Conducting Educational Design Research

Science.gov (United States)

McKenney, Susan; Reeves, Thomas

2012-01-01

Educational design research blends scientific investigation with systematic development and implementation of solutions to educational problems. Empirical investigation is conducted in real learning settings--not laboratories--to craft usable and effective solutions. At the same time, the research is carefully structured to produce theoretical…

Responsible conduct of research

CERN Document Server

Shamoo, Adil E

2015-01-01

Since the early 2000s, the field of Responsible Conduct of Research has become widely recognized as essential to scientific education, investigation, and training. At present, research institutions with public funding are expected to have some minimal training and education in RCR for their graduate students, fellows and trainees. These institutions also are expected to have a system in place for investigating and reporting misconduct in research or violations of regulations in research with human subjects, or in their applications to federal agencies for funding. Public scrutiny of the conduct of scientific researchers remains high. Media reports of misconduct scandals, biased research, violations of human research ethics rules, and moral controversies in research occur on a weekly basis. Since the 2009 publication of the 2nd edition of Shamoo and Resnik's Responsible Conduct of Research, there has been a vast expansion in the information, knowledge, methods, and diagnosis of problems related to RCR and the ...

Using the Scientific Method to Engage Mathematical Modeling: An Investigation of pi

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, Lester A. C.; Ng, Karen E.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explain how to use the scientific method as the framework to introduce mathematical model. Two interdisciplinary activities, targeted for students in grade 6 or grade 7, are explained to show the application of the scientific method while building a mathematical model to investigate the relationship between the…

Magic Graphical Symbols as Subject of Scientific Investigations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. I. Miachikova

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The paper contains a short review of scientific insights about the essence of graphical symbols in the period of occult insight domination in science. It is shown that all the works of this period in respect of the investigated problem belong to the following three directions - religious, alchemical and nature-philosophical. Analysis of these works proves that rather high level of knowledge about esoteric of graphical symbols was achieved at that time.

Scientific writing seminar for early-stage investigators in substance abuse research.

Science.gov (United States)

Guydish, Joseph; Masson, Carmen; Flentje, Annesa; Shopshire, Michael; Sorensen, James L

2016-01-01

There is little information on how to increase the scientific writing productivity of early-stage investigators in the addictions field. A scientific writing seminar is presented in this article, aiming to encourage manuscript writing and dissemination of addiction research, and outcomes are reported for 14 years of the seminar. In 14 years, there were 113 postdoctoral fellow enrollments in a 6-month writing seminar. Records of submission and publication rates of manuscripts were collected for 14 cohorts. Of the 113 participant enrollments, 97 (86%) submitted a manuscript for publication, and 87 participants (77%) published their manuscript. A scientific writing seminar may benefit writing productivity, but more research is needed to compare this training model with other existing models.

Investigation of the Performance of an Inductive Seawater Conductivity Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WU Sheng

2015-03-01

Full Text Available As one of the factors in marine hydrographic survey, seawater salinity plays an important role in marine scientific research, marine exploitation and military defense. In practical measurement, the salinity is always presented indirectly by seawater conductivity value. Compared with the electrode conductivity sensors, inductive conductivity sensors have an advantage of anti-biofouling, and that is very interested in long term ocean observation device. From the principle point of view, this paper discus the different methods to improve inductive sensor output signal, which is confirmed by the relative experimental results. The basic working system of inductive sensor is described here as well as a calibration in standard seawater. From a wide range of temperature, measurement absolute error and stability are close to those of actual electrode conductivity sensors. Furthermore, in the 1000 meters deep sea experiment, our inductive sensor presents a perfect similarity of conductivity profile like sea- bird sensor, even for some small variations. The performance of our inductive sensor can compete with that of commercially available electrode conductivity sensors.

An investigation of the practice of scientific inquiry in secondary science and agriculture courses

Science.gov (United States)

Grady, Julie R.

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate the practice of scientific inquiry in two secondary biology classes and one agriculture class from different schools in different communities. The focus was on teachers' interests and intentions for the students' participation in inquiry, the voices contributing to the inquiry, and students' opportunities to confront their conceptions of the nature of science (NOS). The Partnership for Research and Education in Plants (PREP) served as the context by providing students with opportunities to design and conduct original experiments to help elucidate the function(s) of a disabled gene in Arabidopsis thaliana . Transcripts of teacher and student semi-structured interviews, field notes of classroom observations and classroom conversations, and documents (e.g., student work, teacher handouts, school websites, PREP materials) were analyzed for evidence of the practice of scientific inquiry. Teachers were interested in implementing inquiry because of potential student learning about scientific research and because PREP supports course content and is connected to a larger scientific project outside of the school. Teachers' intentions regarding the implementation of inquiry reflected the complexity of their courses and the students' previous experiences. All inquiries were student-directed. The biology students' participation more closely mirrored the practice of scientists, while the agriculture students were more involved with the procedural display of scientific inquiry. All experiences could have been enhanced from additional knowledge-centered activities regarding scientific reasoning. No activities brought explicit attention to NOS. Biology activities tended to implicitly support NOS while the agriculture class activities tended to implicitly contradict NOS. Scientists' interactions contributed to implied support of the NOS. There were missed opportunities for explicit attention to NOS in all classes

30 CFR 250.191 - How does MMS conduct incident investigations?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How does MMS conduct incident investigations... Reporting Requirements § 250.191 How does MMS conduct incident investigations? Any investigation that MMS... meetings conducted by a chairperson appointed by MMS. The following requirements apply to any panel...

Scientific investigation plan for initial engineered barrier system field tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wunan Lin.

1993-02-01

The purpose of this Scientific Investigation Plan (SIP) is to describe tests known as Initial Engineered Barrier System Field Tests (IEBSFT) and identified by Work Breakdown Structure as WBS 1.2.2.2.4. The IEBSFT are precursors to the Engineered Barrier System Field Test (EBSFT), WBS 1.2.2.2.4, to be conducted in the Exploratory Study Facility (ESF) at Yucca Mountain. The EBSFT and IEBSFT are designed to provide information on the interaction between waste packages (simulated by heated containers) and the surrounding rock mass, its vadose water, and infiltrated water. Heater assemblies will be installed in drifts or boreholes openings and heated to measure moisture movement during heat-up and subsequent cool-down of the rock mass. In some of the tests, infiltration of water into the heated rock mass will be studied. Throughout the heating and cooling cycle, instruments installed in the rock will monitor such parameters as temperature, moisture content, concentration of some chemical species, and stress and strain. Rock permeability measurements, rock and fluid (water and gas) sampling, and fracture pattern measurements will also be made before and after the test

Intra-EVA Space-to-Ground Interactions when Conducting Scientific Fieldwork Under Simulated Mars Mission Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Beaton, Kara H.; Chappell, Steven P.; Abercromby, Andrew F. J.; Lim, Darlene S. S.

2018-01-01

The Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains (BASALT) project is a four-year program dedicated to iteratively designing, implementing, and evaluating concepts of operations (ConOps) and supporting capabilities to enable and enhance scientific exploration for future human Mars missions. The BASALT project has incorporated three field deployments during which real (non-simulated) biological and geochemical field science have been conducted at two high-fidelity Mars analog locations under simulated Mars mission conditions, including communication delays and data transmission limitations. BASALT's primary Science objective has been to extract basaltic samples for the purpose of investigating how microbial communities and habitability correlate with the physical and geochemical characteristics of chemically altered basalt environments. Field sites include the active East Rift Zone on the Big Island of Hawai'i, reminiscent of early Mars when basaltic volcanism and interaction with water were widespread, and the dormant eastern Snake River Plain in Idaho, similar to present-day Mars where basaltic volcanism is rare and most evidence for volcano-driven hydrothermal activity is relict. BASALT's primary Science Operations objective has been to investigate exploration ConOps and capabilities that facilitate scientific return during human-robotic exploration under Mars mission constraints. Each field deployment has consisted of ten extravehicular activities (EVAs) on the volcanic flows in which crews of two extravehicular and two intravehicular crewmembers conducted the field science while communicating across time delay and under bandwidth constraints with an Earth-based Mission Support Center (MSC) comprised of expert scientists and operators. Communication latencies of 5 and 15 min one-way light time and low (0.512 Mb/s uplink, 1.54 Mb/s downlink) and high (5.0 Mb/s uplink, 10.0 Mb/s downlink) bandwidth conditions were evaluated. EVA crewmembers communicated

Being scientifical: Popularity, purpose and promotion of amateur research and investigation groups in the U.S

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Sharon A.

21st century television and the Internet are awash in content regarding amateur paranormal investigators and research groups. These groups proliferated after reality investigation programs appeared on television. Exactly how many groups are active in the U.S. at any time is not known. The Internet provides an ideal means for people with niche interests to find each other and organize activities. This study collected information from 1000 websites of amateur research and investigation groups (ARIGs) to determine their location, area of inquiry, methodology and, particularly, to determine if they state that they use science as part of their mission, methods or goals. 57.3% of the ARIGs examined specifically noted or suggested use of science as part of the groups' approach to investigation and research. Even when not explicit, ARIGs often used science-like language, symbols and methods to describe their groups' views or activities. Yet, non-scientific and subjective methods were described as employed in conjunction with objective methods. Furthermore, what were considered scientific processes by ARIGs did not match with established methods and the ethos of the scientific research community or scientific processes of investigation. ARIGs failed to display fundamental understanding regarding objectivity, methodological naturalism, peer review, critical thought and theoretical plausibility. The processes of science appear to be mimicked to present a serious and credible reputation to the non-scientific public. These processes are also actively promoted in the media and directly to the local public as "scientific". These results highlight the gap between the scientific community and the lay public regarding the understanding of what it means to do science and what criteria are necessary to establish reliable knowledge about the world.

A Scientific Investigation into why Firms Fail: A Model of corporate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A Scientific Investigation into why Firms Fail: A Model of corporate health trajectory. ... to analyse the data of 20 banks, 10 which failed and 10 that is successful. Key words: Corporate collapse, trajectories of failure, bank failure, bank distress, ...

Historical analyses of debris flow disaster occurrences and of their scientific investigation in Brazil

OpenAIRE

Kobiyama, Masato; Michel, Gean Paulo; Engster, Elisiele Cardozo; Paixão, Maurício Andrades

2015-01-01

Considering the debris flow as highly-destructive flow of water and sediment mixture in a way where it is a gravity-governed continuous flow, the present paper conducted a Web survey of technical-scientific studies that treated these phenomena which occurred in Brazil during the period 1900-2014. Although the increase of occurrence from the 1990s caused the increase in the number of publication, there are still a small number of publications, especially in scientific journals. A historical an...

Determining Attitudes of Postgraduate Students towards Scientific Research and Codes of Conduct, Supported by Digital Script

Science.gov (United States)

Tavukcu, Tahir

2016-01-01

In this research, it is aimed to determine the effect of the attitudes of postgraduate students towards scientific research and codes of conduct, supported by digital script. This research is a quantitative study, and it has been formed according to pre-test & post-test research model of experiment and control group. In both groups, lessons…

Investigation of the technology of conductive yarns manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Ryklin, Dzmitry; Medvetski, Sergey

2017-10-01

The paper is devoted to development of technology of electrically conductive yarn production. This technology allows manufacturing conductive yarns of copper wire and polyester filament yarns. Method of the predicting of the conductive yarn breaking force was developed on the base of analysing of load-elongation curves of each strand of the yarn. Also the method of the predicting of the conductive yarn diameter was offered. Investigation shows that conductive yarns can be integrated into the textiles structure using sewing or embroidery equipment. Application of developed conductive yarn is wearable electronics creating with wide range of functions, for example, for specific health issue monitoring, navigation tools or communication gadgets.

Using Students' Design Tasks to Develop Scientific Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Xueli

2007-11-01

To help students develop the scientific abilities desired in the 21st century workplace, four different types of student design tasks—observation, verification, application, and investigation experiments—have been developed and implemented in our calculus-based introductory courses. Students working in small groups are engaged in designing and conducting their own experiments to observe some physical phenomena, test a physical principle, build a real-life device, solve a complex problem, or conduct an open-inquiry investigation. A preliminary study has shown that, probed by a performance-based task, the identified scientific abilities are more explicitly demonstrated by design-lab students than non-design lab students. In this paper, detailed examples of the design tasks and assessment results will be reported.

Annual review of selected scientific literature: Report of the committee on scientific investigation of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Terence E; Marzola, Riccardo; Murphy, Kevin R; Cagna, David R; Eichmiller, Frederick; McKee, James R; Metz, James E; Albouy, Jean-Pierre

2016-11-01

It is clear the contemporary dentist is confronted with a blizzard of information regarding materials and techniques from journal articles, advertisements, newsletters, the internet, and continuing education events. While some of that information is sound and helpful, much of it is misleading at best. This review identifies and discusses the most important scientific findings regarding outcomes of dental treatment to assist the practitioner in making evidence-based choices. This review was conducted to assist the busy dentist in keeping abreast of the latest scientific information regarding the clinical practice of dentistry. Each of the authors, who are considered experts in their disciplines, was asked to peruse the scientific literature published in 2015 in their discipline and review the articles for important information that may have an impact on treatment decisions. Comments on experimental methodology, statistical evaluation, and overall validity of the conclusions are included in many of the reviews. The reviews are not meant to stand alone but are intended to inform the interested reader about what has been discovered in the past year. The readers are then invited to go to the source if they wish more detail. Analysis of the scientific literature published in 2015 is divided into 7 sections, dental materials, periodontics, prosthodontics, occlusion and temporomandibular disorders, sleep-disordered breathing, cariology, and implant dentistry. Copyright © 2016 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using discrepant events in science demonstrations to promote student engagement in scientific investigations: An action research study

Science.gov (United States)

Mancuso, Vincent J.

Students' scientific investigations have been identified in national standards and related reform documents as a critical component of students' learning experiences in school, yet it is not easy to implement them in science classrooms. Could science demonstrations help science teachers put this recommendation into practice? While demonstrations are a common practice in the science classroom and research has documented some positive effects in terms of student motivation and engagement from their use, the literature also shows that, as traditionally presented, science demonstrations do not always achieve their intended outcomes. This, in turn, suggested the value of investigating what design elements of demonstrations could be used to promote specific instructional goals. Employing action research as a methodology, the proposed study was developed to explore how science demonstrations can be designed so as to most effectively promote student engagement in scientific investigations. More specifically, I was interested in examining the effects of using a discrepant event as part of the demonstration, as a way to create cognitive conflict and, thus, increase interest and engagement. I also investigated the relative merit of the well-researched POE (Predict, Observe, Explain) design versus employing demonstrations that appear to the student to be unplanned (what I will refer to as NOE, or a Naturally Occurring Experience). This study was informed by Constructivism, Situated Cognition and Conceptual Change as theoretical frameworks. The project included the design, implementation and study of an intervention consisting of three instructional units designed to support students' learning of the concepts of density, molecular arrangement of gas particles, and cohesion, respectively. In each of these units, lasting a total of two 80-minute class periods, students were asked to design and conduct an investigation to gain a better understanding of the concept under study. In

31 CFR 9.7 - Conduct of investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Conduct of investigation. 9.7 Section 9.7 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the Secretary of the Treasury EFFECTS OF IMPORTED ARTICLES... Secretary or his designee may also request further data from other sources through the use of questionnaires...

Do students with higher self-efficacy exhibit greater and more diverse scientific inquiry skills: An exploratory investigation in "River City", a multi-user virtual environment

Science.gov (United States)

Ketelhut, Diane Jass

In this thesis, I conduct an exploratory study to investigate the relationship between students' self-efficacy on entry into authentic scientific activity and the scientific inquiry behaviors they employ while engaged in that process, over time. Scientific inquiry has been a major standard in most science education policy doctrines for the past two decades and is exemplified by activities such as making observations, formulating hypotheses, gathering and analyzing data, and forming conclusions from that data. The self-efficacy literature, however, indicates that self-efficacy levels affect perseverance and engagement. This study investigated the relationship between these two constructs. The study is conducted in a novel setting, using an innovative science curriculum delivered through an interactive computer technology that recorded each student's conversations, movements, and activities while behaving as a practicing scientist in a "virtual world" called River City. River City is a Multi-User Virtual Environment designed to engage students in a collaborative scientific inquiry-based learning experience. As a result, I was able to follow students' moment-by-moment choices of behavior while they were behaving as scientists. I collected data on students' total scientific inquiry behaviors over three visits to River City, as well as the number of sources from which they gathered their scientific data. I analyzed my longitudinal data on the 96 seventh-graders using individual growth modeling. I found that self-efficacy played a role in the number of data-gathering behaviors students engaged in initially, with high self-efficacy students engaging in more data gathering than students with low self-efficacy. However, the impact of student self-efficacy on rate of change in data gathering behavior differed by gender; by the end of the study, student self-efficacy did not impact data gathering. In addition, students' level of self-efficacy did not affect how many different

Luminous Phenomena - A Scientific Investigation of Anomalous Luminous Atmospheric Phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Teodorani, M.

2003-12-01

Anomalous atmospheric luminous phenomena reoccur in several locations of Earth, in the form of multi-color light balls characterized by large dimensions, erratic motion, long duration and a correlated electromagnetic field. The author (an astrophysicist) of this book, which is organized as a selection of some of his technical and popularizing papers and seminars, describes and discusses all the efforts that have been done in 10 years, through several missions and a massive data analysis, in order to obtain some scientific explanation of this kind of anomalies, in particular the Hessdalen anomaly in Norway. The following topics are treated in the book: a) geographic archive of the areas of Earth where such phenomena are known to reoccur most often; b) observational techniques of astrophysical kind that have been used to acquire the data; c) main scientific results obtained so far; d) physical interpretation and natural hypothesis vs. ETV hypothesis; e) historical and chronological issues; f) the importance to brindle new energy sources; g) the importance to keep distance from any kind of "ufology". An unpublished chapter is entirely devoted to a detailed scientific investigation project of light phenomena reoccurring on the Ontario lake; the chosen new-generation multi-wavelength sensing instrumentation that is planned to be used in future missions in that specific area, is described together with scientific rationale and planned procedures. The main results, which were obtained in other areas of the world, such as the Arizona desert, USA and the Sibillini Mountains, Italy, are also briefly mentioned. One chapter is entirely dedicated to the presentation of extensive abstracts of technical papers by the author concerning this specific subject. The book is accompanied with a rich source of bibliographic references.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Concept, Hardware Development, and Initial Analysis of Experiments Conducted Aboard the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Grugel, Richard N.

2003-01-01

Porosity in the form of "bubbles and pipes" can occur during controlled directional solidification processing of metal alloys. This is a consequence that 1) precludes obtaining any meaningful scientific results and 2) is detrimental to desired material properties. Unfortunately, several Microgravity experiments have been compromised by porosity. The intent of the PFMl investigation is to conduct a systematic effort directed towards understanding porosity formation and mobility during controlled directional solidification (DS) in a microgravity environment. PFMl uses a pure transparent material, succinonitrile (SCN), as well as SCN "alloyed" with water, in conjunction with a translating temperature gradient stage so that direct observation and recording of pore generation and mobility can be made. PFMl is investigating the role of thermocapillary forces and temperature gradients in affecting bubble dynamics as well as other solidification processes in a microgravity environment. This presentation will cover the concept, hardware development, operations, and the initial results from experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station.

A Computing Environment to Support Repeatable Scientific Big Data Experimentation of World-Wide Scientific Literature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlicher, Bob G [ORNL; Kulesz, James J [ORNL; Abercrombie, Robert K [ORNL; Kruse, Kara L [ORNL

2015-01-01

A principal tenant of the scientific method is that experiments must be repeatable and relies on ceteris paribus (i.e., all other things being equal). As a scientific community, involved in data sciences, we must investigate ways to establish an environment where experiments can be repeated. We can no longer allude to where the data comes from, we must add rigor to the data collection and management process from which our analysis is conducted. This paper describes a computing environment to support repeatable scientific big data experimentation of world-wide scientific literature, and recommends a system that is housed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in order to provide value to investigators from government agencies, academic institutions, and industry entities. The described computing environment also adheres to the recently instituted digital data management plan mandated by multiple US government agencies, which involves all stages of the digital data life cycle including capture, analysis, sharing, and preservation. It particularly focuses on the sharing and preservation of digital research data. The details of this computing environment are explained within the context of cloud services by the three layer classification of Software as a Service , Platform as a Service , and Infrastructure as a Service .

Identifying Scientific Project-generated Data Citation from Full-text Articles: An Investigation of TCGA Data Citation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiao Li

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: In the open science era, it is typical to share project-generated scientific data by depositing it in an open and accessible database. Moreover, scientific publications are preserved in a digital library archive. It is challenging to identify the data usage that is mentioned in literature and associate it with its source. Here, we investigated the data usage of a government-funded cancer genomics project, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, via a full-text literature analysis. Design/methodology/approach: We focused on identifying articles using the TCGA dataset and constructing linkages between the articles and the specific TCGA dataset. First, we collected 5,372 TCGA-related articles from PubMed Central (PMC. Second, we constructed a benchmark set with 25 full-text articles that truly used the TCGA data in their studies, and we summarized the key features of the benchmark set. Third, the key features were applied to the remaining PMC full-text articles that were collected from PMC. Findings: The amount of publications that use TCGA data has increased significantly since 2011, although the TCGA project was launched in 2005. Additionally, we found that the critical areas of focus in the studies that use the TCGA data were glioblastoma multiforme, lung cancer, and breast cancer; meanwhile, data from the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq platform is the most preferable for use. Research limitations: The current workflow to identify articles that truly used TCGA data is labor-intensive. An automatic method is expected to improve the performance. Practical implications: This study will help cancer genomics researchers determine the latest advancements in cancer molecular therapy, and it will promote data sharing and data-intensive scientific discovery. Originality/value: Few studies have been conducted to investigate data usage by government-funded projects/programs since their launch. In this preliminary study, we extracted articles that use TCGA data

Proposing an International Collaboration on Lightweight Autonomous Vehicles to Conduct Scientific Traverses and Surveys over Antarctica and the Surrounding Sea Ice

Science.gov (United States)

Carsey, Frank; Behar, Alberto

2004-01-01

We have continued to develop a concept for use of autonomous rovers, originally developed for use in planetary exploration, in polar science on Earth; the concept was the subject of a workshop, and this report summarizes and extends that workshop. The workshop on Antarctic Autonomous Scientific Vehicles and Traverses met at the National Geographic Society on February 14 and 15, 2001 to discuss scientific objectives and benefits of the use of autonomous rovers. The participants enthusiastically viewed rovers as being uniquely valuable for such tasks as data taking on tedious or repetitive routes, traverses in polar night, difficult or hazardous routes, extremely remote regions, routes requiring only simple instrumentation, traverses that must be conducted at low speed, augments of manned traverses, and scientific procedures not compatible with human presence or combustion engines. The workshop has concluded that instrumented autonomous vehicles, of the type being developed for planetary exploration, have the potential to contribute significantly to the way science in conducted in Antarctica while also aiding planetary technology development, and engaging the public's interest. Specific objectives can be supported in understanding ice sheet mass balance, sea ice heat and momentum exchange, and surface air chemistry processes. In the interval since the workshop, we have concluded that organized program to employ such rovers to perform scientific tasks in the Fourth International Polar Year would serve the objectives of that program well.

Tunable solid-state laser technology for applications to scientific and technological experiments from space

Science.gov (United States)

Allario, F.; Taylor, L. V.

1986-01-01

Current plans for the Earth Observing System (EOS) include development of a lidar facility to conduct scientific experiments from a polar orbiting platforms. A recommended set of experiments were scoped, which includes techniques of atmospheric backscatter (Lidar), Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL), altimetry, and retroranging. Preliminary assessments of the resources (power, weight, volume) required by the Eos Lidar Facility were conducted. A research program in tunable solid state laser technology was developed, which includes laser materials development, modeling and experiments on the physics of solid state laser materials, and development of solid state laser transmitters with a strong focus on Eos scientific investigations. Some of the system studies that were conducted which highlight the payoff of solid state laser technology for the Eos scientific investigations will be discussed. Additionally, a summary of some promising research results which have recently emerged from the research program will be presented.

Agile Scientists? : Investigating Agile Practices in Scientific Software Development

OpenAIRE

Sletholt, Magnus Thorstein

2011-01-01

The topic of this master thesis is development of scientific software. The research questions put forth are oriented towards specific agile practices and whether these are present in the development processes of scientific software projects. Moreover, the effects of applying such agile practices, particularly pertaining to the handling of requirements and testing, in scientific software projects are addressed in the thesis. In order to answer the proposed research questions a table consisting...

One and done: Reasons principal investigators conduct only one FDA-regulated drug trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy Corneli, PhD, MPH

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Concerns have been raised over the high turnover rate for clinical investigators. Using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA Bioresearch Monitoring Information System database, we conducted an online survey to identify factors that affect principal investigators' (PIs decisions to conduct only a single FDA-regulated drug trial. Of the 201 PIs who responded, 54.2% were classified as “one-and-done.” Among these investigators, 28.9% decided for personal reasons to not conduct another trial, and 44.4% were interested in conducting another trial, but no opportunities were available. Three categories of broad barriers were identified as generally burdensome or challenging by the majority of investigators: 1 workload balance (balancing trial implementation with other work obligations and opportunities (63.8%; 2 time requirements (time to initiate and implement trial; investigator and staff time (63.4%; and 3 data and safety reporting (56.5%. Additionally, 46.0% of investigators reported being generally unsatisfied with finance-related issues. These same top three barriers also affected investigators' decisions to no longer conduct FDA-regulated trials. Our findings illuminate three key aspects of investigator turnover. First, they confirm that investigator turnover occurs, as more than half of respondents were truly “one-and-done.” Second, because a large proportion of respondents wanted to conduct more FDA-regulated trials but lacked opportunities to do so, mechanisms that match interested investigators with research sponsors are needed. Third, by focusing on the barriers we identified that affected investigators' decisions to no longer conduct FDA-regulated trials, future efforts to reduce investigator turnover can target issues that matter the most to investigators.

Numerical Investigation of the Thermal Conductivity of Graphite Nanofibers

Science.gov (United States)

Hakak Khadem, Masoud

was also investigated using equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) with GK relations. Simple Hexagonal (AAA), Bernal (ABA), and Rhombohedral (ABC) stacking forms were considered. The intralayer and interlayer thermal conductivity values were predicted in both zigzag and armchair directions to be in the range of 450-800 W/m.K and 17-55 W/m.K, respectively. Furthermore, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations were used to investigate the thermal conductivity of herringbone graphite nanofibers (GNFs) at room temperature by breaking down the axial and transverse conductivity values into intralayer and interlayer components. The edge effect on a layer's thermal conductivity was investigated by computing the thermal conductivity values in both zigzag and armchair directions of the heat flow. The limiting case of a 90 degree crease angle was used to compare the results with those of single-layer graphene and few-layer graphene. The thermal conductivity values in the axial, transverse in the crease direction, and transverse normal to the crease directions for the case of a five-layer herringbone GNF with a 45-degree crease angle were calculated to be 27 W/m.K, 263 W/m.K, and 1500 W/m.K, respectively.

Scanning conductance microscopy investigations on fixed human chromosomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Casper Hyttel; Lange, Jacob Moresco; Jensen, Linda Boye

2008-01-01

Scanning conductance microscopy investigations were carried out in air on human chromosomes fixed on pre-fabricated SiO2 surfaces with a backgate. The point of the investigation was to estimate the dielectric constant of fixed human chromosomes in order to use it for microfluidic device...... optimization. The phase shift caused by the electrostatic forces, together with geometrical measurements of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever and the chromosomes were used to estimate a value,for the dielectric constant of different human chromosomes....

15 CFR 705.7 - Conduct of an investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Conduct of an investigation. 705.7 Section 705.7 Commerce and Foreign Trade Regulations Relating to Commerce and Foreign Trade (Continued) BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NATIONAL SECURITY INDUSTRIAL BASE REGULATIONS...

TEACHING MASTER STUDENTS OF THE DIRECTION «MUSICAL EDUCATION» TO CONDUCT A SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Guzikova

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. In modern education, against the backdrop of rapidly increasing processes of informatization and globalization as well as the requirements of specialists’ mobility, one of the priorities is vocational-oriented education in foreign languages. It ensures the formation of students’ ability to communicate in foreign languages in specific professional, business, scientific spheres and situations, taking into account the peculiarities of their future profession. The aims of this article are the following: to reveal the peculiarities of the organization of teaching foreign languages in the master’s degree of a non-linguistic high school; to present effective methods, approaches, and techniques of working with master students of the direction of “Musical Education”. Methodology and research methods. In the process of the research, such theoretical scientific methods as analysis, synthesis, specification, and generalization were used. The experimental design of the present study was based on the concept of Lifelong Learning. The methods of interview, observation and testing were applied. Results and scientific novelty. The authors have developed a set of exercises for mastering the skills of conducting a scientific discussion by the master students of the direction “Music Education”. The proposed technique has a cross-disciplinary character. It is designed to teach the students how to effectively communicate with colleagues in a foreign (English language when performing professional tasks, including scientific and research activities. The samples of particular tasks are given. Practical significance. The research materials may be of interest to methodologists, educators, and teachers of the system of continuous professional education.

Scientific progress at Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertz, C.P.

1990-01-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is moving forward with studies to determine whether Yucca Mountain, Nevada, would be a suitable site for the nation's first high-level radioactive waste repository; however, the DOE's Congressionally mandated task of characterizing the site has been severely delayed by a lack of cooperation from the state of Nevada. The state has refused to issue the appropriate permits that must be obtained before surface disturbing studies can proceed; therefore, an extensive surface-based drilling and trenching program and construction of underground exploration facilities are on hold until pending litigation between the DOE and Nevada has been resolved. Despite this major impasse, significant scientific progress has been made, and the DOE is aggressively pursuing investigations that can be conducted without the state-issued permits. Additionally, the DOE is developing a high-quality technical and management structure as well as equipment, plans, and quality assurance procedures, so that the scientific investigation program can proceed without delay once the appropriate permits are obtained

The development of scientific literacy assessment to measure student’s scientific literacy skills in energy theme

Science.gov (United States)

Rusilowati, A.; Nugroho, S. E.; Susilowati, E. S. M.; Mustika, T.; Harfiyani, N.; Prabowo, H. T.

2018-03-01

The research were aimed to develop and find out of validity, reliability, characteristic of scientific literacy assessment, and find out of the profile of students’ scientific literacy skills in Energy themed. The research is conducted in 7th grade of Secondary School at Demak, Central of Java Indonesia. The research design used R&D (Research and Development). The results of the research showed that the scientific literacy assessment was valid and reliable with 0.68 value in the first try out and 0.73 value in the last try out. The characteristics of the scientific literacy assessment are the difficulty index and the discrimination power. The difficulty index and distinguishing are 56.25% easy, 31.25% medium, and 12.5% very difficult with good discrimination power. The proportion of category of scientific literacy as the body of knowledge, the science as a way of investigating, science as a way of thinking, and the interaction among science, environment, technology, and society was 37.5%:25%:18.75%:18.75%. The highest to the lowest profile of students’ scientific literacy skills at Secondary School Demak was 72% in the category of science as a way of thinking and the lowest was 59% in the category of science as the body of knowledge.

Analyzing Data Citations to Assess the Scientific and Societal Value of Scientific Data

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, R. S.; Downs, R. R.

2012-12-01

Stakeholders in the creation, distribution, support, funding, and use of scientific data can benefit by understanding the value that the data have for society and science. For decades, the scientific community has been using citations of articles in the published scientific literature as one of the primary measures used for evaluating the performance of scientists, departments, institutions, and scientific disciplines. Similarly, citations in the published literature of scientific data may be useful for measuring and assessing the value of the scientific data and the performance of the individuals, projects, programs, and organizations that have contributed to the data and their use. The results of citation analysis and other assessments of the value of data also can contribute to planning for future data collection, development, distribution, and preservation efforts. The planned release of new data citation indexes and the more widespread adoption of unique data identifiers and automated attribution mechanisms have the potential to improve significantly the capabilities for analyzing citations of scientific data. In addition, rapid developments in the systems and capabilities for disseminating data, along with education and workforce development on the importance of data attribution and on techniques for data citation, can improve practices for citing scientific data. Such practices need to lead not only to better aggregate statistics about data citation, but also to improved characterization and understanding of the impact of data use in terms of the benefits for science and society. Analyses of citations in the scientific literature were conducted for data that were distributed by an interdisciplinary scientific data center during a five-year period (1997 - 2011), to identify the scientific fields represented by the journals and books in which the data were cited. Secondary citation analysis also was conducted for a sample of scientific publications that used

Meditation, Health and Scientific Investigations: Review of the Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Sampaio, Cynthia Vieira Sanches; Lima, Manuela Garcia; Ladeia, Ana Marice

2017-04-01

A growing number of people are seeking health recovery treatments with a holistic approach to the human being. Meditation is a mental training capable of producing connection between the mind, body and spirit. Its practice helps people to achieve balance, relaxation and self-control, in addition to the development of consciousness. At present, meditation is classified as a complementary and integrative technique in the area of health. The purpose of this review of the literature was to describe what meditation is, its practices and effects on health, demonstrated by consistent scientific investigations. Recently, the advances in researches with meditation, the discovery of its potential as an instrument of self-regulation of the human body and its benefits to health have shown that it is a consistent alternative therapy when associated with conventional medical treatments.

Stephen Hawking's Community-Bound Voice A Functional Investigation of Self-Mentions in Stephen Hawking's Scientific Prose

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Davud Kuhi

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Thanks to the development of the concept of metadiscourse, it is now widely acknowledged that academic/scientific writing is not only concerned with communicating purely propositional meanings: what is communicated through academic/scientific communication is seen to be intertwined with the negotiation of social and interpersonal meanings. While a large number of so called metadiscoursal resources contribute to the simultaneous negotiation of propositional and interpersonal meanings, the present study aimed at investigating the functions self-mention forms can fulfill in academic/scientific communication. Two of Stephen Hawking's scientific books were selected as the corpus of the research, and based on Tang and John's (1999 model, the constructed corpus was analyzed in terms of the functions self-mention forms can fulfill in academic/scientific writing. The findings revealed that from among the different roles identified by Tang and John, the representative role constituted the most frequent self-mention function in the corpus. The remarkably heavy presence of representative role in Hawking's scientific prose was interpreted as a further evidence for the claim that scientists are more likely to persuade readers of their ideas if they frame their messages in ways which appeal to appropriate community-recognized relationships.

Investigating Assessment Bias for Constructed Response Explanation Tasks: Implications for Evaluating Performance Expectations for Scientific Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Federer, Meghan Rector

Assessment is a key element in the process of science education teaching and research. Understanding sources of performance bias in science assessment is a major challenge for science education reforms. Prior research has documented several limitations of instrument types on the measurement of students' scientific knowledge (Liu et al., 2011; Messick, 1995; Popham, 2010). Furthermore, a large body of work has been devoted to reducing assessment biases that distort inferences about students' science understanding, particularly in multiple-choice [MC] instruments. Despite the above documented biases, much has yet to be determined for constructed response [CR] assessments in biology and their use for evaluating students' conceptual understanding of scientific practices (such as explanation). Understanding differences in science achievement provides important insights into whether science curricula and/or assessments are valid representations of student abilities. Using the integrative framework put forth by the National Research Council (2012), this dissertation aimed to explore whether assessment biases occur for assessment practices intended to measure students' conceptual understanding and proficiency in scientific practices. Using a large corpus of undergraduate biology students' explanations, three studies were conducted to examine whether known biases of MC instruments were also apparent in a CR instrument designed to assess students' explanatory practice and understanding of evolutionary change (ACORNS: Assessment of COntextual Reasoning about Natural Selection). The first study investigated the challenge of interpreting and scoring lexically ambiguous language in CR answers. The incorporation of 'multivalent' terms into scientific discourse practices often results in statements or explanations that are difficult to interpret and can produce faulty inferences about student knowledge. The results of this study indicate that many undergraduate biology majors

Investigating the Inter-Tube Conduction Mechanism in Polycarbonate Nanocomposites Prepared with Conductive Polymer-Coated Carbon Nanotubes

KAUST Repository

Ventura, Isaac Aguilar

2015-12-16

A well-known strategy to improve the electrical conductivity of polymers is to dope them with high-aspect-ratio and conductive nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs). However, these nanocomposites also exhibit undesirable properties such as damage-sensitive and history-dependent conductivity because their macroscopic electrical conductivity is largely determined by the tunneling effect at the tube/tube interface. To reduce these issues, new nanocomposites have been developed with CNTs that have been coated with a conductive layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS). It has been posited that the insulating region between the CNTs is replaced by a conductive polymer bridge; this has not been proven up to now. We propose here to investigate in-depth how the macroscopic conductivity of these materials is changing when (1) varying the frequency of the electrical loading (impedance spectroscopy), (2) varying the mechanical hydrostatic pressure, and (3) varying the voltage of the electrical loading. The response is systematically compared to the one of conventional carbon nanotube/polycarbonate (CNT/PC) nanocomposites so we can clarify how efficiently the tunneling effect is suppressed from these composites. The objective is to elucidate further the mechanism for conduction in such material formulations.

Improving Science Student Teachers' Self-Perceptions of Fluency with Innovative Technologies and Scientific Inquiry Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Çalik, Muammer; Ebenezer, Jazlin; Özsevgeç, Tuncay; Küçük, Zeynel; Artun, Hüseyin

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of "Environmental Chemistry" elective course via Technology-Embedded Scientific Inquiry (TESI) model on senior science student teachers' (SSSTs) self-perceptions of fluency with innovative technologies (InT) and scientific inquiry abilities. The study was conducted with 117 SSSTs (68…

Guidelines for conducting bulletproof workplace investigations: Part II--searches, surveillance, and other legal issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Koen, Clifford M; Mitchell, Michael S

2012-01-01

A proper and thorough investigation can help avoid or successfully defend lawsuits. When conducting workplace investigations, employers must take care to conduct reasonable searches and not violate employees' rights to privacy. This article addresses privacy and other legal issues surrounding the use of various types of electronic surveillance including wiretapping, video/photography, and monitoring of e-mail. While conducting such searches, employers must be vigilant in their efforts to avoid liability for defamation and to properly document the investigation. Guidance is provided on these issues along with advice on the recommendation and/or remedial action that may result from the investigation and a checklist of additional considerations when conducting investigations resulting from harassment.

50 CFR 600.512 - Scientific research.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Scientific research. 600.512 Section 600... research. (a) Scientific research activity. Persons planning to conduct scientific research activities on board a scientific research vessel in the EEZ that may be confused with fishing are encouraged to submit...

The Scientific Case against Astrology.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Ivan

1980-01-01

Discussed is the lack of a scientific foundation and scientific evidence favoring astrology. Included are several research studies conducted to examine astrological tenets which yield generally negative results. (Author/DS)

SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY FOR THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES: CRITICAL ANALYSES ABOUT RESEARCH METHODS, TYPOLOGIES AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MARX, WEBER AND DURKHEIM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauricio Corrêa da Silva

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study aims to discuss the importance of the scientific method to conduct and advertise research in applied social sciences and research typologies, as well as to highlight contributions from Marx, Weber and Durkheim to the scientific methodology. To reach this objective, we conducted a review of the literature on the term research, the scientific method,the research techniques and the scientific methodologies. The results of the investigation revealed that it is fundamental that the academic investigator uses a scientific method to conduct and advertise his/her academic works in applied social sciences in comparison with the biochemical or computer sciences and in the indicated literature. Regarding the contributions to the scientific methodology, we have Marx, dialogued, the dialectical, striking analysis, explicative of social phenomenon, the need to understand the phenomena as historical and concrete totalities; Weber, the distinction between “facts” and “value judgments” to provide objectivity to the social sciences and Durkheim, the need to conceptualize very well its object of study, reject sensible data and imbue with the spirit of discovery and of being surprised with the results.

Conductivity Investigation of Infiltration Through a Playa Lake Near Lubbock, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, T. L.

2017-12-01

The playas of the High Plains of the United States are known to contribute to the recharge of the underlying Ogallala aquifer. The investigation of the High Plains playa-aquifer system began in 1895. Since then there has been many conceptual models about recharge beneath playa floors and how they recharge theOgallala aquifer. We are using a compartmentalized playa located in the High Plains of Texas which has the greatest concentration of playas in the US. It is estimated that there is anywhere between 22,000 and 60,000 playas present. Investigation the pathways forinfiltration thorugh playa is necessary to understand therecharge to the Ogallala aquifer.The purpose of this electromagnetic investigation is to study the fluid flow path within a playa structure bymeasurements of conductivity in the subsurface. The measurements have been processed to show a 2-D profile of the Playa. Conductivity measurements were collected with an EM31 and so are confined to the top few meters of the soil. Regions with high conductivity are assumed to contain more water than the areas with low conductivity. Repeated profiles collected before and after rain events to identify regions that accommodate more infiltration than other. The results indicate that there is greater infiltration at the annulus of the playa than in the center.

Anticipated Changes in Conducting Scientific Data-Analysis Research in the Big-Data Era

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Kwo-Sen; Seablom, Michael; Clune, Thomas; Ramachandran, Rahul

2014-05-01

A Big-Data environment is one that is capable of orchestrating quick-turnaround analyses involving large volumes of data for numerous simultaneous users. Based on our experiences with a prototype Big-Data analysis environment, we anticipate some important changes in research behaviors and processes while conducting scientific data-analysis research in the near future as such Big-Data environments become the mainstream. The first anticipated change will be the reduced effort and difficulty in most parts of the data management process. A Big-Data analysis environment is likely to house most of the data required for a particular research discipline along with appropriate analysis capabilities. This will reduce the need for researchers to download local copies of data. In turn, this also reduces the need for compute and storage procurement by individual researchers or groups, as well as associated maintenance and management afterwards. It is almost certain that Big-Data environments will require a different "programming language" to fully exploit the latent potential. In addition, the process of extending the environment to provide new analysis capabilities will likely be more involved than, say, compiling a piece of new or revised code. We thus anticipate that researchers will require support from dedicated organizations associated with the environment that are composed of professional software engineers and data scientists. A major benefit will likely be that such extensions are of higher-quality and broader applicability than ad hoc changes by physical scientists. Another anticipated significant change is improved collaboration among the researchers using the same environment. Since the environment is homogeneous within itself, many barriers to collaboration are minimized or eliminated. For example, data and analysis algorithms can be seamlessly shared, reused and re-purposed. In conclusion, we will be able to achieve a new level of scientific productivity in the

Anticipated Changes in Conducting Scientific Data-Analysis Research in the Big-Data Era

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Kwo-Sen; Seablom, Michael; Clune, Thomas; Ramachandran, Rahul

2014-01-01

A Big-Data environment is one that is capable of orchestrating quick-turnaround analyses involving large volumes of data for numerous simultaneous users. Based on our experiences with a prototype Big-Data analysis environment, we anticipate some important changes in research behaviors and processes while conducting scientific data-analysis research in the near future as such Big-Data environments become the mainstream. The first anticipated change will be the reduced effort and difficulty in most parts of the data management process. A Big-Data analysis environment is likely to house most of the data required for a particular research discipline along with appropriate analysis capabilities. This will reduce the need for researchers to download local copies of data. In turn, this also reduces the need for compute and storage procurement by individual researchers or groups, as well as associated maintenance and management afterwards. It is almost certain that Big-Data environments will require a different "programming language" to fully exploit the latent potential. In addition, the process of extending the environment to provide new analysis capabilities will likely be more involved than, say, compiling a piece of new or revised code.We thus anticipate that researchers will require support from dedicated organizations associated with the environment that are composed of professional software engineers and data scientists. A major benefit will likely be that such extensions are of higherquality and broader applicability than ad hoc changes by physical scientists. Another anticipated significant change is improved collaboration among the researchers using the same environment. Since the environment is homogeneous within itself, many barriers to collaboration are minimized or eliminated. For example, data and analysis algorithms can be seamlessly shared, reused and re-purposed. In conclusion, we will be able to achieve a new level of scientific productivity in the Big

Scientific dishonesty—a nationwide survey of doctoral students in Norway

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Hofmann Bjørn

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The knowledge of scientific dishonesty is scarce and heterogeneous. Therefore this study investigates the experiences with and the attitudes towards various forms of scientific dishonesty among PhD-students at the medical faculties of all Norwegian universities. Method Anonymous questionnaire distributed to all post graduate students attending introductory PhD-courses at all medical faculties in Norway in 2010/2011. Descriptive statistics. Results 189 of 262 questionnaires were returned (72.1%. 65% of the respondents had not, during the last year, heard or read about researchers who committed scientific dishonesty. One respondent had experienced pressure to fabricate and to falsify data, and one had experienced pressure to plagiarize data. On average 60% of the respondents were uncertain whether their department had a written policy concerning scientific conduct. About 11% of the respondents had experienced unethical pressure concerning the order of authors during the last 12 months. 10% did not find it inappropriate to report experimental data without having conducted the experiment and 38% did not find it inappropriate to try a variety of different methods of analysis to find a statistically significant result. 13% agreed that it is acceptable to selectively omit contradictory results to expedite publication and 10% found it acceptable to falsify or fabricate data to expedite publication, if they were confident of their findings. 79% agreed that they would be willing to report misconduct to a responsible official. Conclusion Although there is less scientific dishonesty reported in Norway than in other countries, dishonesty is not unknown to doctoral students. Some forms of scientific misconduct are considered to be acceptable by a significant minority. There was little awareness of relevant policies for scientific conduct, but a high level of willingness to report misconduct.

Perspective: Innocence and due diligence: managing unfounded allegations of scientific misconduct.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldenring, James R

2010-03-01

While the incidence of fraud in science is well documented, issues related to the establishment of innocence in cases of fallacious allegations remain unaddressed. In this article, the author uses his own experience to examine issues that arise when investigators are falsely accused of scientific fraud. Investigators must understand the processes in place to protect themselves against false accusations. The present system takes a position of guilty until proven innocent, a concept that is antithetical to American principles of jurisprudence. Yet this stance is acceptable as a requirement for membership in the scientific community, more reflective of the rules within a guild organization. The necessity for proof of innocence by members of the scientific community carries obligations that transcend normal legal assumptions. Scientists must safeguard their reputations by organizing and maintaining all original image files and data relevant to publications and grant proposals. Investigators must be able to provide clear documentation rapidly whenever concerns are raised during the review process. Moreover, peer-reviewed journals must be diligent not only in the identification of fraud but also in providing rapid due process for adjudication of allegations. The success of the scientific guild rules of conduct lies in the practice of due diligence by both scientists and journal editors in questions of scientific misconduct.

Software support for students engaging in scientific activity and scientific controversy

Science.gov (United States)

Cavalli-Sforza, Violetta; Weiner, Arlene W.; Lesgold, Alan M.

Computer environments could support students in engaging in cognitive activities that are essential to scientific practice and to the understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge, but that are difficult to manage in science classrooms. The authors describe a design for a computer-based environment to assist students in conducting dialectical activities of constructing, comparing, and evaluating arguments for competing scientific theories. Their choice of activities and their design respond to educators' and theorists' criticisms of current science curricula. They give detailed specifications of portions of the environment.

Scientists in the making: An ethnographic investigation of scientific processes as literate practice in an elementary classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Teresa Jo

This study explored the issue of literacy in science by examining how the social and academic literate practices in an elementary classroom formed the basis for learning across the curriculum, with a specific focus on the disciplinary field of science. Through the study of classroom interaction, issues related to student knowledge and ability were addressed as they pertain to scientific literacy in the context of science education reform. The theoretical framework guiding this study was drawn from sociocultural studies of scientific communities and interactional ethnography in education. To investigate the literate practices of science in a school setting, data were collected over a two-year period with the same teacher in her third grade and then her fourth/fifth grade classroom. Data were collected through participant observation in the form of fieldnotes, video data, interviews, and various artifacts (e.g., writings, drawings, teaching protocols). Using ethnographic and sociolinguistic methods of analysis this work examined classroom members' discursive practices to illustrate the role that discourse plays in creating opportunities for engagement in, and access to, scientific knowledge. These analyses revealed that the discursive actions and practices among members of this classroom shaped a particular type of learning environment that was process-oriented and inquiry based. It was shown that this learning environment afforded opportunities for students to engage in the processes of science outside the official, planned curriculum, often leading to whole class scientific investigations and discussions. Additionally, within this classroom community students were able to draw on multiple discourses to display their knowledge of scientific concepts and practices. Overall, this study found that the literate practices of this classroom community, as they were socially constructed among members, contributed to opportunities for students to practice science and

Socio-scientific controversies and beginning teachers’ pedagogical practice

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Pedro Reis

2005-08-01

Full Text Available The current investigation aimed to study the impact of recent socio-scientific controversies, made public through the media, on the concepts and practices of a group of Natural Science teachers at the start of their careers. This study is particularly relevant at a time that is heavily marked by much debate regarding the social and environmental impact of several scientific and technological innovations and by the implementation of new science curricula, that stress the importance of discussing socio-scientific controversies in the context of students’ scientific alphabetisation (namely in their understanding of the nature of science and its relation to society and culture (McComas, 2000. This investigation followed an interpretative approach of a qualitative nature. Through the construction of case studies, it sought to analyse the possible impact of socio-scientific controversies on the teachers’ concepts (about the nature, teaching and learning of science and pedagogic practice. For data collection semi-structured interviews were conducted and classes observed.The controversial issues raised by certain recent technological innovations – namely the environmental, social and cultural impact they may have – did have an impact on the teachers’ concepts about the nature, teaching and learning of science. Besides reinforcing the duality of feelings as regards science and technology, as a source of both progress and concern, they triggered in these teachers the idea of the need for a widespread scientific alphabetisation that empowers the population for understanding and deciding and acting upon these issues. However, the concept of scientific alphabetisation and the best way to achieve it vary among the teachers participating in this study.

Salton Sea Scientific Drilling Project: A summary of drilling and engineering activities and scientific results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ross, H.P.; Forsgren, C.K. (eds.)

1992-04-01

The Salton Sea Scientific g Project (SSSDP) completed the first major well in the United States Continental Scientific Drilling Program. The well (State 2-14) was drilled to 10,W ft (3,220 m) in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field in California's Imperial Valley, to permit scientific study of a deep, high-temperature portion of an active geothermal system. The program was designed to investigate, through drilling and testing, the subsurface thermal, chemical, and mineralogical environments of this geothermal area. Extensive samples and data, including cores, cuttings, geothermal fluids and gases, and geophysical logs, were collected for future scientific analysis, interpretation, and publication. Short duration flow tests were conducted on reservoirs at a depth of approximately 6,120 ft (1,865 m) and at 10,136 ft (3,089 m). This report summarizes all major activities of the SSSDP, from project inception in the fall of 1984 through brine-pond cleanup and site restoration, ending in February 1989. This report presents a balanced summary of drilling, coring, logging, and flow-test operations, and a brief summary of technical and scientific results. Frequent reference is made to original records, data, and publication of results. The report also reviews the proposed versus the final well design, and operational summaries, such as the bit record, the casing and cementing program, and the coring program. Summaries are and the results of three flow tests. Several teamed during the project.

Private Science and Public Knowledge: The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of the Claims of the Paranormal and its Use of the Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinch, T. J.; Collins, H. M.

1984-01-01

Shows the part played by formal/informal literatures in the social construction of scientific knowledge, analyzing the work of the "Committee for the Scientific Investigation of the Claims of the Paranormal" (which critically investigates fringe-sciences). Indicates that popular literature can deconstruct facts while scientific…

On the potential cost effectiveness of scientific audits.

Science.gov (United States)

Click, J L

1989-09-01

The rationale for the routine performance of scientific audits has been previously discussed, and it has been proposed that independent professionals audit scientific data just as certified public accountants in independent public accounting firms audit financial data (1-4). Scientific audits would typically require the examination of data in laboratory notebooks and other work sheets, upon which research publications are based. Examples of such audits have been publicized recently, although these represent audits which have been conducted relatively inefficiently, over periods of several years per audit, and which have only been conducted due to the persistence of whistleblowers suspecting scientific fraud (5, 6). A detailed report has also appeared on the results of an audit of the research activities of a particular individual, where the audit was limited solely to an examination of the research publications themselves for errors and discrepancies (7). It should be emphasized that the purpose of conducting scientific audits is not only to detect fabrication of experimental results but also to monitor presumably more prevalent, non-fraudulent, inappropriate practices, such as misrepresentation of data, inaccurate reporting, and departure from institutional guidelines for handling hazardous materials, working with human subjects, etc. Two concerns which have been raised concerning the performance of scientific audits relate to cost. What would they cost, and who would pay for them? These questions, however, may be turned around. What does it cost not to conduct such audits, and who pays for that? An assumption often made is that science is self-correcting, that sooner or later the truth will be revealed because of the need to replicate experiments of others for independent verification of novel findings (8). Testimony recently presented at a U.S. congressional hearing suggests that the self-correcting manner in which science advances represents a very slow and

Objects prompt authentic scientific activities among learners in a museum programme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Achiam, Marianne; Simony, Leonora; Lindow, Bent Erik Kramer

2016-01-01

Although the scientific disciplines conduct practical work in different ways, all consider practical work as the essential way of connecting objects and phenomena with ideas and the abstract. Accordingly, practical work is regarded as central to science education as well. We investigate a practical......, object-based palaeontology programme at a natural history museum to identify how palaeontological objects prompt scientific activity among upper secondary school students. We first construct a theoretical framework based on an analysis of the programme’s palaeontological content. From this, we build our...

Experimental Investigation of Thermal Conductivity of Meat During Freezing

Science.gov (United States)

Shinbayeva, A.; Arkharov, I.; Aldiyarov, A.; Drobyshev, A.; Zhubaniyazova, M.; Kurnosov, V.

2017-04-01

The cryogenic technologies of processing and storage of agricultural products are becoming increasingly indispensable in the food industry as an important factor of ensuring food safety. One of such technologies is the shock freezing of meat, which provides a higher degree of preservation of the quality of frozen products in comparison with traditional technologies. The thermal conductivity of meat is an important parameter influencing the energy consumption in the freezing process. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of beef. The measurements were taken by using a specially designed measurement cell, which allows covering the temperature range from 80 to 300 K.

Investigation of historical evolution stages of the term "pedagogical innovation" in modern scientific discourse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Світлана Миколаївна Ефендієва

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The article describes the basic concepts of innovation. The formation of pedagogical innovations was analyzed and factors of effective management of innovative development were theoretically grounded. The essence of the concepts of scientific and pedagogical discourse was highlighted. The historical stages of the evolution of the term «pedagogical innovation» were investigated. The main draft laws about innovation activity in education were characterized

Investigation of the Effective Thermal Conductivity in Containment Wall of OPR1000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noh, Hyung Gyun [Pohang University, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong Hwi; Kang, Hie Chan [Kunsan National University, Gunsan (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

Many computational codes used for analyzing pressure of containment was developed such as CAP (Containment Analysis Package). These computational codes consider concrete conductivity instead of thermal conductivity of containment wall which have special geometry as heat sink. For precise analysis, effective thermal conductivity of containment wall has to be measured in individual NPPs. Thermal properties of concrete such as thermal conductivity have been investigated as function of chemical composition and temperature. Generally, containment of OPR1000 is constructed by Prestressed (PS) concrete-a composite material. Containment wall of OPR1000 is made up of steel liner, tendon, rebar and concrete as shown in Figure 1. Role of steel liner protects release of radioactive materials so called leak tightness. The effective thermal conductivity of containment wall in OPR1000 is analyzed by numerical tool (CFD) and compared with thermal conductivity models in composite solids. The effective thermal conductivity of containment wall of OPR1000 is investigated by numerical analysis (CFD). The thermal conductivity of reinforced concrete is 18.6% higher than that of concrete only. Several models were compared with CFD results. Rayleigh-Parallel liner model agrees well with CFD results. Experiment results will be compared with CFD result and models. CFD result was calculated in low steel volume fraction (0.0809) than that of OPR1000 (0.1043). The effective thermal conductivity in OPR1000 has slightly higher than CFD result because of different volume fraction.

Progress report No. 2 on the Scientific Investigation Program for the Nevada Yucca Mountain Site, October 1, 1989--March 31, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

In accordance with the requirements of Section 113(b)(3) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (Pub. L. No. 97-425), as amended, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared this report on the progress of scientific investigation activities at Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada for October 1, 1989, through March 31, 1990. This report is the second of a series of reports that are issued at intervals of approximately six months during the period of scientific investigation. The progress report presents short summaries of the status of scientific investigation activities and cites technical reports and research products that provide more detailed information on the activities. The report provides highlights of work started during the reporting period, work in progress, and work completed and documented during the reporting period. In addition, the report is the vehicle for discussing major changes, if any, to the DOE's scientific investigation program. The progress report conveys information in a convenient summary form to be used for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be the mechanism for controlling and documenting technical or policy positions regarding changes in schedules or the technical program. Such changes are controlled through rigorous DOE change-control procedures. The progress report only describes such approval changes. 49 refs., 3 tabs

Investigating scientific literacy documents with linguistic network analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruun, Jesper; Evans, Robert Harry; Dolin, Jens

2009-01-01

International discussions of scientific literacy (SL) are extensive and numerous sizeable documents on SL exist. Thus, comparing different conceptions of SL is methodologically challenging. We developed an analytical tool which couples the theory of complex networks with text analysis in order...

Scientific integrity in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Lins, Liliane; Carvalho, Fernando Martins

2014-09-01

This article focuses on scientific integrity and the identification of predisposing factors to scientific misconduct in Brazil. Brazilian scientific production has increased in the last ten years, but the quality of the articles has decreased. Pressure on researchers and students for increasing scientific production may contribute to scientific misconduct. Cases of misconduct in science have been recently denounced in the country. Brazil has important institutions for controlling ethical and safety aspects of human research, but there is a lack of specific offices to investigate suspected cases of misconduct and policies to deal with scientific dishonesty.

Scientific substantiation of approaches to organization and conducting radiation surveys at the rehabilitated radiation sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. K. Romanovich

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article is concerned with the scientific justification of approaches to the organization of the final radiation survey of facilities having radioactive contamination, after their rehabilitation. Scientific publications on the previous experience in rehabilitation of facilities contaminated with radionuclides, the organization and conducting a radiation survey before the start of the decontamination, during its implementation and after its completion were analyzed. The experience in the rehabilitation of the site for the temporary storage of spent fuel and radioactive waste in Andreeva Bay in the North-West region of Russia, the locations of peaceful nuclear explosions, experimental nuclear power plants, a radiochemical laboratory, and metallurgical plants, that do not belong to radiation facilities, has been studied. It has been established that, besides the surface contamination of the soil, areas of radioactive contamination on sites of decommissioned radiation facilities with significant depth up to 15 m along the profile are available. These local zones with depth soil contamination are persistent contaminants of the groundwater. The experience in the radiation survey of the peaceful nuclear explosions sites shows the removal of radionuclides from cavities, formed with the use of nuclear explosive technologies for peaceful purposes, on the earth’s surface. An optimized list of radionuclides to be monitored during the radiological survey of rehabilitated facilities was proposed based on the analysis of the composition of radionuclides detected at radiation sites subjected to decontamination. The optimized list includes 14 radionuclides with the half-lives of more than three years. 

Prospective Investigation of Video Game Use in Children and Subsequent Conduct Disorder and Depression Using Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Etchells, Peter J; Gage, Suzanne H; Rutherford, Adam D; Munafò, Marcus R

2016-01-01

There is increasing public and scientific concern regarding the long-term behavioural effects of video game use in children, but currently little consensus as to the nature of any such relationships. We investigated the relationship between video game use in children, degree of violence in games, and measures of depression and a 6-level banded measure of conduct disorder. Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were used. A 3-level measure of game use at age 8/9 years was developed, taking into account degree of violence based on game genre. Associations with conduct disorder and depression, measured at age 15, were investigated using ordinal logistic regression, adjusted for a number of potential confounders. Shoot-em-up games were associated with conduct disorder bands, and with a binary measure of conduct disorder, although the strength of evidence for these associations was weak. A sensitivity analysis comparing those who play competitive games to those who play shoot-em-ups found weak evidence supporting the hypothesis that it is violence rather than competitiveness that is associated with conduct disorder. However this analysis was underpowered, and we cannot rule out the possibility that increasing levels of competition in games may be just as likely to account for the observed associations as violent content. Overall game exposure as indicated by number of games in a household was not related to conduct disorder, nor was any association found between shoot-em-up video game use and depression.

INVESTIGATION OF HEAT CONDUCTION AND SPECIFIC ELECTRIC IMPEDANCE OF POROUS MATERIALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. S. Golubtsova

2004-01-01

Full Text Available In this article there was investigated the influence of porosity and temperature change on heat condition and electrical resistance of porous iron (PZh4M nickel and steel 14X17H2. There are received the adequate equations of regression, establishing connection between heat conduction and electrical resistance of the investigated materials with their porosity and temperature.

Modern scientific evidence pertaining to criminal investigations in the Chosun dynasty era (1392-1897 A.C.E.) in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Yun Sik; Won, Sung-Ok; Lee, Kang-Bong

2014-07-01

A guidebook detailing the process of forensic investigation was written in 1440 A.C.E. It outlines the fundamentals and details of each element of criminal investigation during the era of the Chosun dynasty in Korea. Because this old guidebook was written in terms of personal experience rather than on scientific basis, it includes many fallacies from the perspective of modern forensic science. However, the book describes methods to form a scientific basis for the experiments performed. We demonstrate the modern scientific basis for ancient methods to monitor trace amounts of blood and detect lethal arsenic poisoning from a postmortem examination as described in this old forensic guidebook. Traces of blood and arsenic poisoning were detected according to the respective color changes of brownish red, due to the reaction of ferric ions in blood with acetic ions of vinegar, and dark blue, due to the reaction of silver with arsenic sulfide. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Investigation of ionic conduction in PEO-PVDF based blend polymer electrolytes

Science.gov (United States)

Patla, Subir Kumar; Ray, Ruma; Asokan, K.; Karmakar, Sanat

2018-03-01

We investigate the effect of blend host polymer on solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) films doped with ammonium iodide (NH4I) salt using a variety of experimental techniques. Structural studies on the composite SPEs show that the blending of Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymers in a suitable ratio enhances the amorphous fraction of the polymer matrix and facilitates fast ion conduction through it. We observe that the addition of a small amount of PVDF in the PEO host polymer enhances the ion - polymer interaction leading to more ion dissociation. As a result, the effective number of mobile charge carriers within the polymer matrix increases. Systematic investigation in these blend SPEs shows that the maximum conductivity (1.01 × 10-3 S/cm) is obtained for PEO - rich (80 wt. % PEO, 20 wt. % PVDF) composites at 35 wt. % NH4I concentration at room temperature. Interestingly, at higher salt concentrations (above 35 wt. %), the conductivity is found to decrease in this system. The reduction of conductivity at higher salt concentrations is the consequence of decrease in the carrier concentration due to the formation of an ion pair and ion aggregates. PVDF-rich compositions (20 wt. % PEO and 80 wt. % PVDF), on the other hand, show a very complex porous microstructure. We also observe a much lower ionic conductivity (maximum ˜ 10-6 S/cm at 15 wt. % salt) in these composite systems relative to PEO-rich composites.

Withholding answers during hands-on scientific investigations? Comparing effects on developing students' scientific knowledge, reasoning, and application

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lin

2018-03-01

As more concerns have been raised about withholding answers during science teaching, this article argues for a need to detach 'withholding answers' from 'hands-on' investigation tasks. The present study examined students' learning of light-related content through three conditions: 'hands-on' + no 'withholding' (hands-on only: HO), 'hands-on' + 'withholding' (hands-on investigation with answers withheld: HOW), and no 'hands-on' + no 'withholding' (direction instruction: DI). Students were assessed in terms of how well they (1) knew the content taught in class; (2) reasoned with the learned content; and (3) applied the learned content to real-life situations. Nine classes of students at 4th and 5th grades, N = 136 in total, were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions. ANCOVA results showed that students in the hands-on only condition reasoned significantly better than those in the other two conditions. Students in this condition also seemed to know the content fairly better although the advance was not significant. Students in all three conditions did not show a statistically significant difference in their ability to apply the learned content to real-life situations. The findings from this study provide important contributions regarding issues relating to withholding answers during guided scientific inquiry.

Modified conductivity of polymer materials with proton beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Shinji; Seki, Miharu; Shima, Kunihiro; Ishihara, Toyoyuki

2001-01-01

Ionic conductivity of polymer materials is of increasing interest in many scientific fields. Industrial applications seem to be promising. In the present investigation, we used proton bombardment to modify the characteristic properties of polymers, especially for improvement in conductivity and hardening gel polymers. Particle beam bombardment is known to produce many scissions by particle passages and new bonds by bridge connection. These effects may modify various properties in many ways. We examined the modification of conductivity in solid polymers composed of polyethylene oxide and polyurethane and the surface appearance of gel polymers with bombardment by a proton beam using the accelerator facility of Tsukuba University. The results indicated proton bombardment induced conductivity changes in various ways according to particle range and polymer properties. (author)

The Impact of Student Self-Efficacy on Scientific Inquiry Skills: An Exploratory Investigation in "River City," a Multi-User Virtual Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Ketelhut, Diane Jass

2007-01-01

This exploratory study investigated data-gathering behaviors exhibited by 100 seventh-grade students as they participated in a scientific inquiry-based curriculum project delivered by a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE). This research examined the relationship between students' self-efficacy on entry into the authentic scientific activity and…

Agriscience Student Engagement in Scientific Inquiry: Representations of Scientific Processes and Nature of Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Grady, Julie R; Dolan, Erin L; Glasson, George E

2010-01-01

Students' experiences with science integrated into agriscience courses contribute to their developing epistemologies of science. The purpose of this case study was to gain insight into the implementation of scientific inquiry in an agriscience classroom. Also of interest was how the tenets of the nature of science were reflected in the students' experiments. Participants included an agriscience teacher and her fifteen students who were conducting plant experiments to gain insight into the role of a gene disabled by scientists. Data sources included classroom observations, conversations with students, face-to-face interviews with the teacher, and students' work. Analysis of the data indicated that the teacher viewed scientific inquiry as a mechanical process with little emphasis on the reasoning that typifies scientific inquiry. Students' participation in their experiments also centered on the procedural aspects of inquiry with little attention to scientific reasoning. There was no explicit attention to the nature of science during the experiments, but the practice implied correct, incorrect, and underdeveloped conceptions of the nature of science. Evidence from the study suggests a need for collaboration between agriscience and science teacher educators to design and conduct professional development focused on scientific inquiry and nature of science for preservice and practicing teachers.

'Ukrytie' entombment is 10 years old. Main results of scientific investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The Collection is dedicated to 10-yaer anniversary of the ''Ukrytie''. It comprises articles written by specialists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Interdisciplinary Scientific and Technical Centre ''Shelter'', the ''Ukrytie'', Russian Scientific Centre ''Kurchatov Institute'' (Moscow), Khlopin Radium Institute (Saint-Petersburg), Radioecological Problems Institute (Minsk), who took part in study of this unique object for many years. The articles are written in review form and include all main scientific results obtained owing to common efforts during last 10 years. Of course, these years were not equal as to the research results. There were years of great breaks-through towards new knowledge about the ''Ukrytie'', as well as years of preparation for these breaks-through. Nevertheless, scientific research of the ''Ukrytie'' never stopped and every year of work brought grains of objective truth on base of which our present knowledge about the ''Ukrytie'' was put together. This knowledge, set out in easily understood form, delivers materials of the Collection to the reader concerned

SCIENTIFIC APPROACH OF 2013 CURRICULUM: TEACHERS IMPLEMENTATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sri Ratnaningsih

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The research is aimed at investigating the teachers implementation of scientific approach in English Language Teaching in one state junior high school in Bandung Regency. In addition, this research discusses the conformation of the Scientific Approach implementation and the lesson plans based on the 2013 curriculum. This research employs a case study qualitative research design. The data were obtained from classroom observation and teachers lesson plan analysis and interview. The findings showed that the teachers implemented the scientific stages in English Language Teaching. They conducted observing, questioning, experimenting, associating and communicating in the sequence activities. Besides, the teachers can demonstrate the student-centered learning strengthened by collaborative, cooperative, active and meaningful learning. However, concerning the conformation of the implementation with lesson plans, based on the indicators, learning objectives, learning materials, learning media, scientific stages and Scientific Approach model (discovery learning, inquiry leaning, problem based learning and project based learning, the teachers still have to underline and mention the Scientific Approach model and state learning objectives. Furthermore, the other components have been presented well in both teaching and lesson plans.

Preliminary data report of investigations conducted at the Salmon Site, Lamar County, Mississippi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-04-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted ecological studies at the Salmon Site (SS), Lamar County, Mississippi, from the middle of June 1992 to the end of April 1993. The studies are part of the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) being conducted by the DOE. The RI/FS is the methodology under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (CERCLA/SARA) for evaluating hazardous waste sites on the National Priorities List (NPL). The Salmon Site is not listed on the NPL but DOE has voluntarily elected to conduct the evaluation of the SS in accordance with CERCLA/SARA. As part of the remedial investigation, baseline human health and ecological risk assessments will be conducted. These baseline risk assessments will evaluate the potential impact on human health and the environment if remedial actions are not conducted, identify locations where additional information needs to be collected, help determine whether remedial actions are necessary, and provide justification for performing remedial actions. This report describes the sampling activities conducted between February and April 1993 to aid in evaluating the possible environmental impacts at the SS tailored to the specific circumstances and conditions found there. The initial investigations included identification of the flora and fauna in and around the SS, with particular emphasis on identifying sensitive environments, endangered species and their habitats, and those species consumed by humans or found in human food chains

Scientific misconduct: also an issue in nursing science?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fierz, K.; Gennaro, S.; Dierickx, K.; Achterberg, T. van; Morin, K.H.; Geest, S. de

2014-01-01

PURPOSE: Scientific misconduct (SMC) is an increasing concern in nursing science. This article discusses the prevalence of SMC, risk factors and correlates of scientific misconduct in nursing science, and highlights interventional approaches to foster good scientific conduct. METHODS: Using the

FEATURES OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED IN THE LABORATORIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER SUPPLY OF MGSU

OpenAIRE

Nikitina Irina Nikolaevna; Eremeev Aleksandr Vladimirovich

2016-01-01

The article focuses on the work of the laboratories of the Department of Water Supply of MGSU. The laboratory of pipe-lines, pumping equipment and sanitary equipment operates in MGSU affiliated to the department of water supply. A hydraulic stand for testing and defining the the hydraulic characteristics of pressure and free-flow pipelines of water supply and sewerage systems is installed there. There are also stands for investigating the sanitary equipment of the buildings, the fire and hot ...

INVESTIGATIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS RELATED TO THE TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE (THE GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE) CONDUCTED IN FUKUSHIMA.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Toshiyuki; Hashimoto, Yasuhiro; Yoshida, Masayuki; Ohno, Kikuo; Ohto, Hitoshi; Abe, Masafumi

2015-01-01

On March 11(th) 2011, the Tohoku region of Japan was struck by catastrophic disasters. Thousands of people were killed due to a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and its subsequent tsunami. Furthermore, a serious nuclear crisis occurred in Fukushima Prefecture as a result of the disasters, and an emergency evacuation was ordered to people living near the nuclear power plants. There was a lot of anxiety regarding lost families as well as the influences of radioactivity on the health of people and their children. Based on these urgent and uncertain situations, a number of research projects were developed at many institutes both inside and outside Fukushima. We herein report the investigative research projects related to the Tohoku Earthquake (The Great East Japan Earthquake) conducted after the disasters. The research projects were reviewed by the Institutional Review Board in Fukushima Medical University during the two years following the disasters. The research projects conducted in universities other than Fukushima Medical University were also examined using questionnaire analysis. Among the research projects conducted in Fukushima Medical University (n=424), 7% (n=32) were disaster-related investigative research. The mean duration planned to pursue the projects was 25.5 months. Among these projects, those focusing on the health of Fukushima citizens were most common (n=9), followed by the influence of chronic exposure of radiation on chronic inflammatory disorders (n=6), and the mental health of Fukushima citizens (n=5). They were carefully reviewed for the purpose, suitability, and necessity from ethical as well as scientific viewpoints. The majority of the research projects focused on the effects of the Tohoku Earthquake and/or chronic exposure to low-dose radioactivity on the health of children and pregnant women, as well as on various disorders, such as mental health and chronic inflammatory diseases. On the other hand, among 58 projects we collected from 22

Prospective Investigation of Video Game Use in Children and Subsequent Conduct Disorder and Depression Using Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

Science.gov (United States)

Rutherford, Adam D.; Munafò, Marcus R.

2016-01-01

There is increasing public and scientific concern regarding the long-term behavioural effects of video game use in children, but currently little consensus as to the nature of any such relationships. We investigated the relationship between video game use in children, degree of violence in games, and measures of depression and a 6-level banded measure of conduct disorder. Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were used. A 3-level measure of game use at age 8/9 years was developed, taking into account degree of violence based on game genre. Associations with conduct disorder and depression, measured at age 15, were investigated using ordinal logistic regression, adjusted for a number of potential confounders. Shoot-em-up games were associated with conduct disorder bands, and with a binary measure of conduct disorder, although the strength of evidence for these associations was weak. A sensitivity analysis comparing those who play competitive games to those who play shoot-em-ups found weak evidence supporting the hypothesis that it is violence rather than competitiveness that is associated with conduct disorder. However this analysis was underpowered, and we cannot rule out the possibility that increasing levels of competition in games may be just as likely to account for the observed associations as violent content. Overall game exposure as indicated by number of games in a household was not related to conduct disorder, nor was any association found between shoot-em-up video game use and depression. PMID:26820149

Prospective Investigation of Video Game Use in Children and Subsequent Conduct Disorder and Depression Using Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter J Etchells

Full Text Available There is increasing public and scientific concern regarding the long-term behavioural effects of video game use in children, but currently little consensus as to the nature of any such relationships. We investigated the relationship between video game use in children, degree of violence in games, and measures of depression and a 6-level banded measure of conduct disorder. Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were used. A 3-level measure of game use at age 8/9 years was developed, taking into account degree of violence based on game genre. Associations with conduct disorder and depression, measured at age 15, were investigated using ordinal logistic regression, adjusted for a number of potential confounders. Shoot-em-up games were associated with conduct disorder bands, and with a binary measure of conduct disorder, although the strength of evidence for these associations was weak. A sensitivity analysis comparing those who play competitive games to those who play shoot-em-ups found weak evidence supporting the hypothesis that it is violence rather than competitiveness that is associated with conduct disorder. However this analysis was underpowered, and we cannot rule out the possibility that increasing levels of competition in games may be just as likely to account for the observed associations as violent content. Overall game exposure as indicated by number of games in a household was not related to conduct disorder, nor was any association found between shoot-em-up video game use and depression.

77 FR 6784 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Scientific Research, Exempted Fishing, and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-09

... Collection; Comment Request; Scientific Research, Exempted Fishing, and Exempted Activity Submissions AGENCY... collection. Fishery regulations do not generally affect scientific research activities conducted by a scientific research vessel. Persons planning to conduct such research are encouraged to submit a scientific...

Changes in Students' Views about Nature of Scientific Inquiry at a Science Camp

Science.gov (United States)

Leblebicioglu, G.; Metin, D.; Capkinoglu, E.; Cetin, P. S.; Eroglu Dogan, E.; Schwartz, R.

2017-12-01

Although nature of science (NOS) and nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI) are related to each other, they are differentiated as NOS is being more related to the product of scientific inquiry (SI) which is scientific knowledge whereas NOSI is more related to the process of SI (Schwartz et al. 2008). Lederman et al. (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51, 65-8, 2014) determined eight NOSI aspects for K-16 context. In this study, a science camp was conducted to teach scientific inquiry (SI) and NOSI to 24 6th and 7th graders (16 girls and 8 boys). The core of the program was guided inquiry in nature. The children working in small groups under guidance of science advisors conducted four guided-inquiries in the nature in morning sessions on nearby plants, animals, water, and soil. NOSI aspects were made explicit during and at the end of each inquiry session. Views about scientific inquiry (VASI) (Lederman et al. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51, 65-8, 2014) questionnaire was applied as pre- and post-test. The results of the study showed that children developed in all eight NOSI aspects, but higher developments were observed in "scientific investigations all begin with a question" and "there is no single scientific method," and "explanations are developed from data and what is already known" aspects. It was concluded that the science camp program was effective in teaching NOSI.

Investigations of the surface conductivity of silicon dioxide and methods to reduce it

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voorthuyzen, J.A.; Keskin, K.; Bergveld, Piet

1987-01-01

In this paper we describe our investigations of the electrical conductivity of the silicon dioxide-air interface. It appears that this conductivity is caused by the adsorption of water vapour on the oxide surface and strongly depends on the relative humidity of the surrounding air. Considering this

INTEGRATION OF UKRAINIAN INDUSTRY SCIENTIFIC PERIODACLS INTO WORLD SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION SPACE: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. O. Kolesnykova

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Problem of representation lack of scientists’ publications, including transport scientists, in the international scientometric databases is the urgent one for Ukrainian science. To solve the problem one should study the structure and quality of the information flow of scientific periodicals of railway universities in Ukraine and to determine the integration algorithm of scientific publications of Ukrainian scientists into the world scientific information space. Methodology. Applying the methods of scientific analysis, synthesis, analogy, comparison and prediction the author has investigated the problem of scientific knowledge distribution using formal communications. The readiness of Ukrainian railway periodicals to registration procedure in the international scientometric systems was analyzed. The level of representation of articles and authors of Ukrainian railway universities in scientometric database Scopus was studied. Findings. Monitoring of the portals of railway industry universities of Ukraine and the sites of their scientific periodicals and analysis of obtained data prove insufficient readiness of most scientific publications for submission to scientometric database. The ways providing sufficient "visibility" of industry periodicals of Ukrainian universities in the global scientific information space were proposed. Originality. The structure and quality of documentary flow of scientific periodicals in railway transport universities of Ukraine and its reflection in scientometric DB Scopus were first investigated. The basic directions of university activities to integrate the results of transport scientists research into the global scientific digital environment were outlined. It was determined the leading role of university libraries in the integration processes of scientific documentary resources of universities into the global scientific and information communicative space. Practical value. Implementation of the proposed

[Chaulmoogra oil as scientific knowledge: the construction of a treatment for leprosy].

Science.gov (United States)

dos Santos, Fernando Sergio Dumas; de Souza, Letícia Pumar Alves; Siani, Antonio Carlos

2008-01-01

The article investigates how knowledge of medicinal plants and related treatment practices are assimilated and transformed. Taking as its focus the use of chaulmoogra oil to treat leprosy, it examines how information on this plant was incorporated and transformed into scientifically validated knowledge when 'Brazilian chaulmoogra' came onto the scene. Pointing to the addition of chaulmoogra byproducts to the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz's production agenda in the 1920s, the study establishes links between productive processes and relates these to the period's scientific context. From the late nineteenth century until the 1940s, chaulmoogra oil was the great hope in efforts to cure leprosy. During this period, chaulmoogric treatment earned a place as scientific knowledge thanks to research studies conducted in laboratories throughout the Western world.

Training Elementary Teachers to Prepare Students for High School Authentic Scientific Research

Science.gov (United States)

Danch, J. M.

2017-12-01

The Woodbridge Township New Jersey School District has a 4-year high school Science Research program that depends on the enrollment of students with the prerequisite skills to conduct authentic scientific research at the high school level. A multifaceted approach to training elementary teachers in the methods of scientific investigation, data collection and analysis and communication of results was undertaken in 2017. Teachers of predominately grades 4 and 5 participated in hands on workshops at a Summer Tech Academy, an EdCamp, a District Inservice Day and a series of in-class workshops for teachers and students together. Aspects of the instruction for each of these activities was facilitated by high school students currently enrolled in the High School Science Research Program. Much of the training activities centered around a "Learning With Students" model where teachers and their students simultaneously learn to perform inquiry activities and conduct scientific research fostering inquiry as it is meant to be: where participants produce original data are not merely working to obtain previously determined results.

Scientific literacy: Role of natural history studies in constructing understanding of the nature of science

Science.gov (United States)

Lutz, Martha Victoria Rosett

2002-01-01

Scientific literacy is a central goal of science education. One purpose of this investigation was to reevaluate the definition of 'scientific literacy.' Another purpose was to develop and implement new curriculum involving natural history experiments with insects, with the goal of allowing students opportunities to construct an understanding of the nature of science, a crucial aspect of scientific literacy. This investigation was a qualitative case study. Methods of data collection included direct observations, analysis of sketches and written products created by students and class-room teachers, and analysis of audio tapes. Major findings include: (1) Scientific literacy is generally defined by lists of factual information which students are expected to master. When asked to evaluate their knowledge of selected items on a list published in a science education reform curriculum guide, 15 practicing scientists reported lack of familiarity or comprehension with many items, with the exception of items within their areas of specialization. (2) Genuine natural history experiments using insects can be incorporated into the existing school schedule and need not require any increase in the budget for science materials. (3) Students as young as first through third grade can learn the manual techniques and conceptual skills necessary for designing and conducting original natural history experiments, including manipulating the insects, making accurate sketches, developing test able hypotheses, recording data, and drawing conclusions from their data. Students were generally enthusiastic both about working with live insects and also conducting genuine science experiments. (4) Girls appear both positive and engaged with natural history activities and may be more likely than boys to follow through on designing, conducting, and reporting on independent experiments. The results imply that a valid definition of scientific literacy should be based on the ability to acquire scientific

Hydroaerothermal investigations conducted in the USSR to justify the construction of large cooling towers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goncharov, V.V.

1989-01-01

The multi-purpose task of improving water cooling systems of thermal and nuclear power plants is aimed at the development of efficient designs of cooling towers and other types of industrial coolers which call for comprehensive scientific justification. Cooling towers of 60-70 thou m 3 /h capacity with a chimney height of 130 m and those of 80-100 thou m 3 /h capacity with a chimney height of 150 m were developed. For circulating water systems of large power plants the design of a counterflow chimney cooling tower of 180 thou m 3 /h capacity has been recently developed. At present the work is being conducted on developing a new three-cell cooling tower featuring high reliability, operational flexibility and cost-effectiveness of the design. This cooling tower, besides having higher operating reliability than the conventional one of circular shape, can ensure the commissioning, current repairs and overhauls of water cooling arrangements in a cell-wise sequence, i.e. without shutting down the power generating units. Laboratory and field investigations of the spray-type cooling towers having no packing (fill), studies on heat and mass exchanges processes, aerodynamics of droplet flows and new designs of sprayers made it possible to come to a conclusion that their cooling capacity can be substantially increased and brought up to the level of the cooling towers with film packings. The pilot cooling towers were designed according to the counterflow, crossflow and cross-counterflow schemes. The basic investigation method remains to be the experimental one. On the test rigs and aerodynamic models the heat and mass transfer and aerodynamic resistance coefficients are determined. These studies and subsequent calculations are based on the heat balance equation

Guidelines for conducting bulletproof workplace investigations: part I--preparation and interviewing issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Michael S; Koen, Clifford M

2012-01-01

Conducting proper and thorough investigations is one of the most important and most difficult responsibilities for today's health care manager in terms of avoiding or successfully defending lawsuits. This article provides guidance for managers on how to use proper interview and investigative techniques while avoiding a violation of employees' rights to privacy. Suggestions are provided on how to protect confidential information obtained by the investigation. Interview questions that may be asked during the investigation are provided. By asking appropriate questions and documenting all aspects of the investigative process, employers can provide useful information to their legal counsel and be on the winning side if the situation results in litigation.

Investigations of safety risks in converted electric vehicles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bolech, M.; Foster, D.L.; Lange, R. de; Rodarius, C.

2010-01-01

Within the departments Environmentally Sustainable Transport and Automotive of TNO (Netherlands organisation for applied scientific research) several projects investigating safety aspects of electric vehicles have been conducted, including one in cooperation with KEMA and RDW of the Netherlands.

Improving the scientific misconduct hearing process.

Science.gov (United States)

Parrish, D M

The overturning and withdrawal of several of the Office of Research Integrity's (ORI's) findings of scientific misconduct have called its role into question. The contested findings of scientific misconduct that have been tried before the hearing body have been based on lengthy and expensive ORI investigations. How could ORI have failed to prove its findings of scientific misconduct after the commitment of substantial resources that far exceed those devoted during institutional investigations? One reason may be that the current hearing process makes it difficult or impossible for ORI, institutions, or individuals to prove scientific misconduct. The hearing process has been criticized by discouraged whistleblowers who believe that their allegations of scientific misconduct should have been upheld, and by the accused for the expensive and protracted nature of the proceedings. The following article examines problems in the scientific misconduct hearing process and suggests that the process could be improved by letting administrative law judges, patent attorneys, and a scientific majority decide these cases.

Pre-Service Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Metaphors on Scientific Research and Foundations of Their Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Bas, Fatih

2016-01-01

In this study, it is aimed to investigate pre-service elementary mathematics teachers' perceptions about scientific research with metaphor analysis and determine the foundations of these perceptions. This phenomenological study was conducted with 182 participants. The data were collected with two open-ended survey forms formed for investigating…

[Project evidência [evidence]: research and education about accessing scientific databases in Azores].

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Hélia; Pereira, Sandra M; Neves, Ajuda; Gomes, Amy; Teixeira, Bruno; Oliveira, Carolina; Sousa, Fábio; Tavares, Márcio; Tavares, Patrícia; Dutra, Raquel; Pereira, Hélder Rocha

2013-04-01

Project Evidência [Evidence] intends to promote the use of scientific databases among nurses. This study aims to design educational interventions that facilitate nurses' access to these databases, to determine nurses' habits regarding the use of scientific databases, and to determine the impact that educational interventions on scientific databases have on Azorean nurses who volunteered for this project. An intervention project was conducted, and a quantitative descriptive survey was designed to evaluate the impact two and five months after the educational intervention. This impact was investigated considering certain aspects, namely, the nurses' knowledge, habits and reasons for using scientific databases. A total of 192 nurses participated in this study, and the primary results indicate that the educational intervention had a positive impact based not only on the increased frequency of using platforms or databases of scientific information (DSIs) s but also on the competence and self-awareness regarding its use and consideration of the reasons for accessing this information.

Funding food science and nutrition research: financial conflicts and scientific integrity.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Sylvia; Alexander, Nick; Clydesdale, Fergus; Applebaum, Rhona; Atkinson, Stephanie; Black, Richard; Dwyer, Johanna; Hentges, Eric; Higley, Nancy; Lefevre, Michael; Lupton, Joanne; Miller, Sanford; Tancredi, Doris; Weaver, Connie; Woteki, Catherine; Wedral, Elaine

2009-05-01

There has been significant public debate about the susceptibility of research to biases of various kinds. The dialogue has extended to the peer-reviewed literature, scientific conferences, the mass media, government advisory bodies, and beyond. While biases can come from myriad sources, the overwhelming focus of the discussion, to date, has been on industry-funded science. Given the critical role that industry has played and will continue to play in the research process, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) North America Working Group on Guiding Principles has, in this paper, set out proposed conflict-of-interest guidelines, regarding industry funding, for protecting the integrity and credibility of the scientific record, particularly with respect to health, nutrition, and food-safety science. Eight principles are enumerated, specifying ground rules for industry-sponsored research. The paper, which issues a challenge to the broader scientific community to address all bias issues, is only a first step; the document is intended to be dynamic, prompting ongoing discussion and refinement. The Guiding Principles are as follows. In the conduct of public/private research relationships, all relevant parties shall: 1) conduct or sponsor research that is factual, transparent, and designed objectively; according to accepted principles of scientific inquiry, the research design will generate an appropriately phrased hypothesis and the research will answer the appropriate questions, rather than favor a particular outcome; 2) require control of both study design and research itself to remain with scientific investigators; 3) not offer or accept remuneration geared to the outcome of a research project; 4) prior to the commencement of studies, ensure that there is a written agreement that the investigative team has the freedom and obligation to attempt to publish the findings within some specified time-frame; 5) require, in publications and conference presentations

Funding food science and nutrition research: financial conflicts and scientific integrity.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Sylvia; Alexander, Nick; Clydesdale, Fergus M; Applebaum, Rhona S; Atkinson, Stephanie; Black, Richard M; Dwyer, Johanna T; Hentges, Eric; Higley, Nancy A; Lefevre, Michael; Lupton, Joanne R; Miller, Sanford A; Tancredi, Doris L; Weaver, Connie M; Woteki, Catherine E; Wedral, Elaine

2009-05-01

There has been significant public debate about the susceptibility of research to biases of various kinds. The dialogue has extended to the peer-reviewed literature, scientific conferences, the mass media, government advisory bodies, and beyond. Whereas biases can come from myriad sources, the overwhelming focus of the discussion to date has been on industry-funded science. Given the critical role that industry has played and will continue to play in the research process, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) North America Working Group on Guiding Principles has, in this article, proposed conflict-of-interest guidelines regarding industry funding to protect the integrity and credibility of the scientific record, particularly with respect to health, nutrition, and food-safety science. Eight principles are enumerated, which specify the ground rules for industry-sponsored research. This article, which issues a challenge to the broader scientific community to address all bias issues, is only a first step; the document is intended to be dynamic, prompting ongoing discussion and refinement. In the conduct of public/private research relationships, all relevant parties shall 1) conduct or sponsor research that is factual, transparent, and designed objectively, and, according to accepted principles of scientific inquiry, the research design will generate an appropriately phrased hypothesis and the research will answer the appropriate questions, rather than favor a particular outcome; 2) require control of both study design and research itself to remain with scientific investigators; 3) not offer or accept remuneration geared to the outcome of a research project; 4) ensure, before the commencement of studies, that there is a written agreement that the investigative team has the freedom and obligation to attempt to publish the findings within some specified time frame; 5) require, in publications and conference presentations, full signed disclosure of all financial

Maximizing scientific knowledge from randomized clinical trials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gustafsson, Finn; Atar, Dan; Pitt, Bertram

2010-01-01

Trialists have an ethical and financial responsibility to plan and conduct clinical trials in a manner that will maximize the scientific knowledge gained from the trial. However, the amount of scientific information generated by randomized clinical trials in cardiovascular medicine is highly vari...

[Scientific medical forum as important source of scientific-information provision for innovation processes in the healthcare sector of Ukraine].

Science.gov (United States)

Horban', A Ie; Zakrut'ko, L I; Uvarenko, S V; Prysiazhniuk, L V

2013-12-01

The article made a retrospective analysis of the scientific medical forums (congresses, symposia and scientific conferences) in the healthcare sector of Ukraine in 2008-2012, planned by higher medical schools and post-graduate medical education schools, scientific institutions of Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine, National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine, medical associations and scientific and medical societies. Quantitative and qualitative assessment was carried out of the effectiveness of their implementation, provided suggestions for improving the planning and conducting of medical research forums.

Thermal conductivity model for powdered materials under vacuum based on experimental studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Sakatani

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The thermal conductivity of powdered media is characteristically very low in vacuum, and is effectively dependent on many parameters of their constituent particles and packing structure. Understanding of the heat transfer mechanism within powder layers in vacuum and theoretical modeling of their thermal conductivity are of great importance for several scientific and engineering problems. In this paper, we report the results of systematic thermal conductivity measurements of powdered media of varied particle size, porosity, and temperature under vacuum using glass beads as a model material. Based on the obtained experimental data, we investigated the heat transfer mechanism in powdered media in detail, and constructed a new theoretical thermal conductivity model for the vacuum condition. This model enables an absolute thermal conductivity to be calculated for a powder with the input of a set of powder parameters including particle size, porosity, temperature, and compressional stress or gravity, and vice versa. Our model is expected to be a competent tool for several scientific and engineering fields of study related to powders, such as the thermal infrared observation of air-less planetary bodies, thermal evolution of planetesimals, and performance of thermal insulators and heat storage powders.

Experimental Investigation of Electrical Conductivity and Permittivity of SC-TiO 2 -EG Nanofluids

Science.gov (United States)

Fal, Jacek; Barylyak, Adriana; Besaha, Khrystyna; Bobitski, Yaroslav V.; Cholewa, Marian; Zawlik, Izabela; Szmuc, Kamil; Cebulski, Józef; żyła, Gaweł

2016-08-01

The paper presents experimental studies of dielectric properties of nanofluids based on ethylene glycol and SC-TiO2 nanoparticles with average size of 15-40 nm with various mass concentrations. The dielectric permittivity both real part and imaginary part as a function of temperature and frequency were measured. Also, dependence ac conductivity on frequency, temperature, and mass concentration were investigated. Based on the curves of ac conductivity, dc conductivity was calculated, and 400 % enhancement in dc conductivity was exposed.

The state of the scientific criminal investigation using SPring-8 and the future prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninomiya, Toshio

2007-01-01

For the judgements in the scientific criminal investigations, non-destructive and high-sensitivity analysis methods are often necessary to get information from tiny samples. The synchrotron radiation from the SPring-8 storage ring is a powerful tool for these purposes. Some examples of the utilization of the synchrotron radiation as criminal investigation methods are presented: (1) The organic microanalysis of drugs by the high-energy micro-beam fluorescence X-ray analysis method, (2) The analysis of car paint pigments by the high-energy micro-beam fluorescence X-ray analysis method, (3) The X-ray diffraction analysis of medicines, (4) The spectral analysis of the fragment of standard glass materials by the high-energy micro-beam fluorescence X-ray analysis method, and (5) The element distribution measurement on hairs by the fluorescence X-ray analysis method. (K.Y.)

32 CFR 154.26 - Investigations conducted and clearances granted by other agencies of the Federal government.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Investigations conducted and clearances granted by other agencies of the Federal government. (a) Whenever a prior... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Investigations conducted and clearances granted by other agencies of the Federal government. 154.26 Section 154.26 National Defense Department of...

Neuroscience Investigations: An Overview of Studies Conducted

Science.gov (United States)

Reschke, Millard F.

1999-01-01

The neural processes that mediate human spatial orientation and adaptive changes occurring in response to the sensory rearrangement encountered during orbital flight are primarily studied through second and third order responses. In the Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project (EDOMP) neuroscience investigations, the following were measured: (1) eye movements during acquisition of either static or moving visual targets, (2) postural and locomotor responses provoked by unexpected movement of the support surface, changes in the interaction of visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular information, changes in the major postural muscles via descending pathways, or changes in locomotor pathways, and (3) verbal reports of perceived self-orientation and self-motion which enhance and complement conclusions drawn from the analysis of oculomotor, postural, and locomotor responses. In spaceflight operations, spatial orientation can be defined as situational awareness, where crew member perception of attitude, position, or motion of the spacecraft or other objects in three-dimensional space, including orientation of one's own body, is congruent with actual physical events. Perception of spatial orientation is determined by integrating information from several sensory modalities. This involves higher levels of processing within the central nervous system that control eye movements, locomotion, and stable posture. Spaceflight operational problems occur when responses to the incorrectly perceived spatial orientation are compensatory in nature. Neuroscience investigations were conducted in conjunction with U. S. Space Shuttle flights to evaluate possible changes in the ability of an astronaut to land the Shuttle or effectively perform an emergency post-landing egress following microgravity adaptation during space flights of variable length. While the results of various sensory motor and spatial orientation tests could have an impact on future space flights, our knowledge of

Accelerating the scientific exploration process with scientific workflows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altintas, Ilkay; Barney, Oscar; Cheng, Zhengang; Critchlow, Terence; Ludaescher, Bertram; Parker, Steve; Shoshani, Arie; Vouk, Mladen

2006-01-01

Although an increasing amount of middleware has emerged in the last few years to achieve remote data access, distributed job execution, and data management, orchestrating these technologies with minimal overhead still remains a difficult task for scientists. Scientific workflow systems improve this situation by creating interfaces to a variety of technologies and automating the execution and monitoring of the workflows. Workflow systems provide domain-independent customizable interfaces and tools that combine different tools and technologies along with efficient methods for using them. As simulations and experiments move into the petascale regime, the orchestration of long running data and compute intensive tasks is becoming a major requirement for the successful steering and completion of scientific investigations. A scientific workflow is the process of combining data and processes into a configurable, structured set of steps that implement semi-automated computational solutions of a scientific problem. Kepler is a cross-project collaboration, co-founded by the SciDAC Scientific Data Management (SDM) Center, whose purpose is to develop a domain-independent scientific workflow system. It provides a workflow environment in which scientists design and execute scientific workflows by specifying the desired sequence of computational actions and the appropriate data flow, including required data transformations, between these steps. Currently deployed workflows range from local analytical pipelines to distributed, high-performance and high-throughput applications, which can be both data- and compute-intensive. The scientific workflow approach offers a number of advantages over traditional scripting-based approaches, including ease of configuration, improved reusability and maintenance of workflows and components (called actors), automated provenance management, 'smart' re-running of different versions of workflow instances, on-the-fly updateable parameters, monitoring

Investigation of surface treatment of conductive wire in cylindrical atmospheric pressure plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye Rubin; Kagohashi, Tsutomu; Zheng Wei

2009-01-01

Polyethylene insulated electric wire was treated in He and Ar dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric pressure plasmas generated in a quartz tube wound with tubular electrodes. The wire was put penetrating through the high voltage and the grounded electrodes, improving the discharge and facilitating uniform surface treatment. In this work, the influences of conductivity of the wire on the effects of surface treatment and discharge behavior were investigated. Surface properties of the wire samples were analyzed by means of surface energy measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In order to reveal the mechanism for treating the conductive wire, I-V discharge waveforms were measured and time-resolved plasma images were taken. It was demonstrated that the conductive wire was involved in the discharge process, reducing the breakdown voltage significantly and enhancing the discharge. It shows that the discharge mode was strongly dependent on the conductivity of a wire. Intensive surface discharges developed along the conductive wire were found to be mainly responsible for noticeable improvement in the treatment effect.

The paradox of scientific expertise

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alrøe, Hugo Fjelsted; Noe, Egon

2011-01-01

Modern societies depend on a growing production of scientific knowledge, which is based on the functional differentiation of science into still more specialised scientific disciplines and subdisciplines. This is the basis for the paradox of scientific expertise: The growth of science leads to a f...... cross-disciplinary research and in the collective use of different kinds of scientific expertise, and thereby make society better able to solve complex, real-world problems.......Modern societies depend on a growing production of scientific knowledge, which is based on the functional differentiation of science into still more specialised scientific disciplines and subdisciplines. This is the basis for the paradox of scientific expertise: The growth of science leads...... to a fragmentation of scientific expertise. To resolve this paradox, the present paper investigates three hypotheses: 1) All scientific knowledge is perspectival. 2) The perspectival structure of science leads to specific forms of knowledge asymmetries. 3) Such perspectival knowledge asymmetries must be handled...

Science and Scientific Curiosity in Pre-school—The teacher's point of view

Science.gov (United States)

Spektor-Levy, Ornit; Kesner Baruch, Yael; Mevarech, Zemira

2013-09-01

Nowadays, early science education is well-accepted by researchers, education professionals and policy makers. Overall, teachers' attitudes and conceptions toward the science subject domain and science education influence their ways of teaching and engagement. However, there is a lack of research regarding factors that affect this engagement in pre-school years. The main assumption of this study is that teachers' attitudes regarding science in pre-school can shape children's engagement in science and develop their scientific curiosity. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to investigate the attitudes of pre-school teachers toward engaging in science and to explore their views about the nature of curiosity: who is a curious child and how can a child's natural curiosity be fostered? An extensive survey was conducted among 146 pre-school teachers by employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Results indicate that most of the participants believe that scientific education should begin in early childhood; very young children can investigate and take part in a process of inquiry; and scientific activities in pre-school can influence children's long-term attitudes toward science. Despite these views, most participants felt they did not possess sufficient scientific knowledge. Furthermore, participants expressed diverse opinions when asked to identify what constitutes curiosity, how the curious child can be identified and how a child's curiosity can be fostered. The research findings carry significant implications regarding how to implement scientific activities in pre-school, and how to encourage pre-school teachers to engage children in scientific activities in a way that will nurture their natural curiosity.

Social Conduct Scale (SCS: a psychometric investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Tozzi Reppold

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The social conduct of an individual comprises all the interpersonal behaviors that he or she exhibits in the social contexts he or she is exposed to. The Social Conduct Scale (SCS is a self-report instrument developed to provide researchers and clinicians with information on prosocial, antisocial and oppositional-defiant tendencies of Portuguese-speaking children and adolescents. In the present study, we conducted an analysis of the criterion validity of the SCS by comparing the scores obtained from a large population-based sample (N= 1,172 against an offender (N= 129, a scholar (N= 31, and a clinic-referred (N= 24 sample of adolescents with marked previous conduct problems. As expected, antisocial youths had significantly higher means on antisocial behaviors and lower means on prosocial tendencies when compared to the population-based sample. Overall, findings supported the hypothesized criterion validity of the SCS. The instrument might play a role as a helpful resource for researchers, clinicians and practitioners interested in assessing the social conduct of Brazilian children and adolescents.

Investigation on two abnormal phenomena about thermal conductivity enhancement of BN/EG nanofluids.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yanjiao; Zhou, Jing'en; Luo, Zhifeng; Tung, Simon; Schneider, Eric; Wu, Jiangtao; Li, Xiaojing

2011-07-09

The thermal conductivity of boron nitride/ethylene glycol (BN/EG) nanofluids was investigated by transient hot-wire method and two abnormal phenomena was reported. One is the abnormal higher thermal conductivity enhancement for BN/EG nanofluids at very low-volume fraction of particles, and the other is the thermal conductivity enhancement of BN/EG nanofluids synthesized with large BN nanoparticles (140 nm) which is higher than that synthesized with small BN nanoparticles (70 nm). The chain-like loose aggregation of nanoparticles is responsible for the abnormal increment of thermal conductivity enhancement for the BN/EG nanofluids at very low particles volume fraction. And the difference in specific surface area and aspect ratio of BN nanoparticles may be the main reasons for the abnormal difference between thermal conductivity enhancements for BN/EG nanofluids prepared with 140- and 70-nm BN nanoparticles, respectively.

Scientific Discoveries the Year I Was Born

Science.gov (United States)

Cherif, Abour

2012-01-01

The author has successfully used a learning activity titled "The Year I Was Born" to motivate students to conduct historical research and present key scientific discoveries from their birth year. The activity promotes writing, helps students enhance their scientific literacy, and also improves their attitude toward the learning of science. As one…

Adherence to Scientific Method while Advancing Exposure Science

Science.gov (United States)

Paul Lioy was simultaneously a staunch adherent to the scientific method and an innovator of new ways to conduct science, particularly related to human exposure. Current challenges to science and the application of the scientific method are presented as they relate the approaches...

Instructional scientific humor in the secondary classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Wizner, Francine

This study is an examination of the manner in which educators employ scientific content humor and how that humor is perceived by their students. Content humor is a useful strategy in drawing the attention of students and improving their receptivity toward scientific information. It is also a useful tool in combating the growing distractions of the electronic classroom. Previous studies have found that humor has a positive effect on knowledge, memory, and understanding. However, few studies have been conducted below the undergraduate level and mainly quantitative measures of student recall have been used to measure learning. This study employed multiple data sources to determine how two secondary biology teachers used humor in order to explain scientific concepts and how their students perceived their teachers' use of scientific instructional humor. Evidence of student humor reception was collected from four students in each of the two classes. All of the scientific instructional humor used in the studied classrooms was cognitive in nature, varying among factual, procedural, conceptual, and metacognitive knowledge. Teachers tended to use dialogic forms of humor. Their scientific humor reflected everyday experiences, presented queries, poked fun at authority, and asked students to search out new perspectives and perform thought experiments. Teachers were the primary actors in performing the humorous events. The events were sometimes physical exaggerations of words or drawings, and they occurred for the purpose of establishing rapport or having students make connections between scientific concepts and prior knowledge. Student perceptions were that teachers did employ humor toward instructional objectives that helped their learning. Helping students become critical thinkers is a trademark of science teachers. Science teachers who take the risk of adopting some attributes of comedians may earn the reward of imparting behaviors on their students like critical thinking

The profile of high school students’ scientific literacy on fluid dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Parno; Yuliati, L.; Munfaridah, N.

2018-05-01

This study aims to describe the profile of scientific literacy of high school students on Fluid Dynamics materials. Scientific literacy is one of the ability to solve daily problems in accordance with the context of materials related to science and technology. The study was conducted on 90 high school students in Sumbawa using survey design. Data were collected using an instrument of scientific literacy for high school students on dynamic fluid materials. Data analysis was conducted descriptively to determine the students’ profile of scientific literacy. The results showed that high school students’ scientific literacy on Fluid Dynamics materials was in the low category. The highest average is obtained on indicators of scientific literacy i.e. the ability to interpret data and scientific evidence. The ability of scientific literacy is related to the mastery of concepts and learning experienced by students, therefore it is necessary to use learning that can trace this ability such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Experiences of Scientific Thinking in Physics Classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Fagundes Faria

2018-04-01

Full Text Available There is a contemporary demand on STEM education to support learning experiences in which students use scientific thinking to solve tasks. Scientific thinking involves domain-specific knowledge and general domain strategies of thinking. The object of interest in this research was the set of students’ experiences of scientific thinking in which they articulate domain-general strategies and domain-specific knowledge to solve physics tasks. Our goal was to characterize the experiences of scientific thinking of two groups of four students engaged in tasks about Newtonian Mechanics. The volunteers were 19 students, 15-17 years old, enrolled in electronics or computer science courses (11th grade of a Brazilian vocational high school at Belo Horizonte/Minas Gerais. All class activities proposed to the students have been regularly used since 2010, therefore, we made no special intervention to conduct the study. Data collection occurred during the classes and involved audio and video recordings of students working in group; field notes; and photographs of students’ notebooks and of the posters they made to conduct oral presentations. The choice of the groups was based on how assiduous the members were. We have transcribed episodes in which we identified experiences of scientific thinking. These transcriptions, the field notes and the photographs were analyzed together, in interaction with each other. Data analysis is based upon John Dewey’s Theory of Experience. Our results show that the experiences of scientific thinking of the two groups were educative experiences, although qualitatively different. This difference was due to the way students interacted with the conditions given to solve the tasks. Additional information is given about the school circumstances in which the study was conducted to allow a better evaluation of results quality.

Management of scientific and engineering data collected during site characterization of a potential high-level waste repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newbury, C.M.; Heitland, G.W.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses the characterization of Yucca Mountain as a potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository encompasses many diverse investigations to determine the nature of the site. Laboratory and on-site investigations are being conducted of the geology, hydrology, mineralogy, paleoclimate, geotechnical properties, and past use of the area, to name a few. Effective use of the data from these investigations requires development of a system for the collection, storage, and dissemination of those scientific and engineering data needed to support model development, design, and performance assessment. The time and budgetary constraints associated with this project make sharing of technical data within the geoscience community absolutely critical to the successful solution of the complex scientific problem challenging us

Investigation on two abnormal phenomena about thermal conductivity enhancement of BN/EG nanofluids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu Jiangtao

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The thermal conductivity of boron nitride/ethylene glycol (BN/EG nanofluids was investigated by transient hot-wire method and two abnormal phenomena was reported. One is the abnormal higher thermal conductivity enhancement for BN/EG nanofluids at very low-volume fraction of particles, and the other is the thermal conductivity enhancement of BN/EG nanofluids synthesized with large BN nanoparticles (140 nm which is higher than that synthesized with small BN nanoparticles (70 nm. The chain-like loose aggregation of nanoparticles is responsible for the abnormal increment of thermal conductivity enhancement for the BN/EG nanofluids at very low particles volume fraction. And the difference in specific surface area and aspect ratio of BN nanoparticles may be the main reasons for the abnormal difference between thermal conductivity enhancements for BN/EG nanofluids prepared with 140- and 70-nm BN nanoparticles, respectively.

Introductory Biology Textbooks Under-Represent Scientific Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dara B. Duncan

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Attrition of undergraduates from Biology majors is a long-standing problem. Introductory courses that fail to engage students or spark their curiosity by emphasizing the open-ended and creative nature of biological investigation and discovery could contribute to student detachment from the field. Our hypothesis was that introductory biology books devote relatively few figures to illustration of the design and interpretation of experiments or field studies, thereby de-emphasizing the scientific process.To investigate this possibility, we examined figures in six Introductory Biology textbooks published in 2008. On average, multistep scientific investigations were presented in fewer than 5% of the hundreds of figures in each book. Devoting such a small percentage of figures to the processes by which discoveries are made discourages an emphasis on scientific thinking. We suggest that by increasing significantly the illustration of scientific investigations, textbooks could support undergraduates’ early interest in biology, stimulate the development of design and analytical skills, and inspire some students to participate in investigations of their own.

16 CFR 5.55 - Conduct of investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ORGANIZATION, PROCEDURES AND RULES OF PRACTICE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT Disciplinary Actions Concerning Postemployment Conflict of Interest § 5.55 Conduct of... to part 2 of these rules. He may also recommend that the Commission issue compulsory process in...

Ethical muscle and scientific interests: a role for philosophy in scientific research.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaposy, Chris

2008-03-01

Ethics, a branch of philosophy, has a place in the regulatory framework of human subjects research. Sometimes, however, ethical concepts and arguments play a more central role in scientific activity. This can happen, for example, when violations of research norms are also ethical violations. In such a situation, ethical arguments can be marshaled to improve the quality of the scientific research. I explore two different examples in which philosophers and scientists have used ethical arguments to plead for epistemological improvements in the conduct of research. The first example deals with research dishonesty in pharmaceutical development. The second example is concerned with neuropsychological research using fMRI technology.

Fostering Upper Secondary Students' Ability to Engage in Practices of Scientific Investigation: a Comparative Analysis of an Explicit and an Implicit Instructional Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Vorholzer, Andreas; von Aufschnaiter, Claudia; Boone, William J.

2018-02-01

Inquiry-based teaching is considered as contributing to content-related, procedural, and epistemic learning goals of science education. In this study, a quasi-experimental research design was utilized to investigate to what extent embedding inquiry activities in an explicit and an implicit instructional approach fosters students' ability to engage in three practices of scientific investigation (POSI): (1) formulating questions and hypotheses, (2) planning investigations, (3) analyzing and interpreting data. Both approaches were implemented in a classroom-based intervention conducted in a German upper secondary school (N = 222). Students' procedural knowledge of the three POSI was assessed with a paper-pencil test prior and post to the intervention, their content knowledge and dispositional factors (e.g., cognitive abilities) were gathered once. Results show that not only explicit but also implicit instruction fosters students' knowledge of POSI. While overall explicit instruction was found to be more effective, the findings indicate that the effectiveness depends considerably on the practice addressed. Moreover, findings suggest that both approaches were equally beneficial for all students regardless of their prior content knowledge and their prior procedural knowledge of POSI. Potential conditions for the success of explicit and implicit approaches as well as implications for instruction on POSI in science classrooms and for future research are discussed.

Scientific activities in and about Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Graversen, Ebbe Krogh; Pedersen, Asger Dalsgaard

2018-01-01

This report presents the results of an investigation and analysis of opportunities, strengths and challenges of scientific activities involving Greenland as a research area or research object relative to other Arctic areas.......This report presents the results of an investigation and analysis of opportunities, strengths and challenges of scientific activities involving Greenland as a research area or research object relative to other Arctic areas....

I Can Make a Scientific Research: A Course about Scientific Research Methods, in Which Learning Management System (LMS) Is Used

Science.gov (United States)

Özden, Bülent

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in the perception of teacher candidates towards scientific research process and their self-efficacy in this process, during Scientific Research Methods course that has been conducted using "Learning Management System" based on out-of-class learning activities. Being designed as a…

Investigation of thermal conductivity and rheological properties of nanofluids containing graphene nanoplatelets

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

In the present study, stable homogeneous graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) nanofluids were prepared without any surfactant by high-power ultrasonic (probe) dispersion of GNPs in distilled water. The concentrations of nanofluids were maintained at 0.025, 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1 wt.% for three different specific surface areas of 300, 500, and 750 m2/g. Transmission electron microscopy image shows that the suspensions are homogeneous and most of the materials have been well dispersed. The stability of nanofluid was investigated using a UV-visible spectrophotometer in a time span of 600 h, and zeta potential after dispersion had been investigated to elucidate its role on dispersion characteristics. The rheological properties of GNP nanofluids approach Newtonian and non-Newtonian behaviors where viscosity decreases linearly with the rise of temperature. The thermal conductivity results show that the dispersed nanoparticles can always enhance the thermal conductivity of the base fluid, and the highest enhancement was obtained to be 27.64% in the concentration of 0.1 wt.% of GNPs with a specific surface area of 750 m2/g. Electrical conductivity of the GNP nanofluids shows a significant enhancement by dispersion of GNPs in distilled water. This novel type of nanofluids shows outstanding potential for replacements as advanced heat transfer fluids in medium temperature applications including solar collectors and heat exchanger systems. PMID:24410867

Computer application in scientific investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Govorun, N.N.

1981-01-01

A short review of the computer development and application and software in JINR for the last 15 years is presented. Main trends of studies on computer application in experimental and theoretical investigations are enumerated: software of computers and their systems, software of data processing systems, designing automatic and automized systems for measuring track detectors images, development of technique of carrying out experiments on computer line, packets of applied computer codes and specialized systems. The development of the on line technique is successfully used in investigations of nuclear processes at relativistic energies. The new trend is the development of television methods of data output and its computer recording [ru

Supporting students' scientific explanations: A case study investigating the synergy focusing on a teacher's practices when providing instruction and using mobile devices

Science.gov (United States)

Delen, Ibrahim

Engage students in constructing scientific practices is a critical component of science instruction. Therefore a number of researchers have developed software programs to help students and teachers in this hard task. The Zydeco group, designed a mobile application called Zydeco, which enables students to collect data inside and outside the classroom, and then use the data to create scientific explanations by using claim-evidence-reasoning framework. Previous technologies designed to support scientific explanations focused on how these programs improve students' scientific explanations, but these programs ignored how scientific explanation technologies can support teacher practices. Thus, to increase our knowledge how different scaffolds can work together, this study aimed to portray the synergy between a teacher's instructional practices (part 1) and using supports within a mobile devices (part 2) to support students in constructing explanations. Synergy can be thought of as generic and content-specific scaffolds working together to enable students to accomplish challenging tasks, such as creating explanations that they would not normally be able to do without the scaffolds working together. Providing instruction (part 1) focused on understanding how the teacher scaffolds students' initial understanding of the claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) framework. The second component of examining synergy (part 2: using mobile devices) investigated how this teacher used mobile devices to provide feedback when students created explanations. The synergy between providing instruction and using mobile devices was investigated by analyzing a middle school teacher's practices in two different units (plants and water quality). Next, this study focused on describing how the level of synergy influenced the quality of students' scientific explanations. Finally, I investigated the role of focused teaching intervention sessions to inform teacher in relation to students' performance. In

EFEKTIVITAS PENDEKATAN SAINTIFIK BERBASIS GROUP INVESTIGATION DAN DISCOVERY LEARNING DITINJAU DARI MINAT BELAJAR MAHASISWA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ira Vahlia

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Appropriate learning models contribute to student learning interest in math. The purpose of this study is to describe the difference in effectiveness between scientific approach based on group investigation and discovery in terms of student's interest in learning. The research that is conducted is quasi experimental research and the design used is 2 x factorial description. In experimental class I that apply scientific approach model based on study group investigation obtained the average value of learning outcome of 66.60 while in the experimental class II applying the approach Science-based discovery learning obtained the average value of posttest of 76.28. Based on the marginal rate, the scientific approach to discovery-based learning on moderate interest in learning outcomes is higher than the learning outcomes at high and low interest. In the scientific approach based on group study investigation and discovery learning there are differences in average learning outcomes between high, medium and low interest. Scientific approach based on group investigation learning on higher interest in learning outcomes is higher than moderate and low interest.

Preparation, characterization and application of novel proton conducting ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Siwei

Due to the immediate energy shortage and the requirement of environment protection nowadays, the efficient, effective and environmental friendly use of current energy sources is urgent. Energy conversion and storage is thus an important focus both for industry and academia. As one of the hydrogen energy related materials, proton conducting ceramics can be applied in solid oxide fuel cells and steam electrolysers, as well as high temperature hydrogen separation membranes and hydrogen sensors. For most of the practical applications, both high proton conductivity and chemical stability are desirable. However, the state-of-the-art proton conducting ceramics are facing great challenges in simultaneously fulfilling conductivity and stability requirements for practical applications. Consequently, understanding the properties for the proton conducting ceramics and developing novel materials that possess both high proton conductivity and enhanced chemical stability have both scientific and practical significances. The objective of this study is to develop novel proton conducting ceramics, either by evaluating the doping effects on the state-of-the-art simple perovskite structured barium cerates, or by investigating novel complex perovskite structured Ba3Ca1.18Nb1.82O 9-delta based proton conductors as potential proton conducting ceramics with improved proton conductivity and enhanced chemical stability. Different preparation methods were compared, and their influence on the structure, including the bulk and grain boundary environment has been investigated. In addition, the effects of microstructure on the electrical properties of the proton conducting ceramics have also been characterized. The solid oxide fuel cell application for the proton conducting ceramics performed as electrolyte membranes has been demonstrated.

42 CFR 136.410 - Who conducts the background investigation and prepares determinations of eligibility for employment?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... SERVICES INDIAN HEALTH Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention § 136.410 Who conducts the... private firms, or may request that a Federal or State agency conduct investigations. (FBI criminal history...

[Factors related to the scientific production of gastroenterologists in Lima-Peru].

Science.gov (United States)

Parra Pérez, V; Monge Salgado, E; Vildósola Gonzales, H

2009-01-01

The biomedical investigation in Peru is limited; among the implicated factors we have the reduced per-capita expense in investigation, the disperse efforts and the low communication between the investigations and the social productive activities. To determinate the personal, professional and academic factors related with the scientific production of the medical gastroenterologists that work in province Lima. Co-relational, observational, comparative, transversal and retrospective studies that had happened in between march 2007 and april 2008. Was elaborated a survey containing the variables of the investigation which was applied autoadministered to the gastroenterologists. Using bivaried and multivaried, were identified factors related with the scientific production of the gastroenterologist. The bivaried analysis has found, as related factors with the scientific production: Teaching, type of bibliographic research, degree of comprehension of the scientific article, facilities for the investigation at the job, subscription at the scientific magazine, to belong to the scientific society and the number of employments. The multivaried analysis found the previous factors but teaching and subscription to the scientific magazine, related with the scientific production. Those gastroenterologists that, despite being in contact with factors that impede the development of the investigation, had overcome the local negative influence and emerge, deserve consideration, because is on them were we can recognize factors that favor the investigation labor.

Ground-penetrating radar investigations conducted in the 100 areas, Hanford Site: Fiscal Year 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergstrom, K.A.

1994-01-01

During Fiscal Year 1992, the Geophysics Group conducted forty- five Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys in the 100 Areas (Figure 1) - Objectives for the investigations varied, from locating cribs, trenches and septic systems to helping site boreholes. The results of each investigation were delivered to clients in the form of a map that summarized the interpretation of a given site. No formal reports were prepared. The purpose of this document is to show where and why each of the surveys was conducted. The data and interpretation of each survey are available by contacting the Westinghouse Hanford Company, Geophysics Group. A map showing the location and basic parameters of each survey can be found in the Appendices of this report

Investigation on the Inclusion of Socio-Scientific Acquisitions in Curriculum of Science and Technology Lesson

Science.gov (United States)

Guler, Mutlu Pinar Demirci

2013-01-01

According to its definition, socio-scientific subjects emerge during scientific and technologic developments. Besides information, attitude and value constraints are effective in decision-making processes and thus there is no consensus on socio-scientific subjects yet and it leads to social discussions. These subjects comprise decision making…

Scientific investigation in deep wells for nuclear waste disposal studies at the Meuse/Haute Marne underground research laboratory, Northeastern France

Science.gov (United States)

Delay, Jacques; Rebours, Hervé; Vinsot, Agnès; Robin, Pierre

Andra, the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency, is constructing an underground test facility to study the feasibility of a radioactive waste disposal in the Jurassic-age Callovo-Oxfordian argillites. This paper describes the processes, the methods and results of a scientific characterization program carried out from the surface via deep boreholes with the aim to build a research facility for radioactive waste disposal. In particular this paper shows the evolution of the drilling programs and the borehole set up due to the refinement of the scientific objectives from 1994 to 2004. The pre-investigation phase on the Meuse/Haute-Marne site started in 1994. It consisted in drilling seven scientific boreholes. This phase, completed in 1996, led to the first regional geological cross-section showing the main geometrical characteristics of the host rock. Investigations on the laboratory site prior to the sinking of two shafts started in November 1999. The sinking of the shafts started in September 2000 with the auxiliary shaft completed in October 2004. The experimental gallery, at a depth of 445 m in the main shaft, was in operation by end 2004. During the construction of the laboratory, two major scientific programs were initiated to improve the existing knowledge of the regional hydrogeological characteristics and to accelerate the process of data acquisition on the shales. The aim of the 2003 hydrogeological drilling program was to determine, at regional scale, the properties of groundwater transport and to sample the water in the Oxfordian and Dogger limestones. The 2003-2004 programs consisted in drilling nine deep boreholes, four of which were slanted, to achieve an accurate definition of the structural features.

International space station accomplishments update: Scientific discovery, advancing future exploration, and benefits brought home to earth

Science.gov (United States)

Thumm, Tracy; Robinson, Julie A.; Alleyne, Camille; Hasbrook, Pete; Mayo, Susan; Buckley, Nicole; Johnson-Green, Perry; Karabadzhak, George; Kamigaichi, Shigeki; Umemura, Sayaka; Sorokin, Igor V.; Zell, Martin; Istasse, Eric; Sabbagh, Jean; Pignataro, Salvatore

2014-10-01

Throughout the history of the International Space Station (ISS), crews on board have conducted a variety of scientific research and educational activities. Well into the second year of full utilization of the ISS laboratory, the trend of scientific accomplishments and educational opportunities continues to grow. More than 1500 investigations have been conducted on the ISS since the first module launched in 1998, with over 700 scientific publications. The ISS provides a unique environment for research, international collaboration and educational activities that benefit humankind. This paper will provide an up to date summary of key investigations, facilities, publications, and benefits from ISS research that have developed over the past year. Discoveries in human physiology and nutrition have enabled astronauts to return from ISS with little bone loss, even as scientists seek to better understand the new puzzle of “ocular syndrome” affecting the vision of up to half of astronauts. The geneLAB campaign will unify life sciences investigations to seek genomic, proteomic and metabolomics of the effect of microgravity on life as a whole. Combustion scientists identified a new “cold flame” phenomenon that has the potential to improve models of efficient combustion back on Earth. A significant number of instruments in Earth remote sensing and astrophysics are providing new access to data or nearing completion for launch, making ISS a significant platform for understanding of the Earth system and the universe. In addition to multidisciplinary research, the ISS partnership conducts a myriad of student led research investigations and educational activities aimed at increasing student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Over the past year, the ISS partnership compiled new statistics of the educational impact of the ISS on students around the world. More than 43 million students, from kindergarten to graduate school, with more than 28

The magnetic field investigation on the ARASE (ERG) mission: Data characteristics and initial scientific results

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuoka, A.; Teramoto, M.; Nomura, R.; Nose, M.; Fujimoto, A.; Tanaka, Y.; Shinohara, M.; Nagatsuma, T.; Shiokawa, K.; Obana, Y.; Miyoshi, Y.; Takashima, T.; Shinohara, I.

2017-12-01

The ARASE (ERG) satellite was successfully launched on December 20 2016. A fluxgate magnetometer (MGF) was built for the ARASE satellite to measure DC and low-frequency magnetic field. The requirements to the magnetic field measurements by ARASE was defined as (1) accuracy of the absolute field intensity is within 5 nT (2) angular accuracy of the field direction is within 1 degree (3) measurement frequency range is from DC to 60Hz or wider. MGF measures the vector magnetic field with the original sampling frequency of 256 Hz. The dynamic range is switched between +/-8000nT and +/- 60000nT according to the background field intensity. The MGF initial checkout was carried on January 10th 2017, when the MGF normal performance and downlinked data were confirmed. The 5-m length MAST for the sensor was deployed on 17th January. The nominal operation of MGF started in March 2017. The MGF data are calibrated based on the results from the ground experiments and in-orbit data analysis. The MGF CDF files are distributed by the ARASE Science Center and available by Space Physics Environment Data Analysis Software (SPEDAS). The acceleration process of the charged particles in the inner magnetosphere is considered to be closely related to the deformation and perturbation of the magnetic field. Accurate measurement of the magnetic field is required to understand the acceleration mechanism of the charged particles, which is one of the major scientific objectives of the ARASE mission. We designed a fluxgate magnetometer which is optimized to investigate following topics; (1) accurate measurement of the background magnetic field - the deformation of the magnetic field and its relationship with the particle acceleration. (2) MHD waves - measurement of the ULF electromagnetic waves of frequencies about 1mHz (Pc4-5), and investigation of the radiation-belt electrons radially diffused by the resonance with the ULF waves. (3) EMIC waves - measurement of the electromagnetic ion

Enhancing Eight Grade Students' Scientific Conceptual Change and Scientific Reasoning through a Web-Based Learning Program

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Ya-Wen; She, Hsiao-Ching

2009-01-01

This study reports the impacts of the Scientific Concept Construction and Reconstruction (SCCR) digital learning system on eighth grade students' concept construction, conceptual change, and scientific reasoning involving the topic of "atoms". A two-factorial experimental design was carried out to investigate the effects of the approach…

Games as a Platform for Student Participation in Authentic Scientific Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Magnussen, Rikke; Damgaard Hansen, Sidse; Planke, Tilo

2014-01-01

for student-research collaboration is to investigate if and how this type of game concept can strengthen authentic experimental practice and the creation of new knowledge in science education. Researchers and game developers tested the game in three separate high school classes (Class 1, 2, and 3). The tests...... were documented using video observations of students playing the game, qualitative interviews, and qualitative and quantitative questionnaires. The focus of the tests has been to study players' motivation and their experience of learning through participation in authentic scientific inquiry....... In questionnaires conducted in the two first test classes students found that the aspects of doing “real scientific research” and solving physics problems were the more interesting aspects of playing the game. However, designing a game that facilitates professional research collaboration while simultaneously...

Motivating Scientific Research and Development: | Ononogbu | Bio ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Scientific research is an important aspect of the function of a university lecturer. It is how he/she carries out this function that determines his/her relevance in the university system and indeed in the scientific community as a whole. Scientific research or investigation may be divided into four sections: mental exercise, ...

Experimental and numerical investigation of the effective electrical conductivity of nitrogen-doped graphene nanofluids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mehrali, Mohammad, E-mail: mohamad.mehrali@siswa.um.edu.my [University of Malaya, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Material Research Centre (Malaysia); Sadeghinezhad, Emad, E-mail: esn802001@yahoo.com [University of Malaya, Department of Mechanical Engineering (Malaysia); Rashidi, Mohammad Mehdi [Tongji University, Shanghai Automotive Wind Tunnel Center (China); Akhiani, Amir Reza; Tahan Latibari, Sara; Mehrali, Mehdi; Metselaar, Hendrik Simon Cornelis [University of Malaya, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Material Research Centre (Malaysia)

2015-06-15

Electrical conductivity is an important property for technological applications of nanofluids that have not been widely investigated, and few studies have been concerned about the electrical conductivity. In this study, nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG) nanofluids were prepared using the two-step method in an aqueous solution of 0.025 wt% Triton X-100 as a surfactant at several concentrations (0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 wt%). The electrical conductivity of the aqueous NDG nanofluids showed a linear dependence on the concentration and increased up to 1814.96 % for a loading of 0.06 wt% NDG nanosheet. From the experimental data, empirical models were developed to express the electrical conductivity as functions of temperature and concentration. It was observed that increasing the temperature has much greater effect on electrical conductivity enhancement than increasing the NDG nanosheet loading. Additionally, by considering the electrophoresis of the NDG nanosheets, a straightforward electrical conductivity model is established to modulate and understand the experimental results.

Experimental and numerical investigation of the effective electrical conductivity of nitrogen-doped graphene nanofluids

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrali, Mohammad; Sadeghinezhad, Emad; Rashidi, Mohammad Mehdi; Akhiani, Amir Reza; Tahan Latibari, Sara; Mehrali, Mehdi; Metselaar, Hendrik Simon Cornelis

2015-06-01

Electrical conductivity is an important property for technological applications of nanofluids that have not been widely investigated, and few studies have been concerned about the electrical conductivity. In this study, nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG) nanofluids were prepared using the two-step method in an aqueous solution of 0.025 wt% Triton X-100 as a surfactant at several concentrations (0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 wt%). The electrical conductivity of the aqueous NDG nanofluids showed a linear dependence on the concentration and increased up to 1814.96 % for a loading of 0.06 wt% NDG nanosheet. From the experimental data, empirical models were developed to express the electrical conductivity as functions of temperature and concentration. It was observed that increasing the temperature has much greater effect on electrical conductivity enhancement than increasing the NDG nanosheet loading. Additionally, by considering the electrophoresis of the NDG nanosheets, a straightforward electrical conductivity model is established to modulate and understand the experimental results.

Experimental and numerical investigation of the effective electrical conductivity of nitrogen-doped graphene nanofluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehrali, Mohammad; Sadeghinezhad, Emad; Rashidi, Mohammad Mehdi; Akhiani, Amir Reza; Tahan Latibari, Sara; Mehrali, Mehdi; Metselaar, Hendrik Simon Cornelis

2015-01-01

Electrical conductivity is an important property for technological applications of nanofluids that have not been widely investigated, and few studies have been concerned about the electrical conductivity. In this study, nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG) nanofluids were prepared using the two-step method in an aqueous solution of 0.025 wt% Triton X-100 as a surfactant at several concentrations (0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 wt%). The electrical conductivity of the aqueous NDG nanofluids showed a linear dependence on the concentration and increased up to 1814.96 % for a loading of 0.06 wt% NDG nanosheet. From the experimental data, empirical models were developed to express the electrical conductivity as functions of temperature and concentration. It was observed that increasing the temperature has much greater effect on electrical conductivity enhancement than increasing the NDG nanosheet loading. Additionally, by considering the electrophoresis of the NDG nanosheets, a straightforward electrical conductivity model is established to modulate and understand the experimental results

Scientific aspects of the Tohoku earthquake and Fukushima nuclear accident

Science.gov (United States)

Koketsu, Kazuki

2016-04-01

We investigated the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and assessments conducted beforehand for earthquake and tsunami potential in the Pacific offshore region of the Tohoku District. The results of our investigation show that all the assessments failed to foresee the earthquake and its related tsunami, which was the main cause of the accident. Therefore, the disaster caused by the earthquake, and the accident were scientifically unforeseeable at the time. However, for a zone neighboring the reactors, a 2008 assessment showed tsunamis higher than the plant height. As a lesson learned from the accident, companies operating nuclear power plants should be prepared using even such assessment results for neighboring zones.

Scientific data management challenges, technology and deployment

CERN Document Server

Rotem, Doron

2010-01-01

Dealing with the volume, complexity, and diversity of data currently being generated by scientific experiments and simulations often causes scientists to waste productive time. Scientific Data Management: Challenges, Technology, and Deployment describes cutting-edge technologies and solutions for managing and analyzing vast amounts of data, helping scientists focus on their scientific goals. The book begins with coverage of efficient storage systems, discussing how to write and read large volumes of data without slowing the simulation, analysis, or visualization processes. It then focuses on the efficient data movement and management of storage spaces and explores emerging database systems for scientific data. The book also addresses how to best organize data for analysis purposes, how to effectively conduct searches over large datasets, how to successfully automate multistep scientific process workflows, and how to automatically collect metadata and lineage information. This book provides a comprehensive u...

Science Camps for Introducing Nature of Scientific Inquiry Through Student Inquiries in Nature: Two Applications with Retention Study

Science.gov (United States)

Leblebicioglu, G.; Abik, N. M.; Capkinoglu, E.; Metin, D.; Dogan, E. Eroglu; Cetin, P. S.; Schwartz, R.

2017-08-01

Scientific inquiry is widely accepted as a method of science teaching. Understanding its characteristics, called Nature of Scientific Inquiry (NOSI), is also necessary for a whole conception of scientific inquiry. In this study NOSI aspects were taught explicitly through student inquiries in nature in two summer science camps. Students conducted four inquiries through their questions about surrounding soil, water, plants, and animals under the guidance of university science educators. At the end of each investigation, students presented their inquiry. NOSI aspects were made explicit by one of the science educators in the context of the investigations. Effectiveness of the science camp program and its retention were determined by applying Views of Scientific Inquiry (VOSI-S) (Schwartz et al. 2008) questionnaire as pre-, post-, and retention test after two months. The patterns in the data were similar. The science camp program was effective in developing three of six NOSI aspects which were questions guide scientific research, multiple methods of research, and difference between data and evidence. Students' learning of these aspects was retained. Discussion about these and the other three aspects is included in the paper. Implications of differences between school and out-of-school science experiences are also discussed.

Proceedings of the 1979 Chemical System Laboratory Scientific Conference on Obscuration and Aerosol Research.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-12-01

Science. The Conference is an informal forum for scientific exchange and stimulation amongst investigators in the wide variety of disciplines required... Clinet Model 208 optical particle counter (OPC) and an Environment One Rich 100 condensation nuclei counter (CNC). Thc results obtained from the OPC...intermolecular electron exchange . This tends to reduce a major barrier to electrical conduction. However, these defects which tend to increase the dark

A bibliometric study of scientific research conducted on second-generation antipsychotic drugs in Singapore.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Muñoz, Francisco; Sim, Kang; Shen, Winston Wu; Huelves, Lorena; Moreno, Raquel; Molina, Juan de Dios; Rubio, Gabriel; Noriega, Concha; Pérez-Nieto, Miguel Ángel; Alamo, Cecilio

2014-01-01

A bibliometric study was carried out to ascertain the volume and impact of scientific literature published on second-generation antipsychotic drugs (SGAs) in Singapore from 1997 to 2011. A search of the EMBASE and MEDLINE databases was performed to identify articles originating from Singapore that included the descriptors 'atypic* antipsychotic*', 'second-generation antipsychotic*', 'clozapine', 'risperidone', 'olanzapine', 'ziprasidone', 'quetiapine', 'sertindole', 'aripiprazole', 'paliperidone', 'amisulpride', 'zotepine', 'asenapine', 'iloperidone', 'lurasidone', 'perospirone' and 'blonanserin' in the article titles. Certain bibliometric indicators of production and dispersion (e.g. Price's Law on the increase of scientific literature, and Bradford's Law) were applied, and the participation index of various countries was calculated. The bibliometric data was also correlated with some social and health data from Singapore, such as the total per capita expenditure on health and gross domestic expenditure on research and development. From 1997 to 2011, a total of 51 articles on SGAs in Singapore were published. Our results suggested non-fulfilment of Price's Law (r = 0.0648 after exponential adjustment vs. r = 0.2140 after linear adjustment). The most widely studied drugs were clozapine (21 articles), risperidone (16 articles) and olanzapine (8 articles). Division into Bradford zones yielded a nucleus occupied by the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology (6 articles) and the Singapore Medical Journal(4 articles). The analysed material was published in a total of 30 journals, with the majority from six journals. Four of these six journals have an impact factor greater than 2. Publications on SGAs in Singapore are still too few to confirm an exponential growth of scientific literature.

PARENTAL ALIENATION IN BRAZIL: A REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheila Maria Prado Soma

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Parental Alienation (PA and Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS are of great relevance to the common area shared by Psychology and Law, and have gained emphasis in Brazil since the approval of Law 12.318/2010. Such law provides punishment for alienating practices and determines the role of Forensic Psychologists in the investigation of alleged cases. Nevertheless, the topic is controversial from a scientific point of view and the literature is scarce, particularly in Brazil.The present study reviewed the Brazilian scientific literature regarding PA and PAS up to July 2015. As a result, 13 articles were selected and analyzed. Nine of them were theoretical papers, and only four presented results from empirical research. Unfortunately most publications, including the empirical studies, did not seem to offer important contributions to the area. The lack of empirical research on this topic affects the area’s conceptual development and professional conduct while working with families in litigation.

Thermal conductivity measurements of Pacific illite sediment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hickox, C.E.; McVey, D.F.; Miller, J.B.; Olson, L.O.; Silva, A.J.

1986-01-01

Results are reported for effective thermal conductivity measurements performed in situ and in core samples of illite marine sediment. The measurements were obtained during a recent oceanographic expedition to a study site in the north central region of the Pacific Ocean. This study was undertaken in support of the US Subseabed Disposal Project, the purpose of which is to investigate the scientific feasibility of using the fine grained sediments of the sea floor as a repository for high level nuclear waste. In situ measurements were made and 1.5-meter long hydrostatic piston cores were taken, under remote control, from a platform that was lowered to the sea floor, 5844 m below sea level. The in situ measurement of thermal conductivity was made at a nominal depth of 80 cm below the sediment surface using a specially developed, line source, needle probe. Thermal conductivity measurements in three piston cores and one box core (obtained several kilometers from the study site) were made on shipboard using a miniature needle probe. The in situ thermal conductivity was approximately 0.91 W/m.K. Values determined from the cores were within the range 0.81 to 0.89 W/m.K

Public acceptance of fusion energy and scientific feasibility of a fusion reactor. Spin-off effects of fusion research and development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morino, Nobuyuki; Ogawa, Yuichi

1998-01-01

It is observed that new and sophisticated technologies developed through research and development in relation to magnetic confinement fusion have been transferred to other industrial and scientific fields with remarkable spin-off effects. Approximately 10 years ago, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) has investigated technical transfer and spin-off effects of fusion technologies developed in Japan. The essence of the results of this investigation as well as high technologies developed in the last decade, some of which are in the early stage of technical spin-off, are described. It is additionally explained that independent technical development conducted by our country as well as by engineers themselves is important in achieving effective spin-off. An outline of scientific spin-off effects is also described, including utilization technologies of fusion reactions besides those for energy production purposes, the progress of scientific understanding in the course of fusion research, and scientific information transfer and communication with other fields. (author)

Investigating Science Collaboratively: A Case Study of Group Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Zinicola, Debra A.

2009-01-01

Discussions of one urban middle school group of students who were investigating scientific phenomena were analyzed; this study was conducted to discern if and how peer interaction contributes to learning. Through a social constructivist lens, case study methodology, we examined conceptual change among group members. Data about science talk was…

Institutional initiatives in professional scientific ethics: three case studies

Science.gov (United States)

Nickless, Edmund; Bilham, Nic

2015-04-01

Learned and professional scientific bodies can play a vital role in promoting ethical behaviours, giving practical substance to theoretical consideration of geoethical principles and complementing the efforts of individual scientists and practitioners to behave in a professional and ethical manner. Institutions may do this through mandatory professional codes of conduct, by developing guidelines and initiatives to codify and stimulate the uptake of best practice, and through wider initiatives to engender a culture conducive to such behaviours. This presentation will outline three current institutional initiatives which directly or indirectly address scientific ethics: i. The UK Science Council's Declaration on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. ii. Development and promulgation of the American Geosciences Institute's (AGI) Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct. iii. The American Geophysical Union's (AGU) Scientific Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics. The focus of the Science Council and its member bodies (including the Geological Society of London) on diversity is of central importance when considering ethical behaviours in science. First, improving equality and diversity in the science workforce is at the heart of ethical practice, as well as being essential to meeting current and future skills needs. Second, in addition to demographic diversity (whether in terms of gender, race, economic status, sexuality or gender identity, etc), an important dimension of diversity in science is to allow space for a plurality of scientific views, and to nurture dissenting voices - essential both to the development of scientific knowledge and to its effective communication to non-technical audiences.

Scientific Literacy of High School Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Keith B.; Tulip, David F.

This investigation was undertaken in order to establish the status of scientific literacy among three groups of secondary school students in four Brisbane, Australia high schools, and to reduce the apparent reticence of science teachers to evaluate students' achievement in the various dimensions of scientific literacy by demonstrating appropriate…

Heat flow study at the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling site: Borehole temperature, thermal conductivity, and radiogenic heat production

Science.gov (United States)

He, Lijuan; Hu, Shengbiao; Huang, Shaopeng; Yang, Wencai; Wang, Jiyang; Yuan, Yusong; Yang, Shuchun

2008-02-01

The Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) Project offers a unique opportunity for studying the thermal regime of the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt. In this paper, we report measurements of borehole temperature, thermal conductivity, and radiogenic heat production from the 5158 m deep main hole (CCSD MH). We have obtained six continuous temperature profiles from this borehole so far. The temperature logs show a transient mean thermal gradient that has increased from 24.38 to 25.28 K km-1 over a period of about 1.5 years. We measured thermal conductivities and radiogenic heat productions on more than 400 core samples from CCSD MH. The measured thermal conductivities range between 1.71 and 3.60 W m-1 K-1, and the radiogenic heat productions vary from 0.01 μW m-3 to over 5.0 μW m-3, with a mean value of 1.23 ± 0.82 μW m-3 for the upper 5-km layer of the crust. The heat productions in CCSD MH appear to be more rock-type than depth-dependent and, over the depth range of CCSD MH, do not fit the popular model of heat production decreasing exponentially with increasing depth. The measured heat flow decreases with depth from ˜75 mW m-2 near the surface to ˜66 mW m-2 at a depth of 4600 m. High heat flow anomalies occur at ˜1000 and ˜2300 m, and low anomalies occur at 3300-4000 m. A preliminary two-dimensional numerical model suggests that both radiogenic heat production and thermal refraction due to structural heterogeneity are at least partially responsible for the vertical variation of heat flow in CCSD MH.

Ageing management technical information investigations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

In February 2013, there are 50 units of commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Japan. We enter into a period that 20 units of them are operating for more than 30 years. Currently, regulation imposes utilities to conduct ageing technical evaluations of each unit before operation of 30 years from the commissioning, to develop the long term maintenance management policy for next 10 years and to submit to the regulatory authority the policy with the report on ageing management technical evaluation (AMTE) for each NPP. It is necessary for regulatory side to develop technical information bases incorporating latest technical knowledge as operating experiences in domestic and abroad on ageing of the plants necessary to conduct reviews of AMTE for each unit. Based on these standpoints, technical information bases investigations have been conducted from the viewpoints of material degradation of ageing NPPs. In order to develop scientific regulator judgment bases related to ageing management (AM) and long-term operation (LTO), investigations on latest information on ageing management in domestic and abroad are conducted and a set of documents including technical evaluation review manuals necessary to conduct AMTE are prepared. To utilize the results of the investigations for ageing technical evaluation, database including latest information related to AM and LTO are developed, ran and operated. In addition, investigations related to Fugen nuclear plant, under decommissioning plants, investigations on mechanism of stress corrosion cracking (SCC), thermal ageing and preventive technologies for SCC, detection and diagnosis technology for ageing degradation and condition monitoring technology are performed to validate and confirm effectiveness of the technologies. (author)

Final Scientific Report, New Proton Conductive Composite Materials for PEM Fuel Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lvov, Serguei

2010-11-08

This project covered one of the main challenges in present-day PEM fuel cell technology: to design a membrane capable of maintaining high conductivity and mechanical integrity when temperature is elevated and water vapor pressure is severely reduced. The DOE conductivity milestone of 0.1 S cm-1 at 120 degrees C and 50 % relative humidity (RH) for designed membranes addressed the target for the project. Our approach presumed to develop a composite membrane with hydrophilic proton-conductive inorganic material and the proton conductive polymeric matrix that is able to “bridge” the conduction paths in the membrane. The unique aspect of our approach was the use of highly functionalized inorganic additives to benefit from their water retention properties and high conductivity as well. A promising result turns out that highly hydrophilic phosphorsilicate gels added in Nafion matrix improved PEM fuel cell performance by over 50% compared with bare Nafion membrane at 120 degrees C and 50 % RH. This achievement realizes that the fuel cell operating pressure can be kept low, which would make the PEM fuel cell much more cost efficient and adaptable to practical operating conditions and facilitate its faster commercialization particularly in automotive and stationary applications.

Enhancing Scientific Inquiry Literacy of Prospective Biology Teachers through Inquiry Lab Project in Microbiology

Science.gov (United States)

Kusnadi, K.; Rustaman, N. Y.; Redjeki, S.; Aryantha, I. N. P.

2017-09-01

The implementation of the inquiry laboratory based project to enhance scientific inquiry literacy of prospective biology teachers in Microbiology course has been done. The inquiry lab based project was designed by three stages were debriefing of basic microbiology lab skills, guided inquiry and free inquiry respectively. The Study was quasi experimental with control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects were prospective biology teachers consists of 80 students. The scientific inquiry literacy instrument refers to ScInqLiT by Wenning. The results showed that there was significant difference of scientific inquiry literacy posttest scores between experiment and control (α 0,05) and was obtained N-gain score was 0.49 (medium) to experiment and 0.24 (low) to control. Based on formative assessment showed that development of student’s scientific attitude, research and microbiology lab skills during conducting project were increased. Student’s research skills especially in identification of variables, constructing a hypothesis, communicating and concluding were increased. During implementation of inquiry project also showed that they carried out mind and hands-on and so collaborative group investigation lab activities. Our findings may aid in reforming higher-education, particularly in microbiology laboratory activities to better promote scientific inquiry literacy, scientific attitude, research and laboratory skills.

Scientific (Wo)manpower?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amilon, Anna; Persson, Inga

2013-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent male and female PhDs choose academic vs non‐academic employment. Further, it analyses gender earnings differences in the academic and non‐academic labour markets. Design/methodology/approach – Rich Swedish cross‐sectional regist...... scientific human capital. Originality/value – The study is the first to investigate career‐choice and earnings of Swedish PhDs. Further, the study is the first to investigate both the academic and the non‐academic labour markets....

DEVELOPMENT SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY BASED TEACHING MATERIALS ON DYNAMIC FLUIDS TO IMPROVE STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeliana Veronika Sirait

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The study was conducted to investigate whether the developed scientific inquiry-based teaching materials can improve the students’ response, the students’ activity and the students’ achievement. This study is development which based on Borg & Gall product development. Samples were selected randomly by raffling 4 classes into one class, applied teaching materials based scientific inquiry. The instruments which are used in this study consisted of three namely quetionnaires used for validation of teaching material by the expert of the material and the expert of design, the evaluation of physics teacher and students’ response toward teaching materials and observation sheet of students’ activity used in learning process and also test for students’ achievement in the form of multiple choice consisted of 10 quetions provided for end of the learning. The results of this study showed that the developed scientific inquiry-based teaching materials can improve the students’ response, the students’ activity and the students’ achievement in every session.

Scientific Medical Journal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Scientific Medical Journal: an official journal of Egyptian Medical Education provides a forum for dissemination of knowledge, exchange of ideas, inform of exchange of ideas, information and experience among workers, investigators and clinicians in all disciplines of medicine with emphasis on its treatment and prevention.

Parameters of importance to determine during geoscientific site investigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Johan [QuantiSci AB (Sweden); Almen, K.E. [KEA GEO-Konsult AB (Sweden); Ericsson, Lars O.; Karlsson, Fred; Stroem, A. [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm (Sweden); Fredriksson, Anders [ADG Grundteknik AB (Sweden); Stanfors, R. [Roy Stanfors Consulting AB (Sweden)

1998-06-01

This document identifies and describes geo-scientific parameters that are of importance in order to carry out performance and safety assessments of a deep repository for spent nuclear fuel, based on the information that can be obtained from a site investigation. The document also discusses data needs for planning and design of the rock works and for description of other environmental aspects. Evaluation of the different parameters is discussed in the document as well. The document was produced by a working group consisting of the authors and various SKB staff and consultants, and comprises a step in the planning of a geo-scientific investigation programme at the sites where site investigations will be conducted. The goals of the work presented in this report can be derived directly from SKBs ongoing RD and D Programme. The programme stipulates that a geo-scientific site investigation programme must be available before a site investigation begins. This programme is supposed to specify the goals, measurement methods and evaluation methodology, as well as the acceptance criteria against which the site is evaluated. It is pointed out that site evaluation is a collective term for an interactive process consisting of different parts 65 refs, 15 figs, 12 tabs

Scientists' conceptions of scientific inquiry: Revealing a private side of science

Science.gov (United States)

Reiff, Rebecca R.

Science educators, philosophers, and pre-service teachers have contributed to conceptualizing inquiry but missing from the inquiry forum is an in-depth research study concerning science faculty conceptions of scientific inquiry. The science education literature has tended to focus on certain aspects of doing, teaching, and understanding scientific inquiry without linking these concepts. As a result, conceptions of scientific inquiry have been disjointed and are seemingly unrelated. Furthermore, confusion surrounding the meaning of inquiry has been identified as a reason teachers are not using inquiry in instruction (Welch et al., 1981). Part of the confusion surrounding scientific inquiry is it has been defined differently depending on the context (Colburn, 2000; Lederman, 1998; Shymansky & Yore, 1980; Wilson & Koran, 1976). This lack of a common conception of scientific inquiry is the reason for the timely nature of this research. The result of scientific journeys is not to arrive at a stopping point or the final destination, but to refuel with questions to drive the pursuit of knowledge. A three-member research team conducted Interviews with science faculty members using a semi-structured interview protocol designed to probe the subject's conceptions of scientific inquiry. The participants represented a total of 52 science faculty members from nine science departments (anthropology, biology, chemistry, geology, geography, school of health, physical education and recreation (HPER), medical sciences, physics, and school of environmental science) at a large mid-western research university. The method of analysis used by the team was grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990; Glaser & Strauss, 1967), in which case the frequency of concepts, patterns, and themes were coded to categorize scientists' conceptions of scientific inquiry. The results from this study address the following components: understanding and doing scientific inquiry, attributes of scientists engaged

Box–Behnken experimental design for investigation of stability and thermal conductivity of TiO2 nanofluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lotfizadeh Dehkordi, Babak; Ghadimi, Azadeh; Metselaar, Henk S. C.

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of ultrasonication on the stability and thermal conductivity of TiO 2 water nanofluids. A UV–Vis spectrophotometer was employed to determine the relative stability of nanofluids. Response surface methodology based on the Box–Behnken design was implemented to investigate the influence of power of sonication (20–80 %), time of sonication (2–20 min), and volume concentration (0.1–1 vol%) of nanofluids as the independent variables. Second-order polynomial equations were established to predict the responses, thermal conductivity, and stability of nanofluids with the intervals of 1 week and 1 month. The significance of the models was tested by means of analysis of variance (ANOVA). The optimum stability and thermal conductivity of TiO 2 nanofluids with various sonication power and time at volume concentrations of 0.1, 0.55, and 1 % were studied. In addition, a correlation between the stability and thermal conductivity enhancement was derived in this study. The results revealed that, at low concentrations, nanofluids would become stable by low power and short period of sonication; however, no enhancement was observed in the thermal conductivity. Conversely, at high concentrations, stability and high thermal conductivity of nanofluids coincided at 1 vol%.

Investigation of the electrical conductivity of γ-irradiated sodium silicate glasses containing multivalence Cu ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tawansi, A.; Basha, A.F.; El-Konsol, S.

1981-07-01

The present investigation deals with a study of the γ-radiation effects on the d.c. electrical resistivity (rho) of SiO 2 -Na 2 O-CaO glasses containing Cu 0 , Cu + , Cu 2+ and mixture of Cu + and Cu 2+ ions over the temperature (T) range from 300 to 630 0 K. The applicability of the polaron hopping conduction mechanism has been established from the reciprocal temperature dependence of 1n rho/T for the samples under investigation. The electrical resistivity is found to decrease by increasing the TM valancy which enhances the hoping process. The post-irradiation effect due to ionizing gamma-radiation is investigated within the frame work of the electron (and hole) trapping theory, and an average value of 0.45 is obtained for the parameter Δ, characterizing traps with an exponentially decreasing numbers below the conduction band. (author)

USING THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTOMETRIC DATABASES OF OPEN ACCESS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Galchevska

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In the article the problem of the use of international scientometric databases in research activities as web-oriented resources and services that are the means of publication and dissemination of research results is considered. Selection criteria of scientometric platforms of open access in conducting scientific researches (coverage Ukrainian scientific periodicals and publications, data accuracy, general characteristics of international scientometrics database, technical, functional characteristics and their indexes are emphasized. The review of the most popular scientometric databases of open access Google Scholar, Russian Scientific Citation Index (RSCI, Scholarometer, Index Copernicus (IC, Microsoft Academic Search is made. Advantages of usage of International Scientometrics database Google Scholar in conducting scientific researches and prospects of research that are in the separation of cloud information and analytical services of the system are determined.

Problems Encountered during the Scientific Research Process in Graduate Education: The Institute of Educational Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Akyürek, Erkan; Afacan, Özlem

2018-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the problems faced by graduate students when conducting scientific research and to make suggestions for solving these problems. The research model was a case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants in the study with questions about the problems encountered during scientific research…

Assessing Scientific Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiner, John M.; And Others

1984-01-01

A method for assessing scientific performance based on relationships displayed numerically in published documents is proposed and illustrated using published documents in pediatric oncology for the period 1979-1982. Contributions of a major clinical investigations group, the Childrens Cancer Study Group, are analyzed. Twenty-nine references are…

Conduct of Geologic Field Work During Planetary Exploration: Why Geology Matters

Science.gov (United States)

Eppler, Dean B.

2010-01-01

The science of field geology is the investigative process of determining the distribution of rock units and structures on a planet fs surface, and it is the first-order data set that informs all subsequent studies of a planet, such as geochemistry, geochronology, geophysics, or remote sensing. For future missions to the Moon and Mars, the surface systems deployed must support the conduct of field geology if these endeavors are to be scientifically useful. This lecture discussed what field geology is all about.why it is important, how it is done, how conducting field geology informs many other sciences, and how it affects the design of surface systems and the implementation of operations in the future.

Analysis According to Certain Variables of Scientific Literacy among Gifted Students That Participate in Scientific Activities at Science and Art Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Kömek, Emre; Yagiz, Dursun; Kurt, Murat

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze scientific literacy levels relevant to science and technology classes among gifted students that participate in scientific activities at science and art centers. This study investigated whether there was a significant difference in scientific literacy levels among gifted students according to the areas of…

THE PROBLEM OF CORRUPTION OF BASIC SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS IN PARTICULAR: FORMAL-ETHIC AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS

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V. O. Lobovikov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to carry out historical-philosophical andlinguistic analysis of ethical and metaphysical doctrine of Aristotle on corruption in general; to discuss of formal-ethical view on the problem of corruption in basic scientific researches; to define the place and role of fundamental scientific researches in knowledge-based economy taken as a whole, and Boston Chart, in particular.Methods. The methods involve the historical-philosophical and logical-linguistic analysis of texts; creation and studying of the elementary discrete mathematical model of the researched moral phenomenon at the level of artificial language of two-digit algebra of the natural right and morals; use of such conceptual and figurative tool of the economic theory as Boston Chart.Results and scientific novelty. The definition of the concept «basic scientific research» is given for the first time; the concept includes time parameter and knowledge of utility (the practical importance of results of this research.Practical significance. The submitted definition (criterion gives a possibility to establish at any moment of time definite borderline between the basic and the applied scientific search (the line undergoes change in the flow of time. The effective criterion of basic scientific researches offered by the author, and also exact specifying of their place and role in lifecycle of knowledge as goods in market economy (at the conceptual level of the Boston Chart allow to designate an urgent problem of corruption of the scientific sphere in a new perspective. Along with some additional conditions, this new evidence could help to solve the problem.

Experimental Investigations on Thermal Conductivity of Fenugreek and Banana Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Pujari, Satish; Venkatesh, Talari; Seeli, Hepsiba

2018-04-01

The use of composite materials in manufacturing has significantly increased in the past decade. Research is being done to identify natural fibers that can be used as composites. Several natural fibers are already being used in the industry as composites. The appealing advantages of using natural fibers are reflected in lower density when compared to synthetic fibers and also in saving costs. This research paper highlights the experiment that analyses the use of biodegradable fenugreek composite as natural fiber and concludes that fenugreek natural fibers are an excellent substitute to the synthetic fibers in terms of reinforcement properties for the polymers. These fenugreek fibers are naturally sourced, renewable, cost effective and bio-friendly. In thermal energy storage systems as well as in air conditioning systems, thermal insulators are predominantly used to enhance the storage properties. An experiment was created to investigate the thermal properties of fenugreek banana composites for different fiber concentrations. The experimental results showed that the thermal conductivity of the composites decrease with an increase in the fiber content. The experimental results were compared with the theoretical models to describe the variation of thermal conductivity with the volume fraction of the fiber. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental results was observed.

28 CFR 549.80 - Authority to conduct autopsies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Authority to conduct autopsies. 549.80... MEDICAL SERVICES Authority To Conduct Autopsies § 549.80 Authority to conduct autopsies. (a) The Warden may order an autopsy and related scientific or medical tests to be performed on the body of a deceased...

The Study of Scientific Outputs Status of Faculty Members of Humanities, Art and Social Sciences Faculties of State Universities of Iran during 2000-2008

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Fatemeh Jafari

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This research investigated scientific outputs status of faculty members of Humanities, Art and Social Sciences faculties of state universities of Iran that indexed in A&HCI and SSCI during 2000 to 2008. Descriptive and analytical method was used to conduct this research. Findings showed that Tehran University with 38/73% and then Shiraz University with 15.65% had the greatest value of scientific outputs, while in other universities the status of scientific outputs was not satisfying. Article with 76.42% was the most published format and then meeting abstract, book review, proceeding paper are next in rank . 65.65% of scientific outputs were collective and 34.34% individual. Scientific outputs development process in universities during the investigated period was ascending. Scientific outputs of Humanities, Art and Social Sciences faculties of state universities were published in167 titles and through these 135 titles (80.83% were indexed in Journal Citation Reports and among these the impact factor of 74 journals (54.81% range from 0 to 1 and the other 61 (45.18% journals’ impact factors value more than one.

Distribution of authorship in a scientific work.

Science.gov (United States)

Petroianu, Andy

2012-01-01

To publish became almost compulsory in Medicine. There is no doubt about the importance of publishing research, but the ordering of its authors is not easy. The lack of internationally accepted criteria led to the establishment of several groups or conventions particularized medical and scientific sectors. To present numerical method to establish rule of value to people who carried out the research, and whether or not incorporated as authors. The proposed score is based on the needs of each step when conducting a scientific work. They were divided into topics in which the main ones were: 1) scientific criteria for authorship; 2) create the idea that originated the work and develop hypotheses; 3) structure the method of work; 4) guiding the work; 5) write the manuscript; 6) coordinate the group that carried out the work; 7) reviewing the literature; 8) suggestions incorporated into the work; 9) to solve fundamental problems of labor; 10) to collect data; 11) presentation at scientific meetings; 12 ) lead the job and raise funds; 13) providing patients or material; 14) to do the routine needs; 15) specific fee to participate; 16) criteria for ranking the authors; 17) honorary author; 18) usurpation of the main authorship, 19) acknowledgments . It is important to emphasize that, to prevent major conflicts, the group that is willing to conduct a scientific work should establish at the outset, as objectively as possible, the criteria to be adopted for distribution of authorship. The subjective criteria here proposed avoid interference and prevent conflicts of interest.

Code of conduct for scientists (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khurshid, S.J.

2011-01-01

The emergence of advanced technologies in the last three decades and extraordinary progress in our knowledge on the basic Physical, Chemical and Biological properties of living matter has offered tremendous benefits to human beings but simultaneously highlighted the need of higher awareness and responsibility by the scientists of 21 century. Scientist is not born with ethics, nor science is ethically neutral, but there are ethical dimensions to scientific work. There is need to evolve an appropriate Code of Conduct for scientist particularly working in every field of Science. However, while considering the contents, promulgation and adaptation of Codes of Conduct for Scientists, a balance is needed to be maintained between freedom of scientists and at the same time some binding on them in the form of Code of Conducts. The use of good and safe laboratory procedures, whether, codified by law or by common practice must also be considered as part of the moral duties of scientists. It is internationally agreed that a general Code of Conduct can't be formulated for all the scientists universally, but there should be a set of 'building blocks' aimed at establishing the Code of Conduct for Scientists either as individual researcher or responsible for direction, evaluation, monitoring of scientific activities at the institutional or organizational level. (author)

Thermal conductivity measurements of pacific illite sediment

Science.gov (United States)

Hickox, C. E.; McVey, D. F.; Miller, J. B.; Olson, L. O.; Silva, A. J.

1986-07-01

Results are reported for effective thermal conductivity measurements performed in situ and in core samples of illite marine sediment. The measurements were obtained during a recent oceanographic expedition to a study site in the north central region of the Pacific Ocean. This study was undertaken in support of the U.S. Subseabed Disposal Project, the purpose of which is to investigate the scientific feasibility of using the fine-grained sediments of the sea floor as a repository for high-level nuclear waste. In situ measurements were made and 1.5-m-long hydrostatic piston cores were taken, under remote control, from a platform that was lowered to the sea floor, 5844 m below sea level. The in situ measurement of thermal conductivity was made at a nominal depth of 80 cm below the sediment surface using a specially developed, line-source, needle probe. Thermal conductivity measurements in three piston cores and one box core (obtained several kilometers from the study site) were made on shipboard using a miniature needle probe. The in situ thermal conductivity was approximately 0.91 W · m-1 · K-1. Values determined from the cores were within the range 0.81 to 0.89 W · m-1 · K-1.

[Analysis of work-related fatigue characteristics and its influencing factors in scientific and technical personnel].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ting; Zhou, Dinglun; Song, Mingying; Lan, Yajia

2015-02-01

To investigate the current status and characteristics of work-related fatigue among scientific and technical personnel and its associated factors, and to provide a scientific basis for further interventions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the staff from a single scientific institution, using a self-administered questionnaire. Basic information of participants, Fatigue Scale-14, and Job Content Questionnaire were collected. The prevalence of work-related fatigue among the scientific and technical personnel was 54.6%; work-related fatigue was positively correlated with occupational stress (rs = 0.384, P work-related fatigue included occupational stress profiles, social support, and educational status. A higher risk of work-related fatigue was found in the staff under high stress, compared with those under low stress (OR = 8.5, 95%CI = 3.9∼18.7). Social support served as a protective factor for work-related fatigue, while a higher level of education was correlated with more severe work-related fatigue. Work-related fatigue is common and serious among scientific and technical personnel, especially in those under high stress. Effective interventions according to occupational stress are of great importance to reduce work-related fatigue.

AGU's Updated Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policy

Science.gov (United States)

McPhaden, M. J.

2017-12-01

AGU'S mission is to promote discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. This mission can only be accomplished if all those engaged in the scientific enterprise uphold the highest standards of scientific integrity and professional ethics. AGU's Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policy provides a set of principles and guidelines for AGU members, staff, volunteers, contractors, and non-members participating in AGU sponsored programs and activities. The policy has recently been updated to include a new code of conduct that broadens the definition of scientific misconduct to include discrimination, harassment, and bullying. This presentation provides the context for what motivated the updated policy, an outline of the policy itself, and a discussion of how it is being communicated and applied.

Investigation of Irradiation Effects on Conducting Composite of Polypyrole/Bentonite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orhan Karabulut

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract: In the present study, polypyrrole/bentonite (PPy/Bnt composite was synthesized into the Bnt interlayers by chemical oxidation polymerization. The irradiation process was carried out in air in a conventional gamma chamber, which uses a 60Co source, and the composite was exposed to a dose of 40 kGy. Effects of irradiation on the composite were investigated by means of FTIR, UV-visible absorption, TGA, XRD, SEM and temperature dependent electrical conductivity in the temperature range of 290-410 K. The initial decomposition temperature of pristine PPy/Bnt composite was found higher than irradiated PPy/Bnt composite. The XRD patterns revealed that the intensity of the peaks changed with irradiation. It was found from temperature dependent conductivity measurements that the radiation significantly influenced the conductivity of PPy/Bnt composite. The conductivity results show that dominant conduction mechanisms were hopping for both PPy/Bnt composite and irradiated samples due to wide range of localized states present near the Fermi level. Key words: Polypyrrole, bentonite, conducting composite, gamma irradiation. Polipirol/Bentonit İletken Kompozitine Radyasyon Etkilerinin Araştırılması Özet: Bu çalışmada, polipirol/bentonit (PPy/Bnt kompoziti, Bnt tabakaları arasında kimyasal oksidasyon polimerizasyonu yoluyla sentezlendi. Radyasyon uygulaması 60Co kaynağının kullanıldığı bir gama çemberi içerisinde hava ortamında gerçekleştirildi ve kompozite 40 kGy doz uygulandı. Kompozite radyasyon etkileri, FTIR, UV, TGA, XRD, SEM ve 290-410 K sıcaklık aralığında sıcaklığa bağlı elektriksel iletkenlik ölçümleri ile incelendi. Saf PPy/Bnt kompozitinin başlangıç bozunma sıcaklığı radyasyona uğramış PPy/Bnt kompozitinden daha yüksek olduğu bulundu. XRD desenlerine ait pik yoğunluğunun radyasyon ile değiştiği görüldü. Sıcaklığa bağlı iletkenlik ölçümlerinden radyasyonlanma sonucunda, PPy

Variation in the Interpretation of Scientific Integrity in Community-based Participatory Health Research

Science.gov (United States)

Kraemer Diaz, Anne E.; Spears Johnson, Chaya R.; Arcury, Thomas A.

2013-01-01

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has become essential in health disparities and environmental justice research; however, the scientific integrity of CBPR projects has become a concern. Some concerns, such as appropriate research training, lack of access to resources and finances, have been discussed as possibly limiting the scientific integrity of a project. Prior to understanding what threatens scientific integrity in CBPR, it is vital to understand what scientific integrity means for the professional and community investigators who are involved in CBPR. This analysis explores the interpretation of scientific integrity in CBPR among 74 professional and community research team members from of 25 CBPR projects in nine states in the southeastern United States in 2012. It describes the basic definition for scientific integrity and then explores variations in the interpretation of scientific integrity in CBPR. Variations in the interpretations were associated with team member identity as professional or community investigators. Professional investigators understood scientific integrity in CBPR as either conceptually or logistically flexible, as challenging to balance with community needs, or no different than traditional scientific integrity. Community investigators interpret other factors as important in scientific integrity, such as trust, accountability, and overall benefit to the community. This research demonstrates that the variations in the interpretation of scientific integrity in CBPR call for a new definition of scientific integrity in CBPR that takes into account the understanding and needs of all investigators. PMID:24161098

Investigating Clinically and Scientifically Useful Cut Points on the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory.

Science.gov (United States)

Miner, Michael H; Raymond, Nancy; Coleman, Eli; Swinburne Romine, Rebecca

2017-05-01

clinical screening tool and the other, more conservative measurement that is useful for etiologic and epidemiologic research. Miner MH, Raymond N, Coleman E, Swinburne Romine R. Investigating Clinically and Scientifically Useful Cut Points on the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory. J Sex Med 2017;14:715-720. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modern Scientific Literacy: A Case Study of Multiliteracies and Scientific Practices in a Fifth Grade Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, Elizabeth; Goldston, M. Jenice

2018-01-01

This study investigates the convergence of multiliteracies and scientific practices in a fifth grade classroom. As students' lives become increasingly multimodal, diverse, and globalized, the traditional notions of literacy must be revisited (New London Group 1996). With the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013a) in many states, either in their entirety or in adapted forms, it becomes useful to explore the interconnectedness multiliteracies and scientific practices and the resulting implications for scientific literacy. The case study included a fifth grade classroom, including the students and teacher. In order to create a rich description of the cases involved, data were collected and triangulated through teacher interviews, student interviews and focus groups, and classroom observations. Findings reveal that as science activities were enriched with multiliteracies and scientific practices, students were engaged in developing skills and knowledge central to being scientifically literate. Furthermore, this study establishes that characteristics of scientific literacy, by its intent and purpose, are a form of multiliteracies in elementary classrooms. Therefore, the teaching and learning of science and its practices for scientific literacy are in turn reinforcing the development of broader multiliteracies.

Continuous Enhancement of Science Teachers' Knowledge and Skills through Scientific Lecturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Azevedo, Maria-Manuel; Duarte, Sofia

2018-01-01

Due to their importance in transmitting knowledge, teachers can play a crucial role in students' scientific literacy acquisition and motivation to respond to ongoing and future economic and societal challenges. However, to conduct this task effectively, teachers need to continuously improve their knowledge, and for that, a periodic update is mandatory for actualization of scientific knowledge and skills. This work is based on the outcomes of an educational study implemented with science teachers from Portuguese Basic and Secondary schools. We evaluated the effectiveness of a training activity consisting of lectures covering environmental and health sciences conducted by scientists/academic teachers. The outcomes of this educational study were evaluated using a survey with several questions about environmental and health scientific topics. Responses to the survey were analyzed before and after the implementation of the scientific lectures. Our results showed that Basic and Secondary schools teachers' knowledge was greatly improved after the lectures. The teachers under training felt that these scientific lectures have positively impacted their current knowledge and awareness on several up-to-date scientific topics, as well as their teaching methods. This study emphasizes the importance of continuing teacher education concerning knowledge and awareness about health and environmental education.

Undergraduate Medical Academic Performance is Improved by Scientific Training

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lili; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Chong; Liu, Zhongming; Cai, Yunfei; Cao, Xingguo; He, Yushan; Liu, Guoxiang; Miao, Hongming

2017-01-01

The effect of scientific training on course learning in undergraduates is still controversial. In this study, we investigated the academic performance of undergraduate students with and without scientific training. The results show that scientific training improves students' test scores in general medical courses, such as biochemistry and…

Current status of investigations in the field of solid state science in central Kazakstan region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuketaev, T.A.

1999-01-01

Investigations in the field of solid state science were initiated together with foundation of University in Karaganda. Historically general investigations in this field were conducted for scientific directions related to optical, luminescent and radiation properties of wide gap insulator. This activity was carried out according to appropriate plans of coordination counsels en-gaged in the physics of insulators, luminescent and radiation physics at the Academy of Science USSR and in the Committee on sciences and engineering of the Counsel of Ministers of the USSR. A number of works were coordinated by the Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan Republic. Investigations in the field of solid state science, con-ducted in the Central Kazakstan and coordinated by the Institute of Physics and Engineering of Kazakhstan National Academy of Sciences, can be currently distinguished according to scientific directions. Currently, the following scientific directions in the field of solid state science exist in the Central Kazakstan: influence of polymorph phase transitions on electron excitation in wide-gap crystals, radiation malformation and recombination, dielectric spectroscopy of crystals with hydrogen link, spectral and luminescent properties and energy migration processes in disordered and partly ordered systems of organic molecules. It is necessary to note that all investigated objects, described in this report, were recovered by investigators. That is, the relevant hardware is available

Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Nature of Science and Scientific Inquiry as Illustrated in the Scientific Research on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Siu Ling; Kwan, Jenny; Hodson, Derek; Yung, Benny Hin Wai

2009-01-01

Interviews with key scientists who had conducted research on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), together with analysis of media reports, documentaries and other literature published during and after the SARS epidemic, revealed many interesting aspects of the nature of science (NOS) and scientific inquiry in contemporary scientific research in the rapidly growing field of molecular biology. The story of SARS illustrates vividly some NOS features advocated in the school science curriculum, including the tentative nature of scientific knowledge, theory-laden observation and interpretation, multiplicity of approaches adopted in scientific inquiry, the inter-relationship between science and technology, and the nexus of science, politics, social and cultural practices. The story also provided some insights into a number of NOS features less emphasised in the school curriculum—for example, the need to combine and coordinate expertise in a number of scientific fields, the intense competition between research groups (suspended during the SARS crisis), the significance of affective issues relating to intellectual honesty and the courage to challenge authority, the pressure of funding issues on the conduct of research and the ‘peace of mind’ of researchers, These less emphasised elements provided empirical evidence that NOS knowledge, like scientific knowledge itself, changes over time. They reflected the need for teachers and curriculum planners to revisit and reconsider whether the features of NOS currently included in the school science curriculum are fully reflective of the practice of science in the 21st century. In this paper, we also report on how we made use of extracts from the news reports and documentaries on SARS, together with episodes from the scientists’ interviews, to develop a multimedia instructional package for explicitly teaching the prominent features of NOS and scientific inquiry identified in the SARS research.

Silicate bonding properties: Investigation through thermal conductivity measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenzini, M; Cesarini, E; Cagnoli, G; Campagna, E; Losurdo, G; Martelli, F; Piergiovanni, F; Vetrano, F [INFN, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sez. di Firenze, via G. Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Haughian, K; Hough, J; Martin, I; Reid, S; Rowan, S; Veggel, A A van, E-mail: lorenzini@fi.infn.i [SUPA, University of Glasgow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Kelvin Building G12 8QQ Glasgow, Scotland (United Kingdom)

2010-05-01

A direct approach to reduce the thermal noise contribution to the sensitivity limit of a GW interferometric detector is the cryogenic cooling of the mirrors and mirrors suspensions. Future generations of detectors are foreseen to implement this solution. Silicon has been proposed as a candidate material, thanks to its very low intrinsic loss angle at low temperatures and due to its very high thermal conductivity, allowing the heat deposited in the mirrors by high power lasers to be efficiently extracted. To accomplish such a scheme, both mirror masses and suspension elements must be made of silicon, then bonded together forming a quasi-monolithic stage. Elements can be assembled using hydroxide-catalysis silicate bonding, as for silica monolithic joints. The effect of Si to Si bonding on suspension thermal conductance has therefore to be experimentally studied. A measurement of the effect of silicate bonding on thermal conductance carried out on 1 inch thick silicon bonded samples, from room temperature down to 77 K, is reported. In the explored temperature range, the silicate bonding does not seem to affect in a relevant way the sample conductance.

Theoretical and practical implications on the subjects charged with duties of conducting special investigation activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Obadă Dumitru

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This paper is an endeavor to analyze Moldova’s legal framework aimed at regulating Special investigative activity (SIA in terms of subjects or, in other words, of procedural exponents, invested by a legislator with duties of carrying out SIM. It is also an attempt to reveal the normative inconsistencies specified in the regulatory content of the Criminal Procedural Law, including a verifiable analysis of the legal norms stipulated in the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as other regulations related to this specific area of state activity specified in the related legislation. Moreover, the author sought to highlight the adverse legal effects that may be generated by the misinterpretation and misapplication of the legal norms related to SIA. While carrying out this study, we have taken into account the practice of law enforcement by state bodies in conducting criminal investigations, as well as the attempt to clarify and define the concept of “carrying out special investigative activity”. The research is also an attempt to clarify the competences of procedural subjects in charge of conducting SIA, as well as their functional interdependence in this activity. Furthermore, the study reasons upon some author’s assertions regarding the legal nature of SIM results from the perspective of the theory of evidence, particularly the admissibility of evidence obtained through SIM, the procedural stage at which the SIM can be performed, the impact of the current normative inadvertences regarding the possibility of taking evidence by means of SIM. The research has also been focused on identifying the prosecutor’s functional characteristics in conducting special investigative activity.

Density, viscosity and electrical conductivity of protic alkanolammonium ionic liquids.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinkert, André; Ang, Keng L; Marsh, Kenneth N; Pang, Shusheng

2011-03-21

Ionic liquids are molten salts with melting temperatures below the boiling point of water, and their qualification for applications in potential industrial processes does depend on their fundamental physical properties such as density, viscosity and electrical conductivity. This study aims to investigate the structure-property relationship of 15 ILs that are primarily composed of alkanolammonium cations and organic acid anions. The influence of both the nature and number of alkanol substituents on the cation and the nature of the anion on the densities, viscosities and electrical conductivities at ambient and elevated temperatures are discussed. Walden rule plots are used to estimate the ionic nature of these ionic liquids, and comparison with other studies reveals that most of the investigated ionic liquids show Walden rule values similar to many non-protic ionic liquids containing imidazolium, pyrrolidinium, tetraalkylammonium, or tetraalkylphosphonium cations. Comparison of literature data reveals major disagreements in the reported properties for the investigated ionic liquids. A detailed analysis of the reported experimental procedures suggests that inappropriate drying methods can account for some of the discrepancies. Furthermore, an example for the improved presentation of experimental data in scientific literature is presented.

HONESTY AND GOOD PRACTICE IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jože Trontelj

2008-01-01

public, but also mutual trust among scientiststhemselves. Moreover, false results and conclusions may mislead other scientists and usersof scientific achievements.European incentives have been launched to encourage awareness of ethical dimensionsof science, to accept and follow rules of good practice in scientific research and scholarship,and to set up mechanisms for investigating cases of alleged violation of good practice,misconduct and fraud. Most countries have codes of good scientific practice or otherwritten ethical standards of scientific research.Advantages of such codes include educational and preventive effects, they can increaseethical sensitivity of the individual researcher. On the other hand, a code of good scientificpractice can provide useful guidelines in evaluating complex situations. Finally, theknowledge that such codes exist and are used may increase public confidence in science.Complete prevention of dishonesty is equally impossible in science as it is in other walks oflife. However safeguards can and must be established. What is necessary is that not onlyevery individual scientist and scholar, but especially institutions of science – universities,research institutes, learned societies, scientific journals, funding organizations – developa consciousness of good scientific practice and apply it in their day-to-day work. On theother hand, environment fostering moral integrity in science should be created. An importantpart of this should be development of an evaluation system which is not based onquantity but rather on quality of scientific achievements. A national code of conduct andgood practice in scientific research is needed. A system of efficient handling cases of allegedmisconduct should be put in place. Special attention must be devoted to the education ofyoung scientists towards responsible research.

Effect of Scientific Argumentation on the Development of Scientific Process Skills in the Context of Teaching Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Gultepe, Nejla; Kilic, Ziya

2015-01-01

This study was conducted in order to determine the differences in integrated scientific process skills (designing experiments, forming data tables, drawing graphs, graph interpretation, determining the variables and hypothesizing, changing and controlling variables) of students (n = 17) who were taught with an approach based on scientific…

The facade of the church of Saint Spirit in Urbino: from scientific investigations to restoration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Letizia Amadori

2003-02-01

Full Text Available The state of advanced deterioration of the church of Saint Spirito of Urbino has induced the Superintendence for the Historical Artistic and Demoetnoanthropological Heritage of the Marches-Urbino and the Archiepiscopal Curia to program an intervention of restoration. Before that, the facade was covered from black crusts, grey deposits and yellowish films. The bricks of the wall, until to a height of approximately three meters from the bottom, moreover they were interested from processes of detachment, disintegration and exfoliation. In such area the presence of humidity was rather obvious and was attributable to phenomena of rising dump. In order to identify the constituent materials and to estimate of the state of conservation they have been carry out scientific investigations, whose it turns out have supplied profits indications for the restoration.

Box-Behnken experimental design for investigation of stability and thermal conductivity of TiO{sub 2} nanofluids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lotfizadeh Dehkordi, Babak, E-mail: babakld@siswa.um.edu.my; Ghadimi, Azadeh; Metselaar, Henk S. C., E-mail: h.metselaar@um.edu.my [University of Malaya, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering (Malaysia)

2013-01-15

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of ultrasonication on the stability and thermal conductivity of TiO{sub 2} water nanofluids. A UV-Vis spectrophotometer was employed to determine the relative stability of nanofluids. Response surface methodology based on the Box-Behnken design was implemented to investigate the influence of power of sonication (20-80 %), time of sonication (2-20 min), and volume concentration (0.1-1 vol%) of nanofluids as the independent variables. Second-order polynomial equations were established to predict the responses, thermal conductivity, and stability of nanofluids with the intervals of 1 week and 1 month. The significance of the models was tested by means of analysis of variance (ANOVA). The optimum stability and thermal conductivity of TiO{sub 2} nanofluids with various sonication power and time at volume concentrations of 0.1, 0.55, and 1 % were studied. In addition, a correlation between the stability and thermal conductivity enhancement was derived in this study. The results revealed that, at low concentrations, nanofluids would become stable by low power and short period of sonication; however, no enhancement was observed in the thermal conductivity. Conversely, at high concentrations, stability and high thermal conductivity of nanofluids coincided at 1 vol%.

EFFECT OF USING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT TO IMPROVE SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS LEARNING PHYSICS IN HIGH SCHOOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gede Wartawan Putu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the effect of portfolio assessment in teaching physics and scientific attitude. The research was conducted on students of high school in Singaraja. Research was an quasi- experimental study by using “The Posttest-Only Control Group Design”. The research involved 152 high school students of class X of science as samples, taken with multistage random sampling technique. Portfolio assessment was integrated with physics learning. The implementation of the portfolio assessment included four key elements such as the students' work folders, clear assessment criteria, and self-assessment, and conference between teacher and students. The data needed in this research was the students' scientific attitude which included the aspect of curiosity, respect for evidence, the willingness to change ideas, and critical reflection. Data needed in this research included scientific attitudes students. A Likert scale instrument was used to measure the scientific attitude students. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with SPSS 20.0 at significance level α = 0.05. The results showed there are differences in the scientific attitude students who take physics learning with assessment portfolios and students who take physics learning with assessment of conventional. The findings of this study indicate that portfolio assessment in learning physics significantly affect the scientific attitude students.

Testing Scientific Software: A Systematic Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Kanewala, Upulee; Bieman, James M.

2014-01-01

Context Scientific software plays an important role in critical decision making, for example making weather predictions based on climate models, and computation of evidence for research publications. Recently, scientists have had to retract publications due to errors caused by software faults. Systematic testing can identify such faults in code. Objective This study aims to identify specific challenges, proposed solutions, and unsolved problems faced when testing scientific software. Method We conducted a systematic literature survey to identify and analyze relevant literature. We identified 62 studies that provided relevant information about testing scientific software. Results We found that challenges faced when testing scientific software fall into two main categories: (1) testing challenges that occur due to characteristics of scientific software such as oracle problems and (2) testing challenges that occur due to cultural differences between scientists and the software engineering community such as viewing the code and the model that it implements as inseparable entities. In addition, we identified methods to potentially overcome these challenges and their limitations. Finally we describe unsolved challenges and how software engineering researchers and practitioners can help to overcome them. Conclusions Scientific software presents special challenges for testing. Specifically, cultural differences between scientist developers and software engineers, along with the characteristics of the scientific software make testing more difficult. Existing techniques such as code clone detection can help to improve the testing process. Software engineers should consider special challenges posed by scientific software such as oracle problems when developing testing techniques. PMID:25125798

Testing Scientific Software: A Systematic Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanewala, Upulee; Bieman, James M

2014-10-01

Scientific software plays an important role in critical decision making, for example making weather predictions based on climate models, and computation of evidence for research publications. Recently, scientists have had to retract publications due to errors caused by software faults. Systematic testing can identify such faults in code. This study aims to identify specific challenges, proposed solutions, and unsolved problems faced when testing scientific software. We conducted a systematic literature survey to identify and analyze relevant literature. We identified 62 studies that provided relevant information about testing scientific software. We found that challenges faced when testing scientific software fall into two main categories: (1) testing challenges that occur due to characteristics of scientific software such as oracle problems and (2) testing challenges that occur due to cultural differences between scientists and the software engineering community such as viewing the code and the model that it implements as inseparable entities. In addition, we identified methods to potentially overcome these challenges and their limitations. Finally we describe unsolved challenges and how software engineering researchers and practitioners can help to overcome them. Scientific software presents special challenges for testing. Specifically, cultural differences between scientist developers and software engineers, along with the characteristics of the scientific software make testing more difficult. Existing techniques such as code clone detection can help to improve the testing process. Software engineers should consider special challenges posed by scientific software such as oracle problems when developing testing techniques.

42 CFR 85.7 - Conduct of investigations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., operator, or agent in charge at the place of employment, explain the nature, purpose, and scope of the... photographs related to the purpose of the investigation, employ other reasonable investigative techniques... employment being investigated, and they shall provide and use appropriate protective clothing and equipment...

Theoretical and practical fundamentals of scientific and educational projects: a case of Ukraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olena Bilovodska

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Development of educational and scientific spheres in general and project activity of universities in particular, acquire foreground importance in the modern world. In the article approaches to rendering a term “project” and its basic characteristics are analyzed. Scientific and educational projects are a special type: although they represent a subsidiary activity, they are vital to the image, rankings, prosperity and at some point to competitiveness. The major funding opportunities for scientific and educational projects are generalized. The authors have analyzed the official figures of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine which show the levels of cost funding of scientific and educational projects and describe its main sources in 2010-2015. A study of impact factors on the funding levels of Ukrainian scientific and educational projects by foreign sources was conducted using the method of correlation analysis. According to the results of the conducted analysis, it was determined that activity of international mobility of Ukrainian scientists doesn’t influence the levels of international funding. It was also established that there is a strong inverse relationship between such factors as a share of expenditures on scientific and scientific-technical activities in GDP, a number of organizations involved in scientific and scientific-technical activities and a number of grants for scientific research received from international funds.

Conceptual-level workflow modeling of scientific experiments using NMR as a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gryk Michael R

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Scientific workflows improve the process of scientific experiments by making computations explicit, underscoring data flow, and emphasizing the participation of humans in the process when intuition and human reasoning are required. Workflows for experiments also highlight transitions among experimental phases, allowing intermediate results to be verified and supporting the proper handling of semantic mismatches and different file formats among the various tools used in the scientific process. Thus, scientific workflows are important for the modeling and subsequent capture of bioinformatics-related data. While much research has been conducted on the implementation of scientific workflows, the initial process of actually designing and generating the workflow at the conceptual level has received little consideration. Results We propose a structured process to capture scientific workflows at the conceptual level that allows workflows to be documented efficiently, results in concise models of the workflow and more-correct workflow implementations, and provides insight into the scientific process itself. The approach uses three modeling techniques to model the structural, data flow, and control flow aspects of the workflow. The domain of biomolecular structure determination using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy is used to demonstrate the process. Specifically, we show the application of the approach to capture the workflow for the process of conducting biomolecular analysis using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR spectroscopy. Conclusion Using the approach, we were able to accurately document, in a short amount of time, numerous steps in the process of conducting an experiment using NMR spectroscopy. The resulting models are correct and precise, as outside validation of the models identified only minor omissions in the models. In addition, the models provide an accurate visual description of the control flow for conducting

The Researchers' View of Scientific Rigor-Survey on the Conduct and Reporting of In Vivo Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Reichlin, Thomas S; Vogt, Lucile; Würbel, Hanno

2016-01-01

Reproducibility in animal research is alarmingly low, and a lack of scientific rigor has been proposed as a major cause. Systematic reviews found low reporting rates of measures against risks of bias (e.g., randomization, blinding), and a correlation between low reporting rates and overstated treatment effects. Reporting rates of measures against bias are thus used as a proxy measure for scientific rigor, and reporting guidelines (e.g., ARRIVE) have become a major weapon in the fight against risks of bias in animal research. Surprisingly, animal scientists have never been asked about their use of measures against risks of bias and how they report these in publications. Whether poor reporting reflects poor use of such measures, and whether reporting guidelines may effectively reduce risks of bias has therefore remained elusive. To address these questions, we asked in vivo researchers about their use and reporting of measures against risks of bias and examined how self-reports relate to reporting rates obtained through systematic reviews. An online survey was sent out to all registered in vivo researchers in Switzerland (N = 1891) and was complemented by personal interviews with five representative in vivo researchers to facilitate interpretation of the survey results. Return rate was 28% (N = 530), of which 302 participants (16%) returned fully completed questionnaires that were used for further analysis. According to the researchers' self-report, they use measures against risks of bias to a much greater extent than suggested by reporting rates obtained through systematic reviews. However, the researchers' self-reports are likely biased to some extent. Thus, although they claimed to be reporting measures against risks of bias at much lower rates than they claimed to be using these measures, the self-reported reporting rates were considerably higher than reporting rates found by systematic reviews. Furthermore, participants performed rather poorly when asked to

Is risk analysis scientific?

Science.gov (United States)

Hansson, Sven Ove; Aven, Terje

2014-07-01

This article discusses to what extent risk analysis is scientific in view of a set of commonly used definitions and criteria. We consider scientific knowledge to be characterized by its subject matter, its success in developing the best available knowledge in its fields of study, and the epistemic norms and values that guide scientific investigations. We proceed to assess the field of risk analysis according to these criteria. For this purpose, we use a model for risk analysis in which science is used as a base for decision making on risks, which covers the five elements evidence, knowledge base, broad risk evaluation, managerial review and judgment, and the decision; and that relates these elements to the domains experts and decisionmakers, and to the domains fact-based or value-based. We conclude that risk analysis is a scientific field of study, when understood as consisting primarily of (i) knowledge about risk-related phenomena, processes, events, etc., and (ii) concepts, theories, frameworks, approaches, principles, methods and models to understand, assess, characterize, communicate, and manage risk, in general and for specific applications (the instrumental part). © 2014 Society for Risk Analysis.

The relation of narcissism and self-esteem to conduct problems in children: a preliminary investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Barry, Christopher T; Frick, Paul J; Killian, Amber L

2003-03-01

Investigated several possible models to explain the seemingly discrepant relations between self-esteem and conduct problems, as both low self-esteem and exaggerated levels of self-esteem, thought to be captured by narcissism, have been associated with aggressive and antisocial behavior. Our sample consisted of 98 nonreferred children (mean age = 11.9 years; SD = 1.68 years) recruited from public schools to oversample children at risk for severe aggressive and antisocial behavior. Results indicated that certain aspects of narcissism (i.e., those indicating a need to be evaluated well by, and obtain status over, others) were particularly predictive of maladaptive characteristics and outcomes such as low self-esteem, callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and conduct problems. In addition, the relation between narcissism and conduct problems was moderated by self-esteem level, such that children with relatively high levels of narcissism and low self-esteem showed the highest rates of conduct-problem symptoms.

Exploring South African high school teachers' conceptions of the nature of scientific inquiry: a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Washington T Dudu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper explores conceptions of the nature ofscientific inquiry (NOSI held by five teachers who were purposively and conveniently sampled. Teachers' conceptions of the NOSI were determined using a Probes questionnaire. To confirm teachers' responses, a semi-structured interview was conducted with each teacher. The Probes questionnaire was based on six tenets of the nature of scientific inquiry but only three tenets are presented in this paper, namely: (1 scientists use a variety of methods to conduct scientific investigations; (2 scientific knowledge is socially and culturally embedded; and (3 scientific knowledge is partly the product of human creativity and imagination. The study found that the teachers held mixed NOSI conceptions. These conceptions werefluid and lacked coherence, ranging from static, empiricist-aligned to dynamic, constructivist-oriented conceptions. Although all participants expressed some views that were consistent with current, acceptable conceptions of NOSI, some held inadequate (naïve views on the crucial three NOSI tenets. The significance of this study rests in recommending explicit teaching of NOSI duringpre-service and in-service training which enables teachers to possess informed conceptions about NOSI. With these informed conceptions, teachers may internalise the instructional importance of the NOSI which, in turn, may help avoid the lack of attention to NOSI currently evidenced in teachers' instructional decisions. This might result in teachers' orientations shifting towards an explicit inquiry-based approach from that of an implicit science process and discovery approach.

Conducting Research from Small University Observatories: Investigating Exoplanet Candidates

Science.gov (United States)

Moreland, Kimberly D.

2018-01-01

Kepler has to date discovered 4,496 exoplanet candidates, but only half are confirmed, and only a handful are thought to be Earth sized and in the habitable zone. Planet verification often involves extensive follow-up observations, which are both time and resource intensive. The data set collected by Kepler is massive and will be studied for decades. University/small observatories, such as the one at Texas State University, are in a good position to assist with the exoplanet candidate verification process. By preforming extended monitoring campaigns, which are otherwise cost ineffective for larger observatories, students gain valuable research experience and contribute valuable data and results to the scientific community.

The possibility of using dc conductivity for investigating phase transition in amorphous semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Mously, M.K.; Mina, N.K.

1985-07-01

Different formulas have been applied to deduce the effective or the generalized electrical conductivity of double phase systems. These formulas have been revised and fitted to the experimental data of the binary systems amorphous-crystal (a-c) and liquid-crystal (l-c) for pure elementary selenium and selenium doped by different other elements. Both connected medium and statistical mixture theories can be applied depending on the nature of the system under investigation. (author)

Ethics of reviewing scientific publications.

Science.gov (United States)

Napolitani, Federica; Petrini, Carlo; Garattini, Silvio

2017-05-01

The approval or rejection of scientific publications can have important consequences for scientific knowledge, so considerable responsibility lies on those who have to assess or review them. Today it seems that the peer review process, far from being considered an outdated system to be abandoned, is experiencing a new upturn. This article proposes criteria for the conduct of reviewers and of those who select them. While commenting on new emerging models, it provides practical recommendations for improving the peer-review system, like strengthening the role of guidelines and training and supporting reviewers. The process of peer review is changing, it is getting more open and collaborative, but those same ethical principles which guided it from its very origin should remain untouched and be firmly consolidated. The paper highlights how the ethics of reviewing scientific publications is needed now more than ever, in particular with regard to competence, conflict of interest, willingness to discuss decisions, complete transparency and integrity. Copyright © 2016 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recent Developments in Scientific Research Ballooning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, W. Vernon

2007-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Balloon Program is committed to meeting the need for extended duration scientific investigations by providing advanced balloon vehicles and support systems. A sea change in ballooning capability occurred with the inauguration of 8 - 20 day flights around Antarctica in the early 1990's. The attainment of 28-31 day flights and a record-breaking 42-day flight in, respectively, two and three circumnavigations of the continent has greatly increased the expectations of the scientific users. A new super-pressure balloon is currently under development for future flights of 60-100 days at any latitude, which would bring another sea change in scientific research ballooning

Explaining the Alluring Influence of Neuroscience Information on Scientific Reasoning

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Rebecca E.; Rodriguez, Fernando; Shah, Priti

2014-01-01

Previous studies have investigated the influence of neuroscience information or images on ratings of scientific evidence quality but have yielded mixed results. We examined the influence of neuroscience information on evaluations of flawed scientific studies after taking into account individual differences in scientific reasoning skills, thinking…

47 CFR 18.307 - Conduction limits.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Conduction limits. 18.307 Section 18.307 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL INDUSTRIAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT Technical... outside of the frequency bands specified in § 18.301. (f) For ultrasonic equipment, compliance with the...

The Development of Scientific Thinking Skills in Elementary and Middle School

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, Corinne

2007-01-01

The goal of this article is to provide an integrative review of research that has been conducted on the development of children's scientific reasoning. Broadly defined, scientific thinking includes the skills involved in inquiry, experimentation, evidence evaluation, and inference that are done in the service of "conceptual change" or scientific…

Investigation of the mechanism of soft tissue conduction explains several perplexing auditory phenomena.

Science.gov (United States)

Adelman, Cahtia; Chordekar, Shai; Perez, Ronen; Sohmer, Haim

2014-09-01

Soft tissue conduction (STC) is a recently expounded mode of auditory stimulation in which the clinical bone vibrator delivers auditory frequency vibratory stimuli to skin sites on the head, neck, and thorax. Investigation of the mechanism of STC stimulation has served as a platform for the elucidation of the mechanics of cochlear activation, in general, and to a better understanding of several perplexing auditory phenomena. This review demonstrates that it is likely that the cochlear hair cells can be directly activated at low sound intensities by the fluid pressures initiated in the cochlea; that the fetus in utero, completely enveloped in amniotic fluid, hears by STC; that a speaker hears his/her own voice by air conduction and by STC; and that pulsatile tinnitus is likely due to pulsatile turbulent blood flow producing fluid pressures that reach the cochlea through the soft tissues.

An experimental investigation of electrical conductivities in ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

by HIOKI 3522 LCR/Z Meter (Japan). The a.c. conductivities were measured to depict the. Arrhenius behaviour of solid specimen with temperature variation setup and HIOKI 3522 LCR/Z Meter by using two-probe method. The temperature variation of a.c. con- ductivities were recorded by Tektronix DTM 900 Thermo-.

[An Investigation of the Role Responsibilities of Clinical Research Nurses in Conducting Clinical Trials].

Science.gov (United States)

Kao, Chi-Yin; Huang, Guey-Shiun; Dai, Yu-Tzu; Pai, Ya-Ying; Hu, Wen-Yu

2015-06-01

Clinical research nurses (CRNs) play an important role in improving the quality of clinical trials. In Taiwan, the increasing number of clinical trials has increased the number of practicing CRNs. Understanding the role responsibilities of CRNs is necessary to promote professionalism in this nursing category. This study investigates the role responsibilities of CRNs in conducting clinical trials / research. A questionnaire survey was conducted in a medical center in Taipei City, Taiwan. Eighty CRNs that were registered to facilitate and conduct clinical trials at this research site completed the survey. "Subject protection" was the CRN role responsibility most recognized by participants, followed by "research coordination and management", "subject clinical care", and "advanced professional nursing". Higher recognition scores were associated with higher importance scores and lower difficulty scores. Participants with trial training had significantly higher difficulty scores for "subject clinical care" and "research coordination and management" than their peers without this training (p research coordination and management" (p clinical practice.

Investigations on electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of Na doped ZnO synthesized from sol gel method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tabib, Asma; Sdiri, Nasr [Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Matériaux Minéraux et leurs Applications, Centre National de Recherches en Sciences des Matériaux, B.P. 95 Hammam-Lif, 2050 (Tunisia); Elhouichet, Habib, E-mail: habib.elhouichet@fst.rnu.tn [Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Matériaux Minéraux et leurs Applications, Centre National de Recherches en Sciences des Matériaux, B.P. 95 Hammam-Lif, 2050 (Tunisia); Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092 (Tunisia); Férid, Mokhtar [Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Matériaux Minéraux et leurs Applications, Centre National de Recherches en Sciences des Matériaux, B.P. 95 Hammam-Lif, 2050 (Tunisia)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • ZnO nanoparticles doped with Na were prepared from sol-gel method. • Electric conductivity and dielectric properties were investigated. • The ZnO conductivity is estimated to be of p-type for critical Na doping of 1.5% at. - Abstract: Na doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were elaborated by sol gel technique. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the peaks are indexed to the hexagonal structure without any trace of an extra phase. Electric and dielectric properties were investigated using complex impedance spectroscopy. The impedance spectra were analyzed in terms of equivalent circuits involving resistors, capacitors and constant phase elements (CPE). The contribution of grain boundary resistance to the total resistance of the system is remarkable. The AC conductivity increases with temperature following the Arrhenius law, with single apparent activation energy for conduction process. The frequency dependence of the electric conductivity follows a simple power law behavior, in according to relation σ{sub AC}(ω) = σ(0) + A ω{sup s}, where s is smaller than 1. The analysis of dc conductivity indicates that the conduction is ionic in nature. The study of its variation, at fixed temperature, with Na content shows sharp decrease which is explained by the formation of Na{sub Zn} acceptor. It was found that the dc conductivity reaches its minimum value for critical Na concentration of 1.5% at which the conductivity is estimated to be of p-type. Impedance and modulus study reveals the temperature dependent non-Debye type relaxation phenomenon. Dielectric studies revealed a promising dielectric properties (relatively high ε′ at low frequencies and low loss at high frequencies). In the low-frequency region, the values of M′ tends to zero suggesting negligible or absent electrode polarization phenomenon. The frequency dependent maxima in the imaginary modulus are found to obey to Arrhenius law.

Developing a Scientific Virtue-Based Approach to Science Ethics Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Pennock, Robert T; O'Rourke, Michael

2017-02-01

Responsible conduct of research training typically includes only a subset of the issues that ought to be included in science ethics and sometimes makes ethics appear to be a set of externally imposed rules rather than something intrinsic to scientific practice. A new approach to science ethics training based upon Pennock's notion of the scientific virtues may help avoid such problems. This paper motivates and describes three implementations-theory-centered, exemplar-centered, and concept-centered-that we have developed in courses and workshops to introduce students to this scientific virtue-based approach.

Ninth Grade Students' Understanding of The Nature of Scientific Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Kilic, Kerem; Sungur, Semra; Cakiroglu, Jale; Tekkaya, Ceren

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the 9th-grade students' understandings of the nature of scientific knowledge. The study also aimed to investigate the differences in students' understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge by gender, and school types. A total of 575 ninth grade students from four different school types (General…

Investigation of Superficial Resistance of Different Purity Copper at Boiling Nitrogen Temperature Depending on Treatment of Current-Conducting Layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutovoj, V.A.; Nikolaenko, A.A.; Stoev, P.I.

2007-01-01

Results of this scientific work show influence of annealing temperature and deformation degree of initial MOB copper and after electron beam refining on superficial resistance at temperature of boiling nitrogen. It is shown, that 30 % deformation and annealing in 873...923 K temperature range results in appreciable reduction of superficial resistance at the investigated samples of copper. The lowest values of superficial resistance after thermal and mechanical treatment were observed in the samples after electron beam refinement

High-frequency conductivity of optically excited charge carriers in hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon investigated by spectroscopic femtosecond pump–probe reflectivity measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Wei [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Yurkevich, Igor V. [Aston University, Nonlinearity and Complexity Research Group, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Zakar, Ammar [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Kaplan, Andrey, E-mail: a.kaplan.1@bham.ac.uk [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2015-10-01

We report an investigation into the high-frequency conductivity of optically excited charge carriers far from equilibrium with the lattice. The investigated samples consist of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films grown on a thin film of silicon oxide on top of a silicon substrate. For the investigation, we used an optical femtosecond pump–probe setup to measure the reflectance change of a probe beam. The pump beam ranged between 580 and 820 nm, whereas the probe wavelength spanned 770 to 810 nm. The pump fluence was fixed at 0.6 mJ/cm{sup 2}. We show that at a fixed delay time of 300 fs, the conductivity of the excited electron–hole plasma is described well by a classical conductivity model of a hot charge carrier gas found at Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution, while Fermi–Dirac statics is not suitable. This is corroborated by values retrieved from pump–probe reflectance measurements of the conductivity and its dependence on the excitation wavelength and carrier temperature. The conductivity decreases monotonically as a function of the excitation wavelength, as expected for a nondegenerate charge carrier gas. - Highlights: • We study high‐frequency conductivity of excited hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon. • Reflectance change was measured as a function of pump and probe wavelength. • Maxwell–Boltzmann transport theory was used to retrieve the conductivity. • The conductivity decreases monotonically as a function of the pump wavelength.

Scientific instruments, scientific progress and the cyclotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baird, David; Faust, Thomas

1990-01-01

Philosophers speak of science in terms of theory and experiment, yet when they speak of the progress of scientific knowledge they speak in terms of theory alone. In this article it is claimed that scientific knowledge consists of, among other things, scientific instruments and instrumental techniques and not simply of some kind of justified beliefs. It is argued that one aspect of scientific progress can be characterized relatively straightforwardly - the accumulation of new scientific instruments. The development of the cyclotron is taken to illustrate this point. Eight different activities which promoted the successful completion of the cyclotron are recognised. The importance is in the machine rather than the experiments which could be run on it and the focus is on how the cyclotron came into being, not how it was subsequently used. The completed instrument is seen as a useful unit of scientific progress in its own right. (UK)

Recent Developments in the Scientific Study of UFO's

Science.gov (United States)

Salisbury, Frank B.

1975-01-01

Reviews the interest of the last few years, both inside and outside the scientific community, in unidentified flying objects (UFO), placing special emphasis on the extraterrestrial intelligence hypothesis. Cites numerous examples of UFO sightings and urges that the investigation of UFO's proceed in a scientific manner, despite skeptical public…

77 FR 24959 - Scientific Information Request on Local Therapies for Unresectable Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-26

...The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking scientific information submissions from manufacturers of local, minimally invasive, medical devices for unresectable primary hepatocellular carcinoma (e.g., ablation, radiotherapy, or embolization devices). Scientific information is being solicited to inform our Comparative Effectiveness Review of Local Therapies for Unresectable Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma, which is currently being conducted by the Evidence-based Practice Centers for the AHRQ Effective Health Care Program. Access to published and unpublished pertinent scientific information on this device will improve the quality of this comparative effectiveness review. AHRQ is requesting this scientific information and conducting this comparative effectiveness review pursuant to Section 1013 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Public Law 108-173.

Scientific Staff Attestation in Pedagogic and Psychological Disciplines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. I. Feldshtein

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the quality issue of the research conducted by the candidates for a scientific degree in pedagogy and psychology. The author – Chairman of the Expert Council in Pedagogy and Psychology of the Higher Attestation Commission and Vice President of the Russian Academy of Education –points out once again that awarding the scientific degree involves both the assessment of the research work and validation of the candidate’s contribution to the scientific society: publications, conference and symposium presentations, participation in discussions, etc. The paper exemplifies and analyzes the shortcomings of the thesis research: methodological illiteracy, incorrect wording, irrelevant and narrow themes and hypotheses, obvious borrowing of ideas, lack of novelty. The author lays the blame for the undue level of theses on the candidates for a degree, as well as the expert society – the department and laboratory staff, scientific and dissertation councils, scientific advisors, opponents and consult- ants, and experts of the Higher Attestation Commission. The paper suggests the correcting ways to improve the current situation in theses preparation, its defense and approval. 

Scientific Staff Attestation in Pedagogic and Psychological Disciplines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. I. Feldshtein

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the quality issue of the research conducted by the candidates for a scientific degree in pedagogy and psychology. The author – Chairman of the Expert Council in Pedagogy and Psychology of the Higher Attestation Commission and Vice President of the Russian Academy of Education –points out once again that awarding the scientific degree involves both the assessment of the research work and validation of the candidate’s contribution to the scientific society: publications, conference and symposium presentations, participation in discussions, etc. The paper exemplifies and analyzes the shortcomings of the thesis research: methodological illiteracy, incorrect wording, irrelevant and narrow themes and hypotheses, obvious borrowing of ideas, lack of novelty. The author lays the blame for the undue level of theses on the candidates for a degree, as well as the expert society – the department and laboratory staff, scientific and dissertation councils, scientific advisors, opponents and consult- ants, and experts of the Higher Attestation Commission. The paper suggests the correcting ways to improve the current situation in theses preparation, its defense and approval. 

Lab notebooks as scientific communication: Investigating development from undergraduate courses to graduate research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacob T. Stanley

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In experimental physics, lab notebooks play an essential role in the research process. For all of the ubiquity of lab notebooks, little formal attention has been paid to addressing what is considered “best practice” for scientific documentation and how researchers come to learn these practices in experimental physics. Using interviews with practicing researchers, namely, physics graduate students, we explore the different experiences researchers had in learning how to effectively use a notebook for scientific documentation. We find that very few of those interviewed thought that their undergraduate lab classes successfully taught them the benefit of maintaining a lab notebook. Most described training in lab notebook use as either ineffective or outright missing from their undergraduate lab course experience. Furthermore, a large majority of those interviewed explained that they did not receive any formal training in maintaining a lab notebook during their graduate school experience and received little to no feedback from their advisors on these records. Many of the interviewees describe learning the purpose of, and how to maintain, these kinds of lab records only after having a period of trial and error, having already started doing research in their graduate program. Despite the central role of scientific documentation in the research enterprise, these physics graduate students did not gain skills in documentation through formal instruction, but rather through informal hands-on practice.

The Scientific Method in a Cup

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Bradley W.; More, M. B.

2006-12-01

This paper describes an inexpensive hands-on activity that invites students to investigate an intriguing mystery and so discover for themselves the essence of the scientific method. When a spoon is tapped against the bottom of a mug of freshly made hot chocolate, a tone of constantly rising pitch is heard. Students’ reactions to this “hot chocolate effect” illustrate how the scientific method may be constructed from the common sense and curiosity present in us all.

EFFECT OF USING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT TO IMPROVE SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS LEARNING PHYSICS IN HIGH SCHOOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

putu wartawan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the effect of portfolio assessment in teaching physics and scientific attitude. The research was conducted on students of high school  in Singaraja. Research was an  quasi- experimental study by using  “The Posttest-Only Control Group Design”.  The research involved 152 high school students of class X of science as samples, taken with multistage random sampling technique. Portfolio assessment was integrated with physics learning. The implementation of the portfolio assessment included four key elements such as the students' work folders, clear assessment criteria, and self-assessment, and conference between teacher and students.  The data needed in this research was the students' scientific attitude which included the aspect of curiosity, respect for evidence, the willingness to change ideas, and critical reflection. Data needed in this research included scientific attitudes students.  A Likert scale instrument was used to measure the scientific attitude students.  Data were analyzed using  analysis of variance with SPSS 20.0 at significance level a = 0.05. The results showed there are differences in the scientific attitude students who take physics learning with assessment portfolios and students who take physics learning with assessment of conventional.  The findings of this study indicate that portfolio assessment in learning physics significantly affect the scientific attitude students.

An Imagination Effect in Learning from Scientific Text

Science.gov (United States)

Leopold, Claudia; Mayer, Richard E.

2015-01-01

Asking students to imagine the spatial arrangement of the elements in a scientific text constitutes a learning strategy intended to foster deep processing of the instructional material. Two experiments investigated the effects of mental imagery prompts on learning from scientific text. Students read a computer-based text on the human respiratory…

Refining Current Scientific Priorities and Identifying New Scientific Gaps in HIV-Related Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Twigg, Homer L; Crystal, Ronald; Currier, Judith; Ridker, Paul; Berliner, Nancy; Kiem, Hans-Peter; Rutherford, George; Zou, Shimian; Glynn, Simone; Wong, Renee; Peprah, Emmanuel; Engelgau, Michael; Creazzo, Tony; Colombini-Hatch, Sandra; Caler, Elisabet

2017-09-01

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) AIDS Program's goal is to provide direction and support for research and training programs in areas of HIV-related heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) diseases. To better define NHLBI current HIV-related scientific priorities and with the goal of identifying new scientific priorities and gaps in HIV-related HLBS research, a wide group of investigators gathered for a scientific NHLBI HIV Working Group on December 14-15, 2015, in Bethesda, MD. The core objectives of the Working Group included discussions on: (1) HIV-related HLBS comorbidities in the antiretroviral era; (2) HIV cure; (3) HIV prevention; and (4) mechanisms to implement new scientific discoveries in an efficient and timely manner so as to have the most impact on people living with HIV. The 2015 Working Group represented an opportunity for the NHLBI to obtain expert advice on HIV/AIDS scientific priorities and approaches over the next decade.

Making graduate research in science education more scientific

Science.gov (United States)

Firman, Harry

2016-02-01

It is expected that research conducted by graduate students in science education provide research findings which can be utilized as evidence based foundations for making decisions to improve science education practices in schools. However, lack of credibility of research become one of the factors cause idleness of thesis and dissertation in the context of education improvement. Credibility of a research is constructed by its scientificness. As a result, enhancement of scientific characters of graduate research needs to be done to close the gap between research and practice. A number of guiding principles underlie educational researchs as a scientific inquiry are explored and applied in this paper to identify common shortages of some thesis and dissertation manuscripts on science education reviewed in last two years.

Congratulations and scientific papers to the 40th anniversary of JINR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biryukov, V.A.; Kiseleva, T.B.; Starchenko, B.M.; Ustenko, L.P.

1996-01-01

Congratulations and scientific papers devoted to the JINR forty-year anniversary are presented. The wide spectrum of scientific research studies, conducted at the JINR: high energy physics, nuclear physics and condensed matter physics, is noted. The main attention is paid to nucleon structure, coherent processes in nuclei and crystals and also to the heavy and superheavy nuclei stability

Investigations on d.c. conductivity behaviour of milled carbon fibre ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This paper reports the d.c. conductivity behaviour of milled carbon fibre reinforced polysulphide modified epoxy gradient composites. Milled carbon fibre reinforced composites having 3 vol. % of milled carbon fibre and poly sulphide modified epoxy resin have been developed. D.C. conductivity measurements are conducted ...

SALTON SEA SCIENTIFIC DRILLING PROJECT: SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM.

Science.gov (United States)

Sass, J.H.; Elders, W.A.

1986-01-01

The Salton Sea Scientific Drilling Project, was spudded on 24 October 1985, and reached a total depth of 10,564 ft. (3. 2 km) on 17 March 1986. There followed a period of logging, a flow test, and downhole scientific measurements. The scientific goals were integrated smoothly with the engineering and economic objectives of the program and the ideal of 'science driving the drill' in continental scientific drilling projects was achieved in large measure. The principal scientific goals of the project were to study the physical and chemical processes involved in an active, magmatically driven hydrothermal system. To facilitate these studies, high priority was attached to four areas of sample and data collection, namely: (1) core and cuttings, (2) formation fluids, (3) geophysical logging, and (4) downhole physical measurements, particularly temperatures and pressures.

Investigating the Inter-Tube Conduction Mechanism in Polycarbonate Nanocomposites Prepared with Conductive Polymer-Coated Carbon Nanotubes

KAUST Repository

Ventura, Isaac Aguilar; Zhou, Jian; Lubineau, Gilles

2015-01-01

such as damage-sensitive and history-dependent conductivity because their macroscopic electrical conductivity is largely determined by the tunneling effect at the tube/tube interface. To reduce these issues, new nanocomposites have been developed with CNTs

Perceptions that influence the maintenance of scientific integrity in community-based participatory research.

Science.gov (United States)

Kraemer Diaz, Anne E; Spears Johnson, Chaya R; Arcury, Thomas A

2015-06-01

Scientific integrity is necessary for strong science; yet many variables can influence scientific integrity. In traditional research, some common threats are the pressure to publish, competition for funds, and career advancement. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) provides a different context for scientific integrity with additional and unique concerns. Understanding the perceptions that promote or discourage scientific integrity in CBPR as identified by professional and community investigators is essential to promoting the value of CBPR. This analysis explores the perceptions that facilitate scientific integrity in CBPR as well as the barriers among a sample of 74 professional and community CBPR investigators from 25 CBPR projects in nine states in the southeastern United States in 2012. There were variations in perceptions associated with team member identity as professional or community investigators. Perceptions identified to promote and discourage scientific integrity in CBPR by professional and community investigators were external pressures, community participation, funding, quality control and supervision, communication, training, and character and trust. Some perceptions such as communication and training promoted scientific integrity whereas other perceptions, such as a lack of funds and lack of trust could discourage scientific integrity. These results demonstrate that one of the most important perceptions in maintaining scientific integrity in CBPR is active community participation, which enables a co-responsibility by scientists and community members to provide oversight for scientific integrity. Credible CBPR science is crucial to empower the vulnerable communities to be heard by those in positions of power and policy making. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

How to write and read a scientific evaluation paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wieringa, Roelf J.; Heerkens, Johannes M.G.; Regnell, Björn

Scientific evaluation papers investigate existing problem situations or validate proposed solutions with scientific means, such as by experiment or case study. There is a growing amount of literature about how to report about empirical research in software engineering, but there is still some

Helping Students Move from Coding to Publishing - Teaching Scientific Communication to Science Interns

Science.gov (United States)

Batchelor, R.; Haacker-Santos, R.; Pandya, R. E.

2012-12-01

To help young scientists succeed in our field we should not only model scientific methods and inquiry, but also train them in the art of scientific writing - after all, poorly written proposals, reports or journal articles can be a show stopper for any researcher. Research internships are an effective place to provide such training, because they offer a unique opportunity to integrate writing with the process of conducting original research. This presentation will describe how scientific communication is integrated into the SOARS program. Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) is an undergraduate-to graduate bridge program that broadens participation in the geosciences. SOARS aims to foster the next generation of leaders in the atmospheric and related sciences by helping students develop investigative expertise complemented by leadership and communication skills. Each summer, interns (called protégés) attend a weekly seminar designed to help them learn scientific writing and communication skills. The workshop is organized around the sections of a scientific paper. Workshop topics include reading and citing scientific literature, writing an introduction, preparing a compelling abstract, discussing results, designing effective figures, and writing illuminating conclusions. In addition, protégés develop the skills required to communicate their research to both scientists and non-scientists through the use of posters, presentations and informal 'elevator' speeches. Writing and communication mentors guide protégés in applying the ideas from the workshop to the protégés' required summer scientific paper, poster and presentation, while a strong peer-review component of the program gives the protégés a taste of analyzing, critiquing and collaborating within a scientific forum. This presentation will provide practical tips and lessons learned from over ten years of scientific communications workshops within the SOARS program

Learning Crude Oil by Using Scientific Literacy Comics

Science.gov (United States)

Aisyah, R.; Zakiyah, I. A.; Farida, I.; Ramdhani, M. A.

2017-09-01

A research has been conducted to create a crude oil learning media in the form of scientific literacy-oriented comic. The research included some phases, namely: concept analysis, material transformation to concept map, indicator identification and science literacy aspect. The product was made based on flowcharts and storyboards that have been validated by expert validators. The product has characteristics namely; 1) Develops indicators and aspects of science literacy, 2) presents the materials in form of story of science fiction genre, 3) has characters adopting levels of scientific literacy, 4) has optional stories, because it depends on questions asked to develop scientific literacy in terms of content, context, process and attitude. Based on feasibility test, the product is feasible to be used as learning media. It is suggested to do an expanded experiment to examine its affectivity in improving scientific literacy and growing students’ awareness about the issues of energy crisis and the impacts of fossil fuel use on the environment.

Experimental investigations on the anomaly of the electric conductivity in magnetohydrodynamic shock waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeyer, G.

1975-01-01

In the present work results of experimental investigations on the structure of resistive MHD shock waves are reported. The anomaly of the electric conductivity possibly occurring in such shock waves is an effect which has given new insight on the interaction mechanims of a plasma. In a modified Theta-Pinch setup deuterium plasma shock waves perpendicular to the magnetic field are studied with the aid of probes and scattering of laser light to determine the internal magnetic field and electron temperature and density. (GG) [de

Using Coupled Mesoscale Experiments and Simulations to Investigate High Burn-Up Oxide Fuel Thermal Conductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Teague, Melissa C.; Fromm, Bradley S.; Tonks, Michael R.; Field, David P.

2014-12-01

Nuclear energy is a mature technology with a small carbon footprint. However, work is needed to make current reactor technology more accident tolerant and to allow reactor fuel to be burned in a reactor for longer periods of time. Optimizing the reactor fuel performance is essentially a materials science problem. The current understanding of fuel microstructure have been limited by the difficulty in studying the structure and chemistry of irradiated fuel samples at the mesoscale. Here, we take advantage of recent advances in experimental capabilities to characterize the microstructure in 3D of irradiated mixed oxide (MOX) fuel taken from two radial positions in the fuel pellet. We also reconstruct these microstructures using Idaho National Laboratory's MARMOT code and calculate the impact of microstructure heterogeneities on the effective thermal conductivity using mesoscale heat conduction simulations. The thermal conductivities of both samples are higher than the bulk MOX thermal conductivity because of the formation of metallic precipitates and because we do not currently consider phonon scattering due to defects smaller than the experimental resolution. We also used the results to investigate the accuracy of simple thermal conductivity approximations and equations to convert 2D thermal conductivities to 3D. It was found that these approximations struggle to predict the complex thermal transport interactions between metal precipitates and voids.

Ports Primer: 8.1 Using Scientific Data and Research

Science.gov (United States)

Communities can demonstrate environmental concerns by providing scientific evidence of environmental impact. Communities may be able to access existing local data and conduct their own analyses or communities may turn to existing studies.

Teaching scientific integrity through statistics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Duijn, Marijtje A.J.; Post, Wendy J.; Makar, Katie; de Sousa, Bruno; Gould, Robert1

In the past years, Dutch academia was confronted with several cases of fraud. The Stapel investigation revealed that the prevailing research culture allowed questionable research practices (QRP). As a consequence, there is an ongoing debate on how to prevent academic misconduct. Teaching scientific

An annotated bibliography of scientific literature on managing forests for carbon benefits

Science.gov (United States)

Sarah J. Hines; Linda S. Heath; Richard A. Birdsey

2010-01-01

Managing forests for carbon benefits is a consideration for climate change, bioenergy, sustainability, and ecosystem services. A rapidly growing body of scientific literature on forest carbon management includes experimental, modeling, and synthesis approaches, at the stand- to landscape- to continental-level. We conducted a search of the scientific literature on the...

Conducting Clinical Research Using Crowdsourced Convenience Samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandler, Jesse; Shapiro, Danielle

2016-01-01

Crowdsourcing has had a dramatic impact on the speed and scale at which scientific research can be conducted. Clinical scientists have particularly benefited from readily available research study participants and streamlined recruiting and payment systems afforded by Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), a popular labor market for crowdsourcing workers. MTurk has been used in this capacity for more than five years. The popularity and novelty of the platform have spurred numerous methodological investigations, making it the most studied nonprobability sample available to researchers. This article summarizes what is known about MTurk sample composition and data quality with an emphasis on findings relevant to clinical psychological research. It then addresses methodological issues with using MTurk--many of which are common to other nonprobability samples but unfamiliar to clinical science researchers--and suggests concrete steps to avoid these issues or minimize their impact.

EFSA Scientific Committee; Scientific Opinion on Risk Assessment Terminology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hald, Tine

of improving the expression and communication of risk and/or uncertainties in the selected opinions. The Scientific Committee concluded that risk assessment terminology is not fully harmonised within EFSA. In part this is caused by sectoral legislation defining specific terminology and international standards......The Scientific Committee of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed the use of risk assessment terminology within its Scientific Panels. An external report, commissioned by EFSA, analysed 219 opinions published by the Scientific Committee and Panels to recommend possible ways......, the Scientific Committee concludes that particular care must be taken that the principles of CAC, OIE or IPPC are followed strictly. EFSA Scientific Panels should identify which specific approach is most useful in dealing with their individual mandates. The Scientific Committee considered detailed aspects...

Collaboration in scientific practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wagenknecht, Susann

2014-01-01

This monograph investigates the collaborative creation of scientific knowledge in research groups. To do so, I combine philosophical analysis with a first-hand comparative case study of two research groups in experimental science. Qualitative data are gained through observation and interviews......, and I combine empirical insights with existing approaches to knowledge creation in philosophy of science and social epistemology. On the basis of my empirically-grounded analysis I make several conceptual contributions. I study scientific collaboration as the interaction of scientists within research...... to their publication. Specifically, I suggest epistemic difference and the porosity of social structure as two conceptual leitmotifs in the study of group collaboration. With epistemic difference, I emphasize the value of socio-cognitive heterogeneity in group collaboration. With porosity, I underline the fact...

Heat transfer and thermodynamic performance of convective–radiative cooling double layer walls with temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and internal heat generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torabi, Mohsen; Zhang, Kaili

2015-01-01

Highlights: • First and second laws of thermodynamics have been investigated in a composite wall. • Convective–radiative heat transfer is assumed on both surfaces. • Optimum interface location is calculated to minimize the total entropy generation rate. • Thermal conductivities ratio has great effects on the temperature and entropy generation. - Abstract: Composite geometries have numerous applications in industry and scientific researches. This work investigates the temperature distribution, and local and total entropy generation rates within two-layer composite walls using conjugate convection and radiation boundary conditions. Thermal conductivities of the materials of walls are assumed temperature-dependent. Temperature-dependent internal heat generations are also incorporated into the modeling. The differential transformation method (DTM) is used as an analytical technique to tackle the highly nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations. Thereafter, the local and total entropy generation rates are calculated using the DTM formulated temperature distribution. An exact analytical solution, for the temperature-independent model without radiation effect, is also derived. The correctness and accuracy of the DTM solution are checked against the exact solution. After verification, effects of thermophysical parameters such as location of the interface, convection–conduction parameters, radiation–conduction parameters, and internal heat generations, on the temperature distribution, and both local and total entropy generation rates are examined. To deliver the minimum total entropy generation rate, optimum values for some parameters are also found. Since composite walls are widely used in many fields, the abovementioned investigation is a beneficial tool for many engineering industries and scientific fields to minimize the entropy generation, which is the exergy destruction, of the system

An annotated bibliography of scientific literature on research and management activities conducted in Coram Experimental Forest

Science.gov (United States)

Ilana Abrahamson; Katie Lyon

2012-01-01

The Coram Experimental Forest represents western larch-mixed conifer forests of the Northern Rockies. Western larch research was centered at Coram Experimental Forest (CEF) to provide a scientific basis to regenerate and grow this important and valuable species. For example, the long-term silvicultural studies installed at CEF are allowing researchers and managers to...

Scientific information exchange in the field of humanities between academic institutions of Ukraine and Poland (1955-1960

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indychenko H.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents a historical reconstruction of Ukrainian-Polish scientific relations in the field of humanities in 1955-1960, conducted on the basis of archival sources study. Scientific information exchange of humanitarian institutions of the AS of the Ukrainian SSR with Polish research institutions was quite diversified. It included mutual visits of the scientists from research institutes as delegations members, individual scientific missions to research institutions in order to acquaint with scientific developments, participation in international workshops, congresses and conferences, international book exchange, joint publishing, mutual reviewing of scientific publications. From the second half of the 50s of the 20th century there was an intensification of joint research projects conducted for the development of certain scientific issues, which were of interest for both Ukrainian and Polish scientists, who endeavored to solve them

The international perception of scientific discourse about the climate threat by public in six countries: South Africa, Brazil, China, United States, France, India. Investigation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baecher, Cedric; Dutreix, Nicolas; Buick, Rebecca; Ioualalen, Romain; Guyot, Paul; Campagne, Jean-Charles; Collomb, Etienne

2012-01-01

Based on a bibliographic study, a web-based study, qualitative interviews, a quantitative field survey, a study of some results from the ScenaRio 2012 project, this investigation aimed at highlighting the perception that people of different countries and cultural backgrounds (South Africa, Brazil, China, United States, France, India) have from the scientific discourse on climate change threat. The authors first give an overview of the sources of scientific discourse on climate change (primary sources like scientific institutions, GIEC, secondary sources), then analyse how this discourse is relayed by the media (media operation principles, recent trends, Internet, messages and tools to communicate with public opinions). They analyse and comment the behaviour of the different public opinions, outline the determining factors of public opinions, the diversity of noticed profiles, and the behaviour of young generations. They also propose a comparison between countries and a synthesis of results for each country

Plagiarism in scientific publishing.

Science.gov (United States)

Masic, Izet

2012-12-01

Scientific publishing is the ultimate product of scientist work. Number of publications and their quoting are measures of scientist success while unpublished researches are invisible to the scientific community, and as such nonexistent. Researchers in their work rely on their predecessors, while the extent of use of one scientist work, as a source for the work of other authors is the verification of its contributions to the growth of human knowledge. If the author has published an article in a scientific journal it cannot publish the article in any other journal h with a few minor adjustments or without quoting parts of the first article, which are used in another article. Copyright infringement occurs when the author of a new article with or without the mentioning the author used substantial portions of previously published articles, including tables and figures. Scientific institutions and universities should,in accordance with the principles of Good Scientific Practice (GSP) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) have a center for monitoring,security, promotion and development of quality research. Establish rules and compliance to rules of good scientific practice are the obligations of each research institutions,universities and every individual-researchers,regardless of which area of science is investigated. In this way, internal quality control ensures that a research institution such as a university, assume responsibility for creating an environment that promotes standards of excellence, intellectual honesty and legality. Although the truth should be the aim of scientific research, it is not guiding fact for all scientists. The best way to reach the truth in its study and to avoid the methodological and ethical mistakes is to consistently apply scientific methods and ethical standards in research. Although variously defined plagiarism is basically intended to deceive the reader's own scientific contribution. There is no general regulation of control of

Authors as vehicles of scientific memes

Science.gov (United States)

Krawczyk, M. J.; Kułakowski, K.

2016-04-01

Scientific memes have been defined as short units of text in a publication that are replicated in citing [T. Kuhn et al., Phys. Rev. X 4, 041036 (2014)]. Here, we investigate how often the meme appears in the title of the paper when driven by a coauthorship with somebody who has already published a paper with the same meme in the paper title. Five memes are investigated: traffic flow (TF), stochastic resonance (SR), key distribution (KD), small world (SW) and prisoner’s dilemma (PD). For each meme, a network of papers (GP) and network of authors (GA) are constructed. A meme index is proposed which is a measure how often scientific teams undertake the research on a given area, marked by the meme, without a cooperation with coauthors with previous achievements in the subject.

Predicting Scientific Creativity: The Role of Adversity, Collaborations, and Work Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Jamie D.; Vessey, William B.; Griffith, Jennifer A.; Mracek, Derek; Mumford, Michael D.

2014-01-01

There is little doubt that career experiences contribute to scientific achievement; however this relationship has yet to be thoroughly investigated in terms the effects on scientific creativity. In this study, a historiometric approach was used to examine 3 areas of adult career experiences common to scientific achievement. In doing so, prior…

Scientific criticism of “DNA criminal investigation – DNA database, mandatory DNA collection and time limit for data retention” - Notes on the unconstitutionality of Law 12.654/2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Grazinoli Garrido

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This scientific criticism was based on what was proposed by the article “DNA criminal investigation – DNA database, mandatory DNA collection and time limit for data retention” - Notes on the unconstitutionality of Law 12.654/2012”, in the search to offer doctrinal and empirical evidences that allowed to expand the academic dialogue on the implantation of the National Database of Genetic Profiles (BNPG. For that, we conducted exploratory and qualitative research, developed from documentation of doctrine, empirical work, judgments and rules related to the Brazilian and foreign databases. It is possible to recognize the possibility of using different references from the one presented by the article in question and, thus, the scope of contrary conclusions, particularly regarding the offense to the principle nemo tenetur is detegere in the application of Law 12,654 / 2012. Furthermore, important limitations in relation to the reduction of crime rates and the increase in DNA databases need to be emphasized.

[The system of protection of scientific biomedical research participants in France and in Poland].

Science.gov (United States)

Czarkowski, Marek; Sieczych, Alicja

2013-07-01

Realizing scientific biomedical research conducted on human-beings demands obeying ample ethical rules. However, states keep independence in the means of implementing deontological guidelines to legislative acts. The aim of the article is to compare rules of law relative to protection of scientific biomedical research participants in two European Union member states--France and Poland. French regulations cover more types of scientific biomedical research than those in Poland. In France almost all types of interventional scientific biomedical research including research on human biological samples and research on cosmetics are covered by the rules of law. Polish regulations are limited to interventional research conducted by doctors and dentists. In both states projects of clinical trials of medicinal products demands double acceptance - from bioethics committee and from competent state authority. In protection of scientific biomedical research participants the role of state authority competent for personal data is more vital in France than it is in Poland. In France there is also National Ethics Advisory Committee whereas in Poland there is no such institution. The systems protecting scientific biomedical research participants differs therefore in both states in many vital aspects and French measures cover more types of scientific biomedical research, hence the level of participants protection in various types of research is more equitable.

76 FR 72678 - Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Exempted Fishing, Scientific Research, Display, and Chartering...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-25

... require scientists to report their activities associated with these tags. Examples of research conducted... stock assessments. The public display and scientific research quotas for sandbar sharks are now limited... Highly Migratory Species; Exempted Fishing, Scientific Research, Display, and Chartering Permits; Letters...

Some Effective Tight-Binding Models for Electrons in DNA Conduction: A Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, H.; Iguchi, K.

2010-01-01

Quantum transport for DNA conduction has been widely studied with interest in application as a candidate in making nanowires as well as interest in the scientific mechanism. In this paper, we review recent works concerning the electronic states and the conduction/transfer in DNA polymers. We have mainly investigated the energy-band structure and the correlation effects of localization property in the two- and three-chain systems (ladder model) with long-range correlation as a simple model for electronic property in a double strand of DNA by using the tight-bindingmodel. In addition, we investigated the localization properties of electronic states in several actual DNA sequences such as bacteriophages of Escherichia coli, human-chromosome 22, compared with those of the artificial disordered sequences with correlation. The charge-transfer properties for poly(dA)-poly(dT) and poly(dG)-poly(dC) DNA polymers are also presented in terms of localization lengths within the frameworks of the polaron models due to the coupling between the charge carriers and the lattice vibrations of the double strand of DNA

Thermal conductivity of ZnTe investigated by molecular dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Hanfu; Chu Weiguo

2009-01-01

The thermal conductivity of ZnTe with zinc-blende structure has been computed by equilibrium molecular dynamics method based on Green-Kubo formalism. A Tersoff's potential is adopted in the simulation to model the atomic interactions. The calculations are performed as a function of temperature up to 800 K. The calculated thermal conductivities are in agreement with the experimental values between 150 K and 300 K, while the results above the room temperature are comparable with the Slack's equation.

Communicating Scientific Findings to Lawyers, Policy-Makers, and the Public (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, W.; Velsko, S. P.

2013-12-01

This presentation will summarize the authors' collaborative research on inferential errors, bias and communication difficulties that have arisen in the area of WMD forensics. This research involves analysis of problems that have arisen in past national security investigations, interviews with scientists from various disciplines whose work has been used in WMD investigations, interviews with policy-makers, and psychological studies of lay understanding of forensic evidence. Implications of this research for scientists involved in nuclear explosion monitoring will be discussed. Among the issues covered will be: - Potential incompatibilities between the questions policy makers pose and the answers that experts can provide. - Common misunderstandings of scientific and statistical data. - Advantages and disadvantages of various methods for describing and characterizing the strength of scientific findings. - Problems that can arise from excessive hedging or, alternatively, insufficient qualification of scientific conclusions. - Problems that can arise from melding scientific and non-scientific evidence in forensic assessments.

The Effectiveness of Scientific Inquiry With/Without Integration of Scientific Reasoning

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chun-Ting; She, Hsiao-Ching

2015-01-01

This study examines the difference in effectiveness between two scientific inquiry programs-one with an emphasis on scientific reasoning and one without a scientific reasoning component-on students' scientific concepts, scientific concept-dependent reasoning, and scientific inquiry. A mixed-method approach was used in which 115 grade 5…

50 CFR 216.45 - General Authorization for Level B harassment for scientific research.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... aspects of the proposed research; (ii) The species or stocks of marine mammals (common and scientific names) that are the subject of the scientific research and any other species or stock of marine mammals... this section. Annual reports must include: (i) A summary of research activities conducted; (ii...

Scientific misconduct and research integrity for the bench scientist.

Science.gov (United States)

Pascal, C B

2000-09-01

This paper describes the role of the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), a component of the Public Health Service (PHS), in defining scientific misconduct in research supported with PHS funds and in establishing standards for responding to allegations of misconduct. The principal methods by which ORI exercises its responsibilities in this area are defining what types of behaviors undertaken by research investigators constitute misconduct, overseeing institutional efforts to investigate and report misconduct, and recommending to the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) PHS administrative actions when misconduct is identified. ORI also takes affirmative steps to promote research integrity through education, training, and other initiatives. The role of the research institution in responding to misconduct and promoting research integrity is complementary and overlapping with ORI's efforts but, as the employer of research investigators and front-line manager of the research, the institution has a greater opportunity to promote the highest standards of integrity in the day-to-day conduct of research. Finally, legal precedent established through civil litigation has played an important role in defining the standards that apply in determining when a breach of research integrity has occurred.

Open Science: Dimensions to a new scientific practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Carla Silva de Oliveira

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction:The practices of e-science and the use and reuse of scientific data have constituted a new scientific work that leads to the reflection on new regulatory, legal, institutional and technological frameworks for open science. Objective: This study shows the following research question: which dimensions provide sustainability for the formulation of a policy geared to open science and its practices in the Brazilian context? The aim of this study is to discuss the dimensions that support transversely the formulation of a policy for open science and its scientific practices. Methodology:Theoretically, the study is guided by the fourth scientific paradigm grounded in the e-Science. The methodology is supported by Bufrem’s studies (2013, which propose an alternative and multidimensional model for analysis and discussion of scientific research. Technically, the literature review and documentary survey were the methods used on the Data Lifecycle scientific model, laws and international agreements.For this study purpose, five dimensions were proposed, namely: epistemological, political, ethical-legal-cultural, morphological, and technological. Results: This studyunderstands that these dimensions substantiate an information policy or the development of minimum guidelines for the open science agenda in Brazil. Conclusions: The dimensions put away the reductionist perspective on survey data and they conducted the study for the multi-dimensional and multi-relational vision of open science.

Positive Emotional Responses to Hybridised Writing about a Socio-Scientific Issue

Science.gov (United States)

Tomas, Louisa; Ritchie, Stephen M.

2012-01-01

In order to understand better the role of affect in learning about socio-scientific issues (SSI), this study investigated Year 12 students' emotional arousal as they participated in an online writing-to-learn science project about the socio-scientific issue of biosecurity. Students wrote a series of hybridised scientific narratives, or BioStories,…

Proton conductance at elevated temperature:Formulation and investigation of poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid / 4-aminobenzylamine / phosphoric acid membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jalal eJalili

2014-07-01

Full Text Available 4-aminobenzylamine and phosphoric acid were blended in various proportions with poly (4-styrenesulfonic acid to form a new group of membranes exhibiting proton conductance under water-free conditions. The 4-aminobenzylamine molecule, possessing an aniline-like and benzylamine-like functional group, can interact both with the phosphoric acid and the poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid via nucleophilic interaction, thereby allowing proton jumping in the structure. Physico-chemical and thermal characteristics of the prepared solid membranes were investigated by IR spectroscopy and thermo-gravimetric analysis, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was employed to investigate their proton-conductance properties. Transparent composite membranes were prepared. However, the membranes are opaque for relatively high content of phosphoric acid. These membranes are thermally stable up to 300°C. The proton conductivity increases with temperature and also with content of phosphoric acid. Values as high as 1.8×10–3 S cm–1 were measured at 190°C in fully anhydrous condition.

Research initiatives for plug-and-play scientific computing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McInnes, Lois Curfman; Dahlgren, Tamara; Nieplocha, Jarek; Bernholdt, David; Allan, Ben; Armstrong, Rob; Chavarria, Daniel; Elwasif, Wael; Gorton, Ian; Kenny, Joe; Krishan, Manoj; Malony, Allen; Norris, Boyana; Ray, Jaideep; Shende, Sameer

2007-01-01

This paper introduces three component technology initiatives within the SciDAC Center for Technology for Advanced Scientific Component Software (TASCS) that address ever-increasing productivity challenges in creating, managing, and applying simulation software to scientific discovery. By leveraging the Common Component Architecture (CCA), a new component standard for high-performance scientific computing, these initiatives tackle difficulties at different but related levels in the development of component-based scientific software: (1) deploying applications on massively parallel and heterogeneous architectures, (2) investigating new approaches to the runtime enforcement of behavioral semantics, and (3) developing tools to facilitate dynamic composition, substitution, and reconfiguration of component implementations and parameters, so that application scientists can explore tradeoffs among factors such as accuracy, reliability, and performance

A comparison of bilingual education and generalist teachers' approaches to scientific biliteracy

Science.gov (United States)

Garza, Esther

The purpose of this study was to determine if educators were capitalizing on bilingual learners' use of their biliterate abilities to acquire scientific meaning and discourse that would formulate a scientific biliterate identity. Mixed methods were used to explore teachers' use of biliteracy and Funds of Knowledge (Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N., 1992; Gonzales, Moll, & Amanti, 2005) from the students' Latino heritage while conducting science inquiry. The research study explored four constructs that conceptualized scientific biliteracy. The four constructs include science literacy, science biliteracy, reading comprehension strategies and students' cultural backgrounds. There were 156 4th-5th grade bilingual and general education teachers in South Texas that were surveyed using the Teacher Scientific Biliteracy Inventory (TSBI) and five teachers' science lessons were observed. Qualitative findings revealed that a variety of scientific biliteracy instructional strategies were frequently used in both bilingual and general education classrooms. The language used to deliver this instruction varied. A General Linear Model revealed that classroom assignment, bilingual or general education, had a significant effect on a teacher's instructional approach to employ scientific biliteracy. A simple linear regression found that the TSBI accounted for 17% of the variance on 4th grade reading benchmarks. Mixed methods results indicated that teachers were utilizing scientific biliteracy strategies in English, Spanish and/or both languages. Household items and science experimentation at home were encouraged by teachers to incorporate the students' cultural backgrounds. Finally, science inquiry was conducted through a universal approach to science learning versus a multicultural approach to science learning.

The Analysis of Students Scientific Reasoning Ability in Solving the Modified Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (MLCTSR Problems by Applying the Levels of Inquiry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Novia

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This study aims to determine the students’ achievement in answering modified lawson classroom test of scientific reasoning (MLCTSR questions in overall science teaching and by every aspect of scientific reasoning abilities. There are six aspects related to the scientific reasoning abilities that were measured; they are conservatorial reasoning, proportional reasoning, controlling variables, combinatorial reasoning, probabilistic reasoning, correlational reasoning. The research is also conducted to see the development of scientific reasoning by using levels of inquiry models. The students reasoning ability was measured using the Modified Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (MLCTSR. MLCTSR is a test developed based on the test of scientific reasoning of Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR in 2000 which amounted to 12 multiple-choice questions. The research method chosen in this study is descriptive quantitative research methods. The research design used is One Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The population of this study is the entire junior high students class VII the academic year 2014/2015 in one junior high school in Bandung. The samples in this study are one of class VII, which is class VII C. The sampling method used in this research is purposive sampling. The results showed that there is an increase in quantitative scientific reasoning although its value is not big.

Scientific literacy and academic identity: Creating a community of practice

Science.gov (United States)

Reveles, John Michael

2005-07-01

This one-year ethnographic study of a third grade classroom examined the construction of elementary school science. The research focused on the co-development of scientific literacy and academic identity. Unlike much research in science education that views literacy as merely supportive of science; this dissertation research considers how students learned both disciplinary knowledge in science as well as about themselves as learners through language use. The study documented and analyzed how students came to engage with scientific knowledge and the impact this engagement had upon their academic identities over time. Ethnographic and discourse analytic methods were employed to investigate three research questions: (a) How were the students in a third grade classroom afforded opportunities to acquire scientific literate practices through the spoken/written discourse and science activities? (b) In what ways did students develop and maintain academic identities taken-up over time as they discursively appropriated scientific literate practices via classroom discourse? and (c) How did students collectively and individually inscribe their academic identities and scientific knowledge into classroom artifacts across the school year? Through multiple forms of analyses, I identified how students' communication and participation in science investigations provided opportunities for them to learn specific scientific literate practices. The findings of this empirical research indicate that students' communication and participation in science influenced the ways they perceived themselves as active participants within the classroom community. More specifically, students were observed to appropriate particular discourse practices introduced by the teacher to frame scientific disciplinary knowledge and investigations. Thus, emerging academic identities and developing literate practices were documented via analysis of discursive (spoken, written, and enacted) classroom interactions. A

Socio-Scientific Controversial Issues in 1st Cycle of Basic Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio Ribeiro

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Assuming the importance of science education, from early years, aiming to educate citizens capable of thinking critically and act in scientific and technological contexts, a study was carried out in order to develop learning situations focused on controversial socio-scientific issues to promote students’ argumentation skills and scientific knowledge building / mobilization. The study was based on a qualitative methodology, following an action research plan. It was conducted with a class of 3th grade, having been addressed controversial socio-scientific issues, framed in science curriculum topics, using strategies of debate, role-play and argumentative essays. Data was collected using an analyzing instrument of student´s oral and written productions. In data analysis the privileged technique was content analysis. The results suggest that students mobilized requested scientific knowledge, showing improvement in the effective use of argumentation skills required. This allows us to conclude that the approach of controversial socio-scientific issues contributes to the promotion students´ argumentation skills as well as for scientific knowledge construction / mobilization.

EPIC: A Testbed for Scientifically Rigorous Cyber-Physical Security Experimentation

OpenAIRE

SIATERLIS CHRISTOS; GENGE BELA; HOHENADEL MARC

2013-01-01

Recent malware, like Stuxnet and Flame, constitute a major threat to Networked Critical Infrastructures (NCIs), e.g., power plants. They revealed several vulnerabilities in today's NCIs, but most importantly they highlighted the lack of an efficient scientific approach to conduct experiments that measure the impact of cyber threats on both the physical and the cyber parts of NCIs. In this paper we present EPIC, a novel cyber-physical testbed and a modern scientific instrument that can pr...

Investigation of Storage Options for Scientific Computing on Grid and Cloud Facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garzoglio, Gabriele

2012-01-01

In recent years, several new storage technologies, such as Lustre, Hadoop, OrangeFS, and BlueArc, have emerged. While several groups have run benchmarks to characterize them under a variety of configurations, more work is needed to evaluate these technologies for the use cases of scientific computing on Grid clusters and Cloud facilities. This paper discusses our evaluation of the technologies as deployed on a test bed at FermiCloud, one of the Fermilab infrastructure-as-a-service Cloud facilities. The test bed consists of 4 server-class nodes with 40 TB of disk space and up to 50 virtual machine clients, some running on the storage server nodes themselves. With this configuration, the evaluation compares the performance of some of these technologies when deployed on virtual machines and on “bare metal” nodes. In addition to running standard benchmarks such as IOZone to check the sanity of our installation, we have run I/O intensive tests using physics-analysis applications. This paper presents how the storage solutions perform in a variety of realistic use cases of scientific computing. One interesting difference among the storage systems tested is found in a decrease in total read throughput with increasing number of client processes, which occurs in some implementations but not others.

PLAGIARISM IN SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING

Science.gov (United States)

Masic, Izet

2012-01-01

Scientific publishing is the ultimate product of scientist work. Number of publications and their quoting are measures of scientist success while unpublished researches are invisible to the scientific community, and as such nonexistent. Researchers in their work rely on their predecessors, while the extent of use of one scientist work, as a source for the work of other authors is the verification of its contributions to the growth of human knowledge. If the author has published an article in a scientific journal it cannot publish the article in any other journal h with a few minor adjustments or without quoting parts of the first article, which are used in another article. Copyright infringement occurs when the author of a new article with or without the mentioning the author used substantial portions of previously published articles, including tables and figures. Scientific institutions and universities should,in accordance with the principles of Good Scientific Practice (GSP) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) have a center for monitoring,security, promotion and development of quality research. Establish rules and compliance to rules of good scientific practice are the obligations of each research institutions,universities and every individual-researchers,regardless of which area of science is investigated. In this way, internal quality control ensures that a research institution such as a university, assume responsibility for creating an environment that promotes standards of excellence, intellectual honesty and legality. Although the truth should be the aim of scientific research, it is not guiding fact for all scientists. The best way to reach the truth in its study and to avoid the methodological and ethical mistakes is to consistently apply scientific methods and ethical standards in research. Although variously defined plagiarism is basically intended to deceive the reader’s own scientific contribution. There is no general regulation of control of

National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center 2007 Annual Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hules, John A.; Bashor, Jon; Wang, Ucilia; Yarris, Lynn; Preuss, Paul

2008-10-23

This report presents highlights of the research conducted on NERSC computers in a variety of scientific disciplines during the year 2007. It also reports on changes and upgrades to NERSC's systems and services aswell as activities of NERSC staff.

Investigated conductive fracture in the granitic rocks by flow-meter logging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogata, Nobuhisa; Koide, Kaoru; Takeichi, Atsushi

1997-01-01

Test of the use of a measurement technique for the hydraulic conductivity of geological structures which act as flow paths or are impermeable to groundwater flow. In order to prove the value of flow-meter logging as an in-situ technique for detecting conductive fractures in granitic rocks, the method has been applied to a borehole near the Tono uranium mine, Gifu, Japan. This study in involved with detecting a conductive fracture and calculating the hydraulic conductivities. The results were as follows: (1) In a zone of groundwater inflow into the borehole, the hydraulic conductivity was calculated to be of the order of the 10 -3 - 10 -4 (cm/sec) from flow-meter logging. This value agreed with the results of a in-situ borehole permeability test carried out with a similar depth interval. (2) The study showed that flow-meter logging is effective for detecting the distribution of high conductivity fractures and calculating the hydraulic conductivity. (author)

Tunisian women in scientific research

Science.gov (United States)

Jaziri, Sihem

2013-03-01

The number of Tunisian women conducting scientific research is comparable to that of countries where educating girls has been going on much longer. Although women play an increasingly important role in the field of research, they rarely hold positions of responsibility. Enormous similarities exist between the degree of integration of Tunisian women in science and technology and that of developed countries. Since independence and the removal of discrimination between girls and boys, Tunisian women have been catching up very quickly.

Enhancement in ionic conductivity on solid polymer electrolytes containing large conducting species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Praveen, D. [Department of Physics, Amrita Viswha Vidyapeetham, Bangalore, India, E-mail: d-praveen@blr.amrita.edu (India); Damle, Ramakrishna [Department of Physics, Bangalore University, Bangalore, India. E-mail: ramkrishnadamle@bub.ernet.in (India)

2016-05-23

Solid Polymer Electrolytes (SPEs) lack better conducting properties at ambient temperatures. Various methods to enhance their ionic conductivity like irradiation with swift heavy ions, γ-rays, swift electrons and quenching at low temperature etc., have been explored in the literature. Among these, one of the oldest methods is incorporation of different conducting species into the polymer matrix and/or addition of nano-sized inert particles into SPEs. Various new salts like LiBr, Mg(ClO{sub 4}){sub 2}, NH{sub 4}I etc., have already been tried in the past with some success. Also various nanoparticles like Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, TiO{sub 2} etc., have been tried in the past. In this article, we have investigated an SPE containing Rubidium as a conducting species. Rubidium has a larger ionic size compared to lithium and sodium ions which have been investigated in the recent past. In the present article, we have investigated the conductivity of large sized conducting species and shown the enhancement in the ionic conductivity by addition of nano-sized inert particles.

Enhancement in ionic conductivity on solid polymer electrolytes containing large conducting species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Praveen, D.; Damle, Ramakrishna

2016-01-01

Solid Polymer Electrolytes (SPEs) lack better conducting properties at ambient temperatures. Various methods to enhance their ionic conductivity like irradiation with swift heavy ions, γ-rays, swift electrons and quenching at low temperature etc., have been explored in the literature. Among these, one of the oldest methods is incorporation of different conducting species into the polymer matrix and/or addition of nano-sized inert particles into SPEs. Various new salts like LiBr, Mg(ClO_4)_2, NH_4I etc., have already been tried in the past with some success. Also various nanoparticles like Al_2O_3, TiO_2 etc., have been tried in the past. In this article, we have investigated an SPE containing Rubidium as a conducting species. Rubidium has a larger ionic size compared to lithium and sodium ions which have been investigated in the recent past. In the present article, we have investigated the conductivity of large sized conducting species and shown the enhancement in the ionic conductivity by addition of nano-sized inert particles.

A science confidence gap: Education, trust in scientific methods, and trust in scientific institutions in the United States, 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Achterberg, Peter; de Koster, Willem; van der Waal, Jeroen

2017-08-01

Following up on suggestions that attitudes toward science are multi-dimensional, we analyze nationally representative survey data collected in the United States in 2014 ( N = 2006), and demonstrate the existence of a science confidence gap: some people place great trust in scientific methods and principles, but simultaneously distrust scientific institutions. This science confidence gap is strongly associated with level of education: it is larger among the less educated than among the more educated. We investigate explanations for these educational differences. Whereas hypotheses deduced from reflexive-modernization theory do not pass the test, those derived from theorizing on the role of anomie are corroborated. The less educated are more anomic (they have more modernity-induced cultural discontents), which not only underlies their distrust in scientific institutions, but also fuels their trust in scientific methods and principles. This explains why this science confidence gap is most pronounced among the less educated.

Numerical Investigation of Characteristic of Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity of Natural Fiber Bundle with Numbered Lumens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guan-Yu Zheng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Natural fiber bundle like hemp fiber bundle usually includes many small lumens embedded in solid region; thus, it can present lower thermal conduction than that of conventional fibers. In the paper, characteristic of anisotropic transverse thermal conductivity of unidirectional natural hemp fiber bundle was numerically studied to determine the dependence of overall thermal property of the fiber bundle on that of the solid region phase. In order to efficiently predict its thermal property, the fiber bundle was embedded into an imaginary matrix to form a unit composite cell consisting of the matrix and the fiber bundle. Equally, another unit composite cell including an equivalent solid fiber was established to present the homogenization of the fiber bundle. Next, finite element thermal analysis implemented by ABAQUS was conducted in the two established composite cells by applying proper thermal boundary conditions along the boundary of unit cell, and influences of the solid region phase and the equivalent solid fiber on the composites were investigated, respectively. Subsequently, an optional relationship of thermal conductivities of the natural fiber bundle and the solid region was obtained by curve fitting technique. Finally, numerical results from the obtained fitted curves were compared with the analytic Hasselman-Johnson’s results and others to verify the present numerical model.

Scientific Objectives for UV/Visible Astrophysics Investigations: A Summary of Responses by the Community (2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Scowen, Paul; Perez, Mario R.; Neff, Susan G.; Benford, Dominic J.

2012-01-01

Following several recommendations presented by the Astrophysics Decadal Survey 2010 centered around the need to define "a future ultraviolet-optical space capability," on 2012 May 25, NASA issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking persuasive ultraviolet (UV) and visible wavelength astrophysics science investigations. The goal was to develop a cohesive and compelling set of science objectives that motivate and support the development of the next generation of ultraviolet/visible space astrophysics missions. Responses were due on 10 August 2012 when 34 submissions were received addressing a number of potential science drivers. A UV/visible Mission RFI Workshop was held on 2012 September 20 where each of these submissions was summarized and discussed in the context of each other. We present a scientific analysis of these submissions and presentations and the pursuant measurement capability needs, which could influence ultraviolet/visible technology development plans for the rest of this decade. We also describe the process and requirements leading to the inception of this community RFI, subsequent workshop and the expected evolution of these ideas and concepts for the remainder of this decade.

Scientific Objectives for UV-Visible Astrophysics Investigations: A Summary of Responses by the Community (2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Scowen, Paul A.; Perez, Mario R.; Neff, Susan G.; Benford, Dominic J.

2014-01-01

Following several recommendations presented by the Astrophysics Decadal Survey 2010 centered around the need to define "a future ultraviolet-optical space capability," on 2012 May 25, NASA issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking persuasive ultraviolet (UV) and visible wavelength astrophysics science investigations. The goal was to develop a cohesive and compelling set of science objectives that motivate and support the development of the next generation of ultraviolet/visible space astrophysics missions. Responses were due on 10 August 2012 when 34 submissions were received addressing a number of potential science drivers. A UV/visible Mission RFI Workshop was held on 2012 September 20 where each of these submissions was summarized and discussed in the context of each other. We present a scientific analysis of these submissions and presentations and the pursuant measurement capability needs, which could influence ultraviolet/visible technology development plans for the rest of this decade. We also describe the process and requirements leading to the inception of this community RFI, subsequent workshop and the expected evolution of these ideas and concepts for the remainder of this decade.

Extensional scientific realism vs. intensional scientific realism.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Seungbae

2016-10-01

Extensional scientific realism is the view that each believable scientific theory is supported by the unique first-order evidence for it and that if we want to believe that it is true, we should rely on its unique first-order evidence. In contrast, intensional scientific realism is the view that all believable scientific theories have a common feature and that we should rely on it to determine whether a theory is believable or not. Fitzpatrick argues that extensional realism is immune, while intensional realism is not, to the pessimistic induction. I reply that if extensional realism overcomes the pessimistic induction at all, that is because it implicitly relies on the theoretical resource of intensional realism. I also argue that extensional realism, by nature, cannot embed a criterion for distinguishing between believable and unbelievable theories. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scientific thinking employed in tasks of introductory physics

OpenAIRE

Alexandre Fagundes Faria; Arnaldo de Moura Vaz

2017-01-01

In Science Education, notably in Physics Teaching, there are research based instructional strategies that are renown by their potential to promote conceptual development. It is likely that many of these strategies lead to more elaborate learning; promoting, for instance, scientific thinking development. Scientific thinking might be construed as the sum of domain-specific knowledge and domain-general strategies. Here is reported an investigation of domain-general strategies used by students on...

Articulating uncertainty as part of scientific argumentation during model-based exoplanet detection tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hee-Sun; Pallant, Amy; Pryputniewicz, Sarah

2015-08-01

Teaching scientific argumentation has emerged as an important goal for K-12 science education. In scientific argumentation, students are actively involved in coordinating evidence with theory based on their understanding of the scientific content and thinking critically about the strengths and weaknesses of the cited evidence in the context of the investigation. We developed a one-week-long online curriculum module called "Is there life in space?" where students conduct a series of four model-based tasks to learn how scientists detect extrasolar planets through the “wobble” and transit methods. The simulation model allows students to manipulate various parameters of an imaginary star and planet system such as planet size, orbit size, planet-orbiting-plane angle, and sensitivity of telescope equipment, and to adjust the display settings for graphs illustrating the relative velocity and light intensity of the star. Students can use model-based evidence to formulate an argument on whether particular signals in the graphs guarantee the presence of a planet. Students' argumentation is facilitated by the four-part prompts consisting of multiple-choice claim, open-ended explanation, Likert-scale uncertainty rating, and open-ended uncertainty rationale. We analyzed 1,013 scientific arguments formulated by 302 high school student groups taught by 7 teachers. We coded these arguments in terms of the accuracy of their claim, the sophistication of explanation connecting evidence to the established knowledge base, the uncertainty rating, and the scientific validity of uncertainty. We found that (1) only 18% of the students' uncertainty rationale involved critical reflection on limitations inherent in data and concepts, (2) 35% of students' uncertainty rationale reflected their assessment of personal ability and knowledge, rather than scientific sources of uncertainty related to the evidence, and (3) the nature of task such as the use of noisy data or the framing of

Enhancing Scientific Foundations to Ensure Reproducibility: A New Paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Terry; Vaickus, Max H; Remick, Daniel G

2018-01-01

Progress in science is dependent on a strong foundation of reliable results. The publish or perish paradigm in research, coupled with an increase in retracted articles from the peer-reviewed literature, is beginning to erode the trust of both the scientific community and the public. The NIH is combating errors by requiring investigators to follow new guidelines addressing scientific premise, experimental design, biological variables, and authentication of reagents. Herein, we discuss how implementation of NIH guidelines will help investigators proactively address pitfalls of experimental design and methods. Careful consideration of the variables contributing to reproducibility helps ensure robust results. The NIH, investigators, and journals must collaborate to ensure that quality science is funded, explored, and published. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modelling Scientific Argumentation in the Classroom : Teachers perception and practice

Science.gov (United States)

Probosari, R. M.; Sajidan; Suranto; Prayitno, B. A.; Widyastuti, F.

2017-02-01

The purposes of this study were to investigate teacher’s perception about scientific argumentation and how they practice it in their classroom. Thirty biology teachers in high school participated in this study and illustrated their perception of scientific argumentation through a questionnaire. This survey research was developed to measure teachers’ understanding of scientific argumentation, what they know about scientific argumentation, the differentiation between argument and reasoning, how they plan teaching strategies in order to make students’ scientific argumentation better and the obstacles in teaching scientific argumentation. The result conclude that generally, teachers modified various representation to accommodate student’s active participation, but most of them assume that argument and reasoning are similar. Less motivation, tools and limited science’s knowledge were considered as obstacles in teaching argumentation. The findings can be helpful to improving students’ abilities of doing scientific argumentation as a part of inquiry.

Investigation of a Biocompatible Polyurethane-Based Isotropically Conductive Adhesive for UHF RFID Tag Antennas

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Cheng; Yuen, Matthew M. F.; Gao, Bo; Ma, Yuhui; Wong, C. P.

2011-01-01

As a candidate dispersant for silver-based isotropically conductive adhesives (ICAs), polyurethane (PU) is an environmentally benign material that can withstand a high deformation rate and that exhibits excellent reliability. In this work we investigated methyl ethyl ketoxime (MEKO) blocked isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and MEKO blocked hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) as dispersant materials, and we characterize the electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and reliability of these PU-based ICAs with silver-flake filler content ranging from 30 wt.% to 75 wt.%. Results of temperature-humidity testing (THT) at 85°C and 85% relative humidity (RH) and thermal cycling testing (TCT) at -40°C to 125°C show that these ICAs have excellent reliability. Our experimental results suggest that the MEKO blocked PU dispersants are suitable for preparing ultralow-cost, flexible, high-performance ICAs for printing antennas for ultrahigh-frequency radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags. These tags can potentially be used for identifying washable items and food packaging.

Geoelectromagnetic investigation of the earth’s crust and mantle

CERN Document Server

Rokityansky, Igor I

1982-01-01

Electrical conductivity is a parameter which characterizes composition and physical state of the Earth's interior. Studies of the state equations of solids at high temperature and pressure indicate that there is a close relation be­ tween the electrical conductivity of rocks and temperature. Therefore, measurements of deep conductivity can provide knowledge of the present state and temperature of the Earth's crust and upper mantle matter. Infor­ mation about the temperature of the Earth's interior in the remote past is derived from heat flow data. Experimental investigation of water-containing rocks has revealed a pronounced increase of electrical conductivity in the temperature range D from 500 to 700 DC which may be attributed to the beginning of fractional melting. Hence, anomalies of electrical conductivity may be helpful in identitying zones of melting and dehydration. The studies of these zones are perspective in the scientific research of the mobile areas of the Earth's crust and upper mantle where t...

Investigations on the Mechanical Properties of Conducting Polymer Coating-Substrate Structures and Their Influencing Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin Hua

2009-12-01

Full Text Available This review covers recent advances and work on the microstructure features, mechanical properties and cracking processes of conducting polymer film/coatingsubstrate structures under different testing conditions. An attempt is made to characterize and quantify the relationships between mechanical properties and microstructure features. In addition, the film cracking mechanism on the micro scale and some influencing factors that play a significant role in the service of the film-substrate structure are presented. These investigations cover the conducting polymer film/coating nucleation process, microstructure-fracture characterization, translation of brittle-ductile fractures, and cracking processes near the largest inherent macromolecule defects under thermal-mechanical loadings, and were carried out using in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM observations, as a novel method for evaluation of interface strength and critical failure stress.

Program of scientific investigations and development of solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) in VNIITF. Proposals on scientific and technical collaboration and SOFC commercialization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kleschev, Yu.N.; Chukharev, V.F.

1996-04-01

This paper describes proposals on scientific and technical collaborations pertaining to solid oxide fuel cell commercialization. Topics included for discussion are: materials research and manufacture; market estimation and cost; directions of collaboration; and project of proposals on joint enterprise creation.

Widening the adoption of workflows to include human and human-machine scientific processes

Science.gov (United States)

Salayandia, L.; Pinheiro da Silva, P.; Gates, A. Q.

2010-12-01

Scientific workflows capture knowledge in the form of technical recipes to access and manipulate data that help scientists manage and reuse established expertise to conduct their work. Libraries of scientific workflows are being created in particular fields, e.g., Bioinformatics, where combined with cyber-infrastructure environments that provide on-demand access to data and tools, result in powerful workbenches for scientists of those communities. The focus in these particular fields, however, has been more on automating rather than documenting scientific processes. As a result, technical barriers have impeded a wider adoption of scientific workflows by scientific communities that do not rely as heavily on cyber-infrastructure and computing environments. Semantic Abstract Workflows (SAWs) are introduced to widen the applicability of workflows as a tool to document scientific recipes or processes. SAWs intend to capture a scientists’ perspective about the process of how she or he would collect, filter, curate, and manipulate data to create the artifacts that are relevant to her/his work. In contrast, scientific workflows describe the process from the point of view of how technical methods and tools are used to conduct the work. By focusing on a higher level of abstraction that is closer to a scientist’s understanding, SAWs effectively capture the controlled vocabularies that reflect a particular scientific community, as well as the types of datasets and methods used in a particular domain. From there on, SAWs provide the flexibility to adapt to different environments to carry out the recipes or processes. These environments range from manual fieldwork to highly technical cyber-infrastructure environments, i.e., such as those already supported by scientific workflows. Two cases, one from Environmental Science and another from Geophysics, are presented as illustrative examples.

Conjecturing via Analogical Reasoning in Developing Scientific Approach in Junior High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Supratman; Ryane, S.; Rustina, R.

2016-02-01

This study aims to explore the extent to which the use of analogy reasoning when students conduct conjecture in developing the scientific approach, so that the knowledge of the students can be used to build new knowledge. Analysis was conducted on student learning outcomes in Ciamis district. Based on these results, it was found the teacher not give an opportunity to the students to make conjecture on the students in problem solving as well as the construction of new knowledge. Moreover, teachers do not take advantage of analogical reasoning and scientific approach in constructing new knowledge.

Hedging in Popular Scientific Articles on Medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Csongor Alexandra

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The aim of this study is to investigate the process of rewriting medical research papers for the lay public. The latest findings of medical research often appear in the popular media. It is interesting to see what happens to a scientific text when it is transmitted to a new audience. Hedging is usually interpreted as a characteristic feature of scientific discourse. This study focuses on hedging, which also tends to be applied in popularized articles in the field of medicine.

Measuring scientific research in emerging nano-energy field

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Jiancheng; Liu, Na

2014-04-01

The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively explore scientific research profiles in the field of emerging nano-energy during 1991-2012 based on bibliometrics and social network analysis. We investigate the growth pattern of research output, and then carry out across countries/regions comparisons on research performances. Furthermore, we examine scientific collaboration across countries/regions by analyzing collaborative intensity and networks in 3- to 4-year intervals. Results indicate with an impressively exponential growth pattern of nano-energy articles, the world share of scientific "giants," such as the USA, Germany, England, France and Japan, display decreasing research trends, especially in the USA. Emerging economies, including China, South Korea and India, exhibit a rise in terms of the world share, illustrating strong development momentum of these countries in nano-energy research. Strikingly, China displays a remarkable rise in scientific influence rivaling Germany, Japan, France, and England in the last few years. Finally, the scientific collaborative network in nano-energy research has expanded steadily. Although the USA and several major European countries play significantly roles on scientific collaboration, China and South Korea exert great influence on scientific collaboration in recent years. The findings imply that emerging economies can earn competitive advantages in some emerging fields by properly engaging a catch-up strategy.

The Design Of Computerized Database Of Scientific Reports Of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The analysis was done by conducting interview and record inspection on method of storage and retrieval of scientific documents such as research reports, technical memoranda, feasibility reports, journal articles, seminar papers, conference proceedings etc. The analysis revealed the shortcomings of the manual system ...

EFFECT SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY TEACHING MODELS AND SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE TO PHYSICS STUDENT OUTCOMES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dian Clara Natalia Sihotang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The objectives of this study were to determine whether: (1 the student’s achievement taught by using Scientific Inquiry Teaching Models is better than that of taught by using Direct Instruction; (2 the student’s achievement who have a high scientific attitude is better than student who have low scientific attitude; and (3 there is interaction between Scientific Inquiry Teaching Models and scientific attitude for the student’s achievement. The results of research are: (1 the student’s achievement given learning through Scientific Inquiry Teaching Models better than Direct Instruction; (2 the student’s achievement who have a high scientific attitude better than student who have low scientific attitude; and (3 there was interaction between Scientific Inquiry Teaching Models and scientific attitude for student’s achievement which this models is better to apply for student who have a high scientific attitude.

A Scientific World in a Grain of Sand

Science.gov (United States)

Clary, Renee; Wandersee, James

2011-01-01

Students investigate local sand samples on a shoestring budget. This investigation reveals a fascinating Earth history that can address various interdisciplinary scientific topics, provide rich inquiry experiences, and move beyond the science classroom to integrate history, culture, and art. (Contains 3 figures and 14 online resources.)

Investigation of tDCS volume conduction effects in a highly realistic head model

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, S.; Rampersad, S. M.; Aydin, Ü.; Vorwerk, J.; Oostendorp, T. F.; Neuling, T.; Herrmann, C. S.; Stegeman, D. F.; Wolters, C. H.

2014-02-01

Objective. We investigate volume conduction effects in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and present a guideline for efficient and yet accurate volume conductor modeling in tDCS using our newly-developed finite element (FE) approach. Approach. We developed a new, accurate and fast isoparametric FE approach for high-resolution geometry-adapted hexahedral meshes and tissue anisotropy. To attain a deeper insight into tDCS, we performed computer simulations, starting with a homogenized three-compartment head model and extending this step by step to a six-compartment anisotropic model. Main results. We are able to demonstrate important tDCS effects. First, we find channeling effects of the skin, the skull spongiosa and the cerebrospinal fluid compartments. Second, current vectors tend to be oriented towards the closest higher conducting region. Third, anisotropic WM conductivity causes current flow in directions more parallel to the WM fiber tracts. Fourth, the highest cortical current magnitudes are not only found close to the stimulation sites. Fifth, the median brain current density decreases with increasing distance from the electrodes. Significance. Our results allow us to formulate a guideline for volume conductor modeling in tDCS. We recommend to accurately model the major tissues between the stimulating electrodes and the target areas, while for efficient yet accurate modeling, an exact representation of other tissues is less important. Because for the low-frequency regime in electrophysiology the quasi-static approach is justified, our results should also be valid for at least low-frequency (e.g., below 100 Hz) transcranial alternating current stimulation.

Is ADHD a Risk Factor Independent of Conduct Disorder for Illicit Substance Use? A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Serra-Pinheiro, Maria Antonia; Coutinho, Evandro S. F.; Souza, Isabella S.; Pinna, Camilla; Fortes, Didia; Araujo, Catia; Szobot, Claudia M.; Rohde, Luis A.; Mattos, Paulo

2013-01-01

Objective: To investigate meta-analytically if the association between ADHD and illicit substance use (ISU) is maintained when controlling for conduct disorder/oppositional-defiant disorder (CD/ODD). Method: A systematic literature review was conducted through Medline from 1980 to 2008. Data extracted and selections made by one author were…

Internet website as a tool of communication in scientific institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marzena Feldy

2015-12-01

. Moreover, public higher education institutions conduct the most professional communication. There is no clear regularity between the size of institutions and their activity in the field of communication, except for private universities. However, the greater engagement in communication activities is observed within the institutions authorized to award scientific degrees. In addition, conducted research, on the one hand, resulted in identification of the most common mistakes committed in website communication, but on the other hand, revealed the examples of websites that performed their communication and image-building functions excellently. Such information may serve as a benchmark for practitioners who would like to assess their websites and correct eventual defects.

Scientific collaboration in the Danish-German border region of Southern Jutland-Schleswig

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Makkonen, Teemu

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the geographical and organizational patterns of scientific collaboration, in terms of co-authored scientific articles, in the Danish-German border region of Southern Jutland-Schleswig. The motivation behind the approach lies in the fact that scientific collaboration...... of co-authored publications and, thus, the knowledge infrastructure of the border region can be considered as weakly integrated....

Cancer research in need of a scientific revolution: Using 'paradigm shift' as a method of investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wion, Didier; Appaix, Florence; Burruss, Meriwether; Berger, Francois; van der Sanden, Boudewijn

2015-09-01

Despite important human and financial resources and considerable accumulation of scientific publications, patents, and clinical trials, cancer research has been slow in achieving a therapeutic revolution similar to the one that occurred in the last century for infectious diseases. It has been proposed that science proceeds not only by accumulating data but also through paradigm shifts. Here, we propose to use the concept of 'paradigm shift' as a method of investigation when dominant paradigms fail to achieve their promises. The first step in using the 'paradigm shift' method in cancer research requires identifying its founding paradigms. In this review, two of these founding paradigms will be discussed: (i) the reification of cancer as a tumour mass and (ii) the translation of the concepts issued from infectious disease in cancer research. We show how these founding paradigms can generate biases that lead to over-diagnosis and over-treatment and also hamper the development of curative cancer therapies. We apply the 'paradigm shift' method to produce perspective reversals consistent with current experimental evidence. The 'paradigm shift' method enlightens the existence of a tumour physiologic-prophylactic-pathologic continuum. It integrates the target/antitarget concept and that cancer is also an extracellular disease. The 'paradigm shift' method has immediate implications for cancer prevention and therapy. It could be a general method of investigation for other diseases awaiting therapy.

UkrVO Joint Digitized Archive and Scientific Prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vavilova I. B.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The UkrVO (Ukrainian Virtual Observatory database consists of about 200 000 astronomical photographic plates and 500 000 CCD frames containing unique astronomical information for formulating important scientific tasks. This database is compiled from observations conducted in 1898-2011 at the observing sites of 8 Ukrainian observatories, with about 60 instruments. This paper deals with some principal scientific projects where the UkrVO databases are used, namely, the creation of the Joint Digitized Archive (JDA; compilation of new stellar catalogues; search for optical counterparts of gamma-ray bursts; spectroscopic study of solar flares and solar active formations; development of software for searches for new small bodies of the solar system.

2006 XSD Scientific Software Workshop report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evans, K., Jr.; De Carlo, F.; Jemian, P.; Lang, J.; Lienert, U.; Maclean, J.; Newville, M.; Tieman, B.; Toby, B.; van Veenendaal, B.; Univ. of Chicago

2006-01-22

In May of 2006, a committee was formed to assess the fundamental needs and opportunities in scientific software for x-ray data reduction, analysis, modeling, and simulation. This committee held a series of discussions throughout the summer, conducted a poll of the members of the x-ray community, and held a workshop. This report details the findings and recommendations of the committee. Each experiment performed at the APS requires three crucial ingredients: the powerful x-ray source, an optimized instrument to perform measurements, and computer software to acquire, visualize, and analyze the experimental observations. While the APS has invested significant resources in the accelerator, investment in other areas such as scientific software for data analysis and visualization has lagged behind. This has led to the adoption of a wide variety of software with variable levels of usability. In order to maximize the scientific output of the APS, it is essential to support the broad development of real-time analysis and data visualization software. As scientists attack problems of increasing sophistication and deal with larger and more complex data sets, software is playing an ever more important role. Furthermore, our need for excellent and flexible scientific software can only be expected to increase, as the upgrade of the APS facility and the implementation of advanced detectors create a host of new measurement capabilities. New software analysis tools must be developed to take full advantage of these capabilities. It is critical that the APS take the lead in software development and the implementation of theory to software to ensure the continued success of this facility. The topics described in this report are relevant to the APS today and critical for the APS upgrade plan. Implementing these recommendations will have a positive impact on the scientific productivity of the APS today and will be even more critical in the future.

Exploration of Korean Students' Scientific Imagination Using the Scientific Imagination Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Mun, Jiyeong; Mun, Kongju; Kim, Sung-Won

2015-01-01

This article reports on the study of the components of scientific imagination and describes the scales used to measure scientific imagination in Korean elementary and secondary students. In this study, we developed an inventory, which we call the Scientific Imagination Inventory (SII), in order to examine aspects of scientific imagination. We…

Organization model compound by phases to establish didactic methodological actions in the scientific formation of the Weightlifting trainer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Orlando Caballero-Riera

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The work offers a model with organization didactic methodological actions having the purpose of transforming the insufficiencies revealed in the scientific preparation of the Physical Culture and Sport Professional, as well as in the development and leading of the scientific investigative activity during the solution of problems that are shown in the socio professional context of the Weightlifting sport. The actions are focused in the scientific investigative activities and in the information management about the trainers leadership, having them to acting an independent and productive way; where the investigative creative activity articulated is harmonically with the development of investigative skills making possible the acquisition of capacities in the scientific investigative work. To carry out this research theoretical and empirical methods of investigation were used which allowed to base the proposed, to carry out the investigation process and to value its feasibility according to the specialists criteria for the solution of the Scientific Problem.

Continuous Creation: Developing a Scientific and Humane Personal Philosophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Styers, Steven W.

1984-01-01

Human beings must develop both a rational acceptance of unfolding scientific knowledge and an attitude of caring and tolerance for all lives. Supernatural conceptions are almost always exclusive concerning some aspects of reality and have often been the basis for inhumane conduct. Everyday we create our lives. (CS)

Undergraduate medical academic performance is improved by scientific training.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lili; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Chong; Liu, Zhongming; Cai, Yunfei; Cao, Xingguo; He, Yushan; Liu, Guoxiang; Miao, Hongming

2017-09-01

The effect of scientific training on course learning in undergraduates is still controversial. In this study, we investigated the academic performance of undergraduate students with and without scientific training. The results show that scientific training improves students' test scores in general medical courses, such as biochemistry and molecular biology, cell biology, physiology, and even English. We classified scientific training into four levels. We found that literature reading could significantly improve students' test scores in general courses. Students who received scientific training carried out experiments more effectively and published articles performed better than their untrained counterparts in biochemistry and molecular biology examinations. The questionnaire survey demonstrated that the trained students were more confident of their course learning, and displayed more interest, motivation and capability in course learning. In summary, undergraduate academic performance is improved by scientific training. Our findings shed light on the novel strategies in the management of undergraduate education in the medical school. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):379-384, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The need for scientific software engineering in the pharmaceutical industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Luty, Brock; Rose, Peter W

2017-03-01

Scientific software engineering is a distinct discipline from both computational chemistry project support and research informatics. A scientific software engineer not only has a deep understanding of the science of drug discovery but also the desire, skills and time to apply good software engineering practices. A good team of scientific software engineers can create a software foundation that is maintainable, validated and robust. If done correctly, this foundation enable the organization to investigate new and novel computational ideas with a very high level of efficiency.

The need for scientific software engineering in the pharmaceutical industry

Science.gov (United States)

Luty, Brock; Rose, Peter W.

2017-03-01

Scientific software engineering is a distinct discipline from both computational chemistry project support and research informatics. A scientific software engineer not only has a deep understanding of the science of drug discovery but also the desire, skills and time to apply good software engineering practices. A good team of scientific software engineers can create a software foundation that is maintainable, validated and robust. If done correctly, this foundation enable the organization to investigate new and novel computational ideas with a very high level of efficiency.

[The epistemic objects of toxoplasmoses and their re-presentation in an international scientific conference].

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Vera Lucia Marques da; Camargo Júnior, Kenneth Rochel de

2012-06-01

The paper investigates the epistemic objects of Toxoplasma gondii and the correlation of forces of research groups committed to redefine or reconfigure toxoplasmosis. The data research and this analysis were conducted in a scientific congress, according to the concepts of 'manipulation' and 'reenactment,' based on the idea of 'dramatization' proposed by Mol in a study of empirical philosophy. It was found that the objects were represented from diversified hues and with strong ties to the industrial complex. For its projection in the trends of the global economy in the twenty-first century, genetics was a major protagonist in the debates on sole causality, one of the convictions of Western science.

Scientific reasoning skills development in the introductory biology courses for undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Schen, Melissa S.

Scientific reasoning is a skill of critical importance to those students who seek to become professional scientists. Yet, there is little research on the development of such reasoning in science majors. In addition, scientific reasoning is often investigated as two separate entities: hypothetico-deductive reasoning and argumentation, even though these skills may be linked. With regard to argumentation, most investigations look at its use in discussing socioscientific issues, not in analyzing scientific data. As scientists often use the same argumentation skills to develop and support conclusions, this avenue needs to be investigated. This study seeks to address these issues and establish a baseline of both hypothetico-deductive reasoning and argumentation of scientific data of biology majors through their engagement in introductory biology coursework. This descriptive study investigated the development of undergraduates' scientific reasoning skills by assessing them multiple times throughout a two-quarter introductory biology course sequence for majors. Participants were assessed at the beginning of the first quarter, end of the first quarter, and end of the second quarter. A split-half version of the revised Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) and a paper and pencil argumentation instrument developed for this study were utilized to assess student hypothetico-deductive reasoning and argumentation skills, respectively. To identify factors that may influence scientific reasoning development, demographic information regarding age, gender, science coursework completed, and future plans was collected. Evidence for course emphasis on scientific reasoning was found in lecture notes, assignments, and laboratory exercises. This study did not find any trends of improvement in the students' hypothetico-deductive reasoning or argumentation skills either during the first quarter or over both quarters. Specific difficulties in the control of variables and

A novel conductivity mechanism of highly disordered carbon systems based on an investigation of graph zeta function

Science.gov (United States)

Matsutani, Shigeki; Sato, Iwao

2017-09-01

In the previous report (Matsutani and Suzuki, 2000 [21]), by proposing the mechanism under which electric conductivity is caused by the activational hopping conduction with the Wigner surmise of the level statistics, the temperature-dependent of electronic conductivity of a highly disordered carbon system was evaluated including apparent metal-insulator transition. Since the system consists of small pieces of graphite, it was assumed that the reason why the level statistics appears is due to the behavior of the quantum chaos in each granular graphite. In this article, we revise the assumption and show another origin of the Wigner surmise, which is more natural for the carbon system based on a recent investigation of graph zeta function in graph theory. Our method can be applied to the statistical treatment of the electronic properties of the randomized molecular system in general.

A Componential Analysis of Gender Differences in Scientific Creativity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Nazlı Ozdemir

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, an investigation was carried out to explore if there were any gender differences in scientific creativity and its components. Par-ticipants included 704 sixth grade students who applied to the Education Programs for Talented Students (EPTS at Anadolu University in the City of Eskişehir in Turkey. Of the total sam-ple, 345 were female and 359 were male. Stu-dents’ scientific creativity was measured using the Creative Scientific Ability Test (C-SAT. It measures fluency, flexibility and creativity and hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing and evidence evaluation. The analysis showed that male students scored significantly higher on fluency and creativity and hypothesis genera-tion components of scientific creativity. Alt-hough male students had higher scores on flex-ibility, hypothesis testing and evidence evalua-tion components too, the differences between the groups were not significant. The findings shows that gender differences in scientific crea-tivity in childhood and adolescence might re-sult from differences in some particular pro-cesses.

Cyber-Enabled Scientific Discovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, Tony; Jameson, Leland

2007-01-01

It is often said that numerical simulation is third in the group of three ways to explore modern science: theory, experiment and simulation. Carefully executed modern numerical simulations can, however, be considered at least as relevant as experiment and theory. In comparison to physical experimentation, with numerical simulation one has the numerically simulated values of every field variable at every grid point in space and time. In comparison to theory, with numerical simulation one can explore sets of very complex non-linear equations such as the Einstein equations that are very difficult to investigate theoretically. Cyber-enabled scientific discovery is not just about numerical simulation but about every possible issue related to scientific discovery by utilizing cyberinfrastructure such as the analysis and storage of large data sets, the creation of tools that can be used by broad classes of researchers and, above all, the education and training of a cyber-literate workforce

An investigation of proton conductivity of binary matrices sulfonated ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

to their potential applications in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) ... is highly sulfonated and has high water uptake property.11,12 The proton conductivity ... SPSU membranes have lower gas permeability and liquid. (water and ...

"The Dose Makes the Poison": Informing Consumers About the Scientific Risk Assessment of Food Additives.

Science.gov (United States)

Bearth, Angela; Cousin, Marie-Eve; Siegrist, Michael

2016-01-01

Intensive risk assessment is required before the approval of food additives. During this process, based on the toxicological principle of "the dose makes the poison,ˮ maximum usage doses are assessed. However, most consumers are not aware of these efforts to ensure the safety of food additives and are therefore sceptical, even though food additives bring certain benefits to consumers. This study investigated the effect of a short video, which explains the scientific risk assessment and regulation of food additives, on consumers' perceptions and acceptance of food additives. The primary goal of this study was to inform consumers and enable them to construct their own risk-benefit assessment and make informed decisions about food additives. The secondary goal was to investigate whether people have different perceptions of food additives of artificial (i.e., aspartame) or natural origin (i.e., steviolglycoside). To attain these research goals, an online experiment was conducted on 185 Swiss consumers. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group, which was shown a video about the scientific risk assessment of food additives, or the control group, which was shown a video about a topic irrelevant to the study. After watching the video, the respondents knew significantly more, expressed more positive thoughts and feelings, had less risk perception, and more acceptance than prior to watching the video. Thus, it appears that informing consumers about complex food safety topics, such as the scientific risk assessment of food additives, is possible, and using a carefully developed information video is a successful strategy for informing consumers. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

AUTOMATION OF CONTROL OF THE BUSINESS PROCESS OF PUBLISHING SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Yu. Sakaliuk

2016-09-01

Full Text Available We consider business process automation publishing scientific journals. It describes the focal point of publishing houses Odessa National Academy of Food Technology and the automation of business processes. A complex business process models publishing scientific journals. Analyzed organizational structure of Coordinating Centre of Scientific Journals' Publishing ONAFT structure and created its model. A process model simulation conducted business process notation eEPC and BPMN. Also held database design, creation of file structure and create AIS interface. Implemented interaction with the webcam. Justification feasibility of software development, and the definition of performance based on the results petal chart, it is safe to say that an automated way to much more efficient compared to manual mode. The developed software will accelerate the development of scientific periodicals ONAFT, which in turn improve the academy ratings at the global level, improve its image and credibility.

Identification of induced and naturally occurring conductive hearing loss in mice using bone conduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Chhan, David; McKinnon, Melissa L; Rosowski, John J

2017-03-01

While many mouse models of hearing loss have been described, a significant fraction of the genetic defects in these models affect both the inner ear and middle ears. A common method used to separate inner-ear (sensory-neural) from middle-ear (conductive) pathologies in the hearing clinic is the combination of air-conduction and bone-conduction audiometry. In this report, we investigate the use of air- and bone-conducted evoked auditory brainstem responses to perform a similar separation in mice. We describe a technique by which we stimulate the mouse ear both acoustically and via whole-head vibration. We investigate the sensitivity of this technique to conductive hearing loss by introducing middle-ear lesions in normal hearing mice. We also use the technique to investigate the presence of an age-related conductive hearing loss in a common mouse model of presbycusis, the BALB/c mouse. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Principal Investigator-in-a-Box

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Laurence R.

1999-01-01

Human performance in orbit is currently limited by several factors beyond the intrinsic awkwardness of motor control in weightlessness. Cognitive functioning can be affected by such factors as cumulative sleep loss, stress and the psychological effects of long-duration small-group isolation. When an astronaut operates a scientific experiment, the performance decrement associated with such factors can lead to lost or poor quality data and even the total loss of a scientific objective, at great cost to the sponsors and to the dismay of the Principal Investigator. In long-duration flights, as anticipated on the International Space Station and on any planetary exploration, the experimental model is further complicated by long delays between training and experiment, and the large number of experiments each crew member must perform. Although no documented studies have been published on the subject, astronauts report that an unusually large number of simple errors are made in space. Whether a result of the effects of microgravity, accumulated fatigue, stress or other factors, this pattern of increased error supports the need for a computerized decision-making aid for astronauts performing experiments. Artificial intelligence and expert systems might serve as powerful tools for assisting experiments in space. Those conducting space experiments typically need assistance exactly when the planned checklist does not apply. Expert systems, which use bits of human knowledge and human methods to respond appropriately to unusual situations, have a flexibility that is highly desirable in circumstances where an invariably predictable course of action/response does not exist. Frequently the human expert on the ground is unavailable, lacking the latest information, or not consulted by the astronaut conducting the experiment. In response to these issues, we have developed "Principal Investigator-in-a-Box," or [PI], to capture the reasoning process of the real expert, the Principal

Effects of Scaffolds and Scientific Reasoning Ability on Web-Based Scientific Inquiry

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Hui-Ling; Weng, Hsiao-Lan; She, Hsiao-Ching

2016-01-01

This study examined how background knowledge, scientific reasoning ability, and various scaffolding forms influenced students' science knowledge and scientific inquiry achievements. The students participated in an online scientific inquiry program involving such activities as generating scientific questions and drawing evidence-based conclusions,…

Science Inquiry as Knowledge Transformation: Investigating Metacognitive and Self-regulation Strategies to Assist Students in Writing about Scientific Inquiry Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Timothy A.

2011-12-01

Science inquiry is central to the science education reform efforts that began in the early 1990's. It is both a topic of instruction and a process to be experienced. Student engagement in the process of scientific inquiry was the focus of this study. The process of scientific inquiry can be conceived as a two-part task. In the initial part of the task, students identify a question or problem to study and then carry out an investigation to address the issue. In the second part of the task, students analyze their data to propose explanations and then report their findings. Knowing that students struggle with science inquiry tasks, this study sought to investigate ways to help students become more successful with the communication demands of science inquiry tasks. The study took place in a high school chemistry class. Students in this study completed a total of three inquiry tasks over the course of one school year. Students were split into four experimental groups in order to determine the effect of goal setting, metacognitive prompts, and sentence stems on student inquiry tasks. The quality of the student written work was assessed using a scoring rubric familiar to the students. In addition, students were asked at four different times in the school year to respond to a self-efficacy survey that measured student self-efficacy for chemistry content and science inquiry processes. Student self-efficacy for the process of scientific inquiry was positive and did not change over the course of the study while student scores on the science inquiry tasks rose significantly. The metacognitive prompts and instruction in goal setting did not have any effect on student inquiry scores. Results related to the effect of the sentence stems were mixed. An analysis of student work indicated that students who received high marks on their initial inquiry task in this study were the ones that adopted the use of the sentence stems. Students who received low marks on their initial inquiry

An ontology model for execution records of Grid scientific applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baliś, B.; Bubak, M.

2008-01-01

Records of past application executions are particularly important in the case of loosely-coupled, workflow driven scientific applications which are used to conduct in silico experiments, often on top of Grid infrastructures. In this paper, we propose an ontology-based model for storing and querying

Multiple perspectives on students’ scientific communication & reasoning in chemistry education [VISIONS 2011: Teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maik Walpuski

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Both students and teachers need different competences for scientific reasoning. Apart from the required content knowledge and the ability of using it adequately, both groups need elaborated knowledge of strategies for decision-making and argumentation. These competences concerning decision-making are highly dependent on how frequently students are given the chance to argue in science classes. This article pools the results of three different research projects in chemistry education which focus on these three aspects: Students’ competences, the classroom situation with regard to communication and reasoning and teachers’ competences. Students’ skills needed for discussing chemistry content and for decision-making in scientific contexts are analyzed first. Following this, the opportunities for improving these skills during science lessons are researched and related to results from a study of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK in this domain. The analysis of students’ and teachers’ communication skills is conducted in two different ways which are paper-pencil tests and video analysis. Paper-pencil tests are used to assess students’ performance in reasoning. The test items deal with chemistry-specific situations, including opportunities for decision-making, which are typical of socio-scientific issues (study 1. The study shows that students’ decision-making skills are poor when the topics deal with scientific contexts, but that students perform better when dealing with everyday-life contexts. One reason might be the lack of reasoning in chemistry lessons, as shown by a video study conducted in chemistry classes. Students’ and teachers’ in-class behavior and communication patterns are analyzed with regard to students’ and teachers’ contributions (study 2. The amount and the quality of students’ and teachers’ statements as well as the interactions, especially teachers’ reactions to students’ statements are

Selected scientific articles. (Investigations in the field of hydrides chemistry and mineral raw materials processing)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirsaidov, U.M.

2013-01-01

Articles, included in the present book are covering period 1977-2013 y. The main scientific articles in the field of power-consuming substances, mineral raw-materials and wastes reprocessing, including uranium industry wastes are collected. Scientific works on hydrogen chemistry which carried out basically bu U.M. Mirsaidov without co-authors are considered. These works are on aluminium hydrides and borohydrides lanthanides. Besides, author's popular-science articles on research carried out by Academy of Sciences during the period when he was the President of Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan (1995-2005) are included. Mineral raw materials and wastes reprocessing results are given as well. The book is intended for engineer and technical staff, those working in the field of hydrogen chemistry, hydrometallurgy workers, engineering chemists as well as for PhD, post graduate students and students of appropriate profiles.

Experimental Investigation of Surface Layer Properties of High Thermal Conductivity Tool Steel after Electrical Discharge Machining

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafał Świercz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available New materials require the use of advanced technology in manufacturing complex shape parts. One of the modern materials widely used in the tool industry for injection molds or hot stamping dies is high conductivity tool steel (HTCS 150. Due to its hardness (55 HRC and thermal conductivity at 66 W/mK, this material is difficult to machine by conventional treatment and is being increasingly manufactured by nonconventional technology such as electrical discharge machining (EDM. In the EDM process, material is removed from the workpiece by a series of electrical discharges that cause changes to the surface layers properties. The final state of the surface layer directly influences the durability of the produced elements. This paper presents the influence of EDM process parameters: discharge current Ic and the pulse time ton on surface layer properties. The experimental investigation was carried out with an experimental methodology design. Surface layers properties including roughness 3D parameters, the thickness of the white layer, heat affected zone, tempered layer and occurring micro cracks were investigated and described. The influence of the response surface methodology (RSM of discharge current Ic and the pulse time ton on the thickness of the white layer and roughness parameters Sa, Sds and Ssc were described and established.

Analysis of scientific production in spanish implantology.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarazona, Beatriz; Vidal-Infer, Antonio; Tarazona-Alvarez, Pablo; Alonso-Arroyo, Adolfo

2017-05-01

The aim of the study was to quantify the scientific productivity of researchers, organizations, and regions in Spain that publish articles on implantology in dental journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports. A search was conducted among the core collection of Thomson Reuters' Web of Science database, on the basis of its broad thematic and geographic coverage of health sciences. The search identified original articles - the main vehicle for the dissemination of research results. The search was conducted in July 2016, applying the truncated search term 'implant*' to locate original articles on implantology and its derivative forms. The search was conducted within the topic field (title, keywords and abstract) and two inclusion criteria were applied: documents denominated as articles were included; and articles categorized as Web of Science Medicine Dentistry and Oral Surgery. Finally only articles for which one of the participating organizations was located in Spain were selected. The final search identified a total of 774 records. The period 1988 to 2015 saw an exponential growth in scientific production, especially during the last 10 years. Clinical Oral Implants Research and Medicina Oral Patologia Oral y Cirugia Bucal (Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, and Oral Surgery) were the most productive journals. Collaborative networks among authors and among institutions increased and this increase was related to the improving quality of the publications. Bibliometric analysis revealed a significant growth in the quantity and quality of Spanish implantology literature. Most key bibliometric indicators demonstrated upward trends. Key words: Bibliometric analysis, publication, keywords, implantology, implant.

Science in the Wild: Technology Needs and Opportunities in Scientific Fieldwork

Science.gov (United States)

Guice, Jon; Hoffower, Heidi; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

Considering that much contemporary natural science involves field expeditions, fieldwork is an under-studied topic. There is also little information technology specifically designed to support scientific fieldwork, aside from portable scientific instruments. This article describes a variety of fieldwork practices in an interdisciplinary research area, proposes a framework linking types of fieldwork to types of needs in information technology, and identifies promising opportunities for technology development. Technologies that are designed to support the integration of field observations and samples with laboratory work are likely to aid nearly all research teams who conduct fieldwork. However, technologies that support highly detailed representations of field sites will likely trigger the deepest changes in work practice. By way of illustration, we present brief case studies of how fieldwork is done today and how it might be conducted with the introduction of new information technologies.

Drilling for scientific purpose

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Shoichi

1987-09-01

Drilling for scientific purpose is a process of conducting geophysical exploration at deep underground and drilling for collecting crust samples directly. This is because earth science has advanced to get a good understanding about the top of the crust and has shifted its main interest to the lower layer of the crust in land regions. The on-land drilling plan in Japan has just started, and the planned drilling spots are areas around the Minami River, Hidaka Mts., kinds of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic granite in outside zone, the extension of Japan Sea, Ogasawara Is., Minami-Tori Is., and active volcanos. The paper also outlines the present situation of on-land drilling in the world, focusing on the SG-3rd super-deep well SG-3 on the Kola Peninsula, USSR, Satori SG-1st well SG-1 in Azerbaidzhan S.S.R, V.S.S.R, Sweden's wells, Cyprus' wells, Bayearn well Plan in West Germany, and Salton Sea Scientific Drilling Program in the U.S. At its end, the paper explains the present situation and the future theme of the Japanese drilling technique and points out the necessity of developing equipment, and techniques. (14 figs, 5 tabs, 26 refs)

Scientific research in the Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mtingwa, S.K.

1990-01-01

I report on the scientific aspects of my US/USSR Interacademy Exchange Visit to the Soviet Union. My research was conducted at three different institutes: the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, the Leningrad Nuclear Physics Institute in Gatchina, and the Yerevan Physics Institute in Soviet Armenia. I included relevant information about the Soviet educational system, salaries of Soviet physicists, work habits and research activities at the three institutes, and the relevance of that research to work going on in the United States. 18 refs

PFOA and possible health effects : A review of scientific literature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rijs KJ; Bogers RP; M&G; M&V

2017-01-01

Associations were found between blood concentrations of PFOA in humans and possible health effects and functioning of the body. This is the result of a review of previously performed reviews of the scientific literature on studies conducted among humans by the National Institute for Public Health

The memory effect of nanoscale memristors investigated by conducting scanning probe microscopy methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

César Moreno

2012-11-01

Full Text Available We report on the use of scanning force microscopy as a versatile tool for the electrical characterization of nanoscale memristors fabricated on ultrathin La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO films. Combining conventional conductive imaging and nanoscale lithography, reversible switching between low-resistive (ON and high-resistive (OFF states was locally achieved by applying voltages within the range of a few volts. Retention times of several months were tested for both ON and OFF states. Spectroscopy modes were used to investigate the I–V characteristics of the different resistive states. This permitted the correlation of device rectification (reset with the voltage employed to induce each particular state. Analytical simulations by using a nonlinear dopant drift within a memristor device explain the experimental I–V bipolar cycles.

The conductivity of Bi(111) investigated with nanoscale four point probes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wells, J.W.; Handrup, K.; Kallehauge, J.F.

2008-01-01

The room temperature conductance of Bi(111) was measured using microscopic four point probes with a contact spacing down to 500 nm. The conductance is remarkably similar to that of the bulk, indicating that surface scattering is not a major mechanism for restricting the mobility at this length...... scale. Also, the high density of electronic surface states on Bi(111) does not appear to have a major influence on the measured conductance. The lower limit for the resistivity due to electronic surface states is found to be around 5 Omega. With such a value for the surface resistivity, surface...

Results of Scientific and Technical Supervision of Hydraulic Fracturing Operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.Kh. Makhmutov

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The paper presents actual results of the research conducted as part of a field pilot project which consisted in interpretation of minifrac test data and evaluation of the efficiency of the scientific and technical supervision of fracking operations. The research program involved 11 wells targeting Devonian terrigenous reservoirs. Minifrac tests in one perforation interval were performed only in seven wells, that is approximately in 64% of total well count. A reliable fracture closure estimate was obtained only in six wells (55%, beginning of pseudoradial flow was observed only in one well out of 11 wells (9%. Hence, conventional minifrac tests should be supplemented with other diagnostic injection tests. Analysis of the performance of hydraulic fracturing operations conducted according to this pilot project plan indicates that fracture modelling, and scientific and technical supervision of fracking operations performed by Hydrofrac Research Laboratory of Institute TatNIPIneft Tatneft PJSC have yielded beneficial effects, namely 1.44 times increase in oil production rates.

Changes in Participants' Scientific Attitudes and Epistemological Beliefs during an Astronomical Citizen Science Project

Science.gov (United States)

Price, C. Aaron; Lee, Hee-Sun

2013-01-01

Citizen science projects provide non-scientists with opportunities to take part in scientific research. While their contribution to scientific data collection has been well documented, there is limited research on how participation in citizen science projects may affect their scientific literacy. In this study, we investigated (1) how volunteers'…

The NASA Ames Research Center Institutional Scientific Collection: History, Best Practices and Scientific Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Rask, Jon C.; Chakravarty, Kaushik; French, Alison; Choi, Sungshin; Stewart, Helen

2017-01-01

The NASA Ames Life Sciences Institutional Scientific Collection (ISC), which is composed of the Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA) and the Biospecimen Storage Facility (BSF), is managed by the Space Biosciences Division and has been operational since 1993. The ALSDA is responsible for archiving information and animal biospecimens collected from life science spaceflight experiments and matching ground control experiments. Both fixed and frozen spaceflight and ground tissues are stored in the BSF within the ISC. The ALSDA also manages a Biospecimen Sharing Program, performs curation and long-term storage operations, and makes biospecimens available to the scientific community for research purposes via the Life Science Data Archive public website (https:lsda.jsc.nasa.gov). As part of our best practices, a viability testing plan has been developed for the ISC, which will assess the quality of archived samples. We expect that results from the viability testing will catalyze sample use, enable broader science community interest, and improve operational efficiency of the ISC. The current viability test plan focuses on generating disposition recommendations and is based on using ribonucleic acid (RNA) integrity number (RIN) scores as a criteria for measurement of biospecimen viablity for downstream functional analysis. The plan includes (1) sorting and identification of candidate samples, (2) conducting a statiscally-based power analysis to generate representaive cohorts from the population of stored biospecimens, (3) completion of RIN analysis on select samples, and (4) development of disposition recommendations based on the RIN scores. Results of this work will also support NASA open science initiatives and guides development of the NASA Scientific Collections Directive (a policy on best practices for curation of biological collections). Our RIN-based methodology for characterizing the quality of tissues stored in the ISC since the 1980s also creates unique

Profile of Brazilian scientific production on A/H1N1 pandemic influenza.

Science.gov (United States)

Luchs, Adriana

2012-06-01

In the last few years, bibliometric studies have proliferated, seeking to provide data on world research. This study analyzes the profile of the Brazilian scientific production in the A (H1N1) influenza field between 2009 and 2011. The research was conducted in MEDLINE, SciELO and LILACS databases, selecting papers in which the term "H1N1" and "Brazil" were defined as the main topics. The data were analyzed taking into consideration the Brazilian state and institution in which the articles were produced, the impact factor of the journal and the language. The research revealed 40 documents (27 from MEDLINE, 16 from SciELO and 24 from LILACS). The journal impact factor ranged from 0.0977 to 8.1230. A similar amount of articles were written in English and Portuguese and São Paulo was the most productive state in the country, with 95% of the Brazilian production originating from the Southern and Southeastern regions. Linguistic data indicate that previous efforts made in order to improve the scientific production of Brazilian researchers making their observations attain a broader scientific audience produced results. It is necessary to assess the scientific studies, especially those conducted with public funds, in order to ensure that the results will benefit society.

Scientific Foundations of the Demining by Fusion of Techniques Project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Jan

The Nordic Demining Research Forum (NDRF) has initiated a pilot project Demining by Fusion of Techniques (DeFuse), which will investigate the correlation between different methods used in mine action. While the ultimate purpose is to suggest new mine clearance operation practices, DeFuse will foc...... on achieving scientific and general knowledge about the coherence between different methods. This talk provides the scientific foundations for the project....

Scientific worker and licensed professional deaths in Alaska, 1990-2002

OpenAIRE

Conway, George A.; Moran, Katherine A.; Mode, Nicolle A.

2004-01-01

Objectives. Between 1990-2002, 797 Alaskans died while working. After a scientific survey team member drowned, we examined the hazards of traumatic death to scientific and professional workers in Alaska. Study design. Surveillance and analysis methods for acute traumatic occupational injuries: The Alaska Occupational Injury Surveillance System (AOISS) uses direct investigation, jurisdictional agency reports, and death certificates to gather data for active surveillance on occupational injury ...

Pre-Service Science Teachers' Perception of the Principles of Scientific Research

Science.gov (United States)

Can, Sendil; Kaymakci, Güliz

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study employing the survey method is to determine the pre-service science teachers' perceptions of the principles of scientific research and to investigate the effects of gender, grade level and the state of following scientific publications on their perceptions. The sampling of the current research is comprised of 125…

A Principal Component Analysis of 39 Scientific Impact Measures

Science.gov (United States)

Bollen, Johan; Van de Sompel, Herbert

2009-01-01

Background The impact of scientific publications has traditionally been expressed in terms of citation counts. However, scientific activity has moved online over the past decade. To better capture scientific impact in the digital era, a variety of new impact measures has been proposed on the basis of social network analysis and usage log data. Here we investigate how these new measures relate to each other, and how accurately and completely they express scientific impact. Methodology We performed a principal component analysis of the rankings produced by 39 existing and proposed measures of scholarly impact that were calculated on the basis of both citation and usage log data. Conclusions Our results indicate that the notion of scientific impact is a multi-dimensional construct that can not be adequately measured by any single indicator, although some measures are more suitable than others. The commonly used citation Impact Factor is not positioned at the core of this construct, but at its periphery, and should thus be used with caution. PMID:19562078

A principal component analysis of 39 scientific impact measures.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Bollen

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The impact of scientific publications has traditionally been expressed in terms of citation counts. However, scientific activity has moved online over the past decade. To better capture scientific impact in the digital era, a variety of new impact measures has been proposed on the basis of social network analysis and usage log data. Here we investigate how these new measures relate to each other, and how accurately and completely they express scientific impact. METHODOLOGY: We performed a principal component analysis of the rankings produced by 39 existing and proposed measures of scholarly impact that were calculated on the basis of both citation and usage log data. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the notion of scientific impact is a multi-dimensional construct that can not be adequately measured by any single indicator, although some measures are more suitable than others. The commonly used citation Impact Factor is not positioned at the core of this construct, but at its periphery, and should thus be used with caution.

A Field-Based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in ...

Science.gov (United States)

This report adapts the standard U.S. EPA methodology for deriving ambient water quality criteria. Rather than use toxicity test results, the adaptation uses field data to determine the loss of 5% of genera from streams. The method is applied to derive effect benchmarks for dissolved salts as measured by conductivity in Central Appalachian streams using data from West Virginia and Kentucky. This report provides scientific evidence for a conductivity benchmark in a specific region rather than for the entire United States.

Experimental investigation of the thermal conductivity of the green refractory concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, W.N. dos; Sylos Cintra Filho, J. de; Baldo, J.B.

1989-01-01

In this work the thermal conductivity of an aluminous refractory concrete, cured at 22 0 C and dried at 110 0 C is experimentally measured and the resulting behaviour is analysed as a function of temperature, from room temperature up to 1000 0 C. The experimental technique employed was the hot wire parallel technique, and the calculations which lead the the material thermal conductivity are carried out by using a non linear least squares fitting method. Experimental results show, among others, the strong influence of the adsorbed water in the behaviour of the thermal conductivity of the green refractory concrete, at temperatures below 200 0 C [pt

A scoping review of competencies for scientific editors of biomedical journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Galipeau, James; Barbour, Virginia; Baskin, Patricia; Bell-Syer, Sally; Cobey, Kelly; Cumpston, Miranda; Deeks, Jon; Garner, Paul; MacLehose, Harriet; Shamseer, Larissa; Straus, Sharon; Tugwell, Peter; Wager, Elizabeth; Winker, Margaret; Moher, David

2016-02-02

Biomedical journals are the main route for disseminating the results of health-related research. Despite this, their editors operate largely without formal training or certification. To our knowledge, no body of literature systematically identifying core competencies for scientific editors of biomedical journals exists. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a scoping review to determine what is known on the competency requirements for scientific editors of biomedical journals. We searched the MEDLINE®, Cochrane Library, Embase®, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases (from inception to November 2014) and conducted a grey literature search for research and non-research articles with competency-related statements (i.e. competencies, knowledge, skills, behaviors, and tasks) pertaining to the role of scientific editors of peer-reviewed health-related journals. We also conducted an environmental scan, searched the results of a previous environmental scan, and searched the websites of existing networks, major biomedical journal publishers, and organizations that offer resources for editors. A total of 225 full-text publications were included, 25 of which were research articles. We extracted a total of 1,566 statements possibly related to core competencies for scientific editors of biomedical journals from these publications. We then collated overlapping or duplicate statements which produced a list of 203 unique statements. Finally, we grouped these statements into seven emergent themes: (1) dealing with authors, (2) dealing with peer reviewers, (3) journal publishing, (4) journal promotion, (5) editing, (6) ethics and integrity, and (7) qualities and characteristics of editors. To our knowledge, this scoping review is the first attempt to systematically identify possible competencies of editors. Limitations are that (1) we may not have captured all aspects of a biomedical editor's work in our searches, (2) removing redundant and overlapping items may have led to the

Advanced Artificial Science. The development of an artificial science and engineering research infrastructure to facilitate innovative computational modeling, analysis, and application to interdisciplinary areas of scientific investigation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saffer, Shelley (Sam) I.

2014-12-01

This is a final report of the DOE award DE-SC0001132, Advanced Artificial Science. The development of an artificial science and engineering research infrastructure to facilitate innovative computational modeling, analysis, and application to interdisciplinary areas of scientific investigation. This document describes the achievements of the goals, and resulting research made possible by this award.

Writing, Editing and Publishing an Article in a Scientific Journal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Man Bahadur Khattri

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to discuss some important aspects involved while writing an article to publish in a scientific journal. This is a review article. I argue that writing an article is technical as well as creative art of an author which facilitates acceptance of article for publication in a scientific journal. Academicians are obliged to conduct research and publish articles to demonstrate their job efficiency. To publish an article in a scientific journal is the first necessary condition to meet standard norms i.e. journal's guideline for authors and the next is to follow the editing processes of the journal. Writing an article for printed version is becoming an old fashion. Therefore, authors need to learn how to submit a scholarly written article online and follow review processes. Writing and publishing of a scientific article is not only important for individuals and specific scientific community, it is also important to the wider society which helps to enhance stock of knowledge, and sharing and learning culture. Key words: Online publication; author aid; open access; copy editing; peer review DOI: 10.3126/dsaj.v3i0.2787 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.3 2009 185-196

First-principles investigations on ionization and thermal conductivity of polystyrene for inertial confinement fusion applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, S. X., E-mail: shu@lle.rochester.edu; Goncharov, V. N.; McCrory, R. L.; Skupsky, S. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Collins, L. A.; Kress, J. D. [Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

2016-04-15

Using quantum molecular-dynamics (QMD) methods based on the density functional theory, we have performed first-principles investigations of the ionization and thermal conductivity of polystyrene (CH) over a wide range of plasma conditions (ρ = 0.5 to 100 g/cm{sup 3} and T = 15 625 to 500 000 K). The ionization data from orbital-free molecular-dynamics calculations have been fitted with a “Saha-type” model as a function of the CH plasma density and temperature, which gives an increasing ionization as the CH density increases even at low temperatures (T < 50 eV). The orbital-free molecular dynamics method is only used to gauge the average ionization behavior of CH under the average-atom model in conjunction with the pressure-matching mixing rule. The thermal conductivities (κ{sub QMD}) of CH, derived directly from the Kohn–Sham molecular-dynamics calculations, are then analytically fitted with a generalized Coulomb logarithm [(lnΛ){sub QMD}] over a wide range of plasma conditions. When compared with the traditional ionization and thermal conductivity models used in radiation–hydrodynamics codes for inertial confinement fusion simulations, the QMD results show a large difference in the low-temperature regime in which strong coupling and electron degeneracy play an essential role in determining plasma properties. Hydrodynamic simulations of cryogenic deuterium–tritium targets with CH ablators on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility using the QMD-derived ionization and thermal conductivity of CH have predicted ∼20% variation in target performance in terms of hot-spot pressure and neutron yield (gain) with respect to traditional model simulations.

Hierarchical Rhetorical Sentence Categorization for Scientific Papers

Science.gov (United States)

Rachman, G. H.; Khodra, M. L.; Widyantoro, D. H.

2018-03-01

Important information in scientific papers can be composed of rhetorical sentences that is structured from certain categories. To get this information, text categorization should be conducted. Actually, some works in this task have been completed by employing word frequency, semantic similarity words, hierarchical classification, and the others. Therefore, this paper aims to present the rhetorical sentence categorization from scientific paper by employing TF-IDF and Word2Vec to capture word frequency and semantic similarity words and employing hierarchical classification. Every experiment is tested in two classifiers, namely Naïve Bayes and SVM Linear. This paper shows that hierarchical classifier is better than flat classifier employing either TF-IDF or Word2Vec, although it increases only almost 2% from 27.82% when using flat classifier until 29.61% when using hierarchical classifier. It shows also different learning model for child-category can be built by hierarchical classifier.

Brazilian scientific evidence on Fournier’s gangrene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Érick Igor dos Santos

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to describe the Brazilian scientific reports published over the past twenty years on Fournier’s gangrene. It is an integrative review conducted through incursions in the LILACS, MEDLINE, BDENF and Coleciona SUS databases with the descriptor ‘Fournier’s Gangrene’. Texts published between January 1994 and July 2014, in Portuguese, and freely available online were selected. According to the 14 articles found, the main symptoms of Fournier’s gangrene include discomfort with painful sensations, high fever, edema, malaise, and sweating. In most cases erythema and blistering are observed, evolving into a wound. The clinical profile assists in the selection of empirical antimicrobial therapy even before the culture results. It was concluded that early diagnosis and appropriate and aggressive treatment are crucial in patient prognosis. There is still a shortage of Brazilian scientific production with a high power of evidence on the subject.

Scientific careers and gender differences. A qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Gouthier

2008-03-01

Full Text Available In Europe, much effort has been devoted to explore the causes of the decline in number of university matriculations of science students and to identify gender differences in career choice. Yet, the problem extends to the fulfillment of career plans: given their professional expectations and their attitudes when choosing a career, girls are much less likely to pursue scientific careers such as engineering or physics. Evidence of this is provided by the social research carried out within the framework of the GAPP project (Gender Awareness Participation Process. The Gapp project is intended to investigate differences between girls and boys in their perception of science careers and to propose a range of innovative and concrete participatory activities involving scientists, engineers and professionals from the public and private S&T sectors. In this letter, we report a synthesis of the results of the social research conducted as first step of the project: exploring how the perceptions of science professions affect interest, motivation and subject choice at school, at the university and consequently in their career.

The Impact of Student Self-efficacy on Scientific Inquiry Skills: An Exploratory Investigation in River City, a Multi-user Virtual Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Ketelhut, Diane Jass

2007-02-01

This exploratory study investigated data-gathering behaviors exhibited by 100 seventh-grade students as they participated in a scientific inquiry-based curriculum project delivered by a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE). This research examined the relationship between students' self-efficacy on entry into the authentic scientific activity and the longitudinal data-gathering behaviors they employed while engaged in that process. Three waves of student behavior data were gathered from a server-side database that recorded all student activity in the MUVE; these data were analyzed using individual growth modeling. The study found that self-efficacy correlated with the number of data-gathering behaviors in which students initially engaged, with high self-efficacy students engaging in more data gathering than students with low self-efficacy. Also, the impact of student self-efficacy on rate of change in data gathering behavior differed by gender. However, by the end of their time in the MUVE, initial student self-efficacy no longer correlated with data gathering behaviors. In addition, students' level of self-efficacy did not affect how many different sources from which they chose to gather data. These results suggest that embedding science inquiry curricula in novel platforms like a MUVE might act as a catalyst for change in students' self-efficacy and learning processes.

10 CFR 708.22 - What process does the Office of Hearings and Appeals use to conduct an investigation of the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false What process does the Office of Hearings and Appeals use to conduct an investigation of the complaint? 708.22 Section 708.22 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY DOE CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE PROTECTION PROGRAM Investigation, Hearing and Decision Process § 708.22 What process does the Office of Hearings and Appeals use t...

75 FR 33838 - National Environmental Policy Act; Scientific Balloon Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-15

...[supreg] portable document format at the following address: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code250/BPO_PEA.php... over 25 years. Balloons are used to collect scientific data and conduct research on the atmosphere and... has seen a dramatic increase in sophistication of experiments and demands for service. Due to the...

The Revista Scientific

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar Antonio Martínez Molina

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The Revista Scientific aims to publish quality papers that include the perspective of analysis in educational settings. Together with www.indtec.com.ve, this electronic publication aims to promote and disseminate, with seriousness and rigor, the academic production in this field. Editorial of the new stage Revista Scientific was created with the aim of constituting a reference space for scientific research in the field of research analysis that is carried out within the universities in Latin America, once the distribution list hosted on the INDTEC platform (http://www.indtec.com.ve is consolidated as a space for dissemination and development of new ideas and initiatives. The first presentation of INDTEC Magazine was held in August 2016 in Venezuela. Thanks to the support of the INDTEC platform, SCIENTIFIC Magazine has been able to develop from the cooperative work of the people who make up its Editorial Committee, Academic Committee and Scientific Committee in Electronic Edition, and of the referees of each one of the numbers. Part of the success is due to the motivation of its co-editors and excellent professionals from different parts of the world: Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, which form the various committees, with enthusiasm and joy participating in this project (whose organizational structure is presented in this edition and continues in increcendo. Also, the strategy adopted to edit a monographic number from the various events organized in the framework of the universities, has contributed to provide SCIENTIFIC with a point value speaker of intellectual progress in the field of education. SCIENTIFIC Magazine is currently indexed in ISI, International Scientific Indexing, Dubai - UAE; ROAD, the Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (ISSN International Center, France; REVENCYT-ULA, Venezuela; Google Scholar (Google Scholar, International Index; Published in Calaméo; ISSUU; Academia

Tunneling Conductivity and Piezoresistivity of Composites Containing Randomly Dispersed Conductive Nano-Platelets

Science.gov (United States)

Oskouyi, Amirhossein Biabangard; Sundararaj, Uttandaraman; Mertiny, Pierre

2014-01-01

In this study, a three-dimensional continuum percolation model was developed based on a Monte Carlo simulation approach to investigate the percolation behavior of an electrically insulating matrix reinforced with conductive nano-platelet fillers. The conductivity behavior of composites rendered conductive by randomly dispersed conductive platelets was modeled by developing a three-dimensional finite element resistor network. Parameters related to the percolation threshold and a power-low describing the conductivity behavior were determined. The piezoresistivity behavior of conductive composites was studied employing a reoriented resistor network emulating a conductive composite subjected to mechanical strain. The effects of the governing parameters, i.e., electron tunneling distance, conductive particle aspect ratio and size effects on conductivity behavior were examined. PMID:28788580

Investigation of the lithium ion mobility in cyclic model compounds and their ion conduction properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thielen, Joerg

2011-07-27

In view of both, energy density and energy drain, rechargeable lithium ion batteries outperform other present accumulator systems. However, despite great efforts over the last decades, the ideal electrolyte in terms of key characteristics such as capacity, cycle life, and most important reliable safety, has not yet been identified. Steps ahead in lithium ion battery technology require a fundamental understanding of lithium ion transport, salt association, and ion solvation within the electrolyte. Indeed, well defined model compounds allow for systematic studies of molecular ion transport. Thus, in the present work, based on the concept of immobilizing ion solvents, three main series with a cyclotriphosphazene (CTP), hexaphenylbenzene (HBP), and tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMS) scaffold were prepared. Lithium ion solvents, among others ethylene carbonate (EC), which has proven to fulfill together with propylene carbonate safety and market concerns in commercial lithium ion batteries, were attached to the different cores via alkyl spacers of variable length. All model compounds were fully characterized, pure and thermally stable up to at least 235 C, covering the requested broad range of glass transition temperatures from -78.1 C up to +6.2 C. While the CTP models tend to rearrange at elevated temperatures over time, which questions the general stability of alkoxide related (poly)phosphazenes, both, the HPB and CTP based models show no evidence of core stacking. In particular the CTP derivatives represent good solvents for various lithium salts, exhibiting no significant differences in the ionic conductivity {sigma}{sub dc} and thus indicating comparable salt dissociation and rather independent motion of cations and ions. In general, temperature-dependent bulk ionic conductivities investigated via impedance spectroscopy follow a William-Landel-Ferry (WLF) type behavior. Modifications of the alkyl spacer length were shown to influence ionic conductivities only in

Scientific journals and conflict of interest disclosure: what progress has been made?

Science.gov (United States)

Ruff, Kathleen

2015-05-30

The article addresses the failure of the scientific community to create an effective mechanism to protect the integrity of the scientific literature from improper influence by vested interests. The seriousness of this threat is increasingly recognized. Scientists willing to distort scientific research to serve vested interests receive millions of dollars for their services. Organizations such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the World Association of Medical Editors and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) have launched initiatives to establish international standards for Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure. COPE requires its 7,000 member journals to comply with its Code of Conduct for Journal Editors. While these initiatives are encouraging, they are internal educational endeavours only. Five examples are given showing failure of COPE member journals to comply with COPE's Code of Conduct. While COPE offers a complaint process, it involves only discussion and voluntary compliance. COPE neither polices nor enforces its Code. Instead of the current feeble, un-resourced process, which delivers neither transparency nor accountability, the article proposes the creation of a mechanism that will employ specific, effective measures to address contraventions of COI disclosure requirements.

Building Global Capacity for Conducting Operational Research Using the SORT IT Model: Where and Who?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rony Zachariah

Full Text Available Research capacity is weakest in low and middle-income countries (LMICs where operational research is highly relevant and needed. Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT courses have been developed to train participants to conduct and publish operational research and influence policy and practice. Twenty courses were completed in Asia, Africa, Europe and the South Pacific between 2009 and 2014.In the 20 completed SORT IT courses, to assess where the research was conducted, who was trained, who became facilitators in subsequent courses and course outcomes.A cohort study of completed SORT IT courses.There were 236 participants (41% female including 64 nationalities who conducted research in 59 countries, mostly from Asia and Africa (mean course duration = 9.7 months. Most participants (68% were from government health programs and non-governmental agencies. A total of 213(90% participants completed all milestones successfully with 41(19% becoming subsequent course facilitators, 88% of whom were from LMICs. Of 228 manuscripts submitted to scientific journals, 197(86% were either published or in press; in 86%, the principal investigator (first author was a LMIC national. Papers were published in 23 scientific journals (impact factor 0.5-4.4 and covered 21 disease categories (median publication time = 5.7 months. Published papers (186 had 94,794 cumulative article views/downloads. Article views/downloads for immediate open access articles were double those from closed access journals.The SORT IT model has been effective in training personnel to produce relevant operational research in LMICs. It merits continued commitment and support for further scale-up and development.

Teleconference versus face-to-face scientific peer review of grant application: effects on review outcomes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen A Gallo

Full Text Available Teleconferencing as a setting for scientific peer review is an attractive option for funding agencies, given the substantial environmental and cost savings. Despite this, there is a paucity of published data validating teleconference-based peer review compared to the face-to-face process. Our aim was to conduct a retrospective analysis of scientific peer review data to investigate whether review setting has an effect on review process and outcome measures. We analyzed reviewer scoring data from a research program that had recently modified the review setting from face-to-face to a teleconference format with minimal changes to the overall review procedures. This analysis included approximately 1600 applications over a 4-year period: two years of face-to-face panel meetings compared to two years of teleconference meetings. The average overall scientific merit scores, score distribution, standard deviations and reviewer inter-rater reliability statistics were measured, as well as reviewer demographics and length of time discussing applications. The data indicate that few differences are evident between face-to-face and teleconference settings with regard to average overall scientific merit score, scoring distribution, standard deviation, reviewer demographics or inter-rater reliability. However, some difference was found in the discussion time. These findings suggest that most review outcome measures are unaffected by review setting, which would support the trend of using teleconference reviews rather than face-to-face meetings. However, further studies are needed to assess any correlations among discussion time, application funding and the productivity of funded research projects.

Teleconference versus Face-to-Face Scientific Peer Review of Grant Application: Effects on Review Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Gallo, Stephen A.; Carpenter, Afton S.; Glisson, Scott R.

2013-01-01

Teleconferencing as a setting for scientific peer review is an attractive option for funding agencies, given the substantial environmental and cost savings. Despite this, there is a paucity of published data validating teleconference-based peer review compared to the face-to-face process. Our aim was to conduct a retrospective analysis of scientific peer review data to investigate whether review setting has an effect on review process and outcome measures. We analyzed reviewer scoring data from a research program that had recently modified the review setting from face-to-face to a teleconference format with minimal changes to the overall review procedures. This analysis included approximately 1600 applications over a 4-year period: two years of face-to-face panel meetings compared to two years of teleconference meetings. The average overall scientific merit scores, score distribution, standard deviations and reviewer inter-rater reliability statistics were measured, as well as reviewer demographics and length of time discussing applications. The data indicate that few differences are evident between face-to-face and teleconference settings with regard to average overall scientific merit score, scoring distribution, standard deviation, reviewer demographics or inter-rater reliability. However, some difference was found in the discussion time. These findings suggest that most review outcome measures are unaffected by review setting, which would support the trend of using teleconference reviews rather than face-to-face meetings. However, further studies are needed to assess any correlations among discussion time, application funding and the productivity of funded research projects. PMID:23951223

V.V. Davydov – the founder of significant scientific school and director of the Psychological Institute

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubtsov V.V.

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The article presents the stages of biography of the famous Russian psychologist Davydov, who was a brilliant leader of a large scientific group, director of the Psychological Institute of the RAE. The content of the work of Davydov’s scientific schools is based upon the three proverbial whales that define its theoretical, methodological and didactical boundaries: the theory of content generalization and con cept formation, psychological theory of learning activity and the system of developmental teaching. The article also outlines the results of researches conducted by V.V. Davydov’s scientific group. It is demon strated that for evaluating the effectivity of learning activity, the systems of assessment of theoretical thinking and its components (such as analysis, reflection, planning, systemic characteristics of thinking were elaborated for different object matter. Also the scientific group elaborated the criteria for assessing the levels of learning activity development, as a whole as well as its separate components. The scientific school of V.V. Davydov is a living and evolving organism. The disciples and followers of Davydov conduct empirical research that bring his ideas to life. The article analyzes the philosophical, methodological and psychological foundations of Davydov’s scientific school. The content of Davydov’s debates with Vygotsky concerning the mechanisms of theo retical generalization is outlined. Davydov’s point of view is illustrated by large empirical evidence

At the foot of the smoking mountains: The 2014 scientific investigations in the Islands of the Four Mountains

Science.gov (United States)

Hatfield, Virginia; Bruner, Kale; West, Dixie; Savinetsky, Arkady; Krylovich, Olga; Khasanov, Bulat; Vasyukov, Dmitry; Antipushina, Zhanna; Okuno, Mitsuru; Crockford, Susan; Nicolaysen, Kirsten; MacInnes, Breanyn; Persico, Lyman; Izbekov, Pavel; Neal, Christina; Bartlett, Thomas; Loopesko, Lydia; Fulton, Anne

2016-01-01

An interdisciplinary research team conducted archaeological, geological, and biological investigations in the Islands of the Four Mountains, Alaska during the summer of 2014 as part of a three-year project to study long-term geological and ecological patterns and processes with respect to human settlement. Researchers investigated three archaeological sites on Chuginadak Island (SAM-0014, SAM-0016 and SAM-0047) and two archaeological sites on Carlisle Island (AMK-0003 and SAM-0034) as well as peat, tephra, and lava deposition on those islands. These investigations resulted in the delineation of archaeological sites, documentation of geological and cultural stratigraphy, excavation of house-pit features, visual characterization and sampling of potential lithic sources, and documentation of Unangan occupation in the Islands of the Four Mountains from roughly 3,800 years ago to Russian contact.

Low immediate scientific yield of the PhD among medical doctors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fosbol, Emil L.; Fosbøl, Philip Loldrup; Rerup, Sofie

2016-01-01

. Scientific activity over time was assessed independently of author-rank and inactivity was measured relative to the date of graduation. Factors associated with inactivity were identified using multivariable logistic regression. 88.6 % of the PhD theses were conducted in internal medicine vs. 11...

NOAA's Scientific Data Stewardship Program

Science.gov (United States)

Bates, J. J.

2004-12-01

The NOAA mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet the Nation's economic, social and environmental needs. NOAA has responsibility for long-term archiving of the United States environmental data and has recently integrated several data management functions into a concept called Scientific Data Stewardship. Scientific Data Stewardship a new paradigm in data management consisting of an integrated suite of functions to preserve and exploit the full scientific value of NOAA's, and the world's, environmental data These functions include careful monitoring of observing system performance for long-term applications, the generation of authoritative long-term climate records from multiple observing platforms, and the proper archival of and timely access to data and metadata. NOAA has developed a conceptual framework to implement the functions of scientific data stewardship. This framework has five objectives: 1) develop real-time monitoring of all satellite observing systems for climate applications, 2) process large volumes of satellite data extending up to decades in length to account for systematic errors and to eliminate artifacts in the raw data (referred to as fundamental climate data records, FCDRs), 3) generate retrieved geophysical parameters from the FCDRs (referred to as thematic climate data records TCDRs) including combining observations from all sources, 4) conduct monitoring and research by analyzing data sets to uncover climate trends and to provide evaluation and feedback for steps 2) and 3), and 5) provide archives of metadata, FCDRs, and TCDRs, and facilitate distribution of these data to the user community. The term `climate data record' and related terms, such as climate data set, have been used for some time, but the climate community has yet to settle on a concensus definition. A recent United States National Academy of Sciences report recommends using the

[Vaccines: building on scientific excellence and dispelling false myths].

Science.gov (United States)

Signorelli, Carlo

2015-01-01

The EU and Italian institutions have recently reiterated their commitment to harmonize and implement vaccination policies as a fundamental strategy for public health. Nonetheless, vaccines are losing public confidence. False myths related to vaccine adverse reactions and commercial interests, combined with the recent judgements of the Court and the "Fluad® episode", are fuelling vaccine hesitancy. In such a context, a lively debate is ongoing in Italian scientific community. Aim of this contribution is to recall the available solid scientific evidence demonstrating that vaccines are among the most effective prevention tools ever invented and recall the economic data that support the cost-effectiveness of the immunisation. As every other medicine, vaccines are registered after large and solid clinical trials have been conducted. Immunization schedules are proposed by experts in the field of clinical medicine, epidemiology and public health on the basis of the available scientific evidence, and then implemented by policy makers also taking into consideration resources allocation and financial sustainability. The false myth that vaccines are offered because of economic interests is to be dispelled;moreover, researchers, policy makers, scientific societies and the healthcare community at large should renew commitment to invest in health education and communication on vaccines, always disclosing potential conflicts of interests.

The Scientific Competitiveness of Nations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cimini, Giulio; Gabrielli, Andrea; Sylos Labini, Francesco

2014-01-01

We use citation data of scientific articles produced by individual nations in different scientific domains to determine the structure and efficiency of national research systems. We characterize the scientific fitness of each nation-that is, the competitiveness of its research system-and the complexity of each scientific domain by means of a non-linear iterative algorithm able to assess quantitatively the advantage of scientific diversification. We find that technological leading nations, beyond having the largest production of scientific papers and the largest number of citations, do not specialize in a few scientific domains. Rather, they diversify as much as possible their research system. On the other side, less developed nations are competitive only in scientific domains where also many other nations are present. Diversification thus represents the key element that correlates with scientific and technological competitiveness. A remarkable implication of this structure of the scientific competition is that the scientific domains playing the role of "markers" of national scientific competitiveness are those not necessarily of high technological requirements, but rather addressing the most "sophisticated" needs of the society.

Ontario Power Generation's proposed L and ILW deep geologic repository: geo-scientific assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, Mark; Raven, Ken; Leech, Robert

2012-01-01

repository safety. Site specific investigations of the Bruce nuclear site began in the fall of 2006 and were completed by summer 2010 (INTERA, 2011; NWMO, 2011). Planning activities leading to the execution of the site-specific investigations were guided, in part, by a conceptual understanding of the geologic and hydrologic settings, and the development of seven hypotheses, which addressed issues such as long-term groundwater system behaviour, natural resource potential, geomechanical stability, seismic hazard and protection of ground and surface water resources (INTERA 2006; INTERA 2008). The intent of the later was to focus data collection and improve the integration of data sets to test and confirm the initial conceptual model. The investigations were conducted in three phases or campaigns and have involved among other studies, the drilling, coring and instrumentation of 6 deep (4 vertical; 2 inclined) boreholes through the sedimentary sequence coupled with in-situ and laboratory testing (INTERA 2011). Results provide a unique data set that describes a groundwater system comprised of multiple near-horizontally layered aquitards-aquicludes [thick ( -13 m sec -1 ), low porosity (0.01-0.08), saline (TDS ≥ 250 gm l -1 ), low effective diffusion coefficient (10 -12 m 2 sec -1 )] in which multiple lines of evidence point to a deep-seated diffusion-dominant transport regime. The Geo-synthesis examines the geologic setting from a broader geo-scientific context in order to present an integrated assessment of the Bruce nuclear site (NWMO, 2011). In addition to the site-specific data, the Geo-synthesis is supported by 14 supplemental studies, which assess, for example, glacial ice-sheet history, site and regional-scale paleo-hydrogeology, geomechanical stability of un-backfilled DGR openings, aquiclude pore fluid diagenesis/origin, long-term DGR shaft seal integrity, karstification, neo-tectonics, seismic hazard and Ordovician shale cap rock barrier integrity. This paper provides

Scientific Utopia: An agenda for improving scientific communication (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Nosek, B.

2013-12-01

The scientist's primary incentive is publication. In the present culture, open practices do not increase chances of publication, and they often require additional work. Practicing the abstract scientific values of openness and reproducibility thus requires behaviors in addition to those relevant for the primary, concrete rewards. When in conflict, concrete rewards are likely to dominate over abstract ones. As a consequence, the reward structure for scientists does not encourage openness and reproducibility. This can be changed by nudging incentives to align scientific practices with scientific values. Science will benefit by creating and connecting technologies that nudge incentives while supporting and improving the scientific workflow. For example, it should be as easy to search the research literature for my topic as it is to search the Internet to find hilarious videos of cats falling off of furniture. I will introduce the Center for Open Science (http://centerforopenscience.org/) and efforts to improve openness and reproducibility such as http://openscienceframework.org/. There will be no cats.

A framework to evaluate proposals for scientific activities in wilderness

Science.gov (United States)

Peter Landres

2010-01-01

Every year, the four Federal wilderness management agencies - U.S. DOI Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and the USDA Forest Service - receive hundreds of proposals to conduct scientific studies within wilderness. There is no consistent and comprehensive framework for evaluating such proposals that accounts for the unique...

The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource: Role in HIV/AIDS scientific discovery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McGrath Michael S

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The AIDS Cancer and Specimen Resource (ACSR supports scientific discovery in the area of HIV/AIDS-associated malignancies. The ACSR was established as a cooperative agreement between the NCI (Office of the Director, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis and regional consortia, University of California, San Francisco (West Coast, George Washington University (East Coast and Ohio State University (Mid-Region to collect, preserve and disperse HIV-related tissues and biologic fluids and controls along with clinical data to qualified investigators. The available biological samples with clinical data and the application process are described on the ACSR web site. The ACSR tissue bank has more than 100,000 human HIV positive specimens that represent different processing (43, specimen (15, and anatomical site (50 types. The ACSR provides special biospecimen collections and prepares speciality items, e.g., tissue microarrays (TMA, DNA libraries. Requests have been greatest for Kaposi's sarcoma (32% and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (26%. Dispersed requests include 83% tissue (frozen and paraffin embedded, 18% plasma/serum and 9% other. ACSR also provides tissue microarrays of, e.g., Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, for biomarker assays and has developed collaborations with other groups that provide access to additional AIDS-related malignancy specimens. ACSR members and associates have completed 63 podium and poster presentations. Investigators have submitted 125 letters of intent requests. Discoveries using ACSR have been reported in 61 scientific publications in notable journals with an average impact factor of 7. The ACSR promotes the scientific exploration of the relationship between HIV/AIDS and malignancy by participation at national and international scientific meetings, contact with investigators who have productive research in this area and identifying, collecting, preserving, enhancing, and dispersing HIV

International health research monitoring: exploring a scientific and a cooperative approach using participatory action research.

Science.gov (United States)

Chantler, Tracey; Cheah, Phaik Yeong; Miiro, George; Hantrakum, Viriya; Nanvubya, Annet; Ayuo, Elizabeth; Kivaya, Esther; Kidola, Jeremiah; Kaleebu, Pontiano; Parker, Michael; Njuguna, Patricia; Ashley, Elizabeth; Guerin, Philippe J; Lang, Trudie

2014-02-17

To evaluate and determine the value of monitoring models developed by the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Research Unit and the East African Consortium for Clinical Research, consider how this can be measured and explore monitors' and investigators' experiences of and views about the nature, purpose and practice of monitoring. A case study approach was used within the context of participatory action research because one of the aims was to guide and improve practice. 34 interviews, five focus groups and observations of monitoring practice were conducted. Fieldwork occurred in the places where the monitoring models are coordinated and applied in Thailand, Cambodia, Uganda and Kenya. Participants included those coordinating the monitoring schemes, monitors, senior investigators and research staff. Transcribed textual data from field notes, interviews and focus groups was imported into a qualitative data software program (NVIVO V. 10) and analysed inductively and thematically by a qualitative researcher. The initial coding framework was reviewed internally and two main categories emerged from the subsequent interrogation of the data. The categories that were identified related to the conceptual framing and nature of monitoring, and the practice of monitoring, including relational factors. Particular emphasis was given to the value of a scientific and cooperative style of monitoring as a means of enhancing data quality, trust and transparency. In terms of practice the primary purpose of monitoring was defined as improving the conduct of health research and increasing the capacity of researchers and trial sites. The models studied utilise internal and network wide expertise to improve the ethics and quality of clinical research. They demonstrate how monitoring can be a scientific and constructive exercise rather than a threatening process. The value of cooperative relations needs to be given more emphasis in monitoring activities, which seek to ensure that research protects

Numbered head together with scientific approach in geometry learning

Science.gov (United States)

Indarti, Dwi; Mardiyana; Pramudya, Ikrar

2017-12-01

The aim of this research was to find out the influence of learning model implementation toward student’s achievement in mathematics. This research was using quasi-experimental research. The population of the research was all of 7th grade students in Karanganyar. Sample was taken using stratified cluster random sampling technique. The data collection has been conducted based on students’ mathematics achievement test. The results from the data analysis showed that the learning mathematics by using Numbered Head Together (NHT) learning model with scientific approach improved student’s achievement in mathematics rather than direct learning model particularly in learning object of quadrilateral. Implementation of NHT learning model with scientific approach could be used by the teachers in teaching and learning, particularly in learning object of quadrilateral.

Investigation into short-range order, electric conductivity and optical absorption edge of indium selenide thin amorphous films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilyj, M.N.; Didyk, G.V.; Stetsiv, Ya.I.; Yurechko, R.Ya.

1980-01-01

Thin amorphous films of InSe have been obtained by the method of discrete vacuum evaporation of about 10 -2 Pa. The short-range order is investigated according to the radial distribution curves. The temperature and film thickness are shown to affect the character of conductivity. The width of the forbidden band determined by the fundamental absorption edge is found to depend on the time of film annealing

Overview of the RERF scientific research program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, B.G.

2003-01-01

Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) was founded to study the effects of radiation in survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Several fixed cohorts or sub-cohorts were established to provide epidemiological and clinical data on the health status and mortality of survivors and their children. Genetics and radiobiological studies are carried out to help interpret the findings. The Life Span Study is the core project of RERF. It consists of a large cohort from a general population of both sexes and all ages, encompassing a wide range of accurately known doses and incorporating accurate disease incidence and mortality recording. These features make this a very valuable and informative study. The Adult Health Study is a clinical study of a sub-cohort of the Life Span Study. Examinations of survivors are conducted every two years, providing a continuing health profile of an aging population and establishing the radiation-related risk of non-cancer diseases. The children of atomic-bomb survivors are being studied to determine whether genetic effects might be apparent that could be related to parental exposures. Initial study of post-natal defects did not demonstrate discernable effects. The mortality follow up is continuing. A new clinical study of survivor children was recently started to examine the health condition of these now middle-aged individuals. It is now 58 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The legacy of those events still marks the lives of the survivors. RERF feels an important responsibility to investigate the effects of radiation to contribute to the welfare of those affected, to understand and quantify the effects, and to provide a scientific basis for radiation protection worldwide. We intend to continue a high quality scientific research program into the future, establishing where possible more collaborative efforts to be sure that our shared resources and capabilities are most effectively utilized

Red Science: China's Scientific Capital and the Future of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arturo Salazar

2008-10-01

Full Text Available The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS produces the scientific and technological breakthroughs that place China among the major players in scientific innovation. However, the control that the Chinese government exerts over the Academy and the tradition of guanxi among its members prevent the CAS from take-off and securing a free environment to conduct original research. The article assesses the economic logic of scientific control and its effects within the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The paper’s aim is to derive to what extent the CAS will remain as China’s main provider of scientific innovation. The “national innovation systems” approach and the cultural traditions rooted in Confucianism are revised in detail to provide an accurate perspective. The paper concludes that the CAS’ international reputation as a center of scientific and technological innovation might be at stake unless the Chinese government makes some critical reforms.

Engaging Fifth Graders in Scientific Modeling to Learn about Evaporation and Condensation

Science.gov (United States)

Hokayem, Hayat; Schwarz, Christina

2014-01-01

Reform efforts in science education have aimed at fostering scientific literacy by helping learners meaningfully engage in scientific practices to make sense of the world. In this paper, we report on our second year of unit implementation that has investigated 34 fifth grade students' (10-year-olds) learning about evaporation and condensation…

Proceedings of the 2013 AFENET Scientific Conference - Plenaries ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Biennially, trainees and graduates of Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programs (FELTPs) are presented with a platform to share investigations and projects undertaken during their two-year training in Applied Epidemiology. The African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) Scientific Conference, is a perfect ...

Scientific production of medical sciences universities in north of iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Siamian, Hasan; Firooz, Mousa Yamin; Vahedi, Mohammad; Aligolbandi, Kobra

2013-01-01

NONE DECLARED. The study of the scientific evidence citation production by famous databases of the world is one of the important indicators to evaluate and rank the universities. The study at investigating the scientific production of Northern Iran Medical Sciences Universities in Scopus from 2005 through 2010. This survey used scientometrics technique. The samples under studies were the scientific products of four northern Iran Medical universities. Viewpoints quantity of the Scientific Products Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences stands first and of Babol University of Medical Sciences ranks the end, but from the viewpoints of quality of scientific products of considering the H-Index and the number of cited papers the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences is a head from the other universities under study. From the viewpoints of subject of the papers, the highest scientific products belonged to the faculty of Pharmacy affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medial Sciences, but the three other universities for the genetics and biochemistry. Results showed that the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences as compared to the other understudies universities ranks higher for the number of articles, cited articles, number of hard work authors and H-Index of Scopus database from 2005 through 2010.

Analytical Investigation of the Limits for the In-Plane Thermal Conductivity Measurement Using a Suspended Membrane Setup

Science.gov (United States)

Linseis, V.; Völklein, F.; Reith, H.; Woias, P.; Nielsch, K.

2018-06-01

An analytical study has been performed on the measurement capabilities of a 100-nm thin suspended membrane setup for the in-plane thermal conductivity measurements of thin film samples using the 3 ω measurement technique, utilizing a COSMOL Multiphysics simulation. The maximum measurement range under observance of given boundary conditions has been studied. Three different exemplary sample materials, with a thickness from the nanometer to the micrometer range and a thermal conductivity from 0.4 W/mK up to 100 W/mK have been investigated as showcase studies. The results of the simulations have been compared to a previously published evaluation model, in order to determine the deviation between both and thereby the measurement limit. As thermal transport properties are temperature dependent, all calculations refer to constant room temperature conditions.

An Investigation of Scientific Production of Executive Secretariat Graduates At the Federal University of Ceará From 2010 to 2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Márcia Monalisa Garcia

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The culture of research in Executive Secretary course is recent and has been widely promoted in the academic and scientific community. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the scientific production of graduates from the Executive Secretariat Course at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC from 2010 to 2015, in order to verify their contributions to the increase of scientific production in the field. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, a descriptive, bibliographic research was carried out with quantitative and qualitative approach, using as basis for data analysis a review on the content "Productions" of the Brazilian database résumé (Curriculum Lattes, of UFC graduates since the foundation of the course in 1995, to the year 2015. Among the main results, the research pointed out the need for diversification on the types of scientific contribution, since most of it has focused on paper presentations; also diversifying the researched topics, since most of them focused on professional practice, highlighting the focus on the technicist character of this profession. There has also been a significant increase in scientific production in the years 2013 and 2014. This work has raised the importance of spreading a new mentality about the secretarial studies, stimulating the production of new knowledge in this field.

Methods of Scientific Research: Teaching Scientific Creativity at Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Dennis; Ford, K. E. Saavik

2016-01-01

We present a scaling-up plan for AstroComNYC's Methods of Scientific Research (MSR), a course designed to improve undergraduate students' understanding of science practices. The course format and goals, notably the open-ended, hands-on, investigative nature of the curriculum are reviewed. We discuss how the course's interactive pedagogical techniques empower students to learn creativity within the context of experimental design and control of variables thinking. To date the course has been offered to a limited numbers of students in specific programs. The goals of broadly implementing MSR is to reach more students and early in their education—with the specific purpose of supporting and improving retention of students pursuing STEM careers. However, we also discuss challenges in preserving the effectiveness of the teaching and learning experience at scale.

Scientific Ballooning in India - Recent Developments

Science.gov (United States)

Manchanda, R. K.; Srinivasan, S.; Subbarao, J. V.

Established in 1972, the National Balloon Facility operated by TIFR in Hyderabad, India is is a unique facility in the country, which provides a complete solution in scientific ballooning. It is also one of its kind in the world since it combines both, the in-house balloon production and a complete flight support for scientific ballooning. With a large team working through out the year to design, fabricate and launch scientific balloons, the Hyderabad Facility is a unique centre of expertise where the balloon design, Research and Development, the production and launch facilities are located under one roof. Our balloons are manufactured from 100% indigenous components. The mission specific balloon design, high reliability control and support instrumentation, in-house competence in tracking, telemetry, telecommand, data processing, system design and mechanics is a hallmark of the Hyderabad balloon facility. In the past few years we have executed a major programme of upgradation of different components of balloon production, telemetry and telecommand hardware and various support facilities. This paper focuses on our increased capability of balloon production of large sizes up to size of 780,000 M^3 using Antrix film, development of high strength balloon load tapes with the breaking strength of 182 kg, and the recent introduction of S-band telemetry and a commandable timer cut-off unit in the flight hardware. A summary of the various flights conducted in recent years will be presented along with the plans for new facilities.

Scientific ballooning in India Recent developments

Science.gov (United States)

Manchanda, R. K.

Established in 1971, the National Balloon Facility operated by TIFR in Hyderabad, India, is a unique facility in the country, which provides a complete solution in scientific ballooning. It is also one of its kind in the world since it combines both, the in-house balloon production and a complete flight support for scientific ballooning. With a large team working through out the year to design, fabricate and launch scientific balloons, the Hyderabad Facility is a unique centre of expertise where the balloon design, research and development, the production and launch facilities are located under one roof. Our balloons are manufactured from 100% indigenous components. The mission specific balloon design, high reliability control and support instrumentation, in-house competence in tracking, telemetry, telecommand, data processing, system design and mechanics is its hallmark. In the past few years, we have executed a major programme of upgradation of different components of balloon production, telemetry and telecommand hardware and various support facilities. This paper focuses on our increased capability of balloon production of large sizes up to 780,000 m 3 using Antrix film, development of high strength balloon load tapes with the breaking strength of 182 kg, and the recent introduction of S-band telemetry and a commandable timer cut-off unit in the flight hardware. A summary of the various flights conducted in recent years will be presented along with the plans for new facilities.

A Survey on Visual Approaches for Analyzing Scientific Literature and Patents.

Science.gov (United States)

Federico, Paolo; Heimerl, Florian; Koch, Steffen; Miksch, Silvia

2017-09-01

The increasingly large number of available writings describing technical and scientific progress, calls for advanced analytic tools for their efficient analysis. This is true for many application scenarios in science and industry and for different types of writings, comprising patents and scientific articles. Despite important differences between patents and scientific articles, both have a variety of common characteristics that lead to similar search and analysis tasks. However, the analysis and visualization of these documents is not a trivial task due to the complexity of the documents as well as the large number of possible relations between their multivariate attributes. In this survey, we review interactive analysis and visualization approaches of patents and scientific articles, ranging from exploration tools to sophisticated mining methods. In a bottom-up approach, we categorize them according to two aspects: (a) data type (text, citations, authors, metadata, and combinations thereof), and (b) task (finding and comparing single entities, seeking elementary relations, finding complex patterns, and in particular temporal patterns, and investigating connections between multiple behaviours). Finally, we identify challenges and research directions in this area that ask for future investigations.

Investigating bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons through landfarming using apparent electrical conductivity measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Van De Vijver, Ellen; Van Meirvenne, Marc; Seuntjens, Piet

2015-04-01

Bioremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons through landfarming has been widely applied commercially at large scale. Biodegradation is one of the dominant pollutant removal mechanisms involved in landfarming, but strongly depends on the environmental conditions (e.g. presence of oxygen, moisture content). Conventionally the biodegradation process is monitored by the installation of field monitoring equipment and repeated sample collection and analysis. Because the presence of petroleum hydrocarbons and their degradation products can affect the electrical properties of the soil, proximal soil sensors such as electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors may provide an alternative to investigate the biodegradation process of these contaminants. We investigated the relation between the EMI-based apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) of a landfarm soil and the presence and degradation status of petroleum hydrocarbons. The 3 ha study area was located in an oil refinery complex contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, mainly composed of diesel. At the site, a landfarm was constructed in 1999. The most recent survey of the petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations was conducted between 2011 and 2013. The sampling locations were defined by a grid with a 10 m by 10 m cell size and on each location a sample was taken from four successive soil layers with a thickness of 0.5 m each. Because the survey was carried out in phases using different georeferencing methods, the final dataset suffered from uncertainty in the coordinates of the sampling locations. In September 2013 the landfarm was surveyed for ECa with a multi-receiver electromagnetic induction sensor (DUALEM-21S) using motorized conveyance. The horizontal measurement resolution was 1 m by 0.25 m. On each measurement location the sensor recorded four ECa values representative of measurement depths of 0.5 m, 1.0 m, 1.6 m and 3.2 m. After the basic processing, the ECa measurements were filtered to remove

The effects of conducting authentic field-geology research on high school students' understanding of the nature of science, and their views of themselves as research scientists

Science.gov (United States)

Millette, Patricia M.

Authentic field geology research is a inquiry method that encourages students to interact more with their local environment, and by solving genuine puzzles, begin to increase their intuitive understanding of the nature and processes of science. The goal of the current study was to determine if conducting authentic field research and giving high school students the opportunity to present findings to adult audiences outside of the school setting 1) enhances students' understanding of the nature of science, and 2) affects students views of themselves as researchers. To accomplish this, ninth-grade students from a public school in northern New England engaged in a community-initiated glacial geology problem, completed a field research investigation, and presented their findings at several professional conferences. Following the completion of this student-centered field research, I investigated its effects by using a mixed methods approach consisting of qualitative and quantitative data from two sources. These included selected questions from an open-response survey (VNOS-c), and interviews that were conducted with fifteen of the students of different ages and genders. Findings show that conducting original field research seems to have a positive influence on these students' understanding of the NOS as well as the processes of science. Many of the students reported feelings of accomplishment, acceptance of responsibility for the investigation, a sense of their authentic contribution to the body of scientific knowledge in the world, and becoming scientists. This type of authentic field investigation is significant because recent reforms in earth-science education stress the importance of students learning about the nature and processes of scientific knowledge along with science content.

A Complexity Approach to Evaluating National Scientific Systems through International Scientific Collaborations

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Zelnio, Ryan J.

2013-01-01

This dissertation seeks to contribute to a fuller understanding of how international scientific collaboration has affected national scientific systems. It does this by developing three methodological approaches grounded in social complexity theory and applying them to the evaluation of national scientific systems. The first methodology identifies…

A university system-wide qualitative investigation into student physical activity promotion conducted on college campuses.

Science.gov (United States)

Milroy, Jeffrey J; Wyrick, David L; Bibeau, Daniel L; Strack, Robert W; Davis, Paul G

2012-01-01

This study aimed to examine college student physical activity promotion. A cross-sectional approach to qualitative research was used. Southeastern state university system. Fourteen of 15 (93%) universities recruited were included in this study; 22 university employees participated in a semistructured interview. Nonprobabilistic purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used to recruit individuals who were likely to be engaged in physical activity promotion efforts on their respective campuses. Thematic analyses lead to the identification of emerging themes that were coded and analyzed using NVivo software. Themes informed three main areas: key personnel responsible for promoting physical activity to students, actual physical activity promotion efforts implemented, and factors that influence student physical activity promotion. Results suggest that ecological approaches to promote physical activity on college campuses are underused, the targeting of mediators of physical activity in college students is limited, and values held by university administration influence campus physical activity promotion. Findings support recommendations for future research and practice. Practitioners should attempt to implement social ecological approaches that target scientifically established mediators of physical activity in college students. Replication of this study is needed to compare these findings with other types of universities, and to investigate the relationship between promotion activities (type and exposure) and physical activity behaviors of college students.

[Financing of the scientific publication and protection of the scientific knowledge].

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira Filho, Renato Santos de; Hochman, Bernardo; Nahas, Fabio Xerfan; Ferreira, Lydia Masako

2005-01-01

The main purpose of a study is its publication on a scientific journal. Research financing agencies are important institutions so that studies can be developed and published. The most important research financing agencies that are discussed in this article are: "Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior" (CAPES), "Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico" (CNPq) and "Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo" (FAPESP). CAPES' activities can be grouped in four different strategy lines: a) it evaluates the stricto sensu, at the post-graduation level; b) it provides access and development of scientific research; c) it provides investment on the development of high qualified human resources in Brazil and abroad, and d) it promotes international scientific cooperation. Although CAPES does not support directly scientific publications, almost all actions of this agency contribute to the development of scientific research and publication. CNPq has two main purposes: financing researches and development of human resources. It provides the researchers with financial aid to scientific publication. The grants for editing were specifically created for supporting the national scientific and technical publications edited by Brazilians institutions or societies. CNPq can also support Congresses, Symposiums and similar short-term courses. The Plataforma Lattes is also a branch of CNPq on which the Curriculum Lattes is available. This site has the curriculum vitae of the scientific community and is of great value for researchers. FAPESP also finances journal publications, articles and books that bring up original results of studies made by researchers from the state of São Paulo. It finances, partially, the travel expenses of innovative papers authors in meetings within the country or abroad. Brazilian authors are increasing the number of international publications. Universities, research institutes, financing agencies and

Intertextual learning strategy with guided inquiry on solubility equilibrium concept to improve the student’s scientific processing skills

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Wardani, K. U.; Mulyani, S.; Wiji

2018-04-01

The aim of this study was to develop intertextual learning strategy with guided inquiry on solubility equilibrium concept to enhance student’s scientific processing skills. This study was conducted with consideration of some various studies which found that lack of student’s process skills in learning chemistry was caused by learning chemistry is just a concept. The method used in this study is a Research and Development to generate the intertextual learning strategy with guided inquiry. The instruments used in the form of sheets validation are used to determine the congruence of learning activities by step guided inquiry learning and scientific processing skills with aspects of learning activities. Validation results obtained that the learning activities conducted in line with aspects of indicators of the scientific processing skills.

Founding editorial--forensics and TheScientificWorld.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, W

2001-10-30

At the beginning of a new millennium it seems a good idea to stop for a moment and take stock of the current state of forensic science. As a field of scientific research and scientific application, forensic science is a little more than a century old. Forensic science may be said to have begun in 1887 with the simultaneous publication of A. Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet and Hans Gross's Handbuch f1/4r Untersuchungsrichter. Conan Doyle's novel introduced to the world the character of Sherlock Holmes, whose literary career would popularize the use of physical evidence in criminal investigations. Gross's manual for examining magistrates suggests ways in which the expertise of chemists, biologists, geologists, and other natural scientists could contribute to investigations. Gross's book was translated into a number of languages and went through various updated editions during the course of the century. The intervening century saw the development and application of fingerprinting, firearm and tool mark identification, forensic chemistry, forensic biology, forensic toxicology, forensic odontology, forensic pathology, and forensic engineering. Increasingly, the judicial systems of the industrial nations of the world have come to rely upon the expertise of scientists in a variety of disciplines. In most advanced countries, virtually all criminal prosecutions now involve the presentation of scientific testimony. This has had the beneficial effect of diminishing the reliance of courts on eyewitness testimony and defendant confessions.

100 top-cited scientific papers in limb prosthetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Eshraghi, Arezoo; Osman, Noor Azuan Abu; Gholizadeh, Hossein; Ali, Sadeeq; Shadgan, Babak

2013-11-17

Research has tremendously contributed to the developments in both practical and fundamental aspects of limb prosthetics. These advancements are reflected in scientific articles, particularly in the most cited papers. This article aimed to identify the 100 top-cited articles in the field of limb prosthetics and to investigate their main characteristics. Articles related to the field of limb prosthetics and published in the Web of Knowledge database of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) from the period of 1980 to 2012. The 100 most cited articles in limb prosthetics were selected based on the citation index report. All types of articles except for proceedings and letters were included in the study. The study design and level of evidence were determined using Sackett's initial rules of evidence. The level of evidence was categorized either as a systematic review or meta-analysis, randomized controlled trial, cohort study, case-control study, case series, expert opinion, or design and development. The top cited articles in prosthetics were published from 1980 to 2012 with a citation range of 11 to 90 times since publication. The mean citation rate was 24.43 (SD 16.7) times. Eighty-four percent of the articles were original publications and were most commonly prospective (76%) and case series studies (67%) that used human subjects (96%) providing level 4 evidence. Among the various fields, rehabilitation (47%), orthopedics (29%), and sport sciences (28%) were the most common fields of study. The study established that studies conducted in North America and were written in English had the highest citations. Top cited articles primarily dealt with lower limb prosthetics, specifically, on transtibial and transradial prosthetic limbs. Majority of the articles were experimental studies.

The quality of information in electronic scientific publications on the Internet: challenges and proposals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo SABBATINI

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The present work analises the main questions and hurdles involved in the adoption of a electronic scientific publication system, those related to the scientific community practices and rules of conduct. We emphasize the quality certification through peer review, interity and legitimiy maintenance and privacity preservation in the digital environment. Furthermore, we analise the academic community own perception of electronic journals available in Internet and its impacts in tenure and prommotion processes.

Groundwater redox conditions and conductivity in a contaminant plume from geoelectrical investigations

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V. Naudet

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate mapping of the electrical conductivity and of the redox potential of the groundwater is important in delineating the shape of a contaminant plume. A map of redox potential in an aquifer is indicative of biodegradation of organic matter and of concentrations of redox-active components; a map of electrical conductivity provides information on the mineralisation of the groundwater. Both maps can be used to optimise the position of pumping wells for remediation. The self-potential method (SP and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT have been applied to the contaminant plume associated with the Entressen landfill in south-east France. The self-potential depends on groundwater flow (electrokinetic contribution and redox conditions ('electro-redox' contribution. Using the variation of the piezometric head in the aquifer, the electrokinetic contribution is removed from the SP signals. A good linear correlation (R2=0.85 is obtained between the residual SP data and the redox potential values measured in monitoring wells. This relationship is used to draw a redox potential map of the overall contaminated site. The electrical conductivity of the subsoil is obtained from 3D-ERT analysis. A good linear correlation (R2=0.91 is observed between the electrical conductivity of the aquifer determined from the 3D-ERT image and the conductivity of the groundwater measured in boreholes. This indicates that the formation factor is nearly homogeneous in the shallow aquifer at the scale of the ERT. From this correlation, a map of the pore water conductivity of the aquifer is obtained. Keywords: self-potential, redox potential, electrical resistivity tomography, fluid conductivity, contaminant plume

On the Possibility of a Scientific Theory of Scientific Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Nola, Robert

1999-01-01

Discusses the philosophical strengths and weaknesses of Laudan's normative naturalism, which understands the principles of scientific method to be akin to scientific hypotheses, and therefore open to test like any principle of science. Contains 19 references. (Author/WRM)

Optimum Depth of Investigation and Conductivity Response Rejection of the Different Electromagnetic Devices Measuring Apparent Magnetic Susceptibility

OpenAIRE

Benech , Christophe; Marmet , Eric

1999-01-01

International audience; Electromagnetic susceptibility surveys are valuable for archaeological prospection owing to their ability to cover large areas of land. Their use, however, is often compromised by the conductivity influence of the soil and the limited investigation depth of the susceptibility response. To examine these constraints further, we compared the characteristics of two types of apparatus: coincident loop (e.g. Bartington MS2 field coil) and 'Slingram' instruments (EM38, SH3, C...

Examining Research Questions on Germination from the Perspective of Scientific Creativity

Science.gov (United States)

Demir Kaçan, Sibel

2015-01-01

This study was conducted with the participation of 31 pre-service science teachers. Participants were asked to develop various research questions on germination. The study aims to examine research questions on the subject germination from the perspective of scientific creativity. The research questions were examined using the fluency, science…

A social epistemology of research groups collaboration in scientific practice

CERN Document Server

Wagenknecht, Susann

2016-01-01

This book investigates how collaborative scientific practice yields scientific knowledge. At a time when most of today’s scientific knowledge is created in research groups, the author reconsiders the social character of science to address the question of whether collaboratively created knowledge should be considered as collective achievement, and if so, in which sense. Combining philosophical analysis with qualitative empirical inquiry, this book provides a comparative case study of mono- and interdisciplinary research groups, offering insight into the day-to-day practice of scientists. The book includes field observations and interviews with scientists to present an empirically-grounded perspective on much-debated questions concerning research groups’ division of labor, relations of epistemic dependence and trust.

An evidence-based patient-centered method makes the biopsychosocial model scientific.

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Smith, Robert C; Fortin, Auguste H; Dwamena, Francesca; Frankel, Richard M

2013-06-01

To review the scientific status of the biopsychosocial (BPS) model and to propose a way to improve it. Engel's BPS model added patients' psychological and social health concerns to the highly successful biomedical model. He proposed that the BPS model could make medicine more scientific, but its use in education, clinical care, and, especially, research remains minimal. Many aver correctly that the present model cannot be defined in a consistent way for the individual patient, making it untestable and non-scientific. This stems from not obtaining relevant BPS data systematically, where one interviewer obtains the same information another would. Recent research by two of the authors has produced similar patient-centered interviewing methods that are repeatable and elicit just the relevant patient information needed to define the model at each visit. We propose that the field adopt these evidence-based methods as the standard for identifying the BPS model. Identifying a scientific BPS model in each patient with an agreed-upon, evidence-based patient-centered interviewing method can produce a quantum leap ahead in both research and teaching. A scientific BPS model can give us more confidence in being humanistic. In research, we can conduct more rigorous studies to inform better practices. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Progress of scientific researches and project of CSR in IMP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Genming

2004-01-01

The article reviews the recent progress of the scientific researches including synthesis of new nuclides, investigations of the isospin effects in heavy ion collisions, studies of the nuclear structure in high spin states and the applications of heavy ion beams to other scientific researches, such as biology and material science. It also gives a brief introduction of the development of the design and progress of the new project of heavy ion cooling storage ring (CSR) of Lanzhou. (author)

Guiding students to develop an understanding of scientific inquiry: a science skills approach to instruction and assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Elisa M

2014-01-01

New approaches for teaching and assessing scientific inquiry and practices are essential for guiding students to make the informed decisions required of an increasingly complex and global society. The Science Skills approach described here guides students to develop an understanding of the experimental skills required to perform a scientific investigation. An individual teacher's investigation of the strategies and tools she designed to promote scientific inquiry in her classroom is outlined. This teacher-driven action research in the high school biology classroom presents a simple study design that allowed for reciprocal testing of two simultaneous treatments, one that aimed to guide students to use vocabulary to identify and describe different scientific practices they were using in their investigations-for example, hypothesizing, data analysis, or use of controls-and another that focused on scientific collaboration. A knowledge integration (KI) rubric was designed to measure how students integrated their ideas about the skills and practices necessary for scientific inquiry. KI scores revealed that student understanding of scientific inquiry increased significantly after receiving instruction and using assessment tools aimed at promoting development of specific inquiry skills. General strategies for doing classroom-based action research in a straightforward and practical way are discussed, as are implications for teaching and evaluating introductory life sciences courses at the undergraduate level.

Epistemic beliefs of middle and high school students in a problem-based, scientific inquiry unit: An exploratory, mixed methods study

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Jiangyue

Epistemic beliefs are individuals' beliefs about the nature of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed, and how knowledge can be justified. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to examine: (a) middle and high school students' self-reported epistemic beliefs (quantitative) and epistemic beliefs revealed from practice (qualitative) during a problem-based, scientific inquiry unit, (b) How do middle and high school students' epistemic beliefs contribute to the construction of students' problem solving processes, and (c) how and why do students' epistemic beliefs change by engaging in PBL. Twenty-one middle and high school students participated in a summer science class to investigate local water quality in a 2-week long problem-based learning (PBL) unit. The students worked in small groups to conduct water quality tests at in their local watershed and visited several stakeholders for their investigation. Pretest and posttest versions of the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire were conducted to assess students' self-reported epistemic beliefs before and after the unit. I videotaped and interviewed three groups of students during the unit and conducted discourse analysis to examine their epistemic beliefs revealed from scientific inquiry activities and triangulate with their self-reported data. There are three main findings from this study. First, students in this study self-reported relatively sophisticated epistemic beliefs on the pretest. However, the comparison between their self-reported beliefs and beliefs revealed from practice indicated that some students were able to apply sophisticated beliefs during the unit while others failed to do so. The inconsistency between these two types of epistemic beliefs may due to students' inadequate cognitive ability, low validity of self-report measure, and the influence of contextual factors. Second, qualitative analysis indicated that students' epistemic beliefs of the nature of knowing influenced their problem

Data at Risk Initiative: Examining and Facilitating the Scientific Process in Relation to Endangered Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela P Murillo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Examining the scientific process in relation to endangered data, data reuse, and sharing is crucial in facilitating scientific workflow. Deterioration, format obsolescence, and insufficient metadata for discovery are significant problems leading to loss of scientific data. The research presented in this paper considers these potentially lost data. Four one-hour focus groups and a demographic survey were conducted with 14 scientists to learn about their attitudes toward endangered data, data sharing, data reuse, and their opinions of the DARI inventory. The results indicate that unavailability, lack of context, accessibility issues, and potential endangerment are key concerns to scientists.

Incorporating Primary Scientific Literature in Middle and High School Education

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Sarah C. Fankhauser

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Primary literature is the most reliable and direct source of scientific information, but most middle school and high school science is taught using secondary and tertiary sources. One reason for this is that primary science articles can be difficult to access and interpret for young students and for their teachers, who may lack exposure to this type of writing. The Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI was created to fill this gap and provide primary research articles that can be accessed and read by students and their teachers. JEI is a non-profit, online, open-access, peer-reviewed science journal dedicated to mentoring and publishing the scientific research of middle and high school students. JEI articles provide reliable scientific information that is written by students and therefore at a level that their peers can understand. For student-authors who publish in JEI, the review process and the interaction with scientists provide invaluable insight into the scientific process. Moreover, the resulting repository of free, student-written articles allows teachers to incorporate age-appropriate primary literature into the middle and high school science classroom. JEI articles can be used for teaching specific scientific content or for teaching the process of the scientific method itself. The critical thinking skills that students learn by engaging with the primary literature will be invaluable for the development of a scientifically-literate public.

Incorporating Primary Scientific Literature in Middle and High School Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Fankhauser, Sarah C; Lijek, Rebeccah S

2016-03-01

Primary literature is the most reliable and direct source of scientific information, but most middle school and high school science is taught using secondary and tertiary sources. One reason for this is that primary science articles can be difficult to access and interpret for young students and for their teachers, who may lack exposure to this type of writing. The Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) was created to fill this gap and provide primary research articles that can be accessed and read by students and their teachers. JEI is a non-profit, online, open-access, peer-reviewed science journal dedicated to mentoring and publishing the scientific research of middle and high school students. JEI articles provide reliable scientific information that is written by students and therefore at a level that their peers can understand. For student-authors who publish in JEI, the review process and the interaction with scientists provide invaluable insight into the scientific process. Moreover, the resulting repository of free, student-written articles allows teachers to incorporate age-appropriate primary literature into the middle and high school science classroom. JEI articles can be used for teaching specific scientific content or for teaching the process of the scientific method itself. The critical thinking skills that students learn by engaging with the primary literature will be invaluable for the development of a scientifically-literate public.

Tenth annual scientific conference of the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA), July 19, 1995, Seattle, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holm, V.A.; Hudgins, L. [Univ. of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA (United States); Cassidy, S.B. [Univ. of Washington School of Medicine, and Children`s Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, WA (United States)]|[Univ. Hospitals of Cleveland, OH (United States)

1996-09-06

Each year for the last 10 years, scientists conducting research on Prader-Willi syndrome have come together to exchange information during a scientific conference held in conjunction with the annual Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) meeting. Presentations based on submitted abstracts encompass such varied fields as genetics, endocrinology, pediatrics, nutrition, psychology, psychiatry, and education. This year`s scientific conference was held in Seattle, Washington, on July 19, 1995, in conjunction with the 14th PWSA (USA) meeting held July 20-23. Seventeen reports were presented at the scientific meeting, the abstracts of which follow.

Data catalog series for space science and applications flight missions. Volume 3B: Descriptions of data sets from low- and medium-altitude scientific spacecraft and investigations

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, John E. (Editor); Horowitz, Richard (Editor)

1986-01-01

The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of data sets from low and medium altitude scientific spacecraft and investigations. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided.

Data Catalog Series for Space Science and Applications Flight Missions. Volume 2B; Descriptions of Data Sets from Geostationary and High-Altitude Scientific Spacecraft and Investigations

Science.gov (United States)

Schofield, Norman J. (Editor); Parthasarathy, R. (Editor); Hills, H. Kent (Editor)

1988-01-01

The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of data sets from geostationary and high altitude scientific spacecraft and investigations. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided.

What Makes a Scientific Research Question Worth Investigating? Students' Epistemic Criteria and Considerations of Contribution

Science.gov (United States)

Berson, Eric Bruckner

2012-01-01

This dissertation introduces the construct of "worthwhileness" as an important aspect of students' "practical" epistemologies of science (Sandoval, 2005). Specifically, it examines how students conceptualize what makes a scientific research question worthwhile, through a close analysis of the criteria they use for…

Nonwoven production from agricultural okra wastes and investigation of their thermal conductivities

Science.gov (United States)

Duman, M. N.; Kocak, E. D.; Merdan, N.; Mistik, I.

2017-10-01

Nowadays bio-based composite materials have been used in rising amounts and demanded widely in industrial uses, as they provide cost reduction and weight loss in the end use products. Agricultural cellulose based wastes can be a good alternative to synthetic fibers and can be used in natural fiber reinforced composite production, as there is a huge (more than 40 million tons) potential for natural cellulose production from agricultural wastes. Okra is one of the most grown vegetables around the world with stems left on the fields after harvest. When the similarity of mechanical properties of okra fibers with traditional bast fibers (flax, kenaf, hemp) are considered, from an economical and an environmental point of view this research emphasizes the potential of agricultural biomass for natural fiber production. In this study, okra stem wastes used for natural cellulosic fiber production and treated with 10% NaOH at 60°C for 10, 20, 30 and 40 minutes. By alkali treatment, decrease in fiber diameter and weight, and increase in tensile strength and elongation % have been observed. Nonwoven production has been done from both the fibers with and without surface treatments. Thermal conductivity properties of both nonwovens have been investigated.

Impact of research investment on scientific productivity of junior researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrokhyar, Forough; Bianco, Daniela; Dao, Dyda; Ghert, Michelle; Andruszkiewicz, Nicole; Sussman, Jonathan; Ginsberg, Jeffrey S

2016-12-01

There is a demand for providing evidence on the effectiveness of research investments on the promotion of novice researchers' scientific productivity and production of research with new initiatives and innovations. We used a mixed method approach to evaluate the funding effect of the New Investigator Fund (NIF) by comparing scientific productivity between award recipients and non-recipients. We reviewed NIF grant applications submitted from 2004 to 2013. Scientific productivity was assessed by confirming the publication of the NIF-submitted application. Online databases were searched, independently and in duplicate, to locate the publications. Applicants' perceptions and experiences were collected through a short survey and categorized into specified themes. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. Odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) are reported. Of 296 applicants, 163 (55 %) were awarded. Gender, affiliation, and field of expertise did not affect funding decisions. More physicians with graduate education (32.0 %) and applicants with a doctorate degree (21.5 %) were awarded than applicants without postgraduate education (9.8 %). Basic science research (28.8 %), randomized controlled trials (24.5 %), and feasibility/pilot trials (13.3 %) were awarded more than observational designs (p   scientific productivity and professional growth of novice investigators and production of research with new initiatives and innovations. Further efforts are recommended to enhance the support of small grant funding programs.

Investigation of the Effect of Training on the Development of High School Teachers' Attitudes towards Scientific Research and Project Competitions

Science.gov (United States)

Akçöltekin, Alptürk

2016-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to develop positive attitudes in high school teachers towards scientific research and project competitions by training them in scientific research and project preparation subjects. The study group consists of 90 high school teachers. As a result of the study, a significant difference was found in favor of…

An investigation of the thermal conductivity of Cs2MoO4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, T.; Mizuno, T.

1997-01-01

The thermal diffusivity of 82.6% TD and 89.3% TD Cs 2 MoO 4 was measured by the laser flash method and the thermal conductivity was calculated. The thermal conductivity of these Cs 2 MoO 4 ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 W m -1 K -1 . The density dependence of the thermal conductivity was correlated based on the experimental values of these two densities and on the 94.3% TD specimen from the preceding study. The correlation of the thermal conductivity of Cs 2 MoO 4 is k=(1.0-1.848 x P)/(1.0-1.848 x P ref ) x k ref , where k ref =132.56/T+0.03+3.2 x 10 -10 x T 3 , P ref =1.0-0.943=0.057 and k and k ref are the thermal conductivities (Wm -1 K -1 ) of Cs 2 MoO 4 with the porosities P and P ref , respectively, where P ref is the porosity for the 94.3% TD Cs 2 MoO 4 . T is the temperature (K). This correlation is applicable for 82.6 to 94.3% TD Cs 2 MoO 4 from 873 to 1023 K. (orig.)

Experimental investigation of thermal conductivity coefficient and heat exchange between fluidized bed and inclined exchange surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Stojanovic

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents experimental research of thermal conductivity coefficients of the siliceous sand bed fluidized by air and an experimental investigation of the particle size influence on the heat transfer coefficient between fluidized bed and inclined exchange surfaces. The measurements were performed for the specific fluidization velocity and sand particle diameters d p=0.3, 0.5, 0.9 mm. The industrial use of fluidized beds has been increasing rapidly in the past 20 years owing to their useful characteristics. One of the outstanding characteristics of a fluidized bed is that it tends to maintain a uniform temperature even with nonuniform heat release. On the basis of experimental research, the influence of the process's operational parameters on the obtained values of the bed's thermal conductivity has been analyzed. The results show direct dependence of thermal conductivity on the intensity of mixing, the degree of fluidization, and the size of particles. In the axial direction, the coefficients that have been treated have values a whole order higher than in the radial direction. Comparison of experimental research results with experimental results of other authors shows good agreement and the same tendency of thermal conductivity change. It is well known in the literature that the value of the heat transfer coefficient is the highest in the horizontal and the smallest in the vertical position of the heat exchange surface. Variation of heat transfer, depending on inclination angle is not examined in detail. The difference between the values of the relative heat transfer coefficient between vertical and horizontal heater position for all particle sizes reduces by approximately 15% with the increase of fluidization rate.

Open scientific communication urged

Science.gov (United States)

Richman, Barbara T.

In a report released last week the National Academy of Sciences' Panel on Scientific Communication and National Security concluded that the ‘limited and uncertain benefits’ of controls on the dissemination of scientific and technological research are ‘outweighed by the importance of scientific progress, which open communication accelerates, to the overall welfare of the nation.’ The 18-member panel, chaired by Dale R. Corson, president emeritus of Cornell University, was created last spring (Eos, April 20, 1982, p. 241) to examine the delicate balance between open dissemination of scientific and technical information and the U.S. government's desire to protect scientific and technological achievements from being translated into military advantages for our political adversaries.The panel dealt almost exclusively with the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union but noted that there are ‘clear problems in scientific communication and national security involving Third World countries.’ Further study of this matter is necessary.

YOUNG INVESTIGATOR SPECIAL ISSUE (Editorial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric Eils

2004-11-01

Full Text Available Welcome to the first Young Investigator Special Issue of the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (JSSM. The JSSM family is proud to start this new service to the Sport Science community and to young researchers. The background in starting this issue was the observation that large amounts of high-quality research is conducted every year by students and young investigators, but often remains solely in local university libraries and never reaches the scientific community or databases. In addition, most international journals have a high threshold in accepting papers, and it is often hard to reach this level for junior scientists because of lack of experience, supervision or confidence. These are major reasons that delay or in some cases stop young researchers from publishing their valuable work. We all received help from senior colleagues in the beginning of our career. Now it is our turn to help youngsters. With this special issue, the JSSM is now serving young researchers as a channel for publishing their work. Our goal is to motivate young researchers to submit their work to JSSM, but we also aim to motivate supervisors and expert referees to be supportive and constructive towards these young scientists at the very beginning of their career. The Young Investigator Special Issue followed a normal peer-review process, except that there were no straight rejections in the first phase of review. We advised the reviewers of the Young Investigator Special Issue to proceed with constructive advice and remarks for all manuscripts. This offered a great opportunity for the Young Investigators to revise the manuscript, while at the same time contributing to the learning process. Thereafter, if the revisions were properly conducted according to the remarks from reviewers, the manuscripts were accepted for publication. We have received many manuscripts from young researchers with a lot of potential. There has been plenty of evidence of great talent

Does the public communication of science influence scientific vocation? Results of a national survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Stekolschik, Gabriel; Draghi, Cecilia; Adaszko, Dan; Gallardo, Susana

2010-09-01

The purpose of this work was to determine if public communication of science and technology (PCST) has any influence on people's decision to become dedicated to scientific research. For this reason, a national survey involving 852 researchers from all disciplines was conducted in Argentina. The results showed that the factors affecting scientific vocation are many, and that, regardless of differences in gender, age or discipline, the greatest influence on the decision to go into scientific research is exerted by teachers. The analysis also demonstrated that different manifestations of PCST (science books, press articles, audiovisual material, and activities such as visits to science museums) play a significant role in awakening the vocation for science. From these results it may be stated that PCST--in addition to its function of informing and forming citizens--exerts a significant influence in fostering scientific vocation.

Undergraduate honors students' images of science: Nature of scientific work and scientific knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Michael L.

This exploratory study assessed the influence of an implicit, inquiry-oriented nature of science (NOS) instructional approach undertaken in an interdisciplinary college science course on undergraduate honor students' (UHS) understanding of the aspects of NOS for scientific work and scientific knowledge. In this study, the nature of scientific work concentrated upon the delineation of science from pseudoscience and the value scientists place on reproducibility. The nature of scientific knowledge concentrated upon how UHS view scientific theories and how they believe scientists utilize scientific theories in their research. The 39 UHS who participated in the study were non-science majors enrolled in a Honors College sponsored interdisciplinary science course where the instructors took an implicit NOS instructional approach. An open-ended assessment instrument, the UFO Scenario, was designed for the course and used to assess UHS' images of science at the beginning and end of the semester. The mixed-design study employed both qualitative and quantitative techniques to analyze the open-ended responses. The qualitative techniques of open and axial coding were utilized to find recurring themes within UHS' responses. McNemar's chi-square test for two dependent samples was used to identify whether any statistically significant changes occurred within responses from the beginning to the end of the semester. At the start of the study, the majority of UHS held mixed NOS views, but were able to accurately define what a scientific theory is and explicate how scientists utilize theories within scientific research. Postinstruction assessment indicated that UHS did not make significant gains in their understanding of the nature of scientific work or scientific knowledge and their overall images of science remained static. The results of the present study found implicit NOS instruction even with an extensive inquiry-oriented component was an ineffective approach for modifying UHS

Investigations on Thermal Conductivities of Jute and Banana Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Pujari, Satish; Ramakrishna, Avasarala; Balaram Padal, Korabu Tulasi

2017-04-01

The Jute and Banana fibers are used as reinforcement in epoxy resin matrix for making partially green biodegradable material composite via hand lay-up technique. The thermal conductivity of the jute fiber epoxy composites and banana fiber epoxy composites at different volume fraction of the fiber is determined experimentally by using guarded heat flow meter method. The experimental results had shown that thermal conductivity of the composites decrease with an increase in the fiber content. Experimental results are compared with theoretical models (Series model, Hashin model and Maxwell model) to describe the variation of the thermal conductivity versus the volume fraction of the fiber. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental results is observed. Thermal conductivity of Banana fiber composite is less when compared to that of Jute composite which indicates banana is a good insulator and also the developed composites can be used as insulating materials in building, automotive industry and in steam pipes to save energy by reducing rate of heat transfer.

Teachers’ Poor Professionalism Of Writing A Scientific Paper at Muhammadiyah Senior High School In Central Java

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Bambang Sumardjoko

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The paper aims at analyzing teachers’ poor professionalism of writing a scientific paper at Muhammadiyah Senior High School in Central Java. It studies on the phenomena of teachers’ weaknesses, comprehension, efforts and constraints on writing a scientific paper. The study belongs to qualitative research by applying a descriptive approach in examining the problem. The data are got with an in-depth interview, observation, and document analysis. The data sources are teachers, headmaster, a chief of High and Preliminary Education Assembly, and educational experts. Data validation is conducted by methods and sources triangulation. The data analysis applies the interactive model.The research result shows that most teachers have a limited comprehension of scientific paper concepts, skill on conducting classroom action research and writing a scientific paper. Also, they also have some constraints such as lack of writing motivation, school infrastructure, and internet connection access. In eliminating those problems, firstly Muhammadiyah senior high school (SMA/MA/SMK teachers of Sukoharjo district have done some activities to develop their professional competence especially in the field of writing a scientific paper. In supporting their efforts, it needs a concrete step of stakeholder to simplify of all regarding with learning administrative activities, facilities adequacy motivation, the initiative of Assembly of Elementary and Middle Education, and others sponsorship, as well as the guidance of university.

Conducting meta-analyses of HIV prevention literatures from a theory-testing perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, K L; Johnson, B T; Carey, M P

2001-09-01

Using illustrations from HIV prevention research, the current article advocates approaching meta-analysis as a theory-testing scientific method rather than as merely a set of rules for quantitative analysis. Like other scientific methods, meta-analysis has central concerns with internal, external, and construct validity. The focus of a meta-analysis should only rarely be merely describing the effects of health promotion, but rather should be on understanding and explaining phenomena and the processes underlying them. The methodological decisions meta-analysts make in conducting reviews should be guided by a consideration of the underlying goals of the review (e.g., simply effect size estimation or, preferably theory testing). From the advocated perspective that a health behavior meta-analyst should test theory, the authors present a number of issues to be considered during the conduct of meta-analyses.

WWW: The Scientific Method

Science.gov (United States)

Blystone, Robert V.; Blodgett, Kevin

2006-01-01

The scientific method is the principal methodology by which biological knowledge is gained and disseminated. As fundamental as the scientific method may be, its historical development is poorly understood, its definition is variable, and its deployment is uneven. Scientific progress may occur without the strictures imposed by the formal…

Scientific and academic journals in the Philippines: status and challenges

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Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza

2015-08-01

Full Text Available As of July 2015, 28 Philippine scientific journals out of 777 Philippine scholarly journals are listed in the master journal lists of Thomson Reuters (TR, Scopus, or both. Of these scientific journals, thirteen are published by universities, two by government institutions, ten by professional organizations and three by private for-profit or non-profit organizations. Nineteen of these journals are over 25 years old, with the Philippine Journal of Science and the Philippine Agricultural Scientist being the oldest at 108 and 103 years in publication, respectively. Scientific journals in the Philippines, like other countries in Asia, face various increasing challenges. Among these challenges are getting listed in the master journal lists and citation databases of TR, Scopus, or both; obtaining funding; reaching a wider readership; attaining higher impact factors; competing for papers; and increased submission of manuscripts from outside the country. To promote the improvement of local journals, the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines has given outstanding publication awards for scientific papers published in local journals for the past two decades. The Philippine Commission on Higher Education has accredited local journals that are included in either TR and Scopus journal master lists, and provides monetary incentives to accredited journals. Training workshops on scientific article writing and editorial management are conducted for researchers and editors by universities and professional and government organizations. A network of Philippine science editors has been formed to work together to upgrade and modernize selected journals to international standards.

Exploring scientific creativity of eleventh-grade students in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Jia-Chi

2002-04-01

Although most researchers focus on scientists' creativity, students' scientific creativity should be considered, especially for high school and college students. It is generally assumed that most professional creators in science emerge from amateur creators. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between students' scientific creativity and selected variables including creativity, problem finding, formulating hypotheses, science achievement, the nature of science, and attitudes toward science for finding significant predictors of eleventh grade students' scientific creativity. A total of 130 male eleventh-grade students in three biology classes participated in this study. The main instruments included the Test of Divergent Thinking (TDT) for creativity measurement, the Creativity Rating Scale (CRS) and the Creative Activities and Accomplishments Check Lists (CAACL ) for measurement of scientific creativity, the Nature of Scientific Knowledge Scale (NSKS) for measurement of the nature of science, and the Science Attitude Inventory II (SAI II) for measurement of attitudes toward science. In addition, two instruments on measuring students' abilities of problem finding and abilities of formulating hypotheses were developed by the researcher in this study. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlations, and stepwise multiple regressions. The major findings suggested the following: (1) students' scientific creativity significantly correlated with some of selected variables such as attitudes toward science, problem finding, formulating hypotheses, the nature of science, resistance to closure, originality, and elaboration; (2) four significant predictors including attitudes toward science, problem finding, resistance to closure, and originality accounted for 48% of the variance of students' scientific creativity; (3) there were big differences between students with a higher and a lower degree of scientific

The Scientific Enterprise

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 13; Issue 9. The Scientific Enterprise - Assumptions, Problems, and Goals in the Modern Scientific Framework. V V Raman. Reflections Volume 13 Issue 9 September 2008 pp 885-894 ...

Scientific results of the Viking Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flinn, E.A.; Reid, G.C.; Csanady, G.

1977-01-01

The Viking space project launched two unmanned spacecraft to Mars in 1975 for scientific exploration with special emphasis on the search for life. Each spacecraft consisted of an orbiter and a lander. The landing sites were finally selected after the spacecraft were in orbit. Thirteen investigations were performed: three mapping experiments from the orbiter, one atmospheric investigation during the lander entry phase, eight experiments on the surface of the planet, and one using the spacecraft radio and radar systems. The experiments on the surface dealt principally with biology, chemistry, geology, and meteorology. Seventy-eight scientists participated in the 13 teams performing these experiments. 53 individual articles make up this book

Ten questions you should consider before submitting an article to a scientific journal.

Science.gov (United States)

Falcó-Pegueroles, A; Rodríguez-Martín, D

Investigating involves not only knowing the research methods and designs; it involves knowing the strategies for disseminating and publishing the results in scientific journals. An investigation is considered complete when it is published and is disclosed to the scientific community. The publication of a manuscript is not simple, since it involves examination by a rigorous editorial process evaluator to ensure the scientific quality of the proposal. The objective of this article is to communicate to potential authors the main errors or deficiencies that typically and routinely explain the decision by the referees of scientific journals not to accept a scientific article. Based on the experience of the authors as referees of national and international journals in the field of nursing and health sciences, we have identified a total of 10 types or groups, which cover formulation errors, inconsistencies between different parts of the text, lack of structuring, imprecise language, information gaps, and the detection of relevant inaccuracies. The identification and analysis of these issues enables their prevention, and is of great use to future researchers in the dissemination of the results of their work to the scientific community. In short, the best publishing strategy is one that ensures the scientific quality of the work and spares no effort in avoiding the errors or deficiencies that referees routinely detect in the articles they evaluate. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Enfermería Intensiva y Unidades Coronarias (SEEIUC). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Scientific Approach to Improve Mathematical Problem Solving Skills Students of Grade V

Science.gov (United States)

Roheni; Herman, T.; Jupri, A.

2017-09-01

This study investigates the skills of elementary school students’ in problem solving through the Scientific Approach. The purpose of this study is to determine mathematical problem solving skills of students by using Scientific Approach is better than mathematical problem solving skills of students by using Direct Instruction. This study is using quasi-experimental method. Subject of this study is students in grade V in one of state elementary school in Cirebon Regency. Instrument that used in this study is mathematical problem solving skills. The result of this study showed that mathematical problem solving skills of students who learn by using Scientific Approach is more significant than using Direct Instruction. Base on result and analysis, the conclusion is that Scientific Approach can improve students’ mathematical problem solving skills.

APPROACHES TO THE DEFINITION OF SCIENTIFIC BASES OF TRAINING RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF APPLICATION OF INFORMATIZATION MEANS

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Михаил Эльдарович Широченко

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Educational research conducted in educational process of secondary and higher professional educational organizations, are increasingly playing a key role in the selection of modern methods of teaching students. While such studies may, on the one hand, rely on features implemented in the university or college of methodical systems of teaching of different disciplines, on the other hand, have characteristic features of real scientific research conducted by professional researchers. Among these scientific bases for potential educational research should address the issue and the specificity of its determination. This article examines approaches to the selection of the main scientific issues in conducting educational research in the use of modern electronic resources, means of informatization, information technologies in managing the economy and other related areas of the social sciences. The criteria and examples of typical defects in the selection and formulation of research problems. Combine research methods training with the study of important and topical issues of informatization is intended to provide a double effect in the case of training for life in the information society and professional activities, based on creativity.