptual knowledge scale which improved significantly in both groups from baseline to follow-up (P<0.001). Our theory-based knowledge measure was responsive to change in conceptual knowledge and to the effect on numeric knowledge of a decision aid. This theoretical framework has the potential to guide the development of knowledge measures in other screening settings. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dealing with grief related to loss by death and chronic pain: An integrated theoretical framework. Part 1

PubMed Central

Furnes, Bodil; Dysvik, Elin

2010-01-01

Objective: Based on the present authors’ research and several approaches to grief related to loss by death and nonmalignant chronic pain, the paper suggests a new integrated theoretical framework for intervention in clinical settings. Methods: An open qualitative review of the literature on grief theories was performed searching for a new integrated approach in the phenomenological tradition. We then investigated the relationship between grief, loss and chronic nonmalignant pain, looking for main themes and connections and how these could be best understood in a more holistic manner. Results: Two main themes were formulated, “relearning the world” and “adaptation”. Between these themes a continuous movement emerged involving experience such as: “despair and hope”, “lack of understanding and insight”, “meaning disruption and increased meaning”, and “bodily discomfort and reintegrated body”. These were identified as paired subthemes. Conclusions: Grief as a distinctive experience means that health care must be aimed at each individual experience and situation. Grief experience and working with grief are considered in terms of relearning the world while walking backwards and living forwards, as described in our integrated model. We consider that this theoretical framework regarding grief should offer an integrated foundation for health care workers who are working with people experiencing grief caused by death or chronic pain. PMID:20622913

Evaluating patient and public involvement in health research: from theoretical model to practical workshop.

PubMed

Gibson, Andy; Welsman, Jo; Britten, Nicky

2017-10-01

There is a growing literature on evaluating aspects of patient and public involvement (PPI). We have suggested that at the core of successful PPI is the dynamic interaction of different forms of knowledge, notably lay and professional. We have developed a four-dimensional theoretical framework for understanding these interactions. We explore the practical utility of the theoretical framework as a tool for mapping and evaluating the experience of PPI in health services research. We conducted three workshops with different PPI groups in which participants were invited to map their PPI experiences on wall charts representing the four dimensions of our framework. The language used to describe the four dimensions was modified to make it more accessible to lay audiences. Participants were given sticky notes to indicate their own positions on the different dimensions and to write explanatory comments if they wished. Participants' responses were then discussed and analysed as a group. The three groups were distinctive in their mapped responses suggesting different experiences in relation to having a strong or weak voice in their organization, having few or many ways of getting involved, addressing organizational or public concerns and believing that the organization was willing to change or not. The framework has practical utility for mapping and evaluating PPI interactions and is sensitive to differences in PPI experiences within and between different organizations. The workshops enabled participants to reflect collaboratively on their experiences with a view to improving PPI experiences and planning for the future. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Understanding Decision-Making in Specialized Domestic Violence Courts: Can Contemporary Theoretical Frameworks Help Guide These Decisions?

PubMed

Pinchevsky, Gillian M

2016-05-22

This study fills a gap in the literature by exploring the utility of contemporary courtroom theoretical frameworks-uncertainty avoidance, causal attribution, and focal concerns-for explaining decision-making in specialized domestic violence courts. Using data from two specialized domestic violence courts, this study explores the predictors of prosecutorial and judicial decision-making and the extent to which these factors are congruent with theoretical frameworks often used in studies of court processing. Findings suggest that these theoretical frameworks only partially help explain decision-making in the courts under study. A discussion of the findings and implications for future research is provided. © The Author(s) 2016.

Implementation of a Goal-Based Systems Engineering Process Using the Systems Modeling Language (SysML)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breckenridge, Jonathan T.; Johnson, Stephen B.

2013-01-01

This paper describes the core framework used to implement a Goal-Function Tree (GFT) based systems engineering process using the Systems Modeling Language. It defines a set of principles built upon by the theoretical approach described in the InfoTech 2013 ISHM paper titled "Goal-Function Tree Modeling for Systems Engineering and Fault Management" presented by Dr. Stephen B. Johnson. Using the SysML language, the principles in this paper describe the expansion of the SysML language as a baseline in order to: hierarchically describe a system, describe that system functionally within success space, and allocate detection mechanisms to success functions for system protection.

A narrative review of research impact assessment models and methods.

PubMed

Milat, Andrew J; Bauman, Adrian E; Redman, Sally

2015-03-18

Research funding agencies continue to grapple with assessing research impact. Theoretical frameworks are useful tools for describing and understanding research impact. The purpose of this narrative literature review was to synthesize evidence that describes processes and conceptual models for assessing policy and practice impacts of public health research. The review involved keyword searches of electronic databases, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EBM Reviews, and Google Scholar in July/August 2013. Review search terms included 'research impact', 'policy and practice', 'intervention research', 'translational research', 'health promotion', and 'public health'. The review included theoretical and opinion pieces, case studies, descriptive studies, frameworks and systematic reviews describing processes, and conceptual models for assessing research impact. The review was conducted in two phases: initially, abstracts were retrieved and assessed against the review criteria followed by the retrieval and assessment of full papers against review criteria. Thirty one primary studies and one systematic review met the review criteria, with 88% of studies published since 2006. Studies comprised assessments of the impacts of a wide range of health-related research, including basic and biomedical research, clinical trials, health service research, as well as public health research. Six studies had an explicit focus on assessing impacts of health promotion or public health research and one had a specific focus on intervention research impact assessment. A total of 16 different impact assessment models were identified, with the 'payback model' the most frequently used conceptual framework. Typically, impacts were assessed across multiple dimensions using mixed methodologies, including publication and citation analysis, interviews with principal investigators, peer assessment, case studies, and document analysis. The vast majority of studies relied on principal investigator interviews and/or peer review to assess impacts, instead of interviewing policymakers and end-users of research. Research impact assessment is a new field of scientific endeavour and there are a growing number of conceptual frameworks applied to assess the impacts of research.

Comparing the application of two theoretical frameworks to describe determinants of adverse medical device event reporting: secondary analysis of qualitative interview data.

PubMed

Desveaux, Laura; Gagliardi, Anna R

2018-06-04

Post-market surveillance of medical devices is reliant on physician reporting of adverse medical device events (AMDEs). Few studies have examined factors that influence whether and how physicians report AMDEs, an essential step in the development of behaviour change interventions. This study was a secondary analysis comparing application of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the Tailored Implementation for Chronic Diseases (TICD) framework to identify potential behaviour change interventions that correspond to determinants of AMDE reporting. A previous study involving qualitative interviews with Canadian physicians that implant medical devices identified themes reflecting AMDE reporting determinants. In this secondary analysis, themes that emerged from the primary analysis were independently mapped to the TDF and TICD. Determinants and corresponding intervention options arising from both frameworks (and both mappers) were compared. Both theoretical frameworks were useful for identifying interventions corresponding to behavioural determinants of AMDE reporting. Information or education strategies that provide evidence about AMDEs, and audit and feedback of AMDE data were identified as interventions to target the theme of physician beliefs; improving information systems, and reminder cues, prompts and awards were identified as interventions to address determinants arising from the organization or systems themes; and modifying financial/non-financial incentives and sharing data on outcomes associated with AMDEs were identified as interventions to target device market themes. Numerous operational challenges were encountered in the application of both frameworks including a lack of clarity about how directly relevant to themes the domains/determinants should be, how many domains/determinants to select, if and how to resolve discrepancies across multiple mappers, and how to choose interventions from among the large number associated with selected domains/determinants. Given discrepancies in mapping themes to determinants/domains and the resulting interventions offered by the two frameworks, uncertainty remains about how to choose interventions that best match behavioural determinants in a given context. Further research is needed to provide more nuanced guidance on the application of TDF and TICD for a broader audience, which is likely to increase the utility and uptake of these frameworks in practice.

Factors associated with the implementation of community-based peer-led health promotion programs: A scoping review.

PubMed

Lorthios-Guilledroit, Agathe; Richard, Lucie; Filiatrault, Johanne

2018-06-01

Peer education is growing in popularity as a useful health promotion strategy. However, optimal conditions for implementing peer-led health promotion programs (HPPs) remain unclear. This scoping review aimed to describe factors that can influence implementation of peer-led HPPs targeting adult populations. Five databases were searched using the keywords "health promotion/prevention", "implementation", "peers", and related terms. Studies were included if they reported at least one factor associated with the implementation of community-based peer-led HPPs. Fifty-five studies were selected for the analysis. The method known as "best fit framework synthesis" was used to analyze the factors identified in the selected papers. Many factors included in existing implementation conceptual frameworks were deemed applicable to peer-led HPPs. However, other factors related to individuals, programs, and implementation context also emerged from the analysis. Based on this synthesis, an adapted theoretical framework was elaborated, grounded in a complex adaptive system perspective and specifying potential mechanisms through which factors may influence implementation of community-based peer-led HPPs. Further research is needed to test the theoretical framework against empirical data. Findings from this scoping review increase our knowledge of the optimal conditions for implementing peer-led HPPs and thereby maximizing the benefits of such programs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A socio-relational framework of sex differences in the expression of emotion.

PubMed

Vigil, Jacob Miguel

2009-10-01

Despite a staggering body of research demonstrating sex differences in expressed emotion, very few theoretical models (evolutionary or non-evolutionary) offer a critical examination of the adaptive nature of such differences. From the perspective of a socio-relational framework, emotive behaviors evolved to promote the attraction and aversion of different types of relationships by advertising the two most parsimonious properties of reciprocity potential, or perceived attractiveness as a prospective social partner. These are the individual's (a) perceived capacity or ability to provide expedient resources, or to inflict immediate harm onto others, and their (b) perceived trustworthiness or probability of actually reciprocating altruism (Vigil 2007). Depending on the unique social demands and relational constraints that each sex evolved, individuals should be sensitive to advertise "capacity" and "trustworthiness" cues through selective displays of dominant versus submissive and masculine versus feminine emotive behaviors, respectively. In this article, I introduce the basic theoretical assumptions and hypotheses of the framework, and show how the models provide a solid scaffold with which to begin to interpret common sex differences in the emotional development literature. I conclude by describing how the framework can be used to predict condition-based and situation-based variation in affect and other forms of expressive behaviors.

Theories, models and frameworks used in capacity building interventions relevant to public health: a systematic review.

PubMed

Bergeron, Kim; Abdi, Samiya; DeCorby, Kara; Mensah, Gloria; Rempel, Benjamin; Manson, Heather

2017-11-28

There is limited research on capacity building interventions that include theoretical foundations. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify underlying theories, models and frameworks used to support capacity building interventions relevant to public health practice. The aim is to inform and improve capacity building practices and services offered by public health organizations. Four search strategies were used: 1) electronic database searching; 2) reference lists of included papers; 3) key informant consultation; and 4) grey literature searching. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are outlined with included papers focusing on capacity building, learning plans, professional development plans in combination with tools, resources, processes, procedures, steps, model, framework, guideline, described in a public health or healthcare setting, or non-government, government, or community organizations as they relate to healthcare, and explicitly or implicitly mention a theory, model and/or framework that grounds the type of capacity building approach developed. Quality assessment were performed on all included articles. Data analysis included a process for synthesizing, analyzing and presenting descriptive summaries, categorizing theoretical foundations according to which theory, model and/or framework was used and whether or not the theory, model or framework was implied or explicitly identified. Nineteen articles were included in this review. A total of 28 theories, models and frameworks were identified. Of this number, two theories (Diffusion of Innovations and Transformational Learning), two models (Ecological and Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation) and one framework (Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning) were identified as the most frequently cited. This review identifies specific theories, models and frameworks to support capacity building interventions relevant to public health organizations. It provides public health practitioners with a menu of potentially usable theories, models and frameworks to support capacity building efforts. The findings also support the need for the use of theories, models or frameworks to be intentional, explicitly identified, referenced and for it to be clearly outlined how they were applied to the capacity building intervention.

Biomechanics of the Sensor–Tissue Interface—Effects of Motion, Pressure, and Design on Sensor Performance and the Foreign Body Response—Part I: Theoretical Framework

PubMed Central

Helton, Kristen L; Ratner, Buddy D; Wisniewski, Natalie A

2011-01-01

The importance of biomechanics in glucose sensor function has been largely overlooked. This article is the first part of a two-part review in which we look beyond commonly recognized chemical biocompatibility to explore the biomechanics of the sensor–tissue interface as an important aspect of continuous glucose sensor biocompatibility. Part I provides a theoretical framework to describe how biomechanical factors such as motion and pressure (typically micromotion and micropressure) give rise to interfacial stresses, which affect tissue physiology around a sensor and, in turn, impact sensor performance. Three main contributors to sensor motion and pressure are explored: applied forces, sensor design, and subject/patient considerations. We describe how acute forces can temporarily impact sensor signal and how chronic forces can alter the foreign body response and inflammation around an implanted sensor, and thus impact sensor performance. The importance of sensor design (e.g., size, shape, modulus, texture) and specific implant location on the tissue response are also explored. In Part II: Examples and Application (a sister publication), examples from the literature are reviewed, and the application of biomechanical concepts to sensor design are described. We believe that adding biomechanical strategies to the arsenal of material compositions, surface modifications, drug elution, and other chemical strategies will lead to improvements in sensor biocompatibility and performance. PMID:21722578

Interventions developed with the Intervention Mapping protocol in the field of cancer: A systematic review.

PubMed

Lamort-Bouché, Marion; Sarnin, Philippe; Kok, Gerjo; Rouat, Sabrina; Péron, Julien; Letrilliart, Laurent; Fassier, Jean-Baptiste

2018-04-01

The Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol provides a structured framework to develop, implement, and evaluate complex interventions. The main objective of this review was to identify and describe the content of the interventions developed in the field of cancer with the IM protocol. Secondary objectives were to assess their fidelity to the IM protocol and to review their theoretical frameworks. Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PASCAL, FRANCIS, and BDSP databases were searched. All titles and abstracts were reviewed. A standardized extraction form was developed. All included studies were reviewed by 2 reviewers blinded to each other. Sixteen studies were identified, and these reported 15 interventions. The objectives were to increase cancer screening participation (n = 7), early consultation (n = 1), and aftercare/quality of life among cancer survivors (n = 7). Six reported a complete participatory planning group, and 7 described a complete logic model of the problem. Ten studies described a complete logic model of change. The main theoretical frameworks used were the theory of planned behaviour (n = 8), the transtheoretical model (n = 6), the health belief model (n = 6), and the social cognitive theory (n = 6). The environment was rarely integrated in the interventions (n = 4). Five interventions were reported as effective. Culturally relevant interventions were developed with the IM protocol that were effective to increase cancer screening and reduce social disparities, particularly when they were developed through a participative approach and integrated the environment. Stakeholders' involvement and the role of the environment were heterogeneously integrated in the interventions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A generative inference framework for analysing patterns of cultural change in sparse population data with evidence for fashion trends in LBK culture.

PubMed

Kandler, Anne; Shennan, Stephen

2015-12-06

Cultural change can be quantified by temporal changes in frequency of different cultural artefacts and it is a central question to identify what underlying cultural transmission processes could have caused the observed frequency changes. Observed changes, however, often describe the dynamics in samples of the population of artefacts, whereas transmission processes act on the whole population. Here we develop a modelling framework aimed at addressing this inference problem. To do so, we firstly generate population structures from which the observed sample could have been drawn randomly and then determine theoretical samples at a later time t2 produced under the assumption that changes in frequencies are caused by a specific transmission process. Thereby we also account for the potential effect of time-averaging processes in the generation of the observed sample. Subsequent statistical comparisons (e.g. using Bayesian inference) of the theoretical and observed samples at t2 can establish which processes could have produced the observed frequency data. In this way, we infer underlying transmission processes directly from available data without any equilibrium assumption. We apply this framework to a dataset describing pottery from settlements of some of the first farmers in Europe (the LBK culture) and conclude that the observed frequency dynamic of different types of decorated pottery is consistent with age-dependent selection, a preference for 'young' pottery types which is potentially indicative of fashion trends. © 2015 The Author(s).

Aims and theoretical frameworks in nursing students' Bachelor's theses in Sweden: A descriptive study.

PubMed

Silén, Marit; Johansson, Linda

2016-02-01

Nursing students' independent projects in Sweden not only provide an opportunity to receive a professional qualification as a nurse but also gain a Bachelor's degree in nursing. The aim of these projects is to demonstrate knowledge and understanding within the major field of the education. This study aimed to describe and analyze the topics as well as theoretical frameworks and concepts in nursing students' independent projects, which lead to a Bachelor's degree, in a Swedish context. A total of 491 independent projects, written by nursing students in Sweden, were included in the study. Topics together with theoretical frameworks and concepts in the projects were identified. Similar topics and theoretical frameworks and concepts, respectively, were grouped into subcategories, and similar subcategories were then merged into a main category. The number of entries in each category was counted for descriptive statistics in order to allow for the demonstration of magnitude. The most common topics concerned experiences and managing when having an illness, experiences of care and of being a caregiver, and healthcare staff's care and knowledge. The nursing theories/models that were most often used were Eriksson's Theory of Caritative Caring, Travelbee's Human-to-Human Relationship Model, and Orem's Self-care Theory. Among the non-nursing theories/models, perspectives and concepts lifeworld, ethical values and principles, existential concepts and quality of life/health-related quality of life, were most often used by these students. There may be some difficulty in finding a topic for the project that is relevant for both a professional qualification as a nurse, as well as for achieving the requirements of a Bachelor's degree in nursing. The study indicates that there is a need to widen the student's understanding of different nursing theories/perspectives/models/concepts during nursing education so that students are familiar with a broad range of these when conducting their independent project. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

E-Learning, Multiple Intelligences Theory (MI) and Learner-Centred Instruction: Adapting MI Learning Theoretical Principles to the Instruction of Health and Safety to Construction Managers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNamee, Paul; Madden, Dave; McNamee, Frank; Wall, John; Hurst, Alan; Vrasidas, Charalambos; Chanquoy, Lucile; Baccino, Thierry; Acar, Emrah; Onwy-Yazici, Ela; Jordan, Ann

2009-01-01

This paper describes an ongoing EU project concerned with developing an instructional design framework for virtual classes (VC) that is based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) (1983). The psychological theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner 1983) has received much credence within instructional design since its inception and has been…

Conjoint-measurement framework for the study of probabilistic information processing.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallsten, T. S.

1972-01-01

The theory of conjoint measurement described by Krantz et al. (1971) is shown to indicate how a descriptive model of human processing of probabilistic information built around Bayes' rule is to be tested and how it is to be used to obtain subjective scale values. Specific relationships concerning these scale values are shown to emerge, and the theoretical prospects resulting from this development are discussed.

Observing Observers: Using Video to Prompt and Record Reflections on Teachers' Pedagogies in Four Regions of Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, David A; Simmt, Elaine; Savard, Annie; Suurtamm, Christine; Manuel, Dominic; Lin, Terry Wan Jung; Quigley, Brenna; Knipping, Christine

2015-01-01

Regional differences in performance in mathematics across Canada prompted us to conduct a comparative study of middle-school mathematics pedagogy in four regions. We built on the work of Tobin, using a theoretical framework derived from the work of Maturana. In this paper, we describe the use of video as part of the methodology used. We used…

Model Building for Undergraduate Colleges: A Theoretical Framework for Studying and Reforming the Curricular-Instructional Subsystem in American Colleges. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Axelrod, Joseph

In this report of a project on curriculum planning, a new language is developed for analyzing and describing "the curricular-instructional subsystem." Some of the data come from the author's experiences in planning and directing the Experimental Freshman-Year Program (EFP) at San Francisco State College, but most were collected at the…

What Health-Related Information Flows through You Every Day? A Content Analysis of Microblog Messages on Air Pollution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Qinghua; Yang, Fan; Zhou, Chun

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the information about haze, a term used in China to describe the air pollution problem, is portrayed on Chinese social media by different types of organizations using the theoretical framework of the health belief model (HBM). Design/methodology/approach: A content analysis was conducted…

How Adults in Developmental Reading Courses Describe Their Educational Life Experiences: A Phenomenological Case Study Examining Whether Experiences Influence Reading Attitudes and Decision-Making Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reece Armour, Ashley

2017-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological case study is to explore the reading attitudes and decision-making skills of college freshmen enrolled in remedial language arts courses. The theoretical framework guiding this study is qualitative phenomenology explained by Baxter and Jack (2008). This specific type of research "provides tools for…

Commentary on "Theory-Led Design of Instruments and Representations in Learning Analytics: Developing a Novel Tool for Orchestration of Online Collaborative Learning"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teplovs, Chris

2015-01-01

This commentary reflects on the contributions to learning analytics and theory by a paper that describes how multiple theoretical frameworks were woven together to inform the creation of a new, automated discourse analysis tool. The commentary highlights the contributions of the original paper, provides some alternative approaches, and touches on…

Food-web based unified model of macro- and microevolution.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Debashish; Stauffer, Dietrich

2003-10-01

We incorporate the generic hierarchical architecture of foodwebs into a "unified" model that describes both micro- and macroevolutions within a single theoretical framework. This model describes the microevolution in detail by accounting for the birth, ageing, and natural death of individual organisms as well as prey-predator interactions on a hierarchical dynamic food web. It also provides a natural description of random mutations and speciation (origination) of species as well as their extinctions. The distribution of lifetimes of species follows an approximate power law only over a limited regime.

Organizational readiness for knowledge translation in chronic care: a review of theoretical components

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background With the persistent gaps between research and practice in healthcare systems, knowledge translation (KT) has gained significance and importance. Also, in most industrialized countries, there is an increasing emphasis on managing chronic health conditions with the best available evidence. Yet, organizations aiming to improve chronic care (CC) require an adequate level of organizational readiness (OR) for KT. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review and synthesize the existing evidence on conceptual models/frameworks of Organizational Readiness for Change (ORC) in healthcare as the basis for the development of a comprehensive framework of OR for KT in the context of CC. Data sources We conducted a systematic review of the literature on OR for KT in CC using Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Web of Sciences (SCI and SSCI), and others. Search terms included readiness; commitment and change; preparedness; willing to change; organization and administration; and health and social services. Study selection: The search was limited to studies that had been published between the starting date of each bibliographic database (e.g., 1964 for PubMed) and November 1, 2012. Only papers that refer to a theory, a theoretical component from any framework or model on OR that were applicable to the healthcare domain were considered. We analyzed data using conceptual mapping. Data extraction: Pairs of authors independently screened the published literature by reviewing their titles and abstracts. Then, the two same reviewers appraised the full text of each study independently. Results Overall, we found and synthesized 10 theories, theoretical models and conceptual frameworks relevant to ORC in healthcare described in 38 publications. We identified five core concepts, namely organizational dynamics, change process, innovation readiness, institutional readiness, and personal readiness. We extracted 17 dimensions and 59 sub-dimensions related to these 5 concepts. Conclusion Our findings provide a useful overview for researchers interested in ORC and aims to create a consensus on the core theoretical components of ORC in general and of OR for KT in CC in particular. However, more work is needed to define and validate the core elements of a framework that could help to assess OR for KT in CC. PMID:24283365

Relationships among Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory Frameworks via Factor Analytic Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohli, Nidhi; Koran, Jennifer; Henn, Lisa

2015-01-01

There are well-defined theoretical differences between the classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT) frameworks. It is understood that in the CTT framework, person and item statistics are test- and sample-dependent. This is not the perception with IRT. For this reason, the IRT framework is considered to be theoretically superior…

Using Intervention Mapping to Develop an Oral Health e-Curriculum for Secondary Prevention of Eating Disorders.

PubMed

DeBate, Rita D; Bleck, Jennifer R; Raven, Jessica; Severson, Herb

2017-06-01

Preventing oral-systemic health issues relies on evidence-based interventions across various system-level target groups. Although the use of theory- and evidence-based approaches has been encouraged in developing oral health behavior change programs, the translation of theoretical constructs and principles to behavior change interventions has not been well described. Based on a series of six systematic steps, Intervention Mapping provides a framework for effective decision making with regard to developing, implementing, and evaluating theory- and evidence-informed, system-based behavior change programs. This article describes the application of the Intervention Mapping framework to develop the EAT (evaluating, assessing, and treating) evidence-based intervention with the goal of increasing the capacity of oral health providers to engage in secondary prevention of oral-systemic issues associated with disordered eating behaviors. Examples of data and deliverables for each step are described. In addition, results from evaluation of the intervention via randomized control trial are described, with statistically significant differences observed in behavioral outcomes in the intervention group with effect sizes ranging from r=0.62 to 0.83. These results suggest that intervention mapping, via the six systematic steps, can be useful as a framework for continued development of preventive interventions.

Scaling Up Decision Theoretic Planning to Planetary Rover Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meuleau, Nicolas; Dearden, Richard; Washington, Rich

2004-01-01

Because of communication limits, planetary rovers must operate autonomously during consequent durations. The ability to plan under uncertainty is one of the main components of autonomy. Previous approaches to planning under uncertainty in NASA applications are not able to address the challenges of future missions, because of several apparent limits. On another side, decision theory provides a solid principle framework for reasoning about uncertainty and rewards. Unfortunately, there are several obstacles to a direct application of decision-theoretic techniques to the rover domain. This paper focuses on the issues of structure and concurrency, and continuous state variables. We describes two techniques currently under development that address specifically these issues and allow scaling-up decision theoretic solution techniques to planetary rover planning problems involving a small number of goals.

Games and Diabetes: A Review Investigating Theoretical Frameworks, Evaluation Methodologies, and Opportunities for Design Grounded in Learning Theories.

PubMed

Lazem, Shaimaa; Webster, Mary; Holmes, Wayne; Wolf, Motje

2015-09-02

Here we review 18 articles that describe the design and evaluation of 1 or more games for diabetes from technical, methodological, and theoretical perspectives. We undertook searches covering the period 2010 to May 2015 in the ACM, IEEE, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, and Google Scholar online databases using the keywords "children," "computer games," "diabetes," "games," "type 1," and "type 2" in various Boolean combinations. The review sets out to establish, for future research, an understanding of the current landscape of digital games designed for children with diabetes. We briefly explored the use and impact of well-established learning theories in such games. The most frequently mentioned theoretical frameworks were social cognitive theory and social constructivism. Due to the limitations of the reported evaluation methodologies, little evidence was found to support the strong promise of games for diabetes. Furthermore, we could not establish a relation between design features and the game outcomes. We argue that an in-depth discussion about the extent to which learning theories could and should be manifested in the design decisions is required. © 2015 Diabetes Technology Society.

Inhibition of return: A phenomenon in search of a definition and a theoretical framework.

PubMed

Dukewich, Kristie R; Klein, Raymond M

2015-07-01

In a study of scientific nomenclature, we explore the diversity of perspectives researchers endorse for the phenomenon of inhibition of return (IOR). IOR is often described as an effect whereby people are slower to respond to a target presented at a recently stimulated or inspected location as compared to a target presented at a new location. Since its discovery, scores of papers have been published on IOR, and researchers have proposed, accepted and rejected a variety of potential causes, mechanisms, effects and components for the phenomenon. Experts in IOR were surveyed about their opinions regarding various aspects of IOR and the literature exploring it. We found variety both between and within experts surveyed, suggesting that most researchers hold implicit, and often quite unique assumptions about IOR. These widely varied assumptions may be hindering the creation or acceptance of a central theoretical framework regarding IOR; and this variety may portend that what has been given the label "IOR" may be more than one phenomenon requiring more than one theoretical explanation. We wonder whether scientific progress in domains other than IOR might be affected by too broad (or perhaps too narrow) a range of phenomena to which our nomenclature is applied.

Abstinence education for urban youth.

PubMed

Carter-Jessop, L; Franklin, L N; Heath, J W; Jimenez-Irizarry, G; Peace, M D

2000-08-01

Teen sexual problems in the U.S. are reaching enormous proportions. Attempts to prevent common problems, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, are underway through the persistent efforts of community, health, academic and government organizations. Abstinence education is one of the current attempts. However, the lack of well defined theoretical frameworks and analyses of outcomes have limited progress in the study of abstinence education. This article describes a pilot program in abstinence-only education provided to six groups of young teens within an urban middle school. The framework for the program, cognitive social learning theory, is described and operationalized. Student pretest-posttest attitudes, open-ended written comments about the program and the researchers' anecdotes about behavioral changes in the students are the outcome measures. Positive attitudes about premarital abstinence increased for all six groups; for four of the six groups the increase was statistically significant.

Child murder by parents and evolutionary psychology.

PubMed

Friedman, Susan Hatters; Cavney, James; Resnick, Phillip J

2012-12-01

This article explores the contribution of evolutionary theory to the understanding of causation and motive in filicide cases and also reviews special issues in the forensic evaluation of alleged perpetrators of filicide. Evolutionary social psychology seeks to understand the context in which our brains evolved, to understand human behaviors. The authors propose evolutionary theory as a framework theory to meaningfully appreciate research about filicide. Using evolutionary psychology as a theoretical lens, this article reviews the research on filicide over the past 40 years, and describes epidemiologic and typologic studies of filicide, and theoretical analyses from a range of disciplines. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simulated transient thermal infrared emissions of forest canopies during rainfall events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballard, Jerrell R.; Hawkins, William R.; Howington, Stacy E.; Kala, Raju V.

2017-05-01

We describe the development of a centimeter-scale resolution simulation framework for a theoretical tree canopy that includes rainfall deposition, evaporation, and thermal infrared emittance. Rainfall is simulated as discrete raindrops with specified rate. The individual droplets will either fall through the canopy and intersect the ground; adhere to a leaf; bounce or shatter on impact with a leaf resulting in smaller droplets that are propagated through the canopy. Surface physical temperatures are individually determined by surface water evaporation, spatially varying within canopy wind velocities, solar radiation, and water vapor pressure. Results are validated by theoretical canopy gap and gross rainfall interception models.

A practical guide to density matrix embedding theory in quantum chemistry

DOE PAGES

Wouters, Sebastian; Jimenez-Hoyos, Carlos A.; Sun, Qiming; ...

2016-05-09

Density matrix embedding theory (DMET) (Knizia, G.; Chan, G. K.-L. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2012, 109, 186404) provides a theoretical framework to treat finite fragments in the presence of a surrounding molecular or bulk environment, even when there is significant correlation or entanglement between the two. In this work, we give a practically oriented and explicit description of the numerical and theoretical formulation of DMET. Here, we also describe in detail how to perform self-consistent DMET optimizations. We explore different embedding strategies with and without a self-consistency condition in hydrogen rings, beryllium rings, and a sample SN2 reaction.

Coarse-graining errors and numerical optimization using a relative entropy framework.

PubMed

Chaimovich, Aviel; Shell, M Scott

2011-03-07

The ability to generate accurate coarse-grained models from reference fully atomic (or otherwise "first-principles") ones has become an important component in modeling the behavior of complex molecular systems with large length and time scales. We recently proposed a novel coarse-graining approach based upon variational minimization of a configuration-space functional called the relative entropy, S(rel), that measures the information lost upon coarse-graining. Here, we develop a broad theoretical framework for this methodology and numerical strategies for its use in practical coarse-graining settings. In particular, we show that the relative entropy offers tight control over the errors due to coarse-graining in arbitrary microscopic properties, and suggests a systematic approach to reducing them. We also describe fundamental connections between this optimization methodology and other coarse-graining strategies like inverse Monte Carlo, force matching, energy matching, and variational mean-field theory. We suggest several new numerical approaches to its minimization that provide new coarse-graining strategies. Finally, we demonstrate the application of these theoretical considerations and algorithms to a simple, instructive system and characterize convergence and errors within the relative entropy framework. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.

Where do spontaneous first impressions of faces come from?

PubMed

Over, Harriet; Cook, Richard

2018-01-01

Humans spontaneously attribute a wide range of traits to strangers based solely on their facial features. These first impressions are known to exert striking effects on our choices and behaviours. In this paper, we provide a theoretical account of the origins of these spontaneous trait inferences. We describe a novel framework ('Trait Inference Mapping') in which trait inferences are products of mappings between locations in 'face space' and 'trait space'. These mappings are acquired during ontogeny and allow excitation of face representations to propagate automatically to associated trait representations. This conceptualization provides a framework within which the relative contribution of ontogenetic experience and genetic inheritance can be considered. Contrary to many existing ideas about the origins of trait inferences, we propose only a limited role for innate mechanisms and natural selection. Instead, our model explains inter-observer consistency by appealing to cultural learning and physiological responses that facilitate or 'canalise' particular face-trait mappings. Our TIM framework has both theoretical and substantive implications, and can be extended to trait inferences from non-facial cues to provide a unified account of first impressions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Community-First Land-Centred Theoretical Framework: Bringing a "Good Mind" to Indigenous Education Research?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Styres, Sandra D.; Zinga, Dawn M.

2013-01-01

This article introduces an emergent research theoretical framework, the community-first Land-centred research framework. Carefully examining the literature within Indigenous educational research, we noted the limited approaches for engaging in culturally aligned and relevant research within Indigenous communities. The community-first Land-centred…

An e-Learning Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aparicio, Manuela; Bacao, Fernando; Oliveira, Tiago

2016-01-01

E-learning systems have witnessed a usage and research increase in the past decade. This article presents the e-learning concepts ecosystem. It summarizes the various scopes on e-learning studies. Here we propose an e-learning theoretical framework. This theory framework is based upon three principal dimensions: users, technology, and services…

Threshold Capabilities: Threshold Concepts and Knowledge Capability Linked through Variation Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baillie, Caroline; Bowden, John A.; Meyer, Jan H. F.

2013-01-01

The Threshold Capability Integrated Theoretical Framework (TCITF) is presented as a framework for the design of university curricula, aimed at developing graduates' capability to deal with previously unseen situations in their professional, social, and personal lives. The TCITF is a new theoretical framework derived from, and heavily dependent…

What can Robots Do? Towards Theoretical Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nogueira, Monica

1997-01-01

Robots have become more and more sophisticated. Every robot has its limits. If we face a task that existing robots cannot solve, then, before we start improving these robots, it is important to check whether it is, in principle, possible to design a robot for this task or not. For that, it is necessary to describe what exactly the robots can, in principle, do. A similar problem - to describe what exactly computers can do - has been solved as early as 1936, by Turing. In this paper, we describe a framework within which we can, hopefully, formalize and answer the question of what exactly robots can do.

A biologically consistent hierarchical framework for self-referencing survivalist computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottam, Ron; Ranson, Willy; Vounckx, Roger

2000-05-01

Extensively scaled formally rational hardware and software are indirectly fallible, at the very least through temporal restrictions on the evaluation of their correctness. In addition, the apparent inability of formal rationality to successfully describe living systems as anything other than inanimate structures suggests that the development of self-referencing computational machines will require a different approach. There is currently a strong movement towards the adoption of semiotics as a descriptive medium in theoretical biology. We present a related computational semiosic construction (1, 2) consistent with evolutionary hierarchical emergence (3), which may serve as a framework for implementing anticipatory-oriented survivalist processing in real environments.

Quantifying the potential of III-V/Si partial concentrator by a statistical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kan-Hua; Araki, Kenji; Ota, Yasuyuki; Nishioka, Kensuke; Yamaguchi, Masafumi

2017-09-01

We propose a theoretical framework for analyzing the energy yields of partial concentrators. A partial concentrator uses a concentrator cell to absorb the principal defracted or reflected light rays from its concentrator optics and a backplane cell to absorbs the diffused or defocused light. This concept can be applied to the concentrator system when accurate sun-tracking is not available, such as on a vehicle. This analysis framework provides a simplified way to describe the uncertainties of solar incidences dealt by partial concentrator. This help identified a clearer design criteria of partial concentrator in order to outperform the flat-panel PV or conventional CPV.

A process dissociation approach to objective-projective test score interrelationships.

PubMed

Bornstein, Robert F

2002-02-01

Even when self-report and projective measures of a given trait or motive both predict theoretically related features of behavior, scores on the 2 tests correlate modestly with each other. This article describes a process dissociation framework for personality assessment, derived from research on implicit memory and learning, which can resolve these ostensibly conflicting results. Research on interpersonal dependency is used to illustrate 3 key steps in the process dissociation approach: (a) converging behavioral predictions, (b) modest test score intercorrelations, and (c) delineation of variables that differentially affect self-report and projective test scores. Implications of the process dissociation framework for personality assessment and test development are discussed.

Framework for analyzing ecological trait-based models in multidimensional niche spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biancalani, Tommaso; DeVille, Lee; Goldenfeld, Nigel

2015-05-01

We develop a theoretical framework for analyzing ecological models with a multidimensional niche space. Our approach relies on the fact that ecological niches are described by sequences of symbols, which allows us to include multiple phenotypic traits. Ecological drivers, such as competitive exclusion, are modeled by introducing the Hamming distance between two sequences. We show that a suitable transform diagonalizes the community interaction matrix of these models, making it possible to predict the conditions for niche differentiation and, close to the instability onset, the asymptotically long time population distributions of niches. We exemplify our method using the Lotka-Volterra equations with an exponential competition kernel.

Kinetic Equations for Describing the Liquid-Glass Transition in Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksenov, V. L.; Tropin, T. V.; Schmelzer, J. V. P.

2018-01-01

We present a theoretical approach based on nonequilibrium thermodynamics and used to describe the kinetics of the transition from the liquid to the glassy state (glass transition). In the framework of this approach, we construct kinetic equations describing the time and temperature evolution of the structural parameter. We discuss modifications of the equations required for taking the nonexponential, nonlinear character of the relaxation in the vitrification region into account. To describe the formation of polymer glasses, we present modified expressions for the system relaxation time. We compare the obtained results with experimental data, measurements of the polystyrene glass transition for different cooling rates using the method of differential scanning calorimetry. We discuss prospects for developing a method for describing the polymer glass transition.

Sustained sensorimotor control as intermittent decisions about prediction errors: computational framework and application to ground vehicle steering.

PubMed

Markkula, Gustav; Boer, Erwin; Romano, Richard; Merat, Natasha

2018-06-01

A conceptual and computational framework is proposed for modelling of human sensorimotor control and is exemplified for the sensorimotor task of steering a car. The framework emphasises control intermittency and extends on existing models by suggesting that the nervous system implements intermittent control using a combination of (1) motor primitives, (2) prediction of sensory outcomes of motor actions, and (3) evidence accumulation of prediction errors. It is shown that approximate but useful sensory predictions in the intermittent control context can be constructed without detailed forward models, as a superposition of simple prediction primitives, resembling neurobiologically observed corollary discharges. The proposed mathematical framework allows straightforward extension to intermittent behaviour from existing one-dimensional continuous models in the linear control and ecological psychology traditions. Empirical data from a driving simulator are used in model-fitting analyses to test some of the framework's main theoretical predictions: it is shown that human steering control, in routine lane-keeping and in a demanding near-limit task, is better described as a sequence of discrete stepwise control adjustments, than as continuous control. Results on the possible roles of sensory prediction in control adjustment amplitudes, and of evidence accumulation mechanisms in control onset timing, show trends that match the theoretical predictions; these warrant further investigation. The results for the accumulation-based model align with other recent literature, in a possibly converging case against the type of threshold mechanisms that are often assumed in existing models of intermittent control.

Dynamics of moment neuronal networks.

PubMed

Feng, Jianfeng; Deng, Yingchun; Rossoni, Enrico

2006-04-01

A theoretical framework is developed for moment neuronal networks (MNNs). Within this framework, the behavior of the system of spiking neurons is specified in terms of the first- and second-order statistics of their interspike intervals, i.e., the mean, the variance, and the cross correlations of spike activity. Since neurons emit and receive spike trains which can be described by renewal--but generally non-Poisson--processes, we first derive a suitable diffusion-type approximation of such processes. Two approximation schemes are introduced: the usual approximation scheme (UAS) and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck scheme. It is found that both schemes approximate well the input-output characteristics of spiking models such as the IF and the Hodgkin-Huxley models. The MNN framework is then developed according to the UAS scheme, and its predictions are tested on a few examples.

A dynamic systems approach to psychotherapy: A meta-theoretical framework for explaining psychotherapy change processes.

PubMed

Gelo, Omar Carlo Gioacchino; Salvatore, Sergio

2016-07-01

Notwithstanding the many methodological advances made in the field of psychotherapy research, at present a metatheoretical, school-independent framework to explain psychotherapy change processes taking into account their dynamic and complex nature is still lacking. Over the last years, several authors have suggested that a dynamic systems (DS) approach might provide such a framework. In the present paper, we review the main characteristics of a DS approach to psychotherapy. After an overview of the general principles of the DS approach, we describe the extent to which psychotherapy can be considered as a self-organizing open complex system, whose developmental change processes are described in terms of a dialectic dynamics between stability and change over time. Empirical evidence in support of this conceptualization is provided and discussed. Finally, we propose a research design strategy for the empirical investigation of psychotherapy from a DS approach, together with a research case example. We conclude that a DS approach may provide a metatheoretical, school-independent framework allowing us to constructively rethink and enhance the way we conceptualize and empirically investigate psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Evidence - competence - discourse: the theoretical framework of the multi-centre clinical ethics support project METAP.

PubMed

Reiter-Theil, Stella; Mertz, Marcel; Schürmann, Jan; Stingelin Giles, Nicola; Meyer-Zehnder, Barbara

2011-09-01

In this paper we assume that 'theory' is important for Clinical Ethics Support Services (CESS). We will argue that the underlying implicit theory should be reflected. Moreover, we suggest that the theoretical components on which any clinical ethics support (CES) relies should be explicitly articulated in order to enhance the quality of CES. A theoretical framework appropriate for CES will be necessarily complex and should include ethical (both descriptive and normative), metaethical and organizational components. The various forms of CES that exist in North-America and in Europe show their underlying theory more or less explicitly, with most of them referring to some kind of theoretical components including 'how-to' questions (methodology), organizational issues (implementation), problem analysis (phenomenology or typology of problems), and related ethical issues such as end-of-life decisions (major ethical topics). In order to illustrate and explain the theoretical framework that we are suggesting for our own CES project METAP, we will outline this project which has been established in a multi-centre context in several healthcare institutions. We conceptualize three 'pillars' as the major components of our theoretical framework: (1) evidence, (2) competence, and (3) discourse. As a whole, the framework is aimed at developing a foundation of our CES project METAP. We conclude that this specific integration of theoretical components is a promising model for the fruitful further development of CES. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Investigating nurse practitioners in the private sector: a theoretically informed research protocol.

PubMed

Adams, Margaret; Gardner, Glenn; Yates, Patsy

2017-06-01

To report a study protocol and the theoretical framework normalisation process theory that informs this protocol for a case study investigation of private sector nurse practitioners. Most research evaluating nurse practitioner service is focused on public, mainly acute care environments where nurse practitioner service is well established with strong structures for governance and sustainability. Conversely, there is lack of clarity in governance for emerging models in the private sector. In a climate of healthcare reform, nurse practitioner service is extending beyond the familiar public health sector. Further research is required to inform knowledge of the practice, operational framework and governance of new nurse practitioner models. The proposed research will use a multiple exploratory case study design to examine private sector nurse practitioner service. Data collection includes interviews, surveys and audits. A sequential mixed method approach to analysis of each case will be conducted. Findings from within-case analysis will lead to a meta-synthesis across all four cases to gain a holistic understanding of the cases under study, private sector nurse practitioner service. Normalisation process theory will be used to guide the research process, specifically coding and analysis of data using theory constructs and the relevant components associated with those constructs. This article provides a blueprint for the research and describes a theoretical framework, normalisation process theory in terms of its flexibility as an analytical framework. Consistent with the goals of best research practice, this study protocol will inform the research community in the field of primary health care about emerging research in this field. Publishing a study protocol ensures researcher fidelity to the analysis plan and supports research collaboration across teams. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Thresholds of Principle and Preference: Exploring Procedural Variation in Postgraduate Surgical Education.

PubMed

Apramian, Tavis; Cristancho, Sayra; Watling, Chris; Ott, Michael; Lingard, Lorelei

2015-11-01

Expert physicians develop their own ways of doing things. The influence of such practice variation in clinical learning is insufficiently understood. Our grounded theory study explored how residents make sense of, and behave in relation to, the procedural variations of faculty surgeons. We sampled senior postgraduate surgical residents to construct a theoretical framework for how residents make sense of procedural variations. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we used marginal participant observation in the operating room across 56 surgical cases (146 hours), field interviews (38), and formal interviews (6) to develop a theoretical framework for residents' ways of dealing with procedural variations. Data analysis used constant comparison to iteratively refine the framework and data collection until theoretical saturation was reached. The core category of the constructed theory was called thresholds of principle and preference and it captured how faculty members position some procedural variations as negotiable and others not. The term thresholding was coined to describe residents' daily experiences of spotting, mapping, and negotiating their faculty members' thresholds and defending their own emerging thresholds. Thresholds of principle and preference play a key role in workplace-based medical education. Postgraduate medical learners are occupied on a day-to-day level with thresholding and attempting to make sense of the procedural variations of faculty. Workplace-based teaching and assessment should include an understanding of the integral role of thresholding in shaping learners' development. Future research should explore the nature and impact of thresholding in workplace-based learning beyond the surgical context.

HERAFitter: Open source QCD fit project

DOE PAGES

Alekhin, S.; Behnke, O.; Belov, P.; ...

2015-07-01

HERAFitter is an open-source package that provides a framework for the determination of the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton and for many different kinds of analyses in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). It encodes results from a wide range of experimental measurements in lepton-proton deep inelastic scattering and proton-proton (proton-antiproton) collisions at hadron colliders. These are complemented with a variety of theoretical options for calculating PDF-dependent cross section predictions corresponding to the measurements. The framework covers a large number of the existing methods and schemes used for PDF determination. The data and theoretical predictions are brought together through numerous methodologicalmore » options for carrying out PDF fits and plotting tools to help visualise the results. While primarily based on the approach of collinear factorisation, HERAFitter also provides facilities for fits of dipole models and transverse-momentum dependent PDFs. The package can be used to study the impact of new precise measurements from hadron colliders. This paper describes the general structure of HERAFitter and its wide choice of options.« less

Knowing Inquiry as Practice and Theory: Developing a Pedagogical Framework with Elementary School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poon, Chew-Leng; Lee, Yew-Jin; Tan, Aik-Ling; Lim, Shirley S. L.

2012-04-01

In this paper, we characterize the inquiry practices of four elementary school teachers by means of a pedagogical framework. Our study revealed core components of inquiry found in theoretically-driven models as well as practices that were regarded as integral to the success of day-to-day science teaching in Singapore. This approach towards describing actual science inquiry practices—a surprisingly neglected area—uncovered nuances in teacher instructions that can impact inquiry-based lessons as well as contribute to a practice-oriented perspective of science teaching. In particular, we found that these teachers attached importance to (a) preparing students for investigations, both cognitively and procedurally; (b) iterating pedagogical components where helping students understand and construct concepts did not follow a planned linear path but involved continuous monitoring of learning; and (c) synthesizing concepts in a consolidation phase. Our findings underscore the dialectical relationship between practice-oriented knowledge and theoretical conceptions of teaching/learning thereby helping educators better appreciate how teachers adapt inquiry science for different contexts.

Quantifying Reinforcement Value and Demand for Psychoactive Substances in Humans

PubMed Central

Heinz, Adrienne J.; Lilje, Todd C.; Kassel, Jon D.; de Wit, Harriet

2013-01-01

Behavioral economics is an emerging cross-disciplinary field that is providing an exciting new contextual framework for researchers to study addictive processes. New initiatives to study addiction under a behavioral economic rubric have yielded variable terminology and differing methods and theoretical approaches that are consistent with the multidimensional nature of addiction. The present article is intended to provide an integrative overview of the behavioral economic nomenclature and to describe relevant theoretical models, principles and concepts. Additionally, we present measures derived from behavioral economic theories that quantify demand for substances and assess decision making processes surrounding substance use. The sensitivity of these measures to different contextual elements (e.g., drug use status, acute drug effects, deprivation) is also addressed. The review concludes with discussion of the validity of these approaches and their potential for clinical application and highlights areas that warrant further research. Overall, behavioral economics offers a compelling framework to help explicate complex addictive processes and it is likely to provide a translational platform for clinical intervention. PMID:23062106

Theoretical study of the transonic lift of a double-wedge profile with detached bow wave

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vincenti, Walter G; Wagoner, Cleo B

1954-01-01

A theoretical study is described of the aerodynamic characteristics at small angle of attack of a thin, double-wedge profile in the range of supersonic flight speed in which the bow wave is detached. The analysis is carried out within the framework of the transonic (nonlinear) small-disturbance theory, and the effects of angle of attack are regarded as a small perturbation on the flow previously calculated at zero angle. The mixed flow about the front half of the profile is calculated by relaxation solution of a suitably defined boundary-value problem for transonic small-disturbance equation in the hodograph plane (i.e., the Tricomi equation). The purely supersonic flow about the rear half is found by an extension of the usual numerical method of characteristics. Analytical results are also obtained, within the framework of the same theory, for the range of speed in which the bow wave is attached and the flow is completely supersonic.

A review of patient-centred post-fracture interventions in the context of theories of health behaviour change.

PubMed

Sujic, R; Gignac, M A; Cockerill, R; Beaton, D E

2011-08-01

The purpose of this literature review is to determine whether and to what extent current post-fracture osteoporosis interventions utilize theories of health behaviour change and whether those that are theory-based are more successful in producing desired behaviour changes. Studies were identified by applying additional criteria to the final selection stage of a systematic review of non-surgical osteoporosis interventions in the orthopaedic environment. We identified 42 primary studies targeted at patients and improving post-fracture osteoporosis care. As well as describing the studies (in terms of design, population, interventions, outcomes), we focused on theoretical framework and elements of behaviour change models. The 42 studies included in this review utilized a variety of post-fracture interventions; however, none of them reported using an underlying theoretical base. Only three studies drew on what we felt to be elements of a theoretical framework. The lack of theoretically based studies points to a currently under-utilized area of behaviour change research that could be applied to post-fracture interventions in order to make them more effective. Despite an abundance of literature supporting theories of behaviour change, post-fracture osteoporosis interventions do not report utilizing these theories. Theories of behaviour change could be applied to post-fracture osteoporosis interventions to explain why patients initiate osteoporosis management. Future research should explore the application of theories of health behaviour change to post-fracture interventions.

Theoretical Framework of Leadership in Higher Education of England and Wales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukan, Nataliya; Havrylyuk, Marianna; Stolyarchuk, Lesia

2015-01-01

In the article the theoretical framework of leadership in higher education of England and Wales has been studied. The main objectives of the article are defined as analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature, which highlights different aspects of the problem under research; characteristic of the theoretical fundamentals of educational…

Towards Developing a Theoretical Framework for Measuring Public Sector Managers' Career Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasdi, Roziah Mohd; Ismail, Maimunah; Uli, Jegak; Noah, Sidek Mohd

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework for measuring public sector managers' career success. Design/methodology/approach: The theoretical foundation used in this study is social cognitive career theory. To conduct a literature search, several keywords were identified, i.e. career success, objective and subjective…

The Importance of Theoretical Frameworks and Mathematical Constructs in Designing Digital Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trinter, Christine

2016-01-01

The increase in availability of educational technologies over the past few decades has not only led to new practice in teaching mathematics but also to new perspectives in research, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks within mathematics education. Hence, the amalgamation of theoretical and pragmatic considerations in digital tool design…

State of the science: does the theory of maternal role attainment apply to African American motherhood?

PubMed

Fouquier, Katherine Ferrell

2013-01-01

This article reviews the current state of knowledge of the theory of maternal role attainment (MRA) and its relevance in describing African American motherhood. EBSCOhost Research Databases that included PubMed, CINAHL plus, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, and Web of Science were searched for journal articles that examined maternal identity and MRA. Keyword searches included maternal identity, maternal role attainment, becoming a mother, prenatal attachment, maternal-fetal attachment, and maternal-infant attachment. Inclusion criteria for this review were published journal articles of studies conducted in the United States, with a clear delineation of the theoretical framework of MRA. Journal articles that measured MRA among women with depression or medically fragile infants were excluded. Two hundred and twelve studies were reviewed; 25 studies, published between 1975 and 2007, met the inclusion criteria. Nine articles described the theory of MRA, 11 articles measured variables thought to influence MRA, and 6 articles described maternal-fetal attachment, a construct of MRA. Studies were reviewed, categorized, and analyzed to determine current knowledge of how the theory of MRA describes African American motherhood. Categories included studies describing the theoretical framework of maternal identity and MRA, studies measuring key variables thought to impact MRA, and studies measuring maternal-fetal attachment and maternal-infant attachment. The studies were limited by homogenous samples of upper-middle-class white women and low-income, single, African American adolescents. Study results of MRA cannot be generalized to African American women. Further research is essential to identify attributes influencing MRA, specifically among larger samples of African American women with demographics similar to that of the white populations that have been included in studies thus far. © 2013 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

From "They" Science to "Our" Science: Hip Hop Epistemology in STEAM Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolberry, Maurice E.

Hip hop has moved from being considered a type of music into being understood as a culture in which a prominent type of music originates. Hip hop culture has a philosophy and epistemological constructs as well. This study analyzed those constructs to determine how conceptions of science factor in hip hop worldviews. Pedagogical models in culturally responsive teaching and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education were also examined to discern their philosophical connections with hip hop culture. These connections were used to create two theoretical models. The first one, Hip Hop Science, described how scientific thought functions in hip hop culture. The second model, Hip Hop STEAM Pedagogy, proposes how hip hop culture can inform STEAM teaching practices. The study began by using Critical Race Theory to create a theoretical framework proposing how the two theoretical models could be derived from the philosophical and pedagogical concepts. Content analysis and narrative inquiry were used to analyze data collected from scholarly texts, hip hop songs, and interviews with hip hop-responsive educators. The data from these sources were used initially to assess the adequacy of the proposed theoretical framework, and subsequently to improve its viability. Four overlapping themes emerged from the data analyses, including hip hop-resistance to formal education; how hip hop culture informs pedagogical practice in hip hop-responsive classrooms; conceptions of knowledge and reality that shape how hip hoppers conduct scientific inquiry; and hip hop-based philosophies of effective teaching for hip hoppers as a marginalized cultural group. The findings indicate that there are unique connections between hip hop epistemology, sciencemindedness, and pedagogical practices in STEAM education. The revised theoretical framework clarified the nature of these connections, and supported claims from prior research that hip hop culture provides viable sites of engagement for STEAM educators. It concluded with suggestions for future research that further explicates hip hop epistemology and Hip Hop STEAM Pedagogy.

A Theoretically Grounded Framework for Integrating the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walls, Jill K.

2016-01-01

SoTL scholars have written about the importance and utility of teaching from a guiding theoretical framework. In this paper, ecological theory and specifically Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model, is examined as a potential framework for synthesizing SoTL research findings to inform teaching and learning scholarship at the college level. A…

Theoretical Foundation of Copernicus: A Unified System for Trajectory Design and Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ocampo, Cesar; Senent, Juan S.; Williams, Jacob

2010-01-01

The fundamental methods are described for the general spacecraft trajectory design and optimization software system called Copernicus. The methods rely on a unified framework that is used to model, design, and optimize spacecraft trajectories that may operate in complex gravitational force fields, use multiple propulsion systems, and involve multiple spacecraft. The trajectory model, with its associated equations of motion and maneuver models, are discussed.

AI/OR computational model for integrating qualitative and quantitative design methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agogino, Alice M.; Bradley, Stephen R.; Cagan, Jonathan; Jain, Pramod; Michelena, Nestor

1990-01-01

A theoretical framework for integrating qualitative and numerical computational methods for optimally-directed design is described. The theory is presented as a computational model and features of implementations are summarized where appropriate. To demonstrate the versatility of the methodology we focus on four seemingly disparate aspects of the design process and their interaction: (1) conceptual design, (2) qualitative optimal design, (3) design innovation, and (4) numerical global optimization.

An Initial Framework for Enhancing Cultural Competency: The Science of Cultural Readiness

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Social constructionism : a theoretical approach that has much in common with relativism. It challenges the notion of fixed and universal truths in the...1.2: Basic triadic representation of human culture. It is easy to try to identify these latter divisions as physical and social culture...formation is necessary. Harris (1979) describes culture as existing at three levels known as infrastructure, social structure, and superstructure. As

Fostering Students' Conceptual Knowledge in Biology in the Context of German National Education Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Förtsch, Christian; Dorfner, Tobias; Baumgartner, Julia; Werner, Sonja; von Kotzebue, Lena; Neuhaus, Birgit J.

2018-04-01

The German National Education Standards (NES) for biology were introduced in 2005. The content part of the NES emphasizes fostering conceptual knowledge. However, there are hardly any indications of what such an instructional implementation could look like. We introduce a theoretical framework of an instructional approach to foster students' conceptual knowledge as demanded in the NES (Fostering Conceptual Knowledge) including instructional practices derived from research on single core ideas, general psychological theories, and biology-specific features of instructional quality. First, we aimed to develop a rating manual, which is based on this theoretical framework. Second, we wanted to describe current German biology instruction according to this approach and to quantitatively analyze its effectiveness. And third, we aimed to provide qualitative examples of this approach to triangulate our findings. In a first step, we developed a theoretically devised rating manual to measure Fostering Conceptual Knowledge in videotaped lessons. Data for quantitative analysis included 81 videotaped biology lessons of 28 biology teachers from different German secondary schools. Six hundred forty students completed a questionnaire on their situational interest after each lesson and an achievement test. Results from multilevel modeling showed significant positive effects of Fostering Conceptual Knowledge on students' achievement and situational interest. For qualitative analysis, we contrasted instruction of four teachers, two with high and two with low student achievement and situational interest using the qualitative method of thematic analysis. Qualitative analysis revealed five main characteristics describing Fostering Conceptual Knowledge. Therefore, implementing Fostering Conceptual Knowledge in biology instruction seems promising. Examples of how to implement Fostering Conceptual Knowledge in instruction are shown and discussed.

A framework for characterizing eHealth literacy demands and barriers.

PubMed

Chan, Connie V; Kaufman, David R

2011-11-17

Consumer eHealth interventions are of a growing importance in the individual management of health and health behaviors. However, a range of access, resources, and skills barriers prevent health care consumers from fully engaging in and benefiting from the spectrum of eHealth interventions. Consumers may engage in a range of eHealth tasks, such as participating in health discussion forums and entering information into a personal health record. eHealth literacy names a set of skills and knowledge that are essential for productive interactions with technology-based health tools, such as proficiency in information retrieval strategies, and communicating health concepts effectively. We propose a theoretical and methodological framework for characterizing complexity of eHealth tasks, which can be used to diagnose and describe literacy barriers and inform the development of solution strategies. We adapted and integrated two existing theoretical models relevant to the analysis of eHealth literacy into a single framework to systematically categorize and describe task demands and user performance on tasks needed by health care consumers in the information age. The method derived from the framework is applied to (1) code task demands using a cognitive task analysis, and (2) code user performance on tasks. The framework and method are applied to the analysis of a Web-based consumer eHealth task with information-seeking and decision-making demands. We present the results from the in-depth analysis of the task performance of a single user as well as of 20 users on the same task to illustrate both the detailed analysis and the aggregate measures obtained and potential analyses that can be performed using this method. The analysis shows that the framework can be used to classify task demands as well as the barriers encountered in user performance of the tasks. Our approach can be used to (1) characterize the challenges confronted by participants in performing the tasks, (2) determine the extent to which application of the framework to the cognitive task analysis can predict and explain the problems encountered by participants, and (3) inform revisions to the framework to increase accuracy of predictions. The results of this illustrative application suggest that the framework is useful for characterizing task complexity and for diagnosing and explaining barriers encountered in task completion. The framework and analytic approach can be a potentially powerful generative research platform to inform development of rigorous eHealth examination and design instruments, such as to assess eHealth competence, to design and evaluate consumer eHealth tools, and to develop an eHealth curriculum.

A Framework for Characterizing eHealth Literacy Demands and Barriers

PubMed Central

Chan, Connie V

2011-01-01

Background Consumer eHealth interventions are of a growing importance in the individual management of health and health behaviors. However, a range of access, resources, and skills barriers prevent health care consumers from fully engaging in and benefiting from the spectrum of eHealth interventions. Consumers may engage in a range of eHealth tasks, such as participating in health discussion forums and entering information into a personal health record. eHealth literacy names a set of skills and knowledge that are essential for productive interactions with technology-based health tools, such as proficiency in information retrieval strategies, and communicating health concepts effectively. Objective We propose a theoretical and methodological framework for characterizing complexity of eHealth tasks, which can be used to diagnose and describe literacy barriers and inform the development of solution strategies. Methods We adapted and integrated two existing theoretical models relevant to the analysis of eHealth literacy into a single framework to systematically categorize and describe task demands and user performance on tasks needed by health care consumers in the information age. The method derived from the framework is applied to (1) code task demands using a cognitive task analysis, and (2) code user performance on tasks. The framework and method are applied to the analysis of a Web-based consumer eHealth task with information-seeking and decision-making demands. We present the results from the in-depth analysis of the task performance of a single user as well as of 20 users on the same task to illustrate both the detailed analysis and the aggregate measures obtained and potential analyses that can be performed using this method. Results The analysis shows that the framework can be used to classify task demands as well as the barriers encountered in user performance of the tasks. Our approach can be used to (1) characterize the challenges confronted by participants in performing the tasks, (2) determine the extent to which application of the framework to the cognitive task analysis can predict and explain the problems encountered by participants, and (3) inform revisions to the framework to increase accuracy of predictions. Conclusions The results of this illustrative application suggest that the framework is useful for characterizing task complexity and for diagnosing and explaining barriers encountered in task completion. The framework and analytic approach can be a potentially powerful generative research platform to inform development of rigorous eHealth examination and design instruments, such as to assess eHealth competence, to design and evaluate consumer eHealth tools, and to develop an eHealth curriculum. PMID:22094891

Towards Culturally Relevant Classroom Science: A Theoretical Framework Focusing on Traditional Plant Healing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mpofu, Vongai; Otulaja, Femi S.; Mushayikwa, Emmanuel

2014-01-01

A theoretical framework is an important component of a research study. It grounds the study and guides the methodological design. It also forms a reference point for the interpretation of the research findings. This paper conceptually examines the process of constructing a multi-focal theoretical lens for guiding studies that aim to accommodate…

Living with pain: the experience of children and adolescents in palliative care.

PubMed

Borghi, Camila Amaral; Rossato, Lisabelle Mariano; Damião, Elaine Buchhorn Cintra; Guedes, Danila Maria Batista; Silva, Ellen Maria Reimberg da; Barbosa, Silvia Maria de Macedo; Polastrini, Rita Tiziana

2014-08-01

A qualitative study was conducted with semi-structured interviews with the aim of understanding the experience of children and adolescents under palliative care when managing pain daily and how they describe the intensity, quality and location of pain. We used Piaget's theory of cognitive development as a theoretical framework and oral history as a methodological framework. We found four themes: describing pain; seeking a life closer to normality, despite pain and disease; using a variety of alternatives for pain control; and living with damaged physical appearance. Although pain is a limiting factor in the lives of children and adolescents, we found that they faced their daily pain and still had a life beyond pain and illness. In addition, we highlight the relevance of nurses' understanding that effective management of pain in children is essential for a normal life and less suffering.

The insula: a critical neural substrate for craving and drug seeking under conflict and risk

PubMed Central

Naqvi, Nasir H.; Gaznick, Natassia; Tranel, Daniel; Bechara, Antoine

2014-01-01

Drug addiction is characterized by the inability to control drug use when it results in negative consequences or conflicts with more adaptive goals. Our previous work showed that damage to the insula disrupted addiction to cigarette smoking—the first time that the insula was shown to be a critical neural substrate for addiction. Here, we review those findings, as well as more recent studies that corroborate and extend them, demonstrating the role of the insula in (1) incentive motivational processes that drive addictive behavior, (2) control processes that moderate or inhibit addictive behavior, and (3) interoceptive processes that represent bodily states associated with drug use. We then describe a theoretical framework that attempts to integrate these seemingly disparate findings. In this framework, the insula functions in the recall of interoceptive drug effects during craving and drug seeking under specific conditions where drug taking is perceived as risky and/or where there is conflict between drug taking and more adaptive goals. We describe this framework in an evolutionary context and discuss its implications for understanding the mechanisms of behavior change in addiction treatments. PMID:24690001

Integrated primary care, the collaboration imperative inter-organizational cooperation in the integrated primary care field: a theoretical framework

PubMed Central

Valentijn, Pim P; Bruijnzeels, Marc A; de Leeuw, Rob J; Schrijvers, Guus J.P

2012-01-01

Purpose Capacity problems and political pressures have led to a rapid change in the organization of primary care from mono disciplinary small business to complex inter-organizational relationships. It is assumed that inter-organizational collaboration is the driving force to achieve integrated (primary) care. Despite the importance of collaboration and integration of services in primary care, there is no unambiguous definition for both concepts. The purpose of this study is to examine and link the conceptualisation and validation of the terms inter-organizational collaboration and integrated primary care using a theoretical framework. Theory The theoretical framework is based on the complex collaboration process of negotiation among multiple stakeholder groups in primary care. Methods A literature review of health sciences and business databases, and targeted grey literature sources. Based on the literature review we operationalized the constructs of inter-organizational collaboration and integrated primary care in a theoretical framework. The framework is being validated in an explorative study of 80 primary care projects in the Netherlands. Results and conclusions Integrated primary care is considered as a multidimensional construct based on a continuum of integration, extending from segregation to integration. The synthesis of the current theories and concepts of inter-organizational collaboration is insufficient to deal with the complexity of collaborative issues in primary care. One coherent and integrated theoretical framework was found that could make the complex collaboration process in primary care transparent. This study presented theoretical framework is a first step to understand the patterns of successful collaboration and integration in primary care services. These patterns can give insights in the organization forms needed to create a good working integrated (primary) care system that fits the local needs of a population. Preliminary data of the patterns of collaboration and integration will be presented.

Intellect: a theoretical framework for personality traits related to intellectual achievements.

PubMed

Mussel, Patrick

2013-05-01

The present article develops a theoretical framework for the structure of personality traits related to intellectual achievements. We postulate a 2-dimensional model, differentiating between 2 processes (Seek and Conquer) and 3 operations (Think, Learn, and Create). The framework was operationalized by a newly developed measure, which was validated based on 2 samples. Subsequently, in 3 studies (overall N = 1,478), the 2-dimensional structure of the Intellect framework was generally supported. Additionally, subdimensions of the Intellect framework specifically predicted conceptually related criteria, including scholastic performance, vocational interest, and leisure activities. Furthermore, results from multidimensional scaling and higher order confirmatory factor analyses show that the framework allows for the incorporation of several constructs that have been proposed on different theoretical backgrounds, such as need for cognition, typical intellectual engagement, curiosity, intrinsic motivation, goal orientation, and openness to ideas. It is concluded that based on the Intellect framework, these constructs, which have been researched separately in the literature, can be meaningfully integrated.

Neutrino oscillation processes in a quantum-field-theoretical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egorov, Vadim O.; Volobuev, Igor P.

2018-05-01

It is shown that neutrino oscillation processes can be consistently described in the framework of quantum field theory using only the plane wave states of the particles. Namely, the oscillating electron survival probabilities in experiments with neutrino detection by charged-current and neutral-current interactions are calculated in the quantum field-theoretical approach to neutrino oscillations based on a modification of the Feynman propagator in the momentum representation. The approach is most similar to the standard Feynman diagram technique. It is found that the oscillating distance-dependent probabilities of detecting an electron in experiments with neutrino detection by charged-current and neutral-current interactions exactly coincide with the corresponding probabilities calculated in the standard approach.

Effect of particle size distribution on the separation efficiency in liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Horváth, Krisztián; Lukács, Diána; Sepsey, Annamária; Felinger, Attila

2014-09-26

In this work, the influence of the width of particle size distribution (PSD) on chromatographic efficiency is studied. The PSD is described by lognormal distribution. A theoretical framework is developed in order to calculate heights equivalent to a theoretical plate in case of different PSDs. Our calculations demonstrate and verify that wide particle size distributions have significant effect on the separation efficiency of molecules. The differences of fully porous and core-shell phases regarding the influence of width of PSD are presented and discussed. The efficiencies of bimodal phases were also calculated. The results showed that these packings do not have any advantage over unimodal phases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of Single Stage Axial Fans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruden, P.

1944-01-01

The following investigations are connected with experiments on fans carried out by the author in the Gouttingen Aerodynamic Laboratory within the framework of the preliminary experiments for the new Gouttingen wind-tunnel project. A fan rotor was developed which had very high efficiency at the design point corresponding to moderate pressure and which, in addition, could operate at a proportionally high pressure, rise. To establish the determining operating factors the author carried out extensive theoretical investigation in Hannover. In this it was necessary, to depart from the usual assumption of vanishing radial velocities. The calculations were substantially lightened by the introduction of diagrams. The, first part of the.report describes the theoretical investigations; the second, the experiments carried out at Gouttingen.

Interventions in Early Mathematics: Avoiding Pollution and Dilution.

PubMed

Sarama, Julie; Clements, Douglas H

2017-01-01

Although specific interventions in early mathematics have been successful, few have been brought to scale successfully, especially across the challenging diversity of populations and contexts in the early childhood system in the United States. In this chapter, we analyze a theoretically based scale-up model for early mathematics that was designed to avoid the pollution and dilution that often plagues efforts to achieve broad success. We elaborate the theoretical framework by noting the junctures that are susceptible to dilution or pollution. Then we expatiate the model's guidelines to describe specifically how they were designed and implemented to mitigate pollution and dilution. Finally, we provide evidence regarding the success of these efforts. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A journey of leadership: from bedside nurse to chief executive officer.

PubMed

Comack, Margret Tannis

2012-01-01

Understanding leadership from the inside out was a journey that spanned a 40-year career in health care. This article describes an individual's journey of becoming an effective executive leader using the LEADS in a caring environment--capabilities framework. This framework was recently developed in Canada and is now used broadly to understand the complexity and depth of health care leadership skills and challenges. The author utilizes the framework to explore leadership skill development from a personal perspective to a broader system transformation level. Challenges and successes along this journey are included to highlight the manner in which leadership evolves with experience, time, and determination. A retrospective view of a successful career in health care provides the model for others to consider a similar career path using a theoretical base and a thoughtful process of personal development.

The Flow Engine Framework: A Cognitive Model of Optimal Human Experience

PubMed Central

Šimleša, Milija; Guegan, Jérôme; Blanchard, Edouard; Tarpin-Bernard, Franck; Buisine, Stéphanie

2018-01-01

Flow is a well-known concept in the fields of positive and applied psychology. Examination of a large body of flow literature suggests there is a need for a conceptual model rooted in a cognitive approach to explain how this psychological phenomenon works. In this paper, we propose the Flow Engine Framework, a theoretical model explaining dynamic interactions between rearranged flow components and fundamental cognitive processes. Using an IPO framework (Inputs – Processes – Outputs) including a feedback process, we organize flow characteristics into three logically related categories: inputs (requirements for flow), mediating and moderating cognitive processes (attentional and motivational mechanisms) and outputs (subjective and objective outcomes), describing the process of the flow. Comparing flow with an engine, inputs are depicted as flow-fuel, core processes cylinder strokes and outputs as power created to provide motion. PMID:29899807

Patterns of Control over the Teaching-Studying-Learning Process and Classrooms as Complex Dynamic Environments: A Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harjunen, Elina

2012-01-01

In this theoretical paper the role of power in classroom interactions is examined in terms of a dominance continuum to advance a theoretical framework justifying the emergence of three ways of distributing power when it comes to dealing with the control over the teaching-studying-learning (TSL) "pattern of teacher domination," "pattern of…

Unification of small and large time scales for biological evolution: deviations from power law.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Debashish; Stauffer, Dietrich; Kunwar, Ambarish

2003-02-14

We develop a unified model that describes both "micro" and "macro" evolutions within a single theoretical framework. The ecosystem is described as a dynamic network; the population dynamics at each node of this network describes the "microevolution" over ecological time scales (i.e., birth, ageing, and natural death of individual organisms), while the appearance of new nodes, the slow changes of the links, and the disappearance of existing nodes accounts for the "macroevolution" over geological time scales (i.e., the origination, evolution, and extinction of species). In contrast to several earlier claims in the literature, we observe strong deviations from power law in the regime of long lifetimes.

Testing Relativity with Electrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, Quentin; Kostelecky, Alan

2004-04-01

Lorentz and CPT violation is a promising candidate signal for Planck-scale physics. Low-energy effects of Lorentz and CPT violation are described by the general theoretical framework called the Standard-Model Extension (SME). This talk focuses on Lorentz-violating effects arising in the classical electrodynamics limit of the SME. Analysis of the theory shows that suitable experiments could improve by several orders of magnitude certain sensitivities achieved in modern Michelson-Morley and Kennedy-Thorndike tests.

Tests of Lorentz Symmetry with Electrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, Quentin; Kostelecky, Alan

2004-05-01

Lorentz and CPT violation is a promising candidate signal for Planck-scale physics. Low-energy effects of Lorentz and CPT violation are described by the general theoretical framework called the Standard-Model Extension (SME). This talk focuses on Lorentz-violating effects arising in the limit of classical electrodynamics. Analysis of the theory shows that suitable experiments could improve by several orders of magnitude on the sensitivities achieved in modern Michelson-Morley and Kennedy-Thorndike tests.

Cognitive Processes and Learner Strategies in the Acquisition of Motor Skills

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-01

children: Capacity or processing deficits? Memory and Cognition, 1976, 4, 559-S72. Craik , F. I. M., & Lockhart , R. S. Levels of processing : A framework...learning and memory research. In F. I. M. Craik & L. S. Cermak (Eds.), Levels of processing and theories of memory. Hillsdale, N. J.: Erlbaum, 1978...functions. Cognitive activities are described at a highly theoretical (technical) level as well as in a pragmatic manner. Differences in processing

Daniel Gogny's vision for a microscopic theory of fission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Younes, W.

2017-05-01

Daniel Gogny made many contributions to our understanding of nuclear fission over a span of 35 years. This paper reviews some of those contributions, focusing in particular on fission dynamics, the challenges of describing scission in a quantum-mechanical context, and the calculation of fragment properties such as their mass, kinetic, and excitation energy distributions. The generator coordinate method provides the common theoretical framework within which these various aspects of fission are formulated.

The Fairytale Project in a Context of Modern Criticism. Fairytale: An Interdisciplinary Turco-Danish Study of the Collective v. the Individual Nature of the Response to Literature. Report No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sevgen, Cevza

To put the interdisciplinary Turko-Danish Fairytale Project, which is concerned with the dynamics of reader response to literature, into a theoretical framework, this paper first describes how modern aesthetics take an interdisciplinary approach and investigate--by cross cultural approaches and in human behavior terms--the phenomenon of art and…

Activity Theory as a Theoretical Framework for Health Self-Quantification: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies.

PubMed

Almalki, Manal; Gray, Kathleen; Martin-Sanchez, Fernando

2016-05-27

Self-quantification (SQ) is a way of working in which, by using tracking tools, people aim to collect, manage, and reflect on personal health data to gain a better understanding of their own body, health behavior, and interaction with the world around them. However, health SQ lacks a formal framework for describing the self-quantifiers' activities and their contextual components or constructs to pursue these health related goals. Establishing such framework is important because it is the first step to operationalize health SQ fully. This may in turn help to achieve the aims of health professionals and researchers who seek to make or study changes in the self-quantifiers' health systematically. The aim of this study was to review studies on health SQ in order to answer the following questions: What are the general features of the work and the particular activities that self-quantifiers perform to achieve their health objectives? What constructs of health SQ have been identified in the scientific literature? How have these studies described such constructs? How would it be possible to model these constructs theoretically to characterize the work of health SQ? A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted. A total of 26 empirical studies were included. The content of these studies was thematically analyzed using Activity Theory as an organizing framework. The literature provided varying descriptions of health SQ as data-driven and objective-oriented work mediated by SQ tools. From the literature, we identified two types of SQ work: work on data (ie, data management activities) and work with data (ie, health management activities). Using Activity Theory, these activities could be characterized into 6 constructs: users, tracking tools, health objectives, division of work, community or group setting, and SQ plan and rules. We could not find a reference to any single study that accounted for all these activities and constructs of health SQ activity. A Health Self-Quantification Activity Framework is presented, which shows SQ tool use in context, in relation to the goals, plans, and competence of the user. This makes it easier to analyze issues affecting SQ activity, and thereby makes it more feasible to address them. This review makes two significant contributions to research in this field: it explores health SQ work and its constructs thoroughly and it adapts Activity Theory to describe health SQ activity systematically.

A quasi-likelihood approach to non-negative matrix factorization

PubMed Central

Devarajan, Karthik; Cheung, Vincent C.K.

2017-01-01

A unified approach to non-negative matrix factorization based on the theory of generalized linear models is proposed. This approach embeds a variety of statistical models, including the exponential family, within a single theoretical framework and provides a unified view of such factorizations from the perspective of quasi-likelihood. Using this framework, a family of algorithms for handling signal-dependent noise is developed and its convergence proven using the Expectation-Maximization algorithm. In addition, a measure to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the resulting factorization is described. The proposed methods allow modeling of non-linear effects via appropriate link functions and are illustrated using an application in biomedical signal processing. PMID:27348511

Multimodality: a basis for augmentative and alternative communication--psycholinguistic, cognitive, and clinical/educational aspects.

PubMed

Loncke, Filip T; Campbell, Jamie; England, Amanda M; Haley, Tanya

2006-02-15

Message generating is a complex process involving a number of processes, including the selection of modes to use. When expressing a message, human communicators typically use a combination of modes. This phenomenon is often termed multimodality. This article explores the use of models that explain multimodality as an explanatory framework for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Multimodality is analysed from a communication, psycholinguistic, and cognitive perspective. Theoretical and applied topics within AAC can be explained or described within the multimodality framework considering iconicity, simultaneous communication, lexical organization, and compatibility of communication modes. Consideration of multimodality is critical to understanding underlying processes in individuals who use AAC and individuals who interact with them.

[Construction of educational software about personality disorders].

PubMed

Botti, Nadja Cristiane Lappann; Carneiro, Ana Luíza Marques; Almeida, Camila Souza; Pereira, Cíntia Braga Silva

2011-01-01

The study describes the experience of building educational software in the area of mental health. The software was developed to enable the nursing student identify personality disorders. In this process, we applied the pedagogical framework of Vygotsky and the theoretical framework of the diagnostic criteria defined by DSM-IV. From these references were identified personality disorders characters in stories and / or children's movies. The software development bank was built with multimedia graphics data, sound and explanatory. The software developed like educational game like questions with increasing levels of difficulty. The software was developed with Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007. It is believed in the validity of this strategy for teaching-learning to the area of mental health nursing.

Upping the "Anti-": The Value of an Anti-Racist Theoretical Framework in Music Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Juliet

2015-01-01

In a time that some have argued is "postracial" following the election and reelection of Barack Obama (see Wise 2010, for discussion), this paper argues that antiracism is a crucial theoretical framework for music education. I explore three areas of music education, in which such a framework can push toward change. The first area speaks…

Game theoretic power allocation and waveform selection for satellite communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Zhihui; Wang, Gang; Tian, Xin; Shen, Dan; Pham, Khanh; Blasch, Erik; Chen, Genshe

2015-05-01

Game theory is a useful method to model interactions between agents with conflicting interests. In this paper, we set up a Game Theoretic Model for Satellite Communications (SATCOM) to solve the interaction between the transmission pair (blue side) and the jammer (red side) to reach a Nash Equilibrium (NE). First, the IFT Game Application Model (iGAM) for SATCOM is formulated to improve the utility of the transmission pair while considering the interference from a jammer. Specifically, in our framework, the frame error rate performance of different modulation and coding schemes is used in the game theoretic solution. Next, the game theoretic analysis shows that the transmission pair can choose the optimal waveform and power given the received power from the jammer. We also describe how the jammer chooses the optimal power given the waveform and power allocation from the transmission pair. Finally, simulations are implemented for the iGAM and the simulation results show the effectiveness of the SATCOM power allocation, waveform selection scheme, and jamming mitigation.

Testing the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research on health care innovations from South Yorkshire.

PubMed

Ilott, Irene; Gerrish, Kate; Booth, Andrew; Field, Becky

2013-10-01

There is an international imperative to implement research into clinical practice to improve health care. Understanding the dynamics of change requires knowledge from theoretical and empirical studies. This paper presents a novel approach to testing a new meta theoretical framework: the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. The utility of the Framework was evaluated using a post hoc, deductive analysis of 11 narrative accounts of innovation in health care services and practice from England, collected in 2010. A matrix, comprising the five domains and 39 constructs of the Framework was developed to examine the coherence of the terminology, to compare results across contexts and to identify new theoretical developments. The Framework captured the complexity of implementation across 11 diverse examples, offering theoretically informed, comprehensive coverage. The Framework drew attention to relevant points in individual cases together with patterns across cases; for example, all were internally developed innovations that brought direct or indirect patient advantage. In 10 cases, the change was led by clinicians. Most initiatives had been maintained for several years and there was evidence of spread in six examples. Areas for further development within the Framework include sustainability and patient/public engagement in implementation. Our analysis suggests that this conceptual framework has the potential to offer useful insights, whether as part of a situational analysis or by developing context-specific propositions for hypothesis testing. Such studies are vital now that innovation is being promoted as core business for health care. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Patient centredness in integrated care: results of a qualitative study based on a systems theoretical framework

PubMed Central

Lüdecke, Daniel

2014-01-01

Introduction Health care providers seek to improve patient-centred care. Due to fragmentation of services, this can only be achieved by establishing integrated care partnerships. The challenge is both to control costs while enhancing the quality of care and to coordinate this process in a setting with many organisations involved. The problem is to establish control mechanisms, which ensure sufficiently consideration of patient centredness. Theory and methods Seventeen qualitative interviews have been conducted in hospitals of metropolitan areas in northern Germany. The documentary method, embedded into a systems theoretical framework, was used to describe and analyse the data and to provide an insight into the specific perception of organisational behaviour in integrated care. Results The findings suggest that integrated care partnerships rely on networks based on professional autonomy in the context of reliability. The relationships of network partners are heavily based on informality. This correlates with a systems theoretical conception of organisations, which are assumed autonomous in their decision-making. Conclusion and discussion Networks based on formal contracts may restrict professional autonomy and competition. Contractual bindings that suppress the competitive environment have negative consequences for patient-centred care. Drawbacks remain due to missing self-regulation of the network. To conclude, less regimentation of integrated care partnerships is recommended. PMID:25411573

Patient centredness in integrated care: results of a qualitative study based on a systems theoretical framework.

PubMed

Lüdecke, Daniel

2014-10-01

Health care providers seek to improve patient-centred care. Due to fragmentation of services, this can only be achieved by establishing integrated care partnerships. The challenge is both to control costs while enhancing the quality of care and to coordinate this process in a setting with many organisations involved. The problem is to establish control mechanisms, which ensure sufficiently consideration of patient centredness. Seventeen qualitative interviews have been conducted in hospitals of metropolitan areas in northern Germany. The documentary method, embedded into a systems theoretical framework, was used to describe and analyse the data and to provide an insight into the specific perception of organisational behaviour in integrated care. The findings suggest that integrated care partnerships rely on networks based on professional autonomy in the context of reliability. The relationships of network partners are heavily based on informality. This correlates with a systems theoretical conception of organisations, which are assumed autonomous in their decision-making. Networks based on formal contracts may restrict professional autonomy and competition. Contractual bindings that suppress the competitive environment have negative consequences for patient-centred care. Drawbacks remain due to missing self-regulation of the network. To conclude, less regimentation of integrated care partnerships is recommended.

The dynamics of adapting, unregulated populations and a modified fundamental theorem.

PubMed

O'Dwyer, James P

2013-01-06

A population in a novel environment will accumulate adaptive mutations over time, and the dynamics of this process depend on the underlying fitness landscape: the fitness of and mutational distance between possible genotypes in the population. Despite its fundamental importance for understanding the evolution of a population, inferring this landscape from empirical data has been problematic. We develop a theoretical framework to describe the adaptation of a stochastic, asexual, unregulated, polymorphic population undergoing beneficial, neutral and deleterious mutations on a correlated fitness landscape. We generate quantitative predictions for the change in the mean fitness and within-population variance in fitness over time, and find a simple, analytical relationship between the distribution of fitness effects arising from a single mutation, and the change in mean population fitness over time: a variant of Fisher's 'fundamental theorem' which explicitly depends on the form of the landscape. Our framework can therefore be thought of in three ways: (i) as a set of theoretical predictions for adaptation in an exponentially growing phase, with applications in pathogen populations, tumours or other unregulated populations; (ii) as an analytically tractable problem to potentially guide theoretical analysis of regulated populations; and (iii) as a basis for developing empirical methods to infer general features of a fitness landscape.

One lens missing? Clarifying the clinical microsystem framework with learning theories.

PubMed

Norman, Ann-Charlott; Fritzen, Lena; Fridh, Marianne Lindblad

2013-01-01

The clinical microsystem (CMS) approach is widely used and is perceived as helpful in practice but, we ask the question: "Is its learning potential sufficiently utilized?" To scrutinize aspects of learning within the CMS framework and to clarify the learning aspects the framework includes and thereby support the framework with the enhanced learning perspective that becomes visible. Literature on the CMS framework was systematically searched and selected using inclusion criteria. An analytical tool was constructed in the form of a theoretical lens that was used to clarify learning aspects that are associated with the framework. The analysis revealed 3 learning aspects: (1) The CMS framework describes individual and social learning but not how to adapt learning strategies for purposes of change. (2) The metaphorical language of how to reach a holistic health care system for each patient has developed over time but can still be improved by naming social interactions to transcend organizational boundaries. (3) Power structures are recognized but not as a characteristic that restricts learning due to asymmetric communication. The "lens" perspective reveals new meanings to learning that enhance our understanding of health care as a social system and provides new practical learning strategies.

Experimental and theoretical study of magnetohydrodynamic ship models.

PubMed

Cébron, David; Viroulet, Sylvain; Vidal, Jérémie; Masson, Jean-Paul; Viroulet, Philippe

2017-01-01

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ships represent a clear demonstration of the Lorentz force in fluids, which explains the number of students practicals or exercises described on the web. However, the related literature is rather specific and no complete comparison between theory and typical small scale experiments is currently available. This work provides, in a self-consistent framework, a detailed presentation of the relevant theoretical equations for small MHD ships and experimental measurements for future benchmarks. Theoretical results of the literature are adapted to these simple battery/magnets powered ships moving on salt water. Comparison between theory and experiments are performed to validate each theoretical step such as the Tafel and the Kohlrausch laws, or the predicted ship speed. A successful agreement is obtained without any adjustable parameter. Finally, based on these results, an optimal design is then deduced from the theory. Therefore this work provides a solid theoretical and experimental ground for small scale MHD ships, by presenting in detail several approximations and how they affect the boat efficiency. Moreover, the theory is general enough to be adapted to other contexts, such as large scale ships or industrial flow measurement techniques.

Experimental and theoretical study of magnetohydrodynamic ship models

PubMed Central

Viroulet, Sylvain; Vidal, Jérémie; Masson, Jean-Paul; Viroulet, Philippe

2017-01-01

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ships represent a clear demonstration of the Lorentz force in fluids, which explains the number of students practicals or exercises described on the web. However, the related literature is rather specific and no complete comparison between theory and typical small scale experiments is currently available. This work provides, in a self-consistent framework, a detailed presentation of the relevant theoretical equations for small MHD ships and experimental measurements for future benchmarks. Theoretical results of the literature are adapted to these simple battery/magnets powered ships moving on salt water. Comparison between theory and experiments are performed to validate each theoretical step such as the Tafel and the Kohlrausch laws, or the predicted ship speed. A successful agreement is obtained without any adjustable parameter. Finally, based on these results, an optimal design is then deduced from the theory. Therefore this work provides a solid theoretical and experimental ground for small scale MHD ships, by presenting in detail several approximations and how they affect the boat efficiency. Moreover, the theory is general enough to be adapted to other contexts, such as large scale ships or industrial flow measurement techniques. PMID:28665941

Activity matters: a web-based resource to enable people with multiple sclerosis to become more active.

PubMed

Casey, Blathin; Coote, Susan; Byrne, Molly

2018-03-27

Increasing physical activity (PA) through exercise is associated with improvements in many of the symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) such as fatigue, strength, balance, and mobility. Despite this, people with MS remain largely inactive. Interventions that are grounded in theory and that aim to change PA behavior need to be developed. The purpose of this study was to describe the development process of a web-based resource, namely, "Activity Matters," to enable people with MS to become more active. Development of the "Activity Matters" online intervention was guided by the UK's Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for the development and evaluation of complex interventions and the behavior change wheel (BCW). Seven sources of data were used to inform the process and were mapped on to both the MRC and BCW frameworks. The intervention is theoretically based, and constructs including knowledge, memory, attention and decision processes, skills, social influences, environmental context and resources, beliefs about capabilities, beliefs about consequences, goals, and emotions were recognized as important. "Activity Matters" is the first MS PA intervention to be developed using the theoretical approach outlined by the BCW and MRC complex interventions frameworks. The next phase of this work is to test the usability, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of "Activity Matters" among people with MS.

Using an interdisciplinary approach to identify factors that affect clinicians' compliance with evidence-based guidelines.

PubMed

Gurses, Ayse P; Marsteller, Jill A; Ozok, A Ant; Xiao, Yan; Owens, Sharon; Pronovost, Peter J

2010-08-01

Our objective was to identify factors that affect clinicians' compliance with the evidence-based guidelines using an interdisciplinary approach and develop a conceptual framework that can provide a comprehensive and practical guide for designing effective interventions. A literature review and a brainstorming session with 11 researchers from a variety of scientific disciplines were used to identify theoretical and conceptual models describing clinicians' guideline compliance. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the bibliographies of the papers identified were used as data sources for identifying the relevant theoretical and conceptual models. Thirteen different models that originated from various disciplines including medicine, rural sociology, psychology, human factors and systems engineering, organizational management, marketing, and health education were identified. Four main categories of factors that affect compliance emerged from our analysis: clinician characteristics, guideline characteristics, system characteristics, and implementation characteristics. Based on these findings, we developed an interdisciplinary conceptual framework that specifies the expected interrelationships among these four categories of factors and their impact on clinicians' compliance. An interdisciplinary approach is needed to improve clinicians' compliance with evidence-based guidelines. The conceptual framework from this research can provide a comprehensive and systematic guide to identify barriers to guideline compliance and design effective interventions to improve patient safety.

Information spreading in Delay Tolerant Networks based on nodes' behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yahui; Deng, Su; Huang, Hongbin

2014-07-01

Information spreading in DTNs (Delay Tolerant Networks) adopts a store-carry-forward method, and nodes receive the message from others directly. However, it is hard to judge whether the information is safe in this communication mode. In this case, a node may observe other nodes' behaviors. At present, there is no theoretical model to describe the varying rule of the nodes' trusting level. In addition, due to the uncertainty of the connectivity in DTN, a node is hard to get the global state of the network. Therefore, a rational model about the node's trusting level should be a function of the node's own observing result. For example, if a node finds k nodes carrying a message, it may trust the information with probability p(k). This paper does not explore the real distribution of p(k), but instead presents a unifying theoretical framework to evaluate the performance of the information spreading in above case. This framework is an extension of the traditional SI (susceptible-infected) model, and is useful when p(k) conforms to any distribution. Simulations based on both synthetic and real motion traces show the accuracy of the framework. Finally, we explore the impact of the nodes' behaviors based on certain special distributions through numerical results.

Fraying connections of caring women: an exemplar of including difference in the development of explanatory frameworks.

PubMed

Wuest, J

1997-01-01

While research exploring diverse groups enhances understanding of their unique perspectives and experiences, it also contributes to the exclusion of such groups from mainstream frameworks and solutions. The feminist grounded theory method allows for inclusion of marginalized groups through theoretical sensitivity to feminist theory and theoretical sampling. This paper demonstrates how this approach results in an explanatory framework that accounts for diverse realities in a study of women's caring. Fraying connections were identified as women's initial response to competing and changing caring demands. The range of dimensions and properties of fraying connections was identified through theoretical sampling guided by the emerging themes and theoretical sensitivity to issues of gender, culture, age, ability, class, and sexual orientation.

Theoretical framework to study exercise motivation for breast cancer risk reduction.

PubMed

Wood, Maureen E

2008-01-01

To identify an appropriate theoretical framework to study exercise motivation for breast cancer risk reduction among high-risk women. An extensive review of the literature was conducted to gather relevant information pertaining to the Health Promotion Model, self-determination theory, social cognitive theory, Health Belief Model, Transtheoretical Model, theory of planned behavior, and protection motivation theory. An iterative approach was used to summarize the literature related to exercise motivation within each theoretical framework. Protection motivation theory could be used to examine the effects of perceived risk and self-efficacy in motivating women to exercise to facilitate health-related behavioral change. Evidence-based research within a chosen theoretical model can aid practitioners when making practical recommendations to reduce breast cancer risk.

Thresholds of Principle and Preference: Exploring Procedural Variation in Postgraduate Surgical Education

PubMed Central

Apramian, Tavis; Cristancho, Sayra; Watling, Chris; Ott, Michael; Lingard, Lorelei

2017-01-01

Background Expert physicians develop their own ways of doing things. The influence of such practice variation in clinical learning is insufficiently understood. Our grounded theory study explored how residents make sense of, and behave in relation to, the procedural variations of faculty surgeons. Method We sampled senior postgraduate surgical residents to construct a theoretical framework for how residents make sense of procedural variations. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we used marginal participant observation in the operating room across 56 surgical cases (146 hours), field interviews (38), and formal interviews (6) to develop a theoretical framework for residents’ ways of dealing with procedural variations. Data analysis used constant comparison to iteratively refine the framework and data collection until theoretical saturation was reached. Results The core category of the constructed theory was called thresholds of principle and preference and it captured how faculty members position some procedural variations as negotiable and others not. The term thresholding was coined to describe residents’ daily experiences of spotting, mapping, and negotiating their faculty members’ thresholds and defending their own emerging thresholds. Conclusions Thresholds of principle and preference play a key role in workplace-based medical education. Postgraduate medical learners are occupied on a day-to-day level with thresholding and attempting to make sense of the procedural variations of faculty. Workplace-based teaching and assessment should include an understanding of the integral role of thresholding in shaping learners’ development. Future research should explore the nature and impact of thresholding in workplace-based learning beyond the surgical context. PMID:26505105

The Bobath (NDT) concept in adult neurological rehabilitation: what is the state of the knowledge? A scoping review. Part II: intervention studies perspectives.

PubMed

Vaughan-Graham, Julie; Cott, Cheryl; Wright, F Virginia

2015-01-01

The study's purpose was to describe the range of knowledge pertaining to the Bobath (NDT) concept in adult neurological rehabilitation, synthesizes the findings, identify knowledge gaps and develop empirically based recommendations for future research. A scoping review of research and non-research articles published from 2007 to 2012. Two independent reviewers selected studies based on a systematic procedure. Inclusion criteria for studies were electronically accessible English language literature with Bobath and/or Neurodevelopmental Therapy as the subject heading in the title/keyword/abstract/intervention comparison with respect to adult neurological conditions. Data were abstracted and summarized with respect to study design, theoretical framework, clinical application including population representation, study fidelity, intervention comparison, duration of care, measurement and findings. Of the 33 publications identified 17 were intervention studies (11 RCT's/1 prospective parallel group design/5 N-of-1). One other paper was a systematic review. The intervention studies, primarily RCT designs, have serious methodological concerns particularly related to study/treatment fidelity and measurement resulting in no clear clinical direction. Aspects such as theoretical framework, therapist skill, quality of movement measurement and individualized interventions require careful consideration in the design of Bobath studies. Implications for Rehabilitation Future intervention studies should be based on the current Bobath theoretical framework and key aspects of clinical practice. Study and treatment fidelity issues need to be carefully considered when interpreting the results of existing RCT's evaluating the Bobath concept. N-of-1 randomized, observational, factorial and mixed method study designs should be considered as alternative study options.

Conceptual framework of acute care nurse practitioner role enactment, boundary work, and perceptions of team effectiveness.

PubMed

Kilpatrick, Kelley; Lavoie-Tremblay, Mélanie; Lamothe, Lise; Ritchie, Judith A; Doran, Diane

2013-01-01

This article describes a new conceptual framework for acute care nurse practitioner role enactment, boundary work and perceptions of team effectiveness. Acute care nurse practitioners contribute positively to patient care by enacting an expanded scope of practise. Researchers have found both positive and negative reactions to the introduction of acute care nurse practitioners in healthcare teams. The process of role enactment, shifting role boundaries, and perceptions of team effectiveness has been studied disparately. A framework linking team structures and processes to desirable outcomes is needed. Literature was obtained by searching CINAHL, PsycInfo, MedLine, PubMed, British Nursing Index, Cochrane Library, JSTOR Archive, Web of Science, and Google Scholar from 1985-2010. A descriptive multiple-case study was completed from March 2009-May 2009. A new conceptual framework describing how role enactment and boundary work affect perceptions of team effectiveness was developed by combining theoretical and empirical sources. The framework proposes proximal indicators used by team members to assess their team's performance. The framework identifies the inter-related dimensions and concepts that different stakeholders need to consider when introducing nurse practitioners in healthcare teams. Further study is needed to identify team-level outcomes that reflect the contributions of all providers to quality patient care, and explore the patients' and families' perceptions of team effectiveness following the introduction of acute care nurse practitioners. The new framework can guide decision-making and research related to the structures, processes, and outcomes of nurse practitioner roles in healthcare teams. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

An investigation into the use of recorded music as a surgical intervention: A systematic, critical review of methodologies used in recent adult controlled trials.

PubMed

Williams, Courtney; Hine, Trevor

2018-04-01

While music is being increasingly used as a surgical intervention, the types of music used and the reasons underlying their selection remain inconsistent. Empirical research into the efficacy of such musical interventions is therefore problematic. To provide clear guidelines for musical selection and employment in surgical interventions, created through a synthesis of the literature. The aim is to examine how music is implemented in surgical situations, and to provide guidance for the selection and composition of music for future interventions. English language quantitative surgical intervention studies from Science Direct, ProQuest, and Sage Journals Online, all published within the last 10 years and featuring recorded music, were systematically reviewed. Variables investigated included: the time the intervention was performed, the intervention length, the outcomes targeted, music description (general and specific), theoretical frameworks underlying the selection of the music, whether or not a musical expert was involved, participant music history, and the participants' feedback on the chosen music. Several aspects contribute to the lack of scientific rigour regarding music selection in this field, including the lack of a theoretical framework or frameworks, no involvement of musical experts, failure to list the music tracks used, and the use of vague and subjective terms in general music descriptions. Patients are frequently allowed to select music (risking both choosing music that has an adverse effect and making study replication difficult), and patient music history and listening habits are rarely considered. Crucially, five primary theoretical frameworks underlying the effectiveness of music arose in the literature (distraction, relaxation, emotional shift, entrainment, and endogenous analgesia), however music was rarely selected to enhance any of these mechanisms. Further research needs to be conducted to ensure that music is selected according to a theoretical framework and more rigorous and replicable methodology. Music interventions can be made more effective at improving psychological states and reducing physiological arousal by selecting music conducive to specific mechanisms, and also by considering at what point during the surgical experience the music would be most effective. Greater involvement of music experts in interventions would help to ensure that the most appropriate music was chosen, and that it is clearly and precisely described. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Innovation value chain capability in Malaysian-owned company: A theoretical framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abidin, Norkisme Zainal; Suradi, Nur Riza Mohd

2014-09-01

Good quality products or services are no longer adequate to guarantee the sustainability of a company in the present competitive business. Prior research has developed various innovation models with the hope to better understand the innovativeness of the company. Due to countless definitions, indicators, factors, parameter and approaches in the study of innovation, it is difficult to ensure which one will best suit the Malaysian-owned company innovativeness. This paper aims to provide a theoretical background to support the framework of the innovation value chain capability in Malaysian-owned Company. The theoretical framework was based on the literature reviews, expert interviews and focus group study. The framework will be used to predict and assess the innovation value chain capability in Malaysian-owned company.

A framework for biodynamic feedthrough analysis--part I: theoretical foundations.

PubMed

Venrooij, Joost; van Paassen, Marinus M; Mulder, Mark; Abbink, David A; Mulder, Max; van der Helm, Frans C T; Bulthoff, Heinrich H

2014-09-01

Biodynamic feedthrough (BDFT) is a complex phenomenon, which has been studied for several decades. However, there is little consensus on how to approach the BDFT problem in terms of definitions, nomenclature, and mathematical descriptions. In this paper, a framework for biodynamic feedthrough analysis is presented. The goal of this framework is two-fold. First, it provides some common ground between the seemingly large range of different approaches existing in the BDFT literature. Second, the framework itself allows for gaining new insights into BDFT phenomena. It will be shown how relevant signals can be obtained from measurement, how different BDFT dynamics can be derived from them, and how these different dynamics are related. Using the framework, BDFT can be dissected into several dynamical relationships, each relevant in understanding BDFT phenomena in more detail. The presentation of the BDFT framework is divided into two parts. This paper, Part I, addresses the theoretical foundations of the framework. Part II, which is also published in this issue, addresses the validation of the framework. The work is presented in two separate papers to allow for a detailed discussion of both the framework's theoretical background and its validation.

The Roy Adaptation Model: A Theoretical Framework for Nurses Providing Care to Individuals With Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Jennings, Karen M

Using a nursing theoretical framework to understand, elucidate, and propose nursing research is fundamental to knowledge development. This article presents the Roy Adaptation Model as a theoretical framework to better understand individuals with anorexia nervosa during acute treatment, and the role of nursing assessments and interventions in the promotion of weight restoration. Nursing assessments and interventions situated within the Roy Adaptation Model take into consideration how weight restoration does not occur in isolation but rather reflects an adaptive process within external and internal environments, and has the potential for more holistic care.

Sociomateriality: a theoretical framework for studying distributed medical education.

PubMed

MacLeod, Anna; Kits, Olga; Whelan, Emma; Fournier, Cathy; Wilson, Keith; Power, Gregory; Mann, Karen; Tummons, Jonathan; Brown, Peggy Alexiadis

2015-11-01

Distributed medical education (DME) is a type of distance learning in which students participate in medical education from diverse geographic locations using Web conferencing, videoconferencing, e-learning, and similar tools. DME is becoming increasingly widespread in North America and around the world.Although relatively new to medical education, distance learning has a long history in the broader field of education and a related body of literature that speaks to the importance of engaging in rigorous and theoretically informed studies of distance learning. The existing DME literature is helpful, but it has been largely descriptive and lacks a critical "lens"-that is, a theoretical perspective from which to rigorously conceptualize and interrogate DME's social (relationships, people) and material (technologies, tools) aspects.The authors describe DME and theories about distance learning and show that such theories focus on social, pedagogical, and cognitive considerations without adequately taking into account material factors. They address this gap by proposing sociomateriality as a theoretical framework allowing researchers and educators to study DME and (1) understand and consider previously obscured actors, infrastructure, and other factors that, on the surface, seem unrelated and even unimportant; (2) see clearly how the social and material components of learning are intertwined in fluid, messy, and often uncertain ways; and (3) perhaps think differently, even in ways that disrupt traditional approaches, as they explore DME. The authors conclude that DME brings with it substantial investments of social and material resources, and therefore needs careful study, using approaches that embrace its complexity.

National Strategic Planning: Linking DIMEFIL/PMESII to a Theory of Victory

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

theoretical and one practical, and both are interlinked, The theoretical problem is the lack of a mental framework tying the desired end state...mental framework tying the desired end state (usually broadly stated) to the activities undertaken with the instruments of national power. This is a... FRAMEWORK TO DIMEFIL/PMESII ............ 39 CHAPTER 4. HOLY GRAIL OR WITCHES’ BREW? RECORDING REASONING IN SOFTWARE

A Critical Review of the Use of Wenger's Community of Practice (CoP) Theoretical Framework in Online and Blended Learning Research, 2000-2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Sedef Uzuner; Hayes, Suzanne; Shea, Peter

2017-01-01

After presenting a brief overview of the key elements that underpin Etienne Wenger's communities of practice (CoP) theoretical framework, one of the most widely cited and influential conceptions of social learning, this paper reviews extant empirical work grounded in this framework to investigate online/blended learning in higher education and in…

Peer Interventions to Promote Health: Conceptual Considerations

PubMed Central

Simoni, Jane M.; Franks, Julie C.; Lehavot, Keren; Yard, Samantha S.

2013-01-01

Peers have intervened to promote health since ancient times, yet few attempts have been made to describe theoretically their role and their interventions. After a brief overview of the history and variety of peer-based health interventions, a 4-part definition of peer interveners is presented here with a consideration of the dimensions of their involvement in health promotion. Then, a 2-step process is proposed as a means of conceptualizing peer interventions to promote health. Step 1 involves establishing a theoretical framework for the intervention’s main focus (i.e., education, social support, social norms, self-efficacy, and patient advocacy), and Step 2 involves identifying a theory that justifies the use of peers and might explain their impact. As examples, the following might be referred to: theoretical perspectives from the mutual support group and self-help literature, social cognitive and social learning theories, the social support literature, social comparison theory, social network approaches, and empowerment models. PMID:21729015

Localized excitations in hydrogen-bonded molecular crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, D. M.; Krumhansl, J. A.

1986-05-01

Localized excitations analogous to the small Holstein polaron, to localized modes in alkali halides, and to localized excitonic states, are postulated for a set of internal vibrational modes in crystalline acetanilide. The theoretical framework in which one can describe the characteristics of the ir and Raman spectroscopy peaks associated with these localized states is adequately provided by the Davydov model (formally equivalent to the Holstein polaron model). The possible low-lying excitations arising from this model are determined using a variational approach. Hence, the contribution to the spectral function due to each type of excitation can be calculated. The internal modes of chief concern here are the amide-I (CO stretch) and the N-H stretch modes for which we demonstrate consistency of the theoretical model with the available ir data. Past theoretical approaches will be discussed and reasons why one should prefer one description over another will be examined.

Developing a Manualized Occupational Therapy Diabetes Management Intervention: Resilient, Empowered, Active Living With Diabetes.

PubMed

Pyatak, Elizabeth A; Carandang, Kristine; Davis, Shain

2015-07-01

This article reports on the development of a manualized occupational therapy intervention for diabetes management. An initial theoretical framework and core content areas for a Stage I intervention manual were developed based on an in-depth needs assessment and review of existing literature. After evaluation by a panel of experts and completion of a feasibility study, the intervention was revised into a Stage 2 manual in preparation for a randomized study evaluating the intervention's efficacy. In developing the initial manual, we delineated core theoretical principles to allow for flexible application and tailoring of the intervention's content areas. Expert panel feedback and feasibility study results led to changes to the intervention structure and content as we developed the Stage 2 manual. Through describing this process, we illustrate the dynamic evolution of intervention manuals, which undergo revisions due to both theoretical and practical considerations at each stage of the research-to-clinical practice pipeline.

Violence against women in Pakistan: a framework for analysis.

PubMed

Ali, Parveen Azam; Gavino, Maria Irma Bustamante

2008-04-01

Understanding violence against women is as complex as its process. As a perusal of literature shows that most of the explanations were contextually and culturally based, this review attempts to analyze the issue of violence against women using theories applicable within the Pakistani context. Literature examining the issue of violence against women and its various theories was reviewed. A framework using the determinants of violence against women as proposed, include intrinsic and extrinsic factors within the people, the socio-economic-political and cultural system of Pakistan and the influences of surrounding countries. The Pakistani scenario has been described and the theoretical bases were presented. Each determinant has been discussed with supporting literature. Further studies are needed to strengthen the framework; however, it provided a modest view of violence against women in Pakistan. The framework would help the policy and decision makers to understand the dynamics of violence against women and may move them to action to bring about improvements in women's' lives.

A penalized framework for distributed lag non-linear models.

PubMed

Gasparrini, Antonio; Scheipl, Fabian; Armstrong, Ben; Kenward, Michael G

2017-09-01

Distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) are a modelling tool for describing potentially non-linear and delayed dependencies. Here, we illustrate an extension of the DLNM framework through the use of penalized splines within generalized additive models (GAM). This extension offers built-in model selection procedures and the possibility of accommodating assumptions on the shape of the lag structure through specific penalties. In addition, this framework includes, as special cases, simpler models previously proposed for linear relationships (DLMs). Alternative versions of penalized DLNMs are compared with each other and with the standard unpenalized version in a simulation study. Results show that this penalized extension to the DLNM class provides greater flexibility and improved inferential properties. The framework exploits recent theoretical developments of GAMs and is implemented using efficient routines within freely available software. Real-data applications are illustrated through two reproducible examples in time series and survival analysis. © 2017 The Authors Biometrics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Biometric Society.

A Theoretical Framework for Studying Adolescent Contraceptive Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urberg, Kathryn A.

1982-01-01

Presents a theoretical framework for viewing adolescent contraceptive usage. The problem-solving process is used for developmentally examining the competencies that must be present for effective contraceptive use, including: problem recognition, motivation, generation of alternatives, decision making and implementation. Each aspect is discussed…

An Integrative Bio-Psycho-Social Theory of Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Munro, Calum; Randell, Louise; Lawrie, Stephen M

2017-01-01

The need for novel approaches to understanding and treating anorexia nervosa (AN) is well recognized. The aim of this paper is to describe an integrative bio-psycho-social theory of maintaining factors in AN. We took a triangulation approach to develop a clinically relevant theory with face validity and internal consistency. We developed theoretical ideas from our clinical practice and reviewed theoretical ideas within the eating disorders and wider bio-psycho-social literature. The synthesis of these ideas and concepts into a clinically meaningful framework is described here. We suggest eight key factors central to understanding the maintenance and treatment resistance of anorexia nervosa: genetic or experiential predisposing factors; dysfunctional feelings processing and regulation systems; excessive vulnerable feelings; 'feared self' beliefs; starvation as a maladaptive physiological feelings regulation mechanism; maladaptive psychological coping modes; maladaptive social behaviour; and unmet physical and psychological core needs. Each of these factors serves to maintain the disorder. The concept of universal physical and psychological core needs can provide an underpinning integrative framework for working with this distinctly physical and psychological disorder. This framework could be used within any treatment model. We suggest that treatments which help address the profound lack of trust, emotional security and self-acceptance in this patient group will in turn address unmet needs and improve well-being. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The concept of unmet physical and psychological needs can be used as an underlying integrative framework for understanding and working with this patient group, alongside any treatment model. A functional understanding of the neuro-biological, physiological and psychological mechanisms involved in anorexia nervosa can help patients reduce self-criticism and shame. Fears about being or becoming fat, greedy, needy, selfish and unacceptable ('Feared Self') drive over-compensatory self-depriving behaviour ('Anorexic Self'). Psychological treatment for anorexia nervosa should emphasize a focus on feelings and fostering experiences of acceptance and trust. Treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa needs to be longer than current clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A framework to create more mentally healthy workplaces: A viewpoint.

PubMed

Petrie, Katherine; Joyce, Sadhbh; Tan, Leona; Henderson, Max; Johnson, Anya; Nguyen, Helena; Modini, Matthew; Groth, Markus; Glozier, Nicholas; Harvey, Samuel B

2018-01-01

Mental illness is now the leading cause of long-term sickness absence among Australian workers, with significant costs to the individual, their employers and society more broadly. However, to date, there has been little evidence-informed guidance as to what workplaces should be doing to enhance their employees' mental health and wellbeing. In this article, we present a framework outlining the key strategies employers can implement to create more mentally healthy workplaces. The five key strategies outlined are as follows: (1) designing work to minimise harm, (2) building organisational resilience through good management, (3) enhancing personal resilience, (4) promoting early help-seeking and (5) supporting recovery and return to work. A narrative review is utilised to outline the theoretical evidence for this framework and to describe the available research evidence for a number of key example interventions for each of the five strategies. While each workplace needs to develop tailored solutions, the five strategy framework proposed in this review will hopefully provide a simple framework for employers and those advising them to use when judging the adequacy of existing services and considering opportunities for further enhancements.

Comparing Methods for UAV-Based Autonomous Surveillance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freed, Michael; Harris, Robert; Shafto, Michael

2004-01-01

We describe an approach to evaluating algorithmic and human performance in directing UAV-based surveillance. Its key elements are a decision-theoretic framework for measuring the utility of a surveillance schedule and an evaluation testbed consisting of 243 scenarios covering a well-defined space of possible missions. We apply this approach to two example UAV-based surveillance methods, a TSP-based algorithm and a human-directed approach, then compare them to identify general strengths, and weaknesses of each method.

Daniel Gogny’s vision for a microscopic theory of fission

DOE PAGES

Younes, W.

2017-05-26

Daniel Gogny made many contributions to our understanding of nuclear fission over a span of 35 years. This paper reviews some of those contributions, focusing in particular on fission dynamics, the challenges of describing scission in a quantum-mechanical context, and the calculation of fragment properties such as their mass, kinetic, and excitation energy distributions. Here, the generator coordinate method provides the common theoretical framework within which these various aspects of fission are formulated.

Robot Wars: Legal and Ethical Dilemmas of Using Unmanned Robotics Systems in 21st Century Warfare and Beyond

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-12

becoming a reality (Edwards 2005, 30). In theory , the new sensory systems would acquire electrical signatures emitting from distant communication...rationalization regarding the increased use of technology that may be employed during war. According to Hinman, The Ethics of Duty Theory and The...Utilitarianism Theory provide the theoretical framework that best describes how the current Law of War and philosophy of ethics define the virtue of

Adsorption-Induced Deformation of Hierarchically Structured Mesoporous Silica—Effect of Pore-Level Anisotropy

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The goal of this work is to understand adsorption-induced deformation of hierarchically structured porous silica exhibiting well-defined cylindrical mesopores. For this purpose, we performed an in situ dilatometry measurement on a calcined and sintered monolithic silica sample during the adsorption of N2 at 77 K. To analyze the experimental data, we extended the adsorption stress model to account for the anisotropy of cylindrical mesopores, i.e., we explicitly derived the adsorption stress tensor components in the axial and radial direction of the pore. For quantitative predictions of stresses and strains, we applied the theoretical framework of Derjaguin, Broekhoff, and de Boer for adsorption in mesopores and two mechanical models of silica rods with axially aligned pore channels: an idealized cylindrical tube model, which can be described analytically, and an ordered hexagonal array of cylindrical mesopores, whose mechanical response to adsorption stress was evaluated by 3D finite element calculations. The adsorption-induced strains predicted by both mechanical models are in good quantitative agreement making the cylindrical tube the preferable model for adsorption-induced strains due to its simple analytical nature. The theoretical results are compared with the in situ dilatometry data on a hierarchically structured silica monolith composed by a network of mesoporous struts of MCM-41 type morphology. Analyzing the experimental adsorption and strain data with the proposed theoretical framework, we find the adsorption-induced deformation of the monolithic sample being reasonably described by a superposition of axial and radial strains calculated on the mesopore level. The structural and mechanical parameters obtained from the model are in good agreement with expectations from independent measurements and literature, respectively. PMID:28547995

Adsorption-Induced Deformation of Hierarchically Structured Mesoporous Silica-Effect of Pore-Level Anisotropy.

PubMed

Balzer, Christian; Waag, Anna M; Gehret, Stefan; Reichenauer, Gudrun; Putz, Florian; Hüsing, Nicola; Paris, Oskar; Bernstein, Noam; Gor, Gennady Y; Neimark, Alexander V

2017-06-06

The goal of this work is to understand adsorption-induced deformation of hierarchically structured porous silica exhibiting well-defined cylindrical mesopores. For this purpose, we performed an in situ dilatometry measurement on a calcined and sintered monolithic silica sample during the adsorption of N 2 at 77 K. To analyze the experimental data, we extended the adsorption stress model to account for the anisotropy of cylindrical mesopores, i.e., we explicitly derived the adsorption stress tensor components in the axial and radial direction of the pore. For quantitative predictions of stresses and strains, we applied the theoretical framework of Derjaguin, Broekhoff, and de Boer for adsorption in mesopores and two mechanical models of silica rods with axially aligned pore channels: an idealized cylindrical tube model, which can be described analytically, and an ordered hexagonal array of cylindrical mesopores, whose mechanical response to adsorption stress was evaluated by 3D finite element calculations. The adsorption-induced strains predicted by both mechanical models are in good quantitative agreement making the cylindrical tube the preferable model for adsorption-induced strains due to its simple analytical nature. The theoretical results are compared with the in situ dilatometry data on a hierarchically structured silica monolith composed by a network of mesoporous struts of MCM-41 type morphology. Analyzing the experimental adsorption and strain data with the proposed theoretical framework, we find the adsorption-induced deformation of the monolithic sample being reasonably described by a superposition of axial and radial strains calculated on the mesopore level. The structural and mechanical parameters obtained from the model are in good agreement with expectations from independent measurements and literature, respectively.

Constitutive modeling and structural analysis considering simultaneous phase transformation and plastic yield in shape memory alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartl, D. J.; Lagoudas, D. C.

2009-10-01

The new developments summarized in this work represent both theoretical and experimental investigations of the effects of plastic strain generation in shape memory alloys (SMAs). Based on the results of SMA experimental characterization described in the literature and additional testing described in this work, a new 3D constitutive model is proposed. This phenomenological model captures both the conventional shape memory effects of pseudoelasticity and thermal strain recovery, and additionally considers the initiation and evolution of plastic strains. The model is numerically implemented in a finite element framework using a return mapping algorithm to solve the constitutive equations at each material point. This combination of theory and implementation is unique in its ability to capture the simultaneous evolution of recoverable transformation strains and irrecoverable plastic strains. The consideration of isotropic and kinematic plastic hardening allows the derivation of a theoretical framework capturing the interactions between irrecoverable plastic strain and recoverable strain due to martensitic transformation. Further, the numerical integration of the constitutive equations is formulated such that objectivity is maintained for SMA structures undergoing moderate strains and large displacements. The implemented model has been used to perform 3D analysis of SMA structural components under uniaxial and bending loads, including a case of local buckling behavior. Experimentally validated results considering simultaneous transformation and plasticity in a bending member are provided, illustrating the predictive accuracy of the model and its implementation.

Prevention through Design Adoption Readiness Model (PtD ARM): An integrated conceptual model.

PubMed

Weidman, Justin; Dickerson, Deborah E; Koebel, Charles T

2015-01-01

Prevention through Design (PtD), eliminating hazards at the design-stage of tools and systems, is the optimal method of mitigating occupational health and safety risks. A recent National Institute of Safety and Health initiative has established a goal to increase adoption of PtD innovation in industry. The construction industry has traditionally lagged behind other sectors in the adoption of innovation, in general; and of safety and health prevention innovation, in particular. Therefore, as a first step toward improving adoption trends in this sector, a conceptual model was developed to describe the parameters and causal relationships that influence and predict construction stakeholder "adoption readiness" for PtD technology innovation. This model was built upon three well-established theoretical frameworks: the Health Belief Model, the Diffusion of Innovation Model, and the Technology Acceptance Model. Earp and Ennett's model development methodology was employed to build a depiction of the key constructs and directionality and magnitude of relationships among them. Key constructs were identified from the literature associated with the three theoretical frameworks, with special emphasis given to studies related to construction or OHS technology adoption. A conceptual model is presented. Recommendations for future research are described and include confirmatory structural equation modeling of model parameters and relationships, additional descriptive investigation of barriers to adoption in some trade sectors, and design and evaluation of an intervention strategy.

Multiscale analysis of information dynamics for linear multivariate processes.

PubMed

Faes, Luca; Montalto, Alessandro; Stramaglia, Sebastiano; Nollo, Giandomenico; Marinazzo, Daniele

2016-08-01

In the study of complex physical and physiological systems represented by multivariate time series, an issue of great interest is the description of the system dynamics over a range of different temporal scales. While information-theoretic approaches to the multiscale analysis of complex dynamics are being increasingly used, the theoretical properties of the applied measures are poorly understood. This study introduces for the first time a framework for the analytical computation of information dynamics for linear multivariate stochastic processes explored at different time scales. After showing that the multiscale processing of a vector autoregressive (VAR) process introduces a moving average (MA) component, we describe how to represent the resulting VARMA process using statespace (SS) models and how to exploit the SS model parameters to compute analytical measures of information storage and information transfer for the original and rescaled processes. The framework is then used to quantify multiscale information dynamics for simulated unidirectionally and bidirectionally coupled VAR processes, showing that rescaling may lead to insightful patterns of information storage and transfer but also to potentially misleading behaviors.

A theoretical framework to describe communication processes during medical disability assessment interviews

PubMed Central

van Rijssen, H Jolanda; Schellart, Antonius JM; Anema, Johannes R; van der Beek, Allard J

2009-01-01

Background Research in different fields of medicine suggests that communication is important in physician-patient encounters and influences satisfaction with these encounters. It is argued that this also applies to the non-curative tasks that physicians perform, such as sickness certification and medical disability assessments. However, there is no conceptualised theoretical framework that can be used to describe intentions with regard to communication behaviour, communication behaviour itself, and satisfaction with communication behaviour in a medical disability assessment context. Objective The objective of this paper is to describe the conceptualisation of a model for the communication behaviour of physicians performing medical disability assessments in a social insurance context and of their claimants, in face-to-face encounters during medical disability assessment interviews and the preparation thereof. Conceptualisation The behavioural model, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), is conceptualised for the communication behaviour of social insurance physicians and claimants separately, but also combined during the assessment interview. Other important concepts in the model are the evaluation of communication behaviour (satisfaction), intentions, attitudes, skills, and barriers for communication. Conclusion The conceptualisation of the TPB-based behavioural model will help to provide insight into the communication behaviour of social insurance physicians and claimants during disability assessment interviews. After empirical testing of the relationships in the model, it can be used in other studies to obtain more insight into communication behaviour in non-curative medicine, and it could help social insurance physicians to adapt their communication behaviour to their task when performing disability assessments. PMID:19807905

Interpersonal Privacy Management in Distributed Collaboration: Situational Characteristics and Interpretive Influences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patil, Sameer; Kobsa, Alfred; John, Ajita; Brotman, Lynne S.; Seligmann, Doree

To understand how collaborators reconcile the often conflicting needs of awareness and privacy, we studied a large software development project in a multinational corporation involving individuals at sites in the U.S. and India. We present a theoretical framework describing privacy management practices and their determinants that emerged from field visits, interviews, and questionnaire responses. The framework identifies five relevant situational characteristics: issue(s) under consideration, physical place(s) involved in interaction(s), temporal aspects, affordances and limitations presented by technology, and nature of relationships among parties. Each actor, in turn, interprets the situation based on several simultaneous influences: self, team, work site, organization, and cultural environment. This interpretation guides privacy management action(s). Past actions form a feedback loop refining and/or reinforcing the interpretive influences. The framework suggests that effective support for privacy management will require that designers follow a socio-technical approach incorporating a wider scope of situational and interpretive differences.

THE SECOND DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION THEORY: A Review and Appraisal.

PubMed

Zaidi, Batool; Morgan, S Philip

2017-07-01

References to the second demographic transition (SDT) concept/theoretical framework have increased dramatically in the last two decades. The SDT predicts unilinear change toward very low fertility and a diversity of union and family types. The primary driver of these changes is a powerful, inevitable and irreversible shift in attitudes and norms in the direction of greater individual freedom and self-actualization. First, we describe the origin of this framework and its evolution over time. Second, we review the empirical fit of the framework to major changes in demographic and family behavior in the U.S., the West, and beyond. As has been the case for other unilinear, developmental theories of demographic/family change, the SDT failed to predict many contemporary patterns of change/difference. Finally, we review previous critiques and identify fundamental weaknesses of this perspective, and provide brief comparisons to selected alternative approaches.

Beyond STS: A research-based framework for socioscientific issues education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeidler, Dana L.; Sadler, Troy D.; Simmons, Michael L.; Howes, Elaine V.

2005-05-01

An important distinction can be made between the science, technology, and society (STS) movement of past years and the domain of socioscientific issues (SSI). STS education as typically practiced does not seem embedded in a coherent developmental or sociological framework that explicitly considers the psychological and epistemological growth of the child, nor the development of character or virtue. In contrast, the SSI movement focuses on empowering students to consider how science-based issues reflect, in part, moral principles and elements of virtue that encompass their own lives, as well as the physical and social world around them. The focus of this paper is to describe a research-based framework of current research and practice that identifies factors associated with reasoning about socioscientific issues and provide a working model that illustrates theoretical and conceptual links among key psychological, sociological, and developmental factors central to SSI and science education.

Grounding Robot Autonomy in Emotion and Self-awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanz, Ricardo; Hernández, Carlos; Hernando, Adolfo; Gómez, Jaime; Bermejo, Julita

Much is being done in an attempt to transfer emotional mechanisms from reverse-engineered biology into social robots. There are two basic approaches: the imitative display of emotion —e.g. to intend more human-like robots— and the provision of architectures with intrinsic emotion —in the hope of enhancing behavioral aspects. This paper focuses on the second approach, describing a core vision regarding the integration of cognitive, emotional and autonomic aspects in social robot systems. This vision has evolved as a result of the efforts in consolidating the models extracted from rat emotion research and their implementation in technical use cases based on a general systemic analysis in the framework of the ICEA and C3 projects. The desire for generality of the approach intends obtaining universal theories of integrated —autonomic, emotional, cognitive— behavior. The proposed conceptualizations and architectural principles are then captured in a theoretical framework: ASys — The Autonomous Systems Framework.

THE SECOND DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION THEORY: A Review and Appraisal

PubMed Central

Zaidi, Batool; Morgan, S. Philip

2017-01-01

References to the second demographic transition (SDT) concept/theoretical framework have increased dramatically in the last two decades. The SDT predicts unilinear change toward very low fertility and a diversity of union and family types. The primary driver of these changes is a powerful, inevitable and irreversible shift in attitudes and norms in the direction of greater individual freedom and self-actualization. First, we describe the origin of this framework and its evolution over time. Second, we review the empirical fit of the framework to major changes in demographic and family behavior in the U.S., the West, and beyond. As has been the case for other unilinear, developmental theories of demographic/family change, the SDT failed to predict many contemporary patterns of change/difference. Finally, we review previous critiques and identify fundamental weaknesses of this perspective, and provide brief comparisons to selected alternative approaches. PMID:28798523

Adopting Health Behavior Change Theory throughout the Clinical Practice Guideline Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceccato, Natalie E.; Ferris, Lorraine E.; Manuel, Douglas; Grimshaw, Jeremy M.

2007-01-01

Adopting a theoretical framework throughout the clinical practice guideline (CPG) process (development, dissemination, implementation, and evaluation) can be useful in systematically identifying, addressing, and explaining behavioral influences impacting CPG uptake and effectiveness. This article argues that using a theoretical framework should…

[A framework for evaluating ethical issues of public health initiatives: practical aspects and theoretical implications].

PubMed

Petrini, Carlo

2015-01-01

The "Framework for the Ethical Conduct of Public Health Initiatives", developed by Public Health Ontario, is a practical guide for assessing the ethical implications of evidence-generating public health initiatives, whether research or non-research activities, involving people, their biological materials or their personal information. The Framework is useful not only to those responsible for determining the ethical acceptability of an initiative, but also to investigators planning new public health initiatives. It is informed by a theoretical approach that draws on widely shared bioethical principles. Two considerations emerge from both the theoretical framework and its practical application: the line between practice and research is often blurred; public health ethics and biomedical research ethics are based on the same common heritage of values.

Mixed phase clouds: observations and theoretical advances (overview)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korolev, Alexei

2013-04-01

Mixed phase clouds play important role in precipitation formation and radiation budget of the Earth. The microphysical measurements in mixed phase clouds are notoriously difficult due to many technical challenges. The airborne instrumentation for characterization of the microstructure of mixed phase clouds is discussed. The results multiyear airborne observations and measurements of frequency of occurrence of mixed phase, characteristic spatial scales, humidity in mixed phase and ice clouds are presented. A theoretical framework describing the thermodynamics and phase transformation of a three phase component system consisting of ice particles, liquid droplets and water vapor is discussed. It is shown that the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process plays different role in clouds with different dynamics. The problem of maintenance and longevity of mixed phase clouds is discussed.

Understanding the Role of Numeracy in Health: Proposed Theoretical Framework and Practical Insights

PubMed Central

Lipkus, Isaac M.; Peters, Ellen

2009-01-01

Numeracy, that is how facile people are with mathematical concepts and their applications, is gaining importance in medical decision making and risk communication. This paper proposes six critical functions of health numeracy. These functions are integrated into a theoretical framework on health numeracy that has implications for risk-communication and medical-decision-making processes. We examine practical underpinnings for targeted interventions aimed at improving such processes as a function of health numeracy. It is hoped that the proposed functions and theoretical framework will spur more research to determine how an understanding of health numeracy can lead to more effective communication and decision outcomes. PMID:19834054

Human-Interaction Challenges in UAV-Based Autonomous Surveillance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freed, Michael; Harris, Robert; Shafto, Michael G.

2004-01-01

Autonomous UAVs provide a platform for intelligent surveillance in application domains ranging from security and military operations to scientific information gathering and land management. Surveillance tasks are often long duration, requiring that any approach be adaptive to changes in the environment or user needs. We describe a decision- theoretic model of surveillance, appropriate for use on our autonomous helicopter, that provides a basis for optimizing the value of information returned by the UAV. From this approach arise a range of challenges in making this framework practical for use by human operators lacking specialized knowledge of autonomy and mathematics. This paper describes our platform and approach, then describes human-interaction challenges arising from this approach that we have identified and begun to address.

New observations, new theoretical results and controversies regarding PC 3-5 waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, K.

Observations and theories of medium- to long-period (Pc 3-5) magnetic pulsations excited by magnetospheric particles are described. Satellite observations indicate that most pulsations can be classified into two groups according to their magnetic field polarization. One group has a transverse magnetic perturbation and the other strongly compressional perturbation. Despite this difference in polarization they share common characteristics, including large azimuthal wave number, westward propagation, and antisymmetric field-aligned structure. Recent theories describe these observations in a unified framework. It has been pointed out that trapped energetic ions play an important role in determining the instability threshold and the mode structure of the pulsations. Observations and theories of energetic particle response to the excited pulsations are also described.

Evolution or Revolution: Mobility Requirements for the AirLand Battle Future Concept

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-02-20

analysis and the model a theoretical framework for tactical mobility is established. The considerations for tactical mobility on the future battlefield are...examined in the context of the theoretical framework . Finally, using the criteria of sufficiency, feasibility, and the time/space continuum, the

Formulating a Theoretical Framework for Assessing Network Loads for Effective Deployment in Network-Centric Operations and Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

is particularly important in order to design a network that is realistically deployable. The goal of this project is the design of a theoretical ... framework to assess and predict the effectiveness and performance of networks and their loads.

School District Organization and Student Dropout.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelhard, George, Jr.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a theoretical framework that would examine the structural relationships between select organizational and environmental variables and school district effectiveness in Michigan. The theoretical framework was derived from organizational theory and represents a social-ecological approach to the study…

Educational Communities of Inquiry: Theoretical Framework, Research and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akyol, Zehra; Garrison, D. Randy

2013-01-01

Communications technologies have been continuously integrated into learning and training environments which has revealed the need for a clear understanding of the process. The Community of Inquiry (COI) Theoretical Framework has a philosophical foundation which provides planned guidelines and principles to development useful learning environments…

Exploring How Globalization Shapes Education: Methodology and Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Su-Yan

2010-01-01

This is a commentary on some major issues raised in Carter and Dediwalage's "Globalisation and science education: The case of "Sustainability by the bay"" (this issue), particularly their methodology and theoretical framework for understanding how globalisation shapes education (including science education). While acknowledging the authors'…

A spiritual framework in incest survivors treatment.

PubMed

Beveridge, Kelli; Cheung, Monit

2004-01-01

Through an examination of recent incest treatment development, this article emphasizes the theoretical concept of integration within the treatment process for female adult incest survivors. Spirituality as a therapeutic foundation is discussed with examples of therapeutic techniques. A case study illustrates the psycho-spiritual process of treating a 29-year-old female incest survivor and describes how self-integration has helped this client heal from trauma and change her worldview. Significant outcomes of treatment include the client's gaining of self-awareness and freeing herself from emotional blindness. The recommended practice framework includes a three-step healing process of building alliance with the client in a safe environment, disputing faulty religious assumptions in a learning process, and affirming the needs for reconnection and continuous spiritual support.

Cumulative risk assessment for combined health effects from chemical and nonchemical stressors.

PubMed

Sexton, Ken; Linder, Stephen H

2011-12-01

Cumulative risk assessment is a science policy tool for organizing and analyzing information to examine, characterize, and possibly quantify combined threats from multiple environmental stressors. We briefly survey the state of the art regarding cumulative risk assessment, emphasizing challenges and complexities of moving beyond the current focus on chemical mixtures to incorporate nonchemical stressors, such as poverty and discrimination, into the assessment paradigm. Theoretical frameworks for integrating nonchemical stressors into cumulative risk assessments are discussed, the impact of geospatial issues on interpreting results of statistical analyses is described, and four assessment methods are used to illustrate the diversity of current approaches. Prospects for future progress depend on adequate research support as well as development and verification of appropriate analytic frameworks.

Cumulative Risk Assessment for Combined Health Effects From Chemical and Nonchemical Stressors

PubMed Central

Linder, Stephen H.

2011-01-01

Cumulative risk assessment is a science policy tool for organizing and analyzing information to examine, characterize, and possibly quantify combined threats from multiple environmental stressors. We briefly survey the state of the art regarding cumulative risk assessment, emphasizing challenges and complexities of moving beyond the current focus on chemical mixtures to incorporate nonchemical stressors, such as poverty and discrimination, into the assessment paradigm. Theoretical frameworks for integrating nonchemical stressors into cumulative risk assessments are discussed, the impact of geospatial issues on interpreting results of statistical analyses is described, and four assessment methods are used to illustrate the diversity of current approaches. Prospects for future progress depend on adequate research support as well as development and verification of appropriate analytic frameworks. PMID:21551386

A Discounting Framework for Choice With Delayed and Probabilistic Rewards

PubMed Central

Green, Leonard; Myerson, Joel

2005-01-01

When choosing between delayed or uncertain outcomes, individuals discount the value of such outcomes on the basis of the expected time to or the likelihood of their occurrence. In an integrative review of the expanding experimental literature on discounting, the authors show that although the same form of hyperbola-like function describes discounting of both delayed and probabilistic outcomes, a variety of recent findings are inconsistent with a single-process account. The authors also review studies that compare discounting in different populations and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings. The present effort illustrates the value of studying choice involving both delayed and probabilistic outcomes within a general discounting framework that uses similar experimental procedures and a common analytical approach. PMID:15367080

Intentionality forms the matrix of healing: a theory.

PubMed

Zahourek, Rothlyn P

2004-01-01

The understanding of intentionality in a healing context has been incomplete and confusing. Attempts have been made to describe it as a concrete mental force in healing while healing has been accepted as a nonlocal phenomenon. This paper reviews several definitions and theoretical frameworks of intentionality. It proposes a new integrative theory of intentionality, Intentionality: the Matrix of Healing. The theory proposes definitions, forms, and phases of intentionality, a process of development and mediators that sculpt intentionality in healing. The theory has implications for conceptualizing intentionality and provides a framework for continued exploration of the nature of intentionality in healing for scholars as well as clinicians. This study was done as a Doctoral dissertation at New York University, School of Education, Division of Nursing.

Implementation of the US EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) Regional Oxidant Modeling System

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

Novak, J.H.

1984-05-01

Model design, implementation and quality assurance procedures can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of long term utility of any modeling approach. The Regional Oxidant Modeling System (ROMS) is exceptionally complex because it treats all chemical and physical processes thought to affect ozone concentration on a regional scale. Thus, to effectively illustrate useful design and implementation techniques, this paper describes the general modeling framework which forms the basis of the ROMS. This framework is flexible enough to allow straightforward update or replacement of the chemical kinetics mechanism and/or any theoretical formulations of the physical processes. Use of the Jacksonmore » Structured Programming (JSP) method to implement this modeling framework has not only increased programmer productivity and quality of the resulting programs, but also has provided standardized program design, dynamic documentation, and easily maintainable and transportable code. A summary of the JSP method is presented to encourage modelers to pursue this technique in their own model development efforts. In addition, since data preparation is such an integral part of a successful modeling system, the ROMS processor network is described with emphasis on the internal quality control techniques.« less

Equivalence of Brownian dynamics and dynamic Monte Carlo simulations in multicomponent colloidal suspensions.

PubMed

Cuetos, Alejandro; Patti, Alessandro

2015-08-01

We propose a simple but powerful theoretical framework to quantitatively compare Brownian dynamics (BD) and dynamic Monte Carlo (DMC) simulations of multicomponent colloidal suspensions. By extending our previous study focusing on monodisperse systems of rodlike colloids, here we generalize the formalism described there to multicomponent colloidal mixtures and validate it by investigating the dynamics in isotropic and liquid crystalline phases containing spherical and rodlike particles. In order to investigate the dynamics of multicomponent colloidal systems by DMC simulations, it is key to determine the elementary time step of each species and establish a unique timescale. This is crucial to consistently study the dynamics of colloidal particles with different geometry. By analyzing the mean-square displacement, the orientation autocorrelation functions, and the self part of the van Hove correlation functions, we show that DMC simulation is a very convenient and reliable technique to describe the stochastic dynamics of any multicomponent colloidal system. Our theoretical formalism can be easily extended to any colloidal system containing size and/or shape polydisperse particles.

A general framework for characterizing studies of brain interface technology.

PubMed

Mason, S G; Jackson, M M Moore; Birch, G E

2005-11-01

The development of brain interface (BI) technology continues to attract researchers with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise. Though the BI community is committed to accurate and objective evaluation of methods, systems, and technology, the very diversity of the methods and terminology used in the field hinders understanding and impairs technology cross-fertilization and cross-group validation of findings. Underlying this dilemma is a lack of common perspective and language. As seen in our previous works in this area, our approach to remedy this problem is to propose language in the form of taxonomy and functional models. Our intent is to document and validate our best thinking in this area and publish a perspective that will stimulate discussion. We encourage others to do the same with the belief that focused discussion on language issues will accelerate the inherently slow natural evolution of language selection and thus alleviate related problems. In this work, we propose a theoretical framework for describing BI-technology-related studies. The proposed framework is based on the theoretical concepts and terminology from classical science, assistive technology development, human-computer interaction, and previous BI-related works. Using a representative set of studies from the literature, the proposed BI study framework was shown to be complete and appropriate perspective for thoroughly characterizing a BI study. We have also demonstrated that this BI study framework is useful for (1) objectively reviewing existing BI study designs and results, (2) comparing designs and results of multiple BI studies, (3) designing new studies or objectively reporting BI study results, and (4) facilitating intra- and inter-group communication and the education of new researchers. As such, it forms a sound and appropriate basis for community discussion.

Density profiles in the Scrape-Off Layer interpreted through filament dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Militello, Fulvio

2017-10-01

We developed a new theoretical framework to clarify the relation between radial Scrape-Off Layer density profiles and the fluctuations that generate them. The framework provides an interpretation of the experimental features of the profiles and of the turbulence statistics on the basis of simple properties of the filaments, such as their radial motion and their draining towards the divertor. L-mode and inter-ELM filaments are described as a Poisson process in which each event is independent and modelled with a wave function of amplitude and width statistically distributed according to experimental observations and evolving according to fluid equations. We will rigorously show that radially accelerating filaments, less efficient parallel exhaust and also a statistical distribution of their radial velocity can contribute to induce flatter profiles in the far SOL and therefore enhance plasma-wall interactions. A quite general result of our analysis is the resiliency of this non-exponential nature of the profiles and the increase of the relative fluctuation amplitude towards the wall, as experimentally observed. According to the framework, profile broadening at high fueling rates can be caused by interactions with neutrals (e.g. charge exchange) in the divertor or by a significant radial acceleration of the filaments. The framework assumptions were tested with 3D numerical simulations of seeded SOL filaments based on a two fluid model. In particular, filaments interact through the electrostatic field they generate only when they are in close proximity (separation comparable to their width in the drift plane), thus justifying our independence hypothesis. In addition, we will discuss how isolated filament motion responds to variations in the plasma conditions, and specifically divertor conditions. Finally, using the theoretical framework we will reproduce and interpret experimental results obtained on JET, MAST and HL-2A.

Sustainability of healthcare improvement: what can we learn from learning theory?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Changes that improve the quality of health care should be sustained. Falling back to old, unsatisfactory ways of working is a waste of resources and can in the worst case increase resistance to later initiatives to improve care. Quality improvement relies on changing the clinical system yet factors that influence the sustainability of quality improvements are poorly understood. Theoretical frameworks can guide further research on the sustainability of quality improvements. Theories of organizational learning have contributed to a better understanding of organizational change in other contexts. To identify factors contributing to sustainability of improvements, we use learning theory to explore a case that had displayed sustained improvement. Methods Førde Hospital redesigned the pathway for elective surgery and achieved sustained reduction of cancellation rates. We used a qualitative case study design informed by theory to explore factors that contributed to sustain the improvements at Førde Hospital. The model Evidence in the Learning Organization describes how organizational learning contributes to change in healthcare institutions. This model constituted the framework for data collection and analysis. We interviewed a strategic sample of 20 employees. The in-depth interviews covered themes identified through our theoretical framework. Through a process of coding and condensing, we identified common themes that were interpreted in relation to our theoretical framework. Results Clinicians and leaders shared information about their everyday work and related this knowledge to how the entire clinical pathway could be improved. In this way they developed a revised and deeper understanding of their clinical system and its interdependencies. They became increasingly aware of how different elements needed to interact to enhance the performance and how their own efforts could contribute. Conclusions The improved understanding of the clinical system represented a change in mental models of employees that influenced how the organization changed its performance. By applying the framework of organizational learning, we learned that changes originating from a new mental model represent double-loop learning. In double-loop learning, deeper system properties are changed, and consequently changes are more likely to be sustained. PMID:22863199

Sustainability of healthcare improvement: what can we learn from learning theory?

PubMed

Hovlid, Einar; Bukve, Oddbjørn; Haug, Kjell; Aslaksen, Aslak Bjarne; von Plessen, Christian

2012-08-03

Changes that improve the quality of health care should be sustained. Falling back to old, unsatisfactory ways of working is a waste of resources and can in the worst case increase resistance to later initiatives to improve care. Quality improvement relies on changing the clinical system yet factors that influence the sustainability of quality improvements are poorly understood. Theoretical frameworks can guide further research on the sustainability of quality improvements. Theories of organizational learning have contributed to a better understanding of organizational change in other contexts. To identify factors contributing to sustainability of improvements, we use learning theory to explore a case that had displayed sustained improvement. Førde Hospital redesigned the pathway for elective surgery and achieved sustained reduction of cancellation rates. We used a qualitative case study design informed by theory to explore factors that contributed to sustain the improvements at Førde Hospital. The model Evidence in the Learning Organization describes how organizational learning contributes to change in healthcare institutions. This model constituted the framework for data collection and analysis. We interviewed a strategic sample of 20 employees. The in-depth interviews covered themes identified through our theoretical framework. Through a process of coding and condensing, we identified common themes that were interpreted in relation to our theoretical framework. Clinicians and leaders shared information about their everyday work and related this knowledge to how the entire clinical pathway could be improved. In this way they developed a revised and deeper understanding of their clinical system and its interdependencies. They became increasingly aware of how different elements needed to interact to enhance the performance and how their own efforts could contribute. The improved understanding of the clinical system represented a change in mental models of employees that influenced how the organization changed its performance. By applying the framework of organizational learning, we learned that changes originating from a new mental model represent double-loop learning. In double-loop learning, deeper system properties are changed, and consequently changes are more likely to be sustained.

Thematic Processes in the Comprehension of Technical Prose.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-20

theoretical framework for this process is that the important content of a passage is constructed by the reader based on the semantic content of the...against actual reader behavior. These models represent the general theoretical framework in a highly specific way, and thus summarize the major results of the project. (Author)

Optimizing the Long-Term Retention of Skills: Structural and Analytic Approaches to Skill Maintenance

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-01

evidence for a surprising degree of long-term skill retention. We formulated a theoretical framework , focusing on the importance of procedural reinstatement...considerable forgetting over even relatively short retention intervals. We have been able to place these studies in the same general theoretical framework developed

Time, Space, and Mass at the Operational Level of War: The Dynamics of the Culminating Point,

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-28

theoretical framework for operational culmination and then examining the theory as reflected in recent history. This paper focuses on the concept of...the paper first examines key definitions and provides a theoretical framework for understanding culmination. Next, it considers the application of the

Strategic Innovation in HE: The Roles of Academic Middle Managers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kallenberg, Ton

2007-01-01

This article explains the development of, and presents a theoretical framework for, harnessing the roles of the academic middle manager in strategic innovation in Dutch higher education, thereby increasing higher education's ability to learn, innovate and develop a competitive advantage. The framework is developed from theoretical models of role…

Implicit Theoretical Leadership Frameworks of Higher Education Administrators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lees, Kimberly; And Others

Colleges and universities have a unique organizational culture that influences the decision-making processes used by leaders of higher education. This paper presents findings of a study that attempted to identify the theoretical frameworks that administrators of higher education use to guide their decision-making processes. The following…

A New Theoretical Approach to Postsecondary Student Disability: Disability-Diversity (Dis)Connect Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aquino, Katherine C.

2016-01-01

Disability is often viewed as an obstacle to postsecondary inclusion, but not a characteristic of student diversity. Additionally, current theoretical frameworks isolate disability from other student diversity characteristics. In response, a new conceptual framework, the Disability-Diversity (Dis)Connect Model (DDDM), was created to address…

A Theoretical Framework towards Understanding of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poulou, Maria S.

2014-01-01

Children's emotional and behavioural difficulties are the result of multiple individual, social and contextual factors working in concert. The current paper proposes a theoretical framework to interpret students' emotional and behavioural difficulties in schools, by taking into consideration teacher-student relationships, students'…

Remarks on a financial inverse problem by means of Monte Carlo Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuomo, Salvatore; Di Somma, Vittorio; Sica, Federica

2017-10-01

Estimating the price of a barrier option is a typical inverse problem. In this paper we present a numerical and statistical framework for a market with risk-free interest rate and a risk asset, described by a Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM). After approximating the risk asset with a numerical method, we find the final option price by following an approach based on sequential Monte Carlo methods. All theoretical results are applied to the case of an option whose underlying is a real stock.

Ethics and aims in psychotherapy: a contribution from Kant.

PubMed

Callender, J S

1998-08-01

Psychotherapy is an activity which takes many forms and which has many aims. The present paper argues that it can be viewed as a form of moral suasion. Kant's concepts of free will and ethics are described and these are then applied to the processes and outcome of psychotherapy. It is argued that his ideas, by linking rationality, free will and ethics into a single philosophical system, offer a valuable theoretical framework for thinking about aims and ethical issues in psychotherapy.

Dark matter in the coming decade: Complementary paths to discovery and beyond

DOE PAGES

Bauer, Daniel; Buckley, James; Cahill-Rowley, Matthew; ...

2015-05-27

Here, we summarize the many dark matter searches currently being pursued through four complementary approaches: direct detection, indirect detection, collider experiments, and astrophysical probes. The essential features of broad classes of experiments are described, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, we discuss the complementarity of the different dark matter searches qualitatively and illustrated quantitatively in two simple theoretical frameworks. Our primary conclusion is that the diversity of possible dark matter candidates requires a balanced program drawing from all four approaches.

Ethics and aims in psychotherapy: a contribution from Kant.

PubMed Central

Callender, J S

1998-01-01

Psychotherapy is an activity which takes many forms and which has many aims. The present paper argues that it can be viewed as a form of moral suasion. Kant's concepts of free will and ethics are described and these are then applied to the processes and outcome of psychotherapy. It is argued that his ideas, by linking rationality, free will and ethics into a single philosophical system, offer a valuable theoretical framework for thinking about aims and ethical issues in psychotherapy. PMID:9752632

Culpability and pain management/control in peripheral vascular disease using the ethics of principles and care.

PubMed

Omery, A

1991-09-01

The purposes of this article were to provide insight into the process of ethics and ethical inquiry and to explore the ethical issues of culpability and pain management/control. Critical care nurses who currently care for vascular patients identified these issues as occurring frequently in their practice. Authors in critical care nursing generally have limited the process of ethical inquiry to a theoretical framework built around an ethic of principles. The message many critical care nurses heard was that this one type of theoretical ethical framework was the totality of ethics. The application of these principles was ethical inquiry. For some nurses, the ethic of principles is sufficient. For others, an ethic of principles is either incomplete or foreign. This second group of nurses may believe that they have no moral voice if the language of ethics is only the language of principles. The language of principles, however, is not the only theoretical framework available. There is also the ethic of care, and ethical inquiry can include the application of that framework. Indeed, the language of the ethic of care may give a voice to nurses who previously felt morally mute. In fact, these two theoretical frameworks are not the only frameworks available to nurses. There is also virtue ethics, a framework not discussed in this article. A multiplicity of ethical frameworks is available for nurses to use in analyzing their professional and personal dilemmas. Recognizing that multiplicity, nurses can analyze their ethical dilemmas more comprehensively and effectively. Applying differing ethical frameworks can result in the same conclusions. This was the case for the issue of culpability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The functional-cognitive meta-theoretical framework: Reflections, possible clarifications and how to move forward.

PubMed

Barnes-Holmes, Dermot; Hussey, Ian

2016-02-01

The functional-cognitive meta-theoretical framework has been offered as a conceptual basis for facilitating greater communication and cooperation between the functional/behavioural and cognitive traditions within psychology, thus leading to benefits for both scientific communities. The current article is written from the perspective of two functional researchers, who are also proponents of the functional-cognitive framework, and attended the "Building Bridges between the Functional and Cognitive Traditions" meeting at Ghent University in the summer of 2014. The article commences with a brief summary of the functional approach to theory, followed by our reflections upon the functional-cognitive framework in light of that meeting. In doing so, we offer three ways in which the framework could be clarified: (a) effective communication between the two traditions is likely to be found at the level of behavioural observations rather than effects or theory, (b) not all behavioural observations will be deemed to be of mutual interest to both traditions, and (c) observations of mutual interest will be those that serve to elaborate and extend existing theorising in the functional and/or cognitive traditions. The article concludes with a summary of what we perceive to be the strengths and weaknesses of the framework, and a suggestion that there is a need to determine if the framework is meta-theoretical or is in fact a third theoretical approach to doing psychological science. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

A system dynamics approach to understanding the One Health concept

PubMed Central

Liu, Wenbao; Anderson, Benjamin D.; Liu, Xiaorong; Gray, Gregory C.

2017-01-01

There have been many terms used to describe the One Health concept, including movement, strategy, framework, agenda, approach, among others. However, the inter-relationships of the disciplines engaged in the One Health concept have not been well described. To identify and better elucidate the internal feedback mechanisms of One Health, we employed a system dynamics approach. First, a systematic literature review was conducted via searches in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and ProQuest with the search terms: ‘One Health’ and (concept* or approach*). In addition, we used the HistCite® tool to add significant articles on One Health to the library. Then, of the 2368 articles identified, 19 were selected for evaluating the inter-relationships of disciplines engaged in One Health. Herein, we report a visually rich, theoretical model regarding interactions of various disciplines and complex problem descriptors engaged in One Health problem solving. This report provides a conceptual framework for future descriptions of the interdisciplinary engagements involved in One Health. PMID:28877267

An expanded framework to define and measure shared decision-making in dialogue: A 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approach.

PubMed

Callon, Wynne; Beach, Mary Catherine; Links, Anne R; Wasserman, Carly; Boss, Emily F

2018-03-11

We aimed to develop a comprehensive, descriptive framework to measure shared decision making (SDM) in clinical encounters. We combined a top-down (theoretical) approach with a bottom-up approach based on audio-recorded dialogue to identify all communication processes related to decision making. We coded 55 pediatric otolaryngology visits using the framework and report interrater reliability. We identified 14 clinician behaviors and 5 patient behaviors that have not been previously described, and developed a new SDM framework that is descriptive (what does happen) rather than normative (what should happen). Through the bottom-up approach we identified three broad domains not present in other SDM frameworks: socioemotional support, understandability of clinician dialogue, and recommendation-giving. We also specify the ways in which decision-making roles are assumed implicitly rather than discussed explicitly. Interrater reliability was >75% for 92% of the coded behaviors. This SDM framework allows for a more expansive understanding and analysis of how decision making takes place in clinical encounters, including new domains and behaviors not present in existing measures. We hope that this new framework will bring attention to a broader conception of SDM and allow researchers to further explore the new domains and behaviors identified. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Factors that influence the implementation of dietary guidelines regarding food provision in centre based childcare services: A systematic review.

PubMed

Seward, Kirsty; Finch, Meghan; Yoong, Sze Lin; Wyse, Rebecca; Jones, Jannah; Grady, Alice; Wiggers, John; Nathan, Nicole; Conte, Kathleen; Wolfenden, Luke

2017-12-01

Children attending centre based childcare services consume as much as two thirds of their daily dietary requirements while in care. However, such services often fail to provide foods that are consistent with guideline recommendations. Developing strategies to improve childcare service adherence to menu dietary guidelines requires a comprehensive understanding of factors that may impede or promote implementation. The primary aim of this systematic review is to describe factors (barriers and facilitators) that may influence the implementation of menu dietary guidelines regarding food provision in centre-based childcare services and to map these factors to a theoretical framework. Over 7000 citations were identified from all sources. Duplicate abstracts were removed and selection criteria applied. Twelve studies (1994-2015) were included in the review. Dual data extraction was conducted and the reported factors were synthesised using the theoretical domains framework (TDF). Barriers and facilitators identified in qualitative studies were classified into 8 and 10 of the 14 TDF domains. Barriers and facilitators reported in quantitative studies covered 6 and 3 TDF domains respectively. The most common domain of which both barriers and facilitators to the implementation of menu dietary guidelines were identified was 'environmental context and resources'. This is the first study that comprehensively assesses literature to identify factors that influence the implementation of menu dietary guidelines in childcare services utilising a theoretical framework. Findings provide guidance to support researchers and policy makers design strategies to improve menu dietary guideline implementation and, as such have the potential to improve food provision in care. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantifying heterogeneity attributable to polythetic diagnostic criteria: theoretical framework and empirical application.

PubMed

Olbert, Charles M; Gala, Gary J; Tupler, Larry A

2014-05-01

Heterogeneity within psychiatric disorders is both theoretically and practically problematic: For many disorders, it is possible for 2 individuals to share very few or even no symptoms in common yet share the same diagnosis. Polythetic diagnostic criteria have long been recognized to contribute to this heterogeneity, yet no unified theoretical understanding of the coherence of symptom criteria sets currently exists. A general framework for analyzing the logical and mathematical structure, coherence, and diversity of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual diagnostic categories (DSM-5 and DSM-IV-TR) is proposed, drawing from combinatorial mathematics, set theory, and information theory. Theoretical application of this framework to 18 diagnostic categories indicates that in most categories, 2 individuals with the same diagnosis may share no symptoms in common, and that any 2 theoretically possible symptom combinations will share on average less than half their symptoms. Application of this framework to 2 large empirical datasets indicates that patients who meet symptom criteria for major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder tend to share approximately three-fifths of symptoms in common. For both disorders in each of the datasets, pairs of individuals who shared no common symptoms were observed. Any 2 individuals with either diagnosis were unlikely to exhibit identical symptomatology. The theoretical and empirical results stemming from this approach have substantive implications for etiological research into, and measurement of, psychiatric disorders.

Time-dependent Electron Acceleration in Blazar Transients: X-Ray Time Lags and Spectral Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Tiffany R.; Becker, Peter A.; Finke, Justin D.

2016-06-01

Electromagnetic radiation from blazar jets often displays strong variability, extending from radio to γ-ray frequencies. In a few cases, this variability has been characterized using Fourier time lags, such as those detected in the X-rays from Mrk 421 using BeppoSAX. The lack of a theoretical framework to interpret the data has motivated us to develop a new model for the formation of the X-ray spectrum and the time lags in blazar jets based on a transport equation including terms describing stochastic Fermi acceleration, synchrotron losses, shock acceleration, adiabatic expansion, and spatial diffusion. We derive the exact solution for the Fourier transform of the electron distribution and use it to compute the Fourier transform of the synchrotron radiation spectrum and the associated X-ray time lags. The same theoretical framework is also used to compute the peak flare X-ray spectrum, assuming that a steady-state electron distribution is achieved during the peak of the flare. The model parameters are constrained by comparing the theoretical predictions with the observational data for Mrk 421. The resulting integrated model yields, for the first time, a complete first-principles physical explanation for both the formation of the observed time lags and the shape of the peak flare X-ray spectrum. It also yields direct estimates of the strength of the shock and the stochastic magnetohydrodynamical wave acceleration components in the Mrk 421 jet.

Authentic leadership: a new theory for nursing or back to basics?

PubMed

Wong, Carol; Cummings, Greta

2009-01-01

Authentic leadership is an emerging theoretical model purported to focus on the root component of effective leadership. The purpose of this paper is to describe the relevance of authentic leadership to the advancement of nursing leadership practice and research and address the question of whether this is a new theory for leadership or an old one in new packaging. The paper outlines the origins and key elements of the model, assesses the theoretical, conceptual and measurement issues associated with authentic leadership and compares it with other leadership theories frequently reported in the nursing literature. The emerging authentic leadership theory holds promise for explaining the underlying processes by which authentic leaders and followers influence work outcomes and organizational performance. Construct validity of authentic leadership has preliminary documentation and a few studies have shown positive relationships between authenticity and trust. Furthermore, the clarity of the authenticity construct and comprehensiveness of the overall theoretical framework provide a fruitful base for future research examining the relationship between authentic leadership and the creation of healthier work environments. A clear focus on the relational aspects of leadership, the foundational moral/ethical component, a potential linkage of positive psychological capital to work engagement and the emphasis on leader and follower development in the authentic leadership framework are closely aligned to current and future nursing leadership practice and research priorities for the creation of sustainable changes in nursing work environments.

Vaccine hesitancy: clarifying a theoretical framework for an ambiguous notion.

PubMed

Peretti-Watel, Patrick; Larson, Heidi J; Ward, Jeremy K; Schulz, William S; Verger, Pierre

2015-02-25

Today, according to many public health experts, public confidence in vaccines is waning. The term "vaccine hesitancy" (VH) is increasingly used to describe the spread of such vaccine reluctance. But VH is an ambiguous notion and its theoretical background appears uncertain. To clarify this concept, we first review the current definitions of VH in the public health literature and examine its most prominent characteristics. VH has been defined as a set of beliefs, attitudes, or behaviours, or some combination of them, shared by a large and heterogeneous portion of the population and including people who exhibit reluctant conformism (they may either decline a vaccine, delay it or accept it despite their doubts) and vaccine-specific behaviours. Secondly, we underline some of the ambiguities of this notion and argue that it is more a catchall category than a real concept. We also call into question the usefulness of understanding VH as an intermediate position along a continuum ranging from anti-vaccine to pro-vaccine attitudes, and we discuss its qualification as a belief, attitude or behaviour. Thirdly, we propose a theoretical framework, based on previous literature and taking into account some major structural features of contemporary societies, that considers VH as a kind of decision-making process that depends on people's level of commitment to healthism/risk culture and on their level of confidence in the health authorities and mainstream medicine.

Highly effective hydrogen isotope separation in nanoporous metal-organic frameworks with open metal sites: direct measurement and theoretical analysis.

PubMed

Oh, Hyunchul; Savchenko, Ievgeniia; Mavrandonakis, Andreas; Heine, Thomas; Hirscher, Michael

2014-01-28

Separating gaseous mixtures that consist of very similar size is one of the critical issues in modern separation technology. Especially, the separation of the isotopes hydrogen and deuterium requires special efforts, even though these isotopes show a very large mass ratio. Conventionally, H/D separation can be realized through cryogenic distillation of the molecular species or the Girdler-sulfide process, which are among the most energy-intensive separation techniques in the chemical industry. However, costs can be significantly reduced by using highly mass-selective nanoporous sorbents. Here, we describe a hydrogen isotope separation strategy exploiting the strongly attractive open metal sites present in nanoporous metal-organic frameworks of the CPO-27 family (also referred to as MOF-74). A theoretical analysis predicts an outstanding hydrogen isotopologue separation at open metal sites due to isotopal effects, which has been directly observed through cryogenic thermal desorption spectroscopy. For H2/D2 separation of an equimolar mixture at 60 K, the selectivity of 12 is the highest value ever measured, and this methodology shows extremely high separation efficiencies even above 77 K. Our theoretical results imply also a high selectivity for HD/H2 separation at similar temperatures, and together with catalytically active sites, we propose a mechanism to produce D2 from HD/H2 mixtures with natural or enriched deuterium content.

Klein-Weyl's program and the ontology of gauge and quantum systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catren, Gabriel

2018-02-01

We distinguish two orientations in Weyl's analysis of the fundamental role played by the notion of symmetry in physics, namely an orientation inspired by Klein's Erlangen program and a phenomenological-transcendental orientation. By privileging the former to the detriment of the latter, we sketch a group(oid)-theoretical program-that we call the Klein-Weyl program-for the interpretation of both gauge theories and quantum mechanics in a single conceptual framework. This program is based on Weyl's notion of a "structure-endowed entity" equipped with a "group of automorphisms". First, we analyze what Weyl calls the "problem of relativity" in the frameworks provided by special relativity, general relativity, and Yang-Mills theories. We argue that both general relativity and Yang-Mills theories can be understood in terms of a localization of Klein's Erlangen program: while the latter describes the group-theoretical automorphisms of a single structure (such as homogenous geometries), local gauge symmetries and the corresponding gauge fields (Ehresmann connections) can be naturally understood in terms of the groupoid-theoretical isomorphisms in a family of identical structures. Second, we argue that quantum mechanics can be understood in terms of a linearization of Klein's Erlangen program. This stance leads us to an interpretation of the fact that quantum numbers are "indices characterizing representations of groups" ((Weyl, 1931a), p.xxi) in terms of a correspondence between the ontological categories of identity and determinateness.

Health information systems: a survey of frameworks for developing countries.

PubMed

Marcelo, A B

2010-01-01

The objective of this paper is to perform a survey of excellent research on health information systems (HIS) analysis and design, and their underlying theoretical frameworks. It classifies these frameworks along major themes, and analyzes the different approaches to HIS development that are practical in resource-constrained environments. Literature review based on PubMed citations and conference proceedings, as well as Internet searches on information systems in general, and health information systems in particular. The field of health information systems development has been studied extensively. Despite this, failed implementations are still common. Theoretical frameworks for HIS development are available that can guide implementers. As awareness, acceptance, and demand for health information systems increase globally, the variety of approaches and strategies will also follow. For developing countries with scarce resources, a trial-and-error approach can be very costly. Lessons from the successes and failures of initial HIS implementations have been abstracted into theoretical frameworks. These frameworks organize complex HIS concepts into methodologies that standardize techniques in implementation. As globalization continues to impact healthcare in the developing world, demand for more responsive health systems will become urgent. More comprehensive frameworks and practical tools to guide HIS implementers will be imperative.

Conceptual models for cumulative risk assessment.

PubMed

Linder, Stephen H; Sexton, Ken

2011-12-01

In the absence of scientific consensus on an appropriate theoretical framework, cumulative risk assessment and related research have relied on speculative conceptual models. We argue for the importance of theoretical backing for such models and discuss 3 relevant theoretical frameworks, each supporting a distinctive "family" of models. Social determinant models postulate that unequal health outcomes are caused by structural inequalities; health disparity models envision social and contextual factors acting through individual behaviors and biological mechanisms; and multiple stressor models incorporate environmental agents, emphasizing the intermediary role of these and other stressors. The conclusion is that more careful reliance on established frameworks will lead directly to improvements in characterizing cumulative risk burdens and accounting for disproportionate adverse health effects.

Conceptual Models for Cumulative Risk Assessment

PubMed Central

Sexton, Ken

2011-01-01

In the absence of scientific consensus on an appropriate theoretical framework, cumulative risk assessment and related research have relied on speculative conceptual models. We argue for the importance of theoretical backing for such models and discuss 3 relevant theoretical frameworks, each supporting a distinctive “family” of models. Social determinant models postulate that unequal health outcomes are caused by structural inequalities; health disparity models envision social and contextual factors acting through individual behaviors and biological mechanisms; and multiple stressor models incorporate environmental agents, emphasizing the intermediary role of these and other stressors. The conclusion is that more careful reliance on established frameworks will lead directly to improvements in characterizing cumulative risk burdens and accounting for disproportionate adverse health effects. PMID:22021317

User applications driven by the community contribution framework MPContribs in the Materials Project

DOE PAGES

Huck, P.; Gunter, D.; Cholia, S.; ...

2015-10-12

This paper discusses how the MPContribs framework in the Materials Project (MP) allows user-contributed data to be shown and analyzed alongside the core MP database. The MP is a searchable database of electronic structure properties of over 65,000 bulk solid materials, which is accessible through a web-based science-gateway. We describe the motivation for enabling user contributions to the materials data and present the framework's features and challenges in the context of two real applications. These use cases illustrate how scientific collaborations can build applications with their own 'user-contributed' data using MPContribs. The Nanoporous Materials Explorer application provides a unique searchmore » interface to a novel dataset of hundreds of thousands of materials, each with tables of user-contributed values related to material adsorption and density at varying temperature and pressure. The Unified Theoretical and Experimental X-ray Spectroscopy application discusses a full workflow for the association, dissemination, and combined analyses of experimental data from the Advanced Light Source with MP's theoretical core data, using MPContribs tools for data formatting, management, and exploration. The capabilities being developed for these collaborations are serving as the model for how new materials data can be incorporated into the MP website with minimal staff overhead while giving powerful tools for data search and display to the user community.« less

High temperature, oxygen, and performance: Insights from reptiles and amphibians.

PubMed

Gangloff, Eric J; Telemeco, Rory S

2018-04-25

Much recent theoretical and empirical work has sought to describe the physiological mechanisms underlying thermal tolerance in animals. Leading hypotheses can be broadly divided into two categories that primarily differ in organizational scale: 1) high temperature directly reduces the function of subcellular machinery, such as enzymes and cell membranes, or 2) high temperature disrupts system-level interactions, such as mismatches in the supply and demand of oxygen, prior to having any direct negative effect on the subcellular machinery. Nonetheless, a general framework describing the contexts under which either subcellular component or organ system failure limits organisms at high temperatures remains elusive. With this commentary, we leverage decades of research on the physiology of ectothermic tetrapods (amphibians and non-avian reptiles) to address these hypotheses. Available data suggest both mechanisms are important. Thus, we expand previous work and propose the Hierarchical Mechanisms of Thermal Limitation (HMTL) hypothesis, which explains how subcellular and organ system failures interact to limit performance and set tolerance limits at high temperatures. We further integrate this framework with the thermal performance curve paradigm commonly used to predict the effects of thermal environments on performance and fitness. The HMTL framework appears to successfully explain diverse observations in reptiles and amphibians and makes numerous predictions that remain untested. We hope that this framework spurs further research in diverse taxa and facilitates mechanistic forecasts of biological responses to climate change.

Learning Physical Domains: Toward a Theoretical Framework.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forbus, Kenneth D.; Gentner, Dedre

People use and extend their knowledge of the physical world constantly. Understanding how this fluency is achieved would be an important milestone in understanding human learning and intelligence, as well as a useful guide for constructing machines that learn. This paper presents a theoretical framework that is being developed in an attempt to…

Memory and the Self in Autism: A Review and Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lind, Sophie E.

2010-01-01

This article reviews research on (a) autobiographical episodic and semantic memory, (b) the self-reference effect, (c) memory for the actions of self versus other (the self-enactment effect), and (d) non-autobiographical episodic memory in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and provides a theoretical framework to account for the bidirectional…

Approximation Methods for Inverse Problems Governed by Nonlinear Parabolic Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-12-17

We present a rigorous theoretical framework for approximation of nonlinear parabolic systems with delays in the context of inverse least squares...numerical results demonstrating the convergence are given for a model of dioxin uptake and elimination in a distributed liver model that is a special case of the general theoretical framework .

A general theoretical framework for decoherence in open and closed systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castagnino, Mario; Fortin, Sebastian; Laura, Roberto; Lombardi, Olimpia

2008-08-01

A general theoretical framework for decoherence is proposed, which encompasses formalisms originally devised to deal just with open or closed systems. The conditions for decoherence are clearly stated and the relaxation and decoherence times are compared. Finally, the spin-bath model is developed in detail from the new perspective.

21st Century Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Science Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slough, Scott; Chamblee, Gregory

2017-01-01

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is a theoretical framework that has enjoyed widespread applications as it applies to the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process. This paper reviews the background for TPACK, discusses some of its limitations, and reviews and introduces a new theoretical framework, 21st…

Analysing Theoretical Frameworks of Moral Education through Lakatos's Philosophy of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Hyemin

2014-01-01

The structure of studies of moral education is basically interdisciplinary; it includes moral philosophy, psychology, and educational research. This article systematically analyses the structure of studies of moral educational from the vantage points of philosophy of science. Among the various theoretical frameworks in the field of philosophy of…

Unifying Different Theories of Learning: Theoretical Framework and Empirical Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phan, Huy Phuong

2008-01-01

The main aim of this research study was to test out a conceptual model encompassing the theoretical frameworks of achievement goals, study processing strategies, effort, and reflective thinking practice. In particular, it was postulated that the causal influences of achievement goals on academic performance are direct and indirect through study…

Internet Use and Cognitive Development: A Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Genevieve

2006-01-01

The number of children and adolescents accessing the Internet as well as the amount of time online are steadily increasing. The most common online activities include playing video games, accessing web sites, and communicating via chat rooms, email, and instant messaging. A theoretical framework for understanding the effects of Internet use on…

Growth in Mathematical Understanding While Learning How To Teach: A Theoretical Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavey, Laurie O.

This theoretical paper outlines a conceptual framework for examining growth in prospective teachers' mathematical understanding as they engage in thinking about and planning for the mathematical learning of others. The framework is based on the Pirie-Kieren (1994) Dynamical Theory for the Growth of Mathematical Understanding and extends into the…

Design-Based Research: Case of a Teaching Sequence on Mechanics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tiberghien, Andree; Vince, Jacques; Gaidioz, Pierre

2009-01-01

Design-based research, and particularly its theoretical status, is a subject of debate in the science education community. In the first part of this paper, a theoretical framework drawn up to develop design-based research will be presented. This framework is mainly based on epistemological analysis of physics modelling, learning and teaching…

Proposing a Theoretical Framework for Digital Age Youth Information Behavior Building upon Radical Change Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Kyungwon

2011-01-01

Contemporary young people are engaged in a variety of information behaviors, such as information seeking, using, sharing, and creating. The ways youth interact with information have transformed in the shifting digital information environment; however, relatively little empirical research exists and no theoretical framework adequately explains…

The Influence of the Pedagogical Content Knowledge Theoretical Framework on Research on Preservice Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mecoli, Storey

2013-01-01

Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Lee S. Shulman's theoretical framework, has had a substantial influence on research in preservice teacher education, and consequently, schools of education. This review builds from Grossman's case studies that concluded that beginning teachers provided with excellent teacher education developed more substantial PCK…

"Theorizing Teacher Mobility": A Critical Review of Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vagi, Robert; Pivovarova, Margarita

2017-01-01

In this critical review of literature, we summarize the major theoretical frameworks that have been used to study teacher mobility. In total we identified 40 teacher mobility studies that met our inclusion criteria. We conclude that relatively few theoretical frameworks have been used to study teacher mobility and those that have been used are…

Utilizing the Theoretical Framework of Collective Identity to Understand Processes in Youth Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Futch, Valerie A.

2016-01-01

This article explores collective identity as a useful theoretical framework for understanding social and developmental processes that occur in youth programs. Through narrative analysis of past participant interviews (n = 21) from an after-school theater program, known as "The SOURCE", it was found that participants very clearly describe…

Activity Theory as a Theoretical Framework for Health Self-Quantification: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background Self-quantification (SQ) is a way of working in which, by using tracking tools, people aim to collect, manage, and reflect on personal health data to gain a better understanding of their own body, health behavior, and interaction with the world around them. However, health SQ lacks a formal framework for describing the self-quantifiers’ activities and their contextual components or constructs to pursue these health related goals. Establishing such framework is important because it is the first step to operationalize health SQ fully. This may in turn help to achieve the aims of health professionals and researchers who seek to make or study changes in the self-quantifiers’ health systematically. Objective The aim of this study was to review studies on health SQ in order to answer the following questions: What are the general features of the work and the particular activities that self-quantifiers perform to achieve their health objectives? What constructs of health SQ have been identified in the scientific literature? How have these studies described such constructs? How would it be possible to model these constructs theoretically to characterize the work of health SQ? Methods A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted. A total of 26 empirical studies were included. The content of these studies was thematically analyzed using Activity Theory as an organizing framework. Results The literature provided varying descriptions of health SQ as data-driven and objective-oriented work mediated by SQ tools. From the literature, we identified two types of SQ work: work on data (ie, data management activities) and work with data (ie, health management activities). Using Activity Theory, these activities could be characterized into 6 constructs: users, tracking tools, health objectives, division of work, community or group setting, and SQ plan and rules. We could not find a reference to any single study that accounted for all these activities and constructs of health SQ activity. Conclusions A Health Self-Quantification Activity Framework is presented, which shows SQ tool use in context, in relation to the goals, plans, and competence of the user. This makes it easier to analyze issues affecting SQ activity, and thereby makes it more feasible to address them. This review makes two significant contributions to research in this field: it explores health SQ work and its constructs thoroughly and it adapts Activity Theory to describe health SQ activity systematically. PMID:27234343

The stigma of childhood mental disorders: a conceptual framework.

PubMed

Mukolo, Abraham; Heflinger, Craig Anne; Wallston, Kenneth A

2010-02-01

To describe the state of the literature on stigma associated with children's mental disorders and highlight gaps in empirical work. We reviewed child mental illness stigma articles in (English only) peer-reviewed journals available through Medline and PsychInfo. We augmented these with adult-oriented stigma articles that focus on theory and measurement. A total of 145 articles in PsychInfo and 77 articles in MEDLINE met search criteria. The review process involved identifying and appraising literature convergence on the definition of critical dimensions of stigma, antecedents, and outcomes reported in empirical studies. We found concurrence on three dimensions of stigma (negative stereotypes, devaluation, and discrimination), two contexts of stigma (self, general public), and two targets of stigma (self/individual, family). Theory and empirics on institutional and self-stigma in child populations were sparse. Literature reports few theoretic frameworks and conceptualizations of child mental illness stigma. One model of help seeking (the FINIS) explicitly acknowledges the role of stigma in children's access and use of mental health services. Compared with adults, children are subject to unique stigmatizing contexts that have not been adequately studied. The field needs conceptual frameworks that get closer to stigma experiences that are causally linked to how parents/caregivers cope with children's emotional and behavioral problems, such as seeking professional help. To further research in child mental illness, we suggest an approach to adapting current theoretical frameworks and operationalizing stigma, highlighting three dimensions of stigma, three contexts of stigma (including institutions), and three targets of stigma (self/child, family, and services).

Exploring behavioural determinants relating to health professional reporting of medication errors: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

PubMed

Alqubaisi, Mai; Tonna, Antonella; Strath, Alison; Stewart, Derek

2016-07-01

Effective and efficient medication reporting processes are essential in promoting patient safety. Few qualitative studies have explored reporting of medication errors by health professionals, and none have made reference to behavioural theories. The objective was to describe and understand the behavioural determinants of health professional reporting of medication errors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was a qualitative study comprising face-to-face, semi-structured interviews within three major medical/surgical hospitals of Abu Dhabi, the UAE. Health professionals were sampled purposively in strata of profession and years of experience. The semi-structured interview schedule focused on behavioural determinants around medication error reporting, facilitators, barriers and experiences. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF; a framework of theories of behaviour change) was used as a coding framework. Ethical approval was obtained from a UK university and all participating hospital ethics committees. Data saturation was achieved after interviewing ten nurses, ten pharmacists and nine physicians. Whilst it appeared that patient safety and organisational improvement goals and intentions were behavioural determinants which facilitated reporting, there were key determinants which deterred reporting. These included the beliefs of the consequences of reporting (lack of any feedback following reporting and impacting professional reputation, relationships and career progression), emotions (fear and worry) and issues related to the environmental context (time taken to report). These key behavioural determinants which negatively impact error reporting can facilitate the development of an intervention, centring on organisational safety and reporting culture, to enhance reporting effectiveness and efficiency.

Theoretical frameworks used to discuss ethical issues in private physiotherapy practice and proposal of a new ethical tool.

PubMed

Drolet, Marie-Josée; Hudon, Anne

2015-02-01

In the past, several researchers in the field of physiotherapy have asserted that physiotherapy clinicians rarely use ethical knowledge to solve ethical issues raised by their practice. Does this assertion still hold true? Do the theoretical frameworks used by researchers and clinicians allow them to analyze thoroughly the ethical issues they encounter in their everyday practice? In our quest for answers, we conducted a literature review and analyzed the ethical theoretical frameworks used by physiotherapy researchers and clinicians to discuss the ethical issues raised by private physiotherapy practice. Our final analysis corpus consisted of thirty-nine texts. Our main finding is that researchers and clinicians in physiotherapy rarely use ethical knowledge to analyze the ethical issues raised in their practice and that gaps exist in the theoretical frameworks currently used to analyze these issues. Consequently, we developed, for ethical analysis, a four-part prism which we have called the Quadripartite Ethical Tool (QET). This tool can be incorporated into existing theoretical frameworks to enable professionals to integrate ethical knowledge into their ethical analyses. The innovative particularity of the QET is that it encompasses three ethical theories (utilitarism, deontologism, and virtue ethics) and axiological ontology (professional values) and also draws on both deductive and inductive approaches. It is our hope that this new tool will help researchers and clinicians integrate ethical knowledge into their analysis of ethical issues and contribute to fostering ethical analyses that are grounded in relevant philosophical and axiological foundations.

Optimality conditions for the numerical solution of optimization problems with PDE constraints :

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

Aguilo Valentin, Miguel Alejandro; Ridzal, Denis

2014-03-01

A theoretical framework for the numerical solution of partial di erential equation (PDE) constrained optimization problems is presented in this report. This theoretical framework embodies the fundamental infrastructure required to e ciently implement and solve this class of problems. Detail derivations of the optimality conditions required to accurately solve several parameter identi cation and optimal control problems are also provided in this report. This will allow the reader to further understand how the theoretical abstraction presented in this report translates to the application.