Sample records for conducting comprehensive analyses
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A History of Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analyses
Johnson, Wayne
2013-01-01
A history of the development of rotorcraft comprehensive analyses is presented. Comprehensive analyses are digital computer programs that calculate the aeromechanical behavior of the rotor and aircraft, bringing together the most advanced models of the geometry, structure, dynamics, and aerodynamics available in rotary wing technology. The development of the major codes of the last five decades from industry, government, and universities is described. A number of common themes observed in this history are discussed.
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Adank, Patti
2012-01-01
The role of speech production mechanisms in difficult speech comprehension is the subject of on-going debate in speech science. Two Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) analyses were conducted on neuroimaging studies investigating difficult speech comprehension or speech production. Meta-analysis 1 included 10 studies contrasting comprehension…
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Performance and Vibration Analyses of Lift-Offset Helicopters
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jeong-In Go
2017-01-01
Full Text Available A validation study on the performance and vibration analyses of the XH-59A compound helicopter is conducted to establish techniques for the comprehensive analysis of lift-offset compound helicopters. This study considers the XH-59A lift-offset compound helicopter using a rigid coaxial rotor system as a verification model. CAMRAD II (Comprehensive Analytical Method of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics II, a comprehensive analysis code, is used as a tool for the performance, vibration, and loads analyses. A general free wake model, which is a more sophisticated wake model than other wake models, is used to obtain good results for the comprehensive analysis. Performance analyses of the XH-59A helicopter with and without auxiliary propulsion are conducted in various flight conditions. In addition, vibration analyses of the XH-59A compound helicopter configuration are conducted in the forward flight condition. The present comprehensive analysis results are in good agreement with the flight test and previous analyses. Therefore, techniques for the comprehensive analysis of lift-offset compound helicopters are appropriately established. Furthermore, the rotor lifts are calculated for the XH-59A lift-offset compound helicopter in the forward flight condition to investigate the airloads characteristics of the ABC™ (Advancing Blade Concept rotor.
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Designing and conducting survey research a comprehensive guide
Rea, Louis M
2014-01-01
The industry standard guide, updated with new ideas and SPSS analysis techniques Designing and Conducting Survey Research: A Comprehensive Guide Fourth Edition is the industry standard resource that covers all major components of the survey process, updated to include new data analysis techniques and SPSS procedures with sample data sets online. The book offers practical, actionable guidance on constructing the instrument, administrating the process, and analyzing and reporting the results, providing extensive examples and worksheets that demonstrate the appropriate use of survey and data tech
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Comprehensive immunoproteogenomic analyses of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Lee, Hyun-Sung; Jang, Hee-Jin; Choi, Jong Min; Zhang, Jun; de Rosen, Veronica Lenge; Wheeler, Thomas M; Lee, Ju-Seog; Tu, Thuydung; Jindra, Peter T; Kerman, Ronald H; Jung, Sung Yun; Kheradmand, Farrah; Sugarbaker, David J; Burt, Bryan M
2018-04-05
We generated a comprehensive atlas of the immunologic cellular networks within human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) using mass cytometry. Data-driven analyses of these high-resolution single-cell data identified 2 distinct immunologic subtypes of MPM with vastly different cellular composition, activation states, and immunologic function; mass spectrometry demonstrated differential abundance of MHC-I and -II neopeptides directly identified between these subtypes. The clinical relevance of this immunologic subtyping was investigated with a discriminatory molecular signature derived through comparison of the proteomes and transcriptomes of these 2 immunologic MPM subtypes. This molecular signature, representative of a favorable intratumoral cell network, was independently associated with improved survival in MPM and predicted response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with MPM and melanoma. These data additionally suggest a potentially novel mechanism of response to checkpoint blockade: requirement for high measured abundance of neopeptides in the presence of high expression of MHC proteins specific for these neopeptides.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gonca, Guven; Sahin, Bahri; Ust, Yasin; Parlak, Adnan
2015-01-01
This paper presents comprehensive performance analyses and comparisons for air-standard irreversible thermodynamic cycle engines (TCE) based on the power output, power density, thermal efficiency, maximum dimensionless power output (MP), maximum dimensionless power density (MPD) and maximum thermal efficiency (MEF) criteria. Internal irreversibility of the cycles occurred during the irreversible-adiabatic processes is considered by using isentropic efficiencies of compression and expansion processes. The performances of the cycles are obtained by using engine design parameters such as isentropic temperature ratio of the compression process, pressure ratio, stroke ratio, cut-off ratio, Miller cycle ratio, exhaust temperature ratio, cycle temperature ratio and cycle pressure ratio. The effects of engine design parameters on the maximum and optimal performances are investigated. - Highlights: • Performance analyses are conducted for irreversible thermodynamic cycle engines. • Comprehensive computations are performed. • Maximum and optimum performances of the engines are shown. • The effects of design parameters on performance and power density are examined. • The results obtained may be guidelines to the engine designers
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Luft, Pamela
2018-01-01
This manuscript reviews 28 studies of reading research on deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students published since 2000 that used correlational analyses. The examination focused on assessment issues affecting measurement and analysis of relationships between early phonological or orthographic skills and reading comprehension. Mixed outcomes…
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Conducting qualitative research in mental health: Thematic and content analyses.
Crowe, Marie; Inder, Maree; Porter, Richard
2015-07-01
The objective of this paper is to describe two methods of qualitative analysis - thematic analysis and content analysis - and to examine their use in a mental health context. A description of the processes of thematic analysis and content analysis is provided. These processes are then illustrated by conducting two analyses of the same qualitative data. Transcripts of qualitative interviews are analysed using each method to illustrate these processes. The illustration of the processes highlights the different outcomes from the same set of data. Thematic and content analyses are qualitative methods that serve different research purposes. Thematic analysis provides an interpretation of participants' meanings, while content analysis is a direct representation of participants' responses. These methods provide two ways of understanding meanings and experiences and provide important knowledge in a mental health context. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.
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Mihura, Joni L; Meyer, Gregory J; Dumitrascu, Nicolae; Bombel, George
2016-01-01
We respond to Tibon Czopp and Zeligman's (2016) critique of our systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 65 Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS) variables published in Psychological Bulletin (2013). The authors endorsed our supportive findings but critiqued the same methodology when used for the 13 unsupported variables. Unfortunately, their commentary was based on significant misunderstandings of our meta-analytic method and results, such as thinking we used introspectively assessed criteria in classifying levels of support and reporting only a subset of our externally assessed criteria. We systematically address their arguments that our construct label and criterion variable choices were inaccurate and, therefore, meta-analytic validity for these 13 CS variables was artificially low. For example, the authors created new construct labels for these variables that they called "the customary CS interpretation," but did not describe their methodology nor provide evidence that their labels would result in better validity than ours. They cite studies they believe we should have included; we explain how these studies did not fit our inclusion criteria and that including them would have actually reduced the relevant CS variables' meta-analytic validity. Ultimately, criticisms alone cannot change meta-analytic support from negative to positive; Tibon Czopp and Zeligman would need to conduct their own construct validity meta-analyses.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jun-Hee Yoon
Full Text Available The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS technology allows to sequence whole exomes or genome. However, data analysis is still the biggest bottleneck for its wide implementation. Most laboratories still depend on manual procedures for data handling and analyses, which translates into a delay and decreased efficiency in the delivery of NGS results to doctors and patients. Thus, there is high demand for developing an automatic and an easy-to-use NGS data analyses system. We developed comprehensive, automatic genetic analyses controller named Mobile Genome Express (MGE that works in smartphones or other mobile devices. MGE can handle all the steps for genetic analyses, such as: sample information submission, sequencing run quality check from the sequencer, secured data transfer and results review. We sequenced an Actrometrix control DNA containing multiple proven human mutations using a targeted sequencing panel, and the whole analysis was managed by MGE, and its data reviewing program called ELECTRO. All steps were processed automatically except for the final sequencing review procedure with ELECTRO to confirm mutations. The data analysis process was completed within several hours. We confirmed the mutations that we have identified were consistent with our previous results obtained by using multi-step, manual pipelines.
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Yoon, Jun-Hee; Kim, Thomas W; Mendez, Pedro; Jablons, David M; Kim, Il-Jin
2017-01-01
The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology allows to sequence whole exomes or genome. However, data analysis is still the biggest bottleneck for its wide implementation. Most laboratories still depend on manual procedures for data handling and analyses, which translates into a delay and decreased efficiency in the delivery of NGS results to doctors and patients. Thus, there is high demand for developing an automatic and an easy-to-use NGS data analyses system. We developed comprehensive, automatic genetic analyses controller named Mobile Genome Express (MGE) that works in smartphones or other mobile devices. MGE can handle all the steps for genetic analyses, such as: sample information submission, sequencing run quality check from the sequencer, secured data transfer and results review. We sequenced an Actrometrix control DNA containing multiple proven human mutations using a targeted sequencing panel, and the whole analysis was managed by MGE, and its data reviewing program called ELECTRO. All steps were processed automatically except for the final sequencing review procedure with ELECTRO to confirm mutations. The data analysis process was completed within several hours. We confirmed the mutations that we have identified were consistent with our previous results obtained by using multi-step, manual pipelines.
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A Methodology for Conducting Integrative Mixed Methods Research and Data Analyses
Castro, Felipe González; Kellison, Joshua G.; Boyd, Stephen J.; Kopak, Albert
2011-01-01
Mixed methods research has gained visibility within the last few years, although limitations persist regarding the scientific caliber of certain mixed methods research designs and methods. The need exists for rigorous mixed methods designs that integrate various data analytic procedures for a seamless transfer of evidence across qualitative and quantitative modalities. Such designs can offer the strength of confirmatory results drawn from quantitative multivariate analyses, along with “deep structure” explanatory descriptions as drawn from qualitative analyses. This article presents evidence generated from over a decade of pilot research in developing an integrative mixed methods methodology. It presents a conceptual framework and methodological and data analytic procedures for conducting mixed methods research studies, and it also presents illustrative examples from the authors' ongoing integrative mixed methods research studies. PMID:22167325
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Instructional principles used to teach critical comprehension skills to a Grade 4 learner
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Suzanne Beck
2017-08-01
Full Text Available The current approach to reading comprehension instruction is not producing the desired outcomes. Provincial, national and international tests indicate that more than half of South African learners cannot read, understand and answer basic comprehension questions. This research project was informed by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. A case study was conducted with a ten-year old Grade 4 boy who experienced difficulty with understanding comprehension questions. A six-week intervention was designed to improve his comprehension abilities and to identify instructional principles that were appropriate for him. Interviews and observations were conducted and inductively analysed. Findings showed that the learner was well equipped to retrieve explicitly stated information but struggled with higher-order level questions such as drawing inferences or evaluating content. Certain instructional practices were more favourable than others when teaching reading strategies.
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Fully coupled heat conduction and deformation analyses of nonlinear viscoelastic composites
Khan, Kamran
2012-05-01
This study presents an integrated micromechanical model-finite element framework for analyzing coupled heat conduction and deformations of particle-reinforced composite structures. A simplified micromechanical model consisting of four sub-cells, i.e., one particle and three matrix sub-cells is formulated to obtain the effective thermomechanical properties and micro-macro field variables due to coupled heat conduction and nonlinear thermoviscoelastic deformation of a particulate composite that takes into account the dissipation of energy from the viscoelastic constituents. A time integration algorithm for simultaneously solving the equations that govern heat conduction and thermoviscoelastic deformations of isotropic homogeneous materials is developed. The algorithm is then integrated to the proposed micromechanical model. A significant temperature generation due to the dissipation effect in the viscoelastic matrix was observed when the composite body is subjected to cyclic mechanical loadings. Heat conduction due to the dissipation of the energy cannot be ignored in predicting the factual temperature and deformation fields within the composite structure, subjected to cyclic loading for a long period. A higher creep resistant matrix material or adding elastic particles can lower the temperature generation. Our analyses suggest that using particulate composites and functionally graded materials can reduce the heat generation due to energy dissipation. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
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A research on comprehension differences between print and screen reading
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Szu-Yuan Sun
2013-12-01
Full Text Available Since the 1980s, extensive research has been conducted comparing reading comprehension from printed text and computer screens. The conclusions, however, are not very consistent. As reading from computer screens requires a certain degree of individual technical skill, such variables should be objectively taken into consideration when conducting an experiment regarding the comparison between print and screen reading. This study analyses the difference in the level of understanding of the two presentational formats (text on printed pages and hypertext on computer screens for people between 45-54 years of age (i.e. “middleaged” adults. In our experimental findings there were no significant differences between the levels of comprehension for print and screen presentations. With regard to individual differences in gender, age group and educational level, the findings are as follows: gender and education effects on print reading comprehension performance were significant, while those on screen reading comprehension performance were not. For middle-aged computer learners, the main effect of age group on both print and screen reading comprehension performance was insignificant. In contrast, linear texts of traditional paper-based material are better for middle-aged readers’ literal text comprehension, while hypertext is beneficial to their inferential text comprehension. It is also suggested that hypermedia could be used as a cognitive tool for improving middle-aged adults’ inferential abilities on reading comprehension, provided that they were trained adequately to use available computers.
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Conducting meta-analyses of HIV prevention literatures from a theory-testing perspective.
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.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Thijs C van Holten
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Assessing the risk for cardiovascular disease is an important aspect in clinical decision making and setting a therapeutic strategy, and the use of serological biomarkers may improve this. Despite an overwhelming number of studies and meta-analyses on biomarkers and cardiovascular disease, there are no comprehensive studies comparing the relevance of each biomarker. We performed a systematic review of meta-analyses on levels of serological biomarkers for atherothrombosis to compare the relevance of the most commonly studied biomarkers. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Medline and Embase were screened on search terms that were related to "arterial ischemic events" and "meta-analyses". The meta-analyses were sorted by patient groups without pre-existing cardiovascular disease, with cardiovascular disease and heterogeneous groups concerning general populations, groups with and without cardiovascular disease, or miscellaneous. These were subsequently sorted by end-point for cardiovascular disease or stroke and summarized in tables. We have identified 85 relevant full text articles, with 214 meta-analyses. Markers for primary cardiovascular events include, from high to low result: C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, the apolipoprotein A/apolipoprotein B ratio, high density lipoprotein, and vitamin D. Markers for secondary cardiovascular events include, from high to low result: cardiac troponins I and T, C-reactive protein, serum creatinine, and cystatin C. For primary stroke, fibrinogen and serum uric acid are strong risk markers. Limitations reside in that there is no acknowledged search strategy for prognostic studies or meta-analyses. CONCLUSIONS: For primary cardiovascular events, markers with strong predictive potential are mainly associated with lipids. For secondary cardiovascular events, markers are more associated with ischemia. Fibrinogen is a
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The Development and Validation of the Comprehensive Intellectual Humility Scale.
Krumrei-Mancuso, Elizabeth J; Rouse, Steven V
2016-01-01
A series of studies was conducted to create the 22-item Comprehensive Intellectual Humility Scale on the basis of theoretical descriptions of intellectual humility, expert reviews, pilot studies, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The scale measures 4 distinct but intercorrelated aspects of intellectual humility, including independence of intellect and ego, openness to revising one's viewpoint, respect for others' viewpoints, and lack of intellectual overconfidence. Internal consistency and test-retest analyses provided reliable scale and subscale scores within numerous independent samples. Validation data were obtained from multiple, independent samples, supporting appropriate levels of convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. The analyses suggest that the scale has utility as a self-report measure for future research.
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Comprehensive logic based analyses of Toll-like receptor 4 signal transduction pathway.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mahesh Kumar Padwal
Full Text Available Among the 13 TLRs in the vertebrate systems, only TLR4 utilizes both Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88 and Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor (TIR-domain-containing adapter interferon-β-inducing Factor (TRIF adaptors to transduce signals triggering host-protective immune responses. Earlier studies on the pathway combined various experimental data in the form of one comprehensive map of TLR signaling. But in the absence of adequate kinetic parameters quantitative mathematical models that reveal emerging systems level properties and dynamic inter-regulation among the kinases/phosphatases of the TLR4 network are not yet available. So, here we used reaction stoichiometry-based and parameter independent logical modeling formalism to build the TLR4 signaling network model that captured the feedback regulations, interdependencies between signaling kinases and phosphatases and the outcome of simulated infections. The analyses of the TLR4 signaling network revealed 360 feedback loops, 157 negative and 203 positive; of which, 334 loops had the phosphatase PP1 as an essential component. The network elements' interdependency (positive or negative dependencies in perturbation conditions such as the phosphatase knockout conditions revealed interdependencies between the dual-specific phosphatases MKP-1 and MKP-3 and the kinases in MAPK modules and the role of PP2A in the auto-regulation of Calmodulin kinase-II. Our simulations under the specific kinase or phosphatase gene-deficiency or inhibition conditions corroborated with several previously reported experimental data. The simulations to mimic Yersinia pestis and E. coli infections identified the key perturbation in the network and potential drug targets. Thus, our analyses of TLR4 signaling highlights the role of phosphatases as key regulatory factors in determining the global interdependencies among the network elements; uncovers novel signaling connections; identifies potential drug targets for
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Kiel, Whitney J; Phillips, Shaun W
2017-12-31
Older adults are demanding increased healthcare attention with regards to prescription use due in large part to highly complex medication regimens. As patients age, medications often have a more pronounced effect on older adults, negatively impacting patient safety and increasing healthcare costs. Comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs) optimize medications for elderly patients and help to avoid inappropriate medication use. Previous literature has shown that such CMRs can successfully identify and reduce the number of medication-related problems and improve acute healthcare utilization. The purpose of this pharmacy resident research study is to examine the impact of pharmacist-conducted geriatric medication reviews to reduce medication-related problems within a leading community health system in southwest Michigan. Furthermore, the study examines type of pharmacist interventions made during medication reviews, acute healthcare utilization, and physician assessment of the pharmacist's value. The study was conducted as a retrospective post-hoc analysis on ambulatory patients who received a CMR by a pharmacist at a primary care practice. Inclusion criteria included patients over 65 years of age with concurrent use of at least five medications who were a recent recipient of a CMR. Exclusion criteria included patients with renal failure, or those with multiple providers involved in primary care. The primary outcome was the difference in number of medication-related problems, as defined by the START and STOPP Criteria (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment/Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions). Secondary outcomes included hospitalizations, emergency department visits, number and type of pharmacist interventions, acceptance rate of pharmacist recommendations, and assessment of the pharmacist's value by clinic providers. There were a total of 26 patients that received a comprehensive medication review from the pharmacist and were compared to a
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Lai, Cheng-Fei; Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald
2012-01-01
In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the second-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…
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Lai, Cheng-Fei; Irvin, P. Shawn; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald
2012-01-01
In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the third-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…
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Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Irvin, P. Shawn; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald
2012-01-01
In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the fifth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…
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Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Tindal, Gerald
2012-01-01
In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the fourth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…
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Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Tindal, Gerald
2012-01-01
In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the sixth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…
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Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald
2012-01-01
In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the seventh-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…
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Sato, A.; Sakai, H.; Nishimura, M.; Holyst, J. A.
This article proposes mathematical methods to quantify states of marketparticipants in the foreign exchange market (FX market) and conduct comprehensive analysis on behavior of market participants by means of high-frequency financial data. Based on econophysics tools and perspectives we study similarity measures for both rate movements and quotation activities among various currency pairs. We perform also clustering analysis on market states for observation days, and find scaling relationship between mean values of quotation activities and their standard deviations. Using these mathematical methods we can visualize states of the FX market comprehensively. Finally we conclude that states of market participants temporally vary due to both external and internal factors.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christina M Lill
Full Text Available More than 800 published genetic association studies have implicated dozens of potential risk loci in Parkinson's disease (PD. To facilitate the interpretation of these findings, we have created a dedicated online resource, PDGene, that comprehensively collects and meta-analyzes all published studies in the field. A systematic literature screen of -27,000 articles yielded 828 eligible articles from which relevant data were extracted. In addition, individual-level data from three publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS were obtained and subjected to genotype imputation and analysis. Overall, we performed meta-analyses on more than seven million polymorphisms originating either from GWAS datasets and/or from smaller scale PD association studies. Meta-analyses on 147 SNPs were supplemented by unpublished GWAS data from up to 16,452 PD cases and 48,810 controls. Eleven loci showed genome-wide significant (P < 5 × 10(-8 association with disease risk: BST1, CCDC62/HIP1R, DGKQ/GAK, GBA, LRRK2, MAPT, MCCC1/LAMP3, PARK16, SNCA, STK39, and SYT11/RAB25. In addition, we identified novel evidence for genome-wide significant association with a polymorphism in ITGA8 (rs7077361, OR 0.88, P = 1.3 × 10(-8. All meta-analysis results are freely available on a dedicated online database (www.pdgene.org, which is cross-linked with a customized track on the UCSC Genome Browser. Our study provides an exhaustive and up-to-date summary of the status of PD genetics research that can be readily scaled to include the results of future large-scale genetics projects, including next-generation sequencing studies.
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Spectrum of physics comprehension
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Blasiak, W; Godlewska, M; Rosiek, R; Wcislo, D
2012-01-01
The paper presents the results of research on the relationship between self-assessed comprehension of physics lectures and final grades of junior high school students (aged 13-15), high school students (aged 16-18) and physics students at the Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland (aged 21). Students' declared level of comprehension was measured during a physics lecture on a prearranged scale of 1-10 with the use of a personal response system designed for the purpose of this experiment. Through the use of this tool, we obtained about 2000 computer records of students' declared comprehension of a 45 min lecture, which we named ‘the spectrum of comprehension’. In this paper, we present and analyse the correlation between students' declared comprehension of the content presented in the lecture and their final learning results. (paper)
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Evaluation of European Schizophrenia GWAS Loci in Asian Populations via Comprehensive Meta-Analyses.
Xiao, Xiao; Luo, Xiong-Jian; Chang, Hong; Liu, Zichao; Li, Ming
2017-08-01
Schizophrenia is a severe and highly heritable neuropsychiatric disorder. Recent genetic analyses including genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have implicated multiple genome-wide significant variants for schizophrenia among European populations. However, many of these risk variants were not largely validated in other populations of different ancestry such as Asians. To validate whether these European GWAS significant loci are associated with schizophrenia in Asian populations, we conducted a systematic literature search and meta-analyses on 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Asian populations by combining all available case-control and family-based samples, including up to 30,000 individuals. We employed classical fixed (or random) effects inverse variance weighted methods to calculate summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Among the 19 GWAS loci, we replicated the risk associations of nine markers (e.g., SNPs at VRK2, ITIH3/4, NDST3, NOTCH4) surpassing significance level (two-tailed P Asian replication samples and initial European GWAS findings, and the successful replications of these GWAS loci in a different ethnic group provide stronger evidence for their clinical associations with schizophrenia. Further studies, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of these GWAS significant loci, will become increasingly important for understanding of the pathogenesis to schizophrenia.
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... objections runs away from home often truant from school Children who exhibit these behaviors should receive a comprehensive evaluation by an experience mental health professional. Many children with a conduct disorder may ...
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Informed consent comprehension in African research settings.
Afolabi, Muhammed O; Okebe, Joseph U; McGrath, Nuala; Larson, Heidi J; Bojang, Kalifa; Chandramohan, Daniel
2014-06-01
Previous reviews on participants' comprehension of informed consent information have focused on developed countries. Experience has shown that ethical standards developed on Western values may not be appropriate for African settings where research concepts are unfamiliar. We undertook this review to describe how informed consent comprehension is defined and measured in African research settings. We conducted a comprehensive search involving five electronic databases: Medline, Embase, Global Health, EthxWeb and Bioethics Literature Database (BELIT). We also examined African Index Medicus and Google Scholar for relevant publications on informed consent comprehension in clinical studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. 29 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria; meta-analysis was possible in 21 studies. We further conducted a direct comparison of participants' comprehension on domains of informed consent in all eligible studies. Comprehension of key concepts of informed consent varies considerably from country to country and depends on the nature and complexity of the study. Meta-analysis showed that 47% of a total of 1633 participants across four studies demonstrated comprehension about randomisation (95% CI 13.9-80.9%). Similarly, 48% of 3946 participants in six studies had understanding about placebo (95% CI 19.0-77.5%), while only 30% of 753 participants in five studies understood the concept of therapeutic misconception (95% CI 4.6-66.7%). Measurement tools for informed consent comprehension were developed with little or no validation. Assessment of comprehension was carried out at variable times after disclosure of study information. No uniform definition of informed consent comprehension exists to form the basis for development of an appropriate tool to measure comprehension in African participants. Comprehension of key concepts of informed consent is poor among study participants across Africa. There is a vital need to develop a uniform definition for
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Journal writing in science: Effects on comprehension, interest, and critical reflection
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kristin Wäschle
2015-06-01
Full Text Available Writing-to-learn assignments typically foster deep comprehension of learning contents. Journal writing, in particular, promotes the application of learning strategies, which promote learners’ comprehension, interest in a topic and ability to critically reflect on learning contents. Against this background, we conducted two longitudinal field studies. In Study 1, twenty-one students wrote learning journal entries after their biology lessons. After the intervention period, they showed better scores in comprehension, interest and critical reflection than the control class, in which students (n=25 completed other homework assignments. Mediation analyses revealed a domino effect: Journal writing improved comprehension, which led to raised interest, which resulted in superior critical reflection. Study 2 further investigated the role of learners’ interest in improving critical reflection. Students in the experimental condition (n=13 received a personal-utility prompt in addition to cognitive and metacognitive prompts to support journal writing. In the control group (n=11, students only received cognitive and metacognitive prompts. The experimental group showed higher interest scores after the intervention period and a better quality of critical reflections on a bio-ethical issue than the control group. Together, these studies illustrate the potentials of journal writing for improving learners’ comprehension, their interest and ability to critically reflect on complex scientific issues.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Geeta A Thakur
Full Text Available Despite strong pharmacological evidence implicating the norepinephrine transporter in ADHD, genetic studies have yielded largely insignificant results. We tested the association between 30 tag SNPs within the SLC6A2 gene and ADHD, with stratification based on maternal smoking during pregnancy, an environmental factor strongly associated with ADHD.Children (6-12 years old diagnosed with ADHD according to DSM-IV criteria were comprehensively evaluated with regard to several behavioral and cognitive dimensions of ADHD as well as response to a fixed dose of methylphenidate (MPH using a double-blind placebo controlled crossover trial. Family-based association tests (FBAT, including categorical and quantitative trait analyses, were conducted in 377 nuclear families.A highly significant association was observed with rs36021 (and linked SNPs in the group where mothers smoked during pregnancy. Association was noted with categorical DSM-IV ADHD diagnosis (Z=3.74, P=0.0002, behavioral assessments by parents (CBCL, P=0.00008, as well as restless-impulsive subscale scores on Conners'-teachers (P=0.006 and parents (P=0.006. In this subgroup, significant association was also observed with cognitive deficits, more specifically sustained attention, spatial working memory, planning, and response inhibition. The risk allele was associated with significant improvement of behavior as measured by research staff (Z=3.28, P=0.001, parents (Z=2.62, P=0.009, as well as evaluation in the simulated academic environment (Z=3.58, P=0.0003.By using maternal smoking during pregnancy to index a putatively more homogeneous group of ADHD, highly significant associations were observed between tag SNPs within SLC6A2 and ADHD diagnosis, behavioral and cognitive measures relevant to ADHD and response to MPH. This comprehensive phenotype/genotype analysis may help to further understand this complex disorder and improve its treatment. Clinical trial registration information - Clinical
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Executive Function and Reading Comprehension: A Meta-Analytic Review
Follmer, D. Jake
2018-01-01
This article presents a meta-analytic review of the relation between executive function and reading comprehension. Results (N = 6,673) supported a moderate positive association between executive function and reading comprehension (r = 0.36). Moderator analyses suggested that correlations between executive function and reading comprehension did not…
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Danforth, Jeffrey S; Doerfler, Leonard A; Connor, Daniel F
2017-08-01
The goal was to examine whether anxiety modifies the risk for, or severity of, conduct problems in children with ADHD. Assessment included both categorical and dimensional measures of ADHD, anxiety, and conduct problems. Analyses compared conduct problems between children with ADHD features alone versus children with co-occurring ADHD and anxiety features. When assessed by dimensional rating scales, results showed that compared with children with ADHD alone, those children with ADHD co-occurring with anxiety are at risk for more intense conduct problems. When assessment included a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) diagnosis via the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children-Epidemiologic Version (K-SADS), results showed that compared with children with ADHD alone, those children with ADHD co-occurring with anxiety neither had more intense conduct problems nor were they more likely to be diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder. Different methodological measures of ADHD, anxiety, and conduct problem features influenced the outcome of the analyses.
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Schenker, Victoria J; Petrill, Stephen A
2015-01-01
This study investigated the genetic and environmental influences on observed associations between listening comprehension, reading motivation, and reading comprehension. Univariate and multivariate quantitative genetic models were conducted in a sample of 284 pairs of twins at a mean age of 9.81 years. Genetic and nonshared environmental factors accounted for statistically significant variance in listening and reading comprehension, and nonshared environmental factors accounted for variance in reading motivation. Furthermore, listening comprehension demonstrated unique genetic and nonshared environmental influences but also had overlapping genetic influences with reading comprehension. Reading motivation and reading comprehension each had unique and overlapping nonshared environmental contributions. Therefore, listening comprehension appears to be related to reading primarily due to genetic factors whereas motivation appears to affect reading via child-specific, nonshared environmental effects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Schenker, Victoria J.; Petrill, Stephen A.
2015-01-01
This study investigated the genetic and environmental influences on observed associations between listening comprehension, reading motivation, and reading comprehension. Univariate and multivariate quantitative genetic models were conducted in a sample of 284 pairs of twins at a mean age of 9.81 years. Genetic and nonshared environmental factors accounted for statistically significant variance in listening and reading comprehension, and nonshared environmental factors accounted for variance in reading motivation. Furthermore, listening comprehension demonstrated unique genetic and nonshared environmental influences but also had overlapping genetic influences with reading comprehension. Reading motivation and reading comprehension each had unique and overlapping nonshared environmental contributions. Therefore, listening comprehension appears to be related to reading primarily due to genetic factors whereas motivation appears to affect reading via child-specific, nonshared environmental effects. PMID:26321677
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Lesch, M F; Horrey, W J; Wogalter, M S; Powell, W R
2011-10-01
Age-related changes in selective attention, inhibitory efficiency, and the ability to form new associations suggest that older adults may have greater difficulty with more complex and less comprehensible symbols. We examined comprehension of symbols varying in terms of ratings of familiarity, complexity, and comprehensibility, by younger (aged 18-35) and older (aged 55-70) adults. It was found that older adults have greater difficulty than younger adults in comprehending warning symbols and that accident scenario training improves comprehension. Regression analyses indicated that familiarity and comprehensibility were important in determining performance on the pre-training comprehension test by both younger and older adults. However, training eliminated the effects of stimulus characteristics for younger adults, while older adults' comprehension continued to be significantly influenced by comprehensibility. We suggest that symbol design incorporates cues to knowledge to facilitate the linkage between new knowledge (i.e. the warning symbol) and relevant knowledge in long-term memory. Statement of Relevance: Symbol characteristics play an important role in age-related differences in warning symbol comprehension. To optimise comprehension by older adults, symbols should have a clear relationship with areal-world referent. Alternatively, symbol design could incorporate cues to knowledge to facilitate the linkage between new knowledge and relevant knowledge in long-term memory.
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Santos, Sandra; Cadime, Irene; Viana, Fernanda L; Chaves-Sousa, Séli; Gayo, Elena; Maia, José; Ribeiro, Iolanda
2017-02-01
Reading comprehension assessment should rely on valid instruments that enable adequate conclusions to be taken regarding students' reading comprehension performance. In this article, two studies were conducted to collect validity evidence for the vertically scaled forms of two Tests of Reading Comprehension for Portuguese elementary school students in the second to fourth grades, one with narrative texts (TRC-n) and another with expository ones (TRC-e). Two samples of 950 and 990 students participated in Study 1, the study of the dimensionality of the TRC-n and TRC-e forms, respectively. Confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence of an acceptable fit for the one-factor solution for all test forms. Study 2 included 218 students to collect criterion-related validity. The scores obtained in each of the test forms were significantly correlated with the ones obtained in other reading comprehension measures and with the results obtained in oral reading fluency, vocabulary and working memory tests. Evidence suggests that the test forms are valid measures of reading comprehension. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Conduct Disorder and Neighborhood Effects.
Jennings, Wesley G; Perez, Nicholas M; Reingle Gonzalez, Jennifer M
2018-05-07
There has been a considerable amount of scholarly attention to the relationship between neighborhood effects and conduct disorder, particularly in recent years. Having said this, it has been nearly two decades since a comprehensive synthesis of this literature has been conducted. Relying on a detailed and comprehensive search strategy and inclusion criteria, this article offers a systematic and interdisciplinary review of 47 empirical studies that have examined neighborhood effects and conduct disorder. Described results suggest that there are generally robust linkages between adverse neighborhood factors and conduct disorder and externalizing behavior problems, as 67 of the 93 (72.04%) effect sizes derived from these studies yielded statistically significant neighborhood effects. The review also identifies salient mediating and moderating influences. It discusses study limitations and directions for future research as well.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kerner, Alexander; Broecker, Annette; Hartung, Juergen; Mayer, Gerhard; Pallas Moner, Guim
2014-09-15
The advanced handbook of safety analyses (HSA) comprises a comprehensive electronic collection of knowledge for the compilation and conduction of safety analyses in the area of reactor, plant and containment behaviour as well as results of existing safety analyses (performed by GRS in the past) with characteristic specifications and further background information. In addition, know-how from the analysis software development and validation process is presented and relevant rules and regulations with regard to safety demonstration are provided. The HSA comprehensively covers the topic thermo-hydraulic safety analyses (except natural hazards, man-made hazards and malicious acts) for German pressurized and boiling water reactors for power and non-power operational states. In principle, the structure of the HSA-content represents the analytical approach utilized by safety analyses and applying the knowledge from safety analyses to technical support services. On the basis of a multilevel preparation of information to the topics ''compilation of safety analyses'', ''compilation of data bases'', ''assessment of safety analyses'', ''performed safety analyses'', ''rules and regulation'' and ''ATHLET-validation'' the HSA addresses users with different background, allowing them to enter the HSA at different levels. Moreover, the HSA serves as a reference book, which is designed future-oriented, freely configurable related to the content, completely integrated into the GRS internal portal and prepared to be used by a growing user group.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paul Stephen Cullis
Full Text Available Our objective was to evaluate quality of conduct and reporting of published systematic reviews and meta-analyses in paediatric surgery. We also aimed to identify characteristics predictive of review quality.Systematic reviews summarise evidence by combining sources, but are potentially prone to bias. To counter this, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA was published to aid in reporting. Similarly, the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR measurement tool was designed to appraise methodology. The paediatric surgical literature has seen an increasing number of reviews over the past decade, but quality has not been evaluated.Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic review with a priori design to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses of interventions in paediatric surgery. From 01/2010 to 06/2016, we searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, Web of Science, Google Scholar, reference lists and journals. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data. We assessed conduct and reporting using AMSTAR and PRISMA. Scores were calculated as the sum of reported items. We also extracted author, journal and article characteristics, and used them in exploratory analysis to determine which variables predict quality.112 articles fulfilled eligibility criteria (53 systematic reviews; 59 meta-analyses. Overall, 68% AMSTAR and 56.8% PRISMA items were reported adequately. Poorest scores were identified with regards a priori design, inclusion of structured summaries, including the grey literature, citing excluded articles and evaluating bias. 13 reviews were pre-registered and 6 in PRISMA-endorsing journals. The following predicted quality in univariate analysis:, word count, Cochrane review, journal h-index, impact factor, journal endorses PRISMA, PRISMA adherence suggested in author guidance, article mentions PRISMA
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Spencer, Mercedes; Wagner, Richard K.
2017-01-01
We conducted a meta-analysis of 16 existing studies to examine the nature of the comprehension problems for children who were second-language learners with poor reading comprehension despite adequate decoding. Results indicated that these children had deficits in oral language (d = -0.80), but these deficits were not as severe as their reading…
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Schemata-Building Role of Teaching Word History in Developing Reading Comprehension Ability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gholam-reza Abbasian
2009-10-01
Full Text Available Methodologically, vocabulary instruction has faced significant ups and downs during the history of language education; sometimes integrated with the other elements of language network, other times tackled as a separate component. Among many variables supposedly affecting vocabulary achievement, the role of teaching word history, as a schemata-building strategy, in developing reading comprehension has received the least, if not any, attention. This study was an attempt, in fact, to explore the possibility of an integration of word history and reading comprehension ability of a group (No=100 of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To conduct the study, 60/100 participants, identified as homogeneous members based on the Comprehensive English Language Test (CELT, were randomly divided them into two groups; an experimental and a control group. They were exposed to a teacher-made pretest and a post-test to check the participants' knowledge of word history and reading comprehension ability prior and posterior to the experiment. Pertinent statistical analyses proved that teaching word history plays both statistically and affectively, through enhancing motivation and attitude, meaningful schemata-building role in developing reading ability. Pedagogically, resort to word history may then be suggested as an effective and affective mechanism as far as teaching language skills, in particular reading, is concerned.
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Listening comprehension across the adult lifespan.
Sommers, Mitchell S; Hale, Sandra; Myerson, Joel; Rose, Nathan; Tye-Murray, Nancy; Spehar, Brent
2011-01-01
Although age-related declines in perceiving spoken language are well established, the primary focus of research has been on perception of phonemes, words, and sentences. In contrast, relatively few investigations have been directed at establishing the effects of age on the comprehension of extended spoken passages. Moreover, most previous work has used extreme-group designs in which the performance of a group of young adults is contrasted with that of a group of older adults and little if any information is available regarding changes in listening comprehension across the adult lifespan. Accordingly, the goals of the current investigation were to determine whether there are age differences in listening comprehension across the adult lifespan and, if so, whether similar trajectories are observed for age-related changes in auditory sensitivity and listening comprehension. This study used a cross-sectional lifespan design in which approximately 60 individuals in each of 7 decades, from age 20 to 89 yr (a total of 433 participants), were tested on three different measures of listening comprehension. In addition, we obtained measures of auditory sensitivity from all participants. Changes in auditory sensitivity across the adult lifespan exhibited the progressive high-frequency loss typical of age-related hearing impairment. Performance on the listening comprehension measures, however, demonstrated a very different pattern, with scores on all measures remaining relatively stable until age 65 to 70 yr, after which significant declines were observed. Follow-up analyses indicated that this same general pattern was observed across three different types of passages (lectures, interviews, and narratives) and three different question types (information, integration, and inference). Multiple regression analyses indicated that low-frequency pure-tone average was the single largest contributor to age-related variance in listening comprehension for individuals older than 65 yr, but
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Kindinger, Jack G.; Buster, Noreen A.; Flocks, James G.; Bernier, Julie C.; Kulp, Mark A.
2013-01-01
The Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program was implemented under the Louisiana Coastal Area Science and Technology (LCA S&T) office as a component of the System Wide Assessment and Monitoring (SWAMP) program. The BICM project was developed by the State of Louisiana (Coastal Protection Restoration Authority [CPRA], formerly Department of Natural Resources [DNR]) to complement other Louisiana coastal monitoring programs such as the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System-Wetlands (CRMS-Wetlands) and was a collaborative research effort by CPRA, University of New Orleans (UNO), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The goal of the BICM program was to provide long-term data on the barrier islands of Louisiana that could be used to plan, design, evaluate, and maintain current and future barrier-island restoration projects. The BICM program used both historical and newly acquired (2006 to 2010) data to assess and monitor changes in the aerial and subaqueous extent of islands, habitat types, sediment texture and geotechnical properties, environmental processes, and vegetation composition. BICM datasets included aerial still and video photography (multiple time series) for shoreline positions, habitat mapping, and land loss; light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys for topographic elevations; single-beam and swath bathymetry; and sediment grab samples. Products produced using BICM data and analyses included (but were not limited to) storm-impact assessments, rate of shoreline and bathymetric change, shoreline-erosion and accretion maps, high-resolution elevation maps, coastal-shoreline and barrier-island habitat-classification maps, and coastal surficial-sediment characterization maps. Discussions in this report summarize the extensive data-collection efforts and present brief interpretive analyses for four coastal Louisiana geographic regions. In addition, several coastal-wide and topical themes were selected that integrate the data and analyses within a
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Zelle, Heather; Romaine, Christina L Riggs; Goldstein, Naomi E S
2015-06-01
This study examined juvenile justice-involved youths' understanding and appreciation of the Miranda warnings' rights to silence and legal counsel using the Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments (Goldstein, Zelle, & Grisso, 2012). It also examined the relationships between totality of circumstances factors and understanding and appreciation of rights. Data were collected from 183 youths (140 boys) in pre- and postadjudication facilities in 2 states. Overall, youths demonstrated greater difficulty on measures of appreciation than understanding, with particular deficits in their abilities to comprehend the abstract concept of the right to silence. Results varied slightly by instrument, highlighting the importance of a multimodal assessment of these complex abilities. Examination of totality of circumstances factors identified relationships between some factors (e.g., age, verbal IQ, academic achievement) and Miranda comprehension, but revealed that other factors (e.g., gender, number of previous arrests) were not significantly related to Miranda understanding or appreciation. The findings support a nuanced conceptualization of Miranda rights comprehension that acknowledges the complexity of understanding and appreciating the warnings. Empirical analyses also support the continued use of some totality of circumstances factors and abandonment of others. Findings underscore the necessity of multimodal assessment and interpretation when conducting capacity to waive Miranda rights evaluations. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
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Roch, Maja; Florit, Elena; Levorato, Chiara
2011-01-01
According to the 'Simple View of Reading', reading comprehension requires some abilities such as reading skill and listening comprehension. Individuals with Down's syndrome show relative strengths in reading skills, mainly in word recognition, where they attain a reading age of about 7-8 years. Compared with word recognition, their reading comprehension is usually delayed by at least 6 months. Poor reading comprehension is paralleled by weak listening comprehension. It is claimed that poor listening comprehension might constrain the development of reading comprehension and, therefore, be a cause for the asynchrony between reading skills and reading comprehension. A follow-up study was carried out in order to analyse the improvements in reading skills, listening and reading text comprehension, and to support the hypothesis of a causal relationship between listening and reading comprehension. Ten children and adolescents with Down's syndrome, aged between 11 years 3 months and 19 years 10 months, were assessed twice over a one-year period as to their reading skills, listening and reading text comprehension. Three main findings emerged: (1) reading skills, on the one hand, and comprehension (both listening and reading), on the other hand, are independent; (2) reading comprehension development is determined mainly by listening comprehension, which in the present study proved to be very poor; and (3) an improvement after a one-year period, even though limited, occurred for all examined abilities except for listening comprehension. The results are discussed in the light of the theoretical framework of the 'Simple View of Reading' and of their relevance for practical and educational issues. © 2011 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.
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Comprehensive neurocognitive assessment of patients with anorexia nervosa.
Phillipou, Andrea; Gurvich, Caroline; Castle, David Jonathan; Abel, Larry Allen; Rossell, Susan Lee
2015-12-22
To utilise a comprehensive cognitive battery to gain a better understanding of cognitive performance in anorexia nervosa (AN). Twenty-six individuals with AN and 27 healthy control participants matched for age, gender and premorbid intelligence, participated in the study. A standard cognitive battery, the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery, was used to investigate performance on seven cognitive domains with the use of 10 different tasks: speed of processing [Brief Assessment Of Cognition In Schizophrenia: Symbol Coding, Category Fluency: Animal Naming (Fluency) and Trail Making Test: Part A], attention/vigilance [Continuous Performance Test - Identical Pairs (CPT-IP)], working memory [Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS(®)-III): Spatial Span, and Letter-Number Span (LNS)], verbal learning [Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised], visual learning [Brief Visuospatial Memory Test - Revised], reasoning and problem solving [Neuropsychological Assessment Battery: Mazes], and social cognition [Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test: Managing Emotions]. Statistical analyses involved the use of multivariate and univariate analyses of variance. Analyses conducted on the cognitive domain scores revealed no overall significant difference between groups nor any interaction between group and domain score [F(1,45) = 0.73, P = 0.649]. Analyses conducted on each of the specific tasks within the cognitive domains revealed significantly slower reaction times for false alarm responses on the CPT-IP task in AN [F(1,51) = 12.80, P < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.982] and a trend towards poorer performance in AN on the backward component of the WMS(®)-III Spatial Span task [F(1,51) = 5.88, P = 0.02, Cohen's d = -0.665]. The finding of slower reaction times of false alarm responses is, however, limited due to the small number of false alarm responses for either group. The findings are discussed in terms of poorer capacity to
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mathiesen, Brian Vad; Lund, Henrik
2009-01-01
An analysis of seven different technologies is presented. The technologies integrate fluctuating renewable energy sources (RES) such as wind power production into the electricity supply, and the Danish energy system is used as a case. Comprehensive hour-by-hour energy system analyses are conducted...... of a complete system meeting electricity, heat and transport demands, and including RES, power plants, and combined heat and power production (CHP) for district heating and transport technologies. In conclusion, the most fuel-efficient and least-cost technologies are identified through energy system...
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rønberg, Louise Flensted-Jensen; Petersen, Dorthe Klint
data sets were obtained from 179 Danish Grade 3 pupils. Participants were given a standard reading comprehension test requiring multiple-choice answers to six different texts of various length and type. Orthographic and phonological coding, as well as non-verbal problem solving were assessed by means......Purpose The main aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of aspects of vocabulary, word reading abilities, and reading experience to reading comprehension, and to analyse sub-samples of students with comprehension difficulties. Method The study employed a cross-sectional design. Full......: path, street, road, river). Results Data analyses showed that in the entire sample, skills of semantic lexical structuring and reading experience made strong contributions to reading comprehension. Analyses of the pupils below the 25%-percentile in reading comprehension revealed that for the vast...
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Using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 to conduct generalized matching analyses.
Reed, Derek D
2009-01-01
The generalized matching equation is a robust and empirically supported means of analyzing relations between reinforcement and behavior. Unfortunately, no simple task analysis is available to behavior analysts interested in using the matching equation to evaluate data in clinical or applied settings. This technical article presents a task analysis for the use of Microsoft Excel to analyze and plot the generalized matching equation. Using a data-based case example and a step-by-step guide for completing the analysis, these instructions are intended to promote the use of quantitative analyses by researchers with little to no experience in quantitative analyses or the matching law.
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USING MICROSOFT OFFICE EXCEL® 2007 TO CONDUCT GENERALIZED MATCHING ANALYSES
Reed, Derek D
2009-01-01
The generalized matching equation is a robust and empirically supported means of analyzing relations between reinforcement and behavior. Unfortunately, no simple task analysis is available to behavior analysts interested in using the matching equation to evaluate data in clinical or applied settings. This technical article presents a task analysis for the use of Microsoft Excel to analyze and plot the generalized matching equation. Using a data-based case example and a step-by-step guide for completing the analysis, these instructions are intended to promote the use of quantitative analyses by researchers with little to no experience in quantitative analyses or the matching law. PMID:20514196
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Improving reading comprehension skills through the SCRATCH program
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Erdal Papatga
2016-09-01
Full Text Available The aim of this study was to reveal how reading comprehension skills of elementary fourth graders who have problems in reading comprehension can be improved by means of the SCRATCH program. The study was designed as a participant action research. It was carried out within a 15-week process at an elementary school with middle socio-economic level in the Eskisehir province in the fall term of the 2015-2016 school year. The participants of the study were eight fourth graders who had problems in reading comprehension and were selected based on the criterion sampling method. Different data gathering tools were employed in different stages of the study. These were the Informal Reading Inventory, readability assessment rubric, participant selection form and identification forms for developmental level in reading comprehension for the quantitative data, and observation notes, a researcher diary, video recordings, teacher and student observation notes, and the projects the students prepared using the SCRATCH program for the qualitative data. In the study, the analysis of the quantitative data was done with correlation analysis, and Kendall W Test that shows inter-rater reliability. In addition, the identification forms for developmental level in reading comprehension were used to reveal the improvement in reading comprehension skills, and the Informal Reading Inventory was employed to score these forms. On the other hand, the qualitative data were analysed through the thematic analysis method, and MAXQDA was used for the analysis. As a result of the analyses, it was found that the reading level of the eight students who had problems in reading comprehension went up from the anxiety level to the instructional level in some forms, and even to the independent reading level in other forms; in other words, there was an improvement in the reading comprehension skills of all eight students.
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Improving Climate Communication through Comprehensive Linguistic Analyses Using Computational Tools
Gann, T. M.; Matlock, T.
2014-12-01
An important lesson on climate communication research is that there is no single way to reach out and inform the public. Different groups conceptualize climate issues in different ways and different groups have different values and assumptions. This variability makes it extremely difficult to effectively and objectively communicate climate information. One of the main challenges is the following: How do we acquire a better understanding of how values and assumptions vary across groups, including political groups? A necessary starting point is to pay close attention to the linguistic content of messages used across current popular media sources. Careful analyses of that information—including how it is realized in language for conservative and progressive media—may ultimately help climate scientists, government agency officials, journalists and others develop more effective messages. Past research has looked at partisan media coverage of climate change, but little attention has been given to the fine-grained linguistic content of such media. And when researchers have done detailed linguistic analyses, they have relied primarily on hand-coding, an approach that is costly, labor intensive, and time-consuming. Our project, building on recent work on partisan news media (Gann & Matlock, 2014; under review) uses high dimensional semantic analyses and other methods of automated classification techniques from the field of natural language processing to quantify how climate issues are characterized in media sources that differ according to political orientation. In addition to discussing varied linguistic patterns, we share new methods for improving climate communication for varied stakeholders, and for developing better assessments of their effectiveness.
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Conducting Meta-Analyses Based on p Values
van Aert, Robbie C. M.; Wicherts, Jelte M.; van Assen, Marcel A. L. M.
2016-01-01
Because of overwhelming evidence of publication bias in psychology, techniques to correct meta-analytic estimates for such bias are greatly needed. The methodology on which the p-uniform and p-curve methods are based has great promise for providing accurate meta-analytic estimates in the presence of publication bias. However, in this article, we show that in some situations, p-curve behaves erratically, whereas p-uniform may yield implausible estimates of negative effect size. Moreover, we show that (and explain why) p-curve and p-uniform result in overestimation of effect size under moderate-to-large heterogeneity and may yield unpredictable bias when researchers employ p-hacking. We offer hands-on recommendations on applying and interpreting results of meta-analyses in general and p-uniform and p-curve in particular. Both methods as well as traditional methods are applied to a meta-analysis on the effect of weight on judgments of importance. We offer guidance for applying p-uniform or p-curve using R and a user-friendly web application for applying p-uniform. PMID:27694466
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Fidalgo, Angel M; Tenenbaum, Harriet R; Aznar, Ana
2018-01-01
This article examines whether there are gender differences in understanding the emotions evaluated by the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC). The TEC provides a global index of emotion comprehension in children 3-11 years of age, which is the sum of the nine components that constitute emotion comprehension: (1) recognition of facial expressions, (2) understanding of external causes of emotions, (3) understanding of desire-based emotions, (4) understanding of belief-based emotions, (5) understanding of the influence of a reminder on present emotional states, (6) understanding of the possibility to regulate emotional states, (7) understanding of the possibility of hiding emotional states, (8) understanding of mixed emotions, and (9) understanding of moral emotions. We used the answers to the TEC given by 172 English girls and 181 boys from 3 to 8 years of age. First, the nine components into which the TEC is subdivided were analysed for differential item functioning (DIF), taking gender as the grouping variable. To evaluate DIF, the Mantel-Haenszel method and logistic regression analysis were used applying the Educational Testing Service DIF classification criteria. The results show that the TEC did not display gender DIF. Second, when absence of DIF had been corroborated, it was analysed for differences between boys and girls in the total TEC score and its components controlling for age. Our data are compatible with the hypothesis of independence between gender and level of comprehension in 8 of the 9 components of the TEC. Several hypotheses are discussed that could explain the differences found between boys and girls in the belief component. Given that the Belief component is basically a false belief task, the differences found seem to support findings in the literature indicating that girls perform better on this task.
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Santos, Sandra; Viana, Fernanda Leopoldina; Ribeiro, Iolanda; Prieto, Gerardo; Brandão, Sara; Cadime, Irene
2015-03-03
This investigation aimed to develop and collect psychometric data for two tests assessing listening comprehension of Portuguese students in primary school: the Test of Listening Comprehension of Narrative Texts (TLC-n) and the Test of Listening Comprehension of Expository Texts (TLC-e). Two studies were conducted. The purpose of study 1 was to construct four test forms for each of the two tests to assess first, second, third and fourth grade students of the primary school. The TLC-n was administered to 1042 students, and the TLC-e was administered to 848 students. The purpose of study 2 was to test the psychometric properties of new items for the TLC-n form for fourth graders, given that the results in study 1 indicated a severe lack of difficult items. The participants were 260 fourth graders. The data were analysed using the Rasch model. Thirty items were selected for each test form. The results provided support for the model assumptions: Unidimensionality and local independence of the items. The reliability coefficients were higher than .70 for all test forms. The TLC-n and the TLC-e present good psychometric properties and represent an important contribution to the learning disabilities assessment field.
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Perspectives for comprehensive biomechanical analyses in Mogul skiing.
Kurpiers, Nicolas; McAlpine, Paul R; Kersting, Uwe G
2009-01-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using a force measurement device on riding technique in mogul skiing. A mock-up version of such a device was positioned between ski boot and binding. Data on three-dimensional kinematics and perception were collected for eight subjects skiing down a mogul course. Parameters analysed were knee angle, side and forward lean of the trunk and hip, and the path of the body's centre of mass. A perception questionnaire was used on selective aspects to assess the skiers' perception of the performances. Perception ratings showed no significant detrimental effects. All assessed components showed a trend of improvement from the first to last run, thus suggesting familiarisation was achieved. Kinematic analysis revealed that no significant alterations occurred. In conclusion, it is intended to utilise a functional force plate similar to the one presented by Kiefmann et al. (2006) for future studies in freestyle skiing.
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Using plant procedures as the basis for conducting a job and task analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Haynes, F.H.; Ruth, B.W.
1985-01-01
Plant procedures were selected, by Northeast Utilities (NU), as the basis for conducting Job and Task Analyses (JTA). The resultant JTA was used to design procedure based simulator training programs for Millstone 1, 2, and Connecticut Yankee. The task listings were both plant specific and exhibited excellent correlation to INPO's generic PWR and BWR task analyses. Using the procedures based method enabled us to perform the JTA using plant and training staff. This proved cost effective in terms of both time and money. Learning objectives developed from the JTA were easily justified and correlated directly to job performance within the context of the plant procedures. In addition, the analysis generated a comprehensive review of plant procedures and, conversely, the plant's normal procedure revision process generated an automatic trigger for updating the task data
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Quality control and conduct of genome-wide association meta-analyses
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Winkler, Thomas W; Day, Felix R; Croteau-Chonka, Damien C
2014-01-01
Rigorous organization and quality control (QC) are necessary to facilitate successful genome-wide association meta-analyses (GWAMAs) of statistics aggregated across multiple genome-wide association studies. This protocol provides guidelines for (i) organizational aspects of GWAMAs, and for (ii) QC...
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Ghabri, Salah; Autin, Erwan; Poullié, Anne-Isabelle; Josselin, Jean Michel
2018-04-01
Budget impact analysis (BIA) provides short- and medium-term estimates on changes in budgets and health outcomes resulting from the adoption of new health interventions. The purpose of this study is to present the newly developed French National Authority for Health (HAS) guidelines on budget impact analysis as follows: process, literature review, recommendations and comparisons with other guidelines. The development process of the HAS guidelines included a literature review (search dates: January 2000 to June 2016), a retrospective investigation of BIA previously submitted to HAS, a public consultation, international expert reviews and approval from the HAS Board and the Economic and Public Health Evaluation Committee of HAS. Documents identified in the literature review included 12 national guidelines, 5 recommendations for good practices developed by national and international society of health economics and 14 methodological publications including recommendations for conducting BIA. Based on its research findings, HAS developed its first BIA guidelines, which include recommendations on the following topics: BIA definition, perspective, populations, time horizon, compared scenarios, budget impact models, costing, discounting, choice of clinical data, reporting of results and uncertainty exploration. It is expected that the HAS BIA guidelines will enhance the usefulness, quality and transparency of BIA submitted by drug manufacturers to HAS. BIA is becoming an essential part of a comprehensive economic assessment of healthcare interventions in France, which also includes cost-effectiveness analysis and equity of access to healthcare.
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78 FR 36753 - North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study
2013-06-19
... Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, Public Law 113-2, are to (1) reduce flood risk to vulnerable coastal... measure. The Comprehensive Study will also include storm suite modeling, coastal GIS analyses, economic...
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Brandriet, Alexandra; Holme, Thomas
2015-01-01
The American Chemical Society Examinations Institute (ACS-EI) has recently developed the Exams Data Analysis Spread (EDAS) as a tool to help instructors conduct customizable analyses of their student data from ACS exams. The EDAS calculations allow instructors to analyze their students' performances both at the total score and individual item…
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jacek Gad
2015-09-01
Full Text Available Purpose: Identification of methods for presenting the components of other comprehensive income in the statement of changes in equity in the reporting practices of public companies in Poland and Germany. Methodology: A study of domestic and foreign literature was conducted with analysis of annual reports of public companies. The study followed the method of induction and to analyse the results, the structure similarity index was used. Results: The results of the study supported conclusions that the companies under study had not developed a uniform presentation of the components of comprehensive income in their statements of changes in equity. Five options of presenting the components of other comprehensive income in the statement of changes in equity were identified. Companies both from the WIG 30 and DAX indices most frequently presented the statement of changes in equity in option 1, which consisted of presenting the total comprehensive income item in a row and detailed items of equity in columns in which capital gains and losses were recognized. The differentiated forms of presenting the components of comprehensive income made it difficult to compare financial statements. Scope of research: The survey examined the annual reports of the largest Polish and German public companies respectively from the WIG 30 and DAX indices. The components of other comprehensive income presented in the statements of changes in equity were the main subject of the study. Originality: Comparative studies on the presentation of the components of other comprehensive income in the statement of changes in equity by public companies in Poland and Germany have not yet been conducted. This was therefore the research gap addressed in this study.
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The Comprehensive School in Spain: A Review of Its Development Cycle and Crises
Bolívar, Antonio
2015-01-01
The purpose of this study is to describe, analyse and evaluate the successive comprehensive reforms in Spain as a "paradigmatic" example of the emergence, evolution and crisis of the comprehensive school. In the first part, we describe the development of the comprehensive school project (1970-2013), using the image of the life cycle,…
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2012-03-01
Amir ul-Momineen)16 and his Deputy, who goes unnamed , unlike the 2009 version where Omar’s then most-trusted deputy, Mullah Abdul Ghani Berader, was...Chivers, C.J., 2011. In Eastern Afghanistan, at war with the Taliban’s shadowy rule. The New York Times, 6 Feb. Coll, S., 2004. Ghost wars: the secret...details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ccas20 Analysing the new Taliban Code of Conduct
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Improving Students' Reading Comprehension in Descriptive Text Through Anticipation Guide
Nasution, Maya Puspita
2014-01-01
This study concerrns with improving students' reading comprehension in descriptive text through anticipation guide.The objective was to investigate improvement of students' reading comprehension by applying anticipation guide. This research was conducted by using action research method. The subject of the study was grade VII students of SMP SWASTA TAMAN HARAPAN MEDAN totalling to 30 students. They were taught reading comprehension by anticipation guide. The instruments for collecting data wer...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ingrid Gilles
Full Text Available To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the job opinions of hospital professionals by conducting qualitative analyses of the open comments included in a job satisfaction survey and combining these results with the quantitative results.A cross-sectional survey targeting all Lausanne University Hospital professionals was performed in the fall of 2013.The survey considered ten job satisfaction dimensions (e.g. self-fulfilment, workload, management, work-related burnout, organisational commitment, intent to stay and included an open comment section. Computer-assisted qualitative analyses were conducted on these comments. Satisfaction rates on the included dimensions and professional groups were entered as predictive variables in the qualitative analyses.Of 10 838 hospital professionals, 4978 participated in the survey and 1067 provided open comments. Data from 1045 respondents with usable comments constituted the analytic sample (133 physicians, 393 nurses, 135 laboratory technicians, 247 administrative staff, including researchers, 67 logistic staff, 44 psycho-social workers, and 26 unspecified.Almost a third of the comments addressed scheduling issues, mostly related to problems and exhaustion linked to shifts, work-life balance, and difficulties with colleagues' absences and the consequences for quality of care and patient safety. The other two-thirds related to classic themes included in job satisfaction surveys. Although some comments were provided equally by all professional groups, others were group specific: work and hierarchy pressures for physicians, healthcare quality and patient safety for nurses, skill recognition for administrative staff. Overall, respondents' comments were consistent with their job satisfaction ratings.Open comment analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of hospital professionals' job experiences, allowing better consideration of quality initiatives that match the needs of professionals with reality.
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Gilles, Ingrid; Mayer, Mauro; Courvoisier, Nelly; Peytremann-Bridevaux, Isabelle
2017-01-01
To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the job opinions of hospital professionals by conducting qualitative analyses of the open comments included in a job satisfaction survey and combining these results with the quantitative results. A cross-sectional survey targeting all Lausanne University Hospital professionals was performed in the fall of 2013. The survey considered ten job satisfaction dimensions (e.g. self-fulfilment, workload, management, work-related burnout, organisational commitment, intent to stay) and included an open comment section. Computer-assisted qualitative analyses were conducted on these comments. Satisfaction rates on the included dimensions and professional groups were entered as predictive variables in the qualitative analyses. Of 10 838 hospital professionals, 4978 participated in the survey and 1067 provided open comments. Data from 1045 respondents with usable comments constituted the analytic sample (133 physicians, 393 nurses, 135 laboratory technicians, 247 administrative staff, including researchers, 67 logistic staff, 44 psycho-social workers, and 26 unspecified). Almost a third of the comments addressed scheduling issues, mostly related to problems and exhaustion linked to shifts, work-life balance, and difficulties with colleagues' absences and the consequences for quality of care and patient safety. The other two-thirds related to classic themes included in job satisfaction surveys. Although some comments were provided equally by all professional groups, others were group specific: work and hierarchy pressures for physicians, healthcare quality and patient safety for nurses, skill recognition for administrative staff. Overall, respondents' comments were consistent with their job satisfaction ratings. Open comment analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of hospital professionals' job experiences, allowing better consideration of quality initiatives that match the needs of professionals with reality.
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A Dynamic Speech Comprehension Test for Assessing Real-World Listening Ability.
Best, Virginia; Keidser, Gitte; Freeston, Katrina; Buchholz, Jörg M
2016-07-01
Many listeners with hearing loss report particular difficulties with multitalker communication situations, but these difficulties are not well predicted using current clinical and laboratory assessment tools. The overall aim of this work is to create new speech tests that capture key aspects of multitalker communication situations and ultimately provide better predictions of real-world communication abilities and the effect of hearing aids. A test of ongoing speech comprehension introduced previously was extended to include naturalistic conversations between multiple talkers as targets, and a reverberant background environment containing competing conversations. In this article, we describe the development of this test and present a validation study. Thirty listeners with normal hearing participated in this study. Speech comprehension was measured for one-, two-, and three-talker passages at three different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), and working memory ability was measured using the reading span test. Analyses were conducted to examine passage equivalence, learning effects, and test-retest reliability, and to characterize the effects of number of talkers and SNR. Although we observed differences in difficulty across passages, it was possible to group the passages into four equivalent sets. Using this grouping, we achieved good test-retest reliability and observed no significant learning effects. Comprehension performance was sensitive to the SNR but did not decrease as the number of talkers increased. Individual performance showed associations with age and reading span score. This new dynamic speech comprehension test appears to be valid and suitable for experimental purposes. Further work will explore its utility as a tool for predicting real-world communication ability and hearing aid benefit. American Academy of Audiology.
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A Comprehensive Enzyme Kinetic Exercise for Biochemistry
Barton, Janice S.
2011-01-01
This article describes a comprehensive treatment of experimental enzyme kinetics strongly coupled to electronic data acquisition and use of spreadsheets to organize data and perform linear and nonlinear least-squares analyses, all in a manner that promotes development of important reasoning skills. Kinetic parameters are obtained for the stable…
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Does Modality Matter? The Effects of Reading, Listening, and Dual Modality on Comprehension
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Beth A. Rogowsky
2016-09-01
Full Text Available With advancing technology, there is increasing interest in differences between listening versus reading comprehension or doing both simultaneously. Ninety-one participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups that received the same instructional material (the preface and a chapter from a non-fiction book, but each in a different input modality (digital audiobook, e-text, dual modality. After completing the material, participants took the same comprehension test in written form to establish both immediate comprehension (Time 1 and 2-week retention (Time 2. No statistically significant differences were found for any analyses pertaining to effects of the three different instructional conditions on comprehension at Time 1 or Time 2. Additional analyses showed that both males and females in each condition recalled an equal amount of information, regardless of whether they listened to an audiobook, read from an electronic tablet, or both listened and read simultaneously (dual modality.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jónas Elíasson
2014-01-01
Full Text Available A finite Fourier transform is used to perform both linear and nonlinear stability analyses of a Darcy-Lapwood system of convective rolls. The method shows how many modes are unstable, the wave number instability band within each mode, the maximum growth rate (most critical wave numbers on each mode, and the nonlinear growth rates for each amplitude as a function of the porous Rayleigh number. Single amplitude controls the nonlinear growth rates and thereby the physical flow rate and fluid velocity, on each mode. They are called the flak amplitudes. A discrete Fourier transform is used for numerical simulations and here frequency combinations appear that the traditional cut-off infinite transforms do not have. The discrete show a stationary solution in the weak instability phase, but when carried past 2 unstable modes they show fluctuating motion where all amplitudes except the flak may be zero on the average. This leads to a flak amplitude scaling process of the heat conduction, producing an eddy heat conduction coefficient where a Nu-RaL relationship is found. It fits better to experiments than previously found solutions but is lower than experiments.
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Comprehensive evaluation of garment assembly line with simulation
Xu, Y.; Thomassey, S.; Chen, Y.; Zeng, X.
2017-10-01
In this paper, a comprehensive evaluation system is established to assess the garment production performance. It is based on performance indicators and supported with the corresponding results obtained by manual calculation or computer simulation. The assembly lines of a typical men’s shirt are taken as the study objects. With the comprehensive evaluation results, garments production arrangement scenarios are better analysed and then the appropriate one is supposed to be put into actual production. This will be a guidance given to companies on quick decision-making and multi-objective optimization of garment production.
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Focus, accent, and argument structure: effects on language comprehension.
Birch, S; Clifton, C
1995-01-01
Four experiments investigated the effect of syntactic argument structure on the evaluation and comprehension of utterances with different patterns of pitch accents. Linguistic analyses of the relation between focus and prosody note that it is possible for certain accented constituents within a broadly focused phrase to project focus to the entire phrase. We manipulated focus requirements and accent in recorded question-answer pairs and asked listeners to make linguistic judgments of prosodic appropriateness (Experiments 1 and 3) or to make judgments based on meaningful comprehension (Experiments 2 and 4). Naive judgments of prosodic appropriateness were generally consistent with the linguistic analyses, showing preferences for utterances in which contextually new noun phrases received accent and old noun phrases did not, but suggested that an accented new argument NP was not fully effective in projecting broad focus to the entire VP. However, the comprehension experiments did demonstrate that comprehension of a sentence with broad VP focus was as efficient when only a lexical argument NP received accent as when both NP and verb received accent. Such focus projection did not occur when the argument NP was an "independent quantifier" such as nobody or everything. The results extend existing demonstrations that the ease of understanding spoken discourse depends on appropriate intonational marking of focus to cases where certain structurally-defined words can project focus-marking to an entire phrase.
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Bierman, Karen L.
2012-01-01
Childhood conduct problems are predictive of a number of serious long-term difficulties (e.g., school failure, delinquent behavior, and mental health problems), making the design of effective prevention programs a priority. The Fast Track Program is a demonstration project currently underway in four demographically diverse areas of the United States, testing the feasibility and effectiveness of a comprehensive, multicomponent prevention program targeting children at risk for conduct disorders. This paper describes some lessons learned about the implementation of this program in a rural area. Although there are many areas of commonality in terms of program needs, program design, and implementation issues in rural and urban sites, rural areas differ from urban areas along the dimensions of geographical dispersion and regionalism, and community stability and insularity. Rural programs must cover a broad geographical area and must be sensitive to the multiple, small and regional communities that constitute their service area. Small schools, homogeneous populations, traditional values, limited recreational, educational and mental health services, and politically conservative climates are all more likely to emerge as characteristics of rural rather than urban sites (Sherman, 1992). These characteristics may both pose particular challenges to the implementation of prevention programs in rural areas, as well as offer particular benefits. Three aspects of program implementation are described in detail: (a) community entry and program initiation in rural areas, (b) the adaptation of program components and service delivery to meet the needs of rural families and schools, and (c) issues in administrative organization of a broadly dispersed tricounty rural prevention program. PMID:9338956
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Impacts of Captioned Movies on Listening Comprehension
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Abusaied Janfaza
2014-04-01
Full Text Available With the advent of technology, the implication of authentic multimedia-based teaching materials are using widely in language classrooms. Technology can be in service of teaching different skills such as listening, reading, speaking and writing. Among these skills listening comprehension is a skill in which the learners have problems to master. Regarding this issue, utilizing captions for the education purposes has been a good motivation for conducting some research on the effects of captions of listening skills. However, it seems that there is a gap in the literature whether to use captioned movies in the classroom and whether they are effective in improving listening comprehension. Many studies have been conducted on this issue. However, their findings are conclusive. While some studies refer to the effectiveness of using captions, others revel that they are not so effective for improving the learner’s language skills. Hence, the present study is a review of the effects of captioned movies on the improvement of listening skill. In this case, the findings of this study can clarify the role of using captioned movies in improving the listening skill Keywords: captioned movie, technology, listening comprehension, instruction
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The Impact of Texting on Comprehension
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Jamal K. M. Ali
2015-07-01
Full Text Available This paper presents a study of the effects of texting on English language comprehension. The authors believe that English used in texting causes a lack of comprehension for English speakers, learners, and texters. Wei, Xian-hai and Jiang (2008:3 declare “In Netspeak, there are some newly-created vocabularies, which people cannot comprehend them either from their partial pronunciation or from their figures.” Crystal (2007:23 claims; “variation causes problems of comprehension and acceptability. If you speak or write differently from the way I do, we may fail to understand each other.” In this paper, the authors conducted a questionnaire at Aligarh Muslim University to ninety respondents from five different Faculties and four different levels. To measure respondents’ comprehension of English texting, the authors gave the respondents abbreviations used by texters and asked them to write the full forms of the abbreviations. The authors found that many abbreviations were not understood, which suggested that most of the respondents did not understand and did not use these abbreviations.
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Su, Shu-Chih; Kanarek, Norma; Fox, Michael G; Guseynova, Alla; Crow, Shirley; Piantadosi, Steven
2010-02-01
We examined the geographic distribution of patients to better understand the service area of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, a designated National Cancer Institute (NCI) comprehensive cancer center located in an urban center. Like most NCI cancer centers, the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center serves a population beyond city limits. Urban cancer centers are expected to serve their immediate neighborhoods and to address disparities in access to specialty care. Our purpose was to learn the extent and nature of the cancer center service area. Statistical clustering of patient residence in the continental United States was assessed for all patients and by gender, cancer site, and race using SaTScan. Primary clusters detected for all cases and demographically and tumor-defined subpopulations were centered at Baltimore City and consisted of adjacent counties in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey and New York, and the District of Columbia. Primary clusters varied in size by race, gender, and cancer site. Spatial analysis can provide insights into the populations served by urban cancer centers, assess centers' performance relative to their communities, and aid in developing a cancer center business plan that recognizes strengths, regional utility, and referral patterns. Today, 62 NCI cancer centers serve a quarter of the U.S. population in their immediate communities. From the Baltimore experience, we might project that the population served by these centers is actually more extensive and varies by patient characteristics, cancer site, and probably cancer center services offered.
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Executive dysfunction among children with reading comprehension deficits.
Locascio, Gianna; Mahone, E Mark; Eason, Sarah H; Cutting, Laurie E
2010-01-01
Emerging research supports the contribution of executive function (EF) to reading comprehension; however, a unique pattern has not been established for children who demonstrate comprehension difficulties despite average word recognition ability (specific reading comprehension deficit; S-RCD). To identify particular EF components on which children with S-RCD struggle, a range of EF skills was compared among 86 children, ages 10 to 14, grouped by word reading and comprehension abilities: 24 average readers, 44 with word recognition deficits (WRD), and 18 S-RCD. An exploratory principal components analysis of EF tests identified three latent factors, used in subsequent group comparisons: Planning/ Spatial Working Memory, Verbal Working Memory, and Response Inhibition. The WRD group exhibited deficits (relative to controls) on Verbal Working Memory and Inhibition factors; S-RCD children performed more poorly than controls on the Planning factor. Further analyses suggested the WRD group's poor performance on EF factors was a by-product of core deficits linked to WRD (after controlling for phonological processing, this group no longer showed EF deficits). In contrast, the S-RCD group's poor performance on the planning component remained significant after controlling for phonological processing. Findings suggest reading comprehension difficulties are linked to executive dysfunction; in particular, poor strategic planning/organizing may lead to reading comprehension problems.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tzanos, C.P.; Dionne, B.
2011-01-01
To support the analyses related to the conversion of the BR2 core from highly-enriched (HEU) to low-enriched (LEU) fuel, the thermal-hydraulics codes PLTEMP and RELAP-3D are used to evaluate the safety margins during steady-state operation (PLTEMP), as well as after a loss-of-flow, loss-of-pressure, or a loss of coolant event (RELAP). In the 1-D PLTEMP and RELAP simulations, conduction in the azimuthal and axial directions is not accounted. The very good thermal conductivity of the cladding and the fuel meat and significant temperature gradients in the lateral directions (axial and azimuthal directions) could lead to a heat flux distribution that is significantly different than the power distribution. To evaluate the significance of the lateral heat conduction, 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, using the CFD code STAR-CD, were performed. Safety margin calculations are typically performed for a hot stripe, i.e., an azimuthal region of the fuel plates/coolant channel containing the power peak. In a RELAP model, for example, a channel between two plates could be divided into a number of RELAP channels (stripes) in the azimuthal direction. In a PLTEMP model, the effect of azimuthal power peaking could be taken into account by using engineering factors. However, if the thermal mixing in the azimuthal direction of a coolant channel is significant, a stripping approach could be overly conservative by not taking into account this mixing. STAR-CD simulations were also performed to study the thermal mixing in the coolant. Section II of this document presents the results of the analyses of the lateral heat conduction and azimuthal thermal mixing in a coolant channel. Finally, PLTEMP and RELAP simulations rely on the use of correlations to determine heat transfer coefficients. Previous analyses showed that the Dittus-Boelter correlation gives significantly more conservative (lower) predictions than the correlations of Sieder-Tate and Petukhov. STAR-CD 3-D
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gibson Smith K
2017-12-01
Full Text Available Background: Patient information may assist in promoting shared decision-making, however it is imperative that the information presented is comprehensible and acceptable to the target audience. Objective: This study sought to explore the acceptability and comprehensibility of the ‘Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for you?’ factsheet to the general public. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with members of the public. An interview schedule was developed to explore the acceptability and comprehensibility of the factsheet. Participants were recruited by a researcher who distributed information packs to attendees (n=70 of four community pharmacies. Interviews, (12-24 minutes duration, were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a framework approach. Results: Nineteen participants returned a consent form (27.1%, twelve were interviewed. Six themes were identified: formatting of the factsheet and interpretation; prior health knowledge and the factsheet; information contained in the factsheet; impact of the factsheet on behaviour; uses for the factsheet; and revisions to the factsheet. Conclusions: The factsheet was generally perceived as helpful and comprehensive. It was highlighted that reading the leaflet may generate new knowledge and may have a positive impact on behaviour.
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THE EFFECT OF TEACHING WITHIN-TEXT KEY WORDS ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN READING COMPREHENSION
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Mohammad Reza Khodasenas
2013-07-01
Full Text Available Abstract: The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of teaching within-text key word synonyms, opposites and related words on students’ performance on reading comprehension of TOEFL among Iranian EFL learners. To carry out the research, 60 Iranian EFL learners, who participated in a TOEFL preparation course, were selected as the participants of the study. Afterward they were randomly assigned into experimental and comparison groups. The experimental group was given a treatment including within-text key word synonyms, opposites and their translations, while the comparison group was given a placebo. To collect the required data, two instruments (a pre-test, and a post-test were administered to both groups during the experimentation. Subsequently, students’ scores were collected through the administration of different tests and the results were statistically analyzed. The results of these analyses revealed that the experimental group outperformed the comparison group and thus, it was concluded that teaching within-text key word synonyms, opposites and related words can improve the reading comprehension ability and general proficiency of EFL language learners.
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Dichotic listening performance predicts language comprehension.
Asbjørnsen, Arve E; Helland, Turid
2006-05-01
Dichotic listening performance is considered a reliable and valid procedure for the assessment of language lateralisation in the brain. However, the documentation of a relationship between language functions and dichotic listening performance is sparse, although it is accepted that dichotic listening measures language perception. In particular, language comprehension should show close correspondence to perception of language stimuli. In the present study, we tested samples of reading-impaired and normally achieving children between 10 and 13 years of age with tests of reading skills, language comprehension, and dichotic listening to consonant-vowel (CV) syllables. A high correlation between the language scores and the dichotic listening performance was expected. However, since the left ear score is believed to be an error when assessing language laterality, covariation was expected for the right ear scores only. In addition, directing attention to one ear input was believed to reduce the influence of random factors, and thus show a more concise estimate of left hemisphere language capacity. Thus, a stronger correlation between language comprehension skills and the dichotic listening performance when attending to the right ear was expected. The analyses yielded a positive correlation between the right ear score in DL and language comprehension, an effect that was stronger when attending to the right ear. The present results confirm the assumption that dichotic listening with CV syllables measures an aspect of language perception and language skills that is related to general language comprehension.
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Improving Students' Achievement in Reading Comprehension Through Think Pair Share Strategy
Handayani, Umami -
2014-01-01
This research is designed to improve the students' reading comprehension in English through Think Pair Share strategy. the objective of the research is to develop Think Pair Share to improve the students' reading comprehension. The research was conducted by using classroom action research. The finding showed that Think Pair Share strategy was successful in improving students' reading comprehension. The improvement couls be seen from the increase of students' reading scores. Besides, the fin...
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An updated comprehensive techno-economic analysis of algae biodiesel.
Nagarajan, Sanjay; Chou, Siaw Kiang; Cao, Shenyan; Wu, Chen; Zhou, Zhi
2013-10-01
Algae biodiesel is a promising but expensive alternative fuel to petro-diesel. To overcome cost barriers, detailed cost analyses are needed. A decade-old cost analysis by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory indicated that the costs of algae biodiesel were in the range of $0.53-0.85/L (2012 USD values). However, the cost of land and transesterification were just roughly estimated. In this study, an updated comprehensive techno-economic analysis was conducted with optimized processes and improved cost estimations. Latest process improvement, quotes from vendors, government databases, and other relevant data sources were used to calculate the updated algal biodiesel costs, and the final costs of biodiesel are in the range of $0.42-0.97/L. Additional improvements on cost-effective biodiesel production around the globe to cultivate algae was also recommended. Overall, the calculated costs seem promising, suggesting that a single step biodiesel production process is close to commercial reality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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... Comprehensive Care Share this page Facebook Twitter Email Comprehensive Care Understand the importance of comprehensive MS care ... In this article A complex disease requires a comprehensive approach Today multiple sclerosis (MS) is not a ...
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Morrison, Andra; Polisena, Julie; Husereau, Don; Moulton, Kristen; Clark, Michelle; Fiander, Michelle; Mierzwinski-Urban, Monika; Clifford, Tammy; Hutton, Brian; Rabb, Danielle
2012-04-01
The English language is generally perceived to be the universal language of science. However, the exclusive reliance on English-language studies may not represent all of the evidence. Excluding languages other than English (LOE) may introduce a language bias and lead to erroneous conclusions. We conducted a comprehensive literature search using bibliographic databases and grey literature sources. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they measured the effect of excluding randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported in LOE from systematic review-based meta-analyses (SR/MA) for one or more outcomes. None of the included studies found major differences between summary treatment effects in English-language restricted meta-analyses and LOE-inclusive meta-analyses. Findings differed about the methodological and reporting quality of trials reported in LOE. The precision of pooled estimates improved with the inclusion of LOE trials. Overall, we found no evidence of a systematic bias from the use of language restrictions in systematic review-based meta-analyses in conventional medicine. Further research is needed to determine the impact of language restriction on systematic reviews in particular fields of medicine.
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Treves-Kagan, Sarah; Naidoo, Evasen; Gilvydis, Jennifer M; Raphela, Elsie; Barnhart, Scott; Lippman, Sheri A
2017-09-01
Successful HIV prevention programming requires engaging communities in the planning process and responding to the social environmental factors that shape health and behaviour in a specific local context. We conducted two community-based situational analyses to inform a large, comprehensive HIV prevention programme in two rural districts of North West Province South Africa in 2012. The methodology includes: initial partnership building, goal setting and background research; 1 week of field work; in-field and subsequent data analysis; and community dissemination and programmatic incorporation of results. We describe the methodology and a case study of the approach in rural South Africa; assess if the methodology generated data with sufficient saturation, breadth and utility for programming purposes; and evaluate if this process successfully engaged the community. Between the two sites, 87 men and 105 women consented to in-depth interviews; 17 focus groups were conducted; and 13 health facilities and 7 NGOs were assessed. The methodology succeeded in quickly collecting high-quality data relevant to tailoring a comprehensive HIV programme and created a strong foundation for community engagement and integration with local health services. This methodology can be an accessible tool in guiding community engagement and tailoring future combination HIV prevention and care programmes.
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Herpers, Pierre C M; Klip, Helen; Rommelse, Nanda N J; Taylor, Mark J; Greven, Corina U; Buitelaar, Jan K
2017-07-01
Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have mainly been studied in relation to conduct disorder (CD), but can also occur in other disorder groups. However, it is unclear whether there is a clinically relevant cut-off value of levels of CU traits in predicting reduced quality of life (QoL) and clinical symptoms, and whether CU traits better fit a categorical (taxonic) or dimensional model. Parents of 979 youths referred to a child and adolescent psychiatric clinic rated their child's CU traits on the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional traits (ICU), QoL on the Kidscreen-27, and clinical symptoms on the Child Behavior Checklist. Experienced clinicians conferred DSM-IV-TR diagnoses of ADHD, ASD, anxiety/mood disorders and DBD-NOS/ODD. The ICU was also used to score the DSM-5 specifier 'with limited prosocial emotions' (LPE) of Conduct Disorder. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses revealed that the predictive accuracy of the ICU and LPE regarding QoL and clinical symptoms was poor to fair, and similar across diagnoses. A clinical cut-off point could not be defined. Taxometric analyses suggested that callous-unemotional traits on the ICU best reflect a dimension rather than taxon. More research is needed on the impact of CU traits on the functional adaptation, course, and response to treatment of non-CD conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Gonzales, Wilkinson Daniel Wong; Torres, Patrisha Lliane
2015-01-01
Several pressing issues in reading instruction have prompted educators world-wide to conduct researches on how to best improve reading comprehension skills. Although there is a wealth of reading comprehension researches done with EFL learners and native English speakers, there seems to be limited published studies conducted in the Philippine ESL…
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Fully coupled heat conduction and deformation analyses of nonlinear viscoelastic composites
Khan, Kamran; Muliana, Anastasia Hanifah
2012-01-01
This study presents an integrated micromechanical model-finite element framework for analyzing coupled heat conduction and deformations of particle-reinforced composite structures. A simplified micromechanical model consisting of four sub-cells, i
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Lesion localization of speech comprehension deficits in chronic aphasia.
Pillay, Sara B; Binder, Jeffrey R; Humphries, Colin; Gross, William L; Book, Diane S
2017-03-07
Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) was used to localize impairments specific to multiword (phrase and sentence) spoken language comprehension. Participants were 51 right-handed patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. They performed an auditory description naming (ADN) task requiring comprehension of a verbal description, an auditory sentence comprehension (ASC) task, and a picture naming (PN) task. Lesions were mapped using high-resolution MRI. VLSM analyses identified the lesion correlates of ADN and ASC impairment, first with no control measures, then adding PN impairment as a covariate to control for cognitive and language processes not specific to spoken language. ADN and ASC deficits were associated with lesions in a distributed frontal-temporal parietal language network. When PN impairment was included as a covariate, both ADN and ASC deficits were specifically correlated with damage localized to the mid-to-posterior portion of the middle temporal gyrus (MTG). Damage to the mid-to-posterior MTG is associated with an inability to integrate multiword utterances during comprehension of spoken language. Impairment of this integration process likely underlies the speech comprehension deficits characteristic of Wernicke aphasia. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.
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Psycholinguistic determinants of reading comprehension in english as a foreign language
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Javier Vivaldo-Lima
Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to analyze the contribution of linguistic and psychological variables in the explanation of the variance associated with reading comprehension in English (L2. Two hundred and eighty Mexican university students participated in the study. The variables analyzed within the linguistic dimension were: reading strategies in Spanish, linguistic competence in English, and ability to perceive lexical transparency between L1 and L2. The psychological dimension evaluated the influence of the reader’s cognitive style, locus of control, and action control orientation on reading comprehension in L2. Subjects were administered a battery of seven evaluation instruments. Multiple regression analyses suggested a two-stage explanatory model of reading in L2. Firstly, psychological variables accounted for 10.0% of the variance in reading comprehension in the first language. Secondly, reading comprehension in Spanish, linguistic competence in L2, and perception of lexical transparency, accounted for 35.5% of the variance in reading comprehension in English.
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Cost Benefit of Comprehensive Primary and Preventive School-Based Health Care.
Padula, William V; Connor, Katherine A; Mueller, Josiah M; Hong, Jonathan C; Velazquez, Gabriela Calderon; Johnson, Sara B
2018-01-01
The Rales Health Center is a comprehensive school-based health center at an urban elementary/middle school. Rales Health Center provides a full range of pediatric services using an enriched staffing model consisting of pediatrician, nurse practitioner, registered nurses, and medical office assistant. This staffing model provides greater care but costs more than traditional school-based health centers staffed by part-time nurses. The objective was to analyze the cost benefit of Rales Health Center enhanced staffing model compared with a traditional school-based health center (standard care), focusing on asthma care, which is among the most prevalent chronic conditions of childhood. In 2016, cost-benefit analysis using a decision tree determined the net social benefit of Rales Health Center compared with standard care from the U.S. societal perspective based on the 2015-2016 academic year. It was assumed that Rales Health Center could handle greater patient throughput related to asthma, decreased prescription costs, reduced parental resources in terms of missed work time, and improved student attendance. Univariate and multivariate probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. The expected cost to operate Rales Health Center was $409,120, compared with standard care cost of $172,643. Total monetized incremental benefits of Rales Health Center were estimated to be $993,414. The expected net social benefit for Rales Health Center was $756,937, which demonstrated substantial societal benefit at a return of $4.20 for every dollar invested. This net social benefit estimate was robust to sensitivity analyses. Despite the greater cost associated with the Rales Health Center's enhanced staffing model, the results of this analysis highlight the cost benefit of providing comprehensive, high-quality pediatric care in schools, particularly schools with a large proportion of underserved students. Copyright © 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by
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Relationship between Cultural Distance and Pragmatic Comprehension
Rafieyan, Vahid; Sharafi-Nejad, Maryam; Khavari, Zahra; Damavand, Ayoob; Eng, Lin Siew
2014-01-01
The distance between language learners' culture and the culture of the target language community is considered to play a crucial role in determining the level of pragmatic comprehension. In this respect, a study was conducted over 30 German students, perceived as culturally close to the British, and 30 South Korean students, perceived as…
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MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES AS PREDICTORS OF READING COMPREHENSION AND VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Abbas Ali Zarei
2014-07-01
Full Text Available Abstract: The present study was conducted to investigate types of Multiple Intelligences as predictors of reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge. To meet this objective, a 60-item TOEFL test and a 90-item multiple intelligences questionnaire were distributed among 240 male and female Iranians studying English at Qazali and Parsian Universities in Qazvin. Data were analyzed using a multiple regression procedure. The result of the data analysis indicated that musical, interpersonal, kinesthetic, and logical intelligences were predicators of reading comprehension. Moreover, musical, verbal, visual, kinesthetic and natural intelligences made significant contributions to predicting vocabulary knowledge. Key words: Multiple intelligences, reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge.
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Measurement of thermal conductance
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kuchnir, M.
1977-01-01
The 6-m long, 45-kG, warm-iron superconducting magnets envisioned for the Energy Doubler stage of the Fermilab accelerator require stiff supports with minimized thermal conductances in order to keep the refrigeration power reasonable. The large number of supports involved in the system required a careful study of their heat conduction from the room temperature wall to the intercepting refrigeration at 20 0 K and to the liquid helium. For this purpose the thermal conductance of this support was measured by comparing it with the thermal conductance of a copper strap of known geometry. An association of steady-state thermal analysis and experimental thermal conductivity techniques forms the basis of this method. An important advantage is the automatic simulation of the 20 0 K refrigeration intercept by the copper strap, which simplifies the apparatus considerably. This relative resistance technique, which uses electrical analogy as a guideline, is applicable with no restrictions for materials with temperature-independent thermal conductivity. For other materials the results obtained are functions of the specific temperature interval involved in the measurements. A comprehensive review of the literature on thermal conductivity indicates that this approach has not been used before. A demonstration of its self-consistency is stressed here rather than results obtained for different supports
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Genome-wide DNA polymorphism analyses using VariScan
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vilella Albert J
2006-09-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background DNA sequence polymorphisms analysis can provide valuable information on the evolutionary forces shaping nucleotide variation, and provides an insight into the functional significance of genomic regions. The recent ongoing genome projects will radically improve our capabilities to detect specific genomic regions shaped by natural selection. Current available methods and software, however, are unsatisfactory for such genome-wide analysis. Results We have developed methods for the analysis of DNA sequence polymorphisms at the genome-wide scale. These methods, which have been tested on a coalescent-simulated and actual data files from mouse and human, have been implemented in the VariScan software package version 2.0. Additionally, we have also incorporated a graphical-user interface. The main features of this software are: i exhaustive population-genetic analyses including those based on the coalescent theory; ii analysis adapted to the shallow data generated by the high-throughput genome projects; iii use of genome annotations to conduct a comprehensive analyses separately for different functional regions; iv identification of relevant genomic regions by the sliding-window and wavelet-multiresolution approaches; v visualization of the results integrated with current genome annotations in commonly available genome browsers. Conclusion VariScan is a powerful and flexible suite of software for the analysis of DNA polymorphisms. The current version implements new algorithms, methods, and capabilities, providing an important tool for an exhaustive exploratory analysis of genome-wide DNA polymorphism data.
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Are the Cochrane group registers comprehensive? A case study of Japanese psychiatry trials
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
McGuire Hugh
2002-04-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Language bias is a form of publication bias and constitutes a serious threat to meta-analyses. The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register is one attempt to remedy this and now contains more than 300,000 citations. However we are still unsure if it provides comprehensive coverage, particularly for non-English trials. Methods We have recently established a comprehensive register of Japanese trials of psychotropic drugs through extensive personal contacts, electronic searches and handsearches. We examined two Cochrane psychiatry group registers against this Japanese database. Results The Japanese register contained 56 reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs of antidepressants for depression but the Cochrane Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis group register contained 18, with an overlap of only nine. The Japanese register contained 61 reports of RCTs of neuroleptics for schizophrenia and the Cochrane Schizophrenia group register contained 36, with an overlap of only six. Taking account of some duplicate publications, only a quarter to a third of all relevant Japanese RCTs were retrievable from the Cochrane group registers. Conclusions Similar, or worse, yields may be expected with RCTs conducted in other East Asian countries, and in other fields of medicine. What evidence there is suggests that this situation may lead to a systematic over estimate of treatment effect.
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Impact of doping on the ionic conductivity of ceria: A comprehensive model
Wang, Hao
2013-06-13
Doped ceria is considered as an electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cell applications. The introduction of dopants in the ceria lattice will affect its electronic structure and, in turn, its ionic conductivity. Simulation of these issues using density functional theory becomes complicated by the random distribution of the constituent atoms. Here we use the generalized gradient approximation with on-site Coulomb interaction in conjunction with the special quasirandom structures method to investigate 18.75% and 25% Y, Gd, Sm, Pr, and La doped ceria. The calculated lattice constants and O migration energies allow us to explain the behavior of the conductivity as obtained in experiments.
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New constraints on Earth’s radial conductivity structure
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Püthe, C.; Kuvshinov, A.; Olsen, Nils
2014-01-01
We present a new model of Earth’s radial (1-D) conductivity structure at depths between 10 km and the core-mantle boundary. It is based on CM5, the latest version in the Comprehensive Model series that has been derived using 13 years (September 2000 to September 2013) of magnetic data collected...... method. The Hessian matrix of the misfit function, which is derived analytically, is used to estimate confidence limits for the conductivity of each layer. The resulting conductivity-depth profile is compared to 1-D conductivity models of Earth’s mantle recovered in previous studies....
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Becker, D.L.
1994-11-01
Accelerated Safety Analyses - Phase I (ASA-Phase I) have been conducted to assess the appropriateness of existing tank farm operational controls and/or limits as now stipulated in the Operational Safety Requirements (OSRs) and Operating Specification Documents, and to establish a technical basis for the waste tank operating safety envelope. Structural sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the response of the different waste tank configurations to variations in loading conditions, uncertainties in loading parameters, and uncertainties in material characteristics. Extensive documentation of the sensitivity analyses conducted and results obtained are provided in the detailed ASA-Phase I report, Structural Sensitivity Evaluation of Single- and Double-Shell Waste Tanks for Accelerated Safety Analysis - Phase I. This document provides a summary of the accelerated safety analyses sensitivity evaluations and the resulting findings
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yahua Cheng
2016-09-01
Full Text Available The present study examined the developmental relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension using a two-year and four-wave cross-lagged design with a sample of 149 Chinese children (80 male and 69 female. We measured children’s morphological awareness, word reading, and reading comprehension from T1 to T4, in addition to phonological awareness, vocabulary knowledge, and general cognitive ability at T1 as control measures. Four plausible cross-lagged models were assessed and compared to examine the direction of the developmental relationships between morphological awareness and reading comprehension over time. Results found support for a reciprocal-causation model, that is, morphological awareness stably predicted subsequent reading comprehension, and the reverse relation was also found. Longitudinal mediation analyses revealed that word reading partially mediated the relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension in Chinese children. These findings extend our understanding of the relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension. The practical implications for these two developing skills in Chinese children are discussed.
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Nurie, Yenus
2017-01-01
Various studies investigating psychological variables associated with reading comprehension are currently available. However, there has been little linguistic research conducted to examine the pedagogical practices of teachers in teaching reading comprehension of EFL Secondary Schools, Ethiopia. The present study was conducted to fill the research…
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Daniel J G Lahr
Full Text Available Evolutionary relationships within Amoebozoa have been the subject of controversy for two reasons: 1 paucity of morphological characters in traditional surveys and 2 haphazard taxonomic sampling in modern molecular reconstructions. These along with other factors have prevented the erection of a definitive system that resolves confidently both higher and lower-level relationships. Additionally, the recent recognition that many protosteloid amoebae are in fact scattered throughout the Amoebozoa suggests that phylogenetic reconstructions have been excluding an extensive and integral group of organisms. Here we provide a comprehensive phylogenetic reconstruction based on 139 taxa using molecular information from both SSU-rDNA and actin genes. We provide molecular data for 13 of those taxa, 12 of which had not been previously characterized. We explored the dataset extensively by generating 18 alternative reconstructions that assess the effect of missing data, long-branched taxa, unstable taxa, fast evolving sites and inclusion of environmental sequences. We compared reconstructions with each other as well as against previously published phylogenies. Our analyses show that many of the morphologically established lower-level relationships (defined here as relationships roughly equivalent to Order level or below are congruent with molecular data. However, the data are insufficient to corroborate or reject the large majority of proposed higher-level relationships (above the Order-level, with the exception of Tubulinea, Archamoebae and Myxogastrea, which are consistently recovered. Moreover, contrary to previous expectations, the inclusion of available environmental sequences does not significantly improve the Amoebozoa reconstruction. This is probably because key amoebozoan taxa are not easily amplified by environmental sequencing methodology due to high rates of molecular evolution and regular occurrence of large indels and introns. Finally, in an effort
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Lahr, Daniel J G; Grant, Jessica; Nguyen, Truc; Lin, Jian Hua; Katz, Laura A
2011-01-01
Evolutionary relationships within Amoebozoa have been the subject of controversy for two reasons: 1) paucity of morphological characters in traditional surveys and 2) haphazard taxonomic sampling in modern molecular reconstructions. These along with other factors have prevented the erection of a definitive system that resolves confidently both higher and lower-level relationships. Additionally, the recent recognition that many protosteloid amoebae are in fact scattered throughout the Amoebozoa suggests that phylogenetic reconstructions have been excluding an extensive and integral group of organisms. Here we provide a comprehensive phylogenetic reconstruction based on 139 taxa using molecular information from both SSU-rDNA and actin genes. We provide molecular data for 13 of those taxa, 12 of which had not been previously characterized. We explored the dataset extensively by generating 18 alternative reconstructions that assess the effect of missing data, long-branched taxa, unstable taxa, fast evolving sites and inclusion of environmental sequences. We compared reconstructions with each other as well as against previously published phylogenies. Our analyses show that many of the morphologically established lower-level relationships (defined here as relationships roughly equivalent to Order level or below) are congruent with molecular data. However, the data are insufficient to corroborate or reject the large majority of proposed higher-level relationships (above the Order-level), with the exception of Tubulinea, Archamoebae and Myxogastrea, which are consistently recovered. Moreover, contrary to previous expectations, the inclusion of available environmental sequences does not significantly improve the Amoebozoa reconstruction. This is probably because key amoebozoan taxa are not easily amplified by environmental sequencing methodology due to high rates of molecular evolution and regular occurrence of large indels and introns. Finally, in an effort to facilitate
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Working memory contributions to reading comprehension components in middle childhood children.
Chrysochoou, Elisavet; Bablekou, Zoe; Tsigilis, Nikolaos
2011-01-01
This study examined working memory contributions to reading comprehension subskills in Greek children (mean age 9 years, 1 month). The phonological loop of the Baddeley and Hitch working memory model was assessed with 3 recall tasks (words, nonwords, and digits) and a word list matching task. The central executive (CE) was assessed with 3 tasks (listening, counting, and backward digit recall). Participants were also given a receptive vocabulary task, a reading fluency task, and written stories accompanied by comprehension questions. Canonical correlation analyses showed that the comprehension variables were related to the CE rather than the phonological loop measures. CE functions were more strongly associated with elaborative inference generation (involving significant offline processing) and comprehension control (involving metacognitive monitoring). Smaller yet significant associations were observed between the CE and the necessary inference and literal comprehension measures, whereas a moderate relationship was found in the case of the simile comprehension variable. Among the CE variables, listening recall demonstrated the highest loading on the canonical function, followed by moderate yet significant counting and backward digit recall loadings. Vocabulary was found to fully mediate several associations between working memory and comprehension measures; however, the relationship between listening recall and elaborative inferences was partly mediated. Reading fluency and, on several occasions, Greek vocabulary knowledge did not mediate the relationships between CE measures and comprehension skills assessed. This study demonstrates the usefulness of CE measures for identifying young children's possible difficulties in carrying out specific reading comprehension processes.
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Dielectric properties and conductivity of carbon nanofiber/semi-crystalline polymer composites
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sui, G.; Jana, S.; Zhong, W.H.; Fuqua, M.A.; Ulven, C.A.
2008-01-01
The properties of semi-crystalline polymer nanocomposites are affected by the nanofillers directly and indirectly, as two phases, i.e., crystalline and amorphous, exist in the polymer. The effects of nanofillers on the two phases could be competitive. The dielectric properties and conductivity of carbon nanofibers (CNF)/semi-crystalline polymer nanocomposites are studied in this paper. CNF/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites are prepared in experiment by melt blending. The resulting morphology and crystalline structure are characterized by means of differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The PP nanocomposite containing 5 wt.% CNF exhibits a surprisingly high dielectric constant under wide sweep frequencies attended by low dielectric loss. Its dielectric constant is >600 under lower frequency, and remains >200 at a frequency of 4000 Hz. The electrical and thermal conductivities of the nanocomposites are studied, and enhancements are seen with increased CNF content. Theoretical analyses on the physical properties are carried out by applying the existing models. Research results indicate that a common commercial plastic with good comprehensive performance, which exhibited the potential for applications in advanced electronics, was obtained by a simple industry benign technique
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Improving participant comprehension in the informed consent process.
Cohn, Elizabeth; Larson, Elaine
2007-01-01
To critically analyze studies published within the past decade about participants' comprehension of informed consent in clinical research and to identify promising intervention strategies. Integrative review of literature. The Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. Inclusion criteria included studies (a) published between January 1, 1996 and January 1, 2007, (b) designed as descriptive or interventional studies of comprehension of informed consent for clinical research, (c) conducted in nonpsychiatric adult populations who were either patients or volunteer participants, (d) written in English, and (e) published in peer-reviewed journals. Of the 980 studies identified, 319 abstracts were screened, 154 studies were reviewed, and 23 met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies (57%) were descriptive, and 10 (43%) were interventional. Interventions tested included simplified written consent documents, multimedia approaches, and the use of a trained professional (consent educator) to assist in the consent process. Collectively, no single intervention strategy was consistently associated with improved comprehension. Studies also varied in regard to the definition of comprehension and the tools used to measure it. Despite increasing regulatory scrutiny, deficiencies still exist in participant comprehension of the research in which they participate, as well as differences in how comprehension is measured and assessed. No single intervention was identified as consistently successful for improving participant comprehension, and results indicated that any successful consent process should at a minimum include various communication modes and is likely to require one-to-one interaction with someone knowledgeable about the study.
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Thermal conductivity of REIn3 compounds
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mucha, J
2006-01-01
The results of measurements of the thermal conductivity of REIn 3 (RE Pr, Nd, Dy, Ho, Tm) compounds as a function of the temperature in the interval 4-300 K in the absence and in the presence of an external magnetic field of 8 T are presented. Except for PRIn 3 all the compounds are antiferromagnetic. YIn 3 was also measured as a reference compound. The results were analysed in the paramagnetic phase, where an influence of the crystalline electric field on the thermal conductivity was found. Drastic changes in the thermal conductivity were observed and analysed in the vicinity of the Neel temperature and in the antiferromagnetic phases of the compounds. Below the Neel temperature an additional magnon contribution to the thermal conductivity was separated out
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Takeuchi, Hikaru; Taki, Yasuyuki; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Asano, Kohei; Asano, Michiko; Sassa, Yuko; Yokota, Susumu; Kotozaki, Yuka; Nouchi, Rui; Kawashima, Ryuta
2015-02-04
There is a vast amount of evidence from psychological studies that the amount of parent-child interaction affects the development of children's verbal skills and knowledge. However, despite the vast amount of literature, brain structural development associated with the amount of parent-child interaction has never been investigated. In the present human study, we used voxel-based morphometry to measure regional gray matter density (rGMD) and examined cross-sectional correlations between the amount of time spent with parents and rGMD among 127 boys and 135 girls. We also assessed correlations between the amount of time spent with parents and longitudinal changes that occurred a few years later among 106 boys and 102 girls. After correcting for confounding factors, we found negative effects of spending time with parents on rGMD in areas in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) via cross-sectional analyses as well as in the contingent areas of the right STG. We also confirmed positive effects of spending time with parents on the Verbal Comprehension score in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. rGMD in partly overlapping or contingent areas of the right STG was negatively correlated with age and the Verbal Comprehension score in cross-sectional analyses. Subsequent analyses revealed verbal parent-child interactions have similar effects on Verbal Comprehension scores and rGMD in the right STG in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These findings indicate that parent-child interactions affect the right STG, which may be associated with verbal skills. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/352233-13$15.00/0.
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Dray, Amy J.; Selman, Robert L.
2011-01-01
This article explores the relationship between early adolescents' understanding of social issues and their comprehension of a fictional story about interracial conflict. It combines qualitative and quantitative analyses to examine the ways in which social awareness and reading comprehension skills may be interrelated when children and adolescents…
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Comprehensive Evaluation and Analysis of China's Mainstream Online Map Service Websites
Zhang, H.; Jiang, J.; Huang, W.; Wang, Q.; Gu, X.
2012-08-01
With the flourish development of China's Internet market, all kinds of users for map service demand is rising continually, within it contains tremendous commercial interests. Many internet giants have got involved in the field of online map service, and defined it as an important strategic product of the company. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate these online map service websites comprehensively with a model, and analyse the problems according to the evaluation results. Then some corresponding solving measures are proposed, which provides a theoretical and application guidance for the future development of fiercely competitive online map websites. The research consists of three stages: (a) the mainstream online map service websites in China are introduced and the present situation of them is analysed through visit, investigation, consultant, analysis and research. (b) a whole comprehensive evaluation quota system of online map service websites from the view of functions, layout, interaction design color position and so on, combining with the data indexes such as time efficiency, accuracy, objectivity and authority. (c) a comprehensive evaluation to these online map service websites is proceeded based on the fuzzy evaluation mathematical model, and the difficulty that measure the map websites quantitatively is solved.
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Cooling tower drift: comprehensive case study
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Laulainen, N.S.; Ulanski, S.L.
1979-01-01
A comprehensive experiment to study drift from mechanical drift cooling towers was conducted during June 1978 at the PG and E Pittsburg Power Plant. The data from this study will be used for validation of drift deposition models. Preliminary results show the effects of tower geometry and orientation with respect to the wind and to single- or two-tower operation. The effect of decreasing relative humidity during a test run can also be seen
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The Impact of Comprehensive School Nursing Services on Students' Academic Performance.
Kocoglu, Deniz; Emiroglu, Oya Nuran
2017-03-01
Introduction: School nursing services should be evaluated through health and academic outcomes of students; however, it is observed that the number of studies in this field is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of comprehensive school nursing services provided to 4th grade primary school students on academic performance of students. Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted with 31 students attending a randomly selected school in economic disadvantaged area in Turky. Correlation analysis, repeated measures analyses of variance, multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data with SPSS software. Results: At the end of school nursing practices, an increase was occurred in students' academic achievement grades whereas a decrease was occurred in absenteeism and academic procrastination behaviors. Whilst it was determined that nursing interventions including treatment/ procedure and surveillance was associated to the decrease of absenteeism, it also was discovered that the change in the health status of the student after nursing interventions was related to the increase of the academic achievement grade and the decrease of the academic procrastination behavior score. Conclusion: In this study, the conclusion that comprehensive school nursing services contributed positively to the academic performance of students has been reached. In addition, it can be suggested that effective school nursing services should include services such as acute-chronic disease treatment, first aid, health screening, health improvement-protection, health education, guidance and counseling and case management.
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The Impact of Comprehensive School Nursing Services on Students' Academic Performance
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Deniz Kocoglu
2017-03-01
Full Text Available Introduction: School nursing services should be evaluated through health and academic outcomes of students; however, it is observed that the number of studies in this field is limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of comprehensive school nursing services provided to 4th grade primary school students on academic performance of students. Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted with 31 students attending a randomly selected school in economic disadvantaged area in Turky. Correlation analysis, repeated measures analyses of variance, multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data with SPSS software. Results: At the end of school nursing practices, an increase was occurred in students’ academic achievement grades whereas a decrease was occurred in absenteeism and academic procrastination behaviors. Whilst it was determined that nursing interventions including treatment/ procedure and surveillance was associated to the decrease of absenteeism, it also was discovered that the change in the health status of the student after nursing interventions was related to the increase of the academic achievement grade and the decrease of the academic procrastination behavior score. Conclusion: In this study, the conclusion that comprehensive school nursing services contributed positively to the academic performance of students has been reached. In addition, it can be suggested that effective school nursing services should include services such as acute-chronic disease treatment, first aid, health screening, health improvement-protection, health education, guidance and counseling and case management.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kurihara, M.; Funatsu, K.; Ouchi, H. [Japan Oil Engineering Co., Tokyo (Japan); Masuda, Y. [Tokyo Univ., Tokyo (Japan). School of Engineering; Yamamoto, K. [Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Narita, H. [National Inst. of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo (Japan); Dallimore, S.R. [Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Geological Survey of Canada; Collett, T.S. [United States Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States); Hancock, S.H. [APA Petroleum Engineering Ltd., Calgary, AB (Canada)
2008-07-01
This paper described a series of pressure drawdown tests conducted to evaluate a modular formation dynamics tester (MDT) wireline tool. The tests were conducted at the Mallik methane hydrate (MH) reservoir as well as in MH reservoirs in Alaska over a period of several years. Production tests were also conducted to evaluate depressurization methods, and measure production and bottomhole pressure (BHP) below known MH stability pressures in order to estimate permeability and MH dissociation radius properties. The results of the tests were then history-matched using a numerical simulator. An analysis of the simulation study showed that the MDT tests were useful in estimating initial effective permeability levels in the presence of MH. However, wellbore storage erased important data used to indicate the radius of MH dissociation and effective permeability after partial MH dissociation. The study also showed that steady flow conditions must be established before obtaining solutions from history-matched production tests. Parameters accurately estimated using the MDT and production tests were outlined, and suggestions for future designs and analyses for MH reservoirs were presented. 14 refs., 7 tabs., 17 figs.
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Comprehension of atypical literary text and scholastic achievement
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Božin Aurel A.
2009-01-01
Full Text Available With the aim of gaining insight into literary text comprehension and the linkage between that comprehension and scholastic achievement during the first years of schooling, a research was conducted on the sample of 152 third and fourth grade pupils from one urban and one rural school. After having read silently a selected atypical excerpt from one literary text, interviewed pupils filled out the questionnaire constructed for the purposes of this research starting from the 11 categories of text comprehension singled out based on the theory of comprehension and interpretation of literary text and the current curriculum. In the first part of the research we applied the Children's orientation scale by Malka Margalit, and school marks were used as a measurement of scholastic achievement. Research results point out that, among other things, inferring on the basis of what has been read poses the greatest difficulty for third and fourth graders, that is, that almost three quarters of them are not capable of determining the meaning of some representative sentences from that text. In the positive sense, it was established that almost three quarters of them perceive beautiful poetic expressions and about 80% of them can at least to a certain extent recognize character descriptions, emotional situations and moods, that is, discover significant facts. Answers to the questions regarding the majority of categories of text comprehension are significantly correlated with scholastic achievement. As expected, the highest correlations between the measures on text comprehension categories are with the marks in native (Serbian language. Partial correlations between the measures on certain categories of text comprehension and measurements of scholastic achievement (excluding the influence of feeling of coherence are not significantly different from bivariate. Based on the obtained data, authors conclude that the utilized system of categories can be a useful tool for
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Lonchamp, F.
This is a presentation of the results of a factor analysis of a battery of tests intended to measure listening and reading comprehension in English as a second language. The analysis sought to answer the following questions: (1) whether the factor analysis method yields results when applied to tests which are not specifically designed for this…
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A Study on Strategies for Teaching Speaking and Reading Comprehension Skills
AHMAD; Prof. Dr.I Ketut Seken,MA; Dra. Luh Putu Artini, MA., Ph.D
2013-01-01
The central intention of this study was to analyze the English teachers’ strategies in teaching speaking and reading comprehension skills in SMPN 1 Selong. It was conducted to get detailed information about the students’ responses toward their teachers’ strategies in teaching speaking and reading comprehension skills. This study employed a qualitative research design. Necessary data were gathered using open-ended question, classroom observation, interview, and questionnaire. The result ...
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Berg, Selina Kikkenborg; Pedersen, Preben Ulrich; Zwisler, Ann-Dorthe
2015-01-01
year of psycho-educational follow-up focusing on modifiable factors associated with poor outcomes. Two primary outcomes, general health score (Short Form-36 (SF-36)) and peak oxygen uptake (VO2), were used. Post-hoc analyses included SF-36 and ICD therapy history.Results:Comprehensive cardiac...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Farideh Peyghambarian
2015-03-01
Full Text Available Online Formative Assessment (OFA improves EFL students’ reading comprehension enabling them to have a better performance in reading comprehension tests. To lend support to the above mentioned claim, a quasi-experimental study was conducted in Mashhad, Iran. 48 female lower intermediate EFL students took part in this study. Participants were assigned to control and treatment groups. Participants in both groups received a formative assessment program lasting for 10 sessions. Formative assessment in treatment group was conducted by the site itself, and participants in control group were assessed by the teacher. It was found that participants in treatment group significantly outperformed those in control group. This finding indicated OFA as an effective learning tool in EFL reading comprehension classrooms.
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Transitioning from Targeted to Comprehensive Mass Spectrometry Using Genetic Algorithms.
Jaffe, Jacob D; Feeney, Caitlin M; Patel, Jinal; Lu, Xiaodong; Mani, D R
2016-11-01
Targeted proteomic assays are becoming increasingly popular because of their robust quantitative applications enabled by internal standardization, and they can be routinely executed on high performance mass spectrometry instrumentation. However, these assays are typically limited to 100s of analytes per experiment. Considerable time and effort are often expended in obtaining and preparing samples prior to targeted analyses. It would be highly desirable to detect and quantify 1000s of analytes in such samples using comprehensive mass spectrometry techniques (e.g., SWATH and DIA) while retaining a high degree of quantitative rigor for analytes with matched internal standards. Experimentally, it is facile to port a targeted assay to a comprehensive data acquisition technique. However, data analysis challenges arise from this strategy concerning agreement of results from the targeted and comprehensive approaches. Here, we present the use of genetic algorithms to overcome these challenges in order to configure hybrid targeted/comprehensive MS assays. The genetic algorithms are used to select precursor-to-fragment transitions that maximize the agreement in quantification between the targeted and the comprehensive methods. We find that the algorithm we used provided across-the-board improvement in the quantitative agreement between the targeted assay data and the hybrid comprehensive/targeted assay that we developed, as measured by parameters of linear models fitted to the results. We also found that the algorithm could perform at least as well as an independently-trained mass spectrometrist in accomplishing this task. We hope that this approach will be a useful tool in the development of quantitative approaches for comprehensive proteomics techniques. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.
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Studying sustainable development at the intersection of conduct and counter-conduct
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Lindegaard, Laura Bang
analyses how these documents are participating in the continuous negotiations of the governmental rationalities of global citizenship that are an inevitable part of the dispersed governing of sustainable development. In more detail, the paper analyses how the Danish transportation initiative is co......) that is sensitive to the subtle effects of counter-conduct. The paper reports on an empirical study that tracks the connections between the UN’s Agenda 21 and a ‘local’ Agenda 21 initiative in a rural Danish municipality aiming at ‘greening’ citizens’ everyday transportation practices, and, secondly, the paper...
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Information filtering via biased heat conduction
Liu, Jian-Guo; Zhou, Tao; Guo, Qiang
2011-09-01
The process of heat conduction has recently found application in personalized recommendation [Zhou , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA PNASA60027-842410.1073/pnas.1000488107107, 4511 (2010)], which is of high diversity but low accuracy. By decreasing the temperatures of small-degree objects, we present an improved algorithm, called biased heat conduction, which could simultaneously enhance the accuracy and diversity. Extensive experimental analyses demonstrate that the accuracy on MovieLens, Netflix, and Delicious datasets could be improved by 43.5%, 55.4% and 19.2%, respectively, compared with the standard heat conduction algorithm and also the diversity is increased or approximately unchanged. Further statistical analyses suggest that the present algorithm could simultaneously identify users' mainstream and special tastes, resulting in better performance than the standard heat conduction algorithm. This work provides a creditable way for highly efficient information filtering.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Milani, Gabriele; Valente, Marco
2014-01-01
This study presents some results of a comprehensive numerical analysis on three masonry churches damaged by the recent Emilia-Romagna (Italy) seismic events occurred in May 2012. The numerical study comprises: (a) pushover analyses conducted with a commercial code, standard nonlinear material models and two different horizontal load distributions; (b) FE kinematic limit analyses performed using a non-commercial software based on a preliminary homogenization of the masonry materials and a subsequent limit analysis with triangular elements and interfaces; (c) kinematic limit analyses conducted in agreement with the Italian code and based on the a-priori assumption of preassigned failure mechanisms, where the masonry material is considered unable to withstand tensile stresses. All models are capable of giving information on the active failure mechanism and the base shear at failure, which, if properly made non-dimensional with the weight of the structure, gives also an indication of the horizontal peak ground acceleration causing the collapse of the church. The results obtained from all three models indicate that the collapse is usually due to the activation of partial mechanisms (apse, façade, lateral walls, etc.). Moreover the horizontal peak ground acceleration associated to the collapse is largely lower than that required in that seismic zone by the Italian code for ordinary buildings. These outcomes highlight that structural upgrading interventions would be extremely beneficial for the considerable reduction of the seismic vulnerability of such kind of historical structures
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Milani, Gabriele, E-mail: milani@stru.polimi.it; Valente, Marco, E-mail: milani@stru.polimi.it [Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan (Italy)
2014-10-06
This study presents some results of a comprehensive numerical analysis on three masonry churches damaged by the recent Emilia-Romagna (Italy) seismic events occurred in May 2012. The numerical study comprises: (a) pushover analyses conducted with a commercial code, standard nonlinear material models and two different horizontal load distributions; (b) FE kinematic limit analyses performed using a non-commercial software based on a preliminary homogenization of the masonry materials and a subsequent limit analysis with triangular elements and interfaces; (c) kinematic limit analyses conducted in agreement with the Italian code and based on the a-priori assumption of preassigned failure mechanisms, where the masonry material is considered unable to withstand tensile stresses. All models are capable of giving information on the active failure mechanism and the base shear at failure, which, if properly made non-dimensional with the weight of the structure, gives also an indication of the horizontal peak ground acceleration causing the collapse of the church. The results obtained from all three models indicate that the collapse is usually due to the activation of partial mechanisms (apse, façade, lateral walls, etc.). Moreover the horizontal peak ground acceleration associated to the collapse is largely lower than that required in that seismic zone by the Italian code for ordinary buildings. These outcomes highlight that structural upgrading interventions would be extremely beneficial for the considerable reduction of the seismic vulnerability of such kind of historical structures.
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Experimental and modeling study of forest fire effect on soil thermal conductivity
Kathleen M. Smits; Elizabeth Kirby; William J. Massman; Scott Baggett
2016-01-01
An understanding of soil thermal conductivity after a wildfire or controlled burn is important to land management and post-fire recovery efforts. Although soil thermal conductivity has been well studied for non-fire heated soils, comprehensive data that evaluate the long-term effect of extreme heating from a fire on the soil thermal conductivity are limited....
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Tighe, Elizabeth L.; Spencer, Mercedes; Schatschneider, Christopher
2015-01-01
This study rank ordered the contributive importance of several predictors of listening comprehension for third, seventh, and tenth graders. Principal components analyses revealed that a three-factor solution with fluency, reasoning, and working memory components provided the best fit across grade levels. Dominance analyses indicated that fluency…
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Night shift work and breast cancer risk: what do the meta-analyses tell us?
Pahwa, Manisha; Labrèche, France; Demers, Paul A
2018-05-22
Objectives This paper aims to compare results, assess the quality, and discuss the implications of recently published meta-analyses of night shift work and breast cancer risk. Methods A comprehensive search was conducted for meta-analyses published from 2007-2017 that included at least one pooled effect size (ES) for breast cancer associated with any night shift work exposure metric and were accompanied by a systematic literature review. Pooled ES from each meta-analysis were ascertained with a focus on ever/never exposure associations. Assessments of heterogeneity and publication bias were also extracted. The AMSTAR 2 checklist was used to evaluate quality. Results Seven meta-analyses, published from 2013-2016, collectively included 30 cohort and case-control studies spanning 1996-2016. Five meta-analyses reported pooled ES for ever/never night shift work exposure; these ranged from 0.99 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95-1.03, N=10 cohort studies) to 1.40 (95% CI 1.13-1.73, N=9 high quality studies). Estimates for duration, frequency, and cumulative night shift work exposure were scant and mostly not statistically significant. Meta-analyses of cohort, Asian, and more fully-adjusted studies generally resulted in lower pooled ES than case-control, European, American, or minimally-adjusted studies. Most reported statistically significant between-study heterogeneity. Publication bias was not evident in any of the meta-analyses. Only one meta-analysis was strong in critical quality domains. Conclusions Fairly consistent elevated pooled ES were found for ever/never night shift work and breast cancer risk, but results for other shift work exposure metrics were inconclusive. Future evaluations of shift work should incorporate high quality meta-analyses that better appraise individual study quality.
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Do comprehensive schools reduce social mobility?
Boliver, Vikki; Swift, Adam
2011-03-01
This paper investigates the claim that the shift from a selective to a comprehensive school system had a deleterious effect on social mobility in Great Britain. Using data from the National Child Development Study, we compare the chances, for both class and income mobility, of those who attended different kinds of school. Where media attention focuses exclusively on the chances for upward mobility of those children from lowly origins who were (or would have been) judged worthy of selection into a grammar school, we offer more rounded analyses. We match respondents in a way that helps us to distinguish those inequalities in mobility chances that are due to differences between children from those due to differences between the schools they attended; we look at the effects of the school system on the mobility chances of all children, not merely those from less advantaged origins; and we compare comprehensive- and selective-system schools, not merely comprehensive and grammar schools. After matching, we find, first, that going to a grammar school rather than a comprehensive does not make low-origin children more likely to be upwardly mobile but it helps them move further if they are; second, that grammar schools do not benefit working-class children, in terms of class mobility, more than they benefit service-class children, but, in terms of income mobility, such schools benefit low-income children somewhat more than they benefit higher-income children - that benefit relating only to rather modest and limited movements within the income distribution. Finally, however, the selective system as a whole yields no mobility advantage of any kind to children from any particular origins: any assistance to low-origin children provided by grammar schools is cancelled out by the hindrance suffered by those who attended secondary moderns. Overall, our findings suggest that comprehensive schools were as good for mobility as the selective schools they replaced. © London School of
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Liu, Ruihua; Wang, Rong; Liu, Qunying; Yang, Li; Xi, Chuan; Wang, Wei; Li, Lingzhou; Zhao, Zhoufang; Zhou, Ying
2018-02-01
With China’s new energy generation grid connected capacity being in the forefront of the world and the uncertainty of new energy sources, such as wind energy and solar energy, it is be of great significance to study scientific and comprehensive assessment of power quality. On the foundation of analysizing the current power quality index systematically and objectively, the new energy grid power quality analysis method and comprehensive evaluation method, this paper tentatively explored the trend of the new generation of energy system power quality comprehensive evaluation.
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Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation
... Facts for Families Guide Facts for Families - Vietnamese Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation No. 52; Updated October 2017 Evaluation ... with serious emotional and behavioral problems need a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. Comprehensive psychiatric evaluations usually require a ...
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Hens, Kristien; Dondorp, Wybo J; Geraedts, Joep P M; de Wert, Guido M
2013-05-01
What do scientists in the field of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) consider to be the future direction of comprehensive embryo testing? Although there are many biological and technical limitations, as well as uncertainties regarding the meaning of genetic variation, comprehensive embryo testing will impact the IVF/PGD practice and a timely ethical reflection is needed. Comprehensive testing using microarrays is currently being introduced in the context of PGD and PGS, and it is to be expected that whole-genome sequencing will also follow. Current ethical and empirical sociological research on embryo testing focuses on PGD as it is practiced now. However, empirical research and systematic reflection regarding the impact of comprehensive techniques for embryo testing is missing. In order to understand the potential of this technology and to be able to adequately foresee its implications, we held an expert panel with seven pioneers in PGD. We conducted an expert panel in October 2011 with seven PGD pioneers from Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and the UK. Participants expected the use of comprehensive techniques in the context of PGD. However, the introduction of these techniques in embryo testing requires timely ethical reflection as it involves a shift from choosing an embryo without a particular genetic disease (i.e. PGD) or most likely to result in a successful pregnancy (i.e. PGS) to choosing the best embryo based on a much wider set of criteria. Such ethical reflection should take account of current technical and biological limitations and also of current uncertainties with regard to the meaning of genetic variance. However, ethicists should also not be afraid to look into the future. There was a general agreement that embryo testing will be increasingly preceded by comprehensive preconception screening, thus enabling smart combinations of genetic testing. The group was composed of seven participants from
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COMAN: a web server for comprehensive metatranscriptomics analysis.
Ni, Yueqiong; Li, Jun; Panagiotou, Gianni
2016-08-11
Microbiota-oriented studies based on metagenomic or metatranscriptomic sequencing have revolutionised our understanding on microbial ecology and the roles of both clinical and environmental microbes. The analysis of massive metatranscriptomic data requires extensive computational resources, a collection of bioinformatics tools and expertise in programming. We developed COMAN (Comprehensive Metatranscriptomics Analysis), a web-based tool dedicated to automatically and comprehensively analysing metatranscriptomic data. COMAN pipeline includes quality control of raw reads, removal of reads derived from non-coding RNA, followed by functional annotation, comparative statistical analysis, pathway enrichment analysis, co-expression network analysis and high-quality visualisation. The essential data generated by COMAN are also provided in tabular format for additional analysis and integration with other software. The web server has an easy-to-use interface and detailed instructions, and is freely available at http://sbb.hku.hk/COMAN/ CONCLUSIONS: COMAN is an integrated web server dedicated to comprehensive functional analysis of metatranscriptomic data, translating massive amount of reads to data tables and high-standard figures. It is expected to facilitate the researchers with less expertise in bioinformatics in answering microbiota-related biological questions and to increase the accessibility and interpretation of microbiota RNA-Seq data.
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Children's hypertext comprehension
Segers, P.C.J.; Segers, E.; Broek, P. van den
2017-01-01
The present chapter gives an overview of the literature on hypertext comprehension, children's hypertext comprehension and individual variation therein, ending with a perspective for future research. Hypertext comprehension requires the reader to make bridging inferences between the different parts
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Using Anticipatory Reading Guides to Improve Elementary Students' Comprehension
Ortlieb, Evan
2013-01-01
One of the greatest challenges of an elementary school teacher is equipping students with comprehension strategies that transfer to all content areas. With stable levels of reading achievement over the last two decades in the United States, it is necessary that further research be conducted on methods of increasing students' comprehension…
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College Student Utilization of a Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program
Mitchell, Sharon L.; Kader, Mahrin; Haggerty, Melinda Z.; Bakhai, Yogesh D.; Warren, Calvert G.
2013-01-01
The authors sought to identify college students at risk for experiencing a mental health crisis that warranted a psychiatric evaluation at a hospital and/or a psychiatric hospitalization. A retrospective chart review of college students evaluated at a comprehensive psychiatric emergency program during a 1-year period was conducted. Demographic…
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Mancilla-Martinez, Jeannette; Lesaux, Nonie K
2010-08-01
This longitudinal study examined the process of English reading comprehension at age 11 for 173 low achieving Spanish-speaking children. The influence of growth rates, from early childhood (age 4.5) to pre-adolescence (age 11), in vocabulary and word reading skills on this complex process were evaluated using structural equation modeling. Standardized measures of word reading accuracy and productive vocabulary were administered annually, in English and Spanish, and English reading comprehension measures were administered at age 11. Latent growth curve analyses revealed that English skills accounted for all unique variance in English reading comprehension outcomes. Further, expected developmental shifts in the influence of word reading and vocabulary skills over time were not shown, likely on account of students' below grade level reading comprehension achievement. This work underscores the need for theoretical models of comprehension to account for students' skill profiles and abilities.
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Srivastava, Anugamini Priya; Dhar, Rajib Lochan
2016-01-01
Purpose: This study aims to analyse the impact of authentic leadership (AL) on academic optimism (AO) through the mediating role of affective commitment (AC). As this study also examines the moderating role of training comprehensiveness (TC) in strengthening the relation between AC and AO. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from…
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MASER: Measuring, Analysing, Simulating low frequency Radio Emissions.
Cecconi, B.; Le Sidaner, P.; Savalle, R.; Bonnin, X.; Zarka, P. M.; Louis, C.; Coffre, A.; Lamy, L.; Denis, L.; Griessmeier, J. M.; Faden, J.; Piker, C.; André, N.; Genot, V. N.; Erard, S.; King, T. A.; Mafi, J. N.; Sharlow, M.; Sky, J.; Demleitner, M.
2017-12-01
The MASER (Measuring, Analysing and Simulating Radio Emissions) project provides a comprehensive infrastructure dedicated to low frequency radio emissions (typically Radioastronomie de Nançay and the CDPP deep archive. These datasets include Cassini/RPWS, STEREO/Waves, WIND/Waves, Ulysses/URAP, ISEE3/SBH, Voyager/PRA, Nançay Decameter Array (Routine, NewRoutine, JunoN), RadioJove archive, swedish Viking mission, Interball/POLRAD... MASER also includes a Python software library for reading raw data.
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Calibration of a reading comprehension test for Portuguese students
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Irene Cadime
2014-10-01
Full Text Available Reading comprehension assessments are important for determining which students are performing below the expected levels for their grade's normative group. However, instruments measuring this competency should also be able to assess students' gains in reading comprehension as they move from one grade to the next. In this paper, we present the construction and calibration process of three vertically scaled test forms of an original reading comprehension test to assess second, third and fourth grade students. A sample of 843 students was used. Rasch model analyses were employed during the following three phases of this study: (a analysis of the items' pool, (b item selection for the test forms, and (c test forms' calibration. Results suggest that a one dimension structure underlies the data. Mean-square residuals (infit and outfit indicated that the data fitted the model. Thirty items were assigned to each test form, by selecting the most adequate items for each grade in terms of difficulty. The reliability coefficients for each test form were high. Limitations and potentialities of the developed test forms are discussed.
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Readability and comprehension of self-report binge eating measures.
Richards, Lauren K; McHugh, R Kathryn; Pratt, Elizabeth M; Thompson-Brenner, Heather
2013-04-01
The validity of self-report binge eating instruments among individuals with limited literacy is uncertain. This study aims to evaluate reading grade level and multiple domains of comprehension of 13 commonly used self-report assessments of binge eating for use in low-literacy populations. We evaluated self-report binge eating measures with respect to reading grade levels, measure length, formatting and linguistic problems. All measures were written at a reading grade level higher than is recommended for patient materials (above the 5th to 6th grade level), and contained several challenging elements related to comprehension. Correlational analyses suggested that readability and comprehension elements were distinct contributors to measure difficulty. Individuals with binge eating who have low levels of educational attainment or limited literacy are often underrepresented in measure validation studies. Validity of measures and accurate assessment of symptoms depend on an individual's ability to read and comprehend instructions and items, and these may be compromised in populations with lower levels of literacy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Evaluation of long-term patient satisfaction and experience with the Baha(®) bone conduction implant
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rasmussen, Jacob; Olsen, Steen Østergaard; Nielsen, Lars Holme
2012-01-01
Objective: Evaluate long-term patient satisfaction with bone-anchored hearing aids (the Baha(R), now referred to by Cochlear as a 'bone conduction implant') in our hospital clinic spanning the eighteen-year period from the inception of our Baha program. The researchers further wished to analyse...... the various factors leading to patient satisfaction/dissatisfaction with their Baha. We developed a new questionnaire to obtain a comprehensive impression of individual patient practices, general satisfaction, and experiences with their Baha in respect to time spent using Baha, sound quality, annoyance from...... noise disturbance, ease of communication, cosmetic appearance, and satisfaction with the Baha amongst patient relatives, an aspect not previously investigated. Design: The study design was retrospective and executed as a postal questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by the authors of this paper...
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COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS OF CHINA’S MAINSTREAM ONLINE MAP SERVICE WEBSITES
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
H. Zhang
2012-08-01
Full Text Available With the flourish development of China's Internet market, all kinds of users for map service demand is rising continually, within it contains tremendous commercial interests. Many internet giants have got involved in the field of online map service, and defined it as an important strategic product of the company. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate these online map service websites comprehensively with a model, and analyse the problems according to the evaluation results. Then some corresponding solving measures are proposed, which provides a theoretical and application guidance for the future development of fiercely competitive online map websites. The research consists of three stages: (a the mainstream online map service websites in China are introduced and the present situation of them is analysed through visit, investigation, consultant, analysis and research. (b a whole comprehensive evaluation quota system of online map service websites from the view of functions, layout, interaction design color position and so on, combining with the data indexes such as time efficiency, accuracy, objectivity and authority. (c a comprehensive evaluation to these online map service websites is proceeded based on the fuzzy evaluation mathematical model, and the difficulty that measure the map websites quantitatively is solved.
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Awayn, N H; Rosenberg, M F; Kamis, A B; Aleksandrov, L A; Riordan, J R; Ford, R C
2005-11-01
Cystic fibrosis, one of the major human inherited diseases, is caused by defects in the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator), a cell-membrane protein. CFTR acts as a chloride channel which can be opened by ATP. Low-resolution structural studies of purified recombinant human CFTR are described in the present paper. Localization of the C-terminal decahistidine tag in CFTR was achieved by Ni2+-nitriloacetate nanogold labelling, followed by electron microscopy and single-particle analysis. The presence of the gold label appears to improve the single-particle-alignment procedure. Projection structures of CFTR from two-dimensional crystals analysed by electron crystallography displayed two alternative conformational states in the presence of nucleotide and nanogold, but only one form of the protein was observed in the quiescent (nucleotide-free) state.
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Comprehensive treatment of generalized parodontitis.
Mdinaradze, N
2006-06-01
The complexity of pathogenesis of periodontitis makes the use of comprehensive treatment necessary. We observed 60 patients, 20 women and 40 men among them aged from 20 to 50. In the course of parodontitis, we determined the intensity of inflammatory-destructive changes (Pi) in the course of periodontitis, the degree of fang denudation, the depth of gum and parodontal recesses, degree of the teeth becoming loose; we conducted the microbiological study of the oral cavity microflora and drew up an antibiotic graph. We included laser therapy in the comprehensive treatment course of generalized parodontitis. We divided the patients into two groups. The patients of the first group were treated in two stages. We used peridex, composed of chlorhexidine for antiseptic treatment of oral cavity. We used a combined solution of sage, eucalyptus, camomile and calendula to irrigate the oral cavity. At the second stage we used ointment applications with the composition of 3% indometacin, heparin, vitamins, sea-buckthorn oil and antibiotics. In the course of comprehensive treatment of the patients of the II group we included laser therapy. Our interest in the laser beam, as in the means of parodontitis treatment was stimulated by a number of properties of the laser beam and namely, its anti-inflammatory, desensitizing and antibacterial action promotes intensifying the reparation processes and does not entail any complications. The mentioned method has produced the best therapeutic results and has resulted in the reduced treatment period.
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Implicational Scaling of Reading Comprehension Construct: Is it Deterministic or Probabilistic?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Parisa Daftarifard
2016-05-01
In English as a Second Language Teaching and Testing situations, it is common to infer about learners’ reading ability based on his or her total score on a reading test. This assumes the unidimensional and reproducible nature of reading items. However, few researches have been conducted to probe the issue through psychometric analyses. In the present study, the IELTS exemplar module C (1994 was administered to 503 Iranian students of various reading comprehension ability levels. Both the deterministic and probabilistic psychometric models of unidimensionality were employed to examine the plausible existence of implicational scaling among reading items in the mentioned reading test. Based on the results, it was concluded that the reading data in this study did not show a deterministic unidimensional scale (Guttman scaling; rather, it revealed a probabilistic one (Rasch model. As the person map of the measures failed to show a meaningful hierarchical order for the items, these results call into question the assumption of implicational scaling that is normally practiced in scoring reading items.
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Tang, Chaoying; Zhang, Jishuai; Han, Weiju; Shen, Weidong; Liu, Jun; Hou, Zhaohui; Dai, Pu; Yang, Shiming; Han, Dongyi
2016-05-01
To analyze the clinical characteristics of unilateral conductive hearing loss with intact tympanic membrane, and summarize the key diagnostic points, differential diagnosis and observe the effects of surgical treatment. We reviewed data from 82 patients with unilateral conductive hearing loss with intact tympanic membranes who accepted the exploratory tympanotomy from April 2011 to September 2013. There were 41 males and 41 females, aged from 7 to 66( averaged 26.5±13.7)years, with a history of one month to 50 years. The history, clinical symptoms, audiological evaluation, high resolution temporal bone CT, the results of surgical exploration and hearing reconstruction were analyzed. The exploratory tympanotomy revealed 43 cases of congenital middle ear malformations (52.4%), 22 cases of otosclerosis (26.8%), eight cases of congenital cholesteatoma (9.8%), six cases of trauma induced conductive hearing loss (7.3%), three cases of congenital ossicular malformations with congenital cholesteatoma (3.7%). Progressive hearing loss was common in patients with otosclerosis and congenital cholesteatoma, and patients with congenital middle ear malformations described their hearing loss since childhood. High resolution temporal bone CT of congenital middle ear malformation, trauma induced conductive hearing loss, congenital cholesteatoma diagnosis rate was 40.0%, 50.0%, and 83.3% respectively. The preoperative air-conductive threshold of patients with absence of the oval window were increased to (66.9±1.1)dBHL, the preoperative bone-conductive threshold achieved (28.3±10.4)dBHL at 2 000 Hz. While patients with stapes fixation and that with ossicular chain discontinuity were (27.2±9.7)dBHL and (17.8±8.8)dBHL(P=0.000)respectively. Through the tympanic exploration with endaural incision under the microscope, different hearing reconstruction were applied according to different lesions. After the operation, the hearing level of 52 patients with return visit were improved, the
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
DESMA YULISA
2018-05-01
Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to identify the correlation and the influence between listening strategies and listening comprehension. The eleventh grade students were selected as participants of this study. The instruments used in this research were listening strategies questionaire adapted from Lee (1997 and modified by Ho (2006 (as cited Golchi, 2012, and listening comprehension test conducted to measure students’ listening comprehension. Pearson product moment, regression analysis, R-square were used to find out the correlation and the influence between variables. The result revealed that there was a significant correlation between listening strategies and listening comprehension with r = .516. Besides, there was also a significant influence of listening strategies on listening comprehension with 26.6 %. This study could have implications for English language teachers, course designers, learners, and text book writers.
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Development of Chinese HTR-PM pebble bed equivalent conductivity test facility
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ren, Cheng; Yang, Xingtuan; Jiang, Shengyao [Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). Inst. of Nuclear and New Energy Technology
2016-01-15
The first two 250-MWt high-temperature reactor pebble bed modules (HTR-PM) have been installing at the Shidaowan plant in Shandong Province, China. The values of the effective thermal conductivity of the pebble bed core are essential parameters for the design. For their determination, Tsinghua University in China has proposed a full-scale heat transfer experiment to conduct comprehensive thermal transfer tests in packed pebble bed and to determine the effective thermal conductivity.
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Comprehensive overview of FPL field testing conducted in the tropics (1945-2005)
Grant T. Kirker; Stan L. Lebow; Mark E. Mankowski
2016-01-01
Tropical exposure often represents a more severe environment for treated wood and wood based products. Accelerated tropical decay rates are typically attributed to higher mean rainfall and temperatures. The Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in Madison, WI has been conducting tropical field tests in a variety of locations since the early 1940âs. This paper summarizes FPL...
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Epistemological and Reading Beliefs Profiles and Their Role in Multiple Text Comprehension
Mateos, Mar; Solé, Isabel; Martín, Elena; Castells, Nuria; Cuevas, Isabel; González-Lamas, Jara
2016-01-01
Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyse the role of epistemological beliefs and reading beliefs in the comprehension of multiple texts which presented conflicting positions about a controversial topic (nuclear energy). More specifically, we investigated the influence of the multidimensional configuration of epistemological and reading…
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Comprehensive management of project changes
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Aljaž Stare
2010-06-01
Full Text Available The goal of this research was to examine how project changes can be prevented, and how to reduce their negative impact. Theoretical research examined risk management, project control and change management. Based on the study a “Comprehensive Change Management Model” was developed and verified after conducting empirical research in Slovenian enterprises. The research confirmed that risk management identifies possible changes and reduces their impact; project control ensures the timely detection of changes and an efficient response, while formal change management ensures the effective implementation of changes. The combined functioning of all three areas ensures effective project execution.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hossein Abolfathiasl
2013-11-01
Full Text Available This paper analyses and upgrades taxonomies of strategies and structures for the speech act of suggesting based on existing taxonomies and classifications in the pragmatics research literature. Previous studies have focused mainly on linguistic structures used to perform the speech act of suggesting. Thus, there seems to be a need to provide a more comprehensive set of taxonomies for structures as well as strategies that can be used in EFL/ESL classrooms and for research on the speech act of suggesting. To this end, the speech act of suggesting is defined first and the features of this speech act are discussed. Second, the most recent classifications proposed for structures and linguistic realization strategies for suggestions were analysed and contrasted and a more comprehensive taxonomy of structures and linguistic realization strategies is provided, based on previous taxonomies. Finally, taxonomy of politeness strategies in making suggestions are provided, based on recent studies in cross-cultural pragmatics research.
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Comprehensive overview of prostatitis.
Khan, Farhan Ullah; Ihsan, Awais Ullah; Khan, Hidayat Ullah; Jana, Ruby; Wazir, Junaid; Khongorzul, Puregmaa; Waqar, Muhammad; Zhou, Xiaohui
2017-10-01
Prostatitis is a common urinary tract syndrome that many doctors find problematic to treat effectively. It is the third most commonly found urinary tract disease in men after prostate cancer and Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH). Prostatitis may account for 25% of all office visits made to the urological clinics complaining about the genital and urinary systems all over the world. In the present study, we classified prostatitis and comprehensively elaborated the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of acute bacterial prostatitis (category I), chronic bacterial prostatitis (category II), chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) (category III), and asymptomatic prostatitis (category IV). In addition, we also tried to get some insights about other types of prostatitis-like fungal, viral and gonococcal prostatitis. The aim of this review is to present the detail current perspective of prostatitis in a single review. To the best of our knowledge currently, there is not a single comprehensive review, which can completely elaborate this important topic in an effective way. Furthermore, this review will provide a solid platform to conduct future studies on different aspects such as risk factors, mechanism of pathogenesis, proper diagnosis, and rational treatment plans for fungal, viral, and gonococcal prostatitis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
R. Andrew Moore
2018-01-01
Full Text Available We compared the efficacy of diclofenac potassium in unpublished clinical study reports (CSRs and published reports to examine publication bias, industry bias, and comprehensiveness. Novartis provided CSRs of randomised double-blind trials of diclofenac potassium involving postoperative patients following third molar extraction (3 trials, n=519, gynaecological surgery (3 trials, n=679, and dysmenorrhoea (2 trials, n=711 conducted in 1988–1990. Searches identified published reports of 6 trials. Information from 599/1909 patients was not published; trials with 846/1909 patients were published in a defunct journal. Greater methodological information in CSRs contributed to lesser risk of bias than published trials. Numbers needed to treat (NNT from CSRs for all six postoperative trials for at least 50% of maximum pain relief over 6 h were 2.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.9–2.6 and 2.1 (1.8–2.4 for 50 and 100 mg diclofenac potassium, respectively. A Cochrane review of published trial data reported NNTs of 2.1 and 1.9, and one comprehensive analysis reported NNTs of 2.2 and 2.1, respectively. All analyses had similar results for patients remedicating within 8 h. No data from dysmenorrhoea CSRs appeared in a Cochrane review. CSRs provide useful information and increase confidence. Stable efficacy estimates with standard study designs reduce the need for updating reviews.
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AbdulSabur, Nuria Y; Xu, Yisheng; Liu, Siyuan; Chow, Ho Ming; Baxter, Miranda; Carson, Jessica; Braun, Allen R
2014-08-01
The neural correlates of narrative production and comprehension remain poorly understood. Here, using positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), contrast and functional network connectivity analyses we comprehensively characterize the neural mechanisms underlying these complex behaviors. Eighteen healthy subjects told and listened to fictional stories during scanning. In addition to traditional language areas (e.g., left inferior frontal and posterior middle temporal gyri), both narrative production and comprehension engaged regions associated with mentalizing and situation model construction (e.g., dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and inferior parietal lobules) as well as neocortical premotor areas, such as the pre-supplementary motor area and left dorsal premotor cortex. Narrative comprehension alone showed marked bilaterality, activating right hemisphere homologs of perisylvian language areas. Narrative production remained predominantly left lateralized, uniquely activating executive and motor-related regions essential to language formulation and articulation. Connectivity analyses revealed strong associations between language areas and the superior and middle temporal gyri during both tasks. However, only during storytelling were these same language-related regions connected to cortical and subcortical motor regions. In contrast, during story comprehension alone, they were strongly linked to regions supporting mentalizing. Thus, when employed in a more complex, ecologically-valid context, language production and comprehension show both overlapping and idiosyncratic patterns of activation and functional connectivity. Importantly, in each case the language system is integrated with regions that support other cognitive and sensorimotor domains. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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Cai, Jizhe; Naraghi, Mohammad
2016-08-01
In this work, a comprehensive multi-resolution two-dimensional (2D) resistor network model is proposed to analyze the electrical conductivity of hybrid nanomaterials made of insulating matrix with conductive particles such as CNT reinforced nanocomposites and thick film resistors. Unlike existing approaches, our model takes into account the impenetrability of the particles and their random placement within the matrix. Moreover, our model presents a detailed description of intra-particle conductivity via finite element analysis, which to the authors’ best knowledge has not been addressed before. The inter-particle conductivity is assumed to be primarily due to electron tunneling. The model is then used to predict the electrical conductivity of electrospun carbon nanofibers as a function of microstructural parameters such as turbostratic domain alignment and aspect ratio. To simulate the microstructure of single CNF, randomly positioned nucleation sites were seeded and grown as turbostratic particles with anisotropic growth rates. Particle growth was in steps and growth of each particle in each direction was stopped upon contact with other particles. The study points to the significant contribution of both intra-particle and inter-particle conductivity to the overall conductivity of hybrid composites. Influence of particle alignment and anisotropic growth rate ratio on electrical conductivity is also discussed. The results show that partial alignment in contrast to complete alignment can result in maximum electrical conductivity of whole CNF. High degrees of alignment can adversely affect conductivity by lowering the probability of the formation of a conductive path. The results demonstrate approaches to enhance electrical conductivity of hybrid materials through controlling their microstructure which is applicable not only to carbon nanofibers, but also many other types of hybrid composites such as thick film resistors.
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Cognitive Style and EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension Ability
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mandana Yousefi
2011-07-01
Full Text Available Abstract The current study aimed to investigate whether, and to what extent, there is a relationship between field independence / dependence cognitive styles and Iranian EFL learners' listening comprehension ability. For this purpose, a sample population of 131 Subjects was randomly selected. A battery of tests including: a the Group Embedded Figures Test (1971, b the TOFEL listening test (1995, c the listening task preference questionnaire, and d the Michigan ECPE test (1996 were administered. The data analysis showed that the correlation between the TOFEL and the GEFT scores for FD learners (both males and females was significant(r =0.70, and higher scores on the GEFT led to an increase in the FD learners TOFEL scores. Conducting one-way and two-way ANOVAs, it was suggested that while there was a relationship between cognitive style and listening comprehension (F= 18.02 and also no relationship between sex and listening comprehension (F=0.267, the interactional effect was significant (f = 7.03. Therefore, sex can be regarded as a source of performance difference in listening comprehension but not by itself and it seems that the interaction of sex and cognitive style can have a stronger effect on this skill. Regarding the learners’ preference toward the different parts of the TOEFL listening section, most learners favored the short conversations, informal assessment, and one item/one conversation, however, the FI ones did better on the longer conversations of the second and the third parts of the TOEFL listening test. Keywords: Cognitive style, Field dependence, Field independence, Listening comprehension.
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Promoting Tenth Graders’ Reading Comprehension of Academic Texts in the English Class
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Claudia Quiroga Carrillo
2010-10-01
Full Text Available This article reports on an action research project conducted in a public school in Bogotá, Colombia, with tenth grade students. We decided to develop it because of the students' needs as well as the emphasis of the PEI (Proyecto Educativo Institucional = School Institutional Project, which is based on the requisite of improving reading comprehension. The project focused on the implementation of four lesson plans in which five reading strategies were applied. They were reading speed, non-text information, word attack skills, text attack and discursive strategies. Data collection was conducted by using observation, journals, interviews and questionnaires. These instruments provided information about the level of improvement in reading comprehension and evidenced advances in the students' performance when they read an academic text in English.
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Thermal conductivity degradation analyses of LWR MOX fuel by the quasi-two phase material model
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kosaka, Yuji; Kurematsu, Shigeru; Kitagawa, Takaaki; Suzuki, Akihiro; Terai, Takayuki
2012-01-01
The temperature measurements of mixed oxide (MOX) and UO 2 fuels during irradiation suggested that the thermal conductivity degradation rate of the MOX fuel with burnup should be slower than that of the UO 2 fuel. In order to explain the difference of the degradation rates, the quasi-two phase material model is proposed to assess the thermal conductivity degradation of the MIMAS MOX fuel, which takes into account the Pu agglomerate distributions in the MOX fuel matrix as fabricated. As a result, the quasi-two phase model calculation shows the gradual increase of the difference with burnup and may expect more than 10% higher thermal conductivity values around 75 GWd/t. While these results are not fully suitable for thermal conductivity degradation models implemented by some industrial fuel manufacturers, they are consistent with the results from the irradiation tests and indicate that the inhomogeneity of Pu content in the MOX fuel can be one of the major reasons for the moderation of the thermal conductivity degradation of the MOX fuel. (author)
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Fully coupled heat conduction and deformation analyses of visco-elastic solids
Khan, Kamran
2012-04-21
Visco-elastic materials are known for their capability of dissipating energy. This energy is converted into heat and thus changes the temperature of the materials. In addition to the dissipation effect, an external thermal stimulus can also alter the temperature in a viscoelastic body. The rate of stress relaxation (or the rate of creep) and the mechanical and physical properties of visco-elastic materials, such as polymers, vary with temperature. This study aims at understanding the effect of coupling between the thermal and mechanical response that is attributed to the dissipation of energy, heat conduction, and temperature-dependent material parameters on the overall response of visco-elastic solids. The non-linearly viscoelastic constitutive model proposed by Schapery (Further development of a thermodynamic constitutive theory: stress formulation, 1969,Mech. Time-Depend. Mater. 1:209-240, 1997) is used and modified to incorporate temperature- and stress-dependent material properties. This study also formulates a non-linear energy equation along with a dissipation function based on the Gibbs potential of Schapery (Mech. Time-Depend. Mater. 1:209-240, 1997). A numerical algorithm is formulated for analyzing a fully coupled thermo-visco-elastic response and implemented it in a general finite-element (FE) code. The non-linear stress- and temperature-dependent material parameters are found to have significant effects on the coupled thermo-visco-elastic response of polymers considered in this study. In order to obtain a realistic temperature field within the polymer visco-elastic bodies undergoing a non-uniform heat generation, the role of heat conduction cannot be ignored. © Springer Science+Business Media, B. V. 2012.
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Low working memory capacity is only spuriously related to poor reading comprehension.
Van Dyke, Julie A; Johns, Clinton L; Kukona, Anuenue
2014-06-01
Accounts of comprehension failure, whether in the case of readers with poor skill or when syntactic complexity is high, have overwhelmingly implicated working memory capacity as the key causal factor. However, extant research suggests that this position is not well supported by evidence on the span of active memory during online sentence processing, nor is it well motivated by models that make explicit claims about the memory mechanisms that support language processing. The current study suggests that sensitivity to interference from similar items in memory may provide a better explanation of comprehension failure. Through administration of a comprehensive skill battery, we found that the previously observed association of working memory with comprehension is likely due to the collinearity of working memory with many other reading-related skills, especially IQ. In analyses which removed variance shared with IQ, we found that receptive vocabulary knowledge was the only significant predictor of comprehension performance in our task out of a battery of 24 skill measures. In addition, receptive vocabulary and non-verbal memory for serial order-but not simple verbal memory or working memory-were the only predictors of reading times in the region where interference had its primary affect. We interpret these results in light of a model that emphasizes retrieval interference and the quality of lexical representations as key determinants of successful comprehension. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Low working memory capacity is only spuriously related to poor reading comprehension
Van Dyke, Julie A.; Johns, Clinton L.; Kukona, Anuenue
2014-01-01
Accounts of comprehension failure, whether in the case of readers with poor skill or when syntactic complexity is high, have overwhelmingly implicated working memory capacity as the key causal factor. However, extant research suggests that this position is not well supported by evidence on the span of active memory during online sentence processing, nor is it well motivated by models that make explicit claims about the memory mechanisms that support language processing. The current study suggests that sensitivity to interference from similar items in memory may provide a better explanation of comprehension failure. Through administration of a comprehensive skill battery, we found that the previously observed association of working memory with comprehension is likely due to the collinearity of working memory with many other reading-related skills, especially IQ. In analyses which removed variance shared with IQ, we found that receptive vocabulary knowledge was the only significant predictor of comprehension performance in our task out of a battery of 24 skill measures. In addition, receptive vocabulary and non-verbal memory for serial order—but not simple verbal memory or working memory—were the only predictors of reading times in the region where interference had its primary affect. We interpret these results in light of a model that emphasizes retrieval interference and the quality of lexical representations as key determinants of successful comprehension. PMID:24657820
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Narrative comprehension and production in children with SLI: An eye movement study
ANDREU, LLORENÇ; SANZ-TORRENT, MONICA; OLMOS, JOAN GUÀRDIA; MACWHINNEY, BRIAN
2014-01-01
This study investigates narrative comprehension and production in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Twelve children with SLI (mean age 5; 8 years) and 12 typically developing children (mean age 5; 6 years) participated in an eye-tracking experiment designed to investigate online narrative comprehension and production in Catalan- and Spanish-speaking children with SLI. The comprehension task involved the recording of eye movements during the visual exploration of successive scenes in a story, while listening to the associated narrative. With regard to production, the children were asked to retell the story, while once again looking at the scenes, as their eye movements were monitored. During narrative production, children with SLI look at the most semantically relevant areas of the scenes fewer times than their age-matched controls, but no differences were found in narrative comprehension. Moreover, the analyses of speech productions revealed that children with SLI retained less information and made more semantic and syntactic errors during retelling. Implications for theories that characterize SLI are discussed. PMID:21453036
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Liao, Wenting; Tan, Guangguo; Zhu, Zhenyu; Chen, Qiuli; Lou, Ziyang; Dong, Xin; Zhang, Wei; Pan, Wei; Chai, Yifeng
2012-11-02
HIV-1 Tat protein is released by infected cells and can affect bystander uninfected T cells and induce numerous biological responses which contribute to its pathogenesis. To elucidate the complex pathogenic mechanism, we conducted a comprehensive investigation on Tat protein-related extracellular and intracellular metabolic changes in Jurkat T-cells using combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS) and a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS)-based metabonomics approach. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses were further employed to measure expressions of several relevant enzymes together with perturbed metabolic pathways. Combined metabonomic and qRT-PCR analyses revealed that HIV-1 Tat caused significant and comprehensive metabolic changes, as represented by significant changes of 37 metabolites and 10 relevant enzymes in HIV-1 Tat-treated cells. Using MetaboAnalyst 2.0, it was found that 11 pathways (Impact-value >0.10) among the regulated pathways were acutely perturbed, including sphingolipid metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, inositol phosphate metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, citrate cycle, phenylalanine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycolysis or gluconeogenesis. These results provide metabolic evidence of the complex pathogenic mechanism of HIV-1 Tat protein as a "viral toxin", and would help obligate Tat protein as "an important target" for therapeutic intervention and vaccine development.
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Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.
Robertson, A Gordon; Kim, Jaegil; Al-Ahmadie, Hikmat; Bellmunt, Joaquim; Guo, Guangwu; Cherniack, Andrew D; Hinoue, Toshinori; Laird, Peter W; Hoadley, Katherine A; Akbani, Rehan; Castro, Mauro A A; Gibb, Ewan A; Kanchi, Rupa S; Gordenin, Dmitry A; Shukla, Sachet A; Sanchez-Vega, Francisco; Hansel, Donna E; Czerniak, Bogdan A; Reuter, Victor E; Su, Xiaoping; de Sa Carvalho, Benilton; Chagas, Vinicius S; Mungall, Karen L; Sadeghi, Sara; Pedamallu, Chandra Sekhar; Lu, Yiling; Klimczak, Leszek J; Zhang, Jiexin; Choo, Caleb; Ojesina, Akinyemi I; Bullman, Susan; Leraas, Kristen M; Lichtenberg, Tara M; Wu, Catherine J; Schultz, Nicholaus; Getz, Gad; Meyerson, Matthew; Mills, Gordon B; McConkey, David J; Weinstein, John N; Kwiatkowski, David J; Lerner, Seth P
2017-10-19
We report a comprehensive analysis of 412 muscle-invasive bladder cancers characterized by multiple TCGA analytical platforms. Fifty-eight genes were significantly mutated, and the overall mutational load was associated with APOBEC-signature mutagenesis. Clustering by mutation signature identified a high-mutation subset with 75% 5-year survival. mRNA expression clustering refined prior clustering analyses and identified a poor-survival "neuronal" subtype in which the majority of tumors lacked small cell or neuroendocrine histology. Clustering by mRNA, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), and miRNA expression converged to identify subsets with differential epithelial-mesenchymal transition status, carcinoma in situ scores, histologic features, and survival. Our analyses identified 5 expression subtypes that may stratify response to different treatments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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LOD score exclusion analyses for candidate genes using random population samples.
Deng, H W; Li, J; Recker, R R
2001-05-01
While extensive analyses have been conducted to test for, no formal analyses have been conducted to test against, the importance of candidate genes with random population samples. We develop a LOD score approach for exclusion analyses of candidate genes with random population samples. Under this approach, specific genetic effects and inheritance models at candidate genes can be analysed and if a LOD score is < or = - 2.0, the locus can be excluded from having an effect larger than that specified. Computer simulations show that, with sample sizes often employed in association studies, this approach has high power to exclude a gene from having moderate genetic effects. In contrast to regular association analyses, population admixture will not affect the robustness of our analyses; in fact, it renders our analyses more conservative and thus any significant exclusion result is robust. Our exclusion analysis complements association analysis for candidate genes in random population samples and is parallel to the exclusion mapping analyses that may be conducted in linkage analyses with pedigrees or relative pairs. The usefulness of the approach is demonstrated by an application to test the importance of vitamin D receptor and estrogen receptor genes underlying the differential risk to osteoporotic fractures.
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Multimedia Glosses and Their Effect on L2 Text Comprehension and Vocabulary Learning
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Iñigo Yanguas
2009-06-01
Full Text Available The present study investigates the effects that different types of multimedia glosses, namely textual, pictorial, and textual + pictorial, have on text comprehension and vocabulary learning when the goal is exclusively comprehension of a computerized text. This study is based on the theoretical framework of attention, which maintains that attention is critical in the acquisition process of an L2 (Robinson, 1995; Schmidt, 1995, 2001; Tomlin and Villa, 1994. Ninety-four participants read a text under one of four gloss conditions while asked to think aloud. This study investigated whether any of the conditions promoted noticing and whether this noticing led to better comprehension of the text and learning of the target vocabulary words. Reading comprehension, recognition, and production measures were utilized in a pre-post test design. Results of quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data gathered showed first that all multimedia gloss groups noticed and recognized significantly more of the target words than the control group. Second, no significant differences were found among any of the groups in production of the target vocabulary items. Finally, regarding comprehension, results showed that the combination gloss group significantly outperformed all other groups. These results confirm that the multimedia glosses under investigation have a different effect on comprehension and vocabulary learning respectively.
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Uncertainty Analyses for Back Projection Methods
Zeng, H.; Wei, S.; Wu, W.
2017-12-01
So far few comprehensive error analyses for back projection methods have been conducted, although it is evident that high frequency seismic waves can be easily affected by earthquake depth, focal mechanisms and the Earth's 3D structures. Here we perform 1D and 3D synthetic tests for two back projection methods, MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) (Meng et al., 2011) and Compressive Sensing (CS) (Yao et al., 2011). We generate synthetics for both point sources and finite rupture sources with different depths, focal mechanisms, as well as 1D and 3D structures in the source region. The 3D synthetics are generated through a hybrid scheme of Direct Solution Method and Spectral Element Method. Then we back project the synthetic data using MUSIC and CS. The synthetic tests show that the depth phases can be back projected as artificial sources both in space and time. For instance, for a source depth of 10km, back projection gives a strong signal 8km away from the true source. Such bias increases with depth, e.g., the error of horizontal location could be larger than 20km for a depth of 40km. If the array is located around the nodal direction of direct P-waves the teleseismic P-waves are dominated by the depth phases. Therefore, back projections are actually imaging the reflection points of depth phases more than the rupture front. Besides depth phases, the strong and long lasted coda waves due to 3D effects near trench can lead to additional complexities tested here. The strength contrast of different frequency contents in the rupture models also produces some variations to the back projection results. In the synthetic tests, MUSIC and CS derive consistent results. While MUSIC is more computationally efficient, CS works better for sparse arrays. In summary, our analyses indicate that the impact of various factors mentioned above should be taken into consideration when interpreting back projection images, before we can use them to infer the earthquake rupture physics.
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Methodical recommendations for power unit comprehensive engineering and radiation survey
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nosovskij, A.V.
2000-01-01
The article describes power unit radiation survey methods developed and applied during conduction of Ch NPP unit I Comprehensive Engineering Radiation Survey. Special requirements for units under decommissioning, main survey principals, criteria for definition of volume and the order of survey for various systems of a NPP Unit are included
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Yildirim, Kasim; Yildiz, Mustafa; Ates, Seyit; Rasinski, Timothy
2010-01-01
The aim of this study was to examine fifth grade elementary school students' listening and reading comprehension levels with regard to text types. This study was conducted on 180 fifth grade elementary school students in Sincan-Ankara in the spring semester of the academic year 2008-2009. The comprehension test was administered to students. The…
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Michael Ahlheim
2015-05-01
Full Text Available In this paper we deal with the problem of missing data in environmental cost-benefit analysis. If government pursues the goal of maximizing social welfare, this implies that public funds should be allocated to those uses where they generate the highest net social benefit. This criterion makes it necessary to conduct cost-benefit analyses for public projects. While the assessment of project costs is typically rather straightforward, a comprehensive assessment of the project benefits is more complicated because one has to consider that also people living far away from the project site might benefit from that project. Neglecting these so-called passive use benefits would lead to a systematic undervaluation of environmental projects, thereby reducing their chances of being realized. A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis would, therefore, require benefit assessment studies in all areas where passive use values might occur. Obviously, this would be impossible. In this paper we show how the assessment of the social benefits from environmental projects can be enhanced even with an imperfect database by using benefit transfer techniques. This is also illustrated empirically using an example from Northwest China.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Megan A Cummins
2014-03-01
Full Text Available Reverse rate dependence is a problematic property of antiarrhythmic drugs that prolong the cardiac action potential (AP. The prolongation caused by reverse rate dependent agents is greater at slow heart rates, resulting in both reduced arrhythmia suppression at fast rates and increased arrhythmia risk at slow rates. The opposite property, forward rate dependence, would theoretically overcome these parallel problems, yet forward rate dependent (FRD antiarrhythmics remain elusive. Moreover, there is evidence that reverse rate dependence is an intrinsic property of perturbations to the AP. We have addressed the possibility of forward rate dependence by performing a comprehensive analysis of 13 ventricular myocyte models. By simulating populations of myocytes with varying properties and analyzing population results statistically, we simultaneously predicted the rate-dependent effects of changes in multiple model parameters. An average of 40 parameters were tested in each model, and effects on AP duration were assessed at slow (0.2 Hz and fast (2 Hz rates. The analysis identified a variety of FRD ionic current perturbations and generated specific predictions regarding their mechanisms. For instance, an increase in L-type calcium current is FRD when this is accompanied by indirect, rate-dependent changes in slow delayed rectifier potassium current. A comparison of predictions across models identified inward rectifier potassium current and the sodium-potassium pump as the two targets most likely to produce FRD AP prolongation. Finally, a statistical analysis of results from the 13 models demonstrated that models displaying minimal rate-dependent changes in AP shape have little capacity for FRD perturbations, whereas models with large shape changes have considerable FRD potential. This can explain differences between species and between ventricular cell types. Overall, this study provides new insights, both specific and general, into the determinants of
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Using Anticipatory Reading Guides to Improve Elementary Students’ Comprehension
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Evan Ortlieb
2013-07-01
Full Text Available One of the greatest challenges of an elementary school teacher is equipping students with comprehension strategies that transfer to all content areas. With stable levels of reading achievement over the last two decades in the United States, it is necessary that further research be conducted on methods of increasing students’ comprehension proficiencies. This experimental research study explores the use of an anticipatory reading guide with third grade struggling readers across multiple subject areas. Findings indicate that the experimental treatment group outperformed the control group by a statistically significant rate on both reading and content area measures, indicating that when struggling readers practice and use strategies to explicitly think what will be asked of them after reading the passage they perform at higher levels.
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The Effect of Stories for Thinking on Reading and Listening Comprehension: A Case Study in Turkey
Tok, Sükran; Mazl, Aysegül
2015-01-01
This study has been conducted in order to examine the effects of the stories for thinking on 5th graders' reading comprehension and listening comprehension. A pretest-post test control group quasi-experimental design was used in the study. The sample of the etstudy was composed of 74 5th graders attending public elementary schools. The data have…
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Metaphor-related figurative language comprehension in clinical populations: a critical review
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maity Siqueira
2016-12-01
Full Text Available This paper aims to critically review current studies with respect to definitions,methods, and results on the comprehension of metaphor, metonymy,idioms, and proverbs under the following clinical conditions: aphasia,Alzheimer’s disease, autism, brain injuries, specific language impairment,and Williams Syndrome. A comprehensive search of experimentalpsycholinguistic research was conducted using EBSCOhost, PsychInfo,PUBMED, and Web of Science databases. Thirty-eight studies met thereview inclusion criteria. Results point to deficits in figurative languagecomprehension in all conditions considered, lack of clear definitions ofthe phenomena investigated, and varied methods throughout the sample.Patients’ difficulties are attributed to multiple factors, such as a lack ofTheory of Mind, executive dysfunctions, and poor semantic knowledge.The study of nonliteral aspects of language comprehension in clinicalpopulations reveals a range of disparate impairments. There was no specificfeature about metaphor-related phenomena identified that could, on its own,account for the difficulty some populations have to understand figurativelanguage. Rather, metaphor-related language comprehension difficultiesare often part of pragmatic, linguistic, and/or cognitive impairments.Keywords: Figurative language. Metaphor. Metonymy. Proverb. Clinicalpopulations
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Standardised Testing and Assessment in Comprehensive School in Scandinavian Countries
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andreasen, Karen Egedal; Eva, Hjörne,
Assessments can be considered to be an integrated part of formal educational settings, in different forms and used for different purposes. In this contribution we will discuss and analyse the use of assessments in comprehensive school in Scandinavian countries through time, as we will include....... If the comprehensive school is based on the general idea of a school for all, how can different ways of practising assessment support or work against this idea? What conclusions can be drawn from the experiences in the Scandinavian countries?...... different kinds of documentary and empirical studies in the argumentation. We will focus on which kinds of assessments has been used, for which purposes and the role of this in the perspective of society. More contemporary trends will be discussed, specially the use of standardised testing. Scandinavian...
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A comprehensive approach to benefit-risk assessment in drug development
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sarac, Sinan B; Rasmussen, Christian H; Rasmussen, Morten A.
2012-01-01
Major regulatory agencies, for example, FDA and EMA, have started to request comprehensive benefit-risk analyses of pharmaceutical products prior to approval or labelling expansion. The purpose of this study is to develop a generally applicable and reliable data-driven benefit-risk assessment......) discussion and formulation of an overall conclusion. To reduce the impact of subjective judgements, scores are assigned to each criterion on the basis of objective information (data) wherever possible. The proposed benefit-risk evaluation approach offers comprehensive, data-driven assessments that can...... method, where two or more drugs/doses can be compared. Our aim is to formulate an approach that is simple to apply, allows direct comparison of different types of risks and benefits, and is tailored for application in different disease areas both during clinical development and in the marketing approval...
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Kalman filter-based gap conductance modeling
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tylee, J.L.
1983-01-01
Geometric and thermal property uncertainties contribute greatly to the problem of determining conductance within the fuel-clad gas gap of a nuclear fuel pin. Accurate conductance values are needed for power plant licensing transient analysis and for test analyses at research facilities. Recent work by Meek, Doerner, and Adams has shown that use of Kalman filters to estimate gap conductance is a promising approach. A Kalman filter is simply a mathematical algorithm that employs available system measurements and assumed dynamic models to generate optimal system state vector estimates. This summary addresses another Kalman filter approach to gap conductance estimation and subsequent identification of an empirical conductance model
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The role of speech prosody and text reading prosody in children's reading comprehension.
Veenendaal, Nathalie J; Groen, Margriet A; Verhoeven, Ludo
2014-12-01
Text reading prosody has been associated with reading comprehension. However, text reading prosody is a reading-dependent measure that relies heavily on decoding skills. Investigation of the contribution of speech prosody - which is independent from reading skills - in addition to text reading prosody, to reading comprehension could provide more insight into the general role of prosody in reading comprehension. The current study investigates how much variance in reading comprehension scores is explained by speech prosody and text reading prosody, after controlling for decoding, vocabulary, and syntactic awareness. A battery of reading and language assessments was performed by 106 Dutch fourth-grade primary school children. Speech prosody was assessed using a storytelling task and text reading prosody by oral text reading performance. Decoding skills, vocabulary, syntactic awareness, and reading comprehension were assessed using standardized tests. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that text reading prosody explained 6% of variance and that speech prosody explained 8% of variance in reading comprehension scores, after controlling for decoding, vocabulary, and syntactic awareness. Phrasing was the significant factor in both speech and text reading. When added in consecutive order, phrasing in speech added 5% variance to phrasing in reading. In contrast, phrasing in reading added only 3% variance to phrasing in speech. The variance that speech prosody explained in reading comprehension scores should not be neglected. Speech prosody seems to facilitate the construction of meaning in written language. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.
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Klingner, Janette K.; Urbach, Jennifer; Golos, Deborah; Brownell, Mary; Menon, Shailaja
2010-01-01
In this study, we conducted 124 observations of 41 special education teachers teaching reading to their third- through fifth-grade students with learning disabilities to determine the extent to which and in what ways they promoted students' reading comprehension. In 42 lessons, we did not observe any comprehension instruction. In 30 lessons, the…
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Wang, An; Fan, Jie; Chen, Xiaofeng; Wang, Shaohua
2018-03-01
The existence of two diagnostic systems, the Boston and Japan criteria, for immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) confuse the medical practice. We aimed to develop a comprehensive assessment based on the weight of each diagnostic item in the existing criteria to improve the diagnostic efficiency of Boston criteria. We assessed the patients enrolled by a systematic review of the literatures using the Boston criteria, Japan criteria and a tentative comprehensive assessment respectively, and evaluated the efficiency of each system and their consistency. Our analysis showed that the distinction in pathological diagnostic items was similar for the Boston criteria (IgG4+/IgG+ ratio, Pcomprehensive assessment (IgG4+/IgG+ ratio and the number of pathological features, Pcomprehensive assessment. The current two diagnostic systems have poor consistency. Comprehensive assessment has good agreement with the Boston criteria, but can identify those cases in Boston Category 3 who could still be diagnosed as IgG4-related lung disease. Considering the weight of diagnostic items, the scoring system is a tentative exploration that should be improved with further experience in diagnosing IgG4-related lung disease.
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Eom, Hyun-Jeong; Liu, Yuedan; Kwak, Gyu-Suk; Heo, Muyoung; Song, Kyung Seuk; Chung, Yun Doo; Chon, Tae-Soo; Choi, Jinhee
2017-06-01
We conducted an inhalation toxicity test on the alternative animal model, Drosophila melanogaster, to investigate potential hazards of indoor air pollution. The inhalation toxicity of toluene and formaldehyde was investigated using comprehensive transcriptomics and computational behavior analyses. The ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) based on microarray data suggests the involvement of pathways related to immune response, stress response, and metabolism in formaldehyde and toluene exposure based on hub molecules. We conducted a toxicity test using mutants of the representative genes in these pathways to explore the toxicological consequences of alterations of these pathways. Furthermore, extensive computational behavior analysis showed that exposure to either toluene or formaldehyde reduced most of the behavioral parameters of both wild-type and mutants. Interestingly, behavioral alteration caused by toluene or formaldehyde exposure was most severe in the p38b mutant, suggesting that the defects in the p38 pathway underlie behavioral alteration. Overall, the results indicate that exposure to toluene and formaldehyde via inhalation causes severe toxicity in Drosophila, by inducing significant alterations in gene expression and behavior, suggesting that Drosophila can be used as a potential alternative model in inhalation toxicity screening.
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The Cumulative Effect of Hyperactivity and Peer Relationships on Reading Comprehension
Johnson, Kaprea F.
2014-01-01
The impact of hyperactivity and peer relationships on academic achievement has long been highlighted in the professional literature. This study highlights how much variation in reading comprehension scores, an indicator of academic achievement, are accounted for by hyperactivity, conduct problems, and peer problems. The participants included 129…
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Khankari, Nikhil K.; Shu, Xiao Ou; Wen, Wanqing; Kraft, Peter; Lindström, Sara; Peters, Ulrike; Schildkraut, Joellen; Schumacher, Fredrick; Bofetta, Paolo; Risch, Angela; Bickeböller, Heike; Amos, Christopher I.; Easton, Douglas; Eeles, Rosalind A.; Gruber, Stephen B.; Haiman, Christopher A.; Hunter, David J.; Chanock, Stephen J.; Pierce, Brandon L.; Zheng, Wei; Blalock, Kendra; Campbell, Peter T.; Casey, Graham; Conti, David V.; Edlund, Christopher K.; Figueiredo, Jane; James Gauderman, W.; Gong, Jian; Green, Roger C.; Harju, John F.; Harrison, Tabitha A.; Jacobs, Eric J.; Jenkins, Mark A.; Jiao, Shuo; Li, Li; Lin, Yi; Manion, Frank J.; Moreno, Victor; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Raskin, Leon; Schumacher, Fredrick R.; Seminara, Daniela; Severi, Gianluca; Stenzel, Stephanie L.; Thomas, Duncan C.; Hopper, John L.; Southey, Melissa C.; Makalic, Enes; Schmidt, Daniel F.; Fletcher, Olivia; Peto, Julian; Gibson, Lorna; dos Santos Silva, Isabel; Ahsan, Habib; Whittemore, Alice; Waisfisz, Quinten; Meijers-Heijboer, Hanne; Adank, Muriel; van der Luijt, Rob B.; Uitterlinden, Andre G.; Hofman, Albert; Meindl, Alfons; Schmutzler, Rita K.; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Lichtner, Peter; Nevanlinna, Heli; Muranen, Taru A.; Aittomäki, Kristiina; Blomqvist, Carl; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Hein, Rebecca; Dahmen, Norbert; Beckman, Lars; Crisponi, Laura; Hall, Per; Czene, Kamila; Irwanto, Astrid; Liu, Jianjun; Easton, Douglas F.; Turnbull, Clare; Rahman, Nazneen; Eeles, Rosalind; Kote-Jarai, Zsofia; Muir, Kenneth; Giles, Graham; Neal, David; Donovan, Jenny L.; Hamdy, Freddie C.; Wiklund, Fredrik; Gronberg, Henrik; Haiman, Christopher; Schumacher, Fred; Travis, Ruth; Riboli, Elio; Hunter, David; Gapstur, Susan; Berndt, Sonja; Chanock, Stephen; Han, Younghun; Su, Li; Wei, Yongyue; Hung, Rayjean J.; Brhane, Yonathan; McLaughlin, John; Brennan, Paul; McKay, James D.; Rosenberger, Albert; Houlston, Richard S.; Caporaso, Neil; Teresa Landi, Maria; Heinrich, Joachim; Wu, Xifeng; Ye, Yuanqing; Christiani, David C.
2016-01-01
Background: Observational studies examining associations between adult height and risk of colorectal, prostate, and lung cancers have generated mixed results. We conducted meta-analyses using data from prospective cohort studies and further carried out Mendelian randomization analyses, using
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Joglekar, Neelam S; Deshpande, Swapna S; Sahay, Seema; Ghate, Manisha V; Bollinger, Robert C; Mehendale, Sanjay M
2013-03-01
Optimum comprehension of informed consent by research participants is essential yet challenging. This study explored correlates of lower comprehension of informed consent among 1334 participants of a cohort study aimed at estimating HIV incidence in Pune, India. As part of the informed consent process, a structured comprehension tool was administered to study participants. Participants scoring ≥90% were categorised into the 'optimal comprehension group', whilst those scoring 80-89% were categorised into the 'lower comprehension group'. Data were analysed to identify sociodemographic and behavioural correlates of lower consent comprehension. The mean ± SD comprehension score was 94.4 ± 5.00%. Information pertaining to study-related risks was not comprehended by 61.7% of participants. HIV-negative men (adjusted OR [AOR] = 4.36, 95% CI 1.71-11.05) or HIV-negative women (AOR = 13.54, 95% CI 6.42-28.55), illiteracy (AOR= 1.65, 95% CI 1.19-2.30), those with a history of multiple partners (AOR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.12-2.66) and those never using condoms (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.01-1.82) were more likely to have lower consent comprehension. We recommend exploration of domains of lower consent comprehension using a validated consent comprehension tool. Improved education in these specific domains would optimise consent comprehension among research participants.
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The Role of the Right Hemisphere in Speech Act Comprehension
Holtgraves, Thomas
2012-01-01
In this research the role of the RH in the comprehension of speech acts (or illocutionary force) was examined. Two split-screen experiments were conducted in which participants made lexical decisions for lateralized targets after reading a brief conversation remark. On one-half of the trials the target word named the speech act performed with the…
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Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kruse, Marie; Hochstrasser, Stefan; Zwisler, Ann-Dorthe O
2006-01-01
OBJECTIVES: The costs of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation are established and compared to the corresponding costs of usual care. The effect on health-related quality of life is analyzed. METHODS: An unprecedented and very detailed cost assessment was carried out, as no guidelines existed...... and may be as high as euro 1.877. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation is more costly than usual care, and the higher costs are not outweighed by a quality of life gain. Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation is, therefore, not cost-effective....
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Analysing Company Strategy: The Case of EMC Corporation
Zheng Wei Lun, William
2007-01-01
Despite the wide acceptance of David's [41] Comprehensive Strategic Management Model, there exist a number of challenges in the application of the model in practical strategic management cases. The main objective of this paper is to research for an improved model that can be used in conducting an executive level strategic planning effectively and efficiently, and test the methodology using EMC Corporation case. A practical strategic planning model for the top management, called an Ex...
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A comprehensive tool to analyse dynamic log files from an Elekta-Synergy accelerator
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Arumugam, Sankar; Xing, Aitang; Holloway, Lois; Pagulayan, Claire
2014-01-01
This study presents the development of a software tool 'Treat Check' to analyse the dynamic log files from an Elekta – Synergy accelerator. The software generates formatted output in the form of a plot presenting errors in various treatment delivery parameters such as gantry angle, Multi Leaf Collimator (MLC) leaf position, jaw position and Monitor Units (MU) for each of the control-points (CP) of the treatment beam. The plots are automatically saved in Portable Document Format (pdf). The software also has the functionality to introduce these treatment delivery errors into the original plan in the Pinnacle (Philips) treatment planning system (TPS) in order to assess the clinical impact of treatment delivery errors on delivered dose.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mara Breen
2016-07-01
Full Text Available Researchers have established a relationship between beginning readers’ silent comprehension ability and their prosodic fluency, such that readers who read aloud with appropriate prosody tend to have higher scores on silent reading comprehension assessments. The current study was designed to investigate this relationship in two groups of high school readers: Specifically Poor Comprehenders (SPCs, who have adequate word level and phonological skills but poor reading comprehension ability, and a group of age- and decoding skill-matched controls. We compared the prosodic fluency of the two groups by determining how effectively they produced prosodic cues to syntactic and semantic structure in imitations of a model speaker’s production of syntactically and semantically varied sentences. Analyses of pitch and duration patterns revealed that speakers in both groups produced the expected prosodic patterns; however, controls provided stronger durational cues to syntactic structure. These results demonstrate that the relationship between prosodic fluency and reading comprehension continues past the stage of early reading instruction. Moreover, they suggest that prosodically fluent speakers may also generate more fluent implicit prosodic representations during silent reading, leading to more effective comprehension.
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Metabolic panel - comprehensive; Chem-20; SMA20; Sequential multi-channel analysis with computer-20; SMAC20; Metabolic panel 20 ... Chernecky CC, Berger BJ. Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) - blood. In: ... Tests and Diagnostic Procedures . 6th ed. St Louis, MO: ...
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Cognitive Correlates of Listening Comprehension
Kim, Young-Suk; Phillips, Beth
2014-01-01
In an effort to understand cognitive foundations of oral language comprehension (i.e., listening comprehension), we examined how inhibitory control, theory of mind, and comprehension monitoring are uniquely related to listening comprehension over and above vocabulary and age. A total of 156 children in kindergarten and first grade from…
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Zhang, Haomin
2016-01-01
This study explored the concurrent and longitudinal effects of morphological awareness on the development of reading comprehension among Chinese-speaking children (N = 123, mean[subscript age] = 8.1 at Time 2). Drawing upon multivariate analyses, the study found that morphological awareness and lexical inferencing ability were intertwined together…
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Inferential comprehension of 3-6 year olds within the context of story grammar: a scoping review.
Filiatrault-Veilleux, Paméla; Bouchard, Caroline; Trudeau, Natacha; Desmarais, Chantal
2015-01-01
The ability to make inferences plays a crucial role in reading comprehension and the educational success of school-aged children. However, it starts to unfold much earlier than school entry and literacy. Given that it is likely to be targeted in speech language therapy, it would be useful for clinicians to have access to information about a developmental sequence of inferential comprehension. Yet, at this time, there is no clear proposition of the way in which this ability develops in young children prior to school entry. To reduce the knowledge gap with regards to inferential comprehension in young children by conducting a scoping review of the literature. The two objectives of this research are: (1) to describe typically developing children's comprehension of causal inferences targeting elements of story grammar, with the goal of proposing milestones in the development of this ability; and (2) to highlight key elements of the methodology used to gather this information in a paediatric population. A total of 16 studies from six databases that met the inclusion criteria were qualitatively analysed in the context of a scoping review. This methodological approach was used to identify common themes and gaps in the knowledge base to achieve the intended objectives. Results permit the description of key elements in the development of six types of causal inference targeting elements of story grammar in children between 3 and 6 years old. Results also demonstrate the various methods used to assess this ability in young children and highlight particularly interesting procedures for use with this younger population. These findings point to the need for additional studies to understand this ability better and to develop strategies to stimulate an evidence-based developmental sequence in children from an early age. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Speech and
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Emergent Readers' Social Interaction Styles and Their Comprehension Processes during Buddy Reading
Christ, Tanya; Wang, X. Christine; Chiu, Ming Ming
2015-01-01
To examine the relations between emergent readers' social interaction styles and their comprehension processes, we adapted sociocultural and transactional views of learning and reading, and conducted statistical discourse analysis of 1,359 conversation turns transcribed from 14 preschoolers' 40 buddy reading events. Results show that interaction…
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Belinda von Niederhäusern
Full Text Available To systematically survey existing definitions, concepts, and criteria of clinical research quality, both developed by stakeholder groups as well as in the medical literature. This study serves as a first step in the development of a comprehensive framework for the quality of clinical research.We systematically and in duplicate searched definitions, concepts and criteria of clinical research quality on websites of stakeholders in clinical research until no further insights emerged and in MEDLINE up to February 2015. Stakeholders included governmental bodies, regulatory agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, academic and commercial contract research organizations, initiatives, research ethics committees, patient organizations and funding agencies from 13 countries. Data synthesis involved descriptive and qualitative analyses following the Framework Method on definitions, concepts, and criteria of clinical research quality. Descriptive codes were applied and grouped into clusters to identify common and stakeholder-specific quality themes.Stakeholder concepts on how to assure quality throughout study conduct or articles on quality assessment tools were common, generally with no a priori definition of the term quality itself. We identified a total of 20 explicit definitions of clinical research quality including varying quality dimensions and focusing on different stages in the clinical research process. Encountered quality dimensions include ethical conduct, patient safety/rights/priorities, internal validity, precision of results, generalizability or external validity, scientific and societal relevance, transparency and accessibility of information, research infrastructure and sustainability. None of the definitions appeared to be comprehensive either in terms of quality dimensions, research stages, or stakeholder perspectives.Clinical research quality is often discussed but rarely defined. A framework defining clinical research quality across
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von Niederhäusern, Belinda; Schandelmaier, Stefan; Mi Bonde, Marie; Brunner, Nicole; Hemkens, Lars G.; Rutquist, Marielle; Bhatnagar, Neera; Guyatt, Gordon H.; Pauli-Magnus, Christiane; Briel, Matthias
2017-01-01
Objective To systematically survey existing definitions, concepts, and criteria of clinical research quality, both developed by stakeholder groups as well as in the medical literature. This study serves as a first step in the development of a comprehensive framework for the quality of clinical research. Study design and setting We systematically and in duplicate searched definitions, concepts and criteria of clinical research quality on websites of stakeholders in clinical research until no further insights emerged and in MEDLINE up to February 2015. Stakeholders included governmental bodies, regulatory agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, academic and commercial contract research organizations, initiatives, research ethics committees, patient organizations and funding agencies from 13 countries. Data synthesis involved descriptive and qualitative analyses following the Framework Method on definitions, concepts, and criteria of clinical research quality. Descriptive codes were applied and grouped into clusters to identify common and stakeholder-specific quality themes. Results Stakeholder concepts on how to assure quality throughout study conduct or articles on quality assessment tools were common, generally with no a priori definition of the term quality itself. We identified a total of 20 explicit definitions of clinical research quality including varying quality dimensions and focusing on different stages in the clinical research process. Encountered quality dimensions include ethical conduct, patient safety/rights/priorities, internal validity, precision of results, generalizability or external validity, scientific and societal relevance, transparency and accessibility of information, research infrastructure and sustainability. None of the definitions appeared to be comprehensive either in terms of quality dimensions, research stages, or stakeholder perspectives. Conclusion Clinical research quality is often discussed but rarely defined. A framework defining
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Bezerra, Hiram G.; Costa, Marco A.; Guagliumi, Giulio; Rollins, Andrew M.; Simon, Daniel I.
2009-01-01
Cardiovascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a catheter-based invasive imaging system. Using light rather than ultrasound, OCT produces high-resolution in vivo images of coronary arteries and deployed stents. This comprehensive review will assist practicing interventional cardiologists in understanding the technical aspects of OCT based upon the physics of light and will also highlight the emerging research and clinical applications of OCT. Semi-automated imaging analyses of OCT syste...
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Neoliberalism in education: Five images of critical analyses
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Branislav Pupala
2011-03-01
Full Text Available The survey study brings information about the way that educational researchcopes with neoliberalism as a generalized form of social government in the currentwestern culture. It shows that neoliberalism is considered as a universal scope of otherchanges in the basic segments of education and those theoretical and critical analyses ofthis phenomenon represent an important part of production in the area of educationalresearch. It emphasizes the contribution of formation and development of the socalledgovernmental studies for comprehension of mechanisms and consequences ofneoliberal government of the society and shows how way the methodology of thesestudies helps to identify neoliberal strategies used in the regulation of social subjectsby education. There are five selected segments of critical analyses elaborated (fromthe concept of a lifelong learning, through preschool and university education to theeducation of teachers and PISA project that obviously show ideological and theoreticalcohesiveness of the education analysis through the scope of neoliberal governmentality.
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Documentation of the heat conduction code TRANCO
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Callahan, G.D.
1975-01-01
A transient heat conduction code used for thermal, thermoelastic, thermoelastic/plastic, and thermo/viscoelastic analyses is presented. The code can solve two-dimensional X-Y and axially symmetric R-theta-z thermal problems with the following conditions: constant temperature, constant flux, convective, or adiabatic boundary conditions; time-dependent or constant internal heat generation; and anisotropic thermal conductivities
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Study of the conductivity of a metallic tube by analysing the damped fall of a magnet
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Iniguez, J; Raposo, V; Hernandez-Lopez, A; Flores, A G; Zazo, M
2004-01-01
The fall of a magnet through a hollow conducting tube is described. Although this experiment is well known, a detailed treatment by means of a circuit analysis allows us to relate the conductivity of the tube to the characteristic parameters of the experiment
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Darmayenti Darmayenti
2017-02-01
Full Text Available This paper is a report of an experimental research project conducted in a reading comprehension course for first-year students of the Adab Faculty of the State Institute for Islamic Studies Imam Bonjol Padang, West Sumatera, Indonesia, during the academic year 2015/2016. The “Predict Organize Search Summarize Evaluate” (POSSE is one strategy that can enhance students’ comprehension in reading. Two classes of Arabic and History students chosen through cluster random sampling technique were used as the sample of the research. Reading tests were used to collect the data which was given to both of classes on pre-test and post-test. The result of the research showed that the implementation of Predict Organize Search Summarize Evaluate strategy gave a significant difference in term of the students-learning outcome between the students who were taught through POSSE strategy and by traditional one. The finding of the study showed that teaching reading by using POSSE strategy gave significant effect towards students’ reading comprehension. This strategy could improve the students’ reading component on finding topic. It can be concluded that using POSSE Strategy has improved Indonesian students’ reading comprehension. It is also recommended for English lecturers use POSSE strategy as one of teaching strategies for reading comprehension.
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The Wernicke conundrum and the anatomy of language comprehension in primary progressive aphasia.
Mesulam, M-Marsel; Thompson, Cynthia K; Weintraub, Sandra; Rogalski, Emily J
2015-08-01
Wernicke's aphasia is characterized by severe word and sentence comprehension impairments. The location of the underlying lesion site, known as Wernicke's area, remains controversial. Questions related to this controversy were addressed in 72 patients with primary progressive aphasia who collectively displayed a wide spectrum of cortical atrophy sites and language impairment patterns. Clinico-anatomical correlations were explored at the individual and group levels. These analyses showed that neuronal loss in temporoparietal areas, traditionally included within Wernicke's area, leave single word comprehension intact and cause inconsistent impairments of sentence comprehension. The most severe sentence comprehension impairments were associated with a heterogeneous set of cortical atrophy sites variably encompassing temporoparietal components of Wernicke's area, Broca's area, and dorsal premotor cortex. Severe comprehension impairments for single words, on the other hand, were invariably associated with peak atrophy sites in the left temporal pole and adjacent anterior temporal cortex, a pattern of atrophy that left sentence comprehension intact. These results show that the neural substrates of word and sentence comprehension are dissociable and that a circumscribed cortical area equally critical for word and sentence comprehension is unlikely to exist anywhere in the cerebral cortex. Reports of combined word and sentence comprehension impairments in Wernicke's aphasia come almost exclusively from patients with cerebrovascular accidents where brain damage extends into subcortical white matter. The syndrome of Wernicke's aphasia is thus likely to reflect damage not only to the cerebral cortex but also to underlying axonal pathways, leading to strategic cortico-cortical disconnections within the language network. The results of this investigation further reinforce the conclusion that the left anterior temporal lobe, a region ignored by classic aphasiology, needs to be
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THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SKIMMING TECHNIQUE TOWARDS STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Syaifudin Latif Darmawan
2017-05-01
Full Text Available The study is to find out whether skimming technique enhance students’ reading comprehension at English Department of Muhammadiyah University of Metro, Academic Year 2015/2016. This research is conducted at English Study Program of Muhammadiyah University of Metro. The population of the research is the students of English department, while the sample of the research is the students at fourth semester of English department Muhammadiyah University of Metro. To determine the sample, the researcher employs purposive technique sampling. Then, To collect the data, the researcher used documentation, Observation, Interview and questionnaire. Furthermore, to analyze the data, the researcher apply some steps: (1 data reduction, (2 data display and (3 data conclusion. The result of research indicates that the skimming technique has significant contribution to students’ reading comprehension at fourth semester of English Study Program, Muhammadiyah University of Metro.
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Socioeconomic issues and analyses for radioactive waste disposal facilities
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ulland, L.
1988-01-01
Radioactive Waste facility siting and development can raise major social and economic issues in the host area. Initial site screening and analyses have been conducted for both potential high-level and low-level radioactive waste facilities; more detailed characterization and analyses are being planned. Results of these assessments are key to developing community plans that identify and implement measures to mitigate adverse socioeconomic impacts. Preliminary impact analyses conducted at high-level sites in Texas and Nevada, and site screening activities for low-level facilities in Illinois and California have identified a number of common socioeconomic issues and characteristics as well as issues and characteristics that differ between the sites and the type of facilities. Based on these comparisons, implications for selection of an appropriate methodology for impact assessment and elements of impact mitigation are identified
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ferrán Catalá-López
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA has been promoted as an important research methodology for determining the efficiency of healthcare technology and guiding medical decision-making. Our aim was to characterize the collaborative patterns of CEA conducted over the past two decades in Spain. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A systematic analysis was carried out with the information obtained through an updated comprehensive literature review and from reports of health technology assessment agencies. We identified CEAs with outcomes expressed as a time-based summary measure of population health (e.g. quality-adjusted life-years or disability-adjusted life-years, conducted in Spain and published between 1989 and 2011. Networks of coauthorship and institutional collaboration were produced using PAJEK software. One-hundred and thirty-one papers were analyzed, in which 526 authors and 230 institutions participated. The overall signatures per paper index was 5.4. Six major groups (one with 14 members, three with 7 members and two with 6 members were identified. The most prolific authors were generally affiliated with the private-for-profit sector (e.g. consulting firms and the pharmaceutical industry. The private-for-profit sector maintains profuse collaborative networks including public hospitals and academia. Collaboration within the public sector (e.g. healthcare administration and primary care was weak and fragmented. CONCLUSIONS: This empirical analysis reflects critical practices among collaborative networks that contributed substantially to the production of CEA, raises challenges for redesigning future policies and provides a framework for similar analyses in other regions.
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Desktop Publishing: The Effects of Computerized Formats on Reading Speed and Comprehension.
Knupfer, Nancy Nelson; McIsaac, Marina Stock
1989-01-01
Describes study that was conducted to determine the effects of two electronic text variables used in desktop publishing on undergraduate students' reading speed and comprehension. Research on text variables, graphic design, instructional text design, and computer screen design is discussed, and further studies are suggested. (22 references) (LRW)
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Zhang, Yumei; Wang, Chunxue; Zhao, Xingquan; Chen, Hongyan; Han, Zaizhu; Wang, Yongjun
2010-09-01
In contrast with disorders of comprehension and spontaneous expression, conduction aphasia is characterized by poor repetition, which is a hallmark of the syndrome. There are many theories on the repetition impairment of conduction aphasia. The disconnection theory suggests that a damaged in the arcuate fasciculus, which connects Broca's and Wernicke's area, is the cause of conduction aphasia. In this study, we examined the disconnection theory. We enrolled ten individuals with conduction aphasia and ten volunteers, and analysed their arcuate fasciculus using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and obtained fractional anisotropy (FA) values. Then, the results of the left hemisphere were compared with those of the right hemisphere, and the results of the conduction aphasia cases were compared with those of the volunteers. There were significant differences in the FA values between the left and right hemispheres of volunteers and conduction cases. In volunteers, there was an increase in fiber in the left hemisphere compared with the right hemisphere, whereas there was an increase in fiber in the right hemisphere compared with the left hemisphere in conduction aphasia patients. The results of diffusion tensor tractography suggested that the configuration of the arcuate fasciculus was different between conduction aphasia patients and volunteers, suggesting that there was damage to the arcuate fasciculus of conduction aphasia cases. The damage seen in the arcuate fasciculus of conduction aphasia cases in this study supports the Wernicke-Geschwind disconnection theory. A disconnection between Broca's area and Wernicke's area is likely to be one mechanism of conduction aphasia repetition impairment.
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[The development and effects of a comprehensive communication course for nursing students].
Kim, Sunah; Park, Jung-Hwa; Lee, Hyun-Hwa
2004-06-01
The purposes of this study were to: (a) develop a comprehensive communication course combined with a group program for improving communication skills; and (b) examine the effects of the comprehensive communication course on interpersonal communication, relationship change, self-esteem, and depression in nursing students. The experimental group consisted of 82 nursing students, and the control group, 108 nursing students. Both groups each took communication courses from March to June, 2002 and 2003. A group program for improving communication skills was conducted for each 8 subgroups of the experimental group for 90 minutes once a week during the 6 weeks, while the existing communication lecture was conducted for the control group. Both groups were post-tested after the intervention for verifying the difference of variables between the two groups, and the experimental group was also pre-tested for verifying the difference between before and after the treatment. Interpersonal communication score of the post-test in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control group and the depression score of the post-test in the experimental group was significantly lower than in the control group. Interpersonal communication, relationship change and self-esteem scores were significantly increased and the depression score was significantly decreased in experimental group after the treatment. In conclusion, the comprehensive communication course that was developed in this study had positive effects on communication skills in nursing students.
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Near omni-conductors and insulators: Alternant hydrocarbons in the SSP model of ballistic conduction
Fowler, P.W.; Sciriha, I.; Borg, M.; Seville, V.E.; Pickup, B.T.
2017-01-01
Within the source-and-sink-potential model, a complete characterisation is obtained for the conduction behaviour of alternant π-conjugated hydrocarbons (conjugated hydrocarbons without odd cycles). In this model, an omni-conductor has a molecular graph that conducts at the Fermi level irrespective of the choice of connection vertices. Likewise, an omni-insulator is a molecular graph that fails to conduct for any choice of connections. We give a comprehensive classification of possible combina...
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
NONE
1997-04-01
To evaluate the impact to the Columbia River from the Hanford Site-derived contaminants, the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Washington State Department of Ecology initiated a study referred to as the Columbia River Comprehensive Impact Assessment (CRCIA). To address concerns about the scope and direction of CRCIA as well as enhance regulator, tribal, stockholder, and public involvement, the CRCIA Management Team was formed in August 1995. The Team agreed to conduct CRCIA using a phased approach. The initial phase, includes two components: 1) a screening assessment to evaluate the potential impact to the river, resulting from current levels of Hanford-derived contaminants in order to support decisions on Interim Remedial Measures, and 2) a definition of the essential work remaining to provide an acceptable comprehensive river impact assessment. The screening assessment is described in Part I of this report. The essential work remaining is Part II of this report. The objective of the screening assessment is to identify areas where the greatest potential exists for adverse effects on humans or the environment. Part I of this report discusses the scope, technical approach, and results of the screening assessment. Part II defines a new paradigm for predecisional participation by those affected by Hanford cleanup decisions.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1997-04-01
To evaluate the impact to the Columbia River from the Hanford Site-derived contaminants, the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Washington State Department of Ecology initiated a study referred to as the Columbia River Comprehensive Impact Assessment (CRCIA). To address concerns about the scope and direction of CRCIA as well as enhance regulator, tribal, stockholder, and public involvement, the CRCIA Management Team was formed in August 1995. The Team agreed to conduct CRCIA using a phased approach. The initial phase, includes two components: 1) a screening assessment to evaluate the potential impact to the river, resulting from current levels of Hanford-derived contaminants in order to support decisions on Interim Remedial Measures, and 2) a definition of the essential work remaining to provide an acceptable comprehensive river impact assessment. The screening assessment is described in Part I of this report. The essential work remaining is Part II of this report. The objective of the screening assessment is to identify areas where the greatest potential exists for adverse effects on humans or the environment. Part I of this report discusses the scope, technical approach, and results of the screening assessment. Part II defines a new paradigm for predecisional participation by those affected by Hanford cleanup decisions
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kenta Cho
2015-11-01
Full Text Available Quotients and comprehension are fundamental mathematical constructions that can be described via adjunctions in categorical logic. This paper reveals that quotients and comprehension are related to measurement, not only in quantum logic, but also in probabilistic and classical logic. This relation is presented by a long series of examples, some of them easy, and some also highly non-trivial (esp. for von Neumann algebras. We have not yet identified a unifying theory. Nevertheless, the paper contributes towards such a theory by introducing the new quotient-and-comprehension perspective on measurement instruments, and by describing the examples on which such a theory should be built.
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Spencer, Mercedes; Wagner, Richard K
2018-06-01
The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the comprehension problems of children who have a specific reading comprehension deficit (SCD), which is characterized by poor reading comprehension despite adequate decoding. The meta-analysis included 86 studies of children with SCD who were assessed in reading comprehension and oral language (vocabulary, listening comprehension, storytelling ability, and semantic and syntactic knowledge). Results indicated that children with SCD had deficits in oral language ( d = -0.78, 95% CI [-0.89, -0.68], but these deficits were not as severe as their deficit in reading comprehension ( d = -2.78, 95% CI [-3.01, -2.54]). When compared to reading comprehension age-matched normal readers, the oral language skills of the two groups were comparable ( d = 0.32, 95% CI [-0.49, 1.14]), which suggests that the oral language weaknesses of children with SCD represent a developmental delay rather than developmental deviance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
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Fundamental principles of conducting a surgery economic analysis study.
Kotsis, Sandra V; Chung, Kevin C
2010-02-01
The use of economic evaluation in surgery is scarce. Economic evaluation is used even less so in plastic surgery, in which health-related quality of life is of particular importance. This article, part of a tutorial series on evidence-based medicine, focuses on the fundamental principles of conducting a surgery economic analysis. The authors include the essential aspects of conducting a surgical cost-utility analysis by considering perspectives, costs, outcomes, and utilities. The authors also describe and give examples of how to conduct the analyses (including calculating quality-adjusted life-years and discounting), how to interpret the results, and how to report the results. Although economic analyses are not simple to conduct, a well-conducted one provides many rewards, such as recommending the adoption of a more effective treatment. For comparing and interpreting economic analysis publications, it is important that all studies use consistent methodology and report the results in a similar manner.
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Maccario, Roberta; Rouhani, Saba; Drake, Tom; Nagy, Annie; Bamadio, Modibo; Diarra, Seybou; Djanken, Souleymane; Roschnik, Natalie; Clarke, Siân E; Sacko, Moussa; Brooker, Simon; Thuilliez, Josselin
2017-06-12
The expansion of malaria prevention and control to school-aged children is receiving increasing attention, but there are still limited data on the costs of intervention. This paper analyses the costs of a comprehensive school-based intervention strategy, delivered by teachers, that included participatory malaria educational activities, distribution of long lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN), and Intermittent Parasite Clearance in schools (IPCs) in southern Mali. Costs were collected alongside a randomised controlled trial conducted in 80 primary schools in Sikasso Region in Mali in 2010-2012. Cost data were compiled between November 2011 and March 2012 for the 40 intervention schools (6413 children). A provider perspective was adopted. Using an ingredients approach, costs were classified by cost category and by activity. Total costs and cost per child were estimated for the actual intervention, as well as for a simpler version of the programme more suited for scale-up by the government. Univariate sensitivity analysis was performed. The economic cost of the comprehensive intervention was estimated to $10.38 per child (financial cost $8.41) with malaria education, LLIN distribution and IPCs costing $2.13 (20.5%), $5.53 (53.3%) and $2.72 (26.2%) per child respectively. Human resources were found to be the key cost driver, and training costs were the greatest contributor to overall programme costs. Sensitivity analysis showed that an adapted intervention delivering one LLIN instead of two would lower the economic cost to $8.66 per child; and that excluding LLIN distribution in schools altogether, for example in settings where malaria control already includes universal distribution of LLINs at community-level, would reduce costs to $4.89 per child. A comprehensive school-based control strategy may be a feasible and affordable way to address the burden of malaria among schoolchildren in the Sahel.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Roberta Maccario
2017-06-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background The expansion of malaria prevention and control to school-aged children is receiving increasing attention, but there are still limited data on the costs of intervention. This paper analyses the costs of a comprehensive school-based intervention strategy, delivered by teachers, that included participatory malaria educational activities, distribution of long lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN, and Intermittent Parasite Clearance in schools (IPCs in southern Mali. Methods Costs were collected alongside a randomised controlled trial conducted in 80 primary schools in Sikasso Region in Mali in 2010-2012. Cost data were compiled between November 2011 and March 2012 for the 40 intervention schools (6413 children. A provider perspective was adopted. Using an ingredients approach, costs were classified by cost category and by activity. Total costs and cost per child were estimated for the actual intervention, as well as for a simpler version of the programme more suited for scale-up by the government. Univariate sensitivity analysis was performed. Results The economic cost of the comprehensive intervention was estimated to $10.38 per child (financial cost $8.41 with malaria education, LLIN distribution and IPCs costing $2.13 (20.5%, $5.53 (53.3% and $2.72 (26.2% per child respectively. Human resources were found to be the key cost driver, and training costs were the greatest contributor to overall programme costs. Sensitivity analysis showed that an adapted intervention delivering one LLIN instead of two would lower the economic cost to $8.66 per child; and that excluding LLIN distribution in schools altogether, for example in settings where malaria control already includes universal distribution of LLINs at community-level, would reduce costs to $4.89 per child. Conclusions A comprehensive school-based control strategy may be a feasible and affordable way to address the burden of malaria among schoolchildren in the Sahel.
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On the importance of listening comprehension.
Hogan, Tiffany P; Adlof, Suzanne M; Alonzo, Crystle N
2014-06-01
The simple view of reading highlights the importance of two primary components which account for individual differences in reading comprehension across development: word recognition (i.e., decoding) and listening comprehension. While assessments and interventions for decoding have been the focus of pedagogy in the past several decades, the importance of listening comprehension has received less attention. This paper reviews evidence showing that listening comprehension becomes the dominating influence on reading comprehension starting even in the elementary grades. It also highlights a growing number of children who fail to develop adequate reading comprehension skills, primarily due to deficient listening comprehension skills (i.e., poor comprehenders). Finally we discuss key language influences on listening comprehension for consideration during assessment and treatment of reading disabilities.
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The Impact of Training Metacognitive Strategies on Reading Comprehension among ESL Learner's
Habibian, Maryam
2015-01-01
The present study investigates the impact of training metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension and has been conducted among students from University Putra Malaysia. Forty eight subjects majoring in English including both males and females participated in the study. They have been chosen from first level of reading and divided into two…
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The Impact of Note-Taking Strategies on Listening Comprehension of EFL Learners
Hayati, A. Majid; Jalilifar, Alireza
2009-01-01
The main concern of the present study is to probe the relationship between note-taking strategy and students' listening comprehension (LC) ability. To conduct the study, a language proficiency test was administered to the undergraduate students majoring in English Translation at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz and sixty students were selected…
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Mental health promotion in comprehensive schools.
Onnela, A M; Vuokila-Oikkonen, P; Hurtig, T; Ebeling, H
2014-09-01
The purpose of this paper is to describe a participatory action research process on the development of a professional practice model of mental health nurses in mental health promotion in a comprehensive school environment in the city of Oulu, Finland. The developed model is a new method of mental health promotion for mental health nurses working in comprehensive schools. The professional practice model has been developed in workshops together with school staff, interest groups, parents and students. Information gathered from the workshops was analysed using action research methods. Mental health promotion interventions are delivered at three levels: universal, which is an intervention that affects the whole school or community; selective, which is an intervention focusing on a certain group of students; and indicated, which is an individually focused intervention. All interventions are delivered within the school setting, which is a universal setting for all school-aged children. The interventions share the goal of promoting mental health. The purposes of the interventions are enhancing protective factors, reducing risk factors relating to mental health problems and early identification of mental health problems as well as rapid delivery of support or referral to specialized services. The common effect of the interventions on all levels is the increase in the experience of positive mental health. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Analysing Old Testament poetry: Basic issues in contemporary exegesis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
G. T. M. Prinsloo
1991-08-01
Full Text Available The wealth of publications on matters relating to Old Testament poetry is witness to the fact that this subject has become a focal point in Old Testament studies. In this paper, an overview of contemporary publications is given. The basic issues, both on the level of poetic theory and practical application, are pointed out. A tendency towards a comprehensive literary approach is definitely present and should be encouraged. Only when a poem is analysed on all levels and by all means, will the richness of its meaning be appreciated.
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Reading comprehension in Parkinson's disease.
Murray, Laura L; Rutledge, Stefanie
2014-05-01
Although individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) self-report reading problems and experience difficulties in cognitive-linguistic functions that support discourse-level reading, prior research has primarily focused on sentence-level processing and auditory comprehension. Accordingly, the authors investigated the presence and nature of reading comprehension in PD, hypothesizing that (a) individuals with PD would display impaired accuracy and/or speed on reading comprehension tests and (b) reading performances would be correlated with cognitive test results. Eleven adults with PD and 9 age- and education-matched control participants completed tests that evaluated reading comprehension; general language and cognitive abilities; and aspects of attention, memory, and executive functioning. The PD group obtained significantly lower scores on several, but not all, reading comprehension, language, and cognitive measures. Memory, language, and disease severity were significantly correlated with reading comprehension for the PD group. Individuals in the early stages of PD without dementia or broad cognitive deficits can display reading comprehension difficulties, particularly for high- versus basic-level reading tasks. These reading difficulties are most closely related to memory, high-level language, and PD symptom severity status. The findings warrant additional research to delineate further the types and nature of reading comprehension impairments experienced by individuals with PD.
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A Comprehensive Evaluation Rubric for Assessing Instructional Apps
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Cheng-Yuan Lee
2015-01-01
Full Text Available There is a pressing need for an evaluation rubric that examines all aspects of educational apps designed for instructional purposes. In past decades, many rubrics have been developed for evaluating educational computer-based programs; however, rubrics designed for evaluating the instructional implications of educational apps are scarce. When an Internet search for existing rubrics was conducted, only two such rubrics were found, and the evaluation criteria used in those rubrics was not clearly linked to previously conducted research nor were their evaluative dimensions clearly defined. These shortcomings result in reviewers being unable to use those rubrics to provide teachers with a precise analysis of an educational app’s instructional potential. In response, this paper presents a comprehensive rubric with 24-evaluative dimensions tailored specifically to analyze the educational potential of instructional apps.
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Comprehensive evaluation index system of total supply capability in distribution network
Zhang, Linyao; Wu, Guilian; Yang, Jingyuan; Jia, Shuangrui; Zhang, Wei; Sun, Weiqing
2018-01-01
Aiming at the lack of a comprehensive evaluation of the distribution network, based on the existing distribution network evaluation index system, combined with the basic principles of constructing the evaluation index, put forward a new evaluation index system of distribution network capacity. This paper is mainly based on the total supply capability of the distribution network, combining single index and various factors, into a multi-evaluation index of the distribution network, thus forming a reasonable index system, and various indicators of rational quantification make the evaluation results more intuitive. In order to have a comprehensive judgment of distribution network, this paper uses weights to analyse the importance of each index, verify the rationality of the index system through the example, it is proved that the rationality of the index system, so as to guide the direction of distribution network planning.
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Debevc, Matjaž; Milošević, Danijela; Kožuh, Ines
2015-01-01
One important theme in captioning is whether the implementation of captions in individual sign language interpreter videos can positively affect viewers' comprehension when compared with sign language interpreter videos without captions. In our study, an experiment was conducted using four video clips with information about everyday events. Fifty-one deaf and hard of hearing sign language users alternately watched the sign language interpreter videos with, and without, captions. Afterwards, they answered ten questions. The results showed that the presence of captions positively affected their rates of comprehension, which increased by 24% among deaf viewers and 42% among hard of hearing viewers. The most obvious differences in comprehension between watching sign language interpreter videos with and without captions were found for the subjects of hiking and culture, where comprehension was higher when captions were used. The results led to suggestions for the consistent use of captions in sign language interpreter videos in various media.
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Pickens, Tyra W.
2016-01-01
The purpose of the current study was to examine features of adolescent reading comprehension trajectories and make within-person and between-person analyses of growth that occurs during the high school grades. Racial and socioeconomic group differences of the adolescent reading trajectories were also investigated and compared. This examination…
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Buitelaar, Jan K; Smeets, Kirsten C; Herpers, Pierre; Scheepers, Floor; Glennon, Jeffrey; Rommelse, Nanda N J
2013-02-01
Conduct disorder (CD) is a frequently occurring psychiatric disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of aggressive and non-aggressive rule breaking antisocial behaviours that lead to considerable burden for the patients themselves, their family and society. This review paper updates diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to CD in the light of the forthcoming DSM-5 definition. The diagnostic criteria for CD will remain unchanged in DSM-5, but the introduction of a specifier of CD with a callous-unemotional (CU) presentation is new. Linked to this, we discuss the pros and cons of various other ways to subtype aggression/CD symptoms. Existing guidelines for CD are, with few exceptions, already of a relatively older date and emphasize that clinical assessment should be systematic and comprehensive and based on a multi-informant approach. Non-medical psychosocial interventions are recommended as the first option for the treatment of CD. There is a role for medication in the treatment of comorbid syndromes and/or in case of insufficient response to psychosocial interventions and severe and dangerous aggressive and violent behaviours.
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An evaluation of reading comprehension of expository text in adults with traumatic brain injury.
Sohlberg, McKay Moore; Griffiths, Gina G; Fickas, Stephen
2014-05-01
This project was conducted to obtain information about reading problems of adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairments and to investigate how these readers respond to reading comprehension strategy prompts integrated into digital versions of text. Participants from 2 groups, adults with TBI (n = 15) and matched controls (n = 15), read 4 different 500-word expository science passages linked to either a strategy prompt condition or a no-strategy prompt condition. The participants' reading comprehension was evaluated using sentence verification and free recall tasks. The TBI and control groups exhibited significant differences on 2 of the 5 reading comprehension measures: paraphrase statements on a sentence verification task and communication units on a free recall task. Unexpected group differences were noted on the participants' prerequisite reading skills. For the within-group comparison, participants showed significantly higher reading comprehension scores on 2 free recall measures: words per communication unit and type-token ratio. There were no significant interactions. The results help to elucidate the nature of reading comprehension in adults with TBI with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairments and endorse further evaluation of reading comprehension strategies as a potential intervention option for these individuals. Future research is needed to better understand how individual differences influence a person's reading and response to intervention.
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The Effects of Cognitive Capacity and Gaming Expertise on Attention and Comprehension
Lee, Y.-H.; Heeter, C.
2017-01-01
Educational video games can impose high cognitive demands on its users. Two studies were conducted to examine the cognitive process involved in playing an educational digital game. Study 1 examined the effects of users' working memory capacity and gaming expertise on attention and comprehension of the educational messages. The results showed that…
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Fox, Annie Beth; Rosen, Jonathan; Crawford, Mary
2009-02-01
Instant messaging (IM) has become one of the most popular forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and is especially prevalent on college campuses. Previous research suggests that IM users often multitask while conversing online. To date, no one has yet examined the cognitive effect of concurrent IM use. Participants in the present study (N = 69) completed a reading comprehension task uninterrupted or while concurrently holding an IM conversation. Participants who IMed while performing the reading task took significantly longer to complete the task, indicating that concurrent IM use negatively affects efficiency. Concurrent IM use did not affect reading comprehension scores. Additional analyses revealed that the more time participants reported spending on IM, the lower their reading comprehension scores. Finally, we found that the more time participants reported spending on IM, the lower their self-reported GPA. Implications and future directions are discussed.
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Hayes, VM; Westra, JL; Verlind, E; Bleeker, W; Plukker, JT; Hofstra, RMW; Buys, CHCM
2000-01-01
A comprehensive mutation detection assay is presented for the entire coding region and all splice site junctions of the KRAS oncogene. The assay is based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and applicable to archival paraffin-embedded tumour material. All KRAS amplicons are analysed within
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Fundamental Reform of Payment for Adult Primary Care: Comprehensive Payment for Comprehensive Care
Berenson, Robert A.; Schoenbaum, Stephen C.; Gardner, Laurence B.
2007-01-01
Primary care is essential to the effective and efficient functioning of health care delivery systems, yet there is an impending crisis in the field due in part to a dysfunctional payment system. We present a fundamentally new model of payment for primary care, replacing encounter-based imbursement with comprehensive payment for comprehensive care. Unlike former iterations of primary care capitation (which simply bundled inadequate fee-for-service payments), our comprehensive payment model represents new investment in adult primary care, with substantial increases in payment over current levels. The comprehensive payment is directed to practices to include support for the modern systems and teams essential to the delivery of comprehensive, coordinated care. Income to primary physicians is increased commensurate with the high level of responsibility expected. To ensure optimal allocation of resources and the rewarding of desired outcomes, the comprehensive payment is needs/risk-adjusted and performance-based. Our model establishes a new social contract with the primary care community, substantially increasing payment in return for achieving important societal health system goals, including improved accessibility, quality, safety, and efficiency. Attainment of these goals should help offset and justify the costs of the investment. Field tests of this and other new models of payment for primary care are urgently needed. PMID:17356977
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Review of the ideas of the EGRP: comprehensive authorization
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Osborne, R.V.; Turvey, F.J.
2004-01-01
One of the questions addressed in the review of the ideas of the EGRP was whether the process of comprehensive authorization as described in 'The Way Forward: a Contribution to the Evolution of the System of Radiological Protection' would lead to a better system of protection. The process can be seen as a particular application of the general approach taken in assessing and managing health risks of all kinds. Such an approach is to define the problem and put it in context; to analyse the risks; to examine the options for addressing the risk; to decide which option to implement - i.e., the optimum solution; to implement the decision; and to evaluate the results. The EGRP ideas cover the first four steps. In the review we have tested the process of characterisation, screening, and optimisation called here 'comprehensive authorization' - on a variety of sources and exposures, ranging from cosmic ray exposures of the public to radioactive releases from nuclear facilities. Our finding has been that the scores obtained in the characterisation range from less than 35% to more then 65%, the values suggested (see Part 1 of this presentation) as the criteria for excusing from regulatory action and for indicating the need for stakeholder involvement. The comprehensive authorization process would appear to lead to the same general outcomes as does the present system but in a more unified way without some of the confusing terminology. Characterisation looks to be a helpful way of triggering stakeholder involvement, though there may be some difficulty in arriving at a common set of attributes - some 'tuning' is needed. There is still a need for international recommendations on dose constraints and other quantitative guidelines for consideration in the optimisation process. The process of comprehensive authorization appears to be an evolution of the present system, able to take advantage of those parts of the current system that work well. With the comprehensive authorization
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sheikhi, Amir; Sotudeh-Gharebagh, Rahmat; Mostoufi, Navid; Zarghami, Reza
2013-01-01
Highlights: • Bed shell vibration fluctuation is introduced as a novel non-invasive monitoring method in three-phase fluidized beds. • Analyses of vibration signatures and pressure fluctuations were performed to characterize gas–liquid–solid fluidized beds. • These enabled further investigation on the dual effect of solid particles on the local and global bed hydrodynamics. -- Abstract: Simultaneous analyses of vibration signatures and pressure fluctuations were performed to investigate the hydrodynamics of a conventional three-phase gas–liquid–solid fluidized bed over a wide range of operating conditions. Non-intrusive vibration signature and pressure fluctuation signals were acquired by means of accelerometers and a piezoresistive pressure transducer, respectively. Comprehensive study on the standard deviation of pressure fluctuations was conducted simultaneously with two new statistical analyses on the pressure fluctuations, namely signal energy and average cycle frequency, which presented a new method of determining minimum liquid-fluidization velocity. This enabled further investigation on the dual effect of solid particles on the local hydrodynamics in the three-phase beds. The vibration analysis of the bed was introduced as a novel and non-invasive tool, which proved to be a robust representative of the global governing regimes suggesting a new approach on the dual effect of solid particles on the bed global hydrodynamics. These methods can pave the way towards the non-invasive hydrodynamic characterization of industrial three-phase reactors
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Coates, Cameron W [ORNL; Eisele, Gerhard R [ORNL
2011-01-01
The Russian Federation (RF) is committed to implementing a comprehensive drug testing program under its Personnel Reliability Program (PRP) for military personnel involved in handling sensitive nuclear materials. This commitment leads to a number of mandatory requirements for the laboratory conducting the confirmation testing to ensure the legitimacy and integrity of the testing process. These requirements are established by the RF Duma to ensure that individuals conducting these tests have adequate training, certifications, and experience to conduct narcotic confirmation tests. This paper describes the facility requirements and personnel qualifications needed for conducting comprehensive drug abuse confirmation testing. Details regarding the personnel training and laboratory experience in the theory and practice of analytical forensic toxicology of drugs of abuse will be presented, as well as the facility requirements for the laboratory conducting such tests. Chain-of-custody, from sample receipt through completion of testing, reporting of results, and continuing until final disposition of specimens will be addressed.
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Finite element analyses for RF photoinjector gun cavities
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Marhauser, F.
2006-01-01
This paper details electromagnetical, thermal and structural 3D Finite Element Analyses (FEA) for normal conducting RF photoinjector gun cavities. The simulation methods are described extensively. Achieved results are presented. (orig.)
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Finite element analyses for RF photoinjector gun cavities
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Marhauser, F. [Berliner Elektronenspeicherring-Gesellschaft fuer Synchrotronstrahlung mbH (BESSY), Berlin (Germany)
2006-07-01
This paper details electromagnetical, thermal and structural 3D Finite Element Analyses (FEA) for normal conducting RF photoinjector gun cavities. The simulation methods are described extensively. Achieved results are presented. (orig.)
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Investigation of the technology of conductive yarns manufacturing
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.
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Phung, Janice N; Milojevich, Helen M; Lukowski, Angela F
2014-11-01
Adult-provided language shapes event memory in children who are preverbal and in those who are able to discuss the past using language. The research conducted to date, however, has not yet established whether infant language comprehension abilities moderate the extent to which preverbal infants benefit from adult-provided supportive language. The present study was conducted to address this question by examining immediate imitation and 1-week delayed generalization across cues in 20-month-old infants as a function of (a) variability in adult-provided linguistic support at encoding and test, (b) infant language comprehension abilities, and (c) their interaction. The provision of supportive adult language at encoding and test was associated with delayed generalization across cues although supportive adult language at encoding did not influence performance at immediate imitation. Infant language comprehension abilities were associated with performance at immediate imitation and delayed generalization across cues. In addition, infant language comprehension abilities moderated the extent to which infants benefited from adult-provided supportive language at encoding and test. The findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating that adult language use and infant language comprehension are independently and differentially associated with immediate imitation and 1-week delayed generalization across cues but also serve to jointly structure event memory in the second year of life. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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THE EFFECT OF A READING COMPREHENSION SOFTWARE PROGRAM ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
David E. Proudfoot
2016-06-01
Full Text Available In an effort to increase student achievement, research was conducted to determine the degree in which a reading comprehension software program effected the reading and math abilities of fourth and fifth grade students. Cognitive and educational studies were examined to select a reading comprehension software program as an intervention that would produce positive results in reading comprehension and possibly transfer positive results to achievement in other academic areas, specifically in math. The effects of the intervention were measured by assigning subjects to an experimental group. The total sample consisted of 39 students who were deficient in reading comprehension, and also exposed a significant weakness with word problem items on mathematical assessments. Four instruments were used to collect data before and after the treatment to measure student achievement. To determine the degree to which the software program effected student achievement, data from the four instruments were analyzed using SPSS software. A paired-samples dependent t test and a Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was computed with ratio level data to test for a correlation between increased math scores and reading comprehension scores. Results yielded statistically significant and positive results in increasing reading comprehension skills that could possibly benefit students in reading and understanding mathematical problems. Results did not conclusively support that the increase of reading-comprehension skills had a collateral effect on students scoring higher with math word problems. The results are conducive to providing insight to educational leaders who plan to implement software as a means for increasing student achievement.
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The lattice thermal conductivity of pure metals: Aluminium and Indium, ch. 4
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lang, H.N. de
1977-01-01
The lattice conductivity of aluminium and indium has been determined by reducing the electronic thermal conductivity by means of a magnetic field. This was done using the Corbino configuration which prevents the thermal Hall field from forming, hence produces the largest magnetoresistance for a given field strength. In this way for the first time the lattice conductivity of Al and In was measured by the magnetic field method. Apart from a discussion of these results, a comprehensive and critical examination is given of the different methods to determine the lattice conductivity of metals, the phenomenon of the linear magnetoresistance, the quadratic field dependence of the MR and the anomalous lattice conductivity of Potassium as well as the phenomenon of curve crossing
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Conducting Computer Security Assessments at Nuclear Facilities
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
2016-06-01
Computer security is increasingly recognized as a key component in nuclear security. As technology advances, it is anticipated that computer and computing systems will be used to an even greater degree in all aspects of plant operations including safety and security systems. A rigorous and comprehensive assessment process can assist in strengthening the effectiveness of the computer security programme. This publication outlines a methodology for conducting computer security assessments at nuclear facilities. The methodology can likewise be easily adapted to provide assessments at facilities with other radioactive materials
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Hagen, Åste M.; Melby-Lervåg, Monica; Lervåg, Arne
2017-01-01
Background: Children with language comprehension difficulties are at risk of educational and social problems, which in turn impede employment prospects in adulthood. However, few randomized trials have examined how such problems can be ameliorated during the preschool years. Methods: We conducted a cluster randomized trial in 148 preschool…
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HIV-positive patients’ and their families’ comprehension of HIV- and AIDS-related information
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gedina E. de Wet
2013-04-01
Full Text Available Despite acknowledgement of the importance of sharing HIV- and AIDS-related information with people living with HIV, it is still unclear as to what their actual comprehension is of this information. This research was part of a larger project, Tswaragano, conducted in the North-West Province, South Africa, which explored and described the competence, ability and strengths of the family of the HIV-positive patient during home support. This research focused on Potchefstroom in the North-West Province. This article focuses on research with the objective being to explore and describe the comprehension of HIV-positive patients and their families with regard to HIV- and AIDS-related information, and to formulate recommendations to improve their comprehension of this information. A quantitative, explorative and descriptive survey design was followed. Data were collected by means of questionnaires completed by HIV-positive patients (n = 79 and their family members (n = 34. Descriptive statistical analysis by means of frequency analysis was conducted. Ethical considerations and mechanisms to enhance validity and reliability are discussed. The results indicated that both HIV-positive respondents and their families face social and financial challenges due to unemployment and low income. A strength found in this research is that the majority of respondents are linked to a church, which can be a valuable platform to share information on HIV and AIDS. With regards to sharing, sources and comprehension of HIV- and AIDS-related information, it is apparent that respondents perceived that pre- and post-counselling provided an opportunity for information sharing, but that they need health care workers to spend more time with them, to be non-judgemental and to make more use of visual aids. It furthermore seems that the majority of HIV-positive respondents in this study did comprehend the need for and negotiate for safer sexual practices. It was concluded that
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HIV-positive patients’ and their families’ comprehension of HIV- and AIDS-related information
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gedina E. de Wet
2013-04-01
Full Text Available Despite acknowledgement of the importance of sharing HIV- and AIDS-related information with people living with HIV, it is still unclear as to what their actual comprehension is of this information. This research was part of a larger project, Tswaragano, conducted in the North-West Province, South Africa, which explored and described the competence, ability and strengths of the family of the HIV-positive patient during home support. This research focused on Potchefstroom in the North-West Province. This article focuses on research with the objective being to explore and describe the comprehension of HIV-positive patients and their families with regard to HIV- and AIDS-related information, and to formulate recommendations to improve their comprehension of this information. A quantitative, explorative and descriptive survey design was followed. Data were collected by means of questionnaires completed by HIV-positive patients (n= 79 and their family members (n= 34. Descriptive statistical analysis by means of frequency analysis was conducted. Ethical considerations and mechanisms to enhance validity and reliability are discussed. The results indicated that both HIV-positive respondents and their families face social and financial challenges due to unemployment and low income. A strength found in this research is that the majority of respondents are linked to a church, which can be a valuable platform to share information on HIV and AIDS. With regards to sharing, sources and comprehension of HIV- and AIDS-related information, it is apparent that respondents perceived that pre- and post-counselling provided an opportunity for information sharing, but that they need health care workers to spend more time with them, to be non-judgemental and to make more use of visual aids. It furthermore seems that the majority of HIV-positive respondents in this study did comprehend the need for and negotiate for safer sexual practices. It was concluded that although
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Storybook Read-Alouds to Enhance Students’ Comprehension Skills in ESL Classrooms: A Case Study
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ainon Omar
2015-06-01
Full Text Available The effectiveness of using storybooks during read-alouds to develop children’s comprehension skills as well as in understanding the story has been widely studied. The reading aloud strategy has also been proven through numerous researches to be the most highly recommended activity for encouraging language and literacy. The study identified the comprehension strategies used by the teachers during their read-aloud sessions, matched teachers’ current practices using the comprehension strategies to the identified practices for the approach, and obtained the teachers’ perceptions of their current practices of the comprehension strategies during reading aloud in their English language classrooms. The teachers’ comprehension strategies were matched with a research-based strategy for comprehending texts during read-alouds proposed by Whitehurst et al (1994. Three primary school English language teachers teaching in the rural schools participated in this study. Qualitative research methods were used in this study. Primary data was obtained through observations using an observation protocol; while secondary data was obtained through interviews from teachers. Findings from the study revealed that the three teachers employed a few of the comprehension strategies that were proposed by researchers in the field. The findings also indicate that the teachers utilized only the strategies that they thought were relevant to their teaching context and as such, proposed the need to provide teachers with knowledge on the best practices for conducting reading aloud to develop ESL students’ comprehension skills
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Comprehension of a Colon Cancer Pamphlet among American Adults at Least 50 Years of Age
Liu, Chiung-ju
2010-01-01
Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of comprehension of an educational pamphlet on colon cancer, by adults at least 50 years of age living in the United States. Design: Data were analysed from the "2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy" survey. The survey was designed to assess functional English…
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Liu, S; Wang, Z; Zhao, C; Huang, X; Liang, X; Wang, X; Lu, S; Scherpbier, R W
2018-06-01
To examine the effects of early comprehensive interventions on home environment and child neurodevelopment among children younger than 3 years in poor rural areas of China, as well as the underlying mediating and moderating mechanisms. Non-randomized intervention study was conducted among 216 children aged 0-3 years in Shanxi province of China. Based on a 2 × 2 factor design, children in Lin and Fenxi County were assigned to an intervention group with duration less than 1 year (n = 26) or an intervention group with duration longer than 1 year (n = 82), while children in Fangshan County served as a control group with duration less than 1 year (n = 30) or a control group with duration longer than 1 year (n = 78). The control group received national public health services (NPHS), while the intervention group received NPHS plus comprehensive interventions covering health, nutrition, early psychosocial stimulation, and child protection. Home environment (Infant-Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment [HOME]) and child neurodevelopment (Ages and Stages Questionnaire [ASQ]) were measured by observation and interview with mothers after the intervention program. The intervention group showed significantly higher overall HOME, organization, learning materials, and involvement than the control group, only for a duration longer than 1 year. Children in the intervention group performed better in overall ASQ, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social than children in the control group. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that there were significantly indirect effects of treatment on overall ASQ through overall HOME, organization, and involvement only when the duration was longer than 1 year. Early comprehensive interventions longer than 1 year improve home environment and promote child neurodevelopment among children younger than 3 years in poor rural areas. What is more, effects of early comprehensive interventions longer than 1 year on
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Cultural Knowledge in News Comprehension
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mathieu, David
2009-01-01
This paper presents the main lines of the design and the findings of a reception study on news comprehension. This empirical study is a comparison of the comprehension processes of Danes and French Canadians over a set of news texts from both countries. Comprehension is explored from a cultural...... perspective, through the lens of cognition and pragmatics, revealing the role played by cultural knowledge in comprehension and the underlying relationship between a text and its intended audience. It is argued that recipients ‘problematise’ the news texts, a process by which the texts answer questions...
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Development of comprehensive material performance database for nuclear applications
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tsuji, Hirokazu; Yokoyama, Norio; Tsukada, Takashi; Nakajima, Hajime
1993-01-01
This paper introduces the present status of the comprehensive material performance database for nuclear applications, which was named JAERI Material Performance Database (JMPD), and examples of its utilization. The JMPD has been developed since 1986 in JAERI with a view to utilizing various kinds of characteristics data of nuclear materials efficiently. Management system of relational database, PLANNER, was employed, and supporting systems for data retrieval and output were expanded. In order to improve user-friendliness of the retrieval system, the menu selection type procedures have been developed where knowledge of the system or the data structures are not required for end-users. As to utilization of the JMPD, two types of data analyses are mentioned as follows: (1) A series of statistical analyses was performed in order to estimate the design values both of the yield strength (Sy) and the tensile strength (Su) for aluminum alloys which are widely used as structural materials for research reactors. (2) Statistical analyses were accomplished by using the cyclic crack growth rate data for nuclear pressure vessel steels, and comparisons were made on variability and/or reproducibility of the data between obtained by ΔK-increasing and ΔK-constant type tests. (author)
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Lessons learned from radioactive/mixed waste analyses at EG ampersand G Idaho, Inc
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Murphy, R.J.; Sailer, S.J.; Bennett, J.T.; Arvizu, J.S.
1990-01-01
For the past 30 years extensive chemical characterizations of environmental and waste samples have been performed by numerous academic, commercial, and government analytical chemistry laboratories for the purposes of research, monitoring, and compliance with regulations. The vast majority of these analyses, however, has been conducted on samples containing natural concentrations of radioactive constituents. It is only within the last decade that a small number of laboratories have been conducting extensive chemical characterizations of highly radioactive samples and consequently have begun to identify many special requirements for the safe and accurate conduct of such analyses. Experience gained from chemical analyses of radioactively contaminated samples has indicated special requirements and actions needed in the following three general areas: Sample collection and preservation; chemical analysis protocols; disposal of waste from chemical analyses. In this paper we will summarize the experience and findings acquired from four years of radioactive sample analyses by the Environmental Chemistry Unit, an analytical chemistry laboratory of EG ampersand G Idaho, Inc. at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. 6 tabs
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Conduction at domain walls in oxide multiferroics
Seidel, J.; Martin, L. W.; He, Q.; Zhan, Q.; Chu, Y.-H.; Rother, A.; Hawkridge, M. E.; Maksymovych, P.; Yu, P.; Gajek, M.; Balke, N.; Kalinin, S. V.; Gemming, S.; Wang, F.; Catalan, G.; Scott, J. F.; Spaldin, N. A.; Orenstein, J.; Ramesh, R.
2009-03-01
Domain walls may play an important role in future electronic devices, given their small size as well as the fact that their location can be controlled. Here, we report the observation of room-temperature electronic conductivity at ferroelectric domain walls in the insulating multiferroic BiFeO3. The origin and nature of the observed conductivity are probed using a combination of conductive atomic force microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and first-principles density functional computations. Our analyses indicate that the conductivity correlates with structurally driven changes in both the electrostatic potential and the local electronic structure, which shows a decrease in the bandgap at the domain wall. Additionally, we demonstrate the potential for device applications of such conducting nanoscale features.
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Investigating reading comprehension through EEG
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Luciane Baretta
2012-12-01
Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2012n63p69 Experimental studies point that different factors can influence reading comprehension, such as the topic, text type, reading task, and others. The advances in technologies for the past decades have provided researchers with several possibilities to investigate what goes on in one’s brain since their eyes meet the page until comprehension is achieved. Since the mid-80’s, numerous studies have been conducted with the use of the electroencephalogram (EEG to investigate the process of reading, through the analysis of different components – n400, n100 or n1, P2, among others. These components reveal, for example, how the brain integrates the meaning of a specific word in the semantic context of a given sentence. based on previous studies, which demonstrate that different types of words affect cognitive load, this paper aims at investigating how the brain processes function and content words inserted in expository and narrative texts with suitable / unsuitable conclusions. results showed that the type of text and word influence the cognitive load in different scalp areas (midline, right and left hemispheres. The n1s were more pronounced to the content words inserted in narrative texts and to the function words inserted in the expository type of texts, corroborating former studies.
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MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES AS PREDICTORS OF READING COMPREHENSION AND VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE
Abbas Ali Zarei; Nima Shokri Afshar
2014-01-01
Abstract: The present study was conducted to investigate types of Multiple Intelligences as predictors of reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge. To meet this objective, a 60-item TOEFL test and a 90-item multiple intelligences questionnaire were distributed among 240 male and female Iranians studying English at Qazali and Parsian Universities in Qazvin. Data were analyzed using a multiple regression procedure. The result of the data analysis indicated that musical, interpersonal, kin...
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Shin, Dong Wook; Choi, JiEun; Miyashita, Mitsunori; Choi, Jin Young; Kang, Jina; Baik, Young Ji; Mo, Ha Na; Choi, Jong Soon; Son, Young Sun; Lee, Hae Sook
2011-10-01
No systematic or comprehensive attempts have yet been made to assess quality of death as an indicator of palliative care outcomes in Korea, and no validated instruments exist for the assessment of a good death in Koreans. This study examined the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Good Death Inventory (GDI), which was developed in Japan to evaluate the quality of death from the perspective of bereaved family members. Forward and backward translations and a pilot test were conducted. In a multicenter cross-sectional survey, a questionnaire packet, including the GDI, overall quality of life during the last week, and overall satisfaction with care, was mailed to bereaved family members (n=501) of patients who had died from cancer two to six months before the study. Descriptive analyses were performed, including response rate, mean, median, skewness, and kurtosis for each item. The reliability of the GDI was tested by Cronbach's alpha. The dimensional structure was assessed using confirmatory factor analyses. Concurrent validity was tested by correlation with the overall quality of life and overall satisfaction with care. Participants were able to complete the GDI, and the compliance rates were satisfactory. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was 0.93 overall and ranged from 0.69 to 0.94 for subdomains. The hypothesized 18-factor model of a good death appeared to fit the data (goodness of fit index [GFI]=0.964; adjusted GFI index=0.960; normal fit index=0.952). The overall scores on the GDI correlated with patients' quality of life (0.56; P<0.001) and overall satisfaction with care (0.44; P<0.001). The Korean version of the GDI is a reliable and valid measure of the comprehensive outcomes of palliative care from the perspective of bereaved Korean family members. Copyright © 2011 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Black pepper and health claims: a comprehensive treatise.
Butt, Masood Sadiq; Pasha, Imran; Sultan, Muhammad Tauseef; Randhawa, Muhammad Atif; Saeed, Farhan; Ahmed, Waqas
2013-01-01
For millennia, spices have been an integral part of human diets and commerce. Recently, the widespread recognition of diet-health linkages bolsters their dietary importance. The bioactive components present in them are of considerable significance owing to their therapeutic potential against various ailments. They provide physiological benefits or prevent chronic ailment in addition to the fundamental nutrition and often included in the category of functional foods. Black pepper (Piper Nigrum L.) is an important healthy food owing to its antioxidant, antimicrobial potential and gastro-protective modules. Black pepper, with piperine as an active ingredient, holds rich phytochemistry that also includes volatile oil, oleoresins, and alkaloids. More recently, cell-culture studies and animal modeling predicted the role of black pepper against number of maladies. The free-radical scavenging activity of black pepper and its active ingredients might be helpful in chemoprevention and controlling progression of tumor growth. Additionally, the key alkaloid components of Piper Nigrum, that is, piperine assist in cognitive brain functioning, boost nutrient's absorption and improve gastrointestinal functionality. In this comprehensive treatise, efforts are made to elucidate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, gastro-protective, and antidepressant activities of black pepper. Moreover, the synergistic interaction of black pepper with different drugs and nutrients is the limelight of the manuscript. However, the aforementioned health-promoting benefits associated with black pepper are proven in animal modeling. Thus, there is a need to conduct controlled randomized trials in human subjects, cohort studies, and meta-analyses. Such future studies would be helpful in recommending its application in diet-based regimens to prevent various ailments.
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Strategies identification in an experimental reading comprehension task
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stanković Sanda
2010-01-01
Full Text Available Standardized reading comprehension tests (RCTs usually consist of a small number of texts each accompanied by several multiple-choice questions, with texts and questions simultaneously presented. The score the common measure of reading comprehension ability in RCTs is the score. Literature review suggests that strategies subjects employ may influence their performance on RCT, however the score itself provides no information on the specific strategy employed. Knowledge of test-taking strategies could have impact on understanding of the actual purpose and benefits of using RCTs in pedagogical and psychological practice. With the ultimate objective of constructing a first standard RCT in Serbian language, the preliminary step we took was to conduct an experimental reading comprehension task (ERCT consisting of 27 short texts displayed in succession, each followed by a single multiplechoice question. Using qualitative analysis of subjects’ responses in semi-structured postexperimental interview, we identified four overall strategies used on ERCT. Our results show that groups of students who used specific strategies differed significantly from one another in text reading time, with no differences found regarding the question reading and answering time. More importantly, there were no significant between-group differences found in terms of ERCT score. These findings suggest that choice of strategy is a way to optimize the relation between one’s own potential and ERCT task requirements. RCT based on ERCT principles would allow for a flexible choice of strategy which would not influence the final score.
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Case in Language Comprehension
Bader, Markus; Lamers, Monique
2012-01-01
Research on human language comprehension has been heavily influenced by properties of the English language. Since case plays only a minor role in English, its role for language comprehension has only recently become a topic for extensive research on psycholinguistics. In the psycholinguistic
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A semi-active suspension control algorithm for vehicle comprehensive vertical dynamics performance
Nie, Shida; Zhuang, Ye; Liu, Weiping; Chen, Fan
2017-08-01
Comprehensive performance of the vehicle, including ride qualities and road-holding, is essentially of great value in practice. Many up-to-date semi-active control algorithms improve vehicle dynamics performance effectively. However, it is hard to improve comprehensive performance for the conflict between ride qualities and road-holding around the second-order resonance. Hence, a new control algorithm is proposed to achieve a good trade-off between ride qualities and road-holding. In this paper, the properties of the invariant points are analysed, which gives an insight into the performance conflicting around the second-order resonance. Based on it, a new control algorithm is proposed. The algorithm employs a novel frequency selector to balance suspension ride and handling performance by adopting a medium damping around the second-order resonance. The results of this study show that the proposed control algorithm could improve the performance of ride qualities and suspension working space up to 18.3% and 8.2%, respectively, with little loss of road-holding compared to the passive suspension. Consequently, the comprehensive performance can be improved by 6.6%. Hence, the proposed algorithm is of great potential to be implemented in practice.
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Listening Comprehension in Middle-Aged Adults.
Sommers, Mitchell S
2015-06-01
The purpose of this summary is to examine changes in listening comprehension across the adult lifespan and to identify factors associated with individual differences in listening comprehension. In this article, the author reports on both cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in listening comprehension. Despite significant declines in both sensory and cognitive abilities, listening comprehension remains relatively unchanged in middle-aged listeners (between the ages of 40 and 60 years) compared with young listeners. These results are discussed with respect to possible compensatory factors that maintain listening comprehension despite impaired hearing and reduced cognitive capacities.
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Thermal hydraulic reactor safety analyses and experiments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Holmstroem, H.; Eerikaeinen, L.; Kervinen, T.; Kilpi, K.; Mattila, L.; Miettinen, J.; Yrjoelae, V.
1989-04-01
The report introduces the results of the thermal hydraulic reactor safety research performed in the Nuclear Engineering Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) during the years 1972-1987. Also practical applications i.e. analyses for the safety authorities and power companies are presented. The emphasis is on description of the state-of-the-art know how. The report describes VTT's most important computer codes, both those of foreign origin and those developed at VTT, and their assessment work, VTT's own experimental research, as well as international experimental projects and other forms of cooperation VTT has participated in. Appendix 8 contains a comprehensive list of the most important publications and technical reports produced. They present the content and results of the research in detail.(orig.)
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The Role of First-Language Listening Comprehension in Second-Language Reading Comprehension
Edele, Aileen; Stanat, Petra
2016-01-01
Although the simple view of reading and other theories suggest that listening comprehension is an important determinant of reading comprehension, previous research on linguistic transfer has mainly focused on the role of first language (L1) decoding skills in second language (L2) reading. The present study tested the assumption that listening…
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nosovskij, A.V.
2001-01-01
The Slavutych division of the international Chornobyl Center (ICC) actively conducts its work in Slavutych from 1997. The following work was conducted during the last years: Documentation on the ChNPP 1-st Unit and 2-nd Unit decommissioning was developed. Comprehensive engineering and radiation survey of the 1-st Unit was conducted. Decommissioning database was created. On demand of Chornobyl NPP, the work on development the following documents was conducted: The 3-rd Unit shutdown program. Comprehensive program on ChNPP decommissioning. ChNPP personnel and Slavutych residents social protection program
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USING QTM AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL FOR TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Koeswandi Koeswandi
2017-04-01
Full Text Available This research was motivated by the needs for an appropriate English reading comprehension instructional model in Junior High School students. The aims of this research are (1 to describe the qualities of a present guideline for an English instructional model of reading comprehension; (2 to describe the qualities of the existing English instructional model of reading comprehension used in Junior High School; (3 to get the deeply information on the needs towards design; (4 to construct the prototype model of English instructional model of reading comprehension using Quantum Teaching Model (QTM; and (5 to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the prototype model. The research has used R & D which was conducted in three phases. The first has exploration phase which consists of evaluating the qualities of a present guideline for EIMRC used in JHS in Pemalang Regency, and to analyze the needs of EIMRC using QTM. The second was prototype development phase where the prototype model was constructed and tried out. The last was expert validation in which experts and practitioners were involved to review the model in order to help the refinement. The data were collected from document analysis, in-depth interview, classroom observation, FGD, Tryout and expert judgment. The data were then analyzed by using descriptive-qualitative and interactive analysis. The results of the research showed that the qualities of the present model were fair. Meanwhile, the result of need analysis pointed out that the teachers and the students need the model of EIMRC using QTM. However, the model needs to be revised for the refinement, particularly in terms of mechanical aspects and grammatical points. The research findings conclude that the use of EIMRC using QTM in JHS in Pemalang Regency empirically can improve the students‘ motivation and interaction in RC teaching and Learning activities and increase their reading comprehension achievement. These findings recommend that
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The need for a comprehensive energy management information system for industries
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Goosen, P
2016-11-01
Full Text Available Electricity costs in South Africa are increasing rapidly, and the funding hurdle rates for energy conservation incentives are decreasing. Therefore, with rising international competition and increasing operational costs, marginal industries need to focus on energy management strategies where larger savings can be achieved with lower capital expenditure. This paper sketches the need for a comprehensive energy management information system (EMIS. Common industrial energy management pitfalls are identified and energy conservation incentives are outlined. New focus points that improve client awareness and in turn improve the sustainability of energy management interventions are also highlighted. However, benefitting from energy incentives is becoming more complex. Therefore, many clients do not benefit from these incentives unless specialised Energy Service Companies (ESCos are employed. ESCos, however, require large amounts of data to manage clients’ energy effectively. Herein lies the need for a comprehensive EMIS that aids ESCos and their clients with the energy management process. An EMIS was developed and implemented for several industries in South Africa. Data is automatically collected, processed, analysed, and presented on a daily basis. A case study investigates the exorbitant amounts of data and reports that are managed automatically, which further highlights the need for a comprehensive EMIS.
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Noroozi, Sara Sara; Sim, Tam Shu; Nimehchisalem, Vahid; Zareian, Gholamreza
2014-01-01
In the body of literature on listening strategies to EFL learners, what seems to be lacking is that the focus is on teaching listening strategies to learners with little attention to their listening comprehension problems. No local research has been conducted on the nature of the Iranian tertiary level students' EFL listening comprehension…
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A conceptual framework for analysing and measuring land-use intensity
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Erb, Karl-Heinz; Haberl, Helmut; Jepsen, Martin Rudbeck
2013-01-01
Large knowledge gaps currently exist that limit our ability to understand and characterise dynamics and patterns of land-use intensity: in particular, a comprehensive conceptual framework and a system of measurement are lacking. This situation hampers the development of a sound understanding...... of the mechanisms, determinants, and constraints underlying changes in land-use intensity. On the basis of a review of approaches for studying land-use intensity, we propose a conceptual framework to quantify and analyse land-use intensity. This framework integrates three dimensions: (a) input intensity, (b) output...
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Instructional Strategies Alternative for Reading Comprehension
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yajaira del Valle Cadenas Terán
2017-05-01
Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to expose significantly instruccionales strategic alternatives that help improve the process of reading in college students to be trained holistically, able to make critical decisions, thoughtful and successful in the academic field. The strategies implemented educational event isolated to produce no change is necessary, that are planned and executed in the proper context of the need to ensure a certain extent the instructional success. It is also essential that teachers be the first to appropriate it. This study was conducted with a literature review serves as instructional foundation - strategic. In conclusion the importance of instructional strategies in reading comprehension was determined, since they increase communication skills, provide specific or complex experiences and promote meaningful learning.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zahra Riahi
2017-02-01
Full Text Available The present study attempted to investigate the possible impacts of Individual Concept Mapping (ICM and Collaborative Concept Mapping (CCM strategies on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension. For this purpose, 90 pre-intermediate female language learners ranged between 12 to 17 years of age were selected to randomly assign into ICM, CCM and Control groups in this study. After taking Key English Test (KET, the ICM and CCM groups received EFL reading materials presented and practiced with ICM and CCM strategies, respectively, while the Control group received only conventional instructions to reading comprehension. After conducting the treatment, all participants took a Concept Mapping post-test constructed by the researchers. The hypothetical assumptions in this study were in favor of ICM and CCM strategies to improve the Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension. Statistics supported the outperformance of the ICM and CCM groups comparing to Control group who received convention PPP teaching techniques on Concept Mapping post-test. However, the superiority of neither strategies was statistically proved so that no meaningful difference between the reading comprehension of the ICM and CCM groups were detected. Therefore, the researchers failed to determine which strategy caused a better or higher impact. Some pedagogical implications and recommended topics for further research were provided to the motivated researchers.
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Saji, Hisashi; Ueno, Takahiko; Nakamura, Hiroshige; Okumura, Norihito; Tsuchida, Masanori; Sonobe, Makoto; Miyazaki, Takuro; Aokage, Keiju; Nakao, Masayuki; Haruki, Tomohiro; Ito, Hiroyuki; Kataoka, Kazuhiko; Okabe, Kazunori; Tomizawa, Kenji; Yoshimoto, Kentaro; Horio, Hirotoshi; Sugio, Kenji; Ode, Yasuhisa; Takao, Motoshi; Okada, Morihito; Chida, Masayuki
2018-04-01
Although some retrospective studies have reported clinicopathological scoring systems for predicting postoperative complications and survival outcomes for elderly lung cancer patients, optimized scoring systems remain controversial. The Japanese Association for Chest Surgery (JACS) conducted a nationwide multicentre prospective cohort and enrolled a total of 1019 octogenarians with medically operable lung cancer. Details of the clinical factors, comorbidities and comprehensive geriatric assessment were recorded for 895 patients to develop a comprehensive risk scoring (RS) system capable of predicting severe complications. Operative (30 days) and hospital mortality rates were 1.0% and 1.6%, respectively. Complications were observed in 308 (34%) patients, of whom 81 (8.4%) had Grade 3-4 severe complications. Pneumonia was the most common severe complication, observed in 27 (3.0%) patients. Five predictive factors, gender, comprehensive geriatric assessment75: memory and Simplified Comorbidity Score (SCS): diabetes mellitus, albumin and percentage vital capacity, were identified as independent predictive factors for severe postoperative complications (odds ratio = 2.73, 1.86, 1.54, 1.66 and 1.61, respectively) through univariate and multivariate analyses. A 5-fold cross-validation was performed as an internal validation to reconfirm these 5 predictive factors (average area under the curve 0.70). We developed a simplified RS system as follows: RS = 3 (gender: male) + 2 (comprehensive geriatric assessment 75: memory: yes) + 2 (albumin: <3.8 ng/ml) + 1 (percentage vital capacity: ≤90) + 1 (SCS: diabetes mellitus: yes). The current series shows that octogenarians can be successfully treated for lung cancer with surgical resection with an acceptable rate of severe complications and mortality. We propose a simplified RS system to predict severe complications in octogenarian patients with medically operative lung cancer. JACS1303 (UMIN000016756).
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Addington, Donald; Anderson, Elizabeth; Kelly, Martina; Lesage, Alain; Summerville, Chris
2017-09-01
The objective of this review is to identify the features and components of a comprehensive system of services for people living with schizophrenia. A comprehensive system was conceived as one that served the full range of people with schizophrenia and was designed with consideration of the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia. The system should provide access to the full range of evidence-based services, should be recovery oriented, and should provide patient-centred care. A systematic search was conducted for published guidelines for schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The guidelines were rated by at least 2 raters, and recommendations adopted were primarily drawn from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (2014) Guideline on Psychosis and Schizophrenia in adults and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guidelines on management of schizophrenia. The recommendations adapted for Canada cover the range of services required to provide comprehensive services. Comprehensive services for people with schizophrenia can be organized and delivered to improve the quality of life of people with schizophrenia and their carers. The services need to be organized in a system that provides access to those who need them.
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The role of the amygdala in incongruity resolution: the case of humor comprehension.
Nakamura, Tagiru; Matsui, Tomoko; Utsumi, Akira; Yamazaki, Mika; Makita, Kai; Harada, Tokiko; Tanabe, Hiroki C; Sadato, Norihiro
2017-08-21
A dominant theory of humor comprehension suggests that people understand humor by first perceiving some incongruity in an expression and then resolving it. This is called "the incongruity-resolution theory." Experimental studies have investigated the neural basis of humor comprehension, and multiple neural substrates have been proposed; however, the specific substrate for incongruity resolution is still unknown. The reason may be that the resolution phase, despite its importance in humor comprehension, has not been successfully distinguished from the perception phase because both phases occur almost simultaneously. To reveal the substrate, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance study using 51 healthy participants. We used a humor-producing frame of "Given A, I'd say B, because C" so as to focus on the resolution phase independently by suspending humor processing just after the perception phase. This frame allowed us to separate the two phases. Based on our results, incongruity resolution evoked positive emotion and activated the left amygdala, which is known to be related to positive emotion. On the basis of these findings, we argue that the amygdala plays an important role in humor comprehension, considering its functional role in emotional evaluation, particularly the relevance detection for incoming stimuli.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rajendra K. Aithal
2016-02-01
Full Text Available Bioengineering of dermal and epidermal cells on surface modified substrates is an active area of research. The cytotoxicity, maintenance of cell phenotype and long-term functionality of human dermal fibroblast (HDF cells on conducting indium tin oxide (ITO and semi-conducting, silicon (Si and gallium arsenide (GaAs, surfaces modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs containing amino (–NH2 and methyl (–CH3 end groups have been investigated. Contact angle measurements and infrared spectroscopic studies show that the monolayers are conformal and preserve their functional end groups. Morphological analyses indicate that HDFs grow well on all substrates except GaAs, exhibiting their normal spindle-shaped morphology and exhibit no visible signs of stress or cytoplasmic vacuolation. Cell viability analyses indicate little cell death after one week in culture on all substrates except GaAs, where cells died within 6 h. Cells on all surfaces proliferate except on GaAs and GaAs-ODT. Cell growth is observed to be greater on SAM modified ITO and Si-substrates. Preservation of cellular phenotype assessed through type I collagen immunostaining and positive staining of HDF cells were observed on all modified surfaces except that on GaAs. These results suggest that conducting and semi-conducting SAM-modified surfaces support HDF growth and functionality and represent a promising area of bioengineering research.
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An experiment in heat conduction using hollow cylinders
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ortuno, M; Marquez, A; Gallego, S; Neipp, C; Belendez, A, E-mail: a.belendez@ua.es [Departamento de Fisica, IngenierIa de Sistemas y TeorIa de la Senal, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99, E-03080 Alicante (Spain)
2011-07-15
An experimental apparatus was designed and built to allow students to carry out heat conduction experiments in hollow cylinders made of different materials, as well as to determine the thermal conductivity of these materials. The evolution of the temperature difference between the inner and outer walls of the cylinder as a function of time is analysed, and when the process reaches the steady state regime the thermal conductivity can be easily calculated. Several materials such as wood, plastic and metals are considered and the values of their thermal conductivities, obtained experimentally, are compared with those given in the reference list.
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Method for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Small Samples Having Very Low Thermal Conductivity
Miller, Robert A.; Kuczmarski, Maria a.
2009-01-01
This paper describes the development of a hot plate method capable of using air as a standard reference material for the steady-state measurement of the thermal conductivity of very small test samples having thermal conductivity on the order of air. As with other approaches, care is taken to ensure that the heat flow through the test sample is essentially one-dimensional. However, unlike other approaches, no attempt is made to use heated guards to block the flow of heat from the hot plate to the surroundings. It is argued that since large correction factors must be applied to account for guard imperfections when sample dimensions are small, it may be preferable to simply measure and correct for the heat that flows from the heater disc to directions other than into the sample. Experimental measurements taken in a prototype apparatus, combined with extensive computational modeling of the heat transfer in the apparatus, show that sufficiently accurate measurements can be obtained to allow determination of the thermal conductivity of low thermal conductivity materials. Suggestions are made for further improvements in the method based on results from regression analyses of the generated data.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vahid Rafieyan
2016-08-01
Full Text Available Development of target language pragmatic competence in language learners requires not only provision of cultural features of target language community in language classes but also language learner’s willingness to learn and use those cultural features. To investigate the relationship between language learners’ attitudes toward cultural instruction and their gains in comprehension and production aspects of pragmatic competence, the current study was conducted on 50 undergraduate Japanese students of English education at a university in Japan. The adapted version of the attitude questionnaire developed by Albirini (2009 was used to measure language learners’ attitudes toward cultural instruction. A 24-item pragmatic comprehension test developed by Taguchi (2007, 2008 was used to measure language learners’ pragmatic comprehension ability. Finally, a 32-item discourse completion task developed by Bardovi-Harlig (2009 was used to measure language learners’ pragmatic production ability. The analysis of Pearson product–moment correlation coefficient (r revealed a strong positive relationship between attitude toward cultural instruction and pragmatic comprehension ability as well as attitude toward cultural instruction and pragmatic production ability. The pedagogical implications of the findings suggested incorporation of interesting cultural features of the target language community in language classes and presenting them in interesting ways to attract language learners’ attention and interest. Keywords: Attitude, Cultural Instruction, Pragmatic Comprehension, Pragmatic Production
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Chriqui, Jamie F.; Ribisl, Kurt M.; Wallace, Raedell M.; Williams, Rebecca S.; O’Connor, Jean C.; el Arculli, Regina
2014-01-01
All U.S. states regulate face-to-face tobacco sales at retail outlets. However, the recent growth of delivery sales of tobacco products by Internet and mail order vendors has prompted new state regulations focused on preventing youth access and tax evasion. To date, there are no comprehensive and systematic analyses of these laws. The objectives of this study were to: (1) document the historical enactment of the laws; (2) assess the nature and extent of the laws; and (3) conduct preliminary analyses to examine the relationship between states with laws and other factors that might predict enactment of or be impacted by these laws. Between 1995 and 2006, thirty-four states (67%) enacted a relevant law, with 23 states’ laws (45%) enacted between 2003 and 2006. Four states banned direct-to-consumer shipment of cigarettes. The remaining 30 states’ laws included a combination of requirements addressing minimum age/ID, payment issues, shipping, vendor licensure and related issues, tax collection/remittance, and penalties/enforcement. States with delivery sales laws also have stronger state excise tax rates, youth access to tobacco policies, and state tobacco control environments as well as higher cigarette excise tax revenue, past month cigarette use rates, and perceptions of risk of use by adolescents. This paper provides the policy context for understanding Internet and other cigarette delivery sales laws in the U.S. It also provides a systematic framework for ongoing policy surveillance and will contribute to future analyses of the impact of these laws on successfully reducing youth access to cigarettes and preventing tax evasion. PMID:18236290
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Houston, Natalie A.; Braun, Christopher L.
2004-01-01
This report describes the collection, analyses, and distribution of hydraulic-conductivity data obtained from slug tests completed in the alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas, during October 2002 and August 2003 and summarizes previously available hydraulic-conductivity data. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, completed 30 slug tests in October 2002 and August 2003 to obtain estimates of horizontal hydraulic conductivity to use as initial values in a ground-water-flow model for the site. The tests were done by placing a polyvinyl-chloride slug of known volume beneath the water level in selected wells, removing the slug, and measuring the resulting water-level recovery over time. The water levels were measured with a pressure transducer and recorded with a data logger. Hydraulic-conductivity values were estimated from an analytical relation between the instantaneous displacement of water in a well bore and the resulting rate of head change. Although nearly two-thirds of the tested wells recovered 90 percent of their slug-induced head change in less than 2 minutes, 90-percent recovery times ranged from 3 seconds to 35 minutes. The estimates of hydraulic conductivity range from 0.2 to 200 feet per day. Eighty-three percent of the estimates are between 1 and 100 feet per day.
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DMINDA: an integrated web server for DNA motif identification and analyses.
Ma, Qin; Zhang, Hanyuan; Mao, Xizeng; Zhou, Chuan; Liu, Bingqiang; Chen, Xin; Xu, Ying
2014-07-01
DMINDA (DNA motif identification and analyses) is an integrated web server for DNA motif identification and analyses, which is accessible at http://csbl.bmb.uga.edu/DMINDA/. This web site is freely available to all users and there is no login requirement. This server provides a suite of cis-regulatory motif analysis functions on DNA sequences, which are important to elucidation of the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation: (i) de novo motif finding for a given set of promoter sequences along with statistical scores for the predicted motifs derived based on information extracted from a control set, (ii) scanning motif instances of a query motif in provided genomic sequences, (iii) motif comparison and clustering of identified motifs, and (iv) co-occurrence analyses of query motifs in given promoter sequences. The server is powered by a backend computer cluster with over 150 computing nodes, and is particularly useful for motif prediction and analyses in prokaryotic genomes. We believe that DMINDA, as a new and comprehensive web server for cis-regulatory motif finding and analyses, will benefit the genomic research community in general and prokaryotic genome researchers in particular. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
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Concurrent design of composite materials and structures considering thermal conductivity constraints
Jia, J.; Cheng, W.; Long, K.
2017-08-01
This article introduces thermal conductivity constraints into concurrent design. The influence of thermal conductivity on macrostructure and orthotropic composite material is extensively investigated using the minimum mean compliance as the objective function. To simultaneously control the amounts of different phase materials, a given mass fraction is applied in the optimization algorithm. Two phase materials are assumed to compete with each other to be distributed during the process of maximizing stiffness and thermal conductivity when the mass fraction constraint is small, where phase 1 has superior stiffness and thermal conductivity whereas phase 2 has a superior ratio of stiffness to density. The effective properties of the material microstructure are computed by a numerical homogenization technique, in which the effective elasticity matrix is applied to macrostructural analyses and the effective thermal conductivity matrix is applied to the thermal conductivity constraint. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed optimization algorithm, several three-dimensional illustrative examples are provided and the features under different boundary conditions are analysed.
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How Are Community Interventions Conceptualized and Conducted? An Analysis of Published Accounts
Trickett, Edison J.; Espino, Susan Ryerson; Hawe, Penelope
2011-01-01
Recent discussions about the conduct of community interventions suggest the importance of developing more comprehensive theorizing about their nature and effects. The present study is an effort to infer how community interventions are theorized by the way they are represented in the peer-reviewed scholarly literature. A coding of a random sample…
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A comprehensive computing initiative for MFE. Revision 1
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cohen, R.H.; Crotinger, J.A.; Baldwin, D.E.
1996-01-01
The authors propose that a national initiative by launched to develop a comprehensive simulation facility for MFE. The facility would consist of physics codes developed by the national MFE community tightly but flexibly coupled through a programmable shell, enabling effectively simultaneous solution of the models in the various codes. The world ''facility'' is chosen to convey the notion that this is where one would go to conduct numerical experiments, using a full set of modules to describe an entire device, a coupled subset to describe particular aspects of a device, or a combination of the facility's modules plus the user's own physics
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2014-01-01
Objectives To assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive workplace stress management program consisting of participatory action-oriented training (PAOT) and individual management. Methods A comprehensive workplace stress management program was conducted in a medium-sized enterprise. The baseline survey was conducted in September 2011, using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) and Worker’s Stress Response Inventory (WSRI). After implementing both organizational and individual level interventions, the follow up evaluation was conducted in November 2011. Results Most of the workers participated in the organizational level PAOT and made Team-based improvement plans. Based on the stress survey, 24 workers were interviewed by a researcher. After the organizational and individual level interventions, there was a reduction of several adverse psychosocial factors and stress responses. In the case of blue-collar workers, psychosocial factors such as the physical environment, job demands, organizational system, lack of rewards, and occupational climate were significantly improved; in the case of white-collar workers, the occupational climate was improved. Conclusions In light of these results, we concluded that the comprehensive stress management program was effective in reducing work-related stress in a short-term period. A persistent long-term follow up is necessary to determine whether the observed effects are maintained over time. Both team-based improvement activities and individual interviews have to be sustainable and complementary to each other under the long-term plan. PMID:24524591
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Kim, Shin-Ae; Suh, Chunhui; Park, Mi-Hee; Kim, Kunhyung; Lee, Chae-Kwan; Son, Byung-Chul; Kim, Jeong-Ho; Lee, Jong-Tae; Woo, Kuck-Hyun; Kang, Kabsoon; Jung, Hyunjin
2014-01-01
To assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive workplace stress management program consisting of participatory action-oriented training (PAOT) and individual management. A comprehensive workplace stress management program was conducted in a medium-sized enterprise. The baseline survey was conducted in September 2011, using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) and Worker's Stress Response Inventory (WSRI). After implementing both organizational and individual level interventions, the follow up evaluation was conducted in November 2011. Most of the workers participated in the organizational level PAOT and made Team-based improvement plans. Based on the stress survey, 24 workers were interviewed by a researcher. After the organizational and individual level interventions, there was a reduction of several adverse psychosocial factors and stress responses. In the case of blue-collar workers, psychosocial factors such as the physical environment, job demands, organizational system, lack of rewards, and occupational climate were significantly improved; in the case of white-collar workers, the occupational climate was improved. In light of these results, we concluded that the comprehensive stress management program was effective in reducing work-related stress in a short-term period. A persistent long-term follow up is necessary to determine whether the observed effects are maintained over time. Both team-based improvement activities and individual interviews have to be sustainable and complementary to each other under the long-term plan.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
George Manolitsis
2017-10-01
Full Text Available The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the role of three morphological awareness (MA skills (inflection, derivation, and compounding in word reading fluency and reading comprehension in a relatively transparent orthography (Greek. Two hundred and fifteen (104 girls; Mage = 67.40 months, at kindergarten Greek children were followed from kindergarten (K to grade 2 (G2. In K and grade 1 (G1, they were tested on measures of MA (two inflectional, two derivational, and three compounding, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming (RAN, and general cognitive ability (vocabulary and non-verbal IQ. At the end of G1 and G2, they were also tested on word reading fluency and reading comprehension. The results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that the inflectional and derivational aspects of MA in K as well as all aspects of MA in G1 accounted for 2–5% of unique variance in reading comprehension. None of the MA skills predicted word reading fluency, after controlling for the effects of vocabulary and RAN. These findings suggest that the MA skills, even when assessed as early as in kindergarten, play a significant role in reading comprehension development.
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Luis Alberto Corona Martínez
2003-01-01
This article is aimed at deepening on the consequences of the deficient development of abilities in decision making in the speciality of medicine, analysed from the prospective of the Comprehensive General Doctor . A psychological and professional characterisation of the Comprehensive General Doctors are developed from the analysis of their environment and on these bases the paper presents how these problems are reflected in the professional assistance. The conclusions are good to recognise h...
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Comprehensive care of elderly patients with hip fracture: the orthogeriatric model
Carlo Frondini; Maria L. Lunardelli
2013-01-01
Introduction: Hip fractures in the elderly are a major source of morbidity and mortality. Interdisciplinary hospital care models proposed for the treatment of these patients include consultant teams, integrated orthopedic-geriatric care, and comprehensive geriatric-led care settings. A prospective interventional cohort study was conducted in 4 public hospitals in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy to compare the outcomes of these different care models. This report presents the preliminary res...
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Exploring the Effects of Digital Note Taking on Student Comprehension of Science Texts
Horney, Mark A.; Anderson-Inman, Lynne; Terra, Fatima
2009-01-01
This study investigated the effects of text notes and voice notes on the comprehension of science texts by fifth grade students. The study was conducted to determine whether digital note taking was an effective reading strategy, and whether one form of digital note taking was more effective than the other. Results revealed that general education…
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Khankari, Nikhil K.; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Wen, Wanqing; Kraft, Peter; Lindström, Sara; Peters, Ulrike; Schildkraut, Joellen; Schumacher, Fredrick; Bofetta, Paolo; Risch, Angela; Bickeböller, Heike; Amos, Christopher I.; Easton, Douglas; Gruber, Stephen B.; Haiman, Christopher A.; Hunter, David J.; Chanock, Stephen J.; Pierce, Brandon L.; Zheng, Wei
2016-01-01
Background Observational studies examining associations between adult height and risk of colorectal, prostate, and lung cancers have generated mixed results. We conducted meta-analyses using data from prospective cohort studies and further carried out Mendelian randomization analyses, using height-associated genetic variants identified in a genome-wide association study (GWAS), to evaluate the association of adult height with these cancers. Methods and Findings A systematic review of prospective studies was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Using meta-analyses, results obtained from 62 studies were summarized for the association of a 10-cm increase in height with cancer risk. Mendelian randomization analyses were conducted using summary statistics obtained for 423 genetic variants identified from a recent GWAS of adult height and from a cancer genetics consortium study of multiple cancers that included 47,800 cases and 81,353 controls. For a 10-cm increase in height, the summary relative risks derived from the meta-analyses of prospective studies were 1.12 (95% CI 1.10, 1.15), 1.07 (95% CI 1.05, 1.10), and 1.06 (95% CI 1.02, 1.11) for colorectal, prostate, and lung cancers, respectively. Mendelian randomization analyses showed increased risks of colorectal (odds ratio [OR] = 1.58, 95% CI 1.14, 2.18) and lung cancer (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.00, 1.22) associated with each 10-cm increase in genetically predicted height. No association was observed for prostate cancer (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.92, 1.15). Our meta-analysis was limited to published studies. The sample size for the Mendelian randomization analysis of colorectal cancer was relatively small, thus affecting the precision of the point estimate. Conclusions Our study provides evidence for a potential causal association of adult height with the risk of colorectal and lung cancers and suggests that certain genetic factors and biological pathways affecting adult height may also affect the
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Ahmadi Safa, Mohammad; Rozati, Fatemeh
2017-01-01
Drawing on sociocultural theory, and a large number of empirical studies conducted on the effectiveness of scaffolding on second or foreign language learning, the authors investigated the application of different forms of scaffolding to improve listening comprehension of the Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. To…
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Nuclear Analyses of Indian LLCB Test Blanket System in ITER
Swami, H. L.; Shaw, A. K.; Danani, C.; Chaudhuri, Paritosh
2017-04-01
Heading towards the Nuclear Fusion Reactor Program, India is developing Lead Lithium Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) tritium breeding blanket for its future fusion Reactor. A mock-up of the LLCB blanket is proposed to be tested in ITER equatorial port no.2, to ensure the overall performance of blanket in reactor relevant nuclear fusion environment. Nuclear analyses play an important role in LLCB Test Blanket System design & development. It is required for tritium breeding estimation, thermal-hydraulic design, coolants process design, radioactive waste management, equipment maintenance & replacement strategies and nuclear safety. The nuclear behaviour of LLCB test blanket module in ITER is predicated in terms of nuclear responses such as tritium production, nuclear heating, neutron fluxes and radiation damages. Radiation shielding capability of LLCB TBS inside and outside bio-shield was also assessed to fulfill ITER shielding requirements. In order to supports the rad-waste and safety assessment, nuclear activation analyses were carried out and radioactivity data were generated for LLCB TBS components. Nuclear analyses of LLCB TBS are performed using ITER recommended nuclear analyses codes (i.e. MCNP, EASY), nuclear cross section data libraries (i.e. FENDL 2.1, EAF) and neutronic model (ITER C-lite v.l). The paper describes a comprehensive nuclear performance of LLCB TBS in ITER.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Murat KIRKAĞAÇ
2017-03-01
Full Text Available In this study, the demand for comprehensive insurance is analysed using utility theory and system simulation. A simulation study is performed to assess the behaviour of individuals with different income levels for the demand of comprehensive insurance. Simulation assumptions and input-output variables are determined using the real data set from a Turkish insurance company and the report about the insurance activities in Turkey for year 2014. The effects of income level, expected claim severity and premium level on the demand for insurance are investigated. It is concluded that while an increase in income level and expected claim severity causes an increase in the demand, an increase in premium level causes a decrease in the demand.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1994-05-01
This report documents the results of the Comprehensive Baseline Environmental Audit of Former Underground Test Areas (FUTAS) in the States of Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. DOE and contractor systems for management of environmental protection activities on the Nevada Test Site (NTS) were not within the scope of the audit. The audit was conducted May 16-May 26, 1994, by the Office of Environmental Audit (EH-24). DOE 5482.1 B, open-quotes Environment, Safety, and Health Appraisal Programclose quotes, establishes the mission of EH-24, which is to provide comprehensive, independent oversight of Department-wide environmental programs on behalf of the Secretary of Energy. The ultimate goal of EH-24 is to enhance environmental protection and minimize risk to public health and the environment. EH-24 accomplishes its mission using systematic and periodic evaluations of DOE's environmental programs within line organizations and supplemental activities that strengthen self-assessment and oversight functions within program, field, and contractor organizations. These evaluations function as a vehicle through which the Secretary and program managers are apprised of the status and vulnerabilities of Departmental environmental activities and environmental management systems. Several types of evaluations are conducted, including: (1) comprehensive baseline environmental audits; (2) routine environmental audits; (3) environmental management assessments; and (4) special issue reviews
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Zhang, Yin-Ping; Zhao, Xin-Shuang; Zhang, Bei; Zhang, Lu-Lu; Ni, Chun-Ping; Hao, Nan; Shi, Chang-Bei; Porr, Caroline
2015-07-01
The comprehensive needs assessment tool for cancer caregivers (CNAT-C) is a systematic and comprehensive needs assessment tool for the family caregivers. The purpose of this project was twofold: (1) to adapt the CNAT-C to Mainland China's cultural context and (2) to evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly adapted Chinese CNAT-C. Cross-cultural adaptation of the original CNAT-C was performed according to published guidelines. A pilot study was conducted in Mainland China with 30 Chinese family cancer caregivers. A subsequent validation study was conducted with 205 Chinese cancer caregivers from Mainland China. Construct validity was determined through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Reliability was determined using internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The split-half coefficient for the overall Chinese CNAT-C scale was 0.77. Principal component analysis resulted in an eight-factor structure explaining 68.11 % of the total variance. The comparative fit index (CFI) was 0.91 from the modified model confirmatory factor analysis. The Chi-square divided by degrees of freedom was 1.98, and the root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.079. In relation to the known-group validation, significant differences were found in the Chinese CNAT-C scale according to various caregiver characteristics. Internal consistency was high for the Chinese CNAT-C reaching a Cronbach α value of 0.94. Test-retest reliability was 0.85. The newly adapted Chinese CNAT-C scale possesses adequate validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency and therefore may be used to ascertain holistic health and support needs of cancer patients' family caregivers in Mainland China.
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Sakai, Joseph T; Boardman, Jason D; Gelhorn, Heather L; Smolen, Andrew; Corley, Robin P; Huizinga, David; Menard, Scott; Hewitt, John K; Stallings, Michael C
2010-10-01
Conduct disorder is a serious, relatively common disorder of childhood and adolescence. Findings from genetic association studies searching for genetic determinants of the liability toward such behaviors have been inconsistent. One possible explanation for differential results is that most studies define phenotype from a single assessment; for many adolescents conduct problems decrease in severity over time, whereas for others such behaviors persist. Therefore, longitudinal datasets offer the opportunity to refine phenotype. We used Caucasians that were first assessed during adolescence from the National Youth Survey Family Study. Nine waves of data were used to create latent growth trajectories and test for associations between trajectory class and 5HTTLPR genotype. For the full sample, 5HTTLPR was not associated with conduct problem phenotypes. However, the short (s) allele was associated with chronic conduct problems in females; a nominally significant sex by 5HTTLPR genotype interaction was noted. Longitudinal studies provide unique opportunities for phenotypic refinement and such techniques, with large samples, may be useful for phenotypic definition with other study designs, such as whole genome association studies.
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Some implications of an experimental reading comprehension task
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lalović Dejan
2008-01-01
Full Text Available Standardized reading comprehension tests (RCTs are indispensable instruments in language abilities assessment. Nevertheless, we do not have such an instrument in Serbian. In the present paper, we attempted to verify the basic assumptions of the RCT conception we proposed: the reading material consisting of a relatively large selection of short newspaper articles followed by a single multiplechoice question each, displayed in temporal succession, not simultaneously. We argued that RCT consisting of such item form and content, as well as the administration procedure, should be of equal or even better construct validity than well-known RTCs in foreign languages, also possessing some other practical advantages. These assumptions were implemented in a computer-ran experimental reading comprehension task (ERCT, in a student sample. ERCT psychometric properties analyses showed good discriminability and somewhat less than preferable reliability. The structure and strength of ERCT x other intelligence tests correlations suggest ERCT belonging to the core of verbal abilities tests. Different strategies subjects employed showed no impact on major performance measure number correct answers. Our findings obtained by ERCT implementation support the RCT conception we propose. We therefore suggest possible further research towards the construction of standardized RCT in Serbian.
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Shinno, Yuko; Ishimoto, Takuya; Saito, Mitsuru; Uemura, Reo; Arino, Masumi; Marumo, Keishi; Nakano, Takayoshi; Hayashi, Mikako
2016-01-01
In clinical dentistry, since fracture is a major cause of tooth loss, better understanding of mechanical properties of teeth structures is important. Dentin, the major hard tissue of teeth, has similar composition to bone. In this study, we investigated the mechanical properties of human dentin not only in terms of mineral density but also using structural and quality parameters as recently accepted in evaluating bone strength. Aged crown and root dentin (age ≥ 40) exhibited significantly lower flexural strength and toughness than young dentin (age mineral density; but showed significantly lower flexural strength than young dentin. Dentin with strong alignment of the c-axis in hydroxyapatite exhibited high fracture strength, possibly because the aligned apatite along the collagen fibrils may reinforce the intertubular dentin. Aged dentin, showing a high advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) level in its collagen, recorded low flexural strength. We first comprehensively identified significant factors, which affected the inferior mechanical properties of aged dentin. The low mechanical strength of aged dentin is caused by the high mineral density resulting from occlusion of dentinal tubules and accumulation of AGEs in dentin collagen.
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Production Practice During Language Learning Improves Comprehension.
Hopman, Elise W M; MacDonald, Maryellen C
2018-04-01
Language learners often spend more time comprehending than producing a new language. However, memory research suggests reasons to suspect that production practice might provide a stronger learning experience than comprehension practice. We tested the benefits of production during language learning and the degree to which this learning transfers to comprehension skill. We taught participants an artificial language containing multiple linguistic dependencies. Participants were randomly assigned to either a production- or a comprehension-learning condition, with conditions designed to balance attention demands and other known production-comprehension differences. After training, production-learning participants outperformed comprehension-learning participants on vocabulary comprehension and on comprehension tests of grammatical dependencies, even when we controlled for individual differences in vocabulary learning. This result shows that producing a language during learning can improve subsequent comprehension, which has implications for theories of memory and learning, language representations, and educational practices.
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Analyses of the transportation of spent research reactor fuel in the United States
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cashwell, J.W.; Neuhauser, K.S.
1989-01-01
The Transportation Technology Center at Sandia National Laboratories has analyzed the impacts of transportation of research reactor spent fuel from US and foreign reactors for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Defense Programs. This effort represents the first comprehensive analytical evaluation of the risks of transporting high-, medium-, and low-enriched uranium spent research reactor fuel by both sea and land. Two separate shipment programs have been analyzed: the shipment of research reactor spent fuel from Taiwan to the US (Fuel Movement Program), and the return of research reactor spent fuels of US origin from foreign and domestic reactors (Research Reactor Fuel Return Program). In order to perform these analyses, a comprehensive methodology for analyzing the probabilities and consequences of transportation in coastal waters and port facilities, handling at the port, and shipment by truck to reprocessing facilities was developed. The Taiwanese fuel consists of low-burnup aluminum-clad metallic uranium research reactor spent fuel; the other fuels are primarily aluminum-clad oxide fuels. The Fuel Movement Program is ongoing, while the Fuel Return Program addresses future shipments over a ten-year period. The operational aspects of the Taiwanese shipments have been uniform, but several possible shipping configurations are possible for the Fuel Return Program shipments. Comprehensive assessments, which bound the impacts of spent fuel transport, demonstrate that when shipments are made in compliance with applicable regulations, the risks for all such transport are low. For comparison with previously licensed transport activities and to provide continuity with earlier analyses, the results for shipment of 150-day-old commercial pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel are presented as part of this study
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Global transcription profiling reveals comprehensive insights into hypoxic response in Arabidopsis.
Liu, Fenglong; Vantoai, Tara; Moy, Linda P; Bock, Geoffrey; Linford, Lara D; Quackenbush, John
2005-03-01
Plants have evolved adaptation mechanisms to sense oxygen deficiency in their environments and make coordinated physiological and structural adjustments to enhance their hypoxic tolerance. To gain insight into how plants respond to low-oxygen stress, gene expression profiling using whole-genome DNA amplicon microarrays was carried out at seven time points over 24 h, in wild-type and transgenic P(SAG12):ipt Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Transcript levels of genes involved in glycolysis and fermentation pathways, ethylene synthesis and perception, calcium signaling, nitrogen utilization, trehalose metabolism, and alkaloid synthesis were significantly altered in response to oxygen limitation. Analysis based on gene ontology assignments suggested a significant down-regulation of genes whose functions are associated with cell walls, nucleosome structures, water channels, and ion transporters and a significant up-regulation of genes involved in transcriptional regulation, protein kinase activity, and auxin responses under conditions of oxygen shortage. Promoter analysis on a cluster of up-regulated genes revealed a significant overrepresentation of the AtMYB2-binding motif (GT motif), a sugar response element-like motif, and a G-box-related sequence, and also identified several putative anaerobic response elements. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions using 29 selected genes independently verified the microarray results. This study represents one of the most comprehensive analyses conducted to date investigating hypoxia-responsive transcriptional networks in plants.
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Spectrum of Physics Comprehension
Blasiak, W.; Godlewska, M.; Rosiek, R.; Wcislo, D.
2012-01-01
The paper presents the results of research on the relationship between self-assessed comprehension of physics lectures and final grades of junior high school students (aged 13-15), high school students (aged 16-18) and physics students at the Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland (aged 21). Students' declared level of comprehension was measured…
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paul van den Brook
2011-07-01
Full Text Available To understand what they read or hear, children and adults must create a coherent mental representation of presented information. Recent research suggests that the ability to do so starts to develop early –well before reading age- and that early individual differences are predictive of later reading-comprehension performance. In this paper, we review this research and discuss potential applications to early intervention. We then present two exploratory studies in which we examine whether it is feasible to design interventions with early readers (3rd grade and even toddlers (2-3 years old. The interventions employed causal questioning techniques as children listen to orally presented, age-appropriate narratives. Afterwards, comprehension was tested through question answering and recall tasks. Results indicate that such interventions are indeed feasible. Moreover, they suggest that for both toddlers and early readers questions during comprehension are more effective than questions after comprehension. Finally, for both groups higher working memory capacity was related to better comprehension.
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16 CFR 1018.43 - Comprehensive review.
2010-01-01
... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Comprehensive review. 1018.43 Section 1018.43 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT Records, Annual Reports and Audits § 1018.43 Comprehensive review. A comprehensive review of all...
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Functional anatomy of listening and reading comprehension during development.
Berl, Madison M; Duke, Elizabeth S; Mayo, Jessica; Rosenberger, Lisa R; Moore, Erin N; VanMeter, John; Ratner, Nan Bernstein; Vaidya, Chandan J; Gaillard, William Davis
2010-08-01
Listening and reading comprehension of paragraph-length material are considered higher-order language skills fundamental to social and academic functioning. Using ecologically relevant language stimuli that were matched for difficulty according to developmental level, we analyze the effects of task, age, neuropsychological skills, and post-task performance on fMRI activation and hemispheric laterality. Areas of supramodal language processing are identified, with the most robust region being left-lateralized activation along the superior temporal sulcus. Functionally, this conjunction has a role in semantic and syntactic processing, leading us to refer to this conjunction as "comprehension cortex." Different from adults, supramodal areas for children include less extensive inferior frontal gyrus but more extensive right cerebellum and right temporal pole. Broader neuroanatomical pathways are recruited for reading, reflecting the more active processing and larger set of cognitive demands needed for reading compared to listening to stories. ROI analyses reveal that reading is a less lateralized language task than listening in inferior frontal and superior temporal areas, which likely reflects the difficulty of the task as children in this study are still developing their reading skills. For listening to stories, temporal activation is stable by age four with no correlations with age, neuropsychological skills or post-task performance. In contrast, frontal activation during listening to stories occurs more often in older children, and frontal activation is positively correlated with better performance on comprehension questions, suggesting that the activation of frontal networks may reflect greater integration and depth of story processing. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Kim, Young-Suk Grace
2016-01-01
We investigated component language and cognitive skills of oral language comprehension of narrative texts (i.e., listening comprehension). Using the construction-integration model of text comprehension as an overarching theoretical framework, we examined direct and mediated relations of foundational cognitive skills (working memory and attention), foundational language skills (vocabulary and grammatical knowledge), and higher-order cognitive skills (inference, theory of mind, and comprehension monitoring) to listening comprehension. A total of 201 first grade children in South Korea participated in the study. Structural equation modeling results showed that listening comprehension is directly predicted by working memory, grammatical knowledge, inference, and theory of mind and is indirectly predicted by attention, vocabulary, and comprehension monitoring. The total effects were .46 for working memory, .07 for attention, .30 for vocabulary, .49 for grammatical knowledge, .31 for inference, .52 for theory of mind, and .18 for comprehension monitoring. These results suggest that multiple language and cognitive skills make contributions to listening comprehension, and their contributions are both direct and indirect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Macklin, Ella M.
2016-01-01
This research paper reported the results from research conducted regarding technologically-based reading comprehension programs for students who have intellectual disabilities. It provided evidence-based research and theoretical bases for learning (i.e. Zone of Generativity, Constructivism, Self-Efficacy) on the issue of these students not being…
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Peng, Peng; Fuchs, Douglas
2017-01-01
Researchers are increasingly interested in working memory (WM) training. However, it is unclear whether it strengthens comprehension in young children who are at risk for learning difficulties. We conducted a modest study of whether the training of verbal WM would improve verbal WM and passage listening comprehension and whether training effects…
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Quinault Indian Nation Comprehensive Biomass Strategic Planning Project
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cardenas, Jesus [American Community Enrichment, Elma, WA (United States)
2015-03-31
The overall purposes of the Quinault Indian Nation’s Comprehensive Biomass Strategic Planning Project were to: (1) Identify and confirm community and tribal energy needs; (2) Conducting an inventory of sustainable biomass feedstock availability; (3) Development of a biomass energy vision statement with goals and objectives; (4) Identification and assessment of biomass options for both demand-side and supply side that are viable to the Quinault Indian Nation (QIN); and (5) Developing a long-term biomass strategy consistent with the long-term overall energy goals of the QIN. This Comprehensive Biomass Strategic Planning Project is consistent with the QIN’s prior two-year DOE Renewable Energy Study from 2004 through 2006. That study revealed that the most viable options to the QIN’s renewable energy options were biomass and energy efficiency best practices. QIN's Biomass Strategic Planning Project is focused on using forest slash in chipped form as feedstock for fuel pellet manufacturing in support of a tribal biomass heating facility. This biomass heating facility has been engineered and designed to heat existing tribal facilities as well as tribal facilities currently being planned including a new K-12 School.
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Conducting evaluations to determine training effectiveness
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hall, J. Doug; Yoder, John A. Yoder
2003-01-01
Training organizations must answer the question: Is the training program adding value in terms of workforce productivity and safety? To answer this question, one needs to know what circumstances led to the development of training to determine how to measure the result of Gaining. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (ENEEL), under contract with the United States Department Of Energy (U.S. DOE), has conducted extensive research hi the area of training effectiveness. A comprehensive Training Performance Indicator Model has been developed, which has become the basis for a DRAFT document entitled Guidance for Conducting Evaluations to Determine Training Effectiveness'. The indicator Model includes the performance indicators, strategies, and methods for measuring training effectiveness. A common nomenclature is used throughout the DRAFT document to aid in using and understanding training effectiveness evaluations. The model incorporates elements of Dr. Donald L. Kirkpatrick's evaluation model, other models from industry leaders, and the findings of a benchmarking study involving both nuclear and non-nuclear industry professionals. This presentation communicates recent Department of Energy efforts in evaluating effectiveness of training, including valuable lessons learned. (author)
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Wanzek, Jeanne; Swanson, Elizabeth A.; Roberts, Greg; Vaughn, Sharon; Kent, Shawn C.
2015-01-01
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Promoting Acceleration of Comprehension and Content Through Text intervention implemented with 11th-grade students enrolled in U.S. History classes. Using a within-teacher randomized design, the study was conducted in 41 classes (23 treatment classes) with 14 teachers providing the…
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Teng, Feng
2016-01-01
The present study was conducted in the context of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) with the purpose of assessing the roles of breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge in academic listening comprehension. The Vocabulary Size Test (VST, Nation & Beglar, 2007) and the Word Associates Test (WAT, Read, 2004) were administered to…
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Effects of undetected data quality issues on climatological analyses
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
S. Hunziker
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Systematic data quality issues may occur at various stages of the data generation process. They may affect large fractions of observational datasets and remain largely undetected with standard data quality control. This study investigates the effects of such undetected data quality issues on the results of climatological analyses. For this purpose, we quality controlled daily observations of manned weather stations from the Central Andean area with a standard and an enhanced approach. The climate variables analysed are minimum and maximum temperature and precipitation. About 40 % of the observations are inappropriate for the calculation of monthly temperature means and precipitation sums due to data quality issues. These quality problems undetected with the standard quality control approach strongly affect climatological analyses, since they reduce the correlation coefficients of station pairs, deteriorate the performance of data homogenization methods, increase the spread of individual station trends, and significantly bias regional temperature trends. Our findings indicate that undetected data quality issues are included in important and frequently used observational datasets and hence may affect a high number of climatological studies. It is of utmost importance to apply comprehensive and adequate data quality control approaches on manned weather station records in order to avoid biased results and large uncertainties.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kuczmarski Thomas A
2006-10-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background MannDB was created to meet a need for rapid, comprehensive automated protein sequence analyses to support selection of proteins suitable as targets for driving the development of reagents for pathogen or protein toxin detection. Because a large number of open-source tools were needed, it was necessary to produce a software system to scale the computations for whole-proteome analysis. Thus, we built a fully automated system for executing software tools and for storage, integration, and display of automated protein sequence analysis and annotation data. Description MannDB is a relational database that organizes data resulting from fully automated, high-throughput protein-sequence analyses using open-source tools. Types of analyses provided include predictions of cleavage, chemical properties, classification, features, functional assignment, post-translational modifications, motifs, antigenicity, and secondary structure. Proteomes (lists of hypothetical and known proteins are downloaded and parsed from Genbank and then inserted into MannDB, and annotations from SwissProt are downloaded when identifiers are found in the Genbank entry or when identical sequences are identified. Currently 36 open-source tools are run against MannDB protein sequences either on local systems or by means of batch submission to external servers. In addition, BLAST against protein entries in MvirDB, our database of microbial virulence factors, is performed. A web client browser enables viewing of computational results and downloaded annotations, and a query tool enables structured and free-text search capabilities. When available, links to external databases, including MvirDB, are provided. MannDB contains whole-proteome analyses for at least one representative organism from each category of biological threat organism listed by APHIS, CDC, HHS, NIAID, USDA, USFDA, and WHO. Conclusion MannDB comprises a large number of genomes and comprehensive protein
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Comprehension or comprehending? Using Critical Language ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
It is argued that the genre of the school reading comprehension exercise is a prime inculcator of thoughtless and non-interactive reading practices. Doing 'a comprehension' (the word is often nominalised in this manner) and answering the comprehension questions often 'counts as' reading and substitutes for other types of ...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ikeda Noriaki
2006-10-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Meta-analysis has become a well-known method for synthesis of quantitative data from previously conducted research in applied health sciences. So far, meta-analysis has been particularly useful in evaluating and comparing therapies and in assessing causes of disease. Consequently, the number of software packages that can perform meta-analysis has increased over the years. Unfortunately, it can take a substantial amount of time to get acquainted with some of these programs and most contain little or no interactive educational material. We set out to create and validate an easy-to-use and comprehensive meta-analysis package that would be simple enough programming-wise to remain available as a free download. We specifically aimed at students and researchers who are new to meta-analysis, with important parts of the development oriented towards creating internal interactive tutoring tools and designing features that would facilitate usage of the software as a companion to existing books on meta-analysis. Results We took an unconventional approach and created a program that uses Excel as a calculation and programming platform. The main programming language was Visual Basic, as implemented in Visual Basic 6 and Visual Basic for Applications in Excel 2000 and higher. The development took approximately two years and resulted in the 'MIX' program, which can be downloaded from the program's website free of charge. Next, we set out to validate the MIX output with two major software packages as reference standards, namely STATA (metan, metabias, and metatrim and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2. Eight meta-analyses that had been published in major journals were used as data sources. All numerical and graphical results from analyses with MIX were identical to their counterparts in STATA and CMA. The MIX program distinguishes itself from most other programs by the extensive graphical output, the click-and-go (Excel interface, and the
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Descriptive Analyses of Pediatric Food Refusal: The Structure of Parental Attention
Woods, Julia N.; Borrero, John C.; Laud, Rinita B.; Borrero, Carrie S. W.
2010-01-01
Mealtime observations were conducted and occurrences of appropriate and inappropriate mealtime behavior and various forms of parental attention (e.g., coaxing, reprimands) were recorded for 25 children admitted to an intensive feeding program and their parents. Using the data from the observations, lag sequential analyses were conducted to…
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Functional Analysis in Public Schools: A Summary of 90 Functional Analyses
Mueller, Michael M.; Nkosi, Ajamu; Hine, Jeffrey F.
2011-01-01
Several review and epidemiological studies have been conducted over recent years to inform behavior analysts of functional analysis outcomes. None to date have closely examined demographic and clinical data for functional analyses conducted exclusively in public school settings. The current paper presents a data-based summary of 90 functional…
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Martucci, Maria Elvira Poleti; Loeuille, Benoit; Pirani, José Rubens; Gobbo-Neto, Leonardo
2018-01-01
Members of the subtribe Lychnophorinae occur mostly within the Cerrado domain of the Brazilian Central Plateau. The relationships between its 11 genera, as well as between Lychnophorinae and other subtribes belonging to the tribe Vernonieae, have recently been investigated upon a phylogeny based on molecular and morphological data. We report the use of a comprehensive untargeted metabolomics approach, combining HPLC-MS and GC-MS data, followed by multivariate analyses aiming to assess the congruence between metabolomics data and the phylogenetic hypothesis, as well as its potential as a chemotaxonomic tool. We analyzed 78 species by UHPLC-MS and GC-MS in both positive and negative ionization modes. The metabolic profiles obtained for these species were treated in MetAlign and in MSClust and the matrices generated were used in SIMCA for hierarchical cluster analyses, principal component analyses and orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis. The results showed that metabolomic analyses are mostly congruent with the phylogenetic hypothesis especially at lower taxonomic levels (Lychnophora or Eremanthus). Our results confirm that data generated using metabolomics provide evidence for chemotaxonomical studies, especially for phylogenetic inference of the Lychnophorinae subtribe and insight into the evolution of the secondary metabolites of this group.
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Welie, C.J.M.
2017-01-01
Why do secondary school students differ in their text comprehension? This is an important question because many secondary school students are unable to achieve the level of text comprehension required to enable learning from their school book texts. This thesis contributes to answering this question
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Rhodes, Sinead M.; Park, Joanne; Seth, Sarah; Coghill, David R.
2012-01-01
Background: We conducted a comprehensive and systematic assessment of memory functioning in drug-naive boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Methods: Boys performed verbal and spatial working memory (WM) component (storage and central executive) and verbal and spatial storage load tasks,…
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Idiom Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children
Hsieh, Shelley Ching-Yu; Hsu, Chun-Chieh Natalie
2010-01-01
This study examines the effect of familiarity, context, and linguistic convention on idiom comprehension in Mandarin speaking children. Two experiments (a comprehension task followed by a comprehension task coupled with a metapragmatic task) were administered to test participants in three age groups (6 and 9-year-olds, and an adult control group).…
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Comprehensive Nuclear Test-ban Treaty
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
NONE
1998-07-01
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty was adopted by the General Assembly on 10 September 1996 (Res/50/245) and was open for signature by all states on 24 September 1996. It will enter into force 180 days after the date of deposit of the instruments of ratification by all states listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty. This document reproduces the text of the Treaty and the Protocol to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Protocol to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty. 4 tabs.
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Comprehensive Nuclear Test-ban Treaty
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1998-01-01
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty was adopted by the General Assembly on 10 September 1996 (Res/50/245) and was open for signature by all states on 24 September 1996. It will enter into force 180 days after the date of deposit of the instruments of ratification by all states listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty. This document reproduces the text of the Treaty and the Protocol to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Protocol to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
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Site-Specific Analyses for Demonstrating Compliance with 10 CFR 61 Performance Objectives - 12179
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Grossman, C.J.; Esh, D.W.; Yadav, P.; Carrera, A.G. [U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 (United States)
2012-07-01
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its regulations at 10 CFR Part 61 to require low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives in Subpart C. The amendments would require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses for protection of the public and inadvertent intruders as well as analyses for long-lived waste. The amendments would ensure protection of public health and safety, while providing flexibility to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives, for current and potential future waste streams. NRC staff intends to submit proposed rule language and associated regulatory basis to the Commission for its approval in early 2012. The NRC staff also intends to develop associated guidance to accompany any proposed amendments. The guidance is intended to supplement existing low-level radioactive waste guidance on issues pertinent to conducting site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives. The guidance will facilitate implementation of the proposed amendments by licensees and assist competent regulatory authorities in reviewing the site-specific analyses. Specifically, the guidance provides staff recommendations on general considerations for the site-specific analyses, modeling issues for assessments to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives including the performance assessment, intruder assessment, stability assessment, and analyses for long-lived waste. This paper describes the technical basis for changes to the rule language and the proposed guidance associated with implementation of the rule language. The NRC staff, per Commission direction, intends to propose amendments to 10 CFR Part 61 to require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with performance objectives for the protection of public health and the environment. The amendments would require a
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Comprehensive smoke-free policies attract more support from smokers in Europe than partial policies.
Mons, Ute; Nagelhout, Gera E; Guignard, Romain; McNeill, Ann; van den Putte, Bas; Willemsen, Marc C; Brenner, Hermann; Pötschke-Langer, Martina; Breitling, Lutz P
2012-02-01
Support for smoke-free policies increases over time and particularly after implementation of the policy. In this study we examined whether the comprehensiveness of such policies moderates the effect on support among smokers. We analysed two waves (pre- and post-smoke-free legislation) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) surveys in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and two pre-legislation waves of the ITC surveys in UK as control. Of 6,903 baseline smokers, 4,945 (71.6%) could be followed up and were included in the analyses. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to compare changes in support from pre- to post-legislation to the secular trend in the control country. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to identify predictors of individual change in support. In France, the comprehensive smoking ban was associated with sharp increases in support for a total smoking ban in drinking establishments and restaurants that were above secular trends. In Germany and the Netherlands, where smoke-free policies and compliance are especially deficient in drinking establishments, only support for a total smoking ban in restaurants increased above the secular trend. Notable prospective predictors of becoming supportive of smoking bans in these countries were higher awareness of cigarette smoke being dangerous to others and weekly visiting of restaurants. Our findings suggest that smoke-free policies have the potential to improve support once the policy is in place. This effect seems to be most pronounced with comprehensive smoking bans, which thus might be the most valid option for policy-makers despite their potential for creating controversy and resistance in the beginning.
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Beskow, Laura M.; Lin, Li; Dombeck, Carrie B.; Gao, Emily; Weinfurt, Kevin P.
2016-01-01
Purpose: To determine the individual and combined effects of a simplified form and a review/retest intervention on biobanking consent comprehension. Methods: We conducted a national online survey in which participants were randomized within four educational strata to review a simplified or traditional consent form. Participants then completed a comprehension quiz; for each item answered incorrectly, they reviewed the corresponding consent form section and answered another quiz item on that to...
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18 CFR 801.5 - Comprehensive plan.
2010-04-01
... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Comprehensive plan. 801... POLICIES § 801.5 Comprehensive plan. (a) The Compact requires that the Commission formulate and adopt a comprehensive plan for the immediate and long-range development and use of the water resources of the basin. (1...
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Cordero, Chiara; Kiefl, Johannes; Schieberle, Peter; Reichenbach, Stephen E; Bicchi, Carlo
2015-01-01
Modern omics disciplines dealing with food flavor focus the analytical efforts on the elucidation of sensory-active compounds, including all possible stimuli of multimodal perception (aroma, taste, texture, etc.) by means of a comprehensive, integrated treatment of sample constituents, such as physicochemical properties, concentration in the matrix, and sensory properties (odor/taste quality, perception threshold). Such analyses require detailed profiling of known bioactive components as well as advanced fingerprinting techniques to catalog sample constituents comprehensively, quantitatively, and comparably across samples. Multidimensional analytical platforms support comprehensive investigations required for flavor analysis by combining information on analytes' identities, physicochemical behaviors (volatility, polarity, partition coefficient, and solubility), concentration, and odor quality. Unlike other omics, flavor metabolomics and sensomics include the final output of the biological phenomenon (i.e., sensory perceptions) as an additional analytical dimension, which is specifically and exclusively triggered by the chemicals analyzed. However, advanced omics platforms, which are multidimensional by definition, pose challenging issues not only in terms of coupling with detection systems and sample preparation, but also in terms of data elaboration and processing. The large number of variables collected during each analytical run provides a high level of information, but requires appropriate strategies to exploit fully this potential. This review focuses on advances in comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and analytical platforms combining two-dimensional gas chromatography with olfactometry, chemometrics, and quantitative assays for food sensory analysis to assess the quality of a given product. We review instrumental advances and couplings, automation in sample preparation, data elaboration, and a selection of applications.
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Subgame consistent cooperation a comprehensive treatise
Yeung, David W K
2016-01-01
Strategic behavior in the human and social world has been increasingly recognized in theory and practice. It is well known that non-cooperative behavior could lead to suboptimal or even highly undesirable outcomes. Cooperation suggests the possibility of obtaining socially optimal solutions and the calls for cooperation are prevalent in real-life problems. Dynamic cooperation cannot be sustainable if there is no guarantee that the agreed upon optimality principle at the beginning is maintained throughout the cooperation duration. It is due to the lack of this kind of guarantees that cooperative schemes fail to last till its end or even fail to get started. The property of subgame consistency in cooperative dynamic games and the corresponding solution mechanism resolve this “classic” problem in game theory. This book is a comprehensive treatise on subgame consistent dynamic cooperation covering the up-to-date state of the art analyses in this important topic. It sets out to provide the theory, solution tec...
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Prabowo, D. W.; Mulyani, S.; van Pée, K.-H.; Indriyanti, N. Y.
2018-05-01
This research aims to apprehend: (1) the shape of tetrahedral chemistry education which is called the future of chemistry education, (2) comprehensive understanding of chemistry first-year students of Technische Universität Dresden according to the chemistry education’s tetrahedral shape on mole concept subject matter. This research used quantitative and qualitative; paper and pencil test and interview. The former was conducted in the form of test containing objective test instrument. The results of this study are (1) learning based on tetrahedral shape of chemistry education put the chemical substance (macroscopic), symbolic representation (symbol), and its process (molecular) in the context of human beings (human element) by integrating content and context, without emphasis on one thing and weaken another, (2) first-year chemistry students of Technische Universität Dresden have comprehensively understood the mole concept associated with the context of everyday life, whereby students are able to find out macroscopic information from statements that are contextual to human life and then by using symbols and formulas are able to comprehend the molecular components as well as to interpret and analyse problems effectively.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Dahlin, Cheryl L.; Williamson, Connie A.; Collins, W. Keith; Dahlin, David C.
2002-06-01
The applicability of sequential extraction as a means to determine species of heavy-metals was examined by a study on soil samples from two Superfund sites: the National Lead Company site in Pedricktown, NJ, and the Roebling Steel, Inc., site in Florence, NJ. Data from a standard sequential extraction procedure were compared to those from a comprehensive study that combined optical- and scanning-electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and chemical analyses. The study shows that larger particles of contaminants, encapsulated contaminants, and/or man-made materials such as slags, coke, metals, and plastics are subject to incasement, non-selectivity, and redistribution in the sequential extraction process. The results indicate that standard sequential extraction procedures that were developed for characterizing species of contaminants in river sediments may be unsuitable for stand-alone determinative evaluations of contaminant species in industrial-site materials. However, if employed as part of a comprehensive, site-specific characterization study, sequential extraction could be a very useful tool.
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A comprehensive analysis of high-magnitude streamflow and trends in the Central Valley, California
Kocis, T. N.; Dahlke, H. E.
2017-12-01
California's climate is characterized by the largest precipitation and streamflow variability observed within the conterminous US. This, combined with chronic groundwater overdraft of 0.6-3.5 km3 yr-1, creates the need to identify additional surface water sources available for groundwater recharge using methods such as agricultural groundwater banking, aquifer storage and recovery, and spreading basins. High-magnitude streamflow, i.e. flow above the 90th percentile, that exceeds environmental flow requirements and current surface water allocations under California water rights, could be a viable source of surface water for groundwater banking. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the magnitude, frequency, duration and timing of high-magnitude streamflow (HMF "metrics") over multiple time periods for 93 stream gauges covering the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Tulare basins in California. In addition, we present trend analyses conducted on the same dataset and all HMF metrics using generalized additive models, the Mann-Kendall trend test, and the Signal to Noise Ratio test. The results of the comprehensive analysis show, in short, that in an average year with HMF approximately 3.2 km3 of high-magnitude flow is exported from the entire Central Valley to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, often at times when environmental flow requirements of the Delta and major rivers are exceeded. High-magnitude flow occurs, on average, during 7 and 4.7 out of 10 years in the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin-Tulare Basins, respectively, from just a few storm events (5-7 1-day peak events) lasting for a total of 25-30 days between November and April. Preliminary trend tests suggest that all HMF metrics show limited change over the last 50 years. As a whole, the results suggest that there is sufficient unmanaged surface water physically available to mitigate long-term groundwater overdraft in the Central Valley.
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Citation Discovery Tools for Conducting Adaptive Meta-analyses to Update Systematic Reviews.
Bae, Jong-Myon; Kim, Eun Hee
2016-03-01
The systematic review (SR) is a research methodology that aims to synthesize related evidence. Updating previously conducted SRs is necessary when new evidence has been produced, but no consensus has yet emerged on the appropriate update methodology. The authors have developed a new SR update method called 'adaptive meta-analysis' (AMA) using the 'cited by', 'similar articles', and 'related articles' citation discovery tools in the PubMed and Scopus databases. This study evaluates the usefulness of these citation discovery tools for updating SRs. Lists were constructed by applying the citation discovery tools in the two databases to the articles analyzed by a published SR. The degree of overlap between the lists and distribution of excluded results were evaluated. The articles ultimately selected for the SR update meta-analysis were found in the lists obtained from the 'cited by' and 'similar' tools in PubMed. Most of the selected articles appeared in both the 'cited by' lists in Scopus and PubMed. The Scopus 'related' tool did not identify the appropriate articles. The AMA, which involves using both citation discovery tools in PubMed, and optionally, the 'related' tool in Scopus, was found to be useful for updating an SR.
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Direct current hopping conductance in one-dimensional diagonal disordered systems
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Ma Song-Shan; Xu Hui; Liu Xiao-Liang; Xiao Jian-Rong
2006-01-01
Based on a tight-binding disordered model describing a single electron band, we establish a direct current (dc) electronic hopping transport conductance model of one-dimensional diagonal disordered systems, and also derive a dc conductance formula. By calculating the dc conductivity, the relationships between electric field and conductivity and between temperature and conductivity are analysed, and the role played by the degree of disorder in electronic transport is studied. The results indicate the conductivity of systems decreasing with the increase of the degree of disorder, characteristics of negative differential dependence of resistance on temperature at low temperatures in diagonal disordered systems, and the conductivity of systems decreasing with the increase of electric field, featuring the non-Ohm's law conductivity.
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Carriedo, Nuria; Corral, Antonio; Montoro, Pedro R; Herrero, Laura; Ballestrino, Patricia; Sebastián, Iraia
2016-01-01
Our main objective was to analyse the different contributions of relational verbal reasoning (analogical and class inclusion) and executive functioning to metaphor comprehension across development. We postulated that both relational reasoning and executive functioning should predict individual and developmental differences. However, executive functioning would become increasingly involved when metaphor comprehension is highly demanding, either because of the metaphors' high difficulty (relatively novel metaphors in the absence of a context) or because of the individual's special processing difficulties, such as low levels of reading experience or low semantic knowledge. Three groups of participants, 11-year-olds, 15-year-olds and young adults, were assessed in different relational verbal reasoning tasks-analogical and class-inclusion-and in executive functioning tasks-updating information in working memory, inhibition, and shifting. The results revealed clear progress in metaphor comprehension between ages 11 and 15 and between ages 15 and 21. However, the importance of executive function in metaphor comprehension was evident by age 15 and was restricted to updating information in working memory and cognitive inhibition. Participants seemed to use two different strategies to interpret metaphors: relational verbal reasoning and executive functioning. This was clearly shown when comparing the performance of the "more efficient" participants in metaphor interpretation with that of the "less efficient" ones. Whereas in the first case none of the executive variables or those associated with relational verbal reasoning were significantly related to metaphor comprehension, in the latter case, both groups of variables had a clear predictor effect.
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Reading comprehension difficulties in children with rolandic epilepsy.
Currie, Nicola K; Lew, Adina R; Palmer, Tom M; Basu, Helen; De Goede, Christian; Iyer, Anand; Cain, Kate
2018-03-01
Difficulties in reading comprehension can arise from either word reading or listening comprehension difficulties, or a combination of the two. We sought to determine whether children with rolandic epilepsy had poor reading comprehension relative to typically developing comparison children, and whether such difficulties were associated with word reading and/or general language comprehension difficulties. In this cross-sectional study, children with rolandic epilepsy (n=25; 16 males, 9 females; mean age 9y 1mo, SD 1y 7mo) and a comparison group (n=39; 25 males, 14 females; mean age 9y 1mo, SD 1y 3mo) completed assessments of reading comprehension, listening comprehension, word/non-word reading, speech articulation, and Non-verbal IQ. Reading comprehension and word reading were worse in children with rolandic epilepsy (F 1,61 =6.89, p=0.011, ηp2=0.10 and F 1,61 =6.84, p=0.011, ηp2=0.10 respectively), with listening comprehension being marginal (F 1,61 =3.81, p=0.055, ηp2=0.06). Word reading and listening comprehension made large and independent contributions to reading comprehension, explaining 70% of the variance. Children with rolandic epilepsy may be at risk of reading comprehension difficulties. Thorough assessment of individual children is required to ascertain whether the difficulties lie with decoding text, or with general comprehension skills, or both. Children with rolandic epilepsy may be at risk of poor reading comprehension. This was related to poor word reading, poor listening comprehension, or both. Reading comprehension interventions should be tailored to the profile of difficulties. © 2017 Mac Keith Press.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rocío Mahecha
2011-07-01
Full Text Available In this article we report on an innovation project developed with a group of eleventh graders at a public school in Bogotá. Its aim was to encourage students to improve reading comprehension of texts in English. It was conducted taking into account students' needs, interests and level of English. To do it, we implemented two reading strategies: text coding and double entry organizer. We observed the students' attitudes during two lesson plans, compared their level of comprehension before and after using the reading strategies and asked them to self-evaluate their performance. At the end, we could see their improvement, how they enjoyed doing the activities and became more confident.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sara Noroozi
2014-06-01
Full Text Available In the body of literature on listening strategies to EFL learners, what seems to be lacking is that the focus is on teaching listening strategies to learners with little attention to their listening comprehension problems. No local research has been conducted on the nature of the Iranian tertiary level students' EFL listening comprehension problems or strategies. Therefore, no instrument is available to investigate these constructs. This paper reports the findings of a study that made an attempt to develop and test an instrument that will aid researchers identify students’ specific listening problems and listening strategy repertoire. The instrument was developed by integrating and validating the available instruments in the related literature. The two developed questionnaires were: the Listening Comprehension Problems Questionnaire (LCPQ and the Listening Strategy Use Questionnaire (LSUQ. Problems related to designing and testing this instrument is shared and the modifications made to it are presented. The instrument is expected to be useful for researchers interested to study the area of EFL listening in a similar setting.
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Radiometric analyses of floodplain sediments at the Savannah River Plant
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lower, M.W.
1987-09-01
A Comprehensive Cooling Water Study to assess the effects of reactor cooling water discharges and related reactor area liquid releases to onsite streams and the nearby Savannah River has been completed at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant (SRP). Extensive radiometric analyses of man-made and naturally occurring gamma-emitting radionuclides were measured in floodplain sediment cores extracted from onsite surface streams at SRP and from the Savannah River. Gamma spectrometric analyses indicate that reactor operations contribute to floodplain radioactivity levels slightly higher than levels associated with global fallout. In locations historically unaffected by radioactive releases from SRP operations, Cs-137 concentrations were found at background and fallout levels of about 1 pCi/g. In onsite streams that provided a receptor for liquid radioactive releases from production reactor areas, volume-weighted Cs-137 concentrations ranged by core from background levels to 55 pCi/g. Savannah River sediments contained background and atmospheric fallout levels of Cs-137 only. 2 refs., 5 figs
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Qiao, Xue; He, Wen-ni; Xiang, Cheng; Han, Jian; Wu, Li-jun; Guo, De-an; Ye, Min
2011-01-01
Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid. is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of influenza. Despite its wide use in Chinese medicine, no report on quality control of this herb is available so far. To establish qualitative and quantitative analytical methods by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) for the quality control of S. polyrrhiza. The methanol extract of S. polyrrhiza was analysed by HPLC/ESI-MS(n). Flavonoids were identified by comparing with reference standards or according to their MS(n) (n = 2-4) fragmentation behaviours. Based on LC/MS data, a standardised HPLC fingerprint was established by analysing 15 batches of commercial herbal samples. Furthermore, quantitative analysis was conducted by determining five major flavonoids, namely luteolin 8-C-glucoside, apigenin 8-C-glucoside, luteolin 7-O-glucoside, apigenin 7-O-glucoside and luteolin. A total of 18 flavonoids were identified by LC/MS, and 14 of them were reported from this herb for the first time. The HPLC fingerprints contained 10 common peaks, and could differentiate good quality batches from counterfeits. The total contents of five major flavonoids in S. polyrrhiza varied significantly from 4.28 to 19.87 mg/g. Qualitative LC/MS and quantitative HPLC analytical methods were established for the comprehensive quality control of S. polyrrhiza. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Leff, Alexander P.; Schofield, Thomas M.; Crinion, Jennifer T.; Seghier, Mohamed L.; Grogan, Alice; Green, David W.; Price, Cathy J.
2009-01-01
Competing theories of short-term memory function make specific predictions about the functional anatomy of auditory short-term memory and its role in language comprehension. We analysed high-resolution structural magnetic resonance images from 210 stroke patients and employed a novel voxel based analysis to test the relationship between auditory short-term memory and speech comprehension. Using digit span as an index of auditory short-term memory capacity we found that the structural integrit...
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Differentiation of endosperm transfer cells of barley: a comprehensive analysis at the micro-scale.
Thiel, Johannes; Riewe, David; Rutten, Twan; Melzer, Michael; Friedel, Swetlana; Bollenbeck, Felix; Weschke, Winfriede; Weber, Hans
2012-08-01
Barley endosperm cells differentiate into transfer cells (ETCs) opposite the nucellar projection. To comprehensively analyse ETC differentiation, laser microdissection-based transcript and metabolite profiles were obtained from laser microdissected tissues and cell morphology was analysed. Flange-like secondary-wall ingrowths appeared between 5 and 7 days after pollination within the three outermost cell layers. Gene expression analysis indicated that ethylene-signalling pathways initiate ETC morphology. This is accompanied by gene activity related to cell shape control and vesicle transport, with abundant mitochondria and endomembrane structures. Gene expression analyses indicate predominant formation of hemicelluloses, glucuronoxylans and arabinoxylans, and transient formation of callose, together with proline and 4-hydroxyproline biosynthesis. Activation of the methylation cycle is probably required for biosynthesis of phospholipids, pectins and ethylene. Membrane microdomains involving sterols/sphingolipids and remorins are potentially involved in ETC development. The transcriptional activity of assimilate and micronutrient transporters suggests ETCs as the main uptake organs of solutes into the endosperm. Accordingly, the endosperm grows maximally after ETCs are fully developed. Up-regulated gene expression related to amino acid catabolism, C:N balances, carbohydrate oxidation, mitochondrial activity and starch degradation meets high demands for respiratory energy and carbohydrates, required for cell proliferation and wall synthesis. At 10 days after pollination, ETCs undergo further differentiation, potentially initiated by abscisic acid, and metabolism is reprogrammed as shown by activated storage and stress-related processes. Overall, the data provide a comprehensive view of barley ETC differentiation and development, and identify candidate genes and associated pathways. © 2012 The Authors. The Plant Journal © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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Comprehension and production of idioms in dysphasia.
Bush, P G; Drummond, S S
1985-10-01
The comprehension and production of idioms was investigated in 10 dysphasic adults. Two different tasks, one comprehension and the other production, were developed. The production task required the subject to verbally explain 15 idioms. The comprehension task necessitated the selection of the correct figurative representation of the idiom from four illustrations: a literal, a literal variation, a figurative, and an unrelated picture. Results indicated no significant correlation between overall comprehension and production performances. No significant difference was found between the comprehension or the production of idioms when type or severity of dysphasia was considered. A significant difference was found, however, in the type of incorrect response, in that subjects selected the literal depiction more often than other foil representations for the comprehension.
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For US Students, L2 Reading Comprehension Is Hard Because L2 Listening Comprehension Is Hard, Too
Sparks, Richard; Patton, Jon; Luebbers, Julie
2018-01-01
The Simple View of Reading (SVR) model posits that reading is the product of word decoding and language comprehension and that oral language (listening) comprehension is the best predictor of reading comprehension once word-decoding skill has been established. The SVR model also proposes that there are good readers and three types of poor…
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Friedman, Lauren M; Rapport, Mark D; Raiker, Joseph S; Orban, Sarah A; Eckrich, Samuel J
2017-02-01
Reading comprehension difficulties in children with ADHD are well established; however, limited information exists concerning the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to these difficulties and the extent to which they interact with one another. The current study examines two broad cognitive processes known to be involved in children's reading comprehension abilities-(a) working memory (i.e., central executive processes [CE], phonological short-term memory [PH STM], and visuospatial short-term memory [VS STM]) and (b) orthographic conversion (i.e., conversion of visually presented text to a phonological code)-to elucidate their unique and interactive contribution to ADHD-related reading comprehension differences. Thirty-one boys with ADHD-combined type and 30 typically developing (TD) boys aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.64, SD = 1.22) were administered multiple counterbalanced tasks assessing WM and orthographic conversion processes. Relative to TD boys, boys with ADHD exhibited significant deficits in PH STM (d = -0.70), VS STM (d = -0.92), CE (d = -1.58), and orthographic conversion (d = -0.93). Bias-corrected, bootstrapped mediation analyses revealed that CE and orthographic conversion processes modeled separately mediated ADHD-related reading comprehension differences partially, whereas PH STM and VS STM did not. CE and orthographic conversion modeled jointly mediated ADHD-related reading comprehension differences fully wherein orthographic conversion's large magnitude influence on reading comprehension occurred indirectly through CE's impact on the orthographic system. The findings suggest that adaptive cognitive interventions designed to improve reading-related outcomes in children with ADHD may benefit by including modules that train CE and orthographic conversion processes independently and interactively.
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A case for the sentence in reading comprehension.
Scott, Cheryl M
2009-04-01
This article addresses sentence comprehension as a requirement of reading comprehension within the framework of the narrow view of reading that was advocated in the prologue to this forum. The focus is on the comprehension requirements of complex sentences, which are characteristic of school texts. Topics included in this discussion are (a) evidence linking sentence comprehension and syntax with reading, (b) syntactic properties of sentences that make them difficult to understand, (c) clinical applications for the assessment of sentence comprehension as it relates to reading, and (d) evidence and methods for addressing sentence complexity in treatment. Sentence complexity can create comprehension problems for struggling readers. The contribution of sentence comprehension to successful reading has been overlooked in models that emphasize domain-general comprehension strategies at the text level. The author calls for the evaluation of sentence comprehension within the context of content domains where complex sentences are found.
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Elastic meson-nucleon partial wave scattering analyses
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Arndt, R.A.
1986-01-01
Comprehensive analyses of π-n elastic scattering data below 1100 MeV(Tlab), and K+p scattering below 3 GeV/c(Plab) are discussed. Also discussed is a package of computer programs and data bases (scattering data, and solution files) through which users can ''explore'' these interactions in great detail; this package is known by the acronym SAID (for Scattering Analysis Interactive Dialin) and is accessible on VAX backup tapes, or by dialin to the VPI computers. The π-n, and k+p interactions will be described as seen through the SAID programs. A procedure will be described for generating an interpolating array from any of the solutions encoded in SAID; this array can then be used through a fortran callable subroutine (supplied as part of SAID) to give excellent amplitude reconstructions over a broad kinematic range
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
La Pointe, P.R.; Wallmann, P.; Follin, S.
1995-09-01
Numerical continuum codes may be used for assessing the role of regional groundwater flow in far-field safety analyses of a nuclear waste repository at depth. The focus of this project is to develop and evaluate one method based on Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) models to estimate block-scale permeability values for continuum codes. Data from the Aespoe HRL and surrounding area are used. 57 refs, 76 figs, 15 tabs
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zhi Li
Full Text Available Microsporidia have attracted considerable attention because they infect a wide range of hosts, from invertebrates to vertebrates, and cause serious human diseases and major economic losses in the livestock industry. There are no prospective drugs to counteract this pathogen. Eukaryotic protein kinases (ePKs play a central role in regulating many essential cellular processes and are therefore potential drug targets. In this study, a comprehensive summary and comparative analysis of the protein kinases in four microsporidia—Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Nosema bombycis and Nosema ceranae—was performed. The results show that there are 34 ePKs and 4 atypical protein kinases (aPKs in E. bieneusi, 29 ePKs and 6 aPKs in E. cuniculi, 41 ePKs and 5 aPKs in N. bombycis, and 27 ePKs and 4 aPKs in N. ceranae. These data support the previous conclusion that the microsporidian kinome is the smallest eukaryotic kinome. Microsporidian kinomes contain only serine-threonine kinases and do not contain receptor-like and tyrosine kinases. Many of the kinases related to nutrient and energy signaling and the stress response have been lost in microsporidian kinomes. However, cell cycle-, development- and growth-related kinases, which are important to parasites, are well conserved. This reduction of the microsporidian kinome is in good agreement with genome compaction, but kinome density is negatively correlated with proteome size. Furthermore, the protein kinases in each microsporidian genome are under strong purifying selection pressure. No remarkable differences in kinase family classification, domain features, gain and/or loss, and selective pressure were observed in these four species. Although microsporidia adapt to different host types, the coevolution of microsporidia and their hosts was not clearly reflected in the protein kinases. Overall, this study enriches and updates the microsporidian protein kinase database and may provide
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Thermal and stress analyses with ANSYS program
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kanoo, Iwao; Kawaguchi, Osamu; Asakura, Junichi.
1975-03-01
Some analyses of the heat conduction and elastic/inelastic stresses, carried out in Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) in fiscal 1973 using ANSYS (Engineering Analysis System) program, are summarized. In chapter I, the present state of structural analysis programs available for a FBR (fast breeder reactor) in PNC is explained. Chapter II is a brief description of the ANSYS current status. In chapter III are presented 8 examples of the steady-state and transient thermal analyses for fast-reactor plant components, and in chapter IV 5 examples of the inelastic structural analysis. With the advance in the field of finite element method, its applications in design study should extend progressively in the future. The present report, it is hoped, will contribute as references in similar analyses and at the same time help to understand the deformation and strain behaviors of structures. (Mori, K.)
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On China's energy intensity statistics: Toward a comprehensive and transparent indicator
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wang Xin
2011-01-01
A transparent and comprehensive statistical system in China would provide an important basis for enabling a better understanding of the country. This paper focuses on energy intensity (EI), which is one of the most important indicators of China. It firstly reviews China's GDP and energy statistics, showing that China has made great improvements in recent years. The means by which EI data are released and adjusted are then explained. It shows that EI data releases do not provide complete data for calculating EI and constant GDP, which may reduce policy transparency and comprehensiveness. This paper then conducts an EI calculation method that is based on official sources and that respects the data availability of different data release times. It finds that, in general, China's EI statistics can be considered as reliable because most of the results generated by author's calculations match the figures in the official releases. However, two data biases were identified, which may necessitate supplementary information on related constant GDP values used in the official calculation of EI data. The paper concludes by proposing short- and long-term measures for improving EI statistics to provide a transparent and comprehensive EI indicator. - Highlights: → This paper examines data release and adjustment process of energy intensity (EI) target of China. → New insights on the comprehensiveness and transparency of EI data. → Potential data bias between author's calculation and official data due to lack of constant GDP data. → Proposition for improving short- and long-term EI statistical works.
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Thermal Response of Cooled Silicon Nitride Plate Due to Thermal Conductivity Effects Analyzed
Baaklini, George Y.; Abdul-Aziz, Ali; Bhatt, Ramakrishna
2003-01-01
Lightweight, strong, tough high-temperature materials are required to complement efficiency improvements for next-generation gas turbine engines that can operate with minimum cooling. Because of their low density, high-temperature strength, and high thermal conductivity, ceramics are being investigated as materials to replace the nickelbase superalloys that are currently used for engine hot-section components. Ceramic structures can withstand higher operating temperatures and a harsh combustion environment. In addition, their low densities relative to metals help reduce component mass (ref. 1). To complement the effectiveness of the ceramics and their applicability for turbine engine applications, a parametric study using the finite element method is being carried out. The NASA Glenn Research Center remains very active in conducting and supporting a variety of research activities related to ceramic matrix composites through both experimental and analytical efforts (ref. 1). The objectives of this work are to develop manufacturing technology, develop a thermal and environmental barrier coating (TBC/EBC), develop an analytical modeling capability to predict thermomechanical stresses, and perform a minimal burner rig test on silicon nitride (Si3N4) and SiC/SiC turbine nozzle vanes under simulated engine conditions. Moreover, we intend to generate a detailed database of the material s property characteristics and their effects on structural response. We expect to offer a wide range of data since the modeling will account for other variables, such as cooling channel geometry and spacing. Comprehensive analyses have begun on a plate specimen with Si3N4 cooling holes.
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Sensitivity analyses of seismic behavior of spent fuel dry cask storage systems
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Luk, V.K.; Spencer, B.W.; Shaukat, S.K.; Lam, I.P.; Dameron, R.A.
2003-01-01
Sandia National Laboratories is conducting a research project to develop a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the seismic behavior of spent fuel dry cask storage systems (DCSS) for the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A typical Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) consists of arrays of free-standing storage casks resting on concrete pads. In the safety review process of these cask systems, their seismically induced horizontal displacements and angular rotations must be quantified to determine whether casks will overturn or neighboring casks will collide during a seismic event. The ABAQUS/Explicit code is used to analyze three-dimensional coupled finite element models consisting of three submodels, which are a cylindrical cask or a rectangular module, a flexible concrete pad, and an underlying soil foundation. The coupled model includes two sets of contact surfaces between the submodels with prescribed coefficients of friction. The seismic event is described by one vertical and two horizontal components of statistically independent seismic acceleration time histories. A deconvolution procedure is used to adjust the amplitudes and frequency contents of these three-component reference surface motions before applying them simultaneously at the soil foundation base. The research project focused on examining the dynamic and nonlinear seismic behavior of the coupled model of free-standing DCSS including soil-structure interaction effects. This paper presents a subset of analysis results for a series of parametric analyses. Input variables in the parametric analyses include: designs of the cask/module, time histories of the seismic accelerations, coefficients of friction at the cask/pad interface, and material properties of the soil foundation. In subsequent research, the analysis results will be compiled and presented in nomograms to highlight the sensitivity of seismic response of DCSS to
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An Introduction to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Exotic Animal Practitioners
Meursinge Reynders, Reint
2017-01-01
Developing and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses is a complex process that requires many judgments and the input from a wide variety of stakeholders. This article presents an introduction on how to develop, conduct, and report these research studies. Veterinary clinicians should seek
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Conductivity of Composite Material Based on System NdPO4·nH2OCsH2PO4
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Anfimova, Tatiana; Bjerrum, Niels J.; Li, Qingfeng
2013-01-01
The goal of the present study was to obtain a comprehensive knowledge about synthesis conditions, structure, thermal behavior and conductivity properties of neodymiumorthophosphates in order to analyze of use this material in intermediate temperature fuel cells due to their thermal and chemical...... stability properties.The impedance spectroscopy technique (IS) was used to measure the conductivity. The conductivity of composites observed to be lower than conductivity of pure CsH2PO4 but had improved sufficiently conductivity of pure NdPO4·nH2O...
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China–Myanmar Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership: A Regional Threat?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chenyang LI
2012-01-01
Full Text Available This paper analyses the China-Myanmar ‘comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership’ in the framework of China’s diplomacy in the post-Cold War era and concludes that the partnership has no ‘significant negative impact’ on regional relations. China pursues its partnerships with Myanmar and other states to create a ‘stable’ and ‘harmonious’ surrounding environment, itself a ‘major’ prerequisite for China’s peaceful development. The author argues that China has not focused its diplomacy on Myanmar at the expense of other states; rather, he notes that in fact China established a ‘comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership’ with three other ASEAN states (Vietnam in 2008, Laos in 2009, and Cambodia in 2010 before it did so with Myanmar in May 2011. The article argues that the scope and depth of China’s partnerships with states such as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia are actually above that of its partnership with Myanmar. It also argues that Myanmar’s strong nationalism will prevent China from, for example, building a base on Myanmar’s soil. The author also asserts that China does not seek to use Myanmar as an ally to weaken or dilute ASEAN or its unity on the South China Sea issue.
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Comprehensive Laser-induced Incandescence (LII) modeling for soot particle sizing
Lisanti, Joel
2015-03-30
To evaluate the current state of the art in LII particle sizing, a comprehensive model for predicting the temporal incandescent response of combustion-generated soot to absorption of a pulsed laser is presented. The model incorporates particle heating through laser absorption, thermal annealing, and oxidation at the surface as well as cooling through sublimation and photodesorption, radiation, conduction and thermionic emission. Thermodynamic properties and the thermal accommodation coefficient utilized in the model are temperature dependent. In addition, where appropriate properties are also phase dependent, thereby accounting for annealing effects during laser heating and particle cooling.
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Fracture Mechanics Analyses of the Slip-Side Joggle Regions of Wing-Leading-Edge Panels
Raju, Ivatury S.; Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Song, Kyongchan; Phillips, Dawn R.
2011-01-01
The Space Shuttle wing-leading edge consists of panels that are made of reinforced carbon-carbon. Coating spallation was observed near the slip-side region of the panels that experience extreme heating. To understand this phenomenon, a root-cause investigation was conducted. As part of that investigation, fracture mechanics analyses of the slip-side joggle regions of the hot panels were conducted. This paper presents an overview of the fracture mechanics analyses.
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Thermal conductivity of different colored compomers.
Guler, Cigdem; Keles, Ali; Guler, Mehmet S; Karagoz, Sendogan; Cora, Ömer N; Keskin, Gul
2017-11-10
Compomers are mostly used in primary dentition. The thermal conductivity properties of traditional or colored compomers have not been investigated in detail so far. The aim of this in vitro study was to assess and compare the thermal conductivities of traditional and colored compomers. Two sets of compomers - namely, Twinky Star (available in berry, lemon, green, silver, blue, pink, gold and orange shades) and Dyract Extra (available in B1, A3 and A2 shades) - were included in this study. All of the traditional and colored compomers were applied to standard molds and polymerized according to the manufacturers' instructions. Three samples were prepared from each compomer. Measurements were conducted using a heat conduction test setup, and the coefficient of heat conductivity was calculated for each material. The heat conductivity coefficients were statistically analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Duncan tests. Uncertainty analysis was also performed on the calculated coefficients of heat conductivity. Statistically significant differences were found (p<0.05) between the thermal conductivity properties of the traditional and colored compomers examined. Among all of the tested compomers, the silver shade compomer exhibited the highest coefficient of heat conductivity (p<0.05), while the berry shade exhibited the lowest coefficient (p<0.05). Uncertainty analyses revealed that 6 out of 11 samples showed significant differences. The silver shade compomer should be avoided in deep cavities. The material properties could be improved for colored compomers.
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Friedemann, J; Schubert, H-J; Schwappach, D
2009-01-01
This paper focuses on the current resolutions for quality reports of German hospitals as released in 2007 as well as on comprehensibility of these reports for patients. It is meant to analyse the textual information given by these quality reports. Its main objective was to attain a reliable assessment of their comprehensibility for patients on the basis of objective measuring methods. A further goal was to qualify eventual differences between large and small or private and public hospital operators. On the basis of the attained results conclusions on the appropriateness of the current legal situation and the existing criteria for quality reports were to be drawn. The textual system part of 200 German hospital reports was analysed as published in the Internet (latest download 28th May, 2007). The selection took place by means of a controlled sample. The sample structure essentially corresponds to the German hospital system structure in terms of bed numbers and its ratio of public and private operators. The analysis measured all formal text patterns as well as technical terms by means of a computer-aided device. The readability index for each text was calculated according to all known readability formulas for the German language. German hospital quality reports are readable only for those patients who dispose of above-average communicative skills. The analysed reports contain more than 10% technical terms while 17% of the chosen words and 60% of all sentences are too long. 10% of all sentences are too complex and 25% comprise more than three technical terms. To understand these texts at least an entrance qualification for higher education is required in accordance to readability indices. The texts' degree of complexity is comparable to that of philosophical papers. Most textual information given by German hospital quality reports is proven to be unreadable and incomprehensible for most patients. There are no fundamental differences concerning hospital size and
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尹, 松
2002-01-01
Among the four skills of the language acquisition, it has been pointed out that listening comprehension is the most difficult skill. The research on effective methods of teaching listening comprehension has been carried out from various viewpoints. After introducing the theory of listening comprehension, this review will describe recent trends in the teach-ing of listening as a second/foreign language. This will be done by focusing primarily on schema activator and strategy-instruction in tea...
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Managing Intellectual Property Rights Protection in the System of Comprehensive Seconday Education
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vadim Lunyachek
2018-05-01
Full Text Available This paper provides the results of the survey conducted among the teachers and principals of comprehensive secondary schools of Kharkiv as to their awareness of how to abide by, draw up and defend intellectual property rights. The paper suggests implementing a system of actions to further the qualifications of educators in this area by introducing relevant special courses, delivering lectures and workshops, or obtaining a second higher education degree.
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Linda, Kristina; Regina; Sutapa,, Y. Gatot
2015-01-01
The aims of this study were improving EFL students' reading comprehension by using Metacognitive Reading Strategies and finding out the students' perceptions on Metacognitive Reading Strategies. The method of the research was a classroom action research. The research subjects were 29 students majoring in Accounting Program class 3 of Year-10. This research was conducted in three cycles to maximize the students' improvement in comprehending the text. The findings of data collecting revealed th...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
E. Lubinga
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Most existent research on the effects of interpersonal discussions about health campaign messages is based on surveys. In this study, we analysed actual conversations about an HIV/AIDS poster to find out possible effects. Young South African women in 59 dyads (n = 118 participated in conversations about a deliberately puzzling HIV and AIDS poster that cautioned the target group to be faithful to one sexual partner. We measured their comprehension of the poster and beliefs about the message, before and after the conversations. Overall, actual comprehension (AC was low, and we observed a large discrepancy between actual and perceived comprehension. In general, conversations did not improve AC. It proved to be even more probable that a correct interpretation before a conversation turned into an incorrect interpretation than the other way around. However, having a well-informed conversation partner increased the chance of acquiring adequate subsequent comprehension. We found, in general, that conversations did not decrease undesirable beliefs. One important undesirable belief even became reinforced after the conversations. Conversations among peers might be valuable in health campaigns, but our study shows that intended positive effects do not automatically follow.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hanna Onyi Yusuf
2013-01-01
Full Text Available This study was carried out to determine the influence of prior knowledge questions on pupils’ performance in reading comprehension in primary schools in Kaduna, Nigeria. Two schools were used for the study. Ungwar Dosa primary school was used as the experimental school while Ungwar Rimi primary school was used as the control school. Thirty (30 primary five pupils from each of the two schools were used for the study. A total of sixty pupils were used for the study. A pre-test was administered on both groups of pupils before the commencement of teaching. A post-test was administered after six weeks of teaching. Data was analysed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. The findings revealed significant difference in the performance of pupils taught reading comprehension using prior knowledge questions. Based on the findings, teachers are encouraged among others, to use prior knowledge questions to motivate and stimulate pupils to use their relevant background knowledge to interpret and understand new information in their reading comprehension texts. Curriculum planners and textbook writers are encouraged to include prior knowledge questions as part of the activities pupils should be exposed to during reading comprehension lessons.
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Han, Xianlin; Yang, Kui; Gross, Richard W.
2011-01-01
Since our last comprehensive review on multi-dimensional mass spectrometry-based shotgun lipidomics (Mass Spectrom. Rev. 24 (2005), 367), many new developments in the field of lipidomics have occurred. These developments include new strategies and refinements for shotgun lipidomic approaches that use direct infusion, including novel fragmentation strategies, identification of multiple new informative dimensions for mass spectrometric interrogation, and the development of new bioinformatic approaches for enhanced identification and quantitation of the individual molecular constituents that comprise each cell’s lipidome. Concurrently, advances in liquid chromatography-based platforms and novel strategies for quantitative matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry for lipidomic analyses have been developed. Through the synergistic use of this repertoire of new mass spectrometric approaches, the power and scope of lipidomics has been greatly expanded to accelerate progress toward the comprehensive understanding of the pleiotropic roles of lipids in biological systems. PMID:21755525
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2012-01-01
Consumer goods company clerkship working condition hygienic evaluation, psychological state and cardio-vascular system analyses have shown that work tension is governing factor for organism functional strain development in comparison with occupational environment factors. Received data confirm determined before indices comprehension as specific for psychological and cardio-vascular system state reserves decrease degree under mental work tension elevation. For purpose of functional strain and overstrain manifestation before occupational disease incipient character forming early warning "Methodical recommendation on occupational stress under office employees arduous mental work evaluation" was developed.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Taylor Rod S
2009-03-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Conduct problems are common, disabling and costly. The prognosis for children with conduct problems is poor, with outcomes in adulthood including criminal behaviour, alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and a range of psychiatric disorders. There has been a rapid expansion of group based parent-training programmes for the treatment of children with conduct problems in a number of countries over the past 10 years. Existing reviews of parent training have methodological limitations such as inclusion of non-randomised studies, the absence of investigation for heterogeneity prior to meta-analysis or failure to report confidence intervals. The objective of the current study was to systematically review randomised controlled trials of parenting programmes for the treatment of children with conduct problems. Methods Standard systematic review methods were followed including duplicate inclusion decisions, data extraction and quality assessment. Twenty electronic databases from the fields of medicine, psychology, social science and education were comprehensively searched for RCTs and systematic reviews to February 2006. Inclusion criteria were: randomised controlled trial; of structured, repeatable parenting programmes; for parents/carers of children up to the age of 18 with a conduct problem; and at least one measure of child behaviour. Meta-analysis and qualitative synthesis were used to summarise included studies. Results 57 RCTs were included. Studies were small with an average group size of 21. Meta-analyses using both parent (SMD -0.67; 95% CI: -0.91, -0.42 and independent (SMD -0.44; 95% CI: -0.66, -0.23 reports of outcome showed significant differences favouring the intervention group. There was insufficient evidence to determine the relative effectiveness of different approaches to delivering parenting programmes. Conclusion Parenting programmes are an effective treatment for children with conduct problems
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Engel, Kirsten G; Heisler, Michele; Smith, Dylan M; Robinson, Claire H; Forman, Jane H; Ubel, Peter A
2009-04-01
To be able to adhere to discharge instructions after a visit to the emergency department (ED), patients should understand both the care that they received and their discharge instructions. The objective of this study is to assess, at discharge, patients' comprehension of their ED care and instructions and their awareness of deficiencies in their comprehension. We conducted structured interviews of 140 adult English-speaking patients or their primary caregivers after ED discharge in 2 health systems. Participants rated their subjective understanding of 4 domains: (1) diagnosis and cause; (2) ED care; (3) post-ED care, and (4) return instructions. We assessed patient comprehension as the degree of agreement (concordance) between patients' recall of each of these domains and information obtained from chart review. Two authors scored each case independently and discussed discrepancies before providing a final concordance rating (no concordance, minimal concordance, partial concordance, near concordance, complete concordance). Seventy-eight percent of patients demonstrated deficient comprehension (less than complete concordance) in at least 1 domain; 51% of patients, in 2 or more domains. Greater than a third of these deficiencies (34%) involved patients' understanding of post-ED care, whereas only 15% were for diagnosis and cause. The majority of patients with comprehension deficits failed to perceive them. Patients perceived difficulty with comprehension only 20% of the time when they demonstrated deficient comprehension. Many patients do not understand their ED care or their discharge instructions. Moreover, most patients appear to be unaware of their lack of understanding and report inappropriate confidence in their comprehension and recall.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Grasso, D.N.
2001-01-01
This report presents a new comprehensive, digital archive of more than 40 years of geologic surface effects maps produced at individual detonation sites throughout the Yucca Flat and Pahute Mesa nuclear testing areas of the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada. The Geographic Information System (GIS) surface effects map archive on CD-ROM (this report) comprehensively documents the surface effects of underground nuclear detonations conducted at two of the most extensively used testing areas of the Nevada Test Site. Between 1951 and 1992, numerous investigators of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency meticulously mapped the surface effects caused by underground nuclear testing. Their work documented the effects of more than seventy percent of the underground nuclear detonations conducted at Yucca Flat and all of the underground nuclear detonations conducted at Pahute Mesa
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Pragmatic Comprehension Development through Telecollaboration
Rafieyan, Vahid; Sharafi-Nejad, Maryam; Khavari, Zahra; Eng, Lin Siew; Mohamed, Abdul Rashid
2014-01-01
Pragmatic comprehension can be ideally developed through contact with target language speakers. This contact can be provided in English as Foreign Language contexts through telecollaboration. To test the actual effect of telecollaboration on the development of pragmatic comprehension, 30 Iranian undergraduates of English as a Foreign Language…
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Is Word-Problem Solving a Form of Text Comprehension?
Fuchs, Lynn S.; Fuchs, Douglas; Compton, Donald L.; Hamlett, Carol L.; Wang, Amber Y.
2015-01-01
This study’s hypotheses were that (a) word-problem (WP) solving is a form of text comprehension that involves language comprehension processes, working memory, and reasoning, but (b) WP solving differs from other forms of text comprehension by requiring WP-specific language comprehension as well as general language comprehension. At the start of the 2nd grade, children (n = 206; on average, 7 years, 6 months) were assessed on general language comprehension, working memory, nonlinguistic reasoning, processing speed (a control variable), and foundational skill (arithmetic for WPs; word reading for text comprehension). In spring, they were assessed on WP-specific language comprehension, WPs, and text comprehension. Path analytic mediation analysis indicated that effects of general language comprehension on text comprehension were entirely direct, whereas effects of general language comprehension on WPs were partially mediated by WP-specific language. By contrast, effects of working memory and reasoning operated in parallel ways for both outcomes. PMID:25866461
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ana Cristina Lahuerta Martínez
2009-12-01
Full Text Available The aim of this work is to analyse how Spanish readers react to English discourse markers in a text. We carry out an empirical study in which we ask three research question: (a if there is any relationship between presence of discourse markers or absence of discourse markers and reading comprehension in English as a foreign language, (b if there is any relationship between the readers’ proficiency in English and the effect of the presence or absence of discourse markers on reading comprehension and, (c if there is any relationship between the readers’ age, sex, competence as learners and as learners of English, and the effect of the presence or absence of discourse markers on reading comprehension. The results obtained show that discourse markers enhance reading comprehension in foreign language reading, and that the more successful students tend to use discourse markers as aids to help their reading comprehension. This latter result is nevertheless limited by the possible effect of the readers’ familiarity with the topic of the text and points to a need for further investigation.
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Research on comprehensive decision-making of PV power station connecting system
Zhou, Erxiong; Xin, Chaoshan; Ma, Botao; Cheng, Kai
2018-04-01
In allusion to the incomplete indexes system and not making decision on the subjectivity and objectivity of PV power station connecting system, based on the combination of improved Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) as well as grey correlation degree analysis (GCDA) is comprehensively proposed to select the appropriate system connecting scheme of PV power station. Firstly, indexes of PV power station connecting system are divided the recursion order hierarchy and calculated subjective weight by the improved AHP. Then, CRITIC is adopted to determine the objective weight of each index through the comparison intensity and conflict between indexes. The last the improved GCDA is applied to screen the optimal scheme, so as to, from the subjective and objective angle, select the connecting system. Comprehensive decision of Xinjiang PV power station is conducted and reasonable analysis results are attained. The research results might provide scientific basis for investment decision.
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Strategy-based listening and pragmatic comprehension
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Corsetti, Cristiane Ruzicki
2014-01-01
Full Text Available This article addresses the role of strategy-based listening as an alternative methodological approach to develop pragmatic comprehension in L2 contexts. Pragmatic comprehension refers to the understanding of speech acts and conversational implicatures. Listening comprehension comprises both bottom-up and top-down processes. Strategy-based listening encompasses the activation of pragmatic knowledge through pre-listening activities and the development of specific listening micro-skills. An empirical project which included a classroom project carried out with a group of eight learners preparing for the IELTS examination in 2009 corroborated the following assumptions: in order to achieve listening proficiency, learners need practice in making inferences as semantic and pragmatic inferences are embedded in verbal communication; semantic and pragmatic aspects affecting the meaning of utterances can be highlighted via comprehension activities focusing on specific listening subskills. The results of the classroom project suggested that strategy-based listening is potentially capable of directly enhancing pragmatic comprehension but were inconclusive with regards to pragmatic production
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Si, Chao; Li, Liang; Lu, Gui; Cao, Bing-Yang; Wang, Xiao-Dong; Fan, Zhen; Feng, Zhi-Hai
2018-04-01
Graphene has received great attention due to its fascinating thermal properties. The inevitable defects in graphene, such as single vacancy, doping, and functional group, greatly affect the thermal conductivity. The sole effect of these defects on the thermal conductivity has been widely studied, while the mechanisms of the coupling effects are still open. We studied the combined effect of defects with N-doping, the -CH3 group, and single vacancy on the thermal conductivity of multi-layer graphene at various temperatures using equilibrium molecular dynamics with the Green-Kubo theory. The Taguchi orthogonal algorithm is used to evaluate the sensitivity of N-doping, the -CH3 group, and single vacancy. Sole factor analysis shows that the effect of single vacancy on thermal conductivity is always the strongest at 300 K, 700 K, and 1500 K. However, for the graphene with three defects, the single vacancy defect only plays a significant role in the thermal conductivity modification at 300 K and 700 K, while the -CH3 group dominates the thermal conductivity reduction at 1500 K. The phonon dispersion is calculated using a spectral energy density approach to explain such a temperature dependence. The combined effect of the three defects further decreases the thermal conductivity compared to any sole defect at both 300 K and 700 K. The weaker single vacancy effect is due to the stronger Umklapp scattering at 1500 K, at which the combined effect seriously covers almost all the energy gaps in the phonon dispersion relation, significantly reducing the phonon lifetimes. Therefore, the temperature dependence only appears on the multi-layer graphene with combined defects.
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Fajardo, Inmaculada; Ávila, Vicenta; Ferrer, Antonio; Tavares, Gema; Gómez, Marcos; Hernández, Ana
2014-05-01
The use of 'easy-to-read' materials for people with intellectual disabilities has become very widespread but their effectiveness has scarcely been evaluated. In this study, the framework provided by Kintsch's Construction-Integration Model (1988) is used to examine (i) the reading comprehension levels of different passages of the Spanish text that have been designed following easy-to-read guidelines and (ii) the relationships between reading comprehension (literal and inferential) and various linguistic features of these texts. Sixteen students with mild intellectual disability and low levels of reading skills were asked to read easy-to-read texts and then complete a reading comprehension test. The corpus of texts was composed of a set of forty-eight pieces of news selected from www.noticiasfacil.es, a Spanish digital newspaper that publishes daily journalistic texts following international guidelines for the design of easy-to-read documents (IFLA, Tronbacke B. (1997) Guidelines for Easy-to-read Materials. IFLA, The Hague). Participants correctly answered 80% of the comprehension questions, showing significantly higher scores for literal questions than for inferential questions. The analyses of the texts' linguistic features revealed that the number of coreferences was the variable that best predicted literal comprehension, but contrary to what the previous literature seemed to indicate, the relationship between the two variables was inverse. In the case of inferential comprehension, the number of sentences was a significant negative predictor; that is, the higher the sentence density, the lower the ability of these students to find relationships between them. The effects of the rest of linguistic variables, such as word frequency and word length, on comprehension were null. These results provide preliminary empirical support for the use of easy-to-read texts but bring into question the validity of some popular design guidelines (e.g. augmenting word frequency) to
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ashley Walker
2018-06-01
Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of coordinated and comprehensive care within a medical home among children with special health care needs (CSHCN. The latest version of the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN employed a national random-digit-dial sample whereby US households were screened, resulting in 40,242 eligible respondents. Logistic regression analyses were performed modeling the probability of coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home based on shared decision-making and other factors. A total of 29,845 cases were selected for inclusion in the model. Of these, 17,390 cases (58.3% met the criteria for coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Access to a community-based service systems had the greatest positive impact on coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Adequate insurance coverage and being White/Caucasian were also positively associated with the dependent variable. Shared decision-making was reported by 72% of respondents and had a negative, but relatively negligible impact on coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Increasing age, non-traditional family structures, urban residence, and public insurance were more influential, and negatively impacted the dependent variable. Providers and their respective organizations should seek to expand and improve health and support services at the community level.
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Robson, Holly; Pilkington, Emma; Evans, Louise; DeLuca, Vincent; Keidel, James L
2017-06-01
Comprehension impairments in Wernicke's aphasia are thought to result from a combination of impaired phonological and semantic processes. However, the relationship between these cognitive processes and language comprehension has only been inferred through offline neuropsychological tasks. This study used ERPs to investigate phonological and semantic processing during online single word comprehension. EEG was recorded in a group of Wernicke's aphasia n=8 and control participants n=10 while performing a word-picture verification task. The N400 and Phonological Mapping Negativity/Phonological Mismatch Negativity (PMN) event-related potential components were investigated as an index of semantic and phonological processing, respectively. Individuals with Wernicke's aphasia displayed reduced and inconsistent N400 and PMN effects in comparison to control participants. Reduced N400 effects in the WA group were simulated in the control group by artificially degrading speech perception. Correlation analyses in the Wernicke's aphasia group found that PMN but not N400 amplitude was associated with behavioural word-picture verification performance. The results confirm impairments at both phonological and semantic stages of comprehension in Wernicke's aphasia. However, reduced N400 responses in Wernicke's aphasia are at least partially attributable to earlier phonological processing impairments. The results provide further support for the traditional model of Wernicke's aphasia which claims a causative link between phonological processing and language comprehension impairments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Text comprehension strategy instruction with poor readers
Van den Bos, K.P.; Aarnoudse, C.C.; Brand-Gruwel, S.
1998-01-01
The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of teaching text comprehension strategies to children with decoding and reading comprehension problems and with a poor or normal listening ability. Two experiments are reported. Four text comprehension strategies, viz., question generation,
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Statistical analysis of thermal conductivity of nanofluid containing ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Thermal conductivity measurements of nanofluids were analysed via two-factor completely randomized design and comparison of data means is carried out with Duncan's multiple-range test. Statistical analysis of experimental data show that temperature and weight fraction have a reasonable impact on the thermal ...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paul van den BROEK
2011-11-01
Full Text Available To understand what they read or hear, children and adults must create a coherent mental representation of presented information. Recent research suggests that the ability to do so starts to develop early –well before reading age- and that early individual differences are predictive of later reading-comprehension performance. In this paper, we review this research and discuss potential applications to early intervention. We then present two exploratory studies in which we examine whether it is feasible to design interventions with early readers (3rd grade and even toddlers (2-3 years old. The interventions employed causal questioning techniques as children listen to orally presented,age-appropriate narratives. Afterwards, comprehension was tested through question answering and recall tasks. Results indicate that such interventions are indeed feasible. Moreover, they suggest thatfor both toddlers and early readers questions during comprehension are more effective than questions after comprehension. Finally, for both groups higher working memory capacity was related to bettercomprehension.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nuria Carriedo
Full Text Available Our main objective was to analyse the different contributions of relational verbal reasoning (analogical and class inclusion and executive functioning to metaphor comprehension across development. We postulated that both relational reasoning and executive functioning should predict individual and developmental differences. However, executive functioning would become increasingly involved when metaphor comprehension is highly demanding, either because of the metaphors' high difficulty (relatively novel metaphors in the absence of a context or because of the individual's special processing difficulties, such as low levels of reading experience or low semantic knowledge. Three groups of participants, 11-year-olds, 15-year-olds and young adults, were assessed in different relational verbal reasoning tasks-analogical and class-inclusion-and in executive functioning tasks-updating information in working memory, inhibition, and shifting. The results revealed clear progress in metaphor comprehension between ages 11 and 15 and between ages 15 and 21. However, the importance of executive function in metaphor comprehension was evident by age 15 and was restricted to updating information in working memory and cognitive inhibition. Participants seemed to use two different strategies to interpret metaphors: relational verbal reasoning and executive functioning. This was clearly shown when comparing the performance of the "more efficient" participants in metaphor interpretation with that of the "less efficient" ones. Whereas in the first case none of the executive variables or those associated with relational verbal reasoning were significantly related to metaphor comprehension, in the latter case, both groups of variables had a clear predictor effect.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maria Elvira Poleti Martucci
Full Text Available Members of the subtribe Lychnophorinae occur mostly within the Cerrado domain of the Brazilian Central Plateau. The relationships between its 11 genera, as well as between Lychnophorinae and other subtribes belonging to the tribe Vernonieae, have recently been investigated upon a phylogeny based on molecular and morphological data. We report the use of a comprehensive untargeted metabolomics approach, combining HPLC-MS and GC-MS data, followed by multivariate analyses aiming to assess the congruence between metabolomics data and the phylogenetic hypothesis, as well as its potential as a chemotaxonomic tool. We analyzed 78 species by UHPLC-MS and GC-MS in both positive and negative ionization modes. The metabolic profiles obtained for these species were treated in MetAlign and in MSClust and the matrices generated were used in SIMCA for hierarchical cluster analyses, principal component analyses and orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis. The results showed that metabolomic analyses are mostly congruent with the phylogenetic hypothesis especially at lower taxonomic levels (Lychnophora or Eremanthus. Our results confirm that data generated using metabolomics provide evidence for chemotaxonomical studies, especially for phylogenetic inference of the Lychnophorinae subtribe and insight into the evolution of the secondary metabolites of this group.
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Catalani, Simona; Berra, Alessandro; Tomasi, Cesare; Romano, Canzio; Pira, Enrico; Garzaro, Giacomo; Apostoli, Pietro
2015-01-01
In recent years, due to the need to elaborate the amount of information available from the scientific literature, the meta-analyses and systematic reviews have become very numerous. The meta-analyses are carried out to evaluate the association between two events when single researches haven't provided comprehensive data. On the other hand, a good meta-analysis must satisfy certain criteria, from the selection of the studies until the evaluation of the outcomes; to this purpose, the application of methods for quality assessment is a crucial point to obtain data of adequate reliability. The aim of this review is to give some introductory tools for a critical approach to meta-analyses and systematic reviews, which have become useful instruments also in occupational medicine.
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Analysis of the electrical conduction in CdHgTe crystals
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dziuba, Z.
1987-01-01
The electrical conduction versus magnetic field in p-like CdHgTe samples at 77 K is investigated by analysing the conductivity tensor components. The electrical conduction is mainly due to electrons in the conduction band and low-mobility carriers in an impurity band. In the investigated samples Cd/sub x/Hg/sub 1-x/Te with the composition x approximately 0.17 the concentration of electrons in the conduction band is higher than the intrinsic one and in samples with the composition close to HgTe the concentration of electrons in the conduction band is equal to or lower than the intrinsic one. The model of a half-filled impurity band situated close to the bottom of the conduction band is proposed to account for the concentration of electrons in the conduction band. (author)
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Wright, A. S.; Wu, X.; Frye, C. A.; Mathur, A. B.; Patrick, C. W., Jr.
2007-01-01
A Biomedical Engineering Internship Program conducted within a Comprehensive Cancer Center over a 10 year period was assessed and evaluated. Although this is a non-traditional location for an internship, it is an ideal site for a multidisciplinary training program for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students. We made a…
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Optimizing Visually-Assisted Listening Comprehension
Kashani, Ahmad Sabouri; Sajjadi, Samad; Sohrabi, Mohammad Reza; Younespour, Shima
2011-01-01
The fact that visual aids such as pictures or graphs can lead to greater comprehension by language learners has been well established. Nonetheless, the order of presenting visuals to listeners is left unattended. This study examined listening comprehension from a strategy of introducing visual information, either prior to or during an audio…
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Chemical and physical analyses of selected plants and soils from Puerto Rico (1981-2000)
M.J. Sanchez; E. Lopez; A.E. Lugo
2015-01-01
This report contains the results of analyses conducted at the chemistry laboratory of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico from 1981 to 2000. The data set includes 109,177 plant analyses and 70,729 soil analyses. We report vegetation chemical data by plant part, species, life zone, soil order, geology, or parent material. Soil data are...
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Kim, Young-Suk Grace
2016-01-01
We investigated component language and cognitive skills of oral language comprehension of narrative texts (i.e., listening comprehension). Using the construction--integration model of text comprehension as an overarching theoretical framework, we examined direct and mediated relations of foundational cognitive skills (working memory and…
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Expanding the conduct of everyday life concept for psychological media research with children
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Chimirri, Niklas Alexander
2013-01-01
The concept conduct of everyday life has lately been discussed with regards to how children are engaged with participating in the manifold practices that constitute their daily living. They coordinate their actions with others (adults and children) in order to increasingly influence the conditions......, the article shows how the concept is fruitful for investigating how kindergarten children use media technologies for conducting their everyday lives in the mutually shared kindergarten practice. Finally, it argues that the concept needs to be expanded in order to comprehensively grasp the intersubjective...... and material mediatedness of an everyday life with media technologies....
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Economic Evaluation of a Comprehensive Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program: Pilot Program
Rosenthal, Marjorie S.; Ross, Joseph S.; Bilodeau, RoseAnne; Richter, Rosemary S.; Palley, Jane E.; Bradley, Elizabeth H.
2011-01-01
Background Previous research has suggested that comprehensive teenage pregnancy prevention programs that address sexual education and life skills development and provide academic are effective in reducing births among enrolled teenagers. However, there have been limited data on costs and cost-effectiveness of such programs. Objectives To use a community-based participatory research approach, to develop estimates of the cost-benefit of the Pathways/Senderos Center, a comprehensive neighborhood-based program to prevent unintended pregnancies and promote positive development for adolescents. Methods Using data from 1997-2003, we conducted an in-time intervention analysis to determine program cost-benefit while teenagers were enrolled and then used an extrapolation analysis to estimate accyrred economibc benefits and cost-benefit up to age 30. Results The program operating costs totaled $3,228,152.59 and reduced the teenage childbearing rate from 94.10 to 40.00 per 1000 teenage females, averting $52,297.84 in total societal costs, with an economic benefit to society from program participation of $2,673,153.11. Therefore, total costs to society exceeded economic benefits by $559,677.05, or $1,599.08 per adolescent per year. In an extrapolation analysis, benefits to society exceed costs by $10,474.77 per adolescent per year by age 30 on average, with social benefits outweighing total social costs by age 20.1. Conclusions We estimate that this comprehensive teenage pregnancy prevention program would provide societal economic benefits once participants are young adults, suggesting the need to expand beyond pilot demonstrations and evaluate the long-range cost-effectiveness of similarly comprehensive programs when implemented more widely in high-risk neighborhoods. PMID:19896030
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Economic evaluation of a comprehensive teenage pregnancy prevention program: pilot program.
Rosenthal, Marjorie S; Ross, Joseph S; Bilodeau, Roseanne; Richter, Rosemary S; Palley, Jane E; Bradley, Elizabeth H
2009-12-01
Previous research has suggested that comprehensive teenage pregnancy prevention programs that address sexual education and life skills development and provide academic support are effective in reducing births among enrolled teenagers. However, there have been limited data on the costs and cost effectiveness of such programs. The study used a community-based participatory research approach to develop estimates of the cost-benefit of the Pathways/Senderos Center, a comprehensive neighborhood-based program to prevent unintended pregnancies and promote positive development for adolescents. Using data from 1997-2003, an in-time intervention analysis was conducted to determine program cost-benefit while teenagers were enrolled; an extrapolation analysis was then used to estimate accrued economic benefits and cost-benefit up to age 30 years. The program operating costs totaled $3,228,152.59 and reduced the teenage childbearing rate from 94.10 to 40.00 per 1000 teenage girls, averting $52,297.84 in total societal costs, with an economic benefit to society from program participation of $2,673,153.11. Therefore, total costs to society exceeded economic benefits by $559,677.05, or $1599.08 per adolescent per year. In an extrapolation analysis, benefits to society exceed costs by $10,474.77 per adolescent per year by age 30 years on average, with social benefits outweighing total social costs by age 20.1 years. This comprehensive teenage pregnancy prevention program is estimated to provide societal economic benefits once participants are young adults, suggesting the need to expand beyond pilot demonstrations and evaluate the long-range cost effectiveness of similarly comprehensive programs when they are implemented more widely in high-risk neighborhoods.
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Classroom Talk for Rigorous Reading Comprehension Instruction
Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Crosson, Amy C.; Resnick, Lauren B.
2004-01-01
This study examined the quality of classroom talk and its relation to academic rigor in reading-comprehension lessons. Additionally, the study aimed to characterize effective questions to support rigorous reading comprehension lessons. The data for this study included 21 reading-comprehension lessons in several elementary and middle schools from…
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Maternal substance use during pregnancy and offspring conduct problems: A meta-analysis.
Ruisch, I Hyun; Dietrich, Andrea; Glennon, Jeffrey C; Buitelaar, Jan K; Hoekstra, Pieter J
2018-01-01
We conducted meta-analyses of relationships between highly prevalent substance use during pregnancy and offspring conduct disorder problems. In total 36 studies were included. Odds ratios (ORs) were 2.06 (1.67-2.54, 25 studies) for maternal smoking, 2.11 (1.42-3.15, 9 studies) for alcohol use, and 1.29 (0.93-1.81, 3 studies) for cannabis use, while a single study of caffeine use reported no effects. Our meta-analyses support an association between smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy, and offspring conduct problems, yet do not resolve causality issues given potential confounding by genetic factors, gene-environment interactions, and comorbidity such as with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Future studies should use genetically sensitive designs to investigate the role of pregnancy substance use in offspring conduct problems and may consider more broadly defined behavioral problems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Publication bias in dermatology systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Atakpo, Paul; Vassar, Matt
2016-05-01
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in dermatology provide high-level evidence for clinicians and policy makers that influence clinical decision making and treatment guidelines. One methodological problem with systematic reviews is the under representation of unpublished studies. This problem is due in part to publication bias. Omission of statistically non-significant data from meta-analyses may result in overestimation of treatment effect sizes which may lead to clinical consequences. Our goal was to assess whether systematic reviewers in dermatology evaluate and report publication bias. Further, we wanted to conduct our own evaluation of publication bias on meta-analyses that failed to do so. Our study considered systematic reviews and meta-analyses from ten dermatology journals from 2006 to 2016. A PubMed search was conducted, and all full-text articles that met our inclusion criteria were retrieved and coded by the primary author. 293 articles were included in our analysis. Additionally, we formally evaluated publication bias in meta-analyses that failed to do so using trim and fill and cumulative meta-analysis by precision methods. Publication bias was mentioned in 107 articles (36.5%) and was formally evaluated in 64 articles (21.8%). Visual inspection of a funnel plot was the most common method of evaluating publication bias. Publication bias was present in 45 articles (15.3%), not present in 57 articles (19.5%) and not determined in 191 articles (65.2%). Using the trim and fill method, 7 meta-analyses (33.33%) showed evidence of publication bias. Although the trim and fill method only found evidence of publication bias in 7 meta-analyses, the cumulative meta-analysis by precision method found evidence of publication bias in 15 meta-analyses (71.4%). Many of the reviews in our study did not mention or evaluate publication bias. Further, of the 42 articles that stated following PRISMA reporting guidelines, 19 (45.2%) evaluated for publication bias. In
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Regulatory support activities of JNES by thermal-hydraulic and safety analyses
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kasahara, Fumio
2008-01-01
Current status and some related topics on regulatory support activities of Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) by thermal-hydraulic and safety analyses are reported. The safety of nuclear facilities is secured primarily by plant owners and operators. However, the regulatory body NISA (Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency) has conducted a strict regulation to confirm the adequacy of the site condition as well as the basic and detailed design. The JNES has been conducting independent analyses from applicants (audit analyses, etc.) by direction of NISA and supporting its review. In addition to the audit analysis, thermal-hydraulic and safety analyses are used in such areas as analytical evaluation for investigation of causes of accidents and troubles, level 2 PSA for risk informed regulation, etc. Recent activities of audit analyses are for the application of Tsuruga 3 and 4 (APWR), the spent fuel storage facility for the establishment, and the LMFBR Monju for the core change. For the trouble event evaluation, the criticality accident analysis of Sika1 was carried out and the evaluation of effectiveness of accident management (AM) measure for Tomari 3 (PWR) and Monju was performed. The analytical codes for these evaluations are continuously revised by reflecting the state-of-art technical information and validated using the information provided by the data from JAEA, OECD project, etc. (author)
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Comprehensive epigenetic landscape of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes.
Ai, Rizi; Laragione, Teresina; Hammaker, Deepa; Boyle, David L; Wildberg, Andre; Maeshima, Keisuke; Palescandolo, Emanuele; Krishna, Vinod; Pocalyko, David; Whitaker, John W; Bai, Yuchen; Nagpal, Sunil; Bachman, Kurtis E; Ainsworth, Richard I; Wang, Mengchi; Ding, Bo; Gulko, Percio S; Wang, Wei; Firestein, Gary S
2018-05-15
Epigenetics contributes to the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here we show the first comprehensive epigenomic characterization of RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), including histone modifications (H3K27ac, H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K36me3, H3K27me3, and H3K9me3), open chromatin, RNA expression and whole-genome DNA methylation. To address complex multidimensional relationship and reveal epigenetic regulation of RA, we perform integrative analyses using a novel unbiased method to identify genomic regions with similar profiles. Epigenomically similar regions exist in RA cells and are associated with active enhancers and promoters and specific transcription factor binding motifs. Differentially marked genes are enriched for immunological and unexpected pathways, with "Huntington's Disease Signaling" identified as particularly prominent. We validate the relevance of this pathway to RA by showing that Huntingtin-interacting protein-1 regulates FLS invasion into matrix. This work establishes a high-resolution epigenomic landscape of RA and demonstrates the potential for integrative analyses to identify unanticipated therapeutic targets.
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Ionic conductivity and diffusion coefficient of barium-chloride-based ...
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
styrenesulphonic acid) with bariumchloride dihydrate (BaCl 2 ·2H 2 O) salt complex has been synthesized following the usual solution casting. The ionic conductivity of polymer electrolyte was analysed by impedance spectroscopy. The highest room ...
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Comprehensive benefit evaluation of direct power-purchase for large consumers
Liu, D. N.; Li, Z. H.; Zhou, H. M.; Zhao, Q.; Xu, X. F.
2017-06-01
Based on "several opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on further deepening the reform of electric power system" in 2015, this paper analyses the influence of direct power-purchase for large consumers on operation benefit of power grid. In three aspects, such as economic benefit, cleaning benefit and social benefit, the index system is proposed. In which, the profit of saving coal energy consumption, reducing carbon emissions and reducing pollutant emissions is quantitative calculated. Then the subjective and objective weights and index scores are figured out through the analytic hierarchy process, entropy weight method and interval number method. Finally, the comprehensive benefit is evaluated combined with the actual study, and some suggestions are made.
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Meta-analyses of HFE variants in coronary heart disease.
Lian, Jiangfang; Xu, Limin; Huang, Yi; Le, Yanping; Jiang, Danjie; Yang, Xi; Xu, Weifeng; Huang, Xiaoyan; Dong, Changzheng; Ye, Meng; Zhou, Jianqing; Duan, Shiwei
2013-09-15
HFE gene variants can cause hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) that often comes along with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The goal of our study is to assess the contribution of four HFE gene variants to the risk of CHD. We conducted four meta-analyses of the studies examining the association between four HFE gene variants and the risk of CHD. A systematic search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Chinese Periodical. Meta-analyses showed that HFE rs1799945-G allele was associated with a 6% increased risk of CHD (P=0.02, odds ratio (OR)=1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.01-1.11). However, no association between the other three HFE gene variants (rs1800562, rs1800730, and rs9366637) and CHD risk was observed by the meta-analyses (all P values>0.05). In addition, the results of our case-control study indicated that rs1800562 and rs1800730 were monomorphic, and that rs1799945 and rs9366637 were not associated with CHD in Han Chinese. Our meta-analysis suggested that a significant association existed between rs1799945 mutation and CHD, although this mutation was rare in Han Chinese. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Al Ghamdi, Ebtisam; Yunus, Faisal; Da'ar, Omar; El-Metwally, Ashraf; Khalifa, Mohamed; Aldossari, Bakheet; Househ, Mowafa
2016-01-01
This research analyzes the impact of mobile phone screen size on user comprehension of health information and application structure. Applying experimental approach, we asked randomly selected users to read content and conduct tasks on a commonly used diabetes mobile application using three different mobile phone screen sizes. We timed and tracked a number of parameters, including correctness, effectiveness of completing tasks, content ease of reading, clarity of information organization, and comprehension. The impact of screen size on user comprehension/retention, clarity of information organization, and reading time were mixed. It is assumed on first glance that mobile screen size would affect all qualities of information reading and comprehension, including clarity of displayed information organization, reading time and user comprehension/retention of displayed information, but actually the screen size, in this experimental research, did not have significant impact on user comprehension/retention of the content or on understanding the application structure. However, it did have significant impact on clarity of information organization and reading time. Participants with larger screen size took shorter time reading the content with a significant difference in the ease of reading. While there was no significant difference in the comprehension of information or the application structures, there were a higher task completion rate and a lower number of errors with the bigger screen size. Screen size does not directly affect user comprehension of health information. However, it does affect clarity of information organization, reading time and user's ability to recall information.
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Liu, Fenglong; VanToai, Tara; Moy, Linda P.; Bock, Geoffrey; Linford, Lara D.; Quackenbush, John
2005-01-01
Plants have evolved adaptation mechanisms to sense oxygen deficiency in their environments and make coordinated physiological and structural adjustments to enhance their hypoxic tolerance. To gain insight into how plants respond to low-oxygen stress, gene expression profiling using whole-genome DNA amplicon microarrays was carried out at seven time points over 24 h, in wild-type and transgenic PSAG12:ipt Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Transcript levels of genes involved in glycolysis and fermentation pathways, ethylene synthesis and perception, calcium signaling, nitrogen utilization, trehalose metabolism, and alkaloid synthesis were significantly altered in response to oxygen limitation. Analysis based on gene ontology assignments suggested a significant down-regulation of genes whose functions are associated with cell walls, nucleosome structures, water channels, and ion transporters and a significant up-regulation of genes involved in transcriptional regulation, protein kinase activity, and auxin responses under conditions of oxygen shortage. Promoter analysis on a cluster of up-regulated genes revealed a significant overrepresentation of the AtMYB2-binding motif (GT motif), a sugar response element-like motif, and a G-box-related sequence, and also identified several putative anaerobic response elements. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions using 29 selected genes independently verified the microarray results. This study represents one of the most comprehensive analyses conducted to date investigating hypoxia-responsive transcriptional networks in plants. PMID:15734912
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Aurangzeb; Ali, Zulqurnain; Gurmani, Samia Faiz; Maqsood, Asghari
2006-01-01
Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and heat capacity per unit volume of porous consolidated igneous rocks have been measured, simultaneously by Gustafsson's probe at room temperature and normal pressure using air as saturant. Data are presented for eleven samples of dunite, ranging in porosity from 0.130 to 0.665% by volume, taken from Chillas near Gilgit, Pakistan. The porosity and density parameters have been measured using American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards at ambient conditions. The mineral composition of samples has been analysed from their thin sections (petrography). An empirical model to predict the thermal conductivity of porous consolidated igneous rocks is also proposed. The thermal conductivities are predicted by some of the existing models along with the proposed one. It is observed that the values of effective thermal conductivity predicted by the proposed model are in agreement with the experimental thermal conductivity data within 6%
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1987-12-01
This manual enables the US Air Force to comprehensively and systematically analyze alternative approaches to meeting its military construction requirements. The manual includes step-by-step procedures for completing economic analyses for military construction projects, beginning with determining if an analysis is necessary. Instructions and a checklist of the tasks involved for each step are provided; and examples of calculations and illustrations of completed forms are included. The manual explains the major tasks of an economic analysis, including identifying the problem, selecting realistic alternatives for solving it, formulating appropriate assumptions, determining the costs and benefits of the alternatives, comparing the alternatives, testing the sensitivity of major uncertainties, and ranking the alternatives. Appendixes are included that contain data, indexes, and worksheets to aid in performing the economic analyses. For reference, Volume 2 contains sample economic analyses that illustrate how each form is filled out and that include a complete example of the documentation required
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Memory mechanisms supporting syntactic comprehension.
Caplan, David; Waters, Gloria
2013-04-01
Efforts to characterize the memory system that supports sentence comprehension have historically drawn extensively on short-term memory as a source of mechanisms that might apply to sentences. The focus of these efforts has changed significantly in the past decade. As a result of changes in models of short-term working memory (ST-WM) and developments in models of sentence comprehension, the effort to relate entire components of an ST-WM system, such as those in the model developed by Baddeley (Nature Reviews Neuroscience 4: 829-839, 2003) to sentence comprehension has largely been replaced by an effort to relate more specific mechanisms found in modern models of ST-WM to memory processes that support one aspect of sentence comprehension--the assignment of syntactic structure (parsing) and its use in determining sentence meaning (interpretation) during sentence comprehension. In this article, we present the historical background to recent studies of the memory mechanisms that support parsing and interpretation and review recent research into this relation. We argue that the results of this research do not converge on a set of mechanisms derived from ST-WM that apply to parsing and interpretation. We argue that the memory mechanisms supporting parsing and interpretation have features that characterize another memory system that has been postulated to account for skilled performance-long-term working memory. We propose a model of the relation of different aspects of parsing and interpretation to ST-WM and long-term working memory.
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Conceptual metaphor and comprehension in business writing
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Smit, Talita C.
2010-12-01
Full Text Available Recent research studies in cognitive linguistics (Gibbs, 1999; Kővecses, 2005; Lakoff, 1987; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Lakoff & Johnson, 1999 have demonstrated that metaphor is not merely a figure of speech. The findings of these studies have shown that metaphor influences a good deal of how people think as it comprises a specific mental, cross-domain mapping in the conceptual system (Balaban, 1999; Ibarretxe-Antuňanu, 1999; Lakoff, 2006; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980. This article looks at whether employing different conceptual metaphors in different versions of the same business report will have an effect on reader comprehension. A small-scale research study was conducted with a group of second-year university students, in which they were given one of two texts concerning the recovery of the economy. Both texts were adapted from a newspaper report and seeded with metaphors and metaphoric expressions. The multiple-choice questions that followed aimed to determine to what extent the readers’ comprehension and interpretation of the report were influenced by the different conceptual metaphors used. The findings indicate that language that served to introduce the sources or targets directly into the content did not necessarily have an effect on the processing of subsequent metaphors involving these concepts; however, it appeared that the surface patterns of metaphorical discourse did affect the inferences drawn about the different conceptual metaphors. It can thus be concluded that a specific metaphoric framework in written discourse does influence the interpretation of the content.
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Signal Transduction Pathways of TNAP: Molecular Network Analyses.
Négyessy, László; Györffy, Balázs; Hanics, János; Bányai, Mihály; Fonta, Caroline; Bazsó, Fülöp
2015-01-01
Despite the growing body of evidence pointing on the involvement of tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) in brain function and diseases like epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease, our understanding about the role of TNAP in the regulation of neurotransmission is severely limited. The aim of our study was to integrate the fragmented knowledge into a comprehensive view regarding neuronal functions of TNAP using objective tools. As a model we used the signal transduction molecular network of a pyramidal neuron after complementing with TNAP related data and performed the analysis using graph theoretic tools. The analyses show that TNAP is in the crossroad of numerous pathways and therefore is one of the key players of the neuronal signal transduction network. Through many of its connections, most notably with molecules of the purinergic system, TNAP serves as a controller by funnelling signal flow towards a subset of molecules. TNAP also appears as the source of signal to be spread via interactions with molecules involved among others in neurodegeneration. Cluster analyses identified TNAP as part of the second messenger signalling cascade. However, TNAP also forms connections with other functional groups involved in neuronal signal transduction. The results indicate the distinct ways of involvement of TNAP in multiple neuronal functions and diseases.
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FMEA and FTA Analyses of the Adhesive Joining Process using Electrically Conductive Adhesives
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
E. Povolotskaya
2012-01-01
Full Text Available This paper introduces a formulation of appropriate risk estimation methods that can be used for improving of processes in the electronics area. Two risk assessment methods have been chosen with regard to the specifics of adhesive joining based on electrically conductive adhesives. The paper provides a combination of a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA and fault tree analysis (FTA for optimizing of the joining process. Typical features and failures of the process are identified. Critical operations are found and actions for avoiding failures in these actions are proposed. A fault treehas been applied to the process in order to get more precise information about the steps and operations in the process, and the relations between these operations. The fault tree identifies potential failures of the process. Then the effects of the failures have been estimated by the failure mode and effect analysis method. All major differences between failure mode and effect analysis and fault tree analysis are defined and there is a discussion about how to use the two techniquescomplement each other and achieve more efficient results.
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Is Word-Problem Solving a Form of Text Comprehension?
Fuchs, Lynn S.; Fuchs, Douglas; Compton, Donald L.; Hamlett, Carol L.; Wang, Amber Y.
2015-01-01
This study's hypotheses were that (a) word-problem (WP) solving is a form of text comprehension that involves language comprehension processes, working memory, and reasoning, but (b) WP solving differs from other forms of text comprehension by requiring WP-specific language comprehension as well as general language comprehension. At the start of…
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A Collection of Studies Conducted in Education about "Global Warming" Problem
Bozdogan, Aykut Emre
2011-01-01
The studies global warming problem conducted in education discipline in the world and in Turkey were analysed for this study. The literature was reviewed extensively especially through the articles in the indexed journals of Ebsco Host, Science Direct, Taylor and Francis and Web of Science databases and this study was conducted according to the…
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Sun, Tao; Wang, Yan; Wang, Meng; Li, Tingting; Zhou, Yi; Wang, Xiatian; Wei, Shuya; He, Guangyuan; Yang, Guangxiao
2015-11-04
Calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins belong to a unique group of calcium sensors in plant that decode the Ca(2+) signature by interacting with CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs). Although CBL-CIPK complexes have been shown to play important roles in the responses to various stresses in plants, little is known about their functions in wheat. A total of seven TaCBL and 20 TaCIPK genes were amplified from bread wheat, Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring. Reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in silico expression analyses showed that TaCBL and TaCIPK genes were expressed at different levels in different tissues, or maintained at nearly constant expression levels during the whole life cycle of the wheat plant. Some TaCBL and TaCIPK genes showed up- or down-regulated expressions during seed germination. Preferential interactions between TaCBLs and TaCIPKs were observed in yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation experiments. Analyses of a deletion series of TaCIPK proteins with amino acid variations at the C-terminus provided new insights into the specificity of the interactions between TaCIPKs and TaCBLs, and indicated that the TaCBL-TaCIPK signaling pathway is very complex in wheat because of its hexaploid genome. The expressions of many TaCBLs and TaCIPKs were responsive to abiotic stresses (salt, cold, and simulated drought) and abscisic acid treatment. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing TaCIPK24 exhibited improved salt tolerance through increased Na(+) efflux and an enhanced reactive oxygen species scavenging capacity. These results contribute to our understanding of the functions of CBL-CIPK complexes and provide the basis for selecting appropriate genes for in-depth functional studies of CBL-CIPK in wheat.
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P -type transparent conducting oxides
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhang, Kelvin H L; Xi, Kai; Blamire, Mark G; Egdell, Russell G
2016-01-01
Transparent conducting oxides constitute a unique class of materials combining properties of electrical conductivity and optical transparency in a single material. They are needed for a wide range of applications including solar cells, flat panel displays, touch screens, light emitting diodes and transparent electronics. Most of the commercially available TCOs are n -type, such as Sn doped In 2 O 3 , Al doped ZnO, and F doped SnO 2 . However, the development of efficient p -type TCOs remains an outstanding challenge. This challenge is thought to be due to the localized nature of the O 2 p derived valence band which leads to difficulty in introducing shallow acceptors and large hole effective masses. In 1997 Hosono and co-workers (1997 Nature 389 939) proposed the concept of ‘chemical modulation of the valence band’ to mitigate this problem using hybridization of O 2 p orbitals with close-shell Cu 3 d 10 orbitals. This work has sparked tremendous interest in designing p -TCO materials together with deep understanding the underlying materials physics. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive review on traditional and recently emergent p -TCOs, including Cu + -based delafossites, layered oxychalcogenides, nd 6 spinel oxides, Cr 3+ -based oxides (3 d 3 ) and post-transition metal oxides with lone pair state (ns 2 ). We will focus our discussions on the basic materials physics of these materials in terms of electronic structures, doping and defect properties for p -type conductivity and optical properties. Device applications based on p -TCOs for transparent p – n junctions will also be briefly discussed. (topical review)
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Tlhoaele, Malefyane; Suhre, Cor; Hofman, Adriaan
2016-05-01
Cooperative learning may improve students' motivation, understanding of course concepts, and academic performance. This study therefore enhanced a cooperative, group-project learning technique with technology resources to determine whether doing so improved students' deep learning and performance. A sample of 118 engineering students, randomly divided into two groups, participated in this study and provided data through questionnaires issued before and after the experiment. The results, obtained through analyses of variance and structural equation modelling, reveal that technology-enhanced, cooperative, group-project learning improves students' comprehension and academic performance.
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Electron microscopy analyses and electrical properties of the layered Bi2WO6 phase
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Taoufyq, A.; Ait Ahsaine, H.; Patout, L.; Benlhachemi, A.; Ezahri, M.
2013-01-01
The bismuth tungstate Bi 2 WO 6 was synthesized using a classical coprecipitation method followed by a calcination process at different temperatures. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) analyses. The Rietveld analysis and electron diffraction clearly confirmed the Pca2 1 non centrosymmetric space group previously proposed for this phase. The layers Bi 2 O 2 2+ and WO 4 2− have been directly evidenced from the HRTEM images. The electrical properties of Bi 2 WO 6 compacted pellets systems were determined from electrical impedance spectrometry (EIS) and direct current (DC) analyses, under air and argon, between 350 and 700 °C. The direct current analyses showed that the conduction observed from EIS analyses was mainly ionic in this temperature range, with a small electronic contribution. Electrical change above the transition temperature of 660 °C is observed under air and argon atmospheres. The strong conductivity increase observed under argon is interpreted in terms of formation of additional oxygen vacancies coupled with electron conduction. - Graphical abstract: High resolution transmission electron microscopy: inverse fast Fourier transform giving the layered structure of the Bi 2 WO 6 phase, with a representation of the cell dimensions (b and c vectors). The Bi 2 O 2 2+ and WO 4 2− sandwiches are visible in the IFFT image. - Highlights: • Using transmission electron microscopy, we visualize the layered structure of Bi 2 WO 6 . • Electrical analyses under argon gas show some increase in conductivity. • The phase transition at 660 °C is evidenced from electrical modification
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kuno, M.; Nakagawa, S.; Momma, T.; Naito, Y.; Niwa, M.; Motohashi, S.
1995-01-01
Forced vibration tests of a BWR-type reactor building. Hamaoka Unit 4, were performed. Valuable data on the dynamic characteristics of the soil-structure interaction system were obtained through the tests. Simulation analyses of the fundamental dynamic characteristics of the soil-structure system were conducted, using a basic lumped mass soil-structure model (lattice model), and strong correlation with the measured data was obtained. Furthermore, detailed simulation models were employed to investigate the effects of simultaneously induced vertical response and response of the adjacent turbine building on the lateral response of the reactor building. (author). 4 refs., 11 figs
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He, Yihan; Liu, Yihong; May, Brian H; Zhang, Anthony Lin; Zhang, Haibo; Lu, ChuanJian; Yang, Lihong; Guo, Xinfeng; Xue, Charlie Changli
2017-01-01
Introduction The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for adult cancer pain indicate that acupuncture and related therapies may be valuable additions to pharmacological interventions for pain management. Of the systematic reviews related to this topic, some concluded that acupuncture was promising for alleviating cancer pain, while others argued that the evidence was insufficient to support its effectiveness. Methods and analysis This review will consist of three components: (1) synthesis of findings from existing systematic reviews; (2) updated meta-analyses of randomised clinical trials and (3) analyses of results of other types of clinical studies. We will search six English and four Chinese biomedical databases, dissertations and grey literature to identify systematic reviews and primary clinical studies. Two reviewers will screen results of the literature searches independently to identify included reviews and studies. Data from included articles will be abstracted for assessment, analysis and summary. Two assessors will appraise the quality of systematic reviews using Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews; assess the randomised controlled trials using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool and other types of studies according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We will use ‘summary of evidence’ tables to present evidence from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Using the primary clinical studies, we will conduct meta-analysis for each outcome, by grouping studies based on the type of acupuncture, the comparator and the specific type of pain. Sensitivity analyses are planned according to clinical factors, acupuncture method, methodological characteristics and presence of statistical heterogeneity as applicable. For the non-randomised studies, we will tabulate the characteristics, outcome measures and the reported results of each study. Consistencies and inconsistencies in evidence will be investigated and discussed. Finally
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Wise, Justin C; Sevcik, Rose A; Morris, Robin D; Lovett, Maureen W; Wolf, Maryanne; Kuhn, Melanie; Meisinger, Beth; Schwanenflugel, Paula
2010-07-01
The purpose of this study was to examine whether different measures of oral reading fluency relate differentially to reading comprehension performance in two samples of second-grade students: (a) students who evidenced difficulties with nonsense-word oral reading fluency, real-word oral reading fluency, and oral reading fluency of connected text (ORFD), and (b) students who evidenced difficulties only with oral reading fluency of connected text (CTD). Participants (ORFD, n = 146 and CTD, n = 949) were second-grade students who were recruited for participation in different reading intervention studies. Data analyzed were from measures of nonsense-word oral reading fluency, real-word oral reading fluency, oral reading fluency of connected text, and reading comprehension that were collected at the pre-intervention time point. Correlational and path analyses indicated that real-word oral reading fluency was the strongest predictor of reading comprehension performance in both samples and across average and poor reading comprehension abilities. Results of this study indicate that real-word oral reading fluency was the strongest predictor of reading comprehension and suggest that real-word oral reading fluency may be an efficient method for identifying potential reading comprehension difficulties.
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Reading Comprehension Difficulties in Chinese-English Bilingual Children.
Tong, Xiuhong; McBride, Catherine; Shu, Hua; Ho, Connie Suk-Han
2018-02-01
The co-occurrence of reading comprehension difficulties for first language (L1) Chinese and second language (L2) English and associated longitudinal cognitive-linguistic correlates in each language were investigated. Sixteen poor comprehenders in English and 16 poor comprehenders in Chinese, 18 poor readers in both, and 18 children with normal performance in both were identified at age 10. The prevalence rate for being poor in both was 52.94%, suggesting that approximately half of children who are at risk for Chinese reading comprehension difficulty are also at risk for English reading comprehension difficulty. Chinese word reading, phonological, and morphological awareness were longitudinal correlates of poor comprehension in Chinese. English word reading and vocabulary were longitudinal correlates of poor comprehension in English. Chinese phonological awareness was an additional correlate of poor comprehension in English. Moreover, poor comprehenders in both Chinese and English showed slower rapid automatized naming scores than the other groups. Findings highlight some factors that might be critical for reading comprehension in L1 Chinese and L2 English; fluency is likely to be a critical part of reading comprehension across languages. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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How Do We Motivate Reading Comprehension?
Shanahan, Timothy
1982-01-01
Considers the nature of motivation and its place in the development of reading comprehension. Uses A. Maslow's hierarchy of motivation as a heuristic for examining the motivational quality of several teaching methods commonly proposed for comprehension instruction. (FL)
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Electrohydromechanical analysis based on conductivity gradient in microchannel
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jiang Hongyuan; Ren Yukun; Ao Hongrui; Ramos, Antonio
2008-01-01
Fluid manipulation is very important in any lab-on-a-chip system. This paper analyses phenomena which use the alternating current (AC) electric field to deflect and manipulate coflowing streams of two different electrolytes (with conductivity gradient) within a microfluidic channel. The basic theory of the electrohydrodynamics and simulation of the analytical model are used to explain the phenomena. The velocity induced for different voltages and conductivity gradient are computed. The results show that when the AC electrical signal is applied on the electrodes, the fluid with higher conductivity occupies a larger region of the channel and the interface of the two fluids is deflected. It will provide some basic reference for people who want to do more study in the control of different fluids with conductivity gradient in a microfluidic channel. (classical areas of phenomenology)
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Ugwuanyi, L. T.; Adaka, T. A.
2015-01-01
The paper focused on the effect of auditory training on reading comprehension of children with hearing impairment in Enugu State. A total of 33 children with conductive, sensory neural and mixed hearing loss were sampled for the study in the two schools for the Deaf in Enugu State. The design employed for the study was a quasi experiment (pre-test…
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Comprehensive, Quantitative Risk Assessment of CO{sub 2} Geologic Sequestration
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lepinski, James
2013-09-30
A Quantitative Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (QFMEA) was developed to conduct comprehensive, quantitative risk assessments on CO{sub 2} capture, transportation, and sequestration or use in deep saline aquifers, enhanced oil recovery operations, or enhanced coal bed methane operations. The model identifies and characterizes potential risks; identifies the likely failure modes, causes, effects and methods of detection; lists possible risk prevention and risk mitigation steps; estimates potential damage recovery costs, mitigation costs and costs savings resulting from mitigation; and ranks (prioritizes) risks according to the probability of failure, the severity of failure, the difficulty of early failure detection and the potential for fatalities. The QFMEA model generates the necessary information needed for effective project risk management. Diverse project information can be integrated into a concise, common format that allows comprehensive, quantitative analysis, by a cross-functional team of experts, to determine: What can possibly go wrong? How much will damage recovery cost? How can it be prevented or mitigated? What is the cost savings or benefit of prevention or mitigation? Which risks should be given highest priority for resolution? The QFMEA model can be tailored to specific projects and is applicable to new projects as well as mature projects. The model can be revised and updated as new information comes available. It accepts input from multiple sources, such as literature searches, site characterization, field data, computer simulations, analogues, process influence diagrams, probability density functions, financial analysis models, cost factors, and heuristic best practices manuals, and converts the information into a standardized format in an Excel spreadsheet. Process influence diagrams, geologic models, financial models, cost factors and an insurance schedule were developed to support the QFMEA model. Comprehensive, quantitative risk assessments
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Veronica Ornaghi
2016-10-01
Full Text Available Emotion comprehension is known to be a key correlate and predictor of prosociality from early childhood. The present study look at their relation within the wide theoretical construct of social understanding which includes a number of socio-emotional skills, as well as cognitive and linguistic abilities. Theory of mind, especially false-belief understanding, has been found to have positive correlations with both emotion comprehension and prosocial orientation. Similarly, language ability is known to play a key role in children’s socio-emotional development. The combined contribution of both false-belief understanding and language in explaining the relation between emotion comprehension and prosociality has yet to be investigated. Thus, in the current study, we conducted an in-depth exploration of how preschoolers’ false-belief understanding and language ability each contribute to modeling the relationship between their comprehension of emotion and their disposition to act prosocially towards others, after controlling for age and gender. Participants were 101 4-to-6 year old children (54% boys, who were administered measures of language ability, false-belief understanding, emotion comprehension and prosocial orientation. Multiple mediation analysis of the data suggested that false-belief understanding and language ability jointly and fully mediated the effect of preschoolers’ emotion comprehension on their prosocial orientation. Analysis of covariates revealed that gender exerted no statistically significant effect, while age had a trivial positive effect. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
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Griffiths, Gina G; Sohlberg, McKay Moore; Kirk, Cecilia; Fickas, Stephen; Biancarosa, Gina
2016-01-01
Adults with mild to moderate acquired brain injury (ABI) often pursue post-secondary or professional education after their injuries in order to enter or re-enter the job market. An increasing number of these adults report problems with reading-to-learn. The problem is particularly concerning given the growing population of adult survivors of ABI. Despite the rising need, empirical evaluation of reading comprehension interventions for adults with ABI is scarce. This study used a within-subject design to evaluate whether adult college students with ABI with no more than moderate cognitive impairments benefited from using reading comprehension strategies to improve comprehension of expository text. Integrating empirical support from the cognitive rehabilitation and special education literature, the researchers designed a multi-component reading comprehension strategy package. Participants read chapters from an introductory-level college anthropology textbook in two different conditions: strategy and no-strategy. The results indicated that reading comprehension strategy use was associated with recall of more correct information units in immediate and delayed free recall tasks; more efficient recall in the delayed free recall task; and increased accuracy recognising statements from a sentence verification task designed to reflect the local and global coherence of the text. The findings support further research into using reading comprehension strategies as an intervention approach for the adult ABI population. Future research needs include identifying how to match particular reading comprehension strategies to individuals, examining whether reading comprehension performance improves further through the incorporation of systematic training, and evaluating texts from a range of disciplines and genres.
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[Inguinal hernia repair: results of randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses].
Slim, K; Vons, C
2008-01-01
This evidence-based review of the literature aims to answer two questions regarding inguinal hernia repair: 1. should a prosthetic patch be used routinely? 2. Which approach is better - laparoscopic or open surgery? After a comprehensive search of electronic databases we retained only meta-analyses (n=14) and/or randomised clinical trials (n=4). Review of this literature suggests with a good level of evidence that prosthetic hernia repair is the gold standard; the laparoscopic approach has very few proven benefits and may involve more serious complications when performed outside expert centers. The role of laparoscopy for the repair of bilateral or recurrent hernias needs better evaluation.
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Comprehension of synthetic speech and digitized natural speech by adults with aphasia.
Hux, Karen; Knollman-Porter, Kelly; Brown, Jessica; Wallace, Sarah E
2017-09-01
Using text-to-speech technology to provide simultaneous written and auditory content presentation may help compensate for chronic reading challenges if people with aphasia can understand synthetic speech output; however, inherent auditory comprehension challenges experienced by people with aphasia may make understanding synthetic speech difficult. This study's purpose was to compare the preferences and auditory comprehension accuracy of people with aphasia when listening to sentences generated with digitized natural speech, Alex synthetic speech (i.e., Macintosh platform), or David synthetic speech (i.e., Windows platform). The methodology required each of 20 participants with aphasia to select one of four images corresponding in meaning to each of 60 sentences comprising three stimulus sets. Results revealed significantly better accuracy given digitized natural speech than either synthetic speech option; however, individual participant performance analyses revealed three patterns: (a) comparable accuracy regardless of speech condition for 30% of participants, (b) comparable accuracy between digitized natural speech and one, but not both, synthetic speech option for 45% of participants, and (c) greater accuracy with digitized natural speech than with either synthetic speech option for remaining participants. Ranking and Likert-scale rating data revealed a preference for digitized natural speech and David synthetic speech over Alex synthetic speech. Results suggest many individuals with aphasia can comprehend synthetic speech options available on popular operating systems. Further examination of synthetic speech use to support reading comprehension through text-to-speech technology is thus warranted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Roy, Alastair
2008-01-01
This paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature examining the relationships between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD) and problematic drug use (PDU). The review considers the main debates around the structure and aetiology of ADHD and the main theoretical frameworks offered to explain the…
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Point kinetics model with one-dimensional (radial) heat conduction formalism
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jain, V.K.
1989-01-01
A point-kinetics model with one-dimensional (radial) heat conduction formalism has been developed. The heat conduction formalism is based on corner-mesh finite difference method. To get average temperatures in various conducting regions, a novel weighting scheme has been devised. The heat conduction model has been incorporated in the point-kinetics code MRTF-FUEL. The point-kinetics equations are solved using the method of real integrating factors. It has been shown by analysing the simulation of hypothetical loss of regulation accident in NAPP reactor that the model is superior to the conventional one in accuracy and speed of computation. (author). 3 refs., 3 tabs
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LOD score exclusion analyses for candidate QTLs using random population samples.
Deng, Hong-Wen
2003-11-01
While extensive analyses have been conducted to test for, no formal analyses have been conducted to test against, the importance of candidate genes as putative QTLs using random population samples. Previously, we developed an LOD score exclusion mapping approach for candidate genes for complex diseases. Here, we extend this LOD score approach for exclusion analyses of candidate genes for quantitative traits. Under this approach, specific genetic effects (as reflected by heritability) and inheritance models at candidate QTLs can be analyzed and if an LOD score is < or = -2.0, the locus can be excluded from having a heritability larger than that specified. Simulations show that this approach has high power to exclude a candidate gene from having moderate genetic effects if it is not a QTL and is robust to population admixture. Our exclusion analysis complements association analysis for candidate genes as putative QTLs in random population samples. The approach is applied to test the importance of Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene as a potential QTL underlying the variation of bone mass, an important determinant of osteoporosis.
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Proceedings of the 2nd CSNI Specialist Meeting on Simulators and Plant Analysers
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tiihonen, O.
1999-01-01
The safe utilisation of nuclear power plants requires the availability of different computerised tools for analysing the plant behaviour and training the plant personnel. These can be grouped into three categories: accident analysis codes, plant analysers and training simulators. The safety analysis of nuclear power plants has traditionally been limited to the worst accident cases expected for the specific plant design. Many accident analysis codes have been developed for different plant types. The scope of the analyses has continuously expanded. The plant analysers are now emerging tools intended for extensive analysis of the plant behaviour using a best estimate model for the whole plant including the reactor and full thermodynamic process, both combined with automation and electrical systems. The comprehensive model is also supported by good visualisation tools. Training simulators with real time plant model are tools for training the plant operators to run the plant. Modern training simulators have also features supporting visualisation of the important phenomena occurring in the plant during transients. The 2nd CSNI Specialist Meeting on Simulators and Plant Analysers in Espoo attracted some 90 participants from 17 countries. A total of 49 invited papers were presented in the meeting in addition to 7 simulator system demonstrations. Ample time was reserved for the presentations and informal discussions during the four meeting days. (orig.)
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Hawes, David J; Price, Matthew J; Dadds, Mark R
2014-09-01
The treatment of conduct problems among children and adolescents with callous-unemotional (CU) traits has been subject to much speculation; however, treatment outcome research has been surprisingly limited and findings have been mixed. This review examines the research to date in this field as it pertains to two key questions. First, are CU traits associated with clinical outcomes and processes in the family based treatment of child and adolescent conduct problems? Second, can family based intervention produce change in CU traits? Using a systematic search strategy, we identified 16 treatment outcomes studies that can be brought to bear on these questions. These studies provide strong evidence of unique associations between CU traits and risk for poor treatment outcomes, while at the same time indicating that social-learning-based parent training is capable of producing lasting improvement in CU traits, particularly when delivered early in childhood. We discuss the potential for this emerging evidence base to inform the planning and delivery of treatments for clinic-referred children with CU traits, and detail an ongoing program of translational research into the development of novel interventions for this high-risk subgroup.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ahmadi, Pouria; Dincer, Ibrahim; Rosen, Marc A.
2011-01-01
A comprehensive exergy, exergoeconomic and environmental impact analysis and optimization is reported of several combined cycle power plants (CCPPs). In the first part, thermodynamic analyses based on energy and exergy of the CCPPs are performed, and the effect of supplementary firing on the natural gas-fired CCPP is investigated. The latter step includes the effect of supplementary firing on the performance of bottoming cycle and CO 2 emissions, and utilizes the first and second laws of thermodynamics. In the second part, a multi-objective optimization is performed to determine the 'best' design parameters, accounting for exergetic, economic and environmental factors. The optimization considers three objective functions: CCPP exergy efficiency, total cost rate of the system products and CO 2 emissions of the overall plant. The environmental impact in terms of CO 2 emissions is integrated with the exergoeconomic objective function as a new objective function. The results of both exergy and exergoeconomic analyses show that the largest exergy destructions occur in the CCPP combustion chamber, and that increasing the gas turbine inlet temperature decreases the CCPP cost of exergy destruction. The optimization results demonstrates that CO 2 emissions are reduced by selecting the best components and using a low fuel injection rate into the combustion chamber. -- Highlights: → Comprehensive thermodynamic modeling of a combined cycle power plant. → Exergy, economic and environmental analyses of the system. → Investigation of the role of multiobjective exergoenvironmental optimization as a tool for more environmentally-benign design.
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Fuchs, Douglas; Compton, Donald L; Fuchs, Lynn S; Bryant, V Joan; Hamlett, Carol L; Lambert, Warren
2012-01-01
In a sample of 195 first graders selected for poor reading performance, the authors explored four cognitive predictors of later reading comprehension and reading disability (RD) status. In fall of first grade, the authors measured the children's phonological processing, rapid automatized naming (RAN), oral language comprehension, and nonverbal reasoning. Throughout first grade, they also modeled the students' reading progress by means of weekly Word Identification Fluency (WIF) tests to derive December and May intercepts. The authors assessed their reading comprehension in the spring of Grades 1-5. With the four cognitive variables and the WIF December intercept as predictors, 50.3% of the variance in fifth-grade reading comprehension was explained: 52.1% of this 50.3% was unique to the cognitive variables, 13.1% to the WIF December intercept, and 34.8% was shared. All five predictors were statistically significant. The same four cognitive variables with the May (rather than December) WIF intercept produced a model that explained 62.1% of the variance. Of this amount, the cognitive variables and May WIF intercept accounted for 34.5% and 27.7%, respectively; they shared 37.8%. All predictors in this model were statistically significant except RAN. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the accuracy with which the cognitive variables predicted end-of-fifth-grade RD status was 73.9%. The May WIF intercept contributed reliably to this prediction; the December WIF intercept did not. Results are discussed in terms of a role for cognitive abilities in identifying, classifying, and instructing students with severe reading problems.
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75 FR 32169 - Comprehensive Centers Program
2010-06-07
... of proposed waivers were supportive of the Comprehensive Centers program and the proposed waivers... Department to continue promoting this shared oversight by involving OSERS leadership in deliberations about... identification of the valuable contribution of OSERS leadership in supporting the Comprehensive Centers program...
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Comprehensive geriatric assessment
African Journals Online (AJOL)
2007-09-14
Sep 14, 2007 ... i.e. difficulty performing simple physical and mental tasks necessary for daily life. ... Definition. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional .... The formation of a programme of therapy is decided on.
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A comprehensive environmental impact assessment method for shale gas development
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Renjin Sun
2015-03-01
Full Text Available The great success of US commercial shale gas exploitation stimulates the shale gas development in China, subsequently, the corresponding supporting policies were issued in the 12th Five-Year Plan. But from the experience in the US shale gas development, we know that the resulted environmental threats are always an unavoidable issue, but no uniform and standard evaluation system has yet been set up in China. The comprehensive environment refers to the combination of natural ecological environment and external macro-environment. In view of this, we conducted a series of studies on how to set up a comprehensive environmental impact assessment system as well as the related evaluation methodology and models. First, we made an in-depth investigation into shale gas development procedures and any possible environmental impacts, and then compared, screened and modified environmental impact assessment methods for shale gas development. Also, we established an evaluating system and assessment models according to different status of the above two types of environment: the correlation matrix method was employed to assess the impacts on natural ecological environment and the optimization distance method was modified to evaluate the impacts on external macro-environment. Finally, we substitute the two subindexes into the comprehensive environmental impact assessment model and achieved the final numerical result of environmental impact assessment. This model can be used to evaluate if a shale gas project has any impact on environment, compare the impacts before and after a shale gas development project, or the impacts of different projects.
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Energy and exergy analyses of an integrated solar heat pump system
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Suleman, F.; Dincer, I.; Agelin-Chaab, M.
2014-01-01
An integrated solar and heat pump based system for industrial heating is developed in this study. The system comprises heat pump cycle for process heating water and solar energy for another industrial heating process. Comprehensive energy and exergy analyses are performed on the system. These analyses generated some compelling results as expected because of the use of green and environmentally friendly energy sources. The results show that the energy efficiency of the process is 58% while the exergy efficiency is 75%. Energetic COP of the heat pump cycle is 3.54 whereas the exergy efficiency is 42.5%. Moreover, the energetic COP of the system is 2.97 and the exergy efficiency of the system is 35.7%. In the parametric study, a different variation such as changing the temperature and pressure of the condenser also shows positive results. - Highlights: • An integrated system is analysed using renewable energy source which can be used in textile industry. • Energy losses and exergy destructions are calculated at all major components. • Energy and exergy efficiencies of all subunits, subsystems and overall system are determined. • A parametric study shows the effect of environment and operating conditions on efficiencies. • Solar energy for heating in textile industry is efficient and environmentally friendly
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How to assess and improve children's reading comprehension?
Muijselaar, M.M.L.
2016-01-01
Reading comprehension is one of the most important skills children have to acquire during the final years of primary education. It is therefore unfortunate that many children have severe problems with a proper understanding of texts. To design methods that foster children’s reading comprehension, more information about the underlying skills and processes that are involved in reading comprehension is needed. Prerequisites for reading comprehension are the accurate and fast reading of single wo...
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Exploration on the matching between Optical Comprehensive Design Experiment and Washington Accord
Cao, Yiping; Chen, Wenjing; Zhang, Qican; Liu, Yuankun; Li, Dahai; Zhou, Xinzhi; Wei, Jun
2017-08-01
Common problems faced in optical comprehensive design experiment and going against the Washington Accord are pointed out. For resolving these problems, an instructional and innovative teaching scheme for Optics Comprehensive Design Experiment is proposed. We would like to understand the student that can improve the hands-on practical ability, theory knowledge understanding ability, complex problem solving ability, engineering application ability, cooperative ability after tracking and researching the student who have attended the class about Optical Comprehensive Design Experiment, We found that there are some problems on the course such as the experiment content vague, the student beginning less time, phase separation theory and engineering application, the experiment content lack of selectivity and so on. So we have made some improvements reference to the Washington Accord for the class teaching plan about Optical Comprehensive Design Experiment. This class must relevant to the engineering basic courses, professional foundation course and the major courses, so far as to the future study and work that which can play a role in inheriting and continuity to the students. The Optical Comprehensive Design Experiment teaching program requires students learning this course to have learnt basic courses like analog electronics technique, digital electronic technique, applied optics and computer and other related courses which students are required to comprehensively utilize. This teaching scheme contains six practical complex engineering problems which are respectively optical system design, light energy meter design, illuminometer design, material refractive index measuring system design, light intensity measuring system design and open design. Establishing the optional experiment and open experiment can provide students with a greater choice and enhance the students' creativity, vivid teaching experimental teachers and enriching contents of experiment can make the
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Maternal substance use during pregnancy and offspring conduct problems: A meta-analysis
Ruisch, I.H.; Dietrich, A.; Glennon, J.C.; Buitelaar, J.K.; Hoekstra, P.J
2018-01-01
We conducted meta-analyses of relationships between highly prevalent substance use during pregnancy and offspring conduct disorder problems. In total 36 studies were included. Odds ratios (ORs) were 2.06 (1.67-2.54, 25 studies) for maternal smoking, 2.11 (1.42-3.15, 9 studies) for alcohol use, and
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Corianne Rogalsky
2015-04-01
Full Text Available The neurobiology of sentence comprehension remains unresolved. Previous large-scale studies of stroke patients have yielded conflicting results regarding sentence comprehension, implicating inferior frontal, anterior temporal and/or posterior temporal regions (Dronkers et al., 2004; Magnusdottir et al., 2013; Thothathiri et al. 2012. Furthermore, only one large-scale lesion study (Magnusdottir et al. 2013 has examined the neural underpinnings of agrammatic comprehension (i.e. substantially worse performance on sentences with noncanonical word orders compared to canonical word order sentences in English, a hallmark of Broca’s aphasia. This one previous study of noncanonical < canonical sentence performance on a sentence picture-matching task implicated damage to the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL and to a lesser degree Broca’s area damage (i.e. < 10% of significant voxels (Magnusdottir et al. 2013. The present study investigated the neurobiology of agrammatic comprehension with two sentence comprehension tasks in the MARC test battery: a sentence-picture matching task (the SOAP Test: a test of syntactic complexity; Love & Oster, 2002 and a sentence plausibility judgment task. Each task contained active, passive, subject-relative and object-relative sentences. Participants included 91 patients with chronic focal cerebral damage. First, we conducted voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM; Bates et al. 2003 for each sentence type in each task. Consistent with previous studies (Magnusdottir et al. 2013; Thothathiri et al. 2012, the VLSMs identified a significant association between sentence comprehension impairments and damage to a large left temporal-inferior parietal network for all sentences (peak t values were in posterior temporal and inferior parietal voxels; no areas of frontal lobe damage were significant for any sentence type/task. We then conducted VLSMs to identify areas of damage associated specifically with agrammatic
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Comprehensive Statewide Plan for Postsecondary Education
Nebraska's Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, 2016
2016-01-01
The constitution and statutes of Nebraska assign the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education the responsibility for comprehensive planning for postsecondary education in Nebraska. The purpose of the "Comprehensive Plan for Postsecondary Education" is to provide direction for the future of postsecondary education in Nebraska.…
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
omid tabatabaie
2009-10-01
Full Text Available This study aimed at investigating the relative impact of comprehensible input and comprehensible output on the development of grammatical accuracy and syntactic complexity of Iranian EFL learners’ oral production. Participants were 60 female EFL learners selected from a whole population pool of 80 based on the standard test of IELTS. To investigate the research questions, the participants were randomly divided into three groups: Input group, output group, and control group. The study involved two phases: the pre-task phase, and the main-task phase. During the pre-task phase, the input group received comprehensible input. In the same phase, the output group was pushed to be engaged in comprehensible output production. The control group neither received input, nor was engaged in output production. In the main-task phase, all subjects performed monologues that were separately recorded, and later transcribed and coded in terms of accuracy and complexity through Bygate's (2001 standard coding system and finally scored. The statistical analysis of the results revealed that while the output group outperformed the input group in grammatical accuracy, the input group proved to be more rigorous and influential in developing speech complexity. The study supports Swain’s (1985 claim that there are roles for comprehensible output that are different from and independent of comprehensible input, and Skehan & Foster's (2001 theory regarding human beings’ limited attentional capacities that can be devoted to one aspect of oral speech at the expense of the other. Generally, it is implied that the most effective way for improving oral speech, based on the literature and the results obtained from this study, is an eclectic approach which conflates both comprehensible input and comprehensible output.
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US Human Rights Conduct and International Legitimacy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Keating, Vincent Charles
Did the Bush administration fundamentally harm the international human rights system through its rejection of human rights norms? This is the central question explored within US Human Rights Conduct and International Legitimacy, which analyses the practices of legitimacy between the Bush...... nations have followed in America's footsteps, and that the Bush administration's deviation from international norms has served to reaffirm worldwide commitment to human rights....
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Quantitative analysis of dual whole-cell voltage-clamp determination of gap junctional conductance
van Rijen, H. V.; Wilders, R.; van Ginneken, A. C.; Jongsma, H. J.
1998-01-01
The dual whole-cell voltage-clamp technique is used widely for determination of kinetics and conductance of gap junctions. The use of this technique may, however, occasion to considerable errors. We have analysed the errors in steady state junctional conductance measurements under different
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Beskow, Laura M.; Lin, Li; Dombeck, Carrie B.; Gao, Emily; Weinfurt, Kevin P.
2017-01-01
Purpose: To determine the individual and combined effects of a simplified form and a review/retest intervention on biobanking consent comprehension. Methods: We conducted a national online survey in which participants were randomized within four educational strata to review a simplified or traditional consent form. Participants then completed a comprehension quiz; for each item answered incorrectly, they reviewed the corresponding consent form section and answered another quiz item on that topic. Results: Consistent with our first hypothesis, comprehension among those who received the simplified form was not inferior to that among those who received the traditional form. Contrary to expectations, receipt of the simplified form did not result in significantly better comprehension compared with the traditional form among those in the lowest educational group. The review/retest procedure significantly improved quiz scores in every combination of consent form and education level. Although improved, comprehension remained a challenge in the lowest-education group. Higher quiz scores were significantly associated with willingness to participate. Conclusion: Ensuring consent comprehension remains a challenge, but simplified forms have virtues independent of their impact on understanding. A review/retest intervention may have a significant effect, but assessing comprehension raises complex questions about setting thresholds for understanding and consequences of not meeting them. Genet Med advance online publication 13 October 2016 PMID:27735922
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Vaughn, Sharon; Martinez, Leticia R.; Linan-Thompson, Sylvia; Reutebuch, Colleen K.; Carlson, Coleen D.; Francis, David J.
2009-01-01
Two experimental studies to improve vocabulary knowledge and comprehension were conducted in 7th-grade social studies classes with English language learners (ELLs). Two different nonoverlapping samples of classes of 7th-grade students (N = 381 and N = 507) were randomly assigned at the classroom (i.e., section) level to a social studies…
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Schlack Robert
2008-06-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background From May 2003 to May 2006, the Robert Koch Institute conducted the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS. Aim of this first nationwide interview and examination survey was to collect comprehensive data on the health status of children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 years. Methods/Design Participants were enrolled in two steps: first, 167 study locations (sample points were chosen; second, subjects were randomly selected from the official registers of local residents. The survey involved questionnaires filled in by parents and parallel questionnaires for children aged 11 years and older, physical examinations and tests, and a computer assisted personal interview performed by study physicians. A wide range of blood and urine testing was carried out at central laboratories. A total of 17 641 children and adolescents were surveyed – 8985 boys and 8656 girls. The proportion of sample neutral drop-outs was 5.3%. The response rate was 66.6%. Discussion The response rate showed little variation between age groups and sexes, but marked variation between resident aliens and Germans, between inhabitants of cities with a population of 100 000 or more and sample points with fewer inhabitants, as well as between the old West German states and the former East German states. By analysing the short non-responder questionnaires it was proven that the collected data give comprehensive and nationally representative evidence on the health status of children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 years.
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Reading Journal as A Way to Improve Students’ Comprehension toward A Textbook Reading Material
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Menik Winiharti
2014-11-01
Full Text Available Reading journal is one way to record students’ independent learning based on text they read. This study was conducted to find out the students’ level of reading comprehension through some notes written in the reading journal, the extent to which the activity of writing reading journals improved students’ reading comprehension, whether the students got benefit from reading journal. There were 104 respondents coming from four different departments in Bina Nusantara University were asked to read a text related to the subject they learned in a certain session. Then they were assigned to write a journal that records the things they had read. When this task was finished, the lecturer ran a quiz containing related questions to check whether they really understood the content of the text. Afterwards, students were to fill in a questionnaire regarding their opinion on the impact of the reading journal toward their reading comprehension. The findings indicate that more than half of the participants appear to understand the material well, and the task plays a certain role in improving students’ understanding. The most crucial thing is that most students think they get benefit by writing the reading journal.
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Comprehensive energy management eco routing & velocity profiles
Brandstätter, Bernhard
2017-01-01
The book discusses the emerging topic of comprehensive energy management in electric vehicles from the viewpoint of academia and from the industrial perspective. It provides a seamless coverage of all relevant systems and control algorithms for comprehensive energy management, their integration on a multi-core system and their reliability assurance (validation and test). Relevant European projects contributing to the evolvement of comprehensive energy management in fully electric vehicles are also included.
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Profiling classroom reading comprehension development practices ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Of specific concern is the lack of representation of the sampled South African learners at the PIRLS international benchmarks, revealing a distinct lack of their development of thinking and reasoning abilities for reading comprehension. To shed light on potential reasons for learners' reading comprehension difficulties, this ...
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Karyotype analyses of the species of the genus Jurinea Cass ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
In this study, karyotype analyses of 13 species belonging to the genus Jurinea Cass. (Compositae) and grown naturally in Turkey were conducted. These taxa include Jurinea alpigena C. Koch, Jurinea ancyrensis Bornm., Jurinea aucherana DC., Jurinea cadmea Boiss., Jurinea cataonica Boiss. and Hausskn., Jurinea ...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Raziyeh A'lemi
2010-10-01
Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between working memory and sentence comprehension. Patients with Dementia of the Alzheimer´s type (DAT and matched older volunteers were tested on a battery of working memory tests, as well as on test of sentence comprehension. Materials & Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Statistical population included all patients with Alzheimer disease who were registered in the center of Alzheimer (Imam Ali in Tehran.10 patients randomly were selected among them, according to inclusive and exclusive criteria. For data collection, epidemiological information questionnaire, Mental Mini State Examination (MMSE, working memory tests and sentence comprehension were applied. Data were analyzed by Independent T-test and correlation analyses. Results: Patients had impaired central executive processes in working memory (P=0.006, but showed normal effects of phonological and articulatory variables on span (P=0.480. On the sentence comprehension tasks (simple and complicated sentences, DAT patients showed significant differences with their peers (simple s. P=0.001, complicated s. P=0.004. Impairment in the central executive processes of working memory in DAT patients was correlated with the complicated sentences on the sentence comprehension tasks. Conclusion: The results suggest that patients with DAT have working memory impairments that are related to their ability to map the meaning on sentences on to depictions of events in the world.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nurhafni Siregar
2017-12-01
Full Text Available The objective of this study is to investigate how the classroom practice in teaching listening comprehension at English Education Program of STKIP Tapanuli Selatan in 2016/2017 Academic Year is. The informants of this research were all of second semester students of STKIP Tapanuli Selatan in 2016/2017 academic year and a lecturer of listening comprehension at STKIP Tapanuli Selatan (63 students and one lecturer. A descriptive study was used to achieve the objective of the study. The sample was taken by cluster sampling. The data were collected by using interview to know how the lecturer carried out the teaching practice of listening, and questionnaire for the students and observation were used to find out how the calssroom activities were conducted. The descriptive analysis was used to anayse the data. Based on the data analysis, it was found that: (1 the lecturer carried out listening activities into four parts, they are preparation, prediction stage, listening, and post listening, and (2 the practice of teaching listening was effective related to the teaching pedagogical procedures in teaching listening comprehension. although there were some points that should be practice further. Based on the findings, it was recomended that the lecturer and the students may apply the less activities that had not been done.
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Effect of Content Schema, Vocabulary Knowledge, and Reading Comprehension on Translation Performance
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Reza Kafipour
2017-09-01
Full Text Available Schemata refer to all kinds of knowledge which are gained throughout the lifetime. Few studies tried to integrate schema theory and the next two crucial factors in translation and learning which are vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Thus, the present research aimed at delineating the potential effect of these three factors on translation performance of Iranian undergraduate students majoring in translator training. To this end, 172 Iranian undergraduate students majoring in translator training were selected based on two-step cluster sampling. To collect data, the participants answered a set of 6 open-ended questions to measure the students’ content schema along with a vocabulary size test, reading comprehension test, and translation task. To analyze data, Pearson correlation coefficient as well as stepwise multiple regressions was conducted through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 17. Data analysis indicated that the independent variables significantly correlated with translation performance. In addition, multiple regressions analysis specified reading comprehension as the main contributing variable and content schema as the second in students’ translation performance. It also showed that vocabulary knowledge could not be a predicting factor in translation performance of the learners; the reason may refer to the inseparable component of their translation task that is dictionary. The results highlighted the role of content schema in translation performance of the learners.
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Joronen, Katja; Aikasalo, Anna; Suvitie, Anne
2017-09-01
Exergames have the potential to promote physical activity among children and adolescents. They also have other important benefits, but knowledge about other than the physical effects of exergaming remains thin. To report the findings of a review of ten studies on the nonphysical effects of exergames on child and adolescent well-being. A broad search strategy was employed to identify relevant studies in CINAHL Ebsco Host, Ovid MEDLINE, Psycinfo ProQuest, Eric ProQuest, Scopus and Cochrane Library. The search timeframe was from January 2004 to April 2015. A comprehensive systematic review without meta-analysis was conducted on 10 quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods intervention studies. The quality of these studies was assessed following the guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute. The data were analysed using a narrative synthesis approach. Exergaming was found to have some positive effects on self-concept, situational interest and motivation, enjoyment, psychological and social well-being, symptomatology and different learning experiences. However, two studies reported no effect on self-efficacy, and one study showed no intervention effect on self-esteem. The only follow-up study indicated that the enjoyment effect lasted for a few months. Most of the studies reviewed found that exergaming had positive effects. However, more research evidence is still needed. In particular, there is a need for better-validated instruments and follow-up research. © 2016 Nordic College of Caring Science.
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Passweg, Jakob; Baldomero, Helen; Stern, Martin; Bargetzi, Mario; Ghielmini, Michele; Leibundgut, Kurt; Duchosal, Michel; Hess, Urs; Seger, Reinhard; Buhrfeind, Eva; Schanz, Urs; Gratwohl, Alois
2010-06-12
Interest groups advocate centre-specific outcome data as a useful tool for patients in choosing a hospital for their treatment and for decision-making by politicians and the insurance industry. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) requires significant infrastructure and represents a cost-intensive procedure. It therefore qualifies as a prime target for such a policy. We made use of the comprehensive database of the Swiss Blood Stem Cells Transplant Group (SBST) to evaluate potential use of mortality rates. Nine institutions reported a total of 4717 HSCT - 1427 allogeneic (30.3%), 3290 autologous (69.7%) - in 3808 patients between the years 1997 and 2008. Data were analysed for survival- and transplantation-related mortality (TRM) at day 100 and at 5 years. The data showed marked and significant differences between centres in unadjusted analyses. These differences were absent or marginal when the results were adjusted for disease, year of transplant and the EBMT risk score (a score incorporating patient age, disease stage, time interval between diagnosis and transplantation, and, for allogeneic transplants, donor type and donor-recipient gender combination) in a multivariable analysis. These data indicate comparable quality among centres in Switzerland. They show that comparison of crude centre-specific outcome data without adjustment for the patient mix may be misleading. Mandatory data collection and systematic review of all cases within a comprehensive quality management system might, in contrast, serve as a model to ascertain the quality of other cost-intensive therapies in Switzerland.
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Development of reading comprehension with graphic organizers for students with dyslexia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jacqueline Lopez
2018-04-01
Full Text Available The executed research will permit the creation and design of a handbook with easy-to-read stories that would increase their receptive abilities in a foreign language in the learning process of students with learning disabilities (dyslexia. This academic work has also the aim of analyzing the impact of graphic organizers in the development of reading comprehension accordance with the level of English of each student. The theoretical foundation is constructed by the contents previously defined in the problem; with specific bibliography for the scientific content. Statistical analyses of information were taken into consideration. These analyses determined the importance of the implementation of a handbook that would include a short and a long text, vocabulary in context, strategies to improve reading skills, and unit assessments to evaluate the knowledge of students in each unit. This will let the students to develop multiple skills with the guidance of the teacher. This innovative material has as a main target to help the learner to decode phonemes and to identify structures of the story through charts and pictures.
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Executive Dysfunction among Children with Reading Comprehension Deficits
Locascio, Gianna; Mahone, E. Mark; Eason, Sarah H.; Cutting, Laurie E.
2010-01-01
Emerging research supports the contribution of executive function (EF) to reading comprehension; however, a unique pattern has not been established for children who demonstrate comprehension difficulties despite average word recognition ability (specific reading comprehension deficit; S-RCD). To identify particular EF components on which children…
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How To Tutor Students with Reading Comprehension Problems.
Parker, Richard; Hasbrouck, Jan E.; Denton, Carolyn
2002-01-01
Suggestions for tutoring students with reading comprehension problems include careful selection of books with readable text segments, use of comprehension strategies such as paraphrasing brief sections, and reading to find specific information. Several reading comprehension strategies for students are summarized. (Contains 7 references.) (DB)
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Rousseau, P.G., E-mail: pgr@mtechindustrial.com [School of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Toit, C.G. du; Antwerpen, W. van [School of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Antwerpen, H.J. van [M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd., PO Box 19855, Noordbrug 2522 (South Africa)
2014-05-01
Thermal-fluid simulations are used extensively to predict the maximum fuel temperatures, flows, pressure drops and thermal capacitance of pebble bed gas cooled reactors in support of the reactor safety case. The PBMR company developed the HTTU non-nuclear test facility in cooperation with M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd. and the North-West University in South Africa to conduct comprehensive separate effects tests as well as integrated effects tests to study the different thermal-fluid phenomena. This paper describes the separate effects tests that were conducted to determine the effective thermal conductivity through the pebble bed under near-vacuum conditions and temperatures up to 1200 °C. It also presents the measured temperature distributions and the methodology applied in the data analysis to derive the resultant values of effective thermal conductivity and its associated uncertainty.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rousseau, P.G.; Toit, C.G. du; Antwerpen, W. van; Antwerpen, H.J. van
2014-01-01
Thermal-fluid simulations are used extensively to predict the maximum fuel temperatures, flows, pressure drops and thermal capacitance of pebble bed gas cooled reactors in support of the reactor safety case. The PBMR company developed the HTTU non-nuclear test facility in cooperation with M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd. and the North-West University in South Africa to conduct comprehensive separate effects tests as well as integrated effects tests to study the different thermal-fluid phenomena. This paper describes the separate effects tests that were conducted to determine the effective thermal conductivity through the pebble bed under near-vacuum conditions and temperatures up to 1200 °C. It also presents the measured temperature distributions and the methodology applied in the data analysis to derive the resultant values of effective thermal conductivity and its associated uncertainty
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Didem Koban Koç
2016-07-01
Full Text Available The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of gender on comprehending different types of genre. The study involved 60 first year college students (30 males and 30 females who were taking an advanced reading course at a government university in Turkey. The students were given three reading passages of different genres such as historical fiction, essay and fantasy and were asked to answer comprehension questions related to the passages. Descriptives statistics, one-way ANOVA and repeated measures ANOVA were employed to analyse the relationship between gender and the test scores for each text type. The results showed that (1 the participants, in general, were significantly better at understanding the essay than historical fiction and fantasy (2 there was not a statistically significant difference between males and females regarding comprehending the different types of genres (3 both the male and female participants were significantly better at understanding the essay than historical fiction and fantasy. The study offers suggestions regarding incorporating different types of genre in the classroom.
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Listening comprehension in preschoolers: the role of memory.
Florit, Elena; Roch, Maja; Altoè, Gianmarco; Levorato, Maria Chiara
2009-11-01
The current study analyzed the relationship between text comprehension and memory skills in preschoolers. We were interested in verifying the hypothesis that memory is a specific contributor to listening comprehension in preschool children after controlling for verbal abilities. We were also interested in analyzing the developmental path of the relationship between memory skills and listening comprehension in the age range considered. Forty-four, 4-year-olds (mean age = 4 years and 6 months, SD = 4 months) and 40, 5-year-olds (mean age = 5 years and 4 months, SD = 5 months) participated in the study. The children were administered measures to evaluate listening comprehension ability (story comprehension), short-term and working memory skills (forward and backward word span), verbal intelligence and receptive vocabulary. Results showed that both short-term and working memory predicted unique and independent variance in listening comprehension after controlling for verbal abilities, with working memory explaining additional variance over and above short-term memory. The predictive power of memory skills was stable in the age range considered. Results also confirm a strong relation between verbal abilities and listening comprehension in 4- and 5-year-old children.
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Measurment and Reporting of Comprehensive Income: Search ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Measurment and Reporting of Comprehensive Income: Search, Challenges, ... of periods of stable and unstable economic situation and satisfies varied users' ... Keywords: Historical accounting; comprehensive income; asset valuation model.
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Gestalt Imagery: A Critical Factor in Language Comprehension.
Bell, Nanci
1991-01-01
Lack of gestalt imagery (the ability to create imaged wholes) can contribute to language comprehension disorder characterized by weak reading comprehension, weak oral language comprehension, weak oral language expression, weak written language expression, difficulty following directions, and a weak sense of humor. Sequential stimulation using an…
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Theory of the negative differential conductivity effect in semiconductor superlattices
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Vo Hong Anh; Nguyen Hong Shon; Le Vu Ky
1990-01-01
A new mechanism of the negative differential conductivity (NDC) effect in semiconductor superlattices (SL) is proposed and analysed that is due to the conduction electron trapping by donor centers. It is shown that the NDC effect occurs for sufficently high (but reasonable) impurity concentration and not too large value of the τ ε /τ c ratio (where τ ε is the electron energy relaxation time and τ c the electron life time in the conduction band) when the applied d.c. electric field reaches certain critical value defined by the physical parameters of the sample. (author). 8 refs, 2 figs
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A comprehensive assessment of the life cycle energy demand of passive houses
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Stephan, André; Crawford, Robert H.; Myttenaere, Kristel de
2013-01-01
Highlights: • The life cycle energy demand of a passive house (PH) is measured over 100 years. • Embodied, operational and user transport energy demand are considered. • Embodied energy represents the highest energy consumption in all variations. • A PH might not save energy compared to a standard house. • A poorly insulated city apartment can use less energy than a best case suburban PH. - Abstract: Certifications such as the Passive House aim to reduce the final space heating energy demand of residential buildings. The latter are responsible for a significant share of final energy consumption in Europe of which nearly 70% is associated with space conditioning, notably heating. The improvement of the energy efficiency of residential buildings, in terms of space heating, can therefore reduce their total energy demand. However, most certifications totally overlook other energy requirements associated with residential buildings. Studies on passive houses do not take into consideration the embodied energy required to manufacture the building materials, especially the large amount of insulation required to achieve high operational efficiencies. At an urban scale, most passive houses are single family detached houses located in low density suburbs with a high car usage, resulting in considerable transport related energy demand. This paper analyses the total life cycle energy demand of a typical Belgian passive house, comprising embodied, operational and transport energy. It relies on a comprehensive technique developed by Stephan et al. [1] and conducts a parametric analysis as well as a comparison to alternative building types. Results show that current building energy efficiency certifications might not ensure a lower energy demand and can, paradoxically result in an increased energy consumption because of their limited scope. More comprehensive system boundaries should be used to make sure that net energy savings do occur. The embodied energy of passive
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University Students with Poor Reading Comprehension
Georgiou, George K.; Das, J. P.
2015-01-01
The present study aimed to examine the nature of the working memory and general cognitive ability deficits experienced by university students with a specific reading comprehension deficit. A total of 32 university students with poor reading comprehension but average word-reading skills and 60 age-word-matched controls with no comprehension…
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Development of a system of computer codes for severe accident analyses and its applications
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Chang, Soon Hong; Cheon, Moon Heon; Cho, Nam jin; No, Hui Cheon; Chang, Hyeon Seop; Moon, Sang Kee; Park, Seok Jeong; Chung, Jee Hwan [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)
1991-12-15
The objectives of this study is to develop a system of computer codes for postulated severe accident analyses in Nuclear Power Plants. This system of codes is necessary to conduct individual plant examination for domestic nuclear power plants. As a result of this study, one can conduct severe accident assessments more easily, and can extract the plant-specific vulnerabilities for severe accidents and at the same time the ideas for enhancing overall accident resistance. The scope and contents of this study are as follows : development of a system of computer codes for severe accident analyses, development of severe accident management strategy.
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Development of a system of computer codes for severe accident analyses and its applications
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chang, Soon Hong; Cheon, Moon Heon; Cho, Nam jin; No, Hui Cheon; Chang, Hyeon Seop; Moon, Sang Kee; Park, Seok Jeong; Chung, Jee Hwan
1991-12-01
The objectives of this study is to develop a system of computer codes for postulated severe accident analyses in Nuclear Power Plants. This system of codes is necessary to conduct individual plant examination for domestic nuclear power plants. As a result of this study, one can conduct severe accident assessments more easily, and can extract the plant-specific vulnerabilities for severe accidents and at the same time the ideas for enhancing overall accident resistance. The scope and contents of this study are as follows : development of a system of computer codes for severe accident analyses, development of severe accident management strategy
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Technology Comprehension - Scaling Making into a National Discipline
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Tuhkala, Ari; Nielsen, Nick; Wagner, Marie-Louise
2018-01-01
, surveys, and a theme discussion with experienced teachers from the 13 schools. The main takeaways are: First, the teachers did not perceive Technology Comprehension as a distinguished discipline, which calls for more research on how Making is scaled into a national discipline. Second, Technology......We account for the first research results from a government initiated experiment that scales Making to a national discipline. The Ministry of Education, in Denmark, has introduced Technology Comprehension as a new discipline for lower secondary education. Technology Comprehension is first...... Comprehension opens up for interdisciplinary and engaging learning activities, but teachers need scaffolding and support to actualise these opportunities. Third, Technology Comprehension challenges teachers’ existing competencies in relation to the discipline and students’ prerequisites and needs. Teachers need...
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lemarchand, G.
1977-01-01
(ee'p) experiments allow to measure the missing energy distribution as well as the momentum distribution of the extracted proton in the nucleus versus the missing energy. Such experiments are presently conducted on SACLAY's A.L.S. 300 Linac. Electrons and protons are respectively analysed by two spectrometers and detected in their focal planes. Counting rates are usually low and include time coincidences and accidentals. Signal-to-noise ratio is dependent on the physics of the experiment and the resolution of the coincidence, therefore it is mandatory to get a beam current distribution as flat as possible. Using new technologies has allowed to monitor in real time the behavior of the beam pulse and determine when the duty cycle can be considered as being good with respect to a numerical basis
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Trend and pattern analyses of operational data from nuclear power plants
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Amesz, J.
1990-01-01
One step towards maximizing the benefits gained from plant operating experience is the establishment of a rigorous scheme of classification and storage of operational data related to equipment failures and/or human errors. The analysis of data thus collected can fall into one of the following two categories: in-depth analysis of individual incidents which are considered to be of major significance from the safety point of view; and trend and pattern analyses of the stored data with the aim of identifying situations that warrant further studies or that require particular attention. In order to perform the second type of analyses, various approaches/systems are being used by organizations with interests in the nuclear power domain. Similar methodologies may be used in general industrial safety as well. For the purpose of facilitating a comparison between the different methods, the OECD/NEA Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) decided to organize a specialist meeting jointly with the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) for a systematic and comprehensive review of the matter
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Comprehensive characterization and hazard assessment of the DOE-Niagara Falls storage site
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anderson, T.L.; Dettorre, J.F.; Jackson, D.R.; Ausmus, B.S.
1981-06-01
A comprehensive radioecological and nonradiological characterization and hazards assessment was conducted on DOE-Niagara Falls Storage Site. Pitchblende residues and other low-level nuclear waste have been stored on the site since 1944. The most highly radioactive residues were stored in four abandoned buildings, while other wastes were deposited in pits or piled on surface soils on the Site. Several ditches were constructed on the Site to facilitate drainage or excess precipitation. Results of the study will permit the US DOE to form an appropriate remedial action plan for the Site
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Nursing supervision for care comprehensiveness
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lucieli Dias Pedreschi Chaves
Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To reflect on nursing supervision as a management tool for care comprehensiveness by nurses, considering its potential and limits in the current scenario. Method: A reflective study based on discourse about nursing supervision, presenting theoretical and practical concepts and approaches. Results: Limits on the exercise of supervision are related to the organization of healthcare services based on the functional and clinical model of care, in addition to possible gaps in the nurse training process and work overload. Regarding the potential, researchers emphasize that supervision is a tool for coordinating care and management actions, which may favor care comprehensiveness, and stimulate positive attitudes toward cooperation and contribution within teams, co-responsibility, and educational development at work. Final considerations: Nursing supervision may help enhance care comprehensiveness by implying continuous reflection on including the dynamics of the healthcare work process and user needs in care networks.
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Teaching Listening Comprehension: Bottom-Up Approach
Khuziakhmetov, Anvar N.; Porchesku, Galina V.
2016-01-01
Improving listening comprehension skills is one of the urgent contemporary educational problems in the field of second language acquisition. Understanding how L2 listening comprehension works can have a serious influence on language pedagogy. The aim of the paper is to discuss the practical and methodological value of the notion of the perception…
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Analyses of the transportation of spent research reactor fuel in the United States
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cashwell, J.W.; Neuhauser, K.S.
1989-01-01
We analyzed the impacts of transportation of research reactor spent fuel from US and foreign reactors for the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Defense Programs. Two separate shipment programs were analyzed. The shipment of research reactor spent fuel from Taiwan to the US (Fuel Movement Program), and the return of research reactor spent fuels of US origin from foreign and domestic reactors (Research Reactor Fuel Return Program). To perform these analyses, a comprehensive methodology for analyzing the probabilities and consequences of transportation in coastal waters and port facilities, handling at the port, and shipment by truck to reprocessing facilities was developed. The Taiwanese fuel consists of low-burnup aluminum-clad metallic uranium research reactor spent fuel; the other fuels are primarily aluminum-clad oxide fuels. The Fuel Movement Program is ongoing, while the Fuel Return Program addresses future shipments over a ten-year period. The operational aspects of the Taiwanese shipments have been uniform, but several possible shipping configurations are possible for the Fuel Return Program shipments. The risks of transporting spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials by all modes have been analyzed extensively. Comprehensive assessments, which bound the impacts of spent fuel transport, demonstrate that when shipments are made in compliance with applicable regulations, the risks for all such transport are low. For comparison with previously licensed transport activities and to provide continuity with earlier analyses, the results for shipment of 150-day-old commercial pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel are presented as part of this study
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Study on the Electric Conductivity of Ag-Doped DNA in Transverse Direction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ban Ge
2009-01-01
Full Text Available Abstract In this article, we reported a novel experiment results on Ag-doped DNA conductor in transverse direction.I–Vcharacteristics were measured and the relative conductances were calculated for different silver ions concentrations. With the increase of the concentration of silver ions, the conductive ability of DNA risen rapidly, the relative conductance of DNA enhanced about three magnitudes and reached a stable value when Ag+concentration was up to 0.005 mM. In addition, Raman spectra were carried out to analyse and confirm conduction mechanism.
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Lean in healthcare: A comprehensive review.
D'Andreamatteo, Antonio; Ianni, Luca; Lega, Federico; Sargiacomo, Massimo
2015-09-01
Lean seems to be the next revolution for a better, improved, value-based healhcare. In the last 15 years Lean has been increasingly adapted and adopted in healthcare. Accordingly, Lean healthcare has been developing into a major strand of research since the early 2000s. The aim of this work is to present a comprehensive overview of the main issues highlighted by research on implementation of Lean in a complex contest such as the healthcare one. Comprehensive literature review was conducted in order to identify empirical and theoretical articles published up to September 2013. Thematic analysis was performed in order to extract and synthesis data. 243 articles were selected for analysis. Lean is best understood as a means to increase productivity. Hospital is the more explored setting, with emergency and surgery as the pioneer departments. USA appears to be the leading country for number of applications. The theoretical works have been focused mainly on barriers, challenges and success factors. Sustainability, framework for measurement and critical appraisal remain underestimated themes. Evaluations of "system wide approach" are still low in number. Even though Lean results appear to be promising, findings so far do not allow to draw a final word on its positive impacts or challenges when introduced in the healthcare sector. Scholars are called to explore further the potentiality and the weaknesses of Lean, above all as for the magnitude of investments required and for the engagement of the whole organization it represents increasingly strategic choice, whilst health professionals, managers and policy makers could and should learn from research how to play a pivotal role for a more effective implementation of lean in different health contexts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Mock, Andreas; Chiblak, Sara; Herold-Mende, Christel
2014-01-01
A growing body of evidence suggests that glioma stem cells (GSCs) account for tumor initiation, therapy resistance, and the subsequent regrowth of gliomas. Thus, continuous efforts have been undertaken to further characterize this subpopulation of less differentiated tumor cells. Although we are able to enrich GSCs, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of GSC phenotypes and behavior. The advent of high-throughput technologies raised hope that incorporation of these newly developed platforms would help to tackle such questions. Since then a couple of comparative genome-, transcriptome- and proteome-wide studies on GSCs have been conducted giving new insights in GSC biology. However, lessons had to be learned in designing high-throughput experiments and some of the resulting conclusions fell short of expectations because they were performed on only a few GSC lines or at one molecular level instead of an integrative poly-omics approach. Despite these shortcomings, our knowledge of GSC biology has markedly expanded due to a number of survival-associated biomarkers as well as glioma-relevant signaling pathways and therapeutic targets being identified. In this article we review recent findings obtained by comparative high-throughput analyses of GSCs. We further summarize fundamental concepts of systems biology as well as its applications for glioma stem cell research.
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How reading comprehension is embodied and why that matters
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Arthur M. GLENBERG
2011-11-01
Full Text Available Reading comprehension, much like comprehension of situations and comprehension of oral language, is embodied. In all cases, comprehension is the ability to take effective action on the basis ofaffordances related to the body, the physical world, and personal goals and cultural norms. In language contexts, action-based comprehension arises from simulating the linguistic content usingneural and bodily systems of perception, action, and emotion. Within this framework, a new approach to teaching reading comprehension is described: Teach children how to simulate while reading. TheMoved by Reading intervention teaches simulation in two stages. In the first stage, physical manipulation, children manipulate toys to simulate the content of what they are reading. After success in physically manipulating the toys, the children are taught to manipulate the toys in imagination. Research demonstrates that both physical and imagined manipulation leads to large gains in memory and comprehension.
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How reading comprehension is embodied and why that matters
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Arthur M. Glenberg
2011-10-01
Full Text Available Reading comprehension, much like comprehension of situations and comprehension of oral language, is embodied. In all cases, comprehension is the ability to take effective action on the basis of affordances related to the body, the physical world, and personal goals and cultural norms. In language contexts, action-based comprehension arises from simulating the linguistic content using neural and bodily systems of perception, action, and emotion. Within this framework, a new approach to teaching reading comprehension is described: Teach children how to simulate while reading. The Moved by Reading intervention teaches simulation in two stages. In the first stage, physical manipulation, children manipulate toys to simulate the content of what they are reading. After success in physically manipulating the toys, the children are taught to manipulate the toys in imagination. Research demonstrates that both physical and imagined manipulation leads to large gains in memory and comprehension.
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Direct Creation of Highly Conductive Laser-Induced Graphene Nanocomposites from Polymer Blends.
Yazdi, Alireza Zehtab; Navas, Ivonne Otero; Abouelmagd, Ahmed; Sundararaj, Uttandaraman
2017-09-01
The current state-of-the-art mixing strategies of nanoparticles with insulating polymeric components have only partially utilized the unique electrical conductivity of graphene in nanocomposite systems. Herein, this paper reports a nonmixing method of direct creation of polymer/graphene nanocomposites from polymer blends via laser irradiation. Polycarbonate-laser-induced graphene (PC-LIG) nanocomposite is produced from a PC/polyetherimide (PC/PEI) blend after exposure to commercially available laser scribing with a power of ≈6 W and a speed of ≈2 cm s -1 . Extremely high electrical conductivities are obtained for the PC-LIG nanocomposites, ranging from 26 to 400 S m -1 , depending on the vol% of the starting PEI phase in the blend. To the authors' knowledge, these conductivity values are at least one order of magnitude higher than the values that are previously reported for conductive polymer/graphene nanocomposites prepared via mixing strategies. The comprehensive microscopy and spectroscopy characterizations reveal a complete graphitization of the PEI phase with columnar microstructure embedded in the PC phase. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
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Sampling and sensitivity analyses tools (SaSAT for computational modelling
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wilson David P
2008-02-01
Full Text Available Abstract SaSAT (Sampling and Sensitivity Analysis Tools is a user-friendly software package for applying uncertainty and sensitivity analyses to mathematical and computational models of arbitrary complexity and context. The toolbox is built in Matlab®, a numerical mathematical software package, and utilises algorithms contained in the Matlab® Statistics Toolbox. However, Matlab® is not required to use SaSAT as the software package is provided as an executable file with all the necessary supplementary files. The SaSAT package is also designed to work seamlessly with Microsoft Excel but no functionality is forfeited if that software is not available. A comprehensive suite of tools is provided to enable the following tasks to be easily performed: efficient and equitable sampling of parameter space by various methodologies; calculation of correlation coefficients; regression analysis; factor prioritisation; and graphical output of results, including response surfaces, tornado plots, and scatterplots. Use of SaSAT is exemplified by application to a simple epidemic model. To our knowledge, a number of the methods available in SaSAT for performing sensitivity analyses have not previously been used in epidemiological modelling and their usefulness in this context is demonstrated.
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34 CFR 303.321 - Comprehensive child find system.
2010-07-01
... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Comprehensive child find system. 303.321 Section 303... Services Identification and Evaluation § 303.321 Comprehensive child find system. (a) General. (1) Each system must include a comprehensive child find system that is consistent with part B of the Act (see 34...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anna M Borghi
2010-06-01
Full Text Available According to theories referring to embodied and grounded cognition (Barsalou, 2008, language comprehension encompasses an embodied simulation of actions. The neural underpinnings of this simulation could be found in wide neural circuits that involve canonical and mirror neurons (Rizzolatti et al., 1996. In keeping with this view, we review behavioural and kinematic studies conducted in our lab which help characterize the relationship existing between language and the motor system. Overall, our results reveal that the simulation evoked during sentence comprehension is fine-grained, primarily in its sensitivity to the different effectors we employ to perform actions. In addition, they suggest that linguistic comprehension also relies on the representation of actions in terms of goals and of the chains of motor acts necessary to accomplish them. Finally, they indicate that these goals are modulated by both the object features the sentence refers to as well as by social aspects such as the characteristics of the agents implied by sentences. We will discuss the implications of these studies for embodied robotics.
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Painless reading comprehension
Jones, EdD, Darolyn "Lyn"
2016-01-01
Reading comprehension gets easier as students learn what kind of reader they are, discover how to keep facts in their head, and much more. Bonus Online Component: includes additional games, including Beat the Clock, a line match game, and a word scramble.
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Matrix Summaries Improve Research Reports: Secondary Analyses Using Published Literature
Zientek, Linda Reichwein; Thompson, Bruce
2009-01-01
Correlation matrices and standard deviations are the building blocks of many of the commonly conducted analyses in published research, and AERA and APA reporting standards recommend their inclusion when reporting research results. The authors argue that the inclusion of correlation/covariance matrices, standard deviations, and means can enhance…
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Joubert, Sven; Vallet, Guillaume T; Montembeault, Maxime; Boukadi, Mariem; Wilson, Maximiliano A; Laforce, Robert Jr; Rouleau, Isabelle; Brambati, Simona M
2017-07-01
The aim of this study was to investigate the comprehension of concrete, abstract and abstract emotional words in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and healthy elderly adults (HE) Three groups of participants (9 svPPA, 12 AD, 11 HE) underwent a general neuropsychological assessment, a similarity judgment task, and structural brain MRI. The three types of words were processed similarly in the group of AD participants. In contrast, patients in the svPPA group were significantly more impaired at processing concrete words than abstract words, while comprehension of abstract emotional words was in between. VBM analyses showed that comprehension of concrete words relative to abstract words was significantly correlated with atrophy in the left anterior temporal lobe. These results support the view that concrete words are disproportionately impaired in svPPA, and that concrete and abstract words may rely upon partly dissociable brain regions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Financial planning on a comprehensive scale.
Mishra, Simita
2013-04-01
Hospitals and health systems that wish to explore the shift to comprehensive care management should: Assess the investments in infrastructure necessary to support comprehensive care management, Gauge the financial implications and set quality and financial goals, Monitor performance using metrics such as patient satisfaction, avoidable admissions, out-of-group referrals, and average length of stay.
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de Lusignan, Simon; Cashman, Josephine; Poh, Norman; Michalakidis, Georgios; Mason, Aaron; Desombre, Terry; Krause, Paul
2012-01-01
Medical research increasingly requires the linkage of data from different sources. Conducting a requirements analysis for a new application is an established part of software engineering, but rarely reported in the biomedical literature; and no generic approaches have been published as to how to link heterogeneous health data. Literature review, followed by a consensus process to define how requirements for research, using, multiple data sources might be modeled. We have developed a requirements analysis: i-ScheDULEs - The first components of the modeling process are indexing and create a rich picture of the research study. Secondly, we developed a series of reference models of progressive complexity: Data flow diagrams (DFD) to define data requirements; unified modeling language (UML) use case diagrams to capture study specific and governance requirements; and finally, business process models, using business process modeling notation (BPMN). These requirements and their associated models should become part of research study protocols.