Developing A/E capabilities; areas of special interest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, A.; Gurbindo, J.

1988-01-01

During the last few years, the methods used by Empresarios Agrupados and INITEC to perform Architect-Engineering work in Spain for nuclear projects has undergone a process of significant change in project management and engineering approaches. Specific practical examples of management techniques and design practices which represent a good record of results will be discussed. They are identified as areas of special interest in developing A/E capabilities for nuclear projects. Command of these areas should produce major payoffs in local participation and contribute to achieving real nuclear engineering capabilities in the country

The Dynamic Reactance Interaction - How Vested Interests Affect People's Experience, Behavior, and Cognition in Social Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Steindl, Christina; Jonas, Eva

2015-01-01

In social interactions, individuals may sometimes pursue their own interests at the expense of their interaction partner. Such self-interested behaviors impose a threat to the interaction partner's freedom to act. The current article investigates this threat in the context of interdependence and reactance theory. We explore how vested interests influence reactance process stages of an advisor-client interaction. We aim to explore the interactional process that evolves. In two studies, participants took the perspective of a doctor (advisor) or a patient (client). In both studies we incorporated a vested interest. In Study 1 (N = 82) we found that in response to a vested interest of their interaction partner, patients indicated a stronger experience of reactance, more aggressive behavioral intentions, and more biased cognitions than doctors. A serial multiple mediation revealed that a vested interest engendered mistrust toward the interaction partner and this mistrust led to an emerging reactance process. Study 2 (N = 207) further demonstrated that doctors expressed their reactance in a subtle way: they revealed a classic confirmation bias when searching for additional information on their preliminary decision preference, indicating stronger defense motivation. We discuss how these findings can help us to understand how social interactions develop dynamically.

Analysis of Readability and Interest of Marketing Education Textbooks: Implications for Special Needs Learners.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Karen H.; And Others

1993-01-01

The readability, reading ease, interest level, and writing style of 20 current textbooks in secondary marketing education were evaluated. Readability formulas consistently identified lower reading levels for special needs education, human interest scores were not very reliable information sources, and writing style was also a weak variable. (JOW)

Maldives. Package on population education for special interest groups developed.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-01-01

The Population Education Program of the Non-Formal Education Center has developed a package of Population Education for Special Interest Groups comprising a learning package and fieldworker's guide. The learning package is especially developed for teaching population education for out-of-school populations. Special interest groups in Maldives include newly married couples, adolescents, and working youth. Produced under the guidance of UNESCO, Bangkok, the package contains 36 different materials such as posters, charts, leaflets, booklets, stories, and illustrated booklets which may be taught in 36 to 45 periods. The materials deal with eight themes, namely, family size and family welfare, population and resources, delayed marriage and parenthood, responsible parenthood, population-related values and beliefs, women in development, AIDS/STD, and respect for old people. Accompanying the learning package is the fieldworker's guide used to teach the package. It contains individual guides for each of the 36 learning materials. The guide gives the titles of the materials, format, objectives of the materials, messages, target groups, and an overview of the content of each learning materials. The methodologies used for teaching the learning materials include role playing, group discussion, questioning, brainstorming, survey, creative writing, problem-solving and evaluation. The package will be used by fieldworkers to conduct island-based population education courses. full text

The dynamic reactance interaction – How vested interests affect people’s experience, behavior, and cognition in social interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina eSteindl

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In social interactions, individuals may sometimes pursue their own interests at the expense of their interaction partner. Such self-interested behaviors impose a threat to the interaction partner’s freedom to act. The current article investigates this threat in the context of interdependence and reactance theory. We explore how vested interests influence reactance process stages of an advisor-client interaction. We aim to explore the interactional process that evolves. In two studies, participants took the perspective of a doctor (advisor or a patient (client. In both studies we incorporated a vested interest. In Study 1 (N=82 we found that in response to a vested interest of their interaction partner, patients indicated a stronger experience of reactance, more aggressive behavioral intentions, and more biased cognitions than doctors. A serial multiple mediation revealed that a vested interest engendered mistrust toward the interaction partner and this mistrust led to an emerging reactance process. Study 2 (N=207 further demonstrated that doctors expressed their reactance in a subtle way: They revealed a classic confirmation bias when searching for additional information on their preliminary decision preference, indicating stronger defense motivation. We discuss how these findings can help us to understand how social interactions develop dynamically.

The Dynamic Reactance Interaction – How Vested Interests Affect People’s Experience, Behavior, and Cognition in Social Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Steindl, Christina; Jonas, Eva

2015-01-01

In social interactions, individuals may sometimes pursue their own interests at the expense of their interaction partner. Such self-interested behaviors impose a threat to the interaction partner’s freedom to act. The current article investigates this threat in the context of interdependence and reactance theory. We explore how vested interests influence reactance process stages of an advisor–client interaction. We aim to explore the interactional process that evolves. In two studies, participants took the perspective of a doctor (advisor) or a patient (client). In both studies we incorporated a vested interest. In Study 1 (N = 82) we found that in response to a vested interest of their interaction partner, patients indicated a stronger experience of reactance, more aggressive behavioral intentions, and more biased cognitions than doctors. A serial multiple mediation revealed that a vested interest engendered mistrust toward the interaction partner and this mistrust led to an emerging reactance process. Study 2 (N = 207) further demonstrated that doctors expressed their reactance in a subtle way: they revealed a classic confirmation bias when searching for additional information on their preliminary decision preference, indicating stronger defense motivation. We discuss how these findings can help us to understand how social interactions develop dynamically. PMID:26640444

Specialization of mutualistic interaction networks decreases toward tropical latitudes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schleuning, M.; Fründ, J.; Klein, A.-M.

2012-01-01

that current conditions have a stronger effect on biotic specialization than historical community stability. Biotic specialization decreased with increasing local and regional plant diversity. This suggests that high specialization of mutualistic interactions is a response of pollinators and seed dispersers......] or differences in plant diversity [10, 11]. Thus, the direction of the latitudinal specialization gradient remains contentious. With an unprecedented global data set, we investigated how biotic specialization between plants and animal pollinators or seed dispersers is associated with latitude, past...... and contemporary climate, and plant diversity. We show that in contrast to expectation, biotic specialization of mutualistic networks is significantly lower at tropical than at temperate latitudes. Specialization was more closely related to contemporary climate than to past climate stability, suggesting...

26 CFR 25.2702-1 - Special valuation rules in the case of transfers of interests in trust.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 14 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special valuation rules in the case of transfers of interests in trust. 25.2702-1 Section 25.2702-1 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES GIFT TAX; GIFTS MADE AFTER DECEMBER 31, 1954 Special Valuation Rules § 25.2702-1 Special...

Revisiting the evolution of ecological specialization, with emphasis on insect-plant interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Forister, M L; Dyer, L A; Singer, M S; Stireman, J O; Lill, J T

2012-05-01

Ecological specialization is a fundamental and well-studied concept, yet its great reach and complexity limit current understanding in important ways. More than 20 years after the publication of D. J. Futuyma and G. Moreno's oft-cited, major review of the topic, we synthesize new developments in the evolution of ecological specialization. Using insect-plant interactions as a model, we focus on important developments in four critical areas: genetic architecture, behavior, interaction complexity, and macroevolution. We find that theory based on simple genetic trade-offs in host use is being replaced by more subtle and complex pictures of genetic architecture, and multitrophic interactions have risen as a necessary framework for understanding specialization. A wealth of phylogenetic data has made possible a more detailed consideration of the macroevolutionary dimension of specialization, revealing (among other things) bidirectionality in transitions between generalist and specialist lineages. Technological advances, including genomic sequencing and analytical techniques at the community level, raise the possibility that the next decade will see research on specialization spanning multiple levels of biological organization in non-model organisms, from genes to populations to networks of interactions in natural communities. Finally, we offer a set of research questions that we find to be particularly pressing and fruitful for future research on ecological specialization.

Preface : Special Issue on Physical Movements and Playful Interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijholt, Antinus; Nijholt, A.; Reidsma, D.; Reidsma, Dennis; Unknown, [Unknown

2010-01-01

This Special Issue of IJART is devoted to the 3rd International Conference on Intelligent Technologies for Interactive Entertainment (INTETAIN 09). This 3rd conference was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in June 2009. It was organized by the Human Media Interaction (HMI) department of the

The students' interest for 2012 and 2013 cohort in construction engineering vocational education program Universitas Negeri Semarang in choosing the subject specialization

Science.gov (United States)

Julianto, Eko Nugroho; Salamah, Ummu

2017-03-01

On the 2012 curriculum, Vocational Education Program Universitas Negeri Semarang allowed the students to choose subjects for their specialization according to their ability. The subject specialization was given at the 6th semester to provide students in performing field work experience. Each course has its own enthusiasts specialization, students have certain considerations in selecting the course. The consideration of each of them is different from one another because they have their own talents, interests, aspirations and perceptions or a different view in assessing a subject specialization offered by Construction Engineering Vocational Education Program. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of interest caused by intrinsic and extrinsic factors on 2012 and 2013 students' cohort in selecting subjects of specialization. This research is descriptive with quantitative approach, which is carried out to determine the magnitude of the interest students in choosing courses of specialization. Research conducted at the Civil Engineering Department Universitas Negeri Semarang, with research subjects that students PTB forces in 2012 and 2013, with a total sample of 87 students. The results showed that the interest of the student of 2012 and 2013 in selecting subjects of specialization is equal to 68.06% with the criteria are interested in contributions from intrinsic factors indicate the yield at 35.48% and 64.52% extrinsic factors.

75 FR 32190 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Examining the Impact of... Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the...

Rescheduling the special interest group.

Science.gov (United States)

Peace, Helen

1993-06-09

The committee members of the RCN Social Interest Group for Nurses Working Within Day Hospitals/Day Care for Older People would like to apologise to the large number of people who were interested in attending our conference, which unfortunately had to be postponed.

Effects of Cooperative Translation on Chinese EFL Student Levels of Interest and Self-Efficacy in Specialized English Translation

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xianmin; Guo, Xiaoshan; Yu, Shengquan

2016-01-01

Translation instruction is very important in specialized English teaching activities. The effectiveness of current specialized English translation instruction (SETI) in mainland China, however, is unclear because university students have become less interested in, and less confident when doing, English translation. This study investigated the…

77 FR 29351 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control; Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Initial...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control; Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Initial Review The meeting.... L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the aforementioned...

76 FR 27649 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Initial...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Initial Review The meeting... Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the...

75 FR 30410 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Provider...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Provider and Public Health... Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC...

76 FR 28437 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Initial...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Initial Review The meeting... Disease or Treated by Assisted Reproductive Technology, SIP11-048, Panel F,'' initial review In accordance...

The Use of Specially Designed Tasks to Enhance Student Interest in the Cadaver Dissection Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Seok Hoon; Shin, Jwa-Seop; Hwang, Young-il

2012-01-01

Cadaver dissection is a key component of anatomy education. Unfortunately, students sometimes regard the process of dissection as uninteresting or stressful. To make laboratory time more interesting and to encourage discussion and collaborative learning among medical students, specially designed tasks were assigned to students throughout…

77 FR 30292 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Initial...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Initial Review The meeting...)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and...

75 FR 30410 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Outcomes...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Outcomes of Screening... 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92- 463), the Centers for Disease Control and...

Special Education Leadership: Integrating Professional and Personal Codes of Ethics to Serve the Best Interests of the Child

Science.gov (United States)

Bon, Susan C.; Bigbee, Adam J.

2011-01-01

Special education teachers who also serve as case managers for students with disabilities are in unique leadership positions in which they face complex ethical dilemmas and are called on to make decisions that involve multiple competing interests and pressures. The purpose of this study was to explore how special education leaders identify ethical…

75 FR 28626 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): SIP 10...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): SIP 10-029, Pilot Study... Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the...

Specialized functional diversity and interactions of the Na,K-ATPase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor I. Krivoi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Na,K-ATPase is a protein ubiquitously expressed in the plasma membrane of all animal cells and vitally essential for their functions. A specialized functional diversity of the Na,K-ATPase isozymes is provided by molecular heterogeneity, distinct subcellular localizations and functional interactions with molecular environment. Studies over the last decades clearly demonstrated complex and isoform-specific reciprocal functional interactions between the Na,K-ATPase and neighboring proteins and lipids. These interactions are enabled by a spatially restricted ion homeostasis, direct protein-protein/lipid interactions and protein kinase signaling pathways. In addition to its ‘classical’ function in ion translocation, the Na,K-ATPase is now considered as one of the most important signaling molecules in neuronal, epithelial, skeletal, cardiac and vascular tissues. Accordingly, the Na,K-ATPase forms specialized sub-cellular multimolecular microdomains which act as receptors to circulating endogenous cardiotonic steroids triggering a number of signaling pathways. Changes in these endogenous cardiotonic steroid levels and initiated signaling responses have significant adaptive values for tissues and whole organisms under numerous physiological and pathophysiological conditions. This review discusses recent progress in the studies of functional interactions between the Na,K-ATPase and molecular microenvironment, the Na,K-ATPase-dependent signaling pathways and their significance for diversity of cell function.

26 CFR 25.2701-1 - Special valuation rules in the case of transfers of certain interests in corporations and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... double taxation when an applicable retained interest is subsequently transferred. (2) Effect of section... individual transfers an equity interest in a corporation or partnership to a member of the individual's... time of the initial transfer, § 25.2701-4 provides a special rule to increase the individual's later...

75 FR 32190 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): SIP 10...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): SIP 10-033, Innovative... with Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease...

[Asperger's syndrome, little teachers: special skills].

Science.gov (United States)

Etchepareborda, M C; Díaz-Lucero, A; Pascuale, M J; Abad-Mas, L; Ruiz-Andrés, R

2007-03-02

Asperger's syndrome (AS) is characterised by its effects on reciprocal social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, difficulty in accepting changes, inflexible thinking and reduced fields of interest, but also by the presentation of special skills. On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Hans Asperger, we briefly review the history of this researcher and offer a short description of the clinical features of the condition, including social interaction, communication, limited concerns and interests, routines and inflexibility, which are key points when it comes to reaching a diagnosis. Later, we also focus on Savant syndrome, which is a very common subgroup within AS and which is characterised by the patient's outstanding ability is certain special skills, such as hypermnesia, hyperlexia and hypercalculia, in mental feats concerning the perpetual calendar and in several branches of the arts, such as drawing, painting, sculpture and music. We discuss several famous cases of savants and explain some of the theories about its pathophysiology. Having special skills is a distinguishing mark of AS and identifying and facilitating them would provide us with a potential tool with which to accomplish suitable job opportunities.

Interaction Creates Learning: Engaging Learners with Special Educational Needs through Orff-Schulwerk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markku Kaikkonen

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We consider the individual and the collective as fundamentally interdependent. Interaction leads to learning and therefore theories of interaction are of importance. For a music teacher, the achieved awareness can lead to practical advances. Discovering the most productive interactional strategy and understanding the consequences of actions within the actual learning situation can be helpful in creating interaction and learning. However, as interaction is dynamic and complex, especially those practitioners working with students with Special Educational Needs (SEN may not be satisfied with the respective conceptual frameworks on interaction processes. In the present article, we reason that on close inspection it is possible to develop a conceptual approach that meets the diversified challenges of pedagogical interaction. We also suggest that pedagogical interaction with students with SEN can be grounded on the insights of Orff-Schulwerk. First, we briefly describe some of the key principles of Orff-Schulwerk. After the theoretical background the article continues with real case examples with a view to illustrating the applications of the approach and some of the advances of the Orff-Schulwerk perspective in special music educational environments. We close with a summary, presenting some views on the potential of Orff-Schulwerk in pedagogical interaction with students with SEN.

Understanding Motivations and User Interests as Antecedents for Different Interaction Forms in Online Communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Lina; Sørensen, Bjarne Taulo; Tudoran, Ana Alina

This study contributes to the understanding of online user communities as a potential source of innovation. That would require an interest from users in interacting in such communities. In order to establish interaction, users must provide as well as consume information. However, depending...... on the innovation task, one may be more important than the other. It is therefore important to understand, how companies can increase user willingness to engage in these different interaction forms. This study investigates the influence of various motivation factors and user interests on intention to provide...... or consume information in online food communities. A survey was conducted among 1009 respondents followed by analysis based on Structural Equation Modelling. Results revealed the effect of motivation factors to be stronger than basic consumer interests indicating that companies can influence the intended...

Dentists with enhanced skills (Special Interest) in Endodontics: gatekeepers views in London.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghotane, Swapnil G; Al-Haboubi, Mustafa; Kendall, Nick; Robertson, Claire; Gallagher, Jennifer E

2015-09-21

Dentists with a special interest hold enhanced skills enabling them to treat cases of intermediate complexity. The aim of this study was to explore primary dental care practitioners' views of dentists with a special interest (DwSIs) in Endodontics in London, with reference to an educational and service initiative established by (the former) London Deanery in conjunction with the NHS. A cross-sectional postal survey of primary care dentists working across different models of care within London was conducted, with a target to achieve views of at least 5 % of London's dentists. The questionnaire instrument was informed by qualitative research and the dental literature and piloted prior to distribution; data were analysed using SPSS v19 and STATA v12.0. Six per cent of London's primary care dentists (n = 243) responded to the survey; 53 % were male. Just over one third (37 %; n = 90) were aware of the DwSI service being provided. Most practitioners reported that having access to a DwSI in Endodontics would support the care of their patients (89 %; n = 215), would carry out more endodontic treatment in the NHS primary dental care if adequately reimbursed (93 %; n = 220), and had more time (76 %; n = 180). Female respondents appeared to be less confident in doing endodontic treatment (p = 0.001). More recently qualified respondents reported greater need for training/support for performing more endodontic treatment in the NHS primary dental care (p = 0.001), were more dissatisfied with access to endodontic service in the NHS primary dental care (p = 0.007) and more interested to train as a DwSI in endodontics (p = 0.001) compared with respondents having a greater number of years of clinical experience since qualification. The findings lend support to the concept of developing dentists with enhanced skills as well as ensuring additional funding, time and support to facilitate more routine endodontics through the NHS primary care to meet

The Interactions of Relationships, Interest, and Self-Efficacy in Undergraduate Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, Remy

This collected papers dissertation explores students' academic interactions in an active learning, introductory physics settings as they relate to the development of physics self-efficacy and interest. The motivation for this work extends from the national call to increase participation of students in the pursuit of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Self-efficacy and interest are factors that play prominent roles in popular, evidence-based, career theories, including the Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and the identity framework. Understanding how these constructs develop in light of the most pervasive characteristic of the active learning introductory physics classroom (i.e., peer-to-peer interactions) has implications on how students learn in a variety of introductory STEM classrooms and settings structured after constructivist and sociocultural learning theories. I collected data related to students' in-class interactions using the tools of social network analysis (SNA). Social network analysis has recently been shown to be an effective and useful way to examine the structure of student relationships that develop in and out of STEM classrooms. This set of studies furthers the implementation of SNA as a tool to examine self-efficacy and interest formation in the active learning physics classroom. Here I represent a variety of statistical applications of SNA, including bootstrapped linear regression (Chapter 2), structural equation modeling (Chapter 3), and hierarchical linear modeling for longitudinal analyses (Chapter 4). Self-efficacy data were collected using the Sources of Self-Efficacy for Science Courses - Physics survey (SOSESC-P), and interest data were collected using the physics identity survey. Data for these studies came from the Modeling Instruction sections of Introductory Physics with Calculus offered at Florida International University in the fall of 2014 and 2015. Analyses support the idea that students

Introduction to a special issue on genotype by environment interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Expression of a phenotype is a function of the genotype, the environment, and the differential sensitivity of certain genotypes to different environments, also known as genotype by environment (G × E) interaction. This special issue of Crop Science includes a collection of manuscripts that reviews t...

Skilled interaction among professional carers in special accommodations for adult people with learning disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonsson, H; Aström, S; Lundström, M; Graneheim, U H

2013-09-01

Communicative difficulties affect interactions between people with learning disabilities and their carers. Despite such difficulties, however, some carers seem to interact successfully with people who have limited ability to communicate verbally and exhibit challenging behaviour. This study aims to illuminate skilled interaction among carers working in special accommodations for people with learning disabilities. Interactions between 16 caregivers and 11 residents with learning disabilities were recorded on video. Verbal and non-verbal interaction skills among the carers were identified. Four caring situations with people with learning disabilities were chosen to illuminate skilled interaction. The transcribed text was subjected to qualitative content analysis and core stories were created. The results show that skilled interaction between the carers and the people with learning disabilities is based upon being confirming, sharing daily life experience, giving time and space, and using congruent and distinct language. In this paper we present examples that offer concrete suggestions of how to promote successful interaction and create meaning in the shared day-to-day life in special accommodations for people with learning disabilities. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Interactive Learning Technologies to Build Students' Interest in Cross-Cultural Communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YE I Polyakova

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the use of case-studies, group discussions, role-plays, imitative modeling and other interactive methods of teaching to build up students' interest in having communicative skills and socio-cultural knowledge necessary for effective cross-cultural communication.

Structural breakdown of specialized plant-herbivore interaction networks in tropical forest edges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Ximenes Pinho

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Plant-herbivore relationships are essential for ecosystem functioning, typically forming an ecological network with a compartmentalized (i.e. modular structure characterized by highly specialized interactions. Human disturbances can favor habitat generalist species and thus cause the collapse of this modular structure, but its effects are rarely assessed using a network-based approach. We investigate how edge proximity alters plant-insect herbivore networks by comparing forest edge and interior in a large remnant (3.500 ha of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Given the typical dominance of pioneer plants and generalist herbivores in edge-affected habitats, we test the hypothesis that the specialized structure of plant-herbivore networks collapse in forest edges, resulting in lower modularity and herbivore specialization. Despite no differences in the number of species and interactions, the network structure presented marked differences between forest edges and interior. Herbivore specialization, modularity and number of modules were significantly higher in forest interior than edge-affected habitats. When compared to a random null model, two (22.2% and eight (88.8% networks were significantly modular in forest edge and interior, respectively. The loss of specificity and modularity in plant-herbivore networks in forest edges may be related to the loss of important functions, such as density-dependent control of superior plant competitors, which is ultimately responsible for the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Our results support previous warnings that focusing on traditional community measures only (e.g. species diversity may overlook important modifications in species interactions and ecosystem functioning.

Dental practitioners with a special interest in periodontics: the West Sussex experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheshire, P D; Saner, P; Lesley, R; Beckerson, J; Butler, M; Zanjani, B

2011-02-12

The experience of a pilot service involving practitioners with a special interest in periodontics is described. The service functioned as a clinical network between the primary and secondary sector and featured consultant outreach. Between June 2006 and May 2007 it experienced 441 referrals. It improved patient access to periodontal care and was successful in targeting specific disease categories and in meeting key performance indicators. The service was non-surgical and emphasised patient self-efficacy. It produced highly effective clinical outcomes. It was well accepted by both patients and referring practitioners. It did not replace the need for a consultant-led service in the eyes of the referring practitioners. The BPE was used to identify suitable patients; audit indicated that there was a tendency for practitioners to underscore the level of periodontal disease.

Once upon an Oldman: special interest politics and the Oldman River dam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glenn, J.

1999-01-01

The Alberta government in 1986 commenced the construction of the Oldman irrigation dam in southern Alberta, and this sparked a controversy pitting the Alberta government and the federal government and a well-organized and highly effective irrigation lobby against local landowners, environmental interest groups, and the Peigan Indian band. At its peak in the early 1990s, the dispute featured a minor uprising on the Peigan reserve, an environmental review by the government in Ottawa, and rulings by the Supreme Court, as well the attention of the national media. The book tells the story of that controversy from its beginnings in 1976 to the present day. A critical analysis is made of how the participants dealt with some of the major issues at stake. The book emphasizes the continuity of events and what the outcomes might mean for the broader issues of environmental integrity and fairness to the Indian people. The book was researched and written in order to provide a clear an coherent account of the Oldman controversy, to show how it revealed the differences between what governments say about the environment and Indian people and how they act toward them, and illustrate the impotence of special interest groups in bringing about changes that are contrary to the received wisdom. refs

Stability of vocational interests after recent spinal cord injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, James S; Clark, Jillian M R

2014-08-01

We sought to identify the stability of vocational interests among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) first assessed during inpatient rehabilitation. Initial assessments were completed during inpatient rehabilitation an average of 50 days after SCI onset (n = 521). Follow-up measures, collected by mail, were obtained an average of 16.6 months postinjury (n = 190) and 29.1 months postinjury (n = 296). Participants (n = 135) completed all 3 assessments. Participants completed the 1994 Strong Interest Inventory (Campbell, 1971; Harmon, Hansen, Borgen, & Hammer, 1994), Form T317, a 317-item measure of vocational interests. Comparison of scale means across 3 times of measurement indicated significant changes in 2 of 6 general occupational themes (GOT), 8 basic interest scales (BIS), and 2 special scales (leadership style, risk taking/adventure). With 1 exception, a linear trend indicating an increase in reported interests accounted for observed relationships. An age by time interaction occurred with 1 GOT and 3 BIS. The average stability coefficient was 0.61 for the GOT, 0.59 for the BIS, and 0.70 for the special scales. The average coefficients were somewhat lower for the oldest participants. Interests do not appear to be static when first measured during inpatient rehabilitation after SCI. Rather, they evolve with average increases on select themes more compatible with the limitations of SCI. Stability coefficients suggest that interests are likely to change more than indicated in earlier studies.

76 FR 41041 - Special Conditions: Gulfstream Aerospace LP (GALP) Model G250 Airplane, Interaction of Systems...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-13

... Conditions No. 25-439-SC] Special Conditions: Gulfstream Aerospace LP (GALP) Model G250 Airplane, Interaction... special conditions are issued for the Gulfstream Aerospace LP (GALP) Model G250 airplane. This airplane...

The CHI 2013 interactive schedule

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Satyanarayan, Arvind; Strazzulla, Daniel; Klokmose, Clemens Nylandsted

2013-01-01

CHI 2013 offers over 500 separate events including paper presentations, panels, courses, case studies and special interest groups. Given the size of the conference, it is no longer practical to host live summaries of these events. Instead, a 30-second Video Preview summary of each event is availa......CHI 2013 offers over 500 separate events including paper presentations, panels, courses, case studies and special interest groups. Given the size of the conference, it is no longer practical to host live summaries of these events. Instead, a 30-second Video Preview summary of each event...... is available. The CHI'13 Interactive Schedule helps attendees navigate this wealth of video content in order to identify events they would like to attend. It consists of a number of large display screens throughout the conference venue which cycle through a video playlist of events. Attendees can interact...

Tax Evasion, Tax Avoidance and The Influence of Special Interest Groups: Taxation in Iceland from 1930 to the Present

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karlsson Johannes

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on tax evasion and tax avoidance in Iceland, and on how special interest groups have shaped the taxation system to serve their own ends. The period covered is from 1930, when the present Icelandic system of power was established, to the present.

76 FR 39763 - Special Conditions: Boeing Model 787-8 Airplane; Interaction of Systems and Structures...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-07

... Conditions No. 25-354A-SC] Special Conditions: Boeing Model 787-8 Airplane; Interaction of Systems and..., electronic flight control system control surface awareness, HIRF protection, limit engine torque loads for... standards. A special condition is needed to require consideration of the effects of systems on the...

22 CFR 1203.735-301 - Conflicts of interest.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Conflicts of interest. 1203.735-301 Section 1203....735-301 Conflicts of interest. Special Government employees are subject to the conflicts of interest statutes (18 U.S.C. 202). An explanation of these conflicts of interest statutes their effects upon special...

Linking plant specialization to dependence in interactions for seed set in pollination networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Tur, Cristina; Castro-Urgal, Rocío; Traveset, Anna

2013-01-01

Studies on pollination networks have provided valuable information on the number, frequency, distribution and identity of interactions between plants and pollinators. However, little is still known on the functional effect of these interactions on plant reproductive success. Information on the extent to which plants depend on such interactions will help to make more realistic predictions of the potential impacts of disturbances on plant-pollinator networks. Plant functional dependence on pollinators (all interactions pooled) can be estimated by comparing seed set with and without pollinators (i.e. bagging flowers to exclude them). Our main goal in this study was thus to determine whether plant dependence on current insect interactions is related to plant specialization in a pollination network. We studied two networks from different communities, one in a coastal dune and one in a mountain. For ca. 30% of plant species in each community, we obtained the following specialization measures: (i) linkage level (number of interactions), (ii) diversity of interactions, and (iii) closeness centrality (a measure of how much a species is connected to other plants via shared pollinators). Phylogenetically controlled regression analyses revealed that, for the largest and most diverse coastal community, plants highly dependent on pollinators were the most generalists showing the highest number and diversity of interactions as well as occupying central positions in the network. The mountain community, by contrast, did not show such functional relationship, what might be attributable to their lower flower-resource heterogeneity and diversity of interactions. We conclude that plants with a wide array of pollinator interactions tend to be those that are more strongly dependent upon them for seed production and thus might be those more functionally vulnerable to the loss of network interaction, although these outcomes might be context-dependent.

Linking plant specialization to dependence in interactions for seed set in pollination networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Tur

Full Text Available Studies on pollination networks have provided valuable information on the number, frequency, distribution and identity of interactions between plants and pollinators. However, little is still known on the functional effect of these interactions on plant reproductive success. Information on the extent to which plants depend on such interactions will help to make more realistic predictions of the potential impacts of disturbances on plant-pollinator networks. Plant functional dependence on pollinators (all interactions pooled can be estimated by comparing seed set with and without pollinators (i.e. bagging flowers to exclude them. Our main goal in this study was thus to determine whether plant dependence on current insect interactions is related to plant specialization in a pollination network. We studied two networks from different communities, one in a coastal dune and one in a mountain. For ca. 30% of plant species in each community, we obtained the following specialization measures: (i linkage level (number of interactions, (ii diversity of interactions, and (iii closeness centrality (a measure of how much a species is connected to other plants via shared pollinators. Phylogenetically controlled regression analyses revealed that, for the largest and most diverse coastal community, plants highly dependent on pollinators were the most generalists showing the highest number and diversity of interactions as well as occupying central positions in the network. The mountain community, by contrast, did not show such functional relationship, what might be attributable to their lower flower-resource heterogeneity and diversity of interactions. We conclude that plants with a wide array of pollinator interactions tend to be those that are more strongly dependent upon them for seed production and thus might be those more functionally vulnerable to the loss of network interaction, although these outcomes might be context-dependent.

Mapping Functional Brain Development: Building a Social Brain through Interactive Specialization

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Mark H.; Grossmann, Tobias; Kadosh, Kathrin Cohen

2009-01-01

The authors review a viewpoint on human functional brain development, interactive specialization (IS), and its application to the emerging network of cortical regions referred to as the "social brain." They advance the IS view in 2 new ways. First, they extend IS into a domain to which it has not previously been applied--the emergence of social…

Classroom Interaction in Regular and Special Education Middle Primary Classrooms in the United Arab Emirates

Science.gov (United States)

Dukmak, Samir

2010-01-01

Samir Dukmak is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education in the Faculty of Education at the United Arab Emirates University. The research reported in this article investigated the frequency, types of and reasons for student-initiated interactions in both regular and special education classrooms in the United Arab Emirates…

27 CFR 70.93 - Interest rate.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Interest rate. 70.93... Excise and Special (Occupational) Tax Interest § 70.93 Interest rate. (a) In general. The interest rate... annual percentage rate of interest will exceed the prescribed rate of interest. (b) Applicability of...

Gravitation and Special Relativity from Compton Wave Interactions at the Planck Scale: An Algorithmic Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Blackwell, William C., Jr.

2004-01-01

In this paper space is modeled as a lattice of Compton wave oscillators (CWOs) of near- Planck size. It is shown that gravitation and special relativity emerge from the interaction between particles Compton waves. To develop this CWO model an algorithmic approach was taken, incorporating simple rules of interaction at the Planck-scale developed using well known physical laws. This technique naturally leads to Newton s law of gravitation and a new form of doubly special relativity. The model is in apparent agreement with the holographic principle, and it predicts a cutoff energy for ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays that is consistent with observational data.

Our interests in protein-protein interactions

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

protein interactions. Evolution of P-P partnerships. Evolution of P-P structures. Evolutionary dynamics of P-P interactions. Dynamics of P-P interaction network. Host-pathogen interactions. CryoEM mapping of gigantic protein assemblies.

Is the modernisation of postgraduate medical training in the Netherlands successful? Views of the NVMO Special Interest Group on Postgraduate Medical Education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scheele, Fedde; Van Luijk, Scheltus; Mulder, Hanneke; Baane, Coby; Den Rooyen, Corry; De Hoog, Matthijs; Fokkema, Joanne; Heineman, Erik; Sluiter, Henk

Background: Worldwide, the modernisation of medical education is leading to the design and implementation of new postgraduate curricula. In this article, the Special Interest Group for postgraduate medical education of the Netherlands Association for Medical Education (NVMO) reports on the

Special-purpose interactive programming shell for the open-quotes POLEclose quotes system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rvachev, V.L.; Kurpa, L.I.

1995-01-01

The development of the theory of R-functions has stimulated the emergence of efficient numerical-analytical methods for a wide class of problems associated with physico-mechanical fields. R-functions are the basis for computer-aided level source language, which is sufficiently close to an ordinary mathematical language. Despite the powerful capabilities of the POLE family systems and the extensive support for the analysis of computation results, these systems are still not widely used in practice, as they assume a user with special mathematical qualifications. It is therefore necessary to develop special-purpose systems that do not require the user to be proficient in mathematical physics, the theory of R-functions, variational methods, etc. In other words, we need systems that are oriented toward technical-profile engineers specializing in design and calculations. In this article, we propose some principles for the construction of a special-purpose interactive programming system POLE-PLAST capable of solving problems in the mechanics of deformable solids of complex shape. As the specific application domain for the description of the system we have chosen problems that deal with bending, stability, and vibration of elements of thin-walled constructions modeled by thin plates

Is the modernisation of postgraduate medical training in the Netherlands successful? Views of the NVMO Special Interest Group on Postgraduate Medical Education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scheele, Fedde; van Luijk, Scheltus; Mulder, Hanneke; Baane, Coby; den Rooyen, Corry; de Hoog, Matthijs; Fokkema, Joanne; Heineman, Erik; Sluiter, Henk

2014-01-01

Worldwide, the modernisation of medical education is leading to the design and implementation of new postgraduate curricula. In this article, the Special Interest Group for postgraduate medical education of the Netherlands Association for Medical Education (NVMO) reports on the experiences in the

Interaction between Digestive Strategy and Niche Specialization Predicts Speciation Rates across Herbivorous Mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Lucy A P

2016-04-01

Biotic and abiotic factors often are treated as mutually exclusive drivers of diversification processes. In this framework, ecological specialists are expected to have higher speciation rates than generalists if abiotic factors are the primary controls on species diversity but lower rates if biotic interactions are more important. Speciation rate is therefore predicted to positively correlate with ecological specialization in the purely abiotic model but negatively correlate in the biotic model. In this study, I show that the positive relationship between ecological specialization and speciation expected from the purely abiotic model is recovered only when a species-specific trait, digestive strategy, is modeled in the terrestrial, herbivorous mammals (Mammalia). This result suggests a more nuanced model in which the response of specialized lineages to abiotic factors is dependent on a biological trait. I also demonstrate that the effect of digestive strategy on the ecological specialization-speciation rate relationship is not due to a difference in either the degree of ecological specialization or the speciation rate between foregut- and hindgut-fermenting mammals. Together, these findings suggest that a biological trait, alongside historical abiotic events, played an important role in shaping mammal speciation at long temporal and large geographic scales.

The Intersection of NASA Astrophysics Education and Public Outreach and Higher Education: A Special Interest Group Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, M.; Smith, D.; Schultz, G.; Bianchi, L.; Blair, W.

2011-09-01

This paper presents highlights from a group discussion on how the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education and public outreach (EPO) community could better support undergraduate astronomy education through EPO products and resources - current and future - targeted at the college level. The discussion was organized by the SMD Astrophysics EPO Forum through a Special Interest Group Meeting at the 2010 ASP Annual Meeting in Boulder. Our session took advantage of the simultaneous presence of EPO professionals and the Cosmos in the Classroom participants to seek out diverse perspectives on and experiences in higher education.

Special features of high-speed interaction of supercavitating solids in water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishchenko, Aleksandr, E-mail: ichan@niipmm.tsu.ru; Afanas’eva, Svetlana, E-mail: s.a.afanasyeva@mail.ru; Burkin, Viktor, E-mail: v.v.burkin@mail.ru; Diachkovskii, Aleksei, E-mail: lex-okha@mail.ru; Korolkov, Leonid, E-mail: dmm1@sibmail.com; Moiseev, Dmitrii; Khabibullin, Marat, E-mail: lenmar07@rambler.ru [National Research Tomsk State University, 36, Lenin Ave., Tomsk, 634050 (Russian Federation); Akinshin, Ruslan, E-mail: rakinshin@yandex.ru; Borisenkov, Igor, E-mail: rakinshin@yandex.ru [Subdivision of applied problems under the RAS presidium 3, Gubkin St, Moscow, 117971 (Russian Federation)

2016-01-15

Special features of material behavior of a supercavitating projectile are investigated at various initial velocities of entering water on the basis of the developed stress-strain state model with possibility of destruction of solids when moving in water and interacting with various underwater barriers with the use of consistent methodological approach of mechanics of continuous media. The calculation-experimental method was used to study the modes of motion of supercavitating projectiles at sub- and supersonic velocities in water medium after acceleration in the barrelled accelerator, as well as their interaction with barriers. Issues of stabilization of the supercavitating projectile on the initial flight path in water were studied. Microphotographs of state of solids made of various materials, before and after interaction with water, at subsonic and supersonic velocities were presented. Supersonic velocity of the supercavitating projectile motion in water of 1590 m/s was recorded.

Special features of high-speed interaction of supercavitating solids in water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishchenko, Aleksandr; Afanas’eva, Svetlana; Burkin, Viktor; Diachkovskii, Aleksei; Korolkov, Leonid; Moiseev, Dmitrii; Khabibullin, Marat; Akinshin, Ruslan; Borisenkov, Igor

2016-01-01

Special features of material behavior of a supercavitating projectile are investigated at various initial velocities of entering water on the basis of the developed stress-strain state model with possibility of destruction of solids when moving in water and interacting with various underwater barriers with the use of consistent methodological approach of mechanics of continuous media. The calculation-experimental method was used to study the modes of motion of supercavitating projectiles at sub- and supersonic velocities in water medium after acceleration in the barrelled accelerator, as well as their interaction with barriers. Issues of stabilization of the supercavitating projectile on the initial flight path in water were studied. Microphotographs of state of solids made of various materials, before and after interaction with water, at subsonic and supersonic velocities were presented. Supersonic velocity of the supercavitating projectile motion in water of 1590 m/s was recorded

Managing diversity in organisations: practitioner and academic perspectives: report from a gender in management special interest group research event

OpenAIRE

Beauregard, T. Alexandra

2008-01-01

Purpose - This report aims to provide a brief summary of the presentations made by researchers and practitioners at the Gender in Management Special Interest Group’s research event, Managing Diversity in Organisations: Practitioner and Academic Perspectives.\\ud \\ud Design/methodology/approach - The research seminar was chaired by Dr. Adelina Broadbridge (University of Stirling) and Dr. Gillian Maxwell (Glasgow Caledonian University), and featured five presentations related to diversity in org...

7 CFR 773.19 - Interest rate, terms, security requirements, and repayment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interest rate, terms, security requirements, and... SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS SPECIAL APPLE LOAN PROGRAM § 773.19 Interest rate, terms, security requirements, and repayment. (a) Interest rate. The interest rate will be fixed...

Developing mathematics learning set for special-needs junior high school student oriented to learning interest and achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ai Sadidah

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This study aims to produce a mathematics learning set for special-needs students (mathematical learning disability and mathematically gifted of Junior High School Grade VIII Second Semester oriented to learning interests and achievement which is valid, practical, and effective. This study was a research and development study using the Four-D development model consisting of four stages: (1 define, (2 design, (3 develop, and (4 disseminate. The quality of learning set consisting of the following three criterions: (1 validity, (2 practicality, and (3 effectiveness.  The data analysis technique used in this study is a descriptive quantitative analysis. The research produced learning set consisting of lesson plans and student worksheets. The result of the research shows that: (1 the learning set fulfill the valid criteria base on experts’ appraisal; (2 the learning set fulfill the practical criterion base on teacher’s and students’ questionnaire, and observation of learning implementation; (3 the learning set fulfill the effectiveness criterion base on learning interest and achievement.

The attitudes of future special educators towards persons with developmental difficulties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brojčin Branislav

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In line with the change of the society attitudes towards persons with disabilities there is increased interest in examining the atitudes twards them. Because of the role in the treatment, education and inclusion of such persons in wider social community, the attitudes of the students of special education become especially relevant. The aim of the research was to determine the attitudes of the future special educators towards persons with disabilities, the level of discomfort they feel in interaction with them, as well as the frequency of fontacts of students of special education with such persons. 103 students of the first cycle of the study program Special Education at the Faculty of Medicine in Foča. In the research we used the Scale for evaluating attitudes towards persons with disabilities, the Scale of interactions with persons with disabilities, and the Scale for assessing the frequency of contacts with persons with disabilities. Special education students on average have mildly positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities and feel somewhat comfortable in direct interactions with them, but the contacts with them are relatively rare. Among the examined variables significant relation was found between the year of study of the examinees and the frequency of their contacts with persons with disabilities. The obtained results indicate the need for a more significant shift of focus from medical to a social model of disability in the education of students of special education.

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3: an interesting virus for applied and fundamental research

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3), a member of the family Alloherpesviridae is the causative agent of a lethal, highly contagious and notifiable disease in common and koi carp. The economic importance of common and koi carp industries together with the rapid spread of CyHV-3 worldwide, explain why this virus became soon after its isolation in the 1990s a subject of applied research. In addition to its economic importance, an increasing number of fundamental studies demonstrated that CyHV-3 is an original and interesting subject for fundamental research. In this review, we summarized recent advances in CyHV-3 research with a special interest for studies related to host-virus interactions. PMID:24073814

Web mapping: tools and solutions for creating interactive maps of forestry interest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Notarangelo G

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The spread of geobrowsers as tools for displaying geographically referenced information provides insights and opportunities to those who, not being specialists in Geographic Information Systems, want to take advantage from exploration and communication power offered by these software. Through the use of web services such as Google Maps and the use of suitable markup languages, one can create interactive maps starting from highly heterogeneous data and information. These interactive maps can also be easily distributed and shared with Internet users, because they do not need to use proprietary software nor special skills but only a web browser. Unlike the maps created with GIS, whose output usually is a static image, the interactive maps retain all their features to users advantage. This paper describes a web application that, using the Keyhole Markup Language and the free service of Google Maps, produces choropleth maps relating to some forest indicators estimated by the last Italian National Forest Inventory. The creation of a map is done through a simple and intuitive interface. The maps created by users can be downloaded as KML file and can be viewed or modified via the freeware application Google Earth or free and open source GIS software like Quantum GIS. The web application is free and available at www.ricercaforestale.it.

48 CFR 32.407 - Interest.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... REQUIREMENTS CONTRACT FINANCING Advance Payments for Non-Commercial Items 32.407 Interest. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (d) below, the contracting officer shall charge interest on the daily unliquidated... institution (depository) in which the special account (see 32.409-3) is established; or (2) The rate...

Mechanisms of interactive specialization and emergence of functional brain circuits supporting cognitive development in children

Science.gov (United States)

Battista, Christian; Evans, Tanya M.; Ngoon, Tricia J.; Chen, Tianwen; Chen, Lang; Kochalka, John; Menon, Vinod

2018-01-01

Cognitive development is thought to depend on the refinement and specialization of functional circuits over time, yet little is known about how this process unfolds over the course of childhood. Here we investigated growth trajectories of functional brain circuits and tested an interactive specialization model of neurocognitive development which posits that the refinement of task-related functional networks is driven by a shared history of co-activation between cortical regions. We tested this model in a longitudinal cohort of 30 children with behavioral and task-related functional brain imaging data at multiple time points spanning childhood and adolescence, focusing on the maturation of parietal circuits associated with numerical problem solving and learning. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed selective strengthening as well as weakening of functional brain circuits. Connectivity between parietal and prefrontal cortex decreased over time, while connectivity within posterior brain regions, including intra-hemispheric and inter-hemispheric parietal connectivity, as well as parietal connectivity with ventral temporal occipital cortex regions implicated in quantity manipulation and numerical symbol recognition, increased over time. Our study provides insights into the longitudinal maturation of functional circuits in the human brain and the mechanisms by which interactive specialization shapes children's cognitive development and learning.

The driving forces of stability. Exploring the nature of long-term bureaucracy-interest group interactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braun, C.H.J.M.

2013-01-01

This article explores the nature of long-term interactions between bureaucrats and interest groups by examining two behavioral logics associated with stability in public policy making. In addition to the implicit short-term strategic choices that usually feature in resource-exchange explanations of

7 CFR 761.4 - Conflict of interest.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Conflict of interest. 761.4 Section 761.4 Agriculture... SPECIAL PROGRAMS GENERAL PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION General Provisions § 761.4 Conflict of interest. The Agency enforces conflict of interest policies to maintain high standards of honesty, integrity, and...

7 CFR 761.53 - Interest bearing accounts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interest bearing accounts. 761.53 Section 761.53... AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS GENERAL PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION Supervised Bank Accounts § 761.53 Interest bearing accounts. (a) A supervised bank account, if possible, will be established as an interest bearing deposit...

Progressive and Regressive Developmental Changes in Neural Substrates for Face Processing: Testing Specific Predictions of the Interactive Specialization Account

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Jane E.; Gathers, Ann D.; Bhatt, Ramesh S.

2011-01-01

Face processing undergoes a fairly protracted developmental time course but the neural underpinnings are not well understood. Prior fMRI studies have only examined progressive changes (i.e. increases in specialization in certain regions with age), which would be predicted by both the Interactive Specialization (IS) and maturational theories of…

A framework for interactive learning in emerging technologies

OpenAIRE

Rens L.J. Vandeberg; Ellen H.M. Moors

2008-01-01

Innovation is an interactive learning process which is of special interest for emerging technologies in which complex complementary knowledge from heterogeneous stakeholders is combined. In the emerging phase of technology development a lot of knowledge is tacit and can only be transferred face-to-face. At the same time a shared vision between stakeholders is being formed that acts as a driver for innovation. Although the importance of interactive learning is widely acknowledged, an adequate ...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal interactions of mycoheterotrophic Thismia are more specialized than in autotrophic plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, Sofia I F; Aguirre-Gutiérrez, Jesús; Bidartondo, Martin I; Merckx, Vincent S F T

2017-02-01

In general, plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi exchange photosynthetically fixed carbon for soil nutrients, but occasionally nonphotosynthetic plants obtain carbon from AM fungi. The interactions of these mycoheterotrophic plants with AM fungi are suggested to be more specialized than those of green plants, although direct comparisons are lacking. We investigated the mycorrhizal interactions of both green and mycoheterotrophic plants. We used next-generation DNA sequencing to compare the AM communities from roots of five closely related mycoheterotrophic species of Thismia (Thismiaceae), roots of surrounding green plants, and soil, sampled over the entire temperate distribution of Thismia in Australia and New Zealand. We observed that the fungal communities of mycoheterotrophic and green plants are phylogenetically more similar within than between these groups of plants, suggesting a specific association pattern according to plant trophic mode. Moreover, mycoheterotrophic plants follow a more restricted association with their fungal partners in terms of phylogenetic diversity when compared with green plants, targeting more clustered lineages of fungi, independent of geographic origin. Our findings demonstrate that these mycoheterotrophic plants target more narrow lineages of fungi than green plants, despite the larger fungal pool available in the soil, and thus they are more specialized towards mycorrhizal fungi than autotrophic plants. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Special geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strominger, A.

1990-01-01

A special manifold is an allowed target manifold for the vector multiplets of D=4, N=2 supergravity. These manifolds are of interest for string theory because the moduli spaces of Calabi-Yau threefolds and c=9, (2,2) conformal field theories are special. Previous work has given a local, coordinate-dependent characterization of special geometry. A global description of special geometries is given herein, and their properties are studied. A special manifold M of complex dimension n is characterized by the existence of a holomorphic Sp(2n+2,R)xGL(1,C) vector bundle over M with a nowhere-vanishing holomorphic section Ω. The Kaehler potential on M is the logarithm of the Sp(2n+2,R) invariant norm of Ω. (orig.)

SENSITIVE COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION SKILLS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS USING THE PRINCIPLE’S OF THE ICDP PROGRAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nergis RAMO AKGJUN

2010-04-01

Full Text Available In the earliest stages, sensitive special educators interpret a child’s activities as he or she expresses his or her will, purpose, emotions, and desires. The child is participating in a dialogue with the special educator, based on the educator’s interpretative reactions. In this way, the child gradually enters the world of common human values, intentions, wishes, and emotions.The basic aim of the master thesis, presented in 227 pages, is to realize the necessity of implementing more sensitive communication techniques and interaction skills with pupils in special schools and institutions, according to the principles of ICDP program. This was accomplished through self-evaluation questionnaires given to special educators, asking them to make an evaluation of their own communication skills with pupils in special schools and institutions. Consideration was also made toward the need for establishing sensitive communication skills between the special education teacher and the child, as collected from the responses given by pupils and their parents.The thesis contains the following parts: introduction, theoretical approach to the research problem, research methodology, research results, discussion, conclusion, proposal recommendations, and bibliography, along with the data from questionnaires and surveys used for the research. The introduction highlights the need for research in assessing the importance of implementing sensitive communication techniques and interaction skills for special educators who work with children who have intellectual disabilities in special institutions.The theoretical approach to the research problem describes the intellectual disability by defining the concept, etiology of intellectual disability, classification, prevalence and characteristics of children with mild, medium, severe and profound intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, this section makes a detailed description of the ICDP program’s aims, tasks, and

26 CFR 1.9002-5 - Special rules relating to interest.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES General Actuarial Valuations § 1.9002-5 Special rules relating to... notice and demand for payment of the unpaid tax to the date of payment; or (ii) In the case of... issuance of the notice and demand for such payment. [T.D. 6490, 25 FR 8373, Sept. 1, 1960] ...

What Are the Lived Experiences of Parents Regarding Special Education Service Decisions for Their Children and Their Interactions with School Officials?

Science.gov (United States)

Doorn, Sean Travis

2017-01-01

This study utilized symbolic interaction theory and a phenomenological methodology to explore the meanings and perceptions of special education by parents whose children have special needs (i.e., disabilities) and their experiences working with school professionals. Parents who accepted Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) services and parents…

Ozone interaction with surfactants of waste waters of NPP specialized laundries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grachok, M.A.; Prokudina, S.A.

1992-01-01

Ozone interaction with OP-10 and Kristall synthetic detergent contained in sewage water of NPP specialized laundries was investigated. It is shown that the medium acidity practically does not affect the rate of OP-10 oxidation -complete oxidation of the preparation with the concentration of 130 mg/l in pH range of 6-11 is achieved in 90 min in case of ozone consumption of 1.6 g/g of the substance. Absorption coefficient equals 0.64. Carbonic acids are products of OP-10 oxidation, which are then oxidized to carbonic acid and water. It is ascertained that ozonation rate of the Kristall synthetic detergent is decreased at pH 9)

48 CFR 1503.101-370 - Personal conflicts of interest.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... AGENCY GENERAL IMPROPER BUSINESS PRACTICES AND PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Safeguards 1503.101-370 Personal conflicts of interest. (a) Each EPA employee (including special employees) engaged in source... conflicts of interest. The employee shall inform the Source Selection Authority (SSA) in writing if his/her...

The Interaction between American and European IRS Interest Rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verga Giovanni

2018-03-01

Full Text Available European interest rates movements are affected by various internal and external factors. This paper studies the link between European and American short- and long-term interest rates. In particular, we consider the forward interest rates coming from euro and dollar IRS term structures. The econometric techniques employed are co-integration, Granger-causality, OLS and GMM. Our results indicate that European remote settlement forward and long-term interest rates are primarily driven by US rates and confirm that the causality acts mainly from the US to the Eurozone. This was true even during the recent periods of European Central Bank quantitative easing. These factors weaken the ECB’s ability to intervene. In fact, we found the impact of American monetary policy on long-term interest rates to be also relevant for European bonds.

Birth Order and Vocational Interest

Science.gov (United States)

Gandy, Gerald L.

1973-01-01

Investigated birth order differences and the vocational interests of 150 male college students, making use of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. Sibling sex and interaction effects were also investigated. (DP)

7 CFR 774.18 - Interest rate, terms and security requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interest rate, terms and security requirements. 774.18..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS EMERGENCY LOAN FOR SEED PRODUCERS PROGRAM § 774.18 Interest rate, terms and security requirements. (a) Interest rate. (1) The interest rate on the loan will be zero...

Prediction of Interests from Values: A Longitudinal Investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Avonne; And Others

Interest in the attitude-behavior relationship has generated much research since the concept was introduced into research in 1934. This study examined the relationship between values and behavioral intentions, specifically in regard to interest in entering a particular medical specialization. Using structural equation techniques and a longitudinal…

7 CFR 761.9 - Interest rates for direct loans.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interest rates for direct loans. 761.9 Section 761.9... AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS GENERAL PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION General Provisions § 761.9 Interest rates for direct loans. Interest rates for all direct loans are set in accordance with the Act. A copy of the...

7 CFR 762.124 - Interest rates, terms, charges, and fees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interest rates, terms, charges, and fees. 762.124..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL PROGRAMS GUARANTEED FARM LOANS § 762.124 Interest rates, terms, charges, and fees. (a) Interest rates. (1) The interest rate on a guaranteed loan or line of credit may be...

Cascading effects of a highly specialized beech-aphid–fungus interaction on forest regeneration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan C. Cook-Patton

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Specialist herbivores are thought to often enhance or maintain plant diversity within ecosystems, because they prevent their host species from becoming competitively dominant. In contrast, specialist herbivores are not generally expected to have negative impacts on non-hosts. However, we describe a cascade of indirect interactions whereby a specialist sooty mold (Scorias spongiosa colonizes the honeydew from a specialist beech aphid (Grylloprociphilus imbricator, ultimately decreasing the survival of seedlings beneath American beech trees (Fagus grandifolia. A common garden experiment indicated that this mortality resulted from moldy honeydew impairing leaf function rather than from chemical or microbial changes to the soil. In addition, aphids consistently and repeatedly colonized the same large beech trees, suggesting that seedling-depauperate islands may form beneath these trees. Thus this highly specialized three-way beech-aphid–fungus interaction has the potential to negatively impact local forest regeneration via a cascade of indirect effects.

Human computer interaction and communication aids for hearing-impaired, deaf and deaf-blind people: Introduction to the special thematic session

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bothe, Hans-Heinrich

2008-01-01

This paper gives ail overview and extends the Special Thematic Session (STS) oil research and development of technologies for hearing-impaired, deaf, and deaf-blind people. The topics of the session focus oil special equipment or services to improve communication and human computer interaction....... The papers are related to visual communication using captions, sign language, speech-reading, to vibro-tactile stimulation, or to general services for hearing-impaired persons....

13 CFR 120.315 - Interest rate and loan limit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interest rate and loan limit. 120... Special Purpose Loans Disabled Assistance Loan Program (dal) § 120.315 Interest rate and loan limit. The interest rate on direct DAL loans is three percent. There is an administrative limit of $150,000 on a...

Special Issue to publish

OpenAIRE

Kllogjeri, Pellumb

2015-01-01

SciencePG has offered an email poster to help collect papers for our Special Issue and I have uploaded it for you. Please visit http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/specialissue/149002  to see our Special Issue announcement. Now, you can do the followings to personally contribute and promote our Special Issue:1. Submit your paper related to the topics of interest 2. Upload it to your personal websites.3. Upload it to the public websites of some universities and academic institutions...

Hyperfine interactions by Moessbauer effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Constantinescu, S.

1980-01-01

Moessbauer spectroscopy has been used to investigate hyperfine interactions in materials endowed with complex electromagnetic crystallographic structures. Such structures (Me 3 B 7 O 13 X boracite-type systems, for instance), equally interesting from both scientific and applications viewpoint, are drawing a special attention lately on account of their being examined by means of increasingly refined experimental techniques. In view of the wide prospects of using these materials in various practical fields, this thesis counts among the studies aiming to ameliorate the methods of processing and determining the Moessbauer spectra parameters, characterized by complex hyperfine interactions, as well as among the studies of electric, magnetic and crystallographic investigation of the Moessbauer nucleus neighbourhood, in boracite-type structures. (author)

Watch-and-Comment as an Approach to Collaboratively Annotate Points of Interest in Video and Interactive-TV Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Pimentel, Maria Da Graça C.; Cattelan, Renan G.; Melo, Erick L.; Freitas, Giliard B.; Teixeira, Cesar A.

In earlier work we proposed the Watch-and-Comment (WaC) paradigm as the seamless capture of multimodal comments made by one or more users while watching a video, resulting in the automatic generation of multimedia documents specifying annotated interactive videos. The aim is to allow services to be offered by applying document engineering techniques to the multimedia document generated automatically. The WaC paradigm was demonstrated with a WaCTool prototype application which supports multimodal annotation over video frames and segments, producing a corresponding interactive video. In this chapter, we extend the WaC paradigm to consider contexts in which several viewers may use their own mobile devices while watching and commenting on an interactive-TV program. We first review our previous work. Next, we discuss scenarios in which mobile users can collaborate via the WaC paradigm. We then present a new prototype application which allows users to employ their mobile devices to collaboratively annotate points of interest in video and interactive-TV programs. We also detail the current software infrastructure which supports our new prototype; the infrastructure extends the Ginga middleware for the Brazilian Digital TV with an implementation of the UPnP protocol - the aim is to provide the seamless integration of the users' mobile devices into the TV environment. As a result, the work reported in this chapter defines the WaC paradigm for the mobile-user as an approach to allow the collaborative annotation of the points of interest in video and interactive-TV programs.

How do incentives lead to deception in advisor-client interactions? Explicit and implicit strategies of self-interested deception.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackinger, Barbara; Jonas, Eva

2012-01-01

When confronted with important questions we like to rely on the advice of experts. However, uncertainty can occur regarding advisors' motivation to pursue self-interest and deceive the client. This can especially occur when the advisor has the possibility to receive an incentive by recommending a certain alternative. We investigated how the possibility to pursue self-interest led to explicit strategic behavior (bias in recommendation and transfer of information) and to implicit strategic behavior (bias in information processing: evaluation and memory). In Study 1 explicit strategic behavior could be identified: self-interested advisors recommended more often the self-serving alternative and transferred more self-interested biased information to their client compared to the advisor without specific interest. Also deception through implicit strategic behavior was identified: self-interested advisors biased the evaluation of information less in favor of the client compared to the control group. Self-interested advisors also remembered conflicting information regarding their self-interest worse compared to advisors without self-interest. In Study 2 beside self-interest we assessed accountability which interacted with self-interest and increased the bias: when accountability was high advisor's self-interest led to higher explicit strategic behavior (less transfer of conflicting information), and to higher implicit strategic behavior (devaluated and remembered less conflicting information). Both studies identified implicit strategic behavior as mediator which can explain the relation between self-interest and explicit strategic behavior. Results of both studies suggest that self-interested advisors use explicit and implicit strategic behavior to receive an incentive. Thus, advisors do not only consciously inform their clients "self-interested," but they are influenced unconsciously by biased information processing - a tendency which even increased with high

27 CFR 70.147 - Priority of interest and expenses.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... interest is not subrogated to the rights of the holder of the State sales tax lien. However, if the holder... the rights of the holder of the sales tax lien, the holder of the lien or security interest will also... Collection of Excise and Special (Occupational) Tax Lien for Taxes § 70.147 Priority of interest and expenses...

Travel Health Advisory Group: a joint travel industry and travel health Special Interest Group promoting healthy travel in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Leggat, Peter A; Zwar, Nicholas; Hudson, Bernie

2012-09-01

The Travel Health Advisory Group (THAG), established in 1997, is a joint initiative between the travel industry and travel health professionals in Australia that aims to promote healthy travel. THAG seeks to promote cooperation in improving the health of travellers between the travel industry and travel medicine professionals and to raise public awareness of the importance of travel health. From 2011, THAG has been a Special Interest Group of The Australasian College of Tropical Medicine and its membership has been active in several areas, including web-based travel health information, travel health promotion, media releases, research and education in Australia. Information is given on the objectives, membership and an overview of the various activities of the group. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Statement on gender-affirmative approach to care from the pediatric endocrine society special interest group on transgender health.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Ximena; Marinkovic, Maja; Eimicke, Toni; Rosenthal, Stephen M; Olshan, Jerrold S

2017-08-01

The purpose of this Position Statement is to emphasize the importance of an affirmative approach to the health care of transgender individuals, as well as to improve the understanding of the rights of transgender youth. Transgender youth have optimal outcomes when affirmed in their gender identity, through support by their families and their environment, as well as appropriate mental health and medical care. The Pediatric Endocrine Society Special Interest Group on Transgender Health joins other academic societies involved in the care of children and adolescents in supporting policies that promote a safe and accepting environment for gender nonconforming/transgender youth, as well as adequate mental health and medical care. This document provides a summary of relevant definitions, information and current literature on which the medical management and affirmative approach to care of transgender youth are based.

Risk based approach and interactions between interested parties in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-03-05

Mar 5, 2018 ... interested parties in QSE management systems. Hanae DAHMAN EL ... relevant interested parties participating in the logistics chain and who contribute to the ... huge logistic crossroads of loads and flows: supply of aircraft in kerosene, ... Swissport which represents the global supplier of services to the ...

How do incentives lead to deception in advisors-client interactions? Explicit and implicit strategies of self-interested deception.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara eMackinger

2012-12-01

Full Text Available When confronted with important questions we like to rely on the advice of experts. However, uncertainty can occur regarding advisors’ motivation to pursue self-interest and deceive the client. This can especially occur when the advisor has the possibility to receive an incentive by recommending a certain alternative. We investigated how the possibility to pursue self-interest led to explicit strategic behavior (bias in recommendation and transfer of information and to implicit strategic behavior (bias in information processing: evaluation and memory. In Study 1 explicit strategic behavior could be identified: Self-interested advisors recommended more often the self-serving alternative and transferred more self-interested biased information to their client compared to the advisor without specific interest. Also deception through implicit strategic behavior was identified: Self-interested advisors biased the evaluation of information less in favor of the client compared to the control group. Self-interested advisors also remembered conflicting information regarding their self-interest worse compared to advisors without self-interest. In Study 2 beside self-interest we assessed accountability which interacted with self-interest and increased the bias: When accountability was high advisor’s self-interest led to higher explicit strategic behavior (less transfer of conflicting information, and to higher implicit strategic behavior (devaluated and remembered less conflicting information. Both studies identified implicit strategic behavior as mediator which can explain the relation between self-interest and explicit strategic behavior. Results of both studies suggest that self-interested advisors use explicit and implicit strategic behavior to receive an incentive. Thus, advisors do not only consciously inform their clients self-interested, but they are influenced unconsciously by biased information processing—a tendency which even increased with

How Do Incentives Lead to Deception in Advisor–Client Interactions? Explicit and Implicit Strategies of Self-Interested Deception

Science.gov (United States)

Mackinger, Barbara; Jonas, Eva

2012-01-01

When confronted with important questions we like to rely on the advice of experts. However, uncertainty can occur regarding advisors’ motivation to pursue self-interest and deceive the client. This can especially occur when the advisor has the possibility to receive an incentive by recommending a certain alternative. We investigated how the possibility to pursue self-interest led to explicit strategic behavior (bias in recommendation and transfer of information) and to implicit strategic behavior (bias in information processing: evaluation and memory). In Study 1 explicit strategic behavior could be identified: self-interested advisors recommended more often the self-serving alternative and transferred more self-interested biased information to their client compared to the advisor without specific interest. Also deception through implicit strategic behavior was identified: self-interested advisors biased the evaluation of information less in favor of the client compared to the control group. Self-interested advisors also remembered conflicting information regarding their self-interest worse compared to advisors without self-interest. In Study 2 beside self-interest we assessed accountability which interacted with self-interest and increased the bias: when accountability was high advisor’s self-interest led to higher explicit strategic behavior (less transfer of conflicting information), and to higher implicit strategic behavior (devaluated and remembered less conflicting information). Both studies identified implicit strategic behavior as mediator which can explain the relation between self-interest and explicit strategic behavior. Results of both studies suggest that self-interested advisors use explicit and implicit strategic behavior to receive an incentive. Thus, advisors do not only consciously inform their clients “self-interested,” but they are influenced unconsciously by biased information processing – a tendency which even increased with high

Analysis of an Interactive Technology Supported Problem-Based Learning STEM Project Using Selected Learning Sciences Interest Areas (SLSIA)

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, David Devraj

2017-01-01

This paper reports an analysis of an interactive technology-supported, problem-based learning (PBL) project in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from a Learning Sciences perspective using the Selected Learning Sciences Interest Areas (SLSIA). The SLSIA was adapted from the "What kinds of topics do ISLS [International…

Specialized, multi-user computer facility for the high-speed, interactive processing of experimental data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maples, C.C.

1979-05-01

A proposal has been made at LBL to develop a specialized computer facility specifically designed to deal with the problems associated with the reduction and analysis of experimental data. Such a facility would provide a highly interactive, graphics-oriented, multi-user environment capable of handling relatively large data bases for each user. By conceptually separating the general problem of data analysis into two parts, cyclic batch calculations and real-time interaction, a multilevel, parallel processing framework may be used to achieve high-speed data processing. In principle such a system should be able to process a mag tape equivalent of data through typical transformations and correlations in under 30 s. The throughput for such a facility, for five users simultaneously reducing data, is estimated to be 2 to 3 times greater than is possible, for example, on a CDC7600. 3 figures

Specialized, multi-user computer facility for the high-speed, interactive processing of experimental data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maples, C.C.

1979-01-01

A proposal has been made to develop a specialized computer facility specifically designed to deal with the problems associated with the reduction and analysis of experimental data. Such a facility would provide a highly interactive, graphics-oriented, multi-user environment capable of handling relatively large data bases for each user. By conceptually separating the general problem of data analysis into two parts, cyclic batch calculations and real-time interaction, a multi-level, parallel processing framework may be used to achieve high-speed data processing. In principle such a system should be able to process a mag tape equivalent of data, through typical transformations and correlations, in under 30 sec. The throughput for such a facility, assuming five users simultaneously reducing data, is estimated to be 2 to 3 times greater than is possible, for example, on a CDC7600

Explanatory and illustrative visualization of special and general relativity.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiskopf, Daniel; Borchers, Marc; Ertl, Thomas; Falk, Martin; Fechtig, Oliver; Frank, Regine; Grave, Frank; King, Andreas; Kraus, Ute; Müller, Thomas; Nollert, Hans-Peter; Rica Mendez, Isabel; Ruder, Hanns; Schafhitzel, Tobias; Schär, Sonja; Zahn, Corvin; Zatloukal, Michael

2006-01-01

This paper describes methods for explanatory and illustrative visualizations used to communicate aspects of Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, their geometric structure, and of the related fields of cosmology and astrophysics. Our illustrations target a general audience of laypersons interested in relativity. We discuss visualization strategies, motivated by physics education and the didactics of mathematics, and describe what kind of visualization methods have proven to be useful for different types of media, such as still images in popular science magazines, film contributions to TV shows, oral presentations, or interactive museum installations. Our primary approach is to adopt an egocentric point of view: The recipients of a visualization participate in a visually enriched thought experiment that allows them to experience or explore a relativistic scenario. In addition, we often combine egocentric visualizations with more abstract illustrations based on an outside view in order to provide several presentations of the same phenomenon. Although our visualization tools often build upon existing methods and implementations, the underlying techniques have been improved by several novel technical contributions like image-based special relativistic rendering on GPUs, special relativistic 4D ray tracing for accelerating scene objects, an extension of general relativistic ray tracing to manifolds described by multiple charts, GPU-based interactive visualization of gravitational light deflection, as well as planetary terrain rendering. The usefulness and effectiveness of our visualizations are demonstrated by reporting on experiences with, and feedback from, recipients of visualizations and collaborators.

Special relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, J.G.

1975-01-01

It is stated that the early chapters review special relativity from an elementary mathematical viewpoint, and include discussion of recent experiments which set out to test Einstein's predictions. The theory of relativity is then reformulated in more sophisticated mathematical language to show its relation to electro-magnetism, and to lay the foundation for more general viewpoints. The final chapter discusses in simple terms where activity in the field is currently centred, and where future interest lies. Chapter headings include: the constant speed of light; measuring time and distance; the Lorentz transformation (relativity of simultaneity, space-time and causality); relativistic kinematics (including - the Dopper effect); relativistic dynamics (including - nuclear binding energy, particle creation, electrodynamics); the structure of special relativity (including - the Lorentz group, the rotation group, elementary particle scattering); extensions of special relativity. (U.K.)

Ecology and evolution of plant–pollinator interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Randall J.; Irwin, Rebecca E.; Flanagan, Rebecca J.; Karron, Jeffrey D.

2009-01-01

Background Some of the most exciting advances in pollination biology have resulted from interdisciplinary research combining ecological and evolutionary perspectives. For example, these two approaches have been essential for understanding the functional ecology of floral traits, the dynamics of pollen transport, competition for pollinator services, and patterns of specialization and generalization in plant–pollinator interactions. However, as research in these and other areas has progressed, many pollination biologists have become more specialized in their research interests, focusing their attention on either evolutionary or ecological questions. We believe that the continuing vigour of a synthetic and interdisciplinary field like pollination biology depends on renewed connections between ecological and evolutionary approaches. Scope In this Viewpoint paper we highlight the application of ecological and evolutionary approaches to two themes in pollination biology: (1) links between pollinator behaviour and plant mating systems, and (2) generalization and specialization in pollination systems. We also describe how mathematical models and synthetic analyses have broadened our understanding of pollination biology, especially in human-modified landscapes. We conclude with several suggestions that we hope will stimulate future research. This Viewpoint also serves as the introduction to this Special Issue on the Ecology and Evolution of Plant–Pollinator Interactions. These papers provide inspiring examples of the synergy between evolutionary and ecological approaches, and offer glimpses of great accomplishments yet to come. PMID:19482881

Ecology and evolution of plant-pollinator interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Randall J; Irwin, Rebecca E; Flanagan, Rebecca J; Karron, Jeffrey D

2009-06-01

Some of the most exciting advances in pollination biology have resulted from interdisciplinary research combining ecological and evolutionary perspectives. For example, these two approaches have been essential for understanding the functional ecology of floral traits, the dynamics of pollen transport, competition for pollinator services, and patterns of specialization and generalization in plant-pollinator interactions. However, as research in these and other areas has progressed, many pollination biologists have become more specialized in their research interests, focusing their attention on either evolutionary or ecological questions. We believe that the continuing vigour of a synthetic and interdisciplinary field like pollination biology depends on renewed connections between ecological and evolutionary approaches. In this Viewpoint paper we highlight the application of ecological and evolutionary approaches to two themes in pollination biology: (1) links between pollinator behaviour and plant mating systems, and (2) generalization and specialization in pollination systems. We also describe how mathematical models and synthetic analyses have broadened our understanding of pollination biology, especially in human-modified landscapes. We conclude with several suggestions that we hope will stimulate future research. This Viewpoint also serves as the introduction to this Special Issue on the Ecology and Evolution of Plant-Pollinator Interactions. These papers provide inspiring examples of the synergy between evolutionary and ecological approaches, and offer glimpses of great accomplishments yet to come.

Measuring baryon-(anti-)baryon interaction cross-sections with femtoscopy in Heavy-Ion Collisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kisiel, A.

2016-12-15

Two-particle correlations at low relative momentum (femtoscopy) are used to study the space-time dynamics of the source created in heavy-ion collisions. The same method can be used in a novel way to study the Final State Interaction potential for various particle pairs. The parameters are also directly related to the relevant interaction cross-sections. Of special interest are correlations of baryons, where the strong interaction often dominates. The femtoscopic technique offers a unique opportunity to study this interaction in such systems. In this work we discuss the similarities and differences of such measurement for baryon-baryon and baryon-antibaryon pairs.

Host-Parasite Interactions from the Inside: Plant Reproductive Ontogeny Drives Specialization in Parasitic Insects.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Boivin

Full Text Available Host plant interactions are likely key drivers of evolutionary processes involved in the diversification of phytophagous insects. Granivory has received substantial attention for its crucial role in shaping the interaction between plants and their seed parasites, but fine-scale mechanisms explaining the role of host plant reproductive biology on specialization of seed parasites remain poorly described. In a comparative approach using plant histological techniques, we tested the hypotheses that different seed parasite species synchronize their life cycles to specific stages in seed development, and that the stage they target depends on major differences in seed development programs. In a pinaceous system, seed storage products are initiated before ovule fertilization and the wasps target the ovule's nucellus during megagametogenesis, a stage at which larvae may benefit from the by-products derived from both secreting cells and dying nucellar cells. In a cupressaceous system, oviposition activity peaks later, during embryogenesis, and the wasps target the ovule's megagametophyte where larvae may benefit from cell disintegration during embryogenesis. Our cytohistological approach shows for the first time how, despite divergent oviposition targets, different parasite species share a common strategy that consists of first competing for nutrients with developing plant structures, and then consuming these developed structures to complete their development. Our results support the prediction that seed developmental program is an axis for specialization in seed parasites, and that it could be an important parameter in models of their ecological and taxonomic divergence. This study provides the basis for further investigating the possibility of the link between plant ontogeny and pre-dispersal seed parasitism.

Medical speciality choice: does personality matter?

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Lydon, S

2015-03-01

There has been increasing interest in the personalities of doctors. This study examined whether personality differed based upon gender, level of training or medical speciality among 200 physicians and 134 medical students. Post-internship doctors scored significantly higher on conscientiousness (p = .001) than those pursuing basic medical training. Among those pursuing basic medical training, females scored significantly higher than males on agreeableness (p < .001) and conscientiousness (p = .001). Among post-internship respondents, females scored significantly higher on agreeableness (p = .004). There were no personality differences between post-internship doctors working in different specialities. However, among those pursuing basic medical training, those interested in person-focused medical specialities scored significantly higher on extraversion (p < .001), conscientiousness (p = .001), and lower on neuroticism (p = .01) than those who had no strong preference. These results suggest that there is no unique personality profile associated with medical practice, or medical speciality. Instead, it appears that medical school may shape personality.

Teachers’ interpretations of their classroom interactions in terms of their pupils’ best interest : A perspective from continental European pedagogy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kan, Carlos Alberto van

2013-01-01

This thesis comprises four closely related interpretative studies and set out to answer the compound question: ‘How do teachers interpret their classroom interactions in terms of their pupils’ best interest?’ Two empirical studies were conducted. The first study addressed the sub question: ‘How do

Cataloguing In Special Libraries In The 1990s

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Makin

1996-01-01

Full Text Available Cataloguing in special libraries has been virtually ignored in the literature since the turn of the century, although there are many books and papers on cataloguing in general. It is not clear why this should be so, since it can be argued that the needs of special libraries are different from those of public, academic and national libraries. Special libraries are primarily interested in the information content of documents in the sense that they have little or no interest in documents except as "packages" in which information may be encapsulated. It is therefore reasonable to assume, a priori, that special libraries would undertake detailed indexing and light cataloguing, perhaps reducing the catalogue to the status of a finding list. This paper reports the results of a survey of current cataloguing practice in special libraries.

Bioprocessing automation in cell therapy manufacturing: Outcomes of special interest group automation workshop.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Oliver; Robinson, Sarah; Bure, Kim; Brindley, David A; Mccall, David

2018-04-01

Phacilitate held a Special Interest Group workshop event in Edinburgh, UK, in May 2017. The event brought together leading stakeholders in the cell therapy bioprocessing field to identify present and future challenges and propose potential solutions to automation in cell therapy bioprocessing. Here, we review and summarize discussions from the event. Deep biological understanding of a product, its mechanism of action and indication pathogenesis underpin many factors relating to bioprocessing and automation. To fully exploit the opportunities of bioprocess automation, therapeutics developers must closely consider whether an automation strategy is applicable, how to design an 'automatable' bioprocess and how to implement process modifications with minimal disruption. Major decisions around bioprocess automation strategy should involve all relevant stakeholders; communication between technical and business strategy decision-makers is of particular importance. Developers should leverage automation to implement in-process testing, in turn applicable to process optimization, quality assurance (QA)/ quality control (QC), batch failure control, adaptive manufacturing and regulatory demands, but a lack of precedent and technical opportunities can complicate such efforts. Sparse standardization across product characterization, hardware components and software platforms is perceived to complicate efforts to implement automation. The use of advanced algorithmic approaches such as machine learning may have application to bioprocess and supply chain optimization. Automation can substantially de-risk the wider supply chain, including tracking and traceability, cryopreservation and thawing and logistics. The regulatory implications of automation are currently unclear because few hardware options exist and novel solutions require case-by-case validation, but automation can present attractive regulatory incentives. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Cellular Therapy

INTEREST AND READING MOTIVATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alhamdu Alhamdu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between interest and reading motivation based on literature review. The concept of the interest portrayed as a psychological state that occurs during interaction between individual and specific topic, object or activity including process of willingness, increased attention, concentration and positive feeling to the topic, object or activity. Meanwhile reading motivation emphasized to mental readiness, willingness and refers to beliefs and perception of individual to engage in reading activity. Some researchers were identified factors that influenced reading motivation such as intrinsic and extrinsic factors, self-concept and value of reading, and interest. In general, the literature review described that have positive relationship between interest and reading motivation.

[Human cloning and the protection of women's interests].

Science.gov (United States)

Canabes, Marcela Ahumada

2008-01-01

The Human Cloning, both therapeutic and full birth cloning, involves and affects women in a special way. The United Nation's Declaration on the Cloning of Human Beings includes a special clause referred to them. Also the Spanish law does it. This works pretend to analyse the meaning of the inclusion of women's interests in this document. At the same time, I will consider the foundations and the importance of the reference to the women.

The Role of Child Interests and Collaborative Parent-Child Interactions in Fostering Numeracy and Literacy Development in Canadian Homes

Science.gov (United States)

Lukie, Ivanna K.; Skwarchuk, Sheri-Lynn; LeFevre, Jo-Anne; Sowinski, Carla

2014-01-01

Children's involvement in home literacy and numeracy activities has been linked to school achievement, but the subtleties in the home environment responsible for these gains have yet to be thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine how children's interests and collaborative parent-child interactions affect exposure to home…

Academic and social achievement goals: Their additive, interactive, and specialized effects on school functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Liem, Gregory Arief D

2016-03-01

Students' pursuit of academic and social goals has implications for school functioning. However, studies on academic and social achievement goals have been relatively independent and mainly conducted with students in culturally Western settings. Guided by multiple-goal perspectives, this study examined the role of academic and social achievement goals in outcome variables relevant to academic (achievement, effort/persistence), social (peer relationship satisfaction, loneliness), and socio-academic (cooperative learning, competitive learning, socially regulated, and self-regulated learning) functioning. A total of 356 Indonesian high-school students (mean age = 16 years; 36% girls) participated in the study. A self-report survey comprising items drawn from pre-existing instruments was administered to measure distinct dimensions of achievement goals and outcomes under focus. Regression analysis was performed to examine additive, interactive, and specialized effects of achievement goals on outcomes. Aligned with the hierarchical model of goal relationships (Wentzel, 2000, Contemp. Educ. Psychol., 25, 105), academic and social achievement goals bore additive effects on most outcomes. Findings also revealed a specialized effect on academic achievement and notable interactive effects on cooperative learning. In general, mastery-approach and performance-approach goals were more adaptive than their avoidance counterparts. The effects of social development goals were positive, whereas those of social demonstration-approach goals were mixed. Contrary to prior findings, social demonstration-avoidance goals did not appear to be inimical for school functioning. Findings underscore the importance of both academic and social achievement goals in day-to-day school functioning and the need to consider the meaning of goals and the coordination of multiple goals from cultural lenses. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Weblog patterns and human dynamics with decreasing interest

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, J.-L.; Fan, C.; Guo, Z.-H.

2011-06-01

In order to describe the phenomenon that people's interest in doing something always keep high in the beginning while gradually decreases until reaching the balance, a model which describes the attenuation of interest is proposed to reflect the fact that people's interest becomes more stable after a long time. We give a rigorous analysis on this model by non-homogeneous Poisson processes. Our analysis indicates that the interval distribution of arrival-time is a mixed distribution with exponential and power-law feature, which is a power law with an exponential cutoff. After that, we collect blogs in ScienceNet.cn and carry on empirical study on the interarrival time distribution. The empirical results agree well with the theoretical analysis, obeying a special power law with the exponential cutoff, that is, a special kind of Gamma distribution. These empirical results verify the model by providing an evidence for a new class of phenomena in human dynamics. It can be concluded that besides power-law distributions, there are other distributions in human dynamics. These findings demonstrate the variety of human behavior dynamics.

Play therapy in the special education of the children with ASD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kats L.I.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Access to the method of play therapy allows to actively use it in the framework of comprehensive intervention with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Problems with play skills that are typical for children with autism require greater flexibility from teachers, whose work should be based on the knowledge of sensory perception and special interest of an individual child. The article describes techniques and methods that are used by play therapists from the parent association Svet in order to promote emotional development, motor skills, social interaction and functional skills through the play activities with children with autism.

Contrasting effects of land use intensity and exotic host plants on the specialization of interactions in plant-herbivore networks.

Science.gov (United States)

de Araújo, Walter Santos; Vieira, Marcos Costa; Lewinsohn, Thomas M; Almeida-Neto, Mário

2015-01-01

Human land use tends to decrease the diversity of native plant species and facilitate the invasion and establishment of exotic ones. Such changes in land use and plant community composition usually have negative impacts on the assemblages of native herbivorous insects. Highly specialized herbivores are expected to be especially sensitive to land use intensification and the presence of exotic plant species because they are neither capable of consuming alternative plant species of the native flora nor exotic plant species. Therefore, higher levels of land use intensity might reduce the proportion of highly specialized herbivores, which ultimately would lead to changes in the specialization of interactions in plant-herbivore networks. This study investigates the community-wide effects of land use intensity on the degree of specialization of 72 plant-herbivore networks, including effects mediated by the increase in the proportion of exotic plant species. Contrary to our expectation, the net effect of land use intensity on network specialization was positive. However, this positive effect of land use intensity was partially canceled by an opposite effect of the proportion of exotic plant species on network specialization. When we analyzed networks composed exclusively of endophagous herbivores separately from those composed exclusively of exophagous herbivores, we found that only endophages showed a consistent change in network specialization at higher land use levels. Altogether, these results indicate that land use intensity is an important ecological driver of network specialization, by way of reducing the local host range of herbivore guilds with highly specialized feeding habits. However, because the effect of land use intensity is offset by an opposite effect owing to the proportion of exotic host species, the net effect of land use in a given herbivore assemblage will likely depend on the extent of the replacement of native host species with exotic ones.

27 CFR 70.144 - Special rules.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

..., under local law, one person is subrogated to the rights of another with respect to a lien or interest, such person shall be subrogated to such rights for purposes of any lien imposed by 26 U.S.C. 6321 or... Excise and Special (Occupational) Tax Lien for Taxes § 70.144 Special rules. (a) Actual notice or...

Spacetime from locality of interactions in deformations of special relativity: The example of κ -Poincaré Hopf algebra

Science.gov (United States)

Carmona, J. M.; Cortés, J. L.; Relancio, J. J.

2018-03-01

A new proposal for the notion of spacetime in a relativistic generalization of special relativity based on a modification of the composition law of momenta is presented. Locality of interactions is the principle which defines the spacetime structure for a system of particles. The formulation based on κ -Poincaré Hopf algebra is shown to be contained in this framework as a particular example.

Teaching Science to Learners with Special Needs

Science.gov (United States)

McGinnis, J. Randy

2013-01-01

A fundamental social justice issue worldwide is how to meet the needs of all learners, especially those with special needs who historically have faced discrimination, exclusion, and oppression due to special needs (physical, cognitive, or behavioral dimensions). This article focuses on the key questions that researchers interested in improving…

The future of the pharmaceutical sciences and graduate education: recommendations from the AACP Graduate Education Special Interest Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu-Pong, Susanna; Gobburu, Jogarao; O'Barr, Stephen; Shah, Kumar; Huber, Jason; Weiner, Daniel

2013-05-13

Despite pharma's recent sea change in approach to drug discovery and development, U.S. pharmaceutical sciences graduate programs are currently maintaining traditional methods for master's and doctoral student education. The literature on graduate education in the biomedical sciences has long been advocating educating students to hone soft skills like communication and teamwork, in addition to maintaining excellent basic skills in research. However, recommendations to date have not taken into account the future trends in the pharmaceutical industry. The AACP Graduate Education Special Interest Group has completed a literature survey of the trends in the pharmaceutical industry and graduate education in order to determine whether our graduate programs are strategically positioned to prepare our graduates for successful careers in the next few decades. We recommend that our pharmaceutical sciences graduate programs take a proactive leadership role in meeting the needs of our future graduates and employers. Our graduate programs should bring to education the innovation and collaboration that our industry also requires to be successful and relevant in this century.

Interactive physics apparatus: influence on interest of secondary school students in pursuing a career path in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)

Science.gov (United States)

Lubrica, Joel V.; Abiasen, Jovalson T.; Dolipas, Bretel B.; Ramos, Jennifer Lyn S.

2017-01-01

In this article, we present results of our endeavours as physics educators to facilitate and support pedagogical change and development in the educational system of a developing country, the Philippines. We have discovered that the interaction of junior high school (years 7-10) students with physics apparatus can influence students’ interest in pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This assertion stems from self-reports of students who gave their views immediately after their exposure to interactive apparatus in their own school, outside of their usual lessons. Participants claimed that their interest in following a STEM career path was ‘greatly increased’ due to their exposure to these apparatus. This was true even for students who were intending to take a non-STEM career path. Thus, we recommend that, in settings that have constraints involving access to practical equipment, ways to introduce school level interactive physics apparatus to secondary school students be conducted in order to attract more students towards STEM courses. Possibly, policies encouraging this type of exposure should also be formulated.

«Great Eurasia»: interests and possibilities of Russia at interaction with China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena M. Kuzmina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Author analyzes the regulatory structure proposed by the President Putin’s strategy of «Great Eurasia» in Russian official and economic policy frameworks and development programmes, Examines internal and external factors affecting the Eurasian Union, as a base for building relationships within the «Great Eurasia». The emphasis the author makes the EAEU’s interest in the development of economic relations with the countries of «Great Eurasia» with the use of the Union. He also analyzes the dynamics of the negotiation process for conclusion of trade and economic agreements between the EEC and China and the challenges and opportunities of member countries in economic relations with China. Considered the level of compatibility of the Eurasian Union and the initiative «One belt and one road». A separate part of the article devoted to economic cooperation of Russia and China and their possible interaction in the construction of the Grand Eurasia.  

'Interaction-free' measurement: possibilities and limitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vyatchanin, Sergei P; Khalili, Farit Ya

2004-01-01

The so-called 'interaction-free' measurement is a very interesting quantum effect that allows discovering the presence of an opaque object in a given spatial domain, with the probability that the object absorbs a photon being, in principle, as low as desired. This probability is bounded from below only by a value of the order of 1/ωτ, where ω is the frequency of light and τ is the measurement time. This corresponds to the average absorbed energy of the order of ℎ/τ. The 'interaction-free' technique can also be used to measure the coordinate of an object but only under the condition that the object is prepared in a special 'discretized' quantum state. Such is, for instance, the state of a ponderomotive meter of electromagnetic energy, which, in principle, enables the interaction-free' measurement of the energy contained in an electromagnetic cavity. Estimations show that with modern experimental equipment and with the help of 'interaction-free' measurement, single atoms can be registered inside optical cavities. (methodological notes)

Experimental demonstration of conflicting interest nonlocal games using superconducting qubits

Science.gov (United States)

Situ, Haozhen; Li, Lvzhou; Huang, Zhiming; He, Zhimin; Zhang, Cai

2018-06-01

Conflicting interest nonlocal games are special Bayesian games played by noncooperative players without communication. In recent years, some conflicting interest nonlocal games have been proposed where quantum advice can help players to obtain higher payoffs. In this work we perform an experiment of six conflicting interest nonlocal games using the IBM quantum computer made up of five superconducting qubits. The experimental results demonstrate quantum advantage in four of these games, whereas the other two games fail to showcase quantum advantage in the experiment.

Research Article Special Issue Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-07-15

Jul 15, 2016 ... Interests" among Actors, with taking advantage of the "Generative Rules", and optimal use of. "Language". Keywords: Diplomacy, Embassy, Medium, Smart Interaction. .... global cities, the diversity, and complexity, the pattern ...

Varying dilaton as a tracer of classical string interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Dodelson, Matthew; Silverstein, Eva; Torroba, Gonzalo

2017-09-01

We analyze tree-level string amplitudes in a linear dilaton background, motivated by its use as a gauge-invariant tracer of string interactions in scattering experiments and its genericity among simple perturbative string theory limits. A simple case is given by a lightlike dependence for the dilaton. The zero mode of the embedding coordinate in the direction of dilaton variation requires special care. Employing Gaussian wave packets and a well-defined modification of the dilaton profile far from the dominant interaction region, we obtain finite results which explicitly reproduce the interaction time scales expected from joining and splitting interactions involving oscillating strings in simple string scattering processes. There is an interesting interplay between the effects of the linear dilaton and the i ɛ prescription. In more general circumstances this provides a method for tracing the degree of nonlocality in string interactions, and it gives a basis for further studies of perturbative supercritical string theory at higher loop order.

Interests versus morality in politics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radojčić Mirjana S.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available In this individual project the relationship between interests and moral in politics will be considered, taking into consideration the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and the processes of globalization. The starting thesis of the research is that the main actors of global politics are still guided by the modern principles of real-politics with interests as its basic category and power as its supreme value. In that context the main elements of external politics of USA as the key actor of the processes will be specially considered. In the concluding part of the research author will be argue in favor of the affirmation of a new model of global politics, matching the character and scope of the problems faced by humanity at the turn of the century and the millenium.

How to Improve Interest, IQ, and Motivation of Vocational Students?

Science.gov (United States)

Sumual, H.; Ombuh, D. M.

2018-02-01

The aim of this research was to study the effect of interest, motivation and IQ of students on the learning result. The survey method with quantitative approach was used in this study. The data were then analysed using path paradigm. Data were collected by questionnaire technique, special tests for IQ and documentation for learning outcomes. The results showed that the interest, IQ and the motivation influence significantly and positively on learning result as well as interest to learning motivation. However, no significant influence of IQ on Learning Motivation was detected in this research.

Special issue photovoltaic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

In this letter of the INES (french National Institute of the Solar Energy), a special interest is given to photovoltaic realizations in Europe. Many information are provided on different topics: the China future fifth world producer of cells in 2005, batteries and hydrogen to storage the solar energy and a technical sheet on a photovoltaic autonomous site installation for electric power production. (A.L.B.)

Teacher of Special Education and teaching- learning process of students with autism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andréa R. dos S. Boettger Giardinetto

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper has as subject autism, and sought to verify how the process of teaching and learning of students with autism occurs in a special education school. The Infantile Autism is today sorted as one of the “Global Developmental Disorders (PDD” and is characterized by a severe and global impairment in several areas of development, such as reciprocal social interaction skills, communication skills and presence of stereotypic behavior, interests and activities. This study aimed to identify the teaching methodology used with adolescents with autism in special education and see in what ways this methodology assists in the teaching and learning of these students. To this end, participated in this study a teacher, expert in this issue, and three students with autism in a Special Education School located within the State of São Paulo. For data collection, 19 observations of activities performed by students with autism in the classroom were conducted and a semi-structured interview with the specialized teacher was applied. The results revealed that the teacher mentioned above does not use any specific teaching methodology to assist in the teaching and learning of these students, although there are some specific methodologies for individuals with autism, which are used in special education schools. Thus, there is a gap in the teaching process on the part of the teacher and an uncertainty about the learning process of these students with autism in this institution.

Identification of voters with interest groups improves the electoral chances of the challenger

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sadiraj, V.; Tuinstra, J.; van Winden, F.

2010-01-01

This short paper investigates the consequences of voters identifying with special interest groups in a spatial model of electoral competition. We show that by effectively coordinating voting behavior, identification with interest groups leads to an increase in the size of the winning set, that is,

Interesting Interest Points

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aanæs, Henrik; Dahl, Anders Lindbjerg; Pedersen, Kim Steenstrup

2012-01-01

on spatial invariance of interest points under changing acquisition parameters by measuring the spatial recall rate. The scope of this paper is to investigate the performance of a number of existing well-established interest point detection methods. Automatic performance evaluation of interest points is hard......Not all interest points are equally interesting. The most valuable interest points lead to optimal performance of the computer vision method in which they are employed. But a measure of this kind will be dependent on the chosen vision application. We propose a more general performance measure based...... position. The LED illumination provides the option for artificially relighting the scene from a range of light directions. This data set has given us the ability to systematically evaluate the performance of a number of interest point detectors. The highlights of the conclusions are that the fixed scale...

Interactive Apps Promote Learning of Basic Mathematics in Children With Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Pitchford, Nicola J; Kamchedzera, Elizabeth; Hubber, Paula J; Chigeda, Antonie L

2018-01-01

Interactive apps delivered on touch-screen tablets can be effective at supporting the acquisition of basic skills in mainstream primary school children. This technology may also be beneficial for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as it can promote high levels of engagement with the learning task and an inclusive learning environment. However, few studies have measured extent of learning for SEND pupils when using interactive apps, so it has yet to be determined if this technology is effective at raising attainment for these pupils. We report the first observational study of a group of 33 pupils with SEND from two primary schools in Malawi that are implementing a new digital technology intervention which uses touch-screen tablets to deliver interactive apps designed to teach basic mathematical skills. The apps contain topics that align to the national curriculum. To assess learning gains, rate of progress (minutes per topic) for each pupil was determined by calculating the average time taken to complete a topic. Progress rate was then correlated with teacher ratings of extent of disability and independent ratings of pupil engagement with the apps. Results showed SEND pupils could interact with the apps and all pupils passed at least one topic. Average progress rate for SEND pupils was twice as long as mainstream peers. Stepwise regression revealed extent of disability significantly predicted progress rate. Further exploratory correlations revealed pupils with moderate to severe difficulties with hearing and/or language made slower progress through the apps than those with greater functionality in these two domains because the use of verbal instructions within the apps limited their capacity to learn. This original quantitative analysis demonstrates that interactive apps can raise learning standards in pupils with SEND but may have limited utility for pupils with severe difficulties. Software modifications are needed to address specific

Modernizing dermatology interest groups in medical school: Certificate programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jordan V; Korta, Dorota Z; Keller, Matthew

2017-11-15

This commentary addresses the increasingly competitive nature of applying to dermatology residency programs and how both interest groups in medical schools and their dermatology departments can help to better prepare applicants. As previous literature argued that dermatology has been underemphasized in medical school curricula, we propose five fundamental options that interest groups can implement in order to offer increased exposure to our field in medical training. Furthermore, with therecent trend of many schools conferring certificates in various specialized concentrations, we also discuss interest groups pioneering certificate-grantingprograms in dermatology competency. The pros and cons of having a recognized certificate program in dermatology are presented.

Examining the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale Among Members of an Alternative Sexuality Special Interest Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Cramer, Robert J; Golom, Frank D; Gemberling, Tess M; Trost, Kristen; Lewis, Robin; Wright, Susan

2018-05-01

The present study contributes to a growing body of literature developing psychometrically and theoretically grounded measures of sexual orientation minority identity. We tested psychometric properties and construct validity of a 27-item measure, the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale (LGBIS). The sample consisted of 475 adult (178 male, 237 female, 16 male-to-female, 14 female-to-male, and 30 gender queer persons) members of a special interest group, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. Participants completed a health needs questionnaire. Prominent findings included (1) confirmatory factor-analytic, internal consistency, and inter-correlation patterns support two LGBIS factor structures; (2) men, compared primarily to women, reported elevated scores on Acceptance Concerns, Concealment Motivation, Difficulty Process, and Negative Identity; (3) queer-identifying persons tended to report low Concealment Motivation, and high Identity Affirmation and Identity Centrality scores; (4) experimenting/fluid-identifying individuals tended toward higher Identity Uncertainty and Negative Identity, and lower Identity Centrality scores; (5) LGB community involvement was negatively associated with Concealment Motivation, Identity Uncertainty, and Negative Identity, and positively associated with Identity Superiority, Identity Affirmation, and Identity Centrality scores; and (6) Acceptance Concerns, Identity Uncertainty, and Internalized Homonegativity displayed significant positive associations with such mental health symptoms as general anxiety and posttraumatic stress. The LGBIS represents a useful approach to evaluating sexual orientation minority identity. Implications for identity theory, research, and practice are provided.

Interaction among children with special needs in free-play situations: possibilities of development / Interação entre crianças com necessidades especiais em contexto lúdico: possibilidades de desenvolvimento

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Molina Lucenti de Souza

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The present study discussed the role of peer interaction, in a free-play situation, to the development of children with special needs. The interactions between visually impaired children (low vision or blindness, most of them with additional organic problems and/or learning difficulties, were observed in a free-play situation. The investigation of episodes which were representative of different abilities of the children lead to the identification of two categories: (a ways of playing (individually or in group, and (b kinds of relationships between peers (friendly or agonistic. The analysis pointed to peer interaction as an important contributing factor to the development of children with special needs and suggested that free-play situations can constitute favorable settings for the construction of those interactions.

26 CFR 1.861-10T - Special allocations of interest expense (temporary).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... allocation of amortizable bond premium. (b) Qualified nonrecourse indebtedness—(1) In general. In the case of... interest shall be considered directly allocable solely to the gross income which the property acquired.... [Reserved] (v) Examples. The principles of this paragraph may be demonstrated by the following examples...

Weak-interaction rates in stellar conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Sarriguren, Pedro

2018-05-01

Weak-interaction rates, including β-decay and electron captures, are studied in several mass regions at various densities and temperatures of astrophysical interest. In particular, we study odd-A nuclei in the pf-shell region, which are involved in presupernova formations. Weak rates are relevant to understand the late stages of the stellar evolution, as well as the nucleosynthesis of heavy nuclei. The nuclear structure involved in the weak processes is studied within a quasiparticle proton-neutron random-phase approximation with residual interactions in both particle-hole and particle-particle channels on top of a deformed Skyrme Hartree-Fock mean field with pairing correlations. First, the energy distributions of the Gamow-Teller strength are discussed and compared with the available experimental information, measured under terrestrial conditions from charge-exchange reactions. Then, the sensitivity of the weak-interaction rates to both astrophysical densities and temperatures is studied. Special attention is paid to the relative contribution to these rates of thermally populated excited states in the decaying nucleus and to the electron captures from the degenerate electron plasma.

Conflicts of interest in biomedical publications: considerations for authors, peer reviewers, and editors.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasparyan, Armen Yuri; Ayvazyan, Lilit; Akazhanov, Nurbek A; Kitas, George D

2013-12-01

This article overviews evidence on common instances of conflict of interest (COI) in research publications from general and specialized fields of biomedicine. Financial COIs are viewed as the most powerful source of bias, which may even distort citation outcomes of sponsored publications. The urge to boost journal citation indicators by stakeholders of science communication is viewed as a new secondary interest, which may compromize the interaction between authors, peer reviewers and editors. Comprehensive policies on disclosure of financial and non-financial COIs in scholarly journals are presented as proxies of their indexing in evidence-based databases, and examples of successful medical journals are discussed in detail. Reports on clinical trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and clinical practice guidelines may be unduly influenced by author-pharmaceutical industry relations, but these publications do not always contain explicit disclosures to allow the readers to judge the reliability of the published conclusions and practice-changing recommendations. The article emphasizes the importance of adhering to the guidance on COI from learned associations such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). It also considers joint efforts of authors, peer reviewers and editors as a foundation for appropriately defining and disclosing potential COIs.

A special type of neutron-proton pairing interaction and the moments of inertia of some deformed even-even nuclei in the rare earth region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meftunoglu, E.; Gerceklioglu, M.; Erbil, H.H.; Kuliev, A.A.

1998-01-01

In this work, the effect of a special type of neutron-proton pairing interaction on the moments of inertia of some deformed nuclei in the rare earth region is investigated. First, making a perturbative approximation, we assume that the form of the equations of the BCS theory and usual Bogolyubov transformations are unchanged. Second, we use a phenomenological method for the strength of this neutron-proton pairing interaction introducing a parameter. Calculations show that this interaction is important for the ground-state moments of inertia and that it could be effectual in other nuclear phenomena. (author)

The geometry of special relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parizet, Jean

2008-01-01

This book for students in mathematics or physics shows the interest of geometry to understand special relativity as a consequence of invariance of Maxwell equations and of constancy of the speed of light. Space-time is actually provided with a geometrical structure and a physical interpretation: at each observer are associated his own time and his own physical space in which occur events he is concerned with. This leads to a natural approach to special relativity. The Lorentz group and its algebra are then studied by using matrices and the Pauli algebra. Quaternions are also addressed

Risk evaluation and mitigation strategies for drugs with abuse liability: public interest, special interest, conflicts of interest, and the industry perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Curtis; Schnoll, Sidney; Bernstein, David

2008-10-01

Risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) formerly known as Risk Minimization Action Plans (RiskMAPs) are a regulatory technique for dealing with anticipated risks of new medications and are especially important for new drugs with abuse potential. This paper describes the origin and history of risk-management plans for drugs that might be abused, the proper use of these plans in minimizing the risk to the public, and the special difficulties inherent in managing risks for drugs with abuse potential. Drugs with abuse liability are distinctive since the risks inherent in manufacture and distribution include not only risks to patients prescribed the medications, but also risks to the general public including subgroups in the population not intended to get the drug and who receive no medical benefit from the medication. The crafting of risk-management plans intended to protect nonpatient populations is unique for these products. The content, extent, and level of intensity of these plans affect areas of medical ethics, civil liability, and criminal prosecution. The need for risk-management plans for drugs with abuse liability can potentially act as a deterrent to investment and is a factor in decisions concerning the development of new medications for the treatments of pain, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and addictions. This paper provides a framework for moving the process of REMS development forward and criteria for evaluating the probity and adequacy of such programs.

Sex Unleashes Your Tongue: Sexual Priming Motivates Self-Disclosure to a New Acquaintance and Interest in Future Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Birnbaum, Gurit E; Mizrahi, Moran; Kaplan, Ayelet; Kadosh, Danielle; Kariv, Dana; Tabib, Danielle; Ziv, Daniella; Sadeh, Lihi; Burban, Daniella

2017-05-01

Research has demonstrated the contribution of sexual activity to the quality of ongoing relationships. Nevertheless, less attention has been given to how activation of the sexual system affects relationship-initiation processes. Three studies used complementary methodologies to examine the effect of sexual priming on self-disclosure, a relationship-promoting behavior. In Study 1, participants were subliminally exposed to sexual stimuli (vs. neutral stimuli), and then disclosed over Instant Messenger a personal event to an opposite-sex stranger. Results showed that merely thinking about sex, even without being aware of it, encouraged self-disclosure. Study 2 replicated these findings in relatively naturalistic conditions (live face-to-face interactions following supraliminal video priming). Study 3 extended these findings, indicating that sexual priming facilitated self-disclosure, which, in turn, increased interest in future interactions with the stranger. Together, these findings suggest that activation of the sexual system encourages the use of strategies that allow people to become closer to potential partners.

Special issue dedicated to Professor Johann M. Schepers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gideon P De Bruin

2006-10-01

Full Text Available It is a great pleasure for me to have been associated with this special issue of the SA Journal of Industrial Psychology dedicated to Professor Johann M. Schepers. The purpose of the special issue is to honour Professor Schepers for his contributions to the development of Psychology and Industrial Psychology as empirical fields of study in South Africa. The contributors have worked with Professor Schepers as students or colleagues and share his academic interests. The articles reflect his areas of interest and employ analytic techniques taught and championed by him. We are grateful to Professor Schepers for his cooperation throughout this project. Thanks are due to all the contributors and referees.

The Special Olympics: Sporting or Social Event?

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Carolyn; McDonald, Meghan L.

2008-01-01

Storey (2008), in his eloquent and timely critique of the Special Olympics and his call to close it down, focuses on the failure of the Special Olympics to achieve the goal of social integration and sustained social interaction among people with intellectual disabilities and their peers without a disability label. The authors wholeheartedly agree…

Special Issue: Redox Active Natural Products and Their Interaction with Cellular Signalling Pathways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claus Jacob

2014-11-01

Full Text Available During the last decade, research into natural products has experienced a certain renaissance. The urgent need for more and more effective antibiotics in medicine, the demand for ecologically friendly plant protectants in agriculture, “natural” cosmetics and the issue of a sustainable and healthy nutrition in an ageing society have fuelled research into Nature’s treasure chest of “green gold”. Here, redox active secondary metabolites from plants, fungi, bacteria and other (micro-organisms often have been at the forefront of the most interesting developments. These agents provide powerful means to interfere with many, probably most cellular signaling pathways in humans, animals and lower organisms, and therefore can be used to protect, i.e., in form of antioxidants, and to frighten off or even kill, i.e., in form of repellants, antibiotics, fungicides and selective, often catalytic “sensor/effector” anticancer agents. Interestingly, whilst natural product research dates back many decades, in some cases even centuries, and compounds such as allicin and various flavonoids have been investigated thoroughly in the past, it has only recently become possible to investigate their precise interactions and mode(s of action inside living cells. Here, fluorescent staining and labelling on the one side, and appropriate detection, either qualitatively under the microscope or quantitatively in flow cytometers and plate readers, on the other, enable researchers to obtain the various pieces of information necessary to construct a fairly complete puzzle of how such compounds act and interact in living cells. Complemented by the more traditional activity assays and Western Blots, and increasingly joined by techniques such as proteomics, chemogenetic screening and mRNA profiling, these cell based bioanalytical techniques form a powerful platform for “intracellular diagnostics”. In the case of redox active compounds, especially of Reactive Sulfur

Interactive Apps Promote Learning of Basic Mathematics in Children With Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola J. Pitchford

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Interactive apps delivered on touch-screen tablets can be effective at supporting the acquisition of basic skills in mainstream primary school children. This technology may also be beneficial for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND as it can promote high levels of engagement with the learning task and an inclusive learning environment. However, few studies have measured extent of learning for SEND pupils when using interactive apps, so it has yet to be determined if this technology is effective at raising attainment for these pupils. We report the first observational study of a group of 33 pupils with SEND from two primary schools in Malawi that are implementing a new digital technology intervention which uses touch-screen tablets to deliver interactive apps designed to teach basic mathematical skills. The apps contain topics that align to the national curriculum. To assess learning gains, rate of progress (minutes per topic for each pupil was determined by calculating the average time taken to complete a topic. Progress rate was then correlated with teacher ratings of extent of disability and independent ratings of pupil engagement with the apps. Results showed SEND pupils could interact with the apps and all pupils passed at least one topic. Average progress rate for SEND pupils was twice as long as mainstream peers. Stepwise regression revealed extent of disability significantly predicted progress rate. Further exploratory correlations revealed pupils with moderate to severe difficulties with hearing and/or language made slower progress through the apps than those with greater functionality in these two domains because the use of verbal instructions within the apps limited their capacity to learn. This original quantitative analysis demonstrates that interactive apps can raise learning standards in pupils with SEND but may have limited utility for pupils with severe difficulties. Software modifications are needed to

Live Broadcasting Online: Interactive Training for Rural Special Educators.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludlow, Barbara L.; Duff, Michael C.

Since 1990 West Virginia University has offered a distance education program leading to teaching certification and a master's degree in either severe/multiple disabilities or early intervention/early childhood special education. The courses were offered via satellite transmission, but in response to demand for these courses in areas without…

Perceived live interaction modulates the developing social brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Katherine; Moraczewski, Dustin; Redcay, Elizabeth

2016-09-01

Although children's social development is embedded in social interaction, most developmental neuroscience studies have examined responses to non-interactive social stimuli (e.g. photographs of faces). The neural mechanisms of real-world social behavior are of special interest during middle childhood (roughly ages 7-13), a time of increased social complexity and competence coinciding with structural and functional social brain development. Evidence from adult neuroscience studies suggests that social interaction may alter neural processing, but no neuroimaging studies in children have directly examined the effects of live social-interactive context on social cognition. In the current study of middle childhood, we compare the processing of two types of speech: speech that children believed was presented over a real-time audio-feed by a social partner and speech that they believed was recorded. Although in reality all speech was prerecorded, perceived live speech resulted in significantly greater neural activation in regions associated with social cognitive processing. These findings underscore the importance of using ecologically-valid and interactive methods to understand the developing social brain. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Persistence of Gender Differences in Political Interest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TÀNIA VERGE MESTRE

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This article explores the role of individual resources, situational factors, and the socialization process in the persistence of a gender gap in political dispositions, principally in political interest. We pay special attention to situational factors, especially those related to the time devoted to housework and caring responsibilities. Despite the growing participation of women in the labor market and increasingly comparable levels of male and female educational attainment, the enduring unequal sexual division of household tasks reduces women?s time availability as well as the pool of skills, resources and social networks which could foster their political engagement, thus helping to sustain the gender gap in political interest.

Families with Special Needs: Caregiving Tips

Science.gov (United States)

... Look for memorable events and achievements to honor family members with special needs. Take care of yourself. Stay healthy for yourself and those you care for. Work to maintain your personal interests, hobbies, and friendships. Balance is key. Set reasonable expectations about caregiving. This ...

Teamwork Satisfaction: Exploring the Multilevel Interaction of Teamwork Interest and Group Extraversion

Science.gov (United States)

French, Kimberly A.; Kottke, Janet L.

2013-01-01

Multilevel modeling is used to examine the impact of teamwork interest and group extraversion on group satisfaction. Participants included 206 undergraduates in 65 groups who were surveyed at the beginning and end of a requisite term-length group project for an upper-division university course. We hypothesized that teamwork interest and both…

Challenges in the transition to clinical training in dentistry: An ADEE special interest group initial report.

Science.gov (United States)

Serrano, C M; Botelho, M G; Wesselink, P R; Vervoorn, J M

2018-02-03

Curricular integration in higher education has been widely supported in the educational literature. As a result, several health care and specifically dental curricula have evolved from compartmentalised disciplinary training to integrated modalities; however, in many courses, a pre-clinical-clinical watershed remains a barrier to integration in dental education. This article introduces a general description of the pre-clinical-clinical transition in dentistry according to the outcomes of the discussion held during the first working group session of the "Transition to Clinical Training" Special Interest Group during the 2016 annual meeting of the Association for Dental Education in Europe. An online questionnaire was made available before the meeting to survey the curricular characteristics of the participants' schools. During the meeting, a working session related to the pre-clinical-clinical transition occurred. Conclusions from the discussion are summarised in this article. Fourteen dental schools from 12 countries participated in the online survey. The included programmes had an average duration of 5.3 years (SD = 0.48), with high school or the local equivalent as the required entrance level for dentistry. The hybrid curriculum was the leading curriculum design (n = 9) followed by competence-based curricula (n = 3), with patient treatment as the core of clinical training in every included programme. The pre-clinical-clinical transition in dentistry is a recognisable matter in dental education that requires assessment and research to ease the management of a stage with relevant influence on educational outcomes. This article presents an initial framework for further research and educational intervention. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

pc

2018-04-18

Apr 18, 2018 ... WORLD THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL ... It has been explored by many a Russian and foreign researcher. ... attempt to focus, instead of going back to the analysis of past experience, on the subject from ... intercultural interaction between various nations, was given special ...

Special relativity at the quantum scale.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pui K Lam

Full Text Available It has been suggested that the space-time structure as described by the theory of special relativity is a macroscopic manifestation of a more fundamental quantum structure (pre-geometry. Efforts to quantify this idea have come mainly from the area of abstract quantum logic theory. Here we present a preliminary attempt to develop a quantum formulation of special relativity based on a model that retains some geometric attributes. Our model is Feynman's "checker-board" trajectory for a 1-D relativistic free particle. We use this model to guide us in identifying (1 the quantum version of the postulates of special relativity and (2 the appropriate quantum "coordinates". This model possesses a useful feature that it admits an interpretation both in terms of paths in space-time and in terms of quantum states. Based on the quantum version of the postulates, we derive a transformation rule for velocity. This rule reduces to the Einstein's velocity-addition formula in the macroscopic limit and reveals an interesting aspect of time. The 3-D case, time-dilation effect, and invariant interval are also discussed in term of this new formulation. This is a preliminary investigation; some results are derived, while others are interesting observations at this point.

Special relativity at the quantum scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Pui K

2014-01-01

It has been suggested that the space-time structure as described by the theory of special relativity is a macroscopic manifestation of a more fundamental quantum structure (pre-geometry). Efforts to quantify this idea have come mainly from the area of abstract quantum logic theory. Here we present a preliminary attempt to develop a quantum formulation of special relativity based on a model that retains some geometric attributes. Our model is Feynman's "checker-board" trajectory for a 1-D relativistic free particle. We use this model to guide us in identifying (1) the quantum version of the postulates of special relativity and (2) the appropriate quantum "coordinates". This model possesses a useful feature that it admits an interpretation both in terms of paths in space-time and in terms of quantum states. Based on the quantum version of the postulates, we derive a transformation rule for velocity. This rule reduces to the Einstein's velocity-addition formula in the macroscopic limit and reveals an interesting aspect of time. The 3-D case, time-dilation effect, and invariant interval are also discussed in term of this new formulation. This is a preliminary investigation; some results are derived, while others are interesting observations at this point.

DEBT AMORTIZATION AND SIMPLE INTEREST: THE CASE OF PAYMENTS IN AN ARITHMETIC PROGRESSION

OpenAIRE

Clovis José Daudt Lyra Darrigue Faro

2014-01-01

With the argument that, necessarily, compound interest implies anatocism, the Brazilian Judiciary has been determining that, specially for the case of  debt amortization in accordance with the so called Tabela Price, when we have constant payments, the use of simple interest. With the same determination occurring in the case of the Constant Amortization Scheme, when the payments follow arithmetic progressions.  However, as simple interest lacks the property of time subdivision, it is shown th...

Association of Dietary Habits and Interest for Food and Science versus Weight Status in Children Aged 8 to 18 Years

OpenAIRE

Vanderhulst, Els; Faik, Aicha; Vansintejan, Johan; Van Rossem, Inès; Devroey, Dirk

2018-01-01

Introduction. This study aims to describe the association between dietary habits and weight status and the interest in food and science. Methods. We examined in a cross-sectional study 525 children aged between 8 and 18 years, who attended the Brussels Food Fair or the Belgian Science Day in 2013. They were divided into three groups: special interest in science, special interest in food, and a general control group. They completed a questionnaire, and body parameters were measured. The weight...

Application of fuzzy C-Means Algorithm for Determining Field of Interest in Information System Study STTH Medan

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman Syahputra, Edy; Agustina Dalimunthe, Yulia; Irvan

2017-12-01

Many students are confused in choosing their own field of specialization, ultimately choosing areas of specialization that are incompatible with a variety of reasons such as just following a friend or because of the area of interest of many choices without knowing whether they have Competencies in the chosen field of interest. This research aims to apply Clustering method with Fuzzy C-means algorithm to classify students in the chosen interest field. The Fuzzy C-Means algorithm is one of the easiest and often used algorithms in data grouping techniques because it makes efficient estimates and does not require many parameters. Several studies have led to the conclusion that the Fuzzy C-Means algorithm can be used to group data based on certain attributes. In this research will be used Fuzzy C-Means algorithm to classify student data based on the value of core subjects in the selection of specialization field. This study also tested the accuracy of the Fuzzy C-Means algorithm in the determination of interest area. The study was conducted on the STT-Harapan Medan Information System Study program, and the object of research is the value of all students of STT-Harapan Medan Information System Study Program 2012. From this research, it is expected to get the specialization field, according to the students' ability based on the prerequisite principal value.

Circumscribed interests in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A look beyond trains, planes, and clocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Ivy Y K; Jelinkova, Kristina; Schuetze, Manuela; Vinette, Sarah A; Rahman, Sarah; McCrimmon, Adam; Dewey, Deborah; Bray, Signe

2017-01-01

Adolescence is a unique developmental period, characterized by physical and emotional growth and significant maturation of cognitive and social skills. For individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is also a vulnerable period as cognitive and social skills can deteriorate. Circumscribed interests (CIs), idiosyncratic areas of intense interest and focus, are a core symptom of ASD that may be associated with social development. Yet, relatively little is known about the expression of CIs in adolescents with ASD. Many studies investigating CIs have used images depicting items of special interest; however, it is not clear how images should be customized for adolescent studies. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the types of images that may be appropriate for studies of CIs in adolescents with ASD. To this end, we used a mixed methods design that included, 1) one-on-one interviews with 10 adolescents (4 with ASD and 6 TD), to identify categories of images that were High Autism Interest ('HAI') or High Typically Developing Interest ('HTD'), and 2) an online survey taken by fifty-three adolescents with ASD (42 male) and 135 typically developing (TD) adolescents (55 male) who rated how much they liked 105 'HAI' and 'HTD' images. Although we found a significant interaction between 'HAI' and 'HTD' categories and diagnosis, neither group significantly preferred one category over the other, and only one individual category ('Celebrities') showed a significant group effect, favored by TD adolescents. Males significantly preferred 'HAI' images relative to females, and TD adolescents significantly preferred images with social content relative to adolescents with ASD. Our findings suggest that studies investigating affective or neural responses to CI-related stimuli in adolescents should consider that stereotypical ASD interests (e.g. trains, gadgets) may not accurately represent individual adolescents with ASD, many of whom show interests that overlap with

Reasons for Low Levels of Interactivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Etter, Michael

2013-01-01

The interactivity levels of online CSR communication are typically low. This study explores the reasons for the low levels of interactivity in the popular social media tool Twitter. An analysis of 41,864 Twitter messages (tweets) from the thirty most central corporate accounts in a CSR Twitter...... network is conducted. Comparisons (t-test) between CSR tweets and general tweets and between specialized CSR Twitter accounts and general accounts reveal that the low levels of interactivity are due to a reactive interaction approach and a lack of specialization....

Cybernetics and Education (Special Issue)

Science.gov (United States)

Kopstein, Felix F., Ed.

1977-01-01

This is a special issue examining the potential of cybernetics in educational technology. Articles discuss: cybernetic methods, algorithms, feedback learning theory, a structural approach to behavioral objectives and criterion-referenced testing, task specifications and diagnosis, teacher-child interaction, educational development, teaching…

“What’s So Special about Special Collections?” Or, Assessing the Value Special Collections Bring to Academic Libraries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Yakel

2013-06-01

may be more successful.Conclusion – The authors recommend shifting from collection-centric to user-centric approaches and identifying appropriately precise metrics that can be consistently and widely applied to facilitate cross-institutional comparisons. Adopting a user-centric perspective, they argue, will provide a broader picture of how scholars interact with special collections at different points in the research process, both inside and outside of supervised reading rooms, as well as how undergraduate students change their thinking about evidence through interaction with primary sources. They authors outline the potential benefits of substituting the commonly used “reader-day” metric for tabulating reading room visits with a “reader-hour” metric and correlating it with item usage data in order to gauge the intensity of reading room use. They also discuss the potential benefits of assessing impact of instructional outreach in special collections and archives through measures of student confidence in pursuing research projects that involve primary sources.

A better-response strategy for self-interested planning agents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jordan Prunera, J.M.; Torreño, Alejandro; de Weerdt, M.M.; Onaindia, Eva

2018-01-01

When self-interested agents plan individually, interactions that prevent them from executing their actions as planned may arise. In these coordination problems, game-theoretic planning can be used to enhance the agents’ strategic behavior considering the interactions as part of the agents’

26 CFR 1.732-2 - Special partnership basis of distributed property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... from the partnership in liquidation of his entire interest, $1,000 cash, certain capital assets... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Special partnership basis of distributed... (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Distributions by A Partnership § 1.732-2 Special partnership...

“Democratic Government”, Interest Groups and American Trade Politics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhanyu Dong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The study of American trade politics is of great significance when interpreting U.S.A. trade policies and understanding China-U.S.A. trade relations. In order to explain the mechanism of American trade politics, this paper constructs a new analytical framework of “democratic government-interest groups”, which argues that U.S.A. trade policies are not only the choices made by the democratic government between state interests and political private benefits, but also the outcomes of interaction between the U.S.A. government and interest groups. The case study of the U.S.A. trade policies toward China since the new century also demonstrates how the interaction between the government and interest groups ultimately shapes trade policies. Therefore, we need to understand the logic of American trade politics, generate more mutual benefits for our two countries, and work together to promote the bilateral free trade as well as the bilateral relations between China and the U.S.A.

Orthogonal Polynomials and Special Functions

CERN Document Server

Assche, Walter

2003-01-01

The set of lectures from the Summer School held in Leuven in 2002 provide an up-to-date account of recent developments in orthogonal polynomials and special functions, in particular for algorithms for computer algebra packages, 3nj-symbols in representation theory of Lie groups, enumeration, multivariable special functions and Dunkl operators, asymptotics via the Riemann-Hilbert method, exponential asymptotics and the Stokes phenomenon. The volume aims at graduate students and post-docs working in the field of orthogonal polynomials and special functions, and in related fields interacting with orthogonal polynomials, such as combinatorics, computer algebra, asymptotics, representation theory, harmonic analysis, differential equations, physics. The lectures are self-contained requiring only a basic knowledge of analysis and algebra, and each includes many exercises.

What are patients with Rett syndrome interested in?

Science.gov (United States)

Hirano, Daisuke; Taniguchi, Takamichi

2018-02-01

[Purpose] Rett syndrome is a severe neurodevelopmental disease; individuals typically have no verbal skills or purposeful hand movements. In clinical settings, knowledge of their interests would be helpful for therapy. Therefore, we investigated the interests of Rett syndrome patients. [Subjects and Methods] In 2016, we sent a questionnaire regarding the interests of individuals with Rett syndrome to 1,016 directors of schools for special needs education and 204 directors of rehabilitation departments (130 facilities for persons with severe motor and intellectual disabilities, 73 wards for patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities, and the National Hospital Organization and National Center Hospital, and the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry) in Japan. We used descriptive statistics and content analysis to examine the answers to the questionnaires. [Results] Information was acquired from 216 individuals (3-53 years old) with Rett syndrome. 92.9% of the individuals were reported to have some interests (e.g., in people, music, things to see, animation, or books). [Conclusion] Individuals with Rett syndrome were observed to be interested in various things despite their having severe motor and intellectual disabilities. These findings suggest that family members and care staff might facilitate various changes or developments of these individuals and discover their hidden strengths by focusing on their interests.

Special Agents Can Promote Cooperation in the Population

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xin; Han, Jing; Han, Huawei

2011-01-01

Cooperation is ubiquitous in our real life but everyone would like to maximize her own profits. How does cooperation occur in the group of self-interested agents without centralized control? Furthermore, in a hostile scenario, for example, cooperation is unlikely to emerge. Is there any mechanism to promote cooperation if populations are given and play rules are not allowed to change? In this paper, numerical experiments show that complete population interaction is unfriendly to cooperation in the finite but end-unknown Repeated Prisoner's Dilemma (RPD). Then a mechanism called soft control is proposed to promote cooperation. According to the basic idea of soft control, a number of special agents are introduced to intervene in the evolution of cooperation. They comply with play rules in the original group so that they are always treated as normal agents. For our purpose, these special agents have their own strategies and share knowledge. The capability of the mechanism is studied under different settings. We find that soft control can promote cooperation and is robust to noise. Meanwhile simulation results demonstrate the applicability of the mechanism in other scenarios. Besides, the analytical proof also illustrates the effectiveness of soft control and validates simulation results. As a way of intervention in collective behaviors, soft control provides a possible direction for the study of reciprocal behaviors. PMID:22216202

Enhancing Teacher Efficacy in Special Education.

Science.gov (United States)

McDaniel, Elizabeth A.; McCarthy, Holly DiBella

1989-01-01

A special education teacher's sense of teaching efficacy and personal teaching efficacy influences teacher motivation and effort, teacher-student interactions, and student achievement. Methods for enhancing teachers' sense of efficacy are suggested. (JDD)

Conflicts of interest in biomedical publications: considerations for authors, peer reviewers, and editors

Science.gov (United States)

Gasparyan, Armen Yuri; Ayvazyan, Lilit; Akazhanov, Nurbek A.; Kitas, George D.

2013-01-01

This article overviews evidence on common instances of conflict of interest (COI) in research publications from general and specialized fields of biomedicine. Financial COIs are viewed as the most powerful source of bias, which may even distort citation outcomes of sponsored publications. The urge to boost journal citation indicators by stakeholders of science communication is viewed as a new secondary interest, which may compromize the interaction between authors, peer reviewers, and editors. Comprehensive policies on disclosure of financial and non-financial COIs in scholarly journals are presented as proxies of their indexing in evidence-based databases, and examples of successful medical journals are discussed in detail. Reports on clinical trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical practice guidelines may be unduly influenced by author-pharmaceutical industry relations, but these publications do not always contain explicit disclosures to allow the readers to judge the reliability of the published conclusions and practice-changing recommendations. The article emphasizes the importance of adhering to the guidance on COI from learned associations such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). It also considers joint efforts of authors, peer reviewers, and editors as a foundation for appropriately defining and disclosing potential COIs. PMID:24382859

Map Learning with a 3D Printed Interactive Small-Scale Model: Improvement of Space and Text Memorization in Visually Impaired Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stéphanie Giraud

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Special education teachers for visually impaired students rely on tools such as raised-line maps (RLMs to teach spatial knowledge. These tools do not fully and adequately meet the needs of the teachers because they are long to produce, expensive, and not versatile enough to provide rapid updating of the content. For instance, the same RLM can barely be used during different lessons. In addition, those maps do not provide any interactivity, which reduces students’ autonomy. With the emergence of 3D printing and low-cost microcontrollers, it is now easy to design affordable interactive small-scale models (SSMs which are adapted to the needs of special education teachers. However, no study has previously been conducted to evaluate non-visual learning using interactive SSMs. In collaboration with a specialized teacher, we designed a SSM and a RLM representing the evolution of the geography and history of a fictitious kingdom. The two conditions were compared in a study with 24 visually impaired students regarding the memorization of the spatial layout and historical contents. The study showed that the interactive SSM improved both space and text memorization as compared to the RLM with braille legend. In conclusion, we argue that affordable home-made interactive small scale models can improve learning for visually impaired students. Interestingly, they are adaptable to any teaching situation including students with specific needs.

Map Learning with a 3D Printed Interactive Small-Scale Model: Improvement of Space and Text Memorization in Visually Impaired Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Giraud, Stéphanie; Brock, Anke M; Macé, Marc J-M; Jouffrais, Christophe

2017-01-01

Special education teachers for visually impaired students rely on tools such as raised-line maps (RLMs) to teach spatial knowledge. These tools do not fully and adequately meet the needs of the teachers because they are long to produce, expensive, and not versatile enough to provide rapid updating of the content. For instance, the same RLM can barely be used during different lessons. In addition, those maps do not provide any interactivity, which reduces students' autonomy. With the emergence of 3D printing and low-cost microcontrollers, it is now easy to design affordable interactive small-scale models (SSMs) which are adapted to the needs of special education teachers. However, no study has previously been conducted to evaluate non-visual learning using interactive SSMs. In collaboration with a specialized teacher, we designed a SSM and a RLM representing the evolution of the geography and history of a fictitious kingdom. The two conditions were compared in a study with 24 visually impaired students regarding the memorization of the spatial layout and historical contents. The study showed that the interactive SSM improved both space and text memorization as compared to the RLM with braille legend. In conclusion, we argue that affordable home-made interactive small scale models can improve learning for visually impaired students. Interestingly, they are adaptable to any teaching situation including students with specific needs.

Sport Specialization: A Coach's Role in Being Honest with Parents

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Craig; Shroyer, Josh

2015-01-01

The efficacy of sport specialization in youth sport is a source of parental confusion and potential conflicts of interest with coaches. Sport specialization is the exclusive participation in one sport in the belief that it will increase the chances of receiving an athletic college scholarship and/or being able to pursue a career as a professional…

Human-Computer Interaction in Smart Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Paravati, Gianluca; Gatteschi, Valentina

2015-01-01

Here, we provide an overview of the content of the Special Issue on “Human-computer interaction in smart environments”. The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight technologies and solutions encompassing the use of mass-market sensors in current and emerging applications for interacting with Smart Environments. Selected papers address this topic by analyzing different interaction modalities, including hand/body gestures, face recognition, gaze/eye tracking, biosignal analysis, speech and activity recognition, and related issues.

Intermolecular interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, I.G.; Rodimova, O.B.; AN SSSR, Tomsk. Inst. Optiki Atmosfery)

1978-01-01

The present state of the intermolecular interaction theory is described. The general physical picture of the molecular interactions is given, the relative contributions of interactions of different types are analyzed (electrostatic, resonance, induction, dispersion, relativistic, magnetostatic and exchange), and the main ones in each range of separations are picked out. The methods of the potential curve calculations are considered, specific for definite separations between the interacting systems. The special attention is paid to the analysis of approximations used in different theoretical calculation methods

Satisfaction with virtual communities of interest : Effect on members' visit frequency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Valck, Kristine; Langerak, Fred; Verhoef, Peter C.; Verlegh, Peeter W. J.

The authors develop a four-dimensional scale to measure members' satisfaction with virtual communities of interest (VCIs). The dimensions consist of members' satisfaction with member-to-member interactions, organizer-to-member interactions and organizer-to-community interactions, all of which come

Professional medical organizations and commercial conflicts of interest: ethical issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Brody, Howard

2010-01-01

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has recently been criticized for accepting a large corporate donation from Coca-Cola to fund patient education on obesity prevention. Conflicts of interest, whether individual or organizational, occur when one enters into arrangements that reasonably tempt one to put aside one's primary obligations in favor of secondary interests, such as financial self-interest. Accepting funds from commercial sources that seek to influence physician organizational behavior in a direction that could run counter to the public health represents one of those circumstances and so constitutes a conflict of interest. Most of the defenses offered by AAFP are rationalizations rather than ethical counterarguments. Medical organizations, as the public face of medicine and as formulator of codes of ethics for their physician members, have special obligations to adhere to high ethical standards.

Computational genomics of specialized metabolism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Medema, Marnix H.

2018-01-01

Microbial and plant specialized metabolites, also known as natural products, are key mediators of microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions and constitute a rich resource for drug development. In the past decade, genome mining has emerged as a prominent strategy for natural product discovery.

Special education and later academic achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrhardt, Jennifer; Huntington, Noelle; Molino, Janine; Barbaresi, William

2013-02-01

To determine whether grade at entry to special education is associated with improved reading achievement in children with reading disorders (RD) and whether the effect of grade at entry to special education differs by socioeconomic status (SES). The authors conducted a secondary data analysis using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), a nationally representative cohort of children followed longitudinally from kindergarten through eighth grade (1998-2007). Using data from the fifth grade wave of ECLS-K, the authors identified children with RD (n = 290). The outcome of interest was change in score on the reading achievement test, which was developed by ECLS-K staff, between first and fifth grade. Using multiple linear regression, the authors modeled outcome as a function of a child's grade at entry to special education, controlling for several covariates. Early entry to special education (by first grade vs second or third grade) was associated with larger gains in reading achievement between first and fifth grade (p special education by first grade versus second grade gained 4.5 more points on the reading achievement test (p special education by first grade versus third grade gained 1.7 more points on the reading achievement test (p special education between children from families of low and higher SES. For children with RD, early entry to special education is associated with improved reading achievement during elementary school.

The mechanism of influence of interest groups in the European Union: political and sociological analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. S. Kanevsky

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Interaction between interest groups and political institutions is one of the cornerstones of the European Union policy making process. Although majority of Russian and foreign works dedicated to lobbying and decision making in the EU, concentrate on a governmental stadial system and normative procedures that regulate interest groups access to policy making centers. Such institutional approach doesn’t clarify why the EU has concrete policies, why not all interest groups are able to win, who sets the agenda and in whose interests decisions are made. Current article, using contemporary theories and research, analyzes process of interaction between interest groups and governmental structures in the EU. It also proposes explanations of wins and losses in the policy making process, trying to answer how interest groups interacts with each other and what patterns can be identified in the process of interest aggregation by governmental structures.

Human-Computer Interaction in Smart Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gianluca Paravati

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Here, we provide an overview of the content of the Special Issue on “Human-computer interaction in smart environments”. The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight technologies and solutions encompassing the use of mass-market sensors in current and emerging applications for interacting with Smart Environments. Selected papers address this topic by analyzing different interaction modalities, including hand/body gestures, face recognition, gaze/eye tracking, biosignal analysis, speech and activity recognition, and related issues.

EDITORIAL: Special issue on Graphene Special issue on Graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Morpurgo, Alberto F.; Trauzettel, Björn

2010-03-01

Since the revolutionary experimental discovery of graphene in the year 2004, research on this new two-dimensional carbon allotrope has progressed at a spectacular pace. The impact of graphene on different areas of research— including physics, chemistry, and applied sciences— is only now starting to be fully appreciated. There are different factors that make graphene a truly impressive system. Regarding nano-electronics and related fields, for instance, it is the exceptional electronic and mechanical properties that yield very high room-temperature mobility values, due to the particular band structure, the material `cleanliness' (very low-concentration of impurities), as well as its stiffness. Also interesting is the possibility to have a high electrical conductivity and optical transparency, a combination which cannot be easily found in other material systems. For other fields, other properties could be mentioned, many of which are currently being explored. In the first years following this discovery, research on graphene has mainly focused on the fundamental physics aspects, triggered by the fact that electrons in graphene behave as Dirac fermions due to their interaction with the ions of the honeycomb lattice. This direction has led to the discovery of new phenomena such as Klein tunneling in a solid state system and the so-called half-integer quantum Hall effect due to a special type of Berry phase that appears in graphene. It has also led to the appreciation of thicker layers of graphene, which also have outstanding new properties of great interest in their own right (e.g., bilayer graphene, which supports chiral quasiparticles that, contrary to Dirac electrons, are not massless). Now the time is coming to deepen our knowledge and improve our control of the material properties, which is a key aspect to take one step further towards applications. The articles in the Semiconductor Science and Technology Graphene special issue deal with a diversity of topics

Clinical psychologists' views of intensive interaction as an intervention in learning disability services.

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, Ruth; Firth, Graham; Leeming, Catherine; Sharma, Vishal

2014-01-01

Intensive Interaction was initially developed in the 1980s as an educational approach for developing social communication and engagement with people with severe or profound intellectual disabilities and/or autism. Intensive Interaction has subsequently been adopted by a range of practitioners and professionals working in learning disability services and has a broad multi-disciplinary acceptance, being recommended in a number of UK governmental guidance documents. Despite this, there has been limited work on developing a deeper psychological understanding of the approach. This study utilises a qualitative description/thematic analysis approach to explore how clinical psychologists conceptualise the approach with regard to currently accepted psychological theories, as well as looking at other factors that influence their adoption and advocacy. The sample deliberately consisted of eight NHS (National Health Service) clinical psychologists known to be using or advocating the use of Intensive Interaction with people with a learning disability. The results of this study indicate that although the participants referred to some theories that might explain the beneficial outcomes of Intensive Interaction, these theories were rarely explicitly or clearly referenced, resulting in the authors having to attribute specific theoretical positions on the basis of inductive analysis of the participants' responses. Moreover, the participants provided varying views on how Intensive Interaction might be conceptualised, highlighting the lack of a generally accepted, psychologically framed definition of the approach. In conclusion, it was felt that further research is required to develop a specifically psychological understanding of Intensive Interaction alongside the formation of a Special Interest Group, which might have this task as one of its aims. There appeared to be a limited recognition amongst the participants of the specific psychological theories that can be seen to explain

Algebraically special perturbations of the Schwarzschild solution in higher dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Óscar J C; Reall, Harvey S

2013-01-01

We study algebraically special perturbations of a generalized Schwarzschild solution in any number of dimensions. There are two motivations. First, to learn whether there exist interesting higher-dimensional algebraically special solutions beyond the known ones. Second, algebraically special perturbations present an obstruction to the unique reconstruction of general metric perturbations from gauge-invariant variables analogous to the Teukolsky scalars and it is desirable to know the extent of this non-uniqueness. In four dimensions, our results generalize those of Couch and Newman, who found infinite families of time-dependent algebraically special perturbations. In higher dimensions, we find that the only regular algebraically special perturbations are those corresponding to deformations within the Myers–Perry family. Our results are relevant for several inequivalent definitions of ‘algebraically special’. (paper)

Detecting mutually exclusive interactions in protein-protein interaction maps.

KAUST Repository

Sánchez Claros, Carmen

2012-06-08

Comprehensive protein interaction maps can complement genetic and biochemical experiments and allow the formulation of new hypotheses to be tested in the system of interest. The computational analysis of the maps may help to focus on interesting cases and thereby to appropriately prioritize the validation experiments. We show here that, by automatically comparing and analyzing structurally similar regions of proteins of known structure interacting with a common partner, it is possible to identify mutually exclusive interactions present in the maps with a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity higher than 85% and that, in about three fourth of the correctly identified complexes, we also correctly recognize at least one residue (five on average) belonging to the interaction interface. Given the present and continuously increasing number of proteins of known structure, the requirement of the knowledge of the structure of the interacting proteins does not substantially impact on the coverage of our strategy that can be estimated to be around 25%. We also introduce here the Estrella server that embodies this strategy, is designed for users interested in validating specific hypotheses about the functional role of a protein-protein interaction and it also allows access to pre-computed data for seven organisms.

Detecting mutually exclusive interactions in protein-protein interaction maps.

KAUST Repository

Sá nchez Claros, Carmen; Tramontano, Anna

2012-01-01

Comprehensive protein interaction maps can complement genetic and biochemical experiments and allow the formulation of new hypotheses to be tested in the system of interest. The computational analysis of the maps may help to focus on interesting cases and thereby to appropriately prioritize the validation experiments. We show here that, by automatically comparing and analyzing structurally similar regions of proteins of known structure interacting with a common partner, it is possible to identify mutually exclusive interactions present in the maps with a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity higher than 85% and that, in about three fourth of the correctly identified complexes, we also correctly recognize at least one residue (five on average) belonging to the interaction interface. Given the present and continuously increasing number of proteins of known structure, the requirement of the knowledge of the structure of the interacting proteins does not substantially impact on the coverage of our strategy that can be estimated to be around 25%. We also introduce here the Estrella server that embodies this strategy, is designed for users interested in validating specific hypotheses about the functional role of a protein-protein interaction and it also allows access to pre-computed data for seven organisms.

Genome-based exploration of the specialized metabolic capacities of the genus Rhodococcus.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceniceros, Ana; Dijkhuizen, Lubbert; Petrusma, Mirjan; Medema, Marnix H

2017-08-09

Bacteria of the genus Rhodococcus are well known for their ability to degrade a large range of organic compounds. Some rhodococci are free-living, saprophytic bacteria; others are animal and plant pathogens. Recently, several studies have shown that their genomes encode putative pathways for the synthesis of a large number of specialized metabolites that are likely to be involved in microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions. To systematically explore the specialized metabolic potential of this genus, we here performed a comprehensive analysis of the biosynthetic coding capacity across publicly available rhododoccal genomes, and compared these with those of several Mycobacterium strains as well as that of their mutual close relative Amycolicicoccus subflavus. Comparative genomic analysis shows that most predicted biosynthetic gene cluster families in these strains are clade-specific and lack any homology with gene clusters encoding the production of known natural products. Interestingly, many of these clusters appear to encode the biosynthesis of lipopeptides, which may play key roles in the diverse environments were rhodococci thrive, by acting as biosurfactants, pathogenicity factors or antimicrobials. We also identified several gene cluster families that are universally shared among all three genera, which therefore may have a more 'primary' role in their physiology. Inactivation of these clusters by mutagenesis might help to generate weaker strains that can be used as live vaccines. The genus Rhodococcus thus provides an interesting target for natural product discovery, in view of its large and mostly uncharacterized biosynthetic repertoire, its relatively fast growth and the availability of effective genetic tools for its genomic modification.

How plants cope with biotic interactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Dam, N.M.

2009-01-01

In their natural environment, plants interact with many different organisms. The nature of these interactions may range from positive, for example interactions with pollinators, to negative, such as interactions with pathogens and herbivores. In this special issue, the contributors provide several

76 FR 80410 - Pendency of Request for Approval of Special Withdrawal Liability Rules; the Cultural Institutions...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-23

...This notice advises interested persons that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (``PBGC'') has received a request from The Cultural Institutions Pension Plan for approval of a plan amendment providing for special withdrawal liability rules. Under Sec. 4203(f) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and PBGC's regulation on Extension of Special Withdrawal Liability Rules, a multiemployer pension plan may, with PBGC approval, be amended to provide for special withdrawal liability rules similar to those that apply to the construction and entertainment industries. Such approval is granted only if PBGC determines that the rules apply to an industry with characteristics that make use of the special rules appropriate and that the rules will not pose a significant risk to PBGC. Before granting an approval, PBGC's regulations require PBGC to give interested persons an opportunity to comment on the request. The purpose of this notice is to advise interested persons of the request and to solicit their views on it.

Special Interests and Transnational Relations in Agricultural Trade: Implications for United States-Mexico Relations,

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

to -- oi )A. ~ o.~ ~.;:ve, i LA ot octn abTe ’,o Jta. -,a. it a n it, ;’u:s *:j :,:~ to ~ a*i t... r;:l ~e4cta 4oaj. acs. - -2- vWe have had ieetings...noviembre de 1977, p. 22. 9. For a discussion of this issue, cf. Comercio Exterior, special issue "Alimentacicn, crisis agricola y economia campesina," vol...via telefonia," AARC Tomato File. 15. CAADES to -Aifredo Valdez Montoya, Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de Sinaloa, 13 enero de 1969. 16. " Las

Guest Editorial Special Issue on Human Computing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pantic, Maja; Santos, E.; Pentland, A.; Nijholt, Antinus

2009-01-01

The seven articles in this special issue focus on human computing. Most focus on two challenging issues in human computing, namely, machine analysis of human behavior in group interactions and context-sensitive modeling.

Nonlinear generalization of special relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winterberg, F.

1985-01-01

In Poincares axiomatic formulation special relativity is a derived consequence of a true Lorentz contraction, for a rod in absolute motion through a substratum. Furthermore, Lorentz had shown that the rod contraction can be understood by an inverse square law interaction and therefore special relativity derived from more fundamental principles. The derivation by Lorentz shows that the root of the divergence problems is the singular inverse square law. By replacing the inverse square law with a regular one through the introduction of a finite length, the author has succeeded in deriving a nonlinear generalization of special relativity which eliminates all infinities. Besides the relative velocities, these nonlinear transformation equations also contain absolute velocities against a substratum, but in the limit of small energies they go over into the linear Lorentz transformations. Depending on the smallness of the fundamental length, departures from special relativity can be observed only at very high energies. The theorem that the velocity of light is the same in all reference systems still holds and likewise the conservation laws for energy and momentum

Introduction to the special issue on virtual reality environments in behavioral sciences.

Science.gov (United States)

Riva, Giuseppe; Wiederhold, Brenda K

2002-09-01

Virtual reality (VR) is usually described in biology and in medicine as a collection of technologies that allow people to interact efficiently with three-dimensional (3-D) computerized databases in real time using their natural senses. This definition lacks any reference to head-mounted displays (HMDs) and instrumented clothing such as gloves or suits. In fact, less than 10% of VR healthcare applications in medicine are actually using any immersive equipment. However, if we focus our attention on behavioral sciences, where immersion is used by more than 50% of the applications, VR is described as an advanced form of human- computer interface that allows the user to interact with and become immersed in a computer-generated environment. This difference outlines a different vision of VR shared by psychologists, psychotherapists, and neuropsychologists: VR provides a new human-computer interaction paradigm in which users are no longer simply external observers of images on a computer screen but are active participants within a computer-generated 3-D virtual world. This special issue investigates this vision, presenting some of the most interesting applications actually developed in the area. Moreover, it discusses the clinical principles, human factors, and technological issues associated with the use of VR in the behavioral sciences.

17 CFR 18.01 - Interest in or control of several accounts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... financial interest in or controls positions in more than one account, whether carried with the same or with... considered as a single account for the purpose of determining whether such trader has a reportable position and, unless instructed otherwise in the special call to report under § 18.00 for the purpose of...

Editorial of the Special Issue on Human-Technology Interaction and Technology Adoption: Exploring Frameworks other than Actor-Network Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanev, Stoyan

2014-01-01

Actor-network theory (ANT) has established itself as a valuable resource for the analysis of technology innovation and adoption. One of the main reasons for the success of the Innovation Translation Model (a specific instantiation of ANT) is the fact that it fits very well the emerging dominance...... challenges. This is why in this special issue we have focused on exploring, in parallel to ANT, other approaches that have also proven valuable in studying technology adoption and human-technology interaction. Some of these approaches share significant common ground with ANT. They also diverge in some......, Design in-use, Practice theory, Innovation diffusion, Consumer innovativeness and Activity theory....

Structuring Naval Special Warfare junior officer professional military education

OpenAIRE

Donovan, Thomas A.

2007-01-01

Naval Special Warfare does not currently have a designated career path for an officer that requires professional military education (PME) for SEAL junior officers after the rank of Ensign (O-1) and before the rank of Lieutenant Commander (O-4). There currently is interest in this subject matter at the Naval Special Warfare Command and Center. SEAL officers increasingly hold key leadership positions and influence critical decisions in the execution of national strategy. This growing respo...

Booksearch: What Dictionary (General or Specialized) Do You Find Useful or Interesting for Students?

Science.gov (United States)

English Journal, 1988

1988-01-01

Presents classroom teachers' recommendations for a variety of dictionaries that may heighten students' interest in language: a reverse dictionary, a visual dictionary, WEIGHTY WORD BOOK, a collegiate desk dictionary, OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY, DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN REGIONAL ENGLISH, and a dictionary of idioms. (ARH)

Circumscribed interests in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A look beyond trains, planes, and clocks

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Ivy Y. K.; Jelinkova, Kristina; Schuetze, Manuela; Vinette, Sarah A.; Rahman, Sarah; McCrimmon, Adam; Dewey, Deborah; Bray, Signe

2017-01-01

Adolescence is a unique developmental period, characterized by physical and emotional growth and significant maturation of cognitive and social skills. For individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is also a vulnerable period as cognitive and social skills can deteriorate. Circumscribed interests (CIs), idiosyncratic areas of intense interest and focus, are a core symptom of ASD that may be associated with social development. Yet, relatively little is known about the expression of CIs in adolescents with ASD. Many studies investigating CIs have used images depicting items of special interest; however, it is not clear how images should be customized for adolescent studies. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the types of images that may be appropriate for studies of CIs in adolescents with ASD. To this end, we used a mixed methods design that included, 1) one-on-one interviews with 10 adolescents (4 with ASD and 6 TD), to identify categories of images that were High Autism Interest (‘HAI’) or High Typically Developing Interest (‘HTD’), and 2) an online survey taken by fifty-three adolescents with ASD (42 male) and 135 typically developing (TD) adolescents (55 male) who rated how much they liked 105 ‘HAI’ and ‘HTD’ images. Although we found a significant interaction between ‘HAI’ and ‘HTD’ categories and diagnosis, neither group significantly preferred one category over the other, and only one individual category ('Celebrities') showed a significant group effect, favored by TD adolescents. Males significantly preferred ‘HAI’ images relative to females, and TD adolescents significantly preferred images with social content relative to adolescents with ASD. Our findings suggest that studies investigating affective or neural responses to CI-related stimuli in adolescents should consider that stereotypical ASD interests (e.g. trains, gadgets) may not accurately represent individual adolescents with ASD, many of whom show

Circumscribed interests in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A look beyond trains, planes, and clocks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivy Y K Cho

Full Text Available Adolescence is a unique developmental period, characterized by physical and emotional growth and significant maturation of cognitive and social skills. For individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, it is also a vulnerable period as cognitive and social skills can deteriorate. Circumscribed interests (CIs, idiosyncratic areas of intense interest and focus, are a core symptom of ASD that may be associated with social development. Yet, relatively little is known about the expression of CIs in adolescents with ASD. Many studies investigating CIs have used images depicting items of special interest; however, it is not clear how images should be customized for adolescent studies. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the types of images that may be appropriate for studies of CIs in adolescents with ASD. To this end, we used a mixed methods design that included, 1 one-on-one interviews with 10 adolescents (4 with ASD and 6 TD, to identify categories of images that were High Autism Interest ('HAI' or High Typically Developing Interest ('HTD', and 2 an online survey taken by fifty-three adolescents with ASD (42 male and 135 typically developing (TD adolescents (55 male who rated how much they liked 105 'HAI' and 'HTD' images. Although we found a significant interaction between 'HAI' and 'HTD' categories and diagnosis, neither group significantly preferred one category over the other, and only one individual category ('Celebrities' showed a significant group effect, favored by TD adolescents. Males significantly preferred 'HAI' images relative to females, and TD adolescents significantly preferred images with social content relative to adolescents with ASD. Our findings suggest that studies investigating affective or neural responses to CI-related stimuli in adolescents should consider that stereotypical ASD interests (e.g. trains, gadgets may not accurately represent individual adolescents with ASD, many of whom show interests that

Root signals that mediate mutualistic interactions in the rhizosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmann, Sergio; Turlings, Ted Cj

2016-08-01

A recent boom in research on belowground ecology is rapidly revealing a multitude of fascinating interactions, in particular in the rhizosphere. Many of these interactions are mediated by photo-assimilates that are excreted by plant roots. Root exudates are not mere waste products, but serve numerous functions to control abiotic and biotic processes. These functions range from changing the chemical and physical properties of the soil, inhibiting the growth of competing plants, combatting herbivores, and regulating the microbial community. Particularly intriguing are root-released compounds that have evolved to serve mutualistic interactions with soil-dwelling organisms. These mutually beneficial plant-mediated signals are not only of fundamental ecological interest, but also exceedingly important from an agronomical perspective. Here, we attempt to provide an overview of the plant-produced compounds that have so far been implicated in mutualistic interactions. We propose that these mutualistic signals may have evolved from chemical defenses and we point out that they can be (mis)used by specialized pathogens and herbivores. We speculate that many more signals and interactions remain to be uncovered and that a good understanding of the mechanisms and ecological implications can be the basis for exploitation and manipulation of the signals for crop improvement and protection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

INTERACTIVE ILUSTRATION FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS TEACHING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.R. Pereira

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Computational resources became the major tool in the challenge of making high education moreeasy and motivating. Complex Biochemical pathways can now be presented in interactive and three-dimensional animations. One of the most complex (detailed and interesting metabolic pathway thatstudents must understand in biochemical courses is photosynthesis. The light-dependent reactionsare of special interest since they involve many dierent kinds of mechanisms, as light absorptionby membrane complexes, proteins movement inside membranes, reactions of water hydrolysis, andelectrons ow; making it dicult to understand by static bi-dimensional representations.The resources of animation and ActionScript programming were used to make an interactive ani-mation of photosynthesis, which at some times even simulates three-dimensionality. The animationbegins with a leaf and progressively zooms in, until we have a scheme of a tylakoyd membrane, whereeach of the dierent steps of the pathway can be clicked to reveal a more detailed scheme of it. Whereappropriate, the energy graphs are shown side by side with the reactions. The electron is representedwith a face, so it can be shown to be stressing while going up in the energy graphs. Finally, there isa simplied version of the whole pathway, to illustrate how it all goes together.The objective is to help professors on teaching the subject in regular classes, since currently allthe explanations are omitted. In a future version, texts will be added to each step so it can beself-explicative to the students, helping them even on home or on-line learning.

Serving Multicultural Children with Special Needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Spinetta, Pat Deasy; Collins, Denis E.

1994-01-01

Suggests that the keys to interacting effectively with culturally or linguistically different students with special needs are the awareness of helper professionals' of their own values and cultures; professionals' understanding of their clients' cultural differences; and the provision of services in culturally appropriate ways. (MAB)

2008 GRS specialized forum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butz, H.P.

2008-01-01

After the successful trial run in 2007, the 2008 GRS Specialized Forum held at the Cologne Wolkenburg on April 7 and 8, 2008 was a full success. GRS, Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, plans to resume in this way its GRS specialized lectures series with a tradition of many years. Approximately 180 participants from public authorities, licensees, the nuclear industry, research and engineering establishments as well as universities showed their interest in current GRS activities. On 2 days, only GRS experts presented fundamental and GRS-specific approaches in scientific analysis, new research findings, and possibilities of advancing scientific methods under the four headings of Reactor Safety Research and Evaluation, Topical Subjects of Reactor Safety, Radiation Protection Activities, and Repository Safety and Environmental Research. The discussions held after each presentation offered a number of critical, but valuable and welcome, contributions from the different perspectives of the discussants. (orig.)

Trait evolution, resource specialization and vulnerability to plant extinctions among Antillean hummingbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalsgaard, Bo; Kennedy, Jonathan D; Simmons, Benno I; Baquero, Andrea C; Martín González, Ana M; Timmermann, Allan; Maruyama, Pietro K; McGuire, Jimmy A; Ollerton, Jeff; Sutherland, William J; Rahbek, Carsten

2018-03-28

Species traits are thought to predict feeding specialization and the vulnerability of a species to extinctions of interaction partners, but the context in which a species evolved and currently inhabits may also matter. Notably, the predictive power of traits may require that traits evolved to fit interaction partners. Furthermore, local abiotic and biotic conditions may be important. On islands, for instance, specialized and vulnerable species are predicted to be found mainly in mountains, whereas species in lowlands should be generalized and less vulnerable. We evaluated these predictions for hummingbirds and their nectar-food plants on Antillean islands. Our results suggest that the rates of hummingbird trait divergence were higher among ancestral mainland forms before the colonization of the Antilles. In correspondence with the limited trait evolution that occurred within the Antilles, local abiotic and biotic conditions-not species traits-correlate with hummingbird resource specialization and the vulnerability of hummingbirds to extinctions of their floral resources. Specifically, hummingbirds were more specialized and vulnerable in conditions with high topographical complexity, high rainfall, low temperatures and high floral resource richness, which characterize the Antillean Mountains. These findings show that resource specialization and species vulnerability to extinctions of interaction partners are highly context-dependent. © 2018 The Author(s).

26 CFR 1.1254-5 - Special rules for partnerships and their partners.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

..., have equal interests in capital in Partnership ABC that was formed on January 1, 1985. The partnership... the property's basis to each partner in proportion to the partner's interest in partnership capital... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Special rules for partnerships and their...

19 CFR 200.735-123 - Effect of employees' and special Government employees' statements on other requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Effect of employees' and special Government... Employment and Financial Interests § 200.735-123 Effect of employees' and special Government employees... statements required of employees and special Government employees are in addition to, and not in substitution...

Special Issue: “Molecules against Alzheimer”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Decker

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This Special Issue, entitled “Molecules against Alzheimer”, gathers a number of original articles, short communications, and review articles on recent research efforts toward the development of novel drug candidates, diagnostic agents and therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer’s disease (AD, the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and a leading cause of death worldwide. This Special Issue contains many interesting examples describing the design, synthesis, and pharmacological profiling of novel compounds that hit one or several key biological targets, such as cholinesterases, β-amyloid formation or aggregation, monoamine oxidase B, oxidative stress, biometal dyshomeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, serotonin and/or melatonin systems, the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, sigma receptors, nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, or nuclear erythroid 2-related factor. The development of novel AD diagnostic agents based on tau protein imaging and the use of lithium or intranasal insulin for the prevention or the symptomatic treatment of AD is also covered in some articles of the Special Issue.

The IERS Special Bureau for Tides

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Richard D.; Chao, B. F.; Desai, S. D.

2002-01-01

The Global Geophysical Fluids Center of the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) comprises 8 special bureaus, one of which is the Special Bureau for Tides. Its purpose is to facilitate studies related to tidal effects in earth rotation. To that end it collects various relevant datasets and distributes them, primarily through its website at bowie.gsfc.nasa.gov/ggfc/tides. Example datasets include tabulations of tidal variations in angular momentum and in earth rotation as estimated from numerical ocean tide models and from meteorological reanalysis products. The web site also features an interactive tidal prediction "machine" which generates tidal predictions (e.g., of UT1) from lists of harmonic constants. The Special Bureau relies on the tidal and earth-rotation communities to build and enlarge its datasets; further contributions from this community are most welcome.

An Introduction to the Special Issue. Politics of Precarity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schierup, Carl-Ulrik; Bak Jørgensen, Martin

2016-01-01

The current special issue examines the range and strength of analysing contemporary transformations and struggles through the lens of ‘precarity’. Rather than defining a single precariat, the interest is in exploring ‘varieties of precarity’. These take different forms in different parts of the w......The current special issue examines the range and strength of analysing contemporary transformations and struggles through the lens of ‘precarity’. Rather than defining a single precariat, the interest is in exploring ‘varieties of precarity’. These take different forms in different parts...... of the world, on different scales and in different socio-economic contexts, and yet they share certain characteristics in terms of conditions and capacity for agency. Contributions to this volume testify that precarity may be a political proposition as much as a sociological category that offers an analytical...

Managing Conflicting Stakeholder Interests: An Exploratory Case Analysis of the Formulation of Corporate Social Responsibility Standards in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ingenbleek, P.T.M.; Immink, V.M.

2010-01-01

The formulation of corporate social responsibility standards must deal with conflicting interests among stakeholders. The standards formulation process occurs at the junction between market stakeholders and special interest groups, which implies that it may help increase understanding of the

Editorial safety science special issue road safety management.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wegman, F.C.M. & Hagezieker, M.P.

2014-01-01

The articles presented in this Special Issue on Road Safety Management represent an illustration of the growing interest in policy-related research in the area of road safety. The complex nature of this type of research combined with the observation that scientific journals pay limited attention to

Specialization can drive the evolution of modularity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Espinosa-Soto

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Organismal development and many cell biological processes are organized in a modular fashion, where regulatory molecules form groups with many interactions within a group and few interactions between groups. Thus, the activity of elements within a module depends little on elements outside of it. Modularity facilitates the production of heritable variation and of evolutionary innovations. There is no consensus on how modularity might evolve, especially for modules in development. We show that modularity can increase in gene regulatory networks as a byproduct of specialization in gene activity. Such specialization occurs after gene regulatory networks are selected to produce new gene activity patterns that appear in a specific body structure or under a specific environmental condition. Modules that arise after specialization in gene activity comprise genes that show concerted changes in gene activities. This and other observations suggest that modularity evolves because it decreases interference between different groups of genes. Our work can explain the appearance and maintenance of modularity through a mechanism that is not contingent on environmental change. We also show how modularity can facilitate co-option, the utilization of existing gene activity to build new gene activity patterns, a frequent feature of evolutionary innovations.

Interactive tele-education applied to a distant clinical microbiology specialization university course.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreazzi, Denise B; Rossi, Flávia; Wen, Chao L

2011-09-01

The microbiology laboratory provides a strategic support for infectious disease diagnosis and also alerts the medical community about bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The microbiologists' training is a challenge in Brazil, a country with an extensive territory, a diverse population, and disparity of resource allocation. The aim of this study was to implement an interactive tele-educational course in clinical microbiology to reach distant laboratory workers and to improve their professional skills. The course scientific content was defined according to competences associated, distributed in 560 h, with laboratory practices (knowledge matrix-contextual education). The 11-module course structure comprised 70% distance learning, 22% on campus (integrated modules), and 8% monographs. The group included 7 physicians and 21 microbiologists from 20 different Brazilian cities. The time flexibility and location were the two main reasons for student participation, thus decreasing absences to the workplace, different from the traditional teaching methodologies. The group performance was measured by monthly evaluations, and 1 year postcourse, the researcher visited their workplace. There was significant improvement in microbiological practices performed before compared with after group participation. Therefore, 76.9% of laboratory practices were modified because of the knowledge acquired in the course. Students showed behavioral changes in relation to performance in infection control as well as on the dissemination of their knowledge. This specialization course using distance education did not compromise the quality. This educational methodology represents an alternative to teach clinical microbiology to laboratory workers from remote hospitals, as a nationwide continuing educational strategy.

Enhancing collaborative filtering by user interest expansion via personalized ranking.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qi; Chen, Enhong; Xiong, Hui; Ding, Chris H Q; Chen, Jian

2012-02-01

Recommender systems suggest a few items from many possible choices to the users by understanding their past behaviors. In these systems, the user behaviors are influenced by the hidden interests of the users. Learning to leverage the information about user interests is often critical for making better recommendations. However, existing collaborative-filtering-based recommender systems are usually focused on exploiting the information about the user's interaction with the systems; the information about latent user interests is largely underexplored. To that end, inspired by the topic models, in this paper, we propose a novel collaborative-filtering-based recommender system by user interest expansion via personalized ranking, named iExpand. The goal is to build an item-oriented model-based collaborative-filtering framework. The iExpand method introduces a three-layer, user-interests-item, representation scheme, which leads to more accurate ranking recommendation results with less computation cost and helps the understanding of the interactions among users, items, and user interests. Moreover, iExpand strategically deals with many issues that exist in traditional collaborative-filtering approaches, such as the overspecialization problem and the cold-start problem. Finally, we evaluate iExpand on three benchmark data sets, and experimental results show that iExpand can lead to better ranking performance than state-of-the-art methods with a significant margin.

A Conceptual Derivation of Einstein's Postulates of Special Relativity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bearden, Thomas E.

This document presents a discussion and conceptual derivation of Einstein's postulates of special relativity. The perceptron approach appears to be a fundamentally new manner of regarding physical phenomena and it is hoped that physicists will interest themselves in the concept. (Author)

Deformed special relativity with an invariant minimum speed and its ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

On the other hand, according to special relativity (SR), the momentum cannot ... Deformed special relativity with an invariant minimum speed ..... However, we need to show that there is an anti-gravitational interaction between the ordinary proof mass m and the big sphere with a 'dark mass' of vacuum (MΛ), but let us first ...

Association of Dietary Habits and Interest for Food and Science versus Weight Status in Children Aged 8 to 18 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderhulst, Els; Faik, Aicha; Vansintejan, Johan; Van Rossem, Inès; Devroey, Dirk

2018-01-01

This study aims to describe the association between dietary habits and weight status and the interest in food and science. We examined in a cross-sectional study 525 children aged between 8 and 18 years, who attended the Brussels Food Fair or the Belgian Science Day in 2013. They were divided into three groups: special interest in science, special interest in food, and a general control group. They completed a questionnaire, and body parameters were measured. The weight status of the children was identified using the growth charts and the calculated BMI. In total, 525 children were included: 290 children in the reference group, 194 in the food group, and 41 in the science group. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 28% in the general control group, 14% in the food group, and 15% in the science group. Breakfast and dinner were skipped more often by children with overweight or obesity. Children from the food and science groups had more sweets and meat, had less fruit, and skipped less meals. In our study, 28% of the reference group had overweight or obesity. The children with special interest in food or science differed from the control group.

38 CFR 21.4232 - Specialized vocational training-38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Vocational Rehabilation Panel, determine whether such a course is in the best interest of the eligible person... interest. (3) Both the counseling psychologist and the Vocational Rehabilitation Panel will assist in... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Specialized vocational...

Instabilities in Interacting Binary Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Andronov, I. L.; Andrych, K. D.; Antoniuk, K. A.; Baklanov, A. V.; Beringer, P.; Breus, V. V.; Burwitz, V.; Chinarova, L. L.; Chochol, D.; Cook, L. M.; Cook, M.; Dubovský, P.; Godlowski, W.; Hegedüs, T.; Hoňková, K.; Hric, L.; Jeon, Y.-B.; Juryšek, J.; Kim, C.-H.; Kim, Y.; Kim, Y.-H.; Kolesnikov, S. V.; Kudashkina, L. S.; Kusakin, A. V.; Marsakova, V. I.; Mason, P. A.; Mašek, M.; Mishevskiy, N.; Nelson, R. H.; Oksanen, A.; Parimucha, S.; Park, J.-W.; Petrík, K.; Quiñones, C.; Reinsch, K.; Robertson, J. W.; Sergey, I. M.; Szpanko, M.; Tkachenko, M. G.; Tkachuk, L. G.; Traulsen, I.; Tremko, J.; Tsehmeystrenko, V. S.; Yoon, J.-N.; Zola, S.; Shakhovskoy, N. M.

2017-07-01

The types of instability in the interacting binary stars are briefly reviewed. The project “Inter-Longitude Astronomy” is a series of smaller projects on concrete stars or groups of stars. It has no special funds, and is supported from resources and grants of participating organizations, when informal working groups are created. This “ILA” project is in some kind similar and complementary to other projects like WET, CBA, UkrVO, VSOLJ, BRNO, MEDUZA, AstroStatistics, where many of us collaborate. Totally we studied 1900+ variable stars of different types, including newly discovered variables. The characteristic timescale is from seconds to decades and (extrapolating) even more. The monitoring of the first star of our sample AM Her was initiated by Prof. V.P. Tsesevich (1907-1983). Since more than 358 ADS papers were published. In this short review, we present some highlights of our photometric and photo-polarimetric monitoring and mathematical modeling of interacting binary stars of different types: classical (AM Her, QQ Vul, V808 Aur = CSS 081231:071126+440405, FL Cet), asynchronous (BY Cam, V1432 Aql), intermediate (V405 Aql, BG CMi, MU Cam, V1343 Her, FO Aqr, AO Psc, RXJ 2123, 2133, 0636, 0704) polars and magnetic dwarf novae (DO Dra) with 25 timescales corresponding to different physical mechanisms and their combinations (part “Polar”); negative and positive superhumpers in nova-like (TT Ari, MV Lyr, V603 Aql, V795 Her) and many dwarf novae stars (“Superhumper”); eclipsing “non-magnetic” cataclysmic variables(BH Lyn, DW UMa, EM Cyg; PX And); symbiotic systems (“Symbiosis”); super-soft sources (SSS, QR And); spotted (and not spotted) eclipsing variables with (and without) evidence for a current mass transfer (“Eclipser”) with a special emphasis on systems with a direct impact of the stream into the gainer star's atmosphere, which we propose to call “Impactor” (short from “Extreme Direct Impactor”), or V361 Lyr-type stars. Other

A Helicopter View of the Special Issue on Wave Energy Converters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego Vicinanza

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper intends to provide the reader with an overview of the Special Issue on Wave Energy Converters. Through 16 contributions from authors of 10 different countries, a number of key topics have been tackled, including resource assessment, engineering design, and financial analysis. As a whole, the Special Issue forms an interesting and helpful compendium on the state of the art of wave energy extraction and exploitation.

Implications of the Articles for Interpreting Interest Inventories: Consequential Validity and Meaning Making

Science.gov (United States)

Healy, Charles C.; Chope, Robert C.

2006-01-01

Interpretation of interest inventories deepens self-knowledge, promotes career exploration, and assists counselors in understanding a client. This article highlights findings from the studies that appear in this special issue of the journal of Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, with implications for encouraging clients'…

NOWADAYS ONLINE CONSUMERS' RIGHTS AND INTERESTS. CASE STUDY- THE ROMANIAN EDUCATED ONLINE YOUNG CONSUMER

OpenAIRE

Nicoleta-Dorina RACOLŢA-PAINA; Theodora Alexandra LUCA

2011-01-01

The digital age brought along the appearance of a new type of consumer, the online consumer. Taking into consideration the serious security threats of the virtual market, the purpose of this article is to emphasize several significant aspects related to online consumer’s rights and interests, with a special interest on the educated online young consumers in Romania. We used desk and field research and carried out an online exploratory, quantitative survey, with the questionnaire as the main i...

Special issue on asteroids - Introduction

Science.gov (United States)

Novaković, Bojan; Hsieh, Henry H.; Gronchi, Giovanni F.

2018-04-01

The articles in this special issue are devoted to asteroids, small solar system bodies that primarily populate a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, known as the asteroid belt, but can also be found throughout the Solar System. Asteroids are considered to be a key to understanding the formation and evolution of our planetary system. Their properties allow us to test current theoretical models and develop new theoretical concepts pertaining to evolutionary processes in the Solar System. There have been major advances in asteroid science in the last decade, and that trend continues. Eighteen papers accepted for this special issue cover a wide range of asteroid-related subjects, pushing the boundaries of our understanding of these intriguing objects even further. Here we provide the reader with a brief overview of these thrilling papers, with an invitation for interested scientists to read each work in detail for a better understanding of these recent cutting edge results. As many topics in asteroid science remain open challenges, we hope that this special issue will be an important reference point for future research on this compelling topic.

Interests of 5th through 10th Grade Students Regarding Enviromental Protection Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Erten, Sinan

2015-01-01

This study investigates the extent of interest among middle and high school students in environmental protection issues along with the sources of their interests and factors that impact their interests, namely people with whom they interact and courses that they take related to the environment, science and technology. In addition, it is confirmed…

Online evaluation of point-of-interest recommendation systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dean-Hall, A.; Clarke, C.L.A.; Kamps, J.; Kiseleva, J.

2015-01-01

In this work we describe a system to evaluate multiple point- of-interest recommendation systems. In this system each recommendation service will be exposed online and crowd-sourced assessors will interact with merged results from multiple services, which are responding to suggestion requests live,

28 CFR 600.3 - Qualifications of the Special Counsel.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... informed understanding of the criminal law and Department of Justice policies. The Special Counsel shall be.... 600.3 Section 600.3 Judicial Administration OFFICES OF INDEPENDENT COUNSEL, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE... appropriate background investigation and a detailed review of ethics and conflicts of interest issues. A...

UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES IN AFRICA

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-16

hundreds of traditional African religions associated with the plethora of tribal groups as well as large populations of Muslims, primarily in the...engagement, and the complexities of the African continent, Special Operations Forces (SOF) are uniquely suited to further those interests. Additionally...protecting access to abundant strategic resources, fostering integration into the global economy, and empowering Africans and their partners to deal

DEBT AMORTIZATION AND SIMPLE INTEREST: THE CASE OF PAYMENTS IN AN ARITHMETIC PROGRESSION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clovis José Daudt Lyra Darrigue Faro

2014-12-01

Full Text Available With the argument that, necessarily, compound interest implies anatocism, the Brazilian Judiciary has been determining that, specially for the case of  debt amortization in accordance with the so called Tabela Price, when we have constant payments, the use of simple interest. With the same determination occurring in the case of the Constant Amortization Scheme, when the payments follow arithmetic progressions.  However, as simple interest lacks the property of time subdivision, it is shown that as in the case of constant payments, the adoption of simple interest in the case of payments following an arithmetic progression results in amortization schemes that are financially inconsistent. In the sense that the determination of the outstanding principal in accordance with the prospective, retrospective and of recurrence methods lead to conflicting  results. To this end, four different variations of the use of simple interest are numerically analyzed.

Editorial of the Special Issue Antimicrobial Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iolanda Francolini

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The special issue “Antimicrobial Polymers” includes research and review papers concerning the recent advances on preparation of antimicrobial polymers and their relevance to industrial settings and biomedical field. Antimicrobial polymers have recently emerged as promising candidates to fight microbial contamination onto surfaces thanks to their interesting properties. In this special issue, the main strategies pursued for developing antimicrobial polymers, including polymer impregnation with antimicrobial agents or synthesis of polymers bearing antimicrobial moieties, were discussed. The future application of these polymers either in industrial or healthcare settings could result in an extremely positive impact not only at the economic level but also for the improvement of quality of life.

Remarks on doubly special relativity theories and gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinterleitner, F

2008-01-01

Modifications of special relativity by the introduction of an invariant energy and/or momentum level (so-called doubly special relativity theories, DSR) or by an energy-momentum dependence of the Planck constant (generalized uncertainty principle, GUP) are compared with classical gravitational effects in an interaction process. For the low-energy limit of the usual formulations of DSR to be equivalent to Newtonian gravity, a restrictive condition is found. GUP yields an effective repulsion, in analogy to gravitational repulsion in loop quantum cosmology

Medical students' and interns' interest in orthopedic surgery: the gender factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Joshua E; Zisk-Rony, Rachel Y; Liebergall, Meir; Tandeter, Howard; Kaplan, Leon; Weiss, Yoram G; Weissman, Charles

2014-01-01

There is an extremely small proportion of female medical students choosing to specialize in orthopedic surgery. The aim of the study was to assess medical students' and interns' interests and perceptions of orthopedic surgery and explore why women are not interested in orthopedic surgery. Questionnaires were distributed to final-year medical students and interns assessing their interests and perception of orthopedic surgery. Final-year medical students and interns. Responses were obtained from 317 students and 199 interns. Among the medical students, 15% were interested in orthopedic surgery, but only 2% were women. Both male and female students perceived orthopedics as an "action"-packed, procedure-based profession, providing instant gratification, time in the operating room, high income, and the option for private practice. Female medical students considered it boring. Among interns, 11% were interested in orthopedic surgery; however, only 2% were women. When compared with the interns who were not interested in orthopedic surgery, a greater number of the interns interested in orthopedic surgery rated time with family and a procedure-intensive profession as important. Female students and interns were also interested in other surgical fields. The increasing majority of women among medical students will reshape the future of physician workforce by dictating changes in workforce participation, working conditions, and intercollegial relationships. Orthopedic surgery will need to adapt to these realities. Published by Elsevier Inc.

77 FR 39497 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-03

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review The meeting announced below concerns Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and...

77 FR 39498 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-03

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Initial Review The meeting announced below concerns Special Interest Project (SIP): Assessing the Pregnancy Prevention Needs of HIV...

Interactive Storytelling: Opportunities for Online Course Design

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Sally; Ching, Yu-Hui

2017-01-01

Compelling interactive stories can be used to get and keep learners' interest in online courses. Interactive storytelling presents information in a manner that involves learners by allowing them to connect with the content. Incorporating interactive storytelling into online education offers the potential to increase student interest and knowledge…

Wheat crown rot pathogens Fusarium graminearum and F. pseudograminearum lack specialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Sukumar; Obanor, Friday; Westecott, Rhyannyn; Abeywickrama, Krishanthi

2010-10-01

This article reports a lack of pathogenic specialization among Australian Fusarium graminearum and F. pseudograminearum causing crown rot (CR) of wheat using analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component and biplot analysis, Kendall's coefficient of concordance (W), and κ statistics. Overall, F. pseudograminearum was more aggressive than F. graminearum, supporting earlier delineation of the crown-infecting group as a new species. Although significant wheat line-pathogen isolate interaction in ANOVA suggested putative specialization when seedlings of 60 wheat lines were inoculated with 4 pathogen isolates or 26 wheat lines were inoculated with 10 isolates, significant W and κ showed agreement in rank order of wheat lines, indicating a lack of specialization. The first principal component representing nondifferential aggressiveness explained a large part (up to 65%) of the variation in CR severity. The differential components were small and more pronounced in seedlings than in adult plants. By maximizing variance on the first two principal components, biplots were useful for highlighting the association between isolates and wheat lines. A key finding of this work is that a range of analytical tools are needed to explore pathogenic specialization, and a statistically significant interaction in an ANOVA cannot be taken as conclusive evidence of specialization. With no highly resistant wheat cultivars, Fusarium isolates mostly differ in aggressiveness; however, specialization may appear as more resistant cultivars become widespread.

NATO in Canada’s geopolitical interests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. I. Berehovyi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Canada, as one of the founding countries, plays an active role in NATO since its establishment and till the modern stage. Canadian military forces participate in international peacekeeping operations, counter­terrorism and maintaining security in the transatlantic area. Despite the close relationship with the US as a military, political and economic areas, Canada has always tried to conduct an independent policy within NATO. Canada national interests and NATO influence expand overlapping on the Arctic region deserves special attention. Canada’s position on the role of NATO in the Arctic rather contradictory. Canada fears the growing influence in the Arctic region of the NATO member countries, which are not the Arctic states as in the case of Britain. Canada has long been promoting the idea of the alliance’s transformation into the global organization like the United Nations Organization, which set a goal to provide security around the world. In fact, Canada seeks the creation of a «world policeman» who has modern special forces intended to participate in conflicts in different parts of the world. Also there is another scenario ­ the preservation of NATO as a «Eurocentric hybrid» with the former focusing on European security.

Region-of-interest volumetric visual hull refinement

KAUST Repository

Knoblauch, Daniel

2010-01-01

This paper introduces a region-of-interest visual hull refinement technique, based on flexible voxel grids for volumetric visual hull reconstructions. Region-of-interest refinement is based on a multipass process, beginning with a focussed visual hull reconstruction, resulting in a first 3D approximation of the target, followed by a region-of-interest estimation, tasked with identifying features of interest, which in turn are used to locally refine the voxel grid and extract a higher-resolution surface representation for those regions. This approach is illustrated for the reconstruction of avatars for use in tele-immersion environments, where head and hand regions are of higher interest. To allow reproducability and direct comparison a publicly available data set for human visual hull reconstruction is used. This paper shows that region-of-interest reconstruction of the target is faster and visually comparable to higher resolution focused visual hull reconstructions. This approach reduces the amount of data generated through the reconstruction, allowing faster post processing, as rendering or networking of the surface voxels. Reconstruction speeds support smooth interactions between the avatar and the virtual environment, while the improved resolution of its facial region and hands creates a higher-degree of immersion and potentially impacts the perception of body language, facial expressions and eye-to-eye contact. Copyright © 2010 by the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc.

ACEHSA accreditation safeguards the public interest.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundre, Steven M

2004-01-01

Daily, we are reminded that the public's investment in attaining quality health and medical care is among the most important priorities of our nation's citizens. Central to realizing that attainment is the level of professional competence of those charged with managing the nation's health resources. The not-for-profit Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration is the sole national organization governing the standards by which future health managers, administrators, and executives are educated and trained in accredited graduate programs. The impact of the ACEHSA is growing as health and medical leaders, government and regulatory policy-makers, insurance executives, special interest groups, and, of course, members of the public increasingly realize that top-flight healthcare delivery requires excellence in the management of health resources.

Interest-Driven Learning Among Middle School Youth in an Out-of-School STEM Studio

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Michael A.; Lopez, Megan; Maddox, Donna; Drape, Tiffany; Duke, Rebekah

2014-10-01

The concept of connected learning proposes that youth leverage individual interest and social media to drive learning with an academic focus. To illustrate, we present in-depth case studies of Ryan and Sam, two middle-school-age youth, to document an out-of-school intervention intended to direct toward intentional learning in STEM that taps interest and motivation. The investigation focused on how Ryan and Sam interacted with the designed elements of Studio STEM and whether they became more engaged to gain deeper learning about science concepts related to energy sustainability. The investigation focused on the roles of the engineering design process, peer interaction, and social media to influence youth interest and motivation. Research questions were based on principles of connected learning (e.g., self-expression, lower barriers to expertise, socio-technical supports) with data analyzed within a framework suggested by discursive psychology. Analyzing videotaped excerpts of interactions in the studio, field notes, interview responses, and artifacts created during the program resulted in the following findings: problem solving, new media, and peer interaction as designed features of Studio STEM elicited evidence of stimulating interest in STEM for deeper learning. Further research could investigate individual interest-driven niches that are formed inside the larger educational setting, identifying areas of informal learning practice that could be adopted in formal settings. Moreover, aspects of youth's STEM literacy that could promote environmental sustainability through ideation, invention, and creativity should be pursued.

Special Issue of Selected Papers from Visualization and Data Analysis 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Kao, David L.; Wong, Pak Chung

2012-01-01

This special issue features the best papers that were selected from the 18th SPIE Conference on Visualization and Data Analysis (VDA 2011). This annual conference is a major international forum for researchers and practitioners interested in data visualization and analytics research, development, and applications. VDA 2011 received 42 high-quality submissions from around the world. Twenty-four papers were selected for full conference papers. The top five papers have been expanded and reviewed for this special issue.

"Clones," Codes, and Conflicts of Interest in Cartooning: Cartoonists and Editors Look at Ethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Riffe, Daniel; And Others

A study examined differences between political cartoonists and op-ed page editors on both traditional ethical issues (such as conflicts of interest) and the special, style-related concerns of editorial cartoonists. Hypotheses proposed were that editors and cartoonists (1) would condemn "cloning" or copying, reflecting an ethical…

From the Editors of the Special Issue

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruttkay, Z.M.; Kipp, Michael; Kipp, M.; Nijholt, Antinus; Vilhjálmsson, H.H.; Vilhjalmsson, Högni

2010-01-01

Welcome to the special issue on Intelligent Virtual Agents. Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) are interactive characters that – in spite of being merely 2D or 3D computer graphics models – exhibit humanlike qualities and communicate with humans or with each other using natural human modalities such

Physicians-Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives Interactions and Conflict of Interest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avinash R. Patwardhan MD

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Physician-industry relationships have come a long way since serious debates began after a 1990 Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources report on the topic. On one side, the Sun Shine Act of 2007, now a part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that mandates disclosure of payments and gifts to the physicians, has injected more transparency into the relationships, and on the other side, numerous voluntary self-regulation guidelines have been instituted to protect patients. However, despite these commendable efforts, problem persists. Taking the specific case of physician-pharmaceutical sales representative (PSR interactions, also called as detailing, where the PSRs lobby physicians to prescribe their brand drugs while bringing them gifts on the side, an August 2016 article concluded that gifts as small as $20 are associated with higher prescribing rates. A close examination reveals the intricacies of the relationships. Though PSRs ultimately want to push their drugs, more than gifts, they also bring the ready-made synthesized knowledge about the drugs, something the busy physicians, starving for time to read the literature themselves, find hard to let go. Conscientious physicians are not unaware of the marketing tactics. And yet, physicians too are humans. It is also the nature of their job that requires an innate cognitive dissonance to be functional in medical practice, a trait that sometimes works against them in case of PSR interactions. Besides, PSRs too follow the dictates of the shareholders of their companies. Therefore, if they try to influence physicians using social psychology, it is a job they are asked to do. The complexity of relationships creates conundrums that are hard to tackle. This commentary examines various dimensions of these relationships. In the end, a few suggestions are offered as a way forward.

Physicians-Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives Interactions and Conflict of Interest

Science.gov (United States)

Patwardhan, Avinash R.

2016-01-01

Physician-industry relationships have come a long way since serious debates began after a 1990 Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources report on the topic. On one side, the Sun Shine Act of 2007, now a part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that mandates disclosure of payments and gifts to the physicians, has injected more transparency into the relationships, and on the other side, numerous voluntary self-regulation guidelines have been instituted to protect patients. However, despite these commendable efforts, problem persists. Taking the specific case of physician-pharmaceutical sales representative (PSR) interactions, also called as detailing, where the PSRs lobby physicians to prescribe their brand drugs while bringing them gifts on the side, an August 2016 article concluded that gifts as small as $20 are associated with higher prescribing rates. A close examination reveals the intricacies of the relationships. Though PSRs ultimately want to push their drugs, more than gifts, they also bring the ready-made synthesized knowledge about the drugs, something the busy physicians, starving for time to read the literature themselves, find hard to let go. Conscientious physicians are not unaware of the marketing tactics. And yet, physicians too are humans. It is also the nature of their job that requires an innate cognitive dissonance to be functional in medical practice, a trait that sometimes works against them in case of PSR interactions. Besides, PSRs too follow the dictates of the shareholders of their companies. Therefore, if they try to influence physicians using social psychology, it is a job they are asked to do. The complexity of relationships creates conundrums that are hard to tackle. This commentary examines various dimensions of these relationships. In the end, a few suggestions are offered as a way forward. PMID:27637269

Foreword to the Special Focus on Mathematics, Data and Knowledge

KAUST Repository

Chen, Xiaoyu

2013-12-01

There is a growing interest in applying mathematical theories and methods from topology, computational geometry, differential equations, fluid dynamics, quantum statistics, etc. to describe and to analyze scientific regularities of diverse, massive, complex, nonlinear, and fast changing data accumulated continuously around the world and in discovering and revealing valid, insightful, and valuable knowledge that data imply. With increasingly solid mathematical foundations, various methods and techniques have been studied and developed for data mining, modeling, and processing, and knowledge representation, organization, and verification; different systems and mechanisms have been designed to perform data-intensive tasks in many application fields for classification, predication, recommendation, ranking, filtering, etc. This special focus of Mathematics in Computer Science is organized to stimulate original research on the interaction of mathematics with data and knowledge, in particular the exploration of new mathematical theories and methodologies for data modeling and analysis and knowledge discovery and management, the study of mathematical models of big data and complex knowledge, and the development of novel solutions and strategies to enhance the performance of existing systems and mechanisms for data and knowledge processing. The present foreword provides a short review of some key ideas and techniques on how mathematics interacts with data and knowledge, together with a few selected research directions and problems and a brief introduction to the four papers published in the focus. © 2013 Springer Basel.

GPCR & company: databases and servers for GPCRs and interacting partners.

Science.gov (United States)

Kowalsman, Noga; Niv, Masha Y

2014-01-01

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large superfamily of membrane receptors that are involved in a wide range of signaling pathways. To fulfill their tasks, GPCRs interact with a variety of partners, including small molecules, lipids and proteins. They are accompanied by different proteins during all phases of their life cycle. Therefore, GPCR interactions with their partners are of great interest in basic cell-signaling research and in drug discovery.Due to the rapid development of computers and internet communication, knowledge and data can be easily shared within the worldwide research community via freely available databases and servers. These provide an abundance of biological, chemical and pharmacological information.This chapter describes the available web resources for investigating GPCR interactions. We review about 40 freely available databases and servers, and provide a few sentences about the essence and the data they supply. For simplification, the databases and servers were grouped under the following topics: general GPCR-ligand interactions; particular families of GPCRs and their ligands; GPCR oligomerization; GPCR interactions with intracellular partners; and structural information on GPCRs. In conclusion, a multitude of useful tools are currently available. Summary tables are provided to ease navigation between the numerous and partially overlapping resources. Suggestions for future enhancements of the online tools include the addition of links from general to specialized databases and enabling usage of user-supplied template for GPCR structural modeling.

Special issue on electron cyclotron wave physics, technology, and applications - Part 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uckan, Nermin A.

2008-01-01

This issue of Fusion Science and Technology (FS and T) contains a compendium of full-length, peer-reviewed papers on electron cyclotron (EC) wave physics, technology, and applications on magnetically confined plasmas. The interest in this special issue started with a simple question from a single individual who asked if he could submit for publication in FS and T his paper ''ITER ECH Front Steering Upper Launcher,'' parts of which he was planning to present at the 14th Joint Workshop on Electron Cyclotron Emission and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating, Santorini Island, Greece, May 2006. Such interest quickly grew, and the decision was made to offer the same opportunity to other workshop participants as well as to other interested researchers from around the world to contribute to a special FS and T issue on EC wave physics, technology, and applications. The person who started this ''wave'' of interest is no other than Dr. Mark Henderson, who was later drafted and kindly agreed to serve as the guest editor for this issue. The worldwide research program on EC wave physics, technology, and applications has shown impressive progress over the past couple of years, and much of this progress is reflected in the fifty or so papers that are included in this two-part special issue - part 1 in August 2007 and part 2 in January 2008. To complement the contributed papers, several informative reviews, which will be valuable for years to come, were also invited and are included. These review papers provide an objective summary of the current state of the art in EC emission research, theory of EC waves, EC heating and current drive experiments, gyrotron development, launcher development, and transmission systems. In preparation for ITER, this special issue is timely and should be of interest to those already working in the field and to the new generation of scientists and engineers who will be the ones to design, build, and carry out experiments on ITER. We extend our

[Drug-Drug Interactions with Consideration of Pharmacogenetics].

Science.gov (United States)

Ozawa, Shogo

2018-01-01

　Elderly patients often suffer from a variety of diseases and therefore may be prescribed several kinds of drugs. Interactions between these drugs may cause problems in some patients. Guidelines for drug interactions were released on July 8, 2014 "Drug Interaction Guideline for Drug Development and Labeling Recommendations (Final Draft)". These guidelines include the theoretical basis for evaluating the mechanisms of drug interaction, the possible extent of drug interactions, and take into consideration special populations (e.g., infants, children, elderly patients, patients with hepatic or renal dysfunction, and subjects with minor deficient alleles for drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters). In this symposium article, I discuss this last special population: altered drug metabolism and drug interactions in subjects with minor alleles of genes encoding deficient drug metabolizing enzymes. I further discuss a drug label for eliglustat (Cerdelga) with instructions for patients with ultra-rapid, extensive, intermediate, and poor metabolizer phenotypes that arise from different CYP2D6 gene alleles.

The key factors affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Derek

2018-01-01

Individual interest in school science lessons can be defined as a relatively stable and enduring personal emotion comprising affective and behavioural reactions to events in the regular science lessons at school. Little research has compared the importance of different factors affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons. The present study aimed to address this gap, using a mixed methods design. Qualitative interview data were collected from 60 Hong Kong junior secondary school students, who were asked to describe the nature of their interest in science lessons and the factors to which they attribute this. Teacher interviews, parent interviews, and classroom observations were conducted to triangulate student interview data. Five factors affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons were identified: situational influences in science lessons, individual interest in science, science self-concept, grade level, and gender. Quantitative data were then collected from 591 students using a questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was applied to test a hypothesised model, which provided an acceptable fit to the student data. The strongest factor affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons was science self-concept, followed by individual interest in science and situational influences in science lessons. Grade level and gender were found to be nonsignificant factors. These findings suggest that teachers should pay special attention to the association between academic self-concept and interest if they want to motivate students to learn science at school.

Interdependence of specialization and biodiversity in Phanerozoic marine invertebrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Nürnberg, Sabine; Aberhan, Martin

2015-03-17

Studies of the dynamics of biodiversity often suggest that diversity has upper limits, but the complex interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes and the relative role of biotic and abiotic factors that set upper limits to diversity are poorly understood. Here we statistically assess the relationship between global biodiversity and the degree of habitat specialization of benthic marine invertebrates over the Phanerozoic eon. We show that variation in habitat specialization correlates positively with changes in global diversity, that is, times of high diversity coincide with more specialized faunas. We identify the diversity dynamics of specialists but not generalists, and origination rates but not extinction rates, as the main drivers of this ecological interdependence. Abiotic factors fail to show any significant relationship with specialization. Our findings suggest that the overall level of specialization and its fluctuations over evolutionary timescales are controlled by diversity-dependent processes--driven by interactions between organisms competing for finite resources.

Asynchronous diversification in a specialized plant-pollinator mutualism.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez, Santiago R; Eltz, Thomas; Fujiwara, Mikiko K; Gerlach, Günter; Goldman-Huertas, Benjamin; Tsutsui, Neil D; Pierce, Naomi E

2011-09-23

Most flowering plants establish mutualistic associations with insect pollinators to facilitate sexual reproduction. However, the evolutionary processes that gave rise to these associations remain poorly understood. We reconstructed the times of divergence, diversification patterns, and interaction networks of a diverse group of specialized orchids and their bee pollinators. In contrast to a scenario of coevolution by race formation, we show that fragrance-producing orchids originated at least three times independently after their fragrance-collecting bee mutualists. Whereas orchid diversification has apparently tracked the diversification of orchids' bee pollinators, bees appear to have depended on the diverse chemical environment of neotropical forests. We corroborated this apparent asymmetrical dependency by simulating co-extinction cascades in real interaction networks that lacked reciprocal specialization. These results suggest that the diversification of insect-pollinated angiosperms may have been facilitated by the exploitation of preexisting sensory biases of insect pollinators.

Transport coefficients of strongly interacting matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heckmann, Klaus

2011-01-01

In this thesis, we investigate the dissipative transport phenomena of strongly interacting matter. The special interest is in the shear viscosity and its value divided by entropy density. The performed calculations are based on effective models for Quantum Chromodynamics, mostly focused on the 2-flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. This allows us to study the hadronic sector as well as the quark sector within one single model. We expand the models up to next-to-leading order in inverse numbers of colors. We present different possibilities of calculating linear transport coefficients and give an overview over qualitative properties as well as over recent ideas concerning ideal fluids. As present methods are not able to calculate the quark two-point function in Minkowski space-time in the self-consistent approximation scheme of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model, a new method for this purpose is developed. This self-energy parametrization method is applied to the expansion scheme, yielding the quark spectral function with meson back-coupling effects. The usage of this spectral function in the transport calculation is only one result of this work. We also test the application of different transport approaches in the NJL model, and find an interesting behavior of the shear viscosity at the critical end point of the phase diagram. We also use the NJL model to calculate the viscosity of a pion gas in the dilute regime. After an analysis of other models for pions and their interaction, we find that the NJL-result leads to an important modification of transport properties in comparison with the calculations which purely rely on pion properties in the vacuum. (orig.)

Interest Matters: The Importance of Promoting Interest in Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Harackiewicz, Judith M; Smith, Jessi L; Priniski, Stacy J

2016-10-01

Interest is a powerful motivational process that energizes learning, guides academic and career trajectories, and is essential to academic success. Interest is both a psychological state of attention and affect toward a particular object or topic, and an enduring predisposition to reengage over time. Integrating these two definitions, the four-phase model of interest development guides interventions that promote interest and capitalize on existing interests. Four interest-enhancing interventions seem useful: attention-getting settings, contexts evoking prior individual interest, problem-based learning, and enhancing utility value. Promoting interest can contribute to a more engaged, motivated, learning experience for students.

Defense Special Weapons Agency Advisory Panel on the Nuclear Weapon Effects Program

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1998-01-01

We performed the audit in response to allegations made to the Defense Hotline concerning conflicts of interest among members of the Defense Special Weapons Agency Advisory Panel on the Nuclear Weapon Effects Program...

Social Cognitive Predictors of Interest in Research Among Life Sciences Academics

Science.gov (United States)

Sawitri, Dian R.; Nurtjahjanti, Harlina; Prasetyo, Anggun R.

2018-02-01

Research interest is the degree to which an individual is interested in conducting research-related activities. Nowadays, Indonesian higher education academics are expected to be research productive, especially those in life sciences. However, what predicts interest in research among life sciences academics is rarely known. We surveyed 240 life sciences academics (64.6% female, mean age = 31.91 years) from several higher degree institutions in Indonesia, using interest in research, research self-efficacy, and research outcome expectations questionnaires. We used social cognitive career theory which proposes that individual’s interests are the results of the interaction between one’s self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations overtime. Structural equation modelling demonstrated that research self-efficacy was directly and indirectly associated with interest in research via research outcome expectations. Understanding the social cognitive predictors of interest in research contributes to an understanding of the associations between research self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and interest in research. Recommendations for life sciences academics, faculties, and higher education institutions are discussed.

Special Operations Forces Reference Manual. Fourth Edition

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

activities that support an adversary’s ability to negatively affect U.S. interests. CTF support can assist SOF in the execution of core activities in...the split team concept making up two six-man teams. Assistant Detachment Operations Sergeant Methods of Infiltration Special Forces soldiers possess...Twelve ODAs per SFG can infil- trate and exfiltrate by surface swim techniques. Unless specifically identified, the only teams with designated specialty

The Effects of Specialization and Sex on Anterior Y-Balance Performance in High School Athletes.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Madeline M; Trapp, Jessica L; Post, Eric G; Trigsted, Stephanie M; McGuine, Timothy A; Brooks, M Alison; Bell, David R

Sport specialization and movement asymmetry have been separately discussed as potential risk factors for lower extremity injury. Early specialization may lead to the development of movement asymmetries that can predispose an athlete to injury, but this has not been thoroughly examined. Athletes rated as specialized would exhibit greater between-limb anterior reach asymmetry and decreased anterior reach distance on the Y-balance test (YBT) as compared with nonspecialized high school athletes, and these differences would not be dependent on sex. Cross-sectional study. Level 3. Two hundred ninety-five athletes (117 male, 178 female; mean age, 15.6 ± 1.2 years) from 2 local high schools participating in basketball, soccer, volleyball, and tennis responded to a questionnaire regarding sport specialization status and performed trials of the YBT during preseason testing. Specialization was categorized according to 3 previously utilized specialization classification methods (single/multisport, 3-point scale, and 6-point scale), and interactions between specialization and sex with Y-balance performance were calculated using 2-way analyses of variance. Single-sport male athletes displayed greater anterior reach asymmetry than other interaction groups. A consistent main effect was observed for sex, with men displaying greater anterior asymmetry and decreased anterior reach distance than women. However, the interaction effects of specialization and sex on anterior Y-balance performance varied based on the classification method used. Single-sport male athletes displayed greater anterior reach asymmetry on the YBT than multisport and female athletes. Specialization classification method is important because the 6- and 3-point scales may not accurately identify balance abnormalities. Male athletes performed worse than female athletes on both of the Y-balance tasks. Clinicians should be aware that single-sport male athletes may display deficits in dynamic balance, potentially

Children's Gender-Typed Toy Interests: Does Propulsion Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Dinella, Lisa M; Weisgram, Erica S; Fulcher, Megan

2017-07-01

Children's toy play is at the foundation of child development. However, gender differentiation in early play experiences may result in gender differences in cognitive abilities, social interactions, and vocational choices. We investigated gender-typing of toys and toys' propulsive properties (e.g., wheels, forward motion) as possible factors impacting children's toy interests, perceptions of other children's interests, and children's actual toy choices during free play. In Studies 1 and 2, 82 preschool children (42 boys, 40 girls; mean age = 4.90 years) were asked to report their interest and perceptions of other children's interests in toys. In Study 1, masculine, feminine, and neutral toys with and without propulsive properties were presented. Children reported greater interest in gender-typed toys and neutral toys compared to cross-gender-typed toys. In Study 2, unfamiliar, neutral toys with and without propulsive properties were presented. Propulsive properties did not affect children's interest across both studies. Study 3 was an observational study that assessed toy preferences among 42 preschool children (21 males, 21 females, mean age = 4.49 years) during a play session with masculine, feminine, and neutral toys with and without propulsive properties. Gender-typed toy preferences were less apparent than expected, with children showing high interest in neutral toys, and girls playing with a wide variety of masculine, feminine, and neutral toys. Gender differences in interest for toys with propulsion properties were not evident. Overall, gender differences in children's interest in toys as a function of propulsion properties were not found in the three experiments within this study.

Equivalence of interest rate models and lattice gases.

Science.gov (United States)

Pirjol, Dan

2012-04-01

We consider the class of short rate interest rate models for which the short rate is proportional to the exponential of a Gaussian Markov process x(t) in the terminal measure r(t)=a(t)exp[x(t)]. These models include the Black-Derman-Toy and Black-Karasinski models in the terminal measure. We show that such interest rate models are equivalent to lattice gases with attractive two-body interaction, V(t(1),t(2))=-Cov[x(t(1)),x(t(2))]. We consider in some detail the Black-Karasinski model with x(t) as an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, and show that it is similar to a lattice gas model considered by Kac and Helfand, with attractive long-range two-body interactions, V(x,y)=-α(e(-γ|x-y|)-e(-γ(x+y))). An explicit solution for the model is given as a sum over the states of the lattice gas, which is used to show that the model has a phase transition similar to that found previously in the Black-Derman-Toy model in the terminal measure.

Special Care Dentistry Association consensus statement on sedation, anesthesia, and alternative techniques for people with special needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Glassman, Paul; Caputo, Anthony; Dougherty, Nancy; Lyons, Ray; Messieha, Zakaria; Miller, Christine; Peltier, Bruce; Romer, Maureen

2009-01-01

Many people with special needs (PSN) have difficulty having good oral health or accessing oral health services because of a disability or medical condition. The number of people with these conditions living in community settings and needing oral health services is increasing dramatically due to advances in medical care, deinstitutionalization, and changing societal values. Many of these individuals require additional supports beyond local anesthesia in order to receive dental treatment services. The purpose of this consensus statement is to focus on the decision-making process for choosing a method of treatment or a combination of methods for facilitating dental treatment for these individuals. These guidelines are intended to assist oral health professionals and other interested parties in planning and carrying out oral health treatment for PSN. Considerations for planning treatment and considerations for each of several alternative modalities are listed. Also discussed are considerations for the use of combinations of modalities and considerations for the repeated or frequent use of these modalities. Finally, the need to advocate for adequate education and reimbursement for the full range of support alternatives is addressed. The Special Care Dentistry Association (SCDA) is dedicated to improving oral health and well being of PSN. The SCDA hopes that these guidelines can help oral health professionals and other interested individuals and groups to work together to ensure that PSN can achieve a "lifetime of oral health."

Game Theoretic Interaction and Decision: A Quantum Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulrich Faigle

2017-11-01

Full Text Available An interaction system has a finite set of agents that interact pairwise, depending on the current state of the system. Symmetric decomposition of the matrix of interaction coefficients yields the representation of states by self-adjoint matrices and hence a spectral representation. As a result, cooperation systems, decision systems and quantum systems all become visible as manifestations of special interaction systems. The treatment of the theory is purely mathematical and does not require any special knowledge of physics. It is shown how standard notions in cooperative game theory arise naturally in this context. In particular, states of general interaction systems are seen to arise as linear superpositions of pure quantum states and Fourier transformation to become meaningful. Moreover, quantum games fall into this framework. Finally, a theory of Markov evolution of interaction states is presented that generalizes classical homogeneous Markov chains to the present context.

Factors predicting physical activity among children with special needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Yazdani, Shahram; Yee, Chu Tang; Chung, Paul J

2013-07-18

Obesity is especially prevalent among children with special needs. Both lack of physical activity and unhealthful eating are major contributing factors. The objective of our study was to investigate barriers to physical activity among these children. We surveyed parents of the 171 children attending Vista Del Mar School in Los Angeles, a nonprofit school serving a socioeconomically diverse group of children with special needs from kindergarten through 12th grade. Parents were asked about their child's and their own physical activity habits, barriers to their child's exercise, and demographics. The response rate was 67%. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine predictors of children being physically active at least 3 hours per week. Parents reported that 45% of the children were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 38% with autism, and 34% with learning disabilities; 47% of children and 56% of parents were physically active less than 3 hours per week. The top barriers to physical activity were reported as child's lack of interest (43%), lack of developmentally appropriate programs (33%), too many behavioral problems (32%), and parents' lack of time (29%). However, child's lack of interest was the only parent-reported barrier independently associated with children's physical activity. Meanwhile, children whose parents were physically active at least 3 hours per week were 4.2 times as likely to be physically active as children whose parents were less physically active (P = .01). In this group of students with special needs, children's physical activity was strongly associated with parental physical activity; parent-reported barriers may have had less direct effect. Further studies should examine the importance of parental physical activity among children with special needs.

26 CFR 1.861-11 - Special rules for allocating and apportioning interest expense of an affiliated group of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Based on Income from Sources within Or Without the United States § 1.861-11 Special rules for allocating... determining the amount of foreign source alternative minimum taxable income within each separate category and... for purposes of determining the amount of foreign source alternative minimum taxable income within...

Health Technology Assessment for Molecular Diagnostics: Practices, Challenges, and Recommendations from the Medical Devices and Diagnostics Special Interest Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Garfield, Susan; Polisena, Julie; S Spinner, Daryl; Postulka, Anne; Y Lu, Christine; Tiwana, Simrandeep K; Faulkner, Eric; Poulios, Nick; Zah, Vladimir; Longacre, Michael

2016-01-01

Health technology assessments (HTAs) are increasingly used to inform coverage, access, and utilization of medical technologies including molecular diagnostics (MDx). Although MDx are used to screen patients and inform disease management and treatment decisions, there is no uniform approach to their evaluation by HTA organizations. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Devices and Diagnostics Special Interest Group reviewed diagnostic-specific HTA programs and identified elements representing common and best practices. MDx-specific HTA programs in Europe, Australia, and North America were characterized by methodology, evaluation framework, and impact. Published MDx HTAs were reviewed, and five representative case studies of test evaluations were developed: United Kingdom (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Diagnostics Assessment Programme, epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase mutation), United States (Palmetto's Molecular Diagnostic Services Program, OncotypeDx prostate cancer test), Germany (Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare, human papillomavirus testing), Australia (Medical Services Advisory Committee, anaplastic lymphoma kinase testing for non-small cell lung cancer), and Canada (Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, Rapid Response: Non-invasive Prenatal Testing). Overall, the few HTA programs that have MDx-specific methods do not provide clear parameters of acceptability related to clinical and analytic performance, clinical utility, and economic impact. The case studies highlight similarities and differences in evaluation approaches across HTAs in the performance metrics used (analytic and clinical validity, clinical utility), evidence requirements, and how value is measured. Not all HTAs are directly linked to reimbursement outcomes. To improve MDx HTAs, organizations should provide greater transparency, better communication and collaboration between industry and HTA

Young Children's Interest in Live Animals

Science.gov (United States)

LoBue, Vanessa; Bloom Pickard, Megan; Sherman, Kathleen; Axford, Chrystal; DeLoache, Judy S.

2013-01-01

Animals are important stimuli for humans, and for children in particular. In three experiments, we explored children's affinity for animals. In Experiment 1, 11- to 40-month-old children were presented with a free-play session in which they were encouraged to interact with several interesting toys and two live animals--a fish and a hamster.…

Human Aspects of High Tech in Special Libraries.

Science.gov (United States)

Bichteler, Julie

1986-01-01

This investigation of library employees who spend significant portion of time in online computer interaction provides information on intellectual, psychological, social, and physical aspects of their work. Long- and short-term effects of special libraries are identified and solutions to "technostress" problems are suggested. (16…

10 CFR 780.24 - Criteria for declaring a patent affected with the public interest.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... affected with the public interest pursuant to section 153a of the Act upon the Board's final decision that: (a) The invention or discovery covered by the patent is of primary importance in the production or utilization of special nuclear material or atomic energy; and (b) The licensing of such invention or discovery...

Special relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

French, A.P.

1982-01-01

This book is an introduction to special relativity theory. After a discussion of the limits of Newton's mechanics and the pecularities in the propagation of light the Lorentz transformation is introduced. Then the measurement of space and time intervals in the framework of relativity theory is considered. Thereafter the addition of velocities and acceleration are considered in this framework. Then relativistic kinematics of particle interactions are described. Then the four-dimensional calculus in space-time coordinates is introduced. Finally an introduction is given to the treatment of the electromagnetic field in the framework of relativity theory. Every chapter contains exercise problems with solutions. This book is suited for all students who want to get some fundamental knowledge about relativity theory. (HSI) [de

Embedding the shapes of regions of interest into a Clinical Document Architecture document.

Science.gov (United States)

Minh, Nguyen Hai; Yi, Byoung-Kee; Kim, Il Kon; Song, Joon Hyun; Binh, Pham Viet

2015-03-01

Sharing a medical image visually annotated by a region of interest with a remotely located specialist for consultation is a good practice. It may, however, require a special-purpose (and most likely expensive) system to send and view them, which is an unfeasible solution in developing countries such as Vietnam. In this study, we design and implement interoperable methods based on the HL7 Clinical Document Architecture and the eXtensible Markup Language Stylesheet Language for Transformation standards to seamlessly exchange and visually present the shapes of regions of interest using web browsers. We also propose a new integration architecture for a Clinical Document Architecture generator that enables embedding of regions of interest and simultaneous auto-generation of corresponding style sheets. Using the Clinical Document Architecture document and style sheet, a sender can transmit clinical documents and medical images together with coordinate values of regions of interest to recipients. Recipients can easily view the documents and display embedded regions of interest by rendering them in their web browser of choice. © The Author(s) 2014.

A special issue on solar cells

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Yi-Bing CHENG

2011-01-01

@@ The increasing demand for renewable energy has made the solar cell technology as one of the most significantresearch and development areas of today.Silicon based solar cells are the dominant photovoltaic products at the present time, but the relatively high costs are barriers for their broad applications.Research has been active worldwide in developing other photovoltaic technologies that use cheap materials and can be easily manufactured.Organic solar cells have attracted a lot of interests recently due to their potential to be low cost photovoltaic technologies.This special issue of the Frontiers of Optoelectronics in China has collected research articles by a number of Chinese and international experts.It is aimed to broaden the readers' view about some of the recent developments and challenges in this important R&D field.Thirteen excellent papers are in this special issue including 4 review articles and 9 research articles.

Governance of differential stakeholder interests in supply chains and networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wubben, E.F.M.; Bremmers, H.J.; Ingenbleek, P.T.M.; Wals, A.E.J.

2013-01-01

Competing frames and interests regarding food provision and resource allocation, adding to the increased global interdependencies, necessitate agri-food companies and institutions to engage themselves in very diverse multi-stakeholder settings. To develop new forms of interaction, and governance,

Specialization of the Right Intraparietal Sulcus for Processing Mathematics During Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Schel, Margot A; Klingberg, Torkel

2017-09-01

Mathematical ability, especially perception of numbers and performance of arithmetics, is known to rely on the activation of intraparietal sulcus (IPS). However, reasoning ability and working memory, 2 highly associated abilities also activate partly overlapping regions. Most studies aimed at localizing mathematical function have used group averages, where individual variability is averaged out, thus confounding the anatomical specificity when localizing cognitive functions. Here, we analyze the functional anatomy of the intraparietal cortex by using individual analysis of subregions of IPS based on how they are structurally connected to frontal, parietal, and occipital cortex. Analysis of cortical thickness showed that the right anterior IPS, defined by its connections to the frontal lobe, was associated with both visuospatial working memory, and mathematics in 6-year-old children. This region specialized during development to be specifically related to mathematics, but not visuospatial working memory in adolescents and adults. This could be an example of interactive specialization, where interacting with the environment in combination with interactions between cortical regions leads from a more general role of right anterior IPS in spatial processing, to a specialization of this region for mathematics. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Editorial: Expressive Interactive Systems That Tell a Story

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reidsma, Dennis; Volpe, Gualtiero; Volpe, G; Camurri, A.; Camurri, Antonio; Nijholt, Antinus

2015-01-01

This special issue brings together selected, extended contributions from the Fourth Conference on Intelligent Technologies for Interactive Entertainment (INTETAIN 2011), with a special focus on research concerning the application of new technologies in the field of arts and culture. Since 2005, the

Specific Disgust Sensitivities Differentially Predict Interest in Careers of Varying Procedural-Intensity among Medical Students

Science.gov (United States)

Consedine, Nathan S.; Windsor, John A.

2014-01-01

Mismatches between the needs of public health systems and student interests have led to renewed study on the factors predicting career specializations among medical students. While most work examines career and lifestyle values, emotional proclivities may be important; disgust sensitivity may help explain preferences for careers with greater and…

Top-Down Control of Visual Attention by the Prefrontal Cortex. Functional Specialization and Long-Range Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Paneri, Sofia; Gregoriou, Georgia G.

2017-01-01

The ability to select information that is relevant to current behavioral goals is the hallmark of voluntary attention and an essential part of our cognition. Attention tasks are a prime example to study at the neuronal level, how task related information can be selectively processed in the brain while irrelevant information is filtered out. Whereas, numerous studies have focused on elucidating the mechanisms of visual attention at the single neuron and population level in the visual cortices, considerably less work has been devoted to deciphering the distinct contribution of higher-order brain areas, which are known to be critical for the employment of attention. Among these areas, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has long been considered a source of top-down signals that bias selection in early visual areas in favor of the attended features. Here, we review recent experimental data that support the role of PFC in attention. We examine the existing evidence for functional specialization within PFC and we discuss how long-range interactions between PFC subregions and posterior visual areas may be implemented in the brain and contribute to the attentional modulation of different measures of neural activity in visual cortices. PMID:29033784

Top-Down Control of Visual Attention by the Prefrontal Cortex. Functional Specialization and Long-Range Interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofia Paneri

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The ability to select information that is relevant to current behavioral goals is the hallmark of voluntary attention and an essential part of our cognition. Attention tasks are a prime example to study at the neuronal level, how task related information can be selectively processed in the brain while irrelevant information is filtered out. Whereas, numerous studies have focused on elucidating the mechanisms of visual attention at the single neuron and population level in the visual cortices, considerably less work has been devoted to deciphering the distinct contribution of higher-order brain areas, which are known to be critical for the employment of attention. Among these areas, the prefrontal cortex (PFC has long been considered a source of top-down signals that bias selection in early visual areas in favor of the attended features. Here, we review recent experimental data that support the role of PFC in attention. We examine the existing evidence for functional specialization within PFC and we discuss how long-range interactions between PFC subregions and posterior visual areas may be implemented in the brain and contribute to the attentional modulation of different measures of neural activity in visual cortices.

Predictors of a Major for Psychology and Special Education Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnello, M. Eileen

An inventory was administered to 161 college students in the late fall of 1977 in an attempt to predict the academic major of either psychology or special education students. The predictors were from the following series of items: demographic characteristics, academic information, occupational interests, and utility of their college program. A…

INTERESTING UROGRAPHIC CHANGE OF THE URETER IN UPPER URINARY TRACT TUBERCULOSIS

OpenAIRE

Miyoshi, Nobuyuki; Noda, Shinshi; Eto, Kousaku

1981-01-01

Urinary tuberculosis is one of the diseases continuously decreasing in number with the progress of chemotherapy and improvement in the living environment. In recent years the proportion of patients with this disease has been less than 0.5 percent of the out-patients. We encountered ureteral tuberculosis showing a pattern of diverticulum-like cystic extension arising from tuberculous ulcer, which is very interesting from a roentgenologic viewpoint. In this paper we studied on specially the mod...

Entanglement of two atoms interacting with a dissipative coherent cavity field without rotating wave approximation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang Guo-Dong; Fang Mao-Fa; Ouyang Xi-Cheng; Deng Xiao-Juan

2010-01-01

Considering two identical two-level atoms interacting with a single-model dissipative coherent cavity field without rotating wave approximation, we explore the entanglement dynamics of the two atoms prepared in different states using concurrence. Interestingly, our results show that the entanglement between the two atoms that initially disentangled will come up to a large constant rapidly, and then keeps steady in the following time or always has its maximum when prepared in some special Bell states. The model considered in this study is a good candidate for quantum information processing especially for quantum computation as steady high-degree atomic entanglement resource obtained in dissipative cavity

Sex-typed personality traits and gender identity as predictors of young adults' career interests.

Science.gov (United States)

Dinella, Lisa M; Fulcher, Megan; Weisgram, Erica S

2014-04-01

Gender segregation of careers is still prominent in the U.S. workforce. The current study was designed to investigate the role of sex-typed personality traits and gender identity in predicting emerging adults' interests in sex-typed careers. Participants included 586 university students (185 males, 401 females). Participants reported their sex-typed personality traits (masculine and feminine traits), gender identities (gender typicality, contentment, felt pressure to conform, and intergroup bias), and interests in sex-typed careers. Results indicated both sex-typed personality traits and gender identity were important predictors of young adults' career interests, but in varying degrees and differentially for men and women. Men's sex-typed personality traits and gender typicality were predictive of their masculine career interests even more so when the interaction of their masculine traits and gender typicality were considered. When gender typicality and sex-typed personality traits were considered simultaneously, gender typicality was negatively related to men's feminine career interests and gender typicality was the only significant predictor of men's feminine career interests. For women, sex-typed personality traits and gender typicality were predictive of their sex-typed career interests. The level of pressure they felt to conform to their gender also positively predicted interest in feminine careers. The interaction of sex-typed personality traits and gender typicality did not predict women's career interests more than when these variables were considered as main effects. Results of the multidimensional assessment of gender identity confirmed that various dimensions of gender identity played different roles in predicting career interests and gender typicality was the strongest predictor of career interests.

Special quasirandom structures for binary/ternary group IV random alloys

KAUST Repository

Chroneos, Alexander I.; Jiang, Chao; Grimes, Robin W.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2010-01-01

Simulation of defect interactions in binary/ternary group IV semiconductor alloys at the density functional theory level is difficult due to the random distribution of the constituent atoms. The special quasirandom structures approach is a

Quantifying human-environment interactions using videography in the context of infectious disease transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Julian, Timothy R; Bustos, Carla; Kwong, Laura H; Badilla, Alejandro D; Lee, Julia; Bischel, Heather N; Canales, Robert A

2018-05-08

Quantitative data on human-environment interactions are needed to fully understand infectious disease transmission processes and conduct accurate risk assessments. Interaction events occur during an individual's movement through, and contact with, the environment, and can be quantified using diverse methodologies. Methods that utilize videography, coupled with specialized software, can provide a permanent record of events, collect detailed interactions in high resolution, be reviewed for accuracy, capture events difficult to observe in real-time, and gather multiple concurrent phenomena. In the accompanying video, the use of specialized software to capture humanenvironment interactions for human exposure and disease transmission is highlighted. Use of videography, combined with specialized software, allows for the collection of accurate quantitative representations of human-environment interactions in high resolution. Two specialized programs include the Virtual Timing Device for the Personal Computer, which collects sequential microlevel activity time series of contact events and interactions, and LiveTrak, which is optimized to facilitate annotation of events in real-time. Opportunities to annotate behaviors at high resolution using these tools are promising, permitting detailed records that can be summarized to gain information on infectious disease transmission and incorporated into more complex models of human exposure and risk.

Plant response to biotic stress: Is there a common epigenetic response during plant-pathogenic and symbiotic interactions?

Science.gov (United States)

Zogli, Prince; Libault, Marc

2017-10-01

Plants constantly interact with pathogenic and symbiotic microorganisms. Recent studies have revealed several regulatory mechanisms controlling these interactions. Among them, the plant defense system is activated not only in response to pathogenic, but also in response to symbiotic microbes. Interestingly, shortly after symbiotic microbial recognition, the plant defense system is suppressed to promote plant infection by symbionts. Research studies have demonstrated the influence of the plant epigenome in modulating both pathogenic and symbiotic plant-microbe interactions, thereby influencing plant survival, adaptation and evolution of the plant response to microbial infections. It is however unclear if plant pathogenic and symbiotic responses share similar epigenomic profiles or if epigenomic changes differentially regulate plant-microbe symbiosis and pathogenesis. In this mini-review, we provide an update of the current knowledge of epigenomic control on plant immune responses and symbiosis, with a special attention being paid to knowledge gap and potential strategies to fill-in the missing links. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Secondary electron interactions in materials with environmental and radiological interest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, G.; Blanco, F.; Pablos, J.L. de; Perez, J.M.; Williart, A.

2003-01-01

Important environmental and radiological applications require energy deposition models including the interactions between secondary electrons and the atoms or molecules of the medium. In this work we propose a method to obtain reliable cross-section data to be used in these models by combining total and ionization cross-section measurements with simple calculations of the differential and integral elastic cross-sections. The energy loss spectra obtained in this experiment have been also used to drive stopping power of the considered materials for electrons. Some examples of results for atomic (Xe) and molecular (CF 4 ) targets are presented and discussed in this paper. (author)

FATHER PLAY: IS IT SPECIAL?

Science.gov (United States)

Cabrera, Natasha J; Roggman, Lori

2017-11-01

Both mothers and fathers play with their children, but research on parent-child play interactions is conducted with mothers three times more often than it is with fathers. The articles in this special issue address this gap by focusing on the nature and quality of father-child play, across cultural contexts, and considering whether father play offers something unique and special for early human development, in infancy or early childhood. The studies show that fathers can be just as developmentally supportive as are mothers in terms of being playful and engaged with their children in ways that are related to greater child socioemotional competence, emotion regulation, and vocabulary, and to less aggression, anxiety, and negativity. We encourage future research to examine the cultural influences, family system dynamics, and specificity of timing and types of father-child play in relation to children's developmental competence. © 2017 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Specialization Patterns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Ulrik Pagh; Lawall, Julia Laetitia; Consel, Charles

2000-01-01

Design patterns offer many advantages for software development, but can introduce inefficiency into the final program. Program specialization can eliminate such overheads, but is most effective when targeted by the user to specific bottlenecks. Consequently, we propose that these concepts...... are complementary. Program specialization can optimize programs written using design patterns, and design patterns provide information about the program structure that can guide specialization. Concretely, we propose specialization patterns, which describe how to apply program specialization to optimize uses...... of design patterns. In this paper, we analyze the specialization opportunities provided by specific uses of design patterns. Based on the analysis of each design pattern, we define the associated specialization pattern. These specialization opportunities can be declared using the specialization classes...

Capturing Parents' Individual and Institutional Interest Toward Involvement in Science Education

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Sibel; Lundeen, Cynthia

2010-11-01

Parents are generally less involved in their children’s science education (as compared to reading and mathematics) due to low self-efficacy and a lack of home-school communication. This study examined parental interest and attitudes in science as well as the nature of parent-to-child questioning during an interactive home, school, and community collaboration in the southeastern United States. Study results, compiled from observations, exit surveys, and interviews revealed largely positive family interactions and attitudes about science learning and increased parental interest toward involvement in elementary science. Parents frequently used productive questioning techniques during activities. These results imply that successful home, school, and community partnerships may elevate levels of parental participation in their children’s science education and the parents’ perception of themselves as being competent in assisting in science.

26 CFR 1.1232-3A - Inclusion as interest of original issue discount on certain obligations issued after May 27, 1969.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Inclusion as interest of original issue discount... Special Rules for Determining Capital Gains and Losses § 1.1232-3A Inclusion as interest of original issue discount on certain obligations issued after May 27, 1969. (a) Ratable inclusion as interest—(1) General...

Assisted reproductive medicine in Poland --Fertility and Sterility Special Interest Group of the Polish Gynaecological Society (SPiN PTG) 2012 report.

Science.gov (United States)

Janicka, Anna; Spaczyńiski, Robert Z; Kurzawa, Rafał

2015-12-01

The aim of this report is to present data concerning results and complications related to infertility treatment using assisted reproductive technology (ART) and insemination (IUI) in Poland in 2012. The report was prepared by the Fertility and Sterility Special Interest Group of the Polish Gynaecological Society (SPiN PTG), based on individual data provided by fertility clinics. Reporting was voluntary data were not subject to external verification. The report presents the availability and the structure of infertility treatment services, the number of procedures performed, their effectiveness and the most common complications. In 2014, 34 Polish fertility clinics provided information to the report, presenting data from 2012. The total number of reported treatment cycles using ART was 17,116 (incl. 10,714 fresh IVF/ICSI) and 14,727 IUI. The clinical pregnancy rate per cycle was on average 33.7% for fresh IVF/ICSI and 13.3% for IUI. The prevalence of multiple births was 15.7% and 6.2%, in case of IVF/ICSI and IUI methods respectively The most frequent complication in the course of treatment using ART was ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)--severe OHSS constituted 0.68% of all stimulated cycles. The SPiN PTG report shows the average effectiveness and safety of ART and was the only proof of responsibility and due diligence of fertility centres in Poland. However, due to the lack of a central register of fertility clinics, facultative participation in the report as well as incomplete information on pregnancy and delivery rate, the collected data do not reflect the full spectrum of Polish reproductive medicine.

Modeling of the interest rate policy of the central bank of Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Shelomentsev, A. G.; Berg, D. B.; Detkov, A. A.; Rylova, A. P.

2017-11-01

This paper investigates interactions among money supply, exchange rates, inflation, and nominal interest rates, which are regulating parameters of the Central bank policy. The study is based on the data received from Russian source in 2002-2016. The major findings are 1) the interest rate demonstrates almost no relation with inflation; 2) ties of money supply and the nominal interest rate are strong; 3) money supply and inflation show meaningful relations only in comparison to their growth rates. We have developed a dynamic model, which can be used in forecasting of macroeconomic processes.

Event Generators for Simulating Heavy Ion Interactions of Interest in Evaluating Risks in Human Spaceflight

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Thomas L.; Pinsky, Lawrence; Andersen, Victor; Empl, Anton; Lee, Kerry; Smirmov, Georgi; Zapp, Neal; Ferrari, Alfredo; Tsoulou, Katerina; Roesler, Stefan;

Decoding Computer Games: Studying “Special Operation 85”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahareh Jalalzadeh

2009-11-01

Full Text Available As other media, computer games convey messages which have tow features: explicit and implicit. Semiologically studying computer games and comparing them with narrative structures, the present study attempts to discover the messages they convey. Therefore we have studied and decoded “Special operation 85” as a semiological text. Results show that the game’s features, as naming, interests and motivations of the engaged people, and the events narrated, all lead the producers to their goals of introducing and publicizing Iranian-Islamic cultural values. Although this feature makes “Special Opreation 85” a unique game, it fails in its attempt to produce a mythical personage in Iranian-Islamic cultural context.

Ecological conditions of ponds situated on blast furnace slag deposits located in South Gare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Teesside, UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Raper, E; Davies, S; Perkins, B; Lamb, H; Hermanson, M; Soares, A; Stephenson, T

2015-06-01

Slag, a by-product from the iron and steel industry, has a range of applications within construction and is used in wastewater treatment. Historically considered a waste material, little consideration was given to the environmental impacts of its disposal. South Gare (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) located at the mouth of the Tees estuary, UK, formed on slag deposits used to create a sea wall and make the land behind permanent. Over time, ponds formed in depressions with the water chemistry, being significantly impacted by the slag deposits. Calcium levels reached 504 mg/L, nitrate 49.0 mg/L and sulphate 1,698 mg/L. These levels were also reflected in the composition of the sediment. pH (5.10-9.90) and electrical conductivity (2,710-3,598 µS/cm) were variable but often notably high. Pb, Cu and Cd were not present within the water, whilst Zn ranged from 0.027 to 0.37 mg/L. Heavy metal levels were higher in surface sediments. Zinc was most dominant (174.3-1,310.2 mg/L) followed by Pb (9.9-431 mg/L), Cu (8.4-41.8 mg/L) and Cd (0.4-1.1 mg/L). A sediment core provided a historical overview of the ponds. The ponds were unfavourable for aquatic biodiversity and unsuitable for drinking water abstraction.

Fundamental trends in fluid-structure interaction

CERN Document Server

Galdi, Giovanni P

2010-01-01

The interaction of a fluid with a solid body is a widespread phenomenon in nature, occurring at different scales and different applied disciplines. Interestingly enough, even though the mathematical theory of the motion of bodies in a liquid is one of the oldest and most classical problems in fluid mechanics, mathematicians have, only very recently, become interested in a systematic study of the basic problems related to fluid-structure interaction, from both analytical and numerical viewpoints. ""Fundamental Trends in Fluid-Structure Interaction"" is a unique collection of important papers wr

SPECIALITY TRAINING IN ABROAD – UNITED KINGDOM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maja Pakiž

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Backgroud. According to the Rules on types and curriculum of specialization of doctors in Slovenia part of the specialization can be conducted in abroad after conformation of Medical Chambers. Specialization abroad enables us to learn about different therapeutic approaches, organization of work, educational systems, new methods of treatment, etc. Content In the article organization of work at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, the greatest European hospital for women’s diseases is presented. Furthermore, specialty training for obstetrics and gynecology according to the rules of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in the UK is described. The specialty training and education programme last seven years in the UK. The specialty trainees attend specific modules besides working at gynaecological and obstetrics departments. The exam is divided in two parts and performed after the second and fifth year of training. During the last two years of the specialty training the doctor is able to roughly determine the subspeciality. The education programme is adjusted for those who are interested in research and academic fields. Conclusions. My experiences as foreign visiting doctor, as well as differences towards our system, are shared.

Post-genomic approaches to understanding interactions between fungi and their environment.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vries, Ronald P; Benoit, Isabelle; Doehlemann, Gunther; Kobayashi, Tetsuo; Magnuson, Jon K; Panisko, Ellen A; Baker, Scott E; Lebrun, Marc-Henri

2011-06-01

Fungi inhabit every natural and anthropogenic environment on Earth. They have highly varied life-styles including saprobes (using only dead biomass as a nutrient source), pathogens (feeding on living biomass), and symbionts (co-existing with other organisms). These distinctions are not absolute as many species employ several life styles (e.g. saprobe and opportunistic pathogen, saprobe and mycorrhiza). To efficiently survive in these different and often changing environments, fungi need to be able to modify their physiology and in some cases will even modify their local environment. Understanding the interaction between fungi and their environments has been a topic of study for many decades. However, recently these studies have reached a new dimension. The availability of fungal genomes and development of post-genomic technologies for fungi, such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, have enabled more detailed studies into this topic resulting in new insights. Based on a Special Interest Group session held during IMC9, this paper provides examples of the recent advances in using (post-)genomic approaches to better understand fungal interactions with their environments.

77 FR 1618 - Special Conditions: The Boeing Company, Model 767-300; Seats With Inflatable Lapbelts

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-11

... energy absorption throughout that range of occupants. In addition, the following situations must be... these special conditions effective upon issuance. Comments Invited We invite interested people to take...

Interest in science: a RIASEC-based analysis of students' interests

Science.gov (United States)

Dierks, Pay O.; Höffler, Tim N.; Blankenburg, Janet S.; Peters, Heide; Parchmann, Ilka

2016-01-01

Considering the reported lack of interest in the STEM-domain and the consequential difficulties in recruiting talented and interested young academics, the development of effective enrichment measures is indispensable. This requires a precise picture of students' interests. The paper presents an approach to characterize interest profiles in explicitly science-related activities. Adapting Holland's RIASEC-model, an instrument was developed and tested which allows the description of interest in activities along Holland's dimensions (and a seventh dimension networking) within the confined science domain. The findings of a study with N = 247 students (age cohorts 12-19 years) uncovered interest differences for the environments school, enrichment, and (prospective) vocation. The mutual importance of the performed activity and the environment the activity is performed in is confirmed by a cross-classified model. Contrasting different subgroups revealed multiple results, e.g., girls showed more interest in artistic and social activities within the science domain. High achieving students showed more interest in science-related activities in all dimensions. In conclusion, using our adapted model, students' interest structure can be described in a differentiated manner. This could lay the foundation for further analyses of students' interest profiles and thereby contribute to future development of effective and congruent enrichment measures, thus enhancing interest in science.

Program specialization

CERN Document Server

Marlet, Renaud

2013-01-01

This book presents the principles and techniques of program specialization - a general method to make programs faster (and possibly smaller) when some inputs can be known in advance. As an illustration, it describes the architecture of Tempo, an offline program specializer for C that can also specialize code at runtime, and provides figures for concrete applications in various domains. Technical details address issues related to program analysis precision, value reification, incomplete program specialization, strategies to exploit specialized program, incremental specialization, and data speci

Self-Interest and the Design of Rules.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Manvir; Wrangham, Richard; Glowacki, Luke

2017-12-01

Rules regulating social behavior raise challenging questions about cultural evolution in part because they frequently confer group-level benefits. Current multilevel selection theories contend that between-group processes interact with within-group processes to produce norms and institutions, but within-group processes have remained underspecified, leading to a recent emphasis on cultural group selection as the primary driver of cultural design. Here we present the self-interested enforcement (SIE) hypothesis, which proposes that the design of rules importantly reflects the relative enforcement capacities of competing parties. We show that, in addition to explaining patterns in cultural change and stability, SIE can account for the emergence of much group-functional culture. We outline how this process can stifle or accelerate cultural group selection, depending on various social conditions. Self-interested enforcement has important bearings on the emergence, stability, and change of rules.

NASA Blueshift: Mobilizing The Astronomy-Interested Public Through New Media

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Sara E.; Gibb, M.; Masetti, M.; Nelson, T.; Reddy, F.; Winter, E.

2010-01-01

Public interest in astronomy content is moving from mere consumption to full interaction. With the introduction of services such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, audiences are eager to engage directly with content - and its creators - in more personal ways. Wikipedia is estimated to represent 100 million hours of accumulated human thought, time spent on research, discussion, and collection of information and ideas. Sites are utilizing this "social surplus" and engaging audiences to spend their free time immersed in collaboration and communication. In 2007, the Astrophysics Science Division at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center began Blueshift, a podcasting effort to provide listeners with a "backstage pass" to what's happening within the division. After focus group reviews, this effort was re-launched as part of a larger new media effort to share how and why we do science. Each episode is a cornerstone for various means of engagement, including supporting content in blogs and Twitter. We seek to engage listeners as contributors and collaborators, sharing ideas and steering the focus of future content. As we seek to build upon the interest generated during the International Year of Astronomy, we are interested in experimenting with these new forms of interaction and assessing their impacts.

Vision-based interaction

CERN Document Server

Turk, Matthew

2013-01-01

In its early years, the field of computer vision was largely motivated by researchers seeking computational models of biological vision and solutions to practical problems in manufacturing, defense, and medicine. For the past two decades or so, there has been an increasing interest in computer vision as an input modality in the context of human-computer interaction. Such vision-based interaction can endow interactive systems with visual capabilities similar to those important to human-human interaction, in order to perceive non-verbal cues and incorporate this information in applications such

The functional renormalization group for interacting quantum systems with spin-orbit interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grap, Stephan Michael

2013-01-01

We studied the influence of spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in interacting low dimensional quantum systems at zero temperature within the framework of the functional renormalization group (fRG). Among the several types of spin-orbit interaction the so-called Rashba spin-orbit interaction is especially intriguing for future spintronic applications as it may be tuned via external electric fields. We investigated its effect on the low energy physics of an interacting quantum wire in an applied Zeeman field which is modeled as a generalization of the extended Hubbard model. To this end we performed a renormalization group study of the two particle interaction, including the SOI and the Zeeman field exactly on the single particle level. Considering the resulting two band model, we formulated the RG equations for the two particle vertex keeping the full band structure as well as the non trivial momentum dependence of the low energy two particle scattering processes. In order to solve these equations numerically we defined criteria that allowed us to classify whether a given set of initial conditions flows towards the strongly coupled regime. We found regions in the models parameter space where a weak coupling method as the fRG is applicable and it is possible to calculate additional quantities of interest. Furthermore we analyzed the effect of the Rashba SOI on the properties of an interacting multi level quantum dot coupled to two semi in nite leads. Of special interest was the interplay with a Zeeman field and its orientation with respect to the SOI term. We found a renormalization of the spin-orbit energy which is an experimental quantity used to asses SOI effects in transport measurements, as well as renormalized effective g factors used to describe the Zeeman field dependence. In particular in asymmetrically coupled systems the large parameter space allows for rich physics which we studied by means of the linear conductance obtained via the generalized Landauer

Collaboration Meets Interactive Surfaces (CMIS)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anslow, Craig; Campos, Pedro; Grisoni, Laurent

2015-01-01

This workshop proposes to bring together researchers who are interested in improving collaborative experiences through the combination of multiple interaction surfaces with diverse sizes and formats, ranging from large-scale walls, to tables, mobiles, and wearables. The opportunities for innovation...... exist, but the ITS, CHI, CSCW, and other HCI communities have not yet thoroughly addressed the problem of bringing effective collaboration activities together using multiple interactive surfaces, especially in complex work domains. Of particular interest is the potential synergy that one can obtain...

Quantifying human-environment interactions using videography in the context of infectious disease transmission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy R. Julian

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Quantitative data on human-environment interactions are needed to fully understand infectious disease transmission processes and conduct accurate risk assessments. Interaction events occur during an individual’s movement through, and contact with, the environment, and can be quantified using diverse methodologies. Methods that utilize videography, coupled with specialized software, can provide a permanent record of events, collect detailed interactions in high resolution, be reviewed for accuracy, capture events difficult to observe in real-time, and gather multiple concurrent phenomena. In the accompanying video, the use of specialized software to capture humanenvironment interactions for human exposure and disease transmission is highlighted. Use of videography, combined with specialized software, allows for the collection of accurate quantitative representations of human-environment interactions in high resolution. Two specialized programs include the Virtual Timing Device for the Personal Computer, which collects sequential microlevel activity time series of contact events and interactions, and LiveTrak, which is optimized to facilitate annotation of events in real-time. Opportunities to annotate behaviors at high resolution using these tools are promising, permitting detailed records that can be summarized to gain information on infectious disease transmission and incorporated into more complex models of human exposure and risk.

The analysis of thermoplastic characteristics of special polymer sulfur composite

Science.gov (United States)

Książek, Mariusz

2017-01-01

Specific chemical environments step out in the industry objects. Portland cement composites (concrete and mortar) were impregnated by using the special polymerized sulfur and technical soot as a filler (polymer sulfur composite). Sulfur and technical soot was applied as the industrial waste. Portland cement composites were made of the same aggregate, cement and water. The process of special polymer sulfur composite applied as the industrial waste is a thermal treatment process in the temperature of about 150-155°C. The result of such treatment is special polymer sulfur composite in a liquid state. This paper presents the plastic constants and coefficients of thermal expansion of special polymer sulfur composites, with isotropic porous matrix, reinforced by disoriented ellipsoidal inclusions with orthotropic symmetry of the thermoplastic properties. The investigations are based on the stochastic differential equations of solid mechanics. A model and algorithm for calculating the effective characteristics of special polymer sulfur composites are suggested. The effective thermoplastic characteristics of special polymer sulfur composites, with disoriented ellipsoidal inclusions, are calculated in two stages: First, the properties of materials with oriented inclusions are determined, and then effective constants of a composite with disoriented inclusions are determined on the basis of the Voigt or Rice scheme. A brief summary of new products related to special polymer sulfur composites is given as follows: Impregnation, repair, overlays and precast polymer concrete will be presented. Special polymer sulfur as polymer coating impregnation, which has received little attention in recent years, currently has some very interesting applications.

Kinesthetic Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fogtmann, Maiken Hillerup; Fritsch, Jonas; Kortbek, Karen Johanne

2008-01-01

Within the Human-Computer Interaction community there is a growing interest in designing for the whole body in interaction design. The attempts aimed at addressing the body have very different outcomes spanning from theoretical arguments for understanding the body in the design process, to more...... practical examples of designing for bodily potential. This paper presents Kinesthetic Interaction as a unifying concept for describing the body in motion as a foundation for designing interactive systems. Based on the theoretical foundation for Kinesthetic Interaction, a conceptual framework is introduced...... to reveal bodily potential in relation to three design themes – kinesthetic development, kinesthetic means and kinesthetic disorder; and seven design parameters – engagement, sociality, movability, explicit motivation, implicit motivation, expressive meaning and kinesthetic empathy. The framework is a tool...

Academic or Community Resource? Stakeholder Interests and Collection Management at Charles Sturt University Regional Archives, 1973-2003

Science.gov (United States)

Boadle, Don

2003-01-01

This analysis of the transformation of the Charles Sturt University Regional Archives from a library special collection to a multi-function regional repository highlights the importance of stakeholder interests in determining institutional configurations and collection development priorities. It also demonstrates the critical importance of…

Consumers’ Motivation to Interact in Virtual Food Communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Lina; Tudoran, Ana Alina; Lähteenmäki, Liisa

2017-01-01

-present are strong mediators of the relationships especially between food involvement and behavioural interaction intention. The chance to learn from and present oneself to the community are reasons why consumers engage in interaction in virtual food communities, given their pre-existing interest in food and...... managers must keep in mind that these opportunities will only appeal to food involved consumers with a certain online interaction propensity...... of motivation to self-present to and learn from the community regarding consumers’ willingness to interact in virtual food communities. The study investigates 1) the associations between the pre-existing consumer interests in food and general online interaction, and consumers’ willingness to interact in virtual...

Cosmological special relativity the large scale structure of space, time and velocity

CERN Document Server

Carmeli, Moshe

1997-01-01

This book deals with special relativity theory and its application to cosmology. It presents Einstein's theory of space and time in detail, and describes the large scale structure of space, time and velocity as a new cosmological special relativity. A cosmological Lorentz-like transformation, which relates events at different cosmic times, is derived and applied. A new law of addition of cosmic times is obtained, and the inflation of the space at the early universe is derived, both from the cosmological transformation. The book will be of interest to cosmologists, astrophysicists, theoretical

Teaching with Interactive Multimedia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Tim

Based on the idea that anyone who is interested in making entertaining and informative presentations in educational settings is interested in multimedia, this practical guide offers tips for communication (and other) teachers who want to integrate and program interactive multimedia into their courses. The guide suggests that teachers on limited…

Ionic interchanges and adsorbents of interest in nuclear and environmental processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olguin G, M. T.

2010-01-01

The ionic interchanges and the adsorbents are of special interest inside the water treatment processes (industrial or human consumption), as well as for the radionuclides generation, due to their structural characteristics and to their capacity to remove an extensive range of polluting species. In the ININ have been developed researches on these materials, with the purpose of generating new knowledge that serves like base inside radionuclides separation processes or polluted water treatment. The results obtained until the present have been published in different scientific magazines. (Author)

3D visualisation and artistic imagery to enhance interest in `hidden environments' - new approaches to soil science

Science.gov (United States)

Gilford, J.; Falconer, R. E.; Wade, R.; Scott-Brown, K. C.

2014-09-01

Interactive Virtual Environments (VEs) have the potential to increase student interest in soil science. Accordingly a bespoke 'soil atlas' was created using Java3D as an interactive 3D VE, to show soil information in the context of (and as affected by) the over-lying landscape. To display the below-ground soil characteristics, four sets of artistic illustrations were produced, each set showing the effects of soil organic-matter density and water content on fungal density, to determine potential for visualisations and interactivity in stimulating interest in soil and soil illustrations, interest being an important factor in facilitating learning. The illustrations were created using 3D modelling packages, and a wide range of styles were produced. This allowed a preliminary study of the relative merits of different artistic styles, scientific-credibility, scale, abstraction and 'realism' (e.g. photo-realism or realism of forms), and any relationship between these and the level of interest indicated by the study participants in the soil visualisations and VE. The study found significant differences in mean interest ratings for different soil illustration styles, as well as in the perception of scientific-credibility of these styles, albeit for both measures there was considerable difference of attitude between participants about particular styles. There was also found to be a highly significant positive correlation between participants rating styles highly for interest and highly for scientific-credibility. There was furthermore a particularly high interest rating among participants for seeing temporal soil processes illustrated/animated, suggesting this as a particularly promising method for further stimulating interest in soil illustrations and soil itself.

High pressure as a tool for investigating protein-ligand interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchal, S; Lange, R; Tortora, P; Balny, C

2004-01-01

In recent years, the application of pressure on biological systems has gained increasing interest. Pressure-induced destabilization of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions is currently exploited to study conformational protein stability and macromolecular assemblies of proteins. Due to links between severe human pathologies and ordered protein oligomerization into aggregates, which have become apparent, a better knowledge of the molecular and structural determinants that ensure the packing efficiency and stability of such complexes has taken on special importance. Here, we report the effect of pressure on the property of human ataxin-3 of aggregation. The results indicate the importance of its polyglutamine chain length in the stability and the tendency of the protein to form spheroids. Partial unfolding of the protein leading to solvent exposure of hydrophobic domains appears to be a prerequisite in the aggregation process of ataxin-3

Introduction to This Special Issue on Context-Aware Computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Thomas P.; Dourish, Paul

2001-01-01

Discusses pervasive, or ubiquitous, computing; explains the notion of context; and defines context-aware computing as the key to disperse and enmesh computation into our lives. Considers context awareness in human-computer interaction and describes the broad topic areas of the essays included in this special issue. (LRW)

Causes of declining interest of students to employment physical education and sports

OpenAIRE

V.L. Kondakov; E.N. Kopeikina; N.V. Balysheva; A.N. Usatov; D.A. Skrug

2015-01-01

Purpose : analysis of the main causes of the declining interest of students to the systematic physical training and sports. Material : The study involved 448 students (150 boys, 298 girls) conducted a questionnaire survey. Level of motor activity of students was determined using pedometers. Results : It was found that the transition of students in special medical groups inevitably entail a significant reduction in motor activity (it is almost 2 times lower than that of students of the main gr...

On Special Functions in the Context of Clifford Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Malonek, H. R.; Falcão, M. I.

2010-09-01

Considering the foundation of Quaternionic Analysis by R. Fueter and his collaborators in the beginning of the 1930s as starting point of Clifford Analysis, we can look back to 80 years of work in this field. However the interest in multivariate analysis using Clifford algebras only started to grow significantly in the 70s. Since then a great amount of papers on Clifford Analysis referring different classes of Special Functions have appeared. This situation may have been triggered by a more systematic treatment of monogenic functions by their multiple series development derived from Gegenbauer or associated Legendre polynomials (and not only by their integral representation). Also approaches to Special Functions by means of algebraic methods, either Lie algebras or through Lie groups and symmetric spaces gained by that time importance and influenced their treatment in Clifford Analysis. In our talk we will rely on the generalization of the classical approach to Special Functions through differential equations with respect to the hypercomplex derivative, which is a more recently developed tool in Clifford Analysis. In this context special attention will be payed to the role of Special Functions as intermediator between continuous and discrete mathematics. This corresponds to a more recent trend in combinatorics, since it has been revealed that many algebraic structures have hidden combinatorial underpinnings.

Familiarity with interest breeds gossip: contributions of emotion, expectation, and reputation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Bo; Scott, Graham G; McAleer, Phil; O'Donnell, Patrick J; Sereno, Sara C

2014-01-01

Although gossip serves several important social functions, it has relatively infrequently been the topic of systematic investigation. In two experiments, we advance a cognitive-informational approach to gossip. Specifically, we sought to determine which informational components engender gossip. In Experiment 1, participants read brief passages about other people and indicated their likelihood to share this information. We manipulated target familiarity (celebrity, non-celebrity) and story interest (interesting, boring). While participants were more likely to gossip about celebrity than non-celebrity targets and interesting than boring stories, they were even more likely to gossip about celebrity targets embedded within interesting stories. In Experiment 2, we additionally probed participants' reactions to the stories concerning emotion, expectation, and reputation information conveyed. Analyses showed that while such information partially mediated target familiarity and story interest effects, only expectation and reputation accounted for the interactive pattern of gossip behavior. Our findings provide novel insights into the essential components and processing mechanisms of gossip.

Reference and access innovative practices for archives and special collections

CERN Document Server

Theimer, Kate

2014-01-01

Reference and Access: Innovative Practices for Archives and Special Collections explores how archives of different sizes and types are increasing their effectiveness in serving the public and meeting internal needs. The book features twelve case studies that demonstrate new ways to interact with users to answer their questions, provide access to materials, support patrons in the research room, and manage reference and access processes. This volume will be useful to those working in archives and special collections as well as other cultural heritage organizations, and provides ideas ranging fro

Special issue on new ideas and emerging results in understanding software

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vinju, J.J.

2015-01-01

Welcome to the special issue on new ideas and emerging results in understanding software. It is a present to Prof. Dr. Paul Klint on the occasion of his 65th birthday. His colleagues and friends who share similar research interests have written the papers, wanting to present Paul with a worthy gift.

Support of Publication Costs, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Special Issue of Deep Sea Research II Journal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amy Honchar

2012-11-12

The contribution of funds from DOE supported publication costs of a special issue of Deep Sea Research arising from presentations at the First U.S. Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) Meeting held 4-6 May, 2009 to review the US implementation plan and its coordination with other monitoring activities. The special issue includes a total of 16 papers, including publications from three DOE-supported investigators (ie Sevellec, F., and A.V. Fedorov; Hu et. al., and Wan et. al.,). The special issue addresses DOE interests in understanding and simulation/modeling of abrupt climate change.

26 CFR 1.861-11T - Special rules for allocating and apportioning interest expense of an affiliated group of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... TAXES Tax Based on Income from Sources within Or Without the United States § 1.861-11T Special rules for... computation of foreign source taxable income for purposes of section 904 (relating to various limitations on...), distributions from a FSC or former FSC, and all other forms of foreign source income not enumerated above...

Student interest in cultural content of a foreign country

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarina Krželj

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The paper presents results of a study on the interest of students of non-philological faculties (of universities in Serbia in contents from foreign cultures and how high importance students attach to learning about the target culture in foreign language teaching and learning at non-philological faculties. The goal of modern foreign language teaching at non-philological faculties, in addition to the development of communicative competence in the profession, is also to develop pluricultural competence. In order to test the chances of attaining this goal, it is necessary to perform an analysis of the legislative framework in which teaching foreign languages for special purposes takes place, an analysis of learning aims and the possibility of developing cross-cultural sensitization. An analysis of the needs for and interests in the contents of the target culture must be precededed by an analysis of the specificities of intercultural learning and intercultural competence. Based on these results, it is possible to establish the correlation between the elements of the culture already present in the existing teaching material and the interests and needs of the target group which these materials are intended for.The data thus obtained will serve as a basis for defining the guidelines for selecting contents of the target culture, which, on one hand, will be based on methodological and didactical principles of interculturally oriented foreign language teaching, and on the other hand, will reflect the real needs and interests of the students from a number of non-philological faculties.

Investigating Science Interest in a Game-Based Learning Project

Science.gov (United States)

Annetta, Leonard; Vallett, David; Fusarelli, Bonnie; Lamb, Richard; Cheng, Meng-Tzu; Holmes, Shawn; Folta, Elizabeth; Thurmond, Brandi

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect Serious Educational Games (SEGs) had on student interest in science in a federally funded game-based learning project. It can be argued that today's students are more likely to engage in video games than they are to interact in live, face-to-face learning environments. With a keen eye on…

2nd Workshop on Evaluating Child Robot Interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zaga, Cristina; Lohse, M.; Charisi, Vasiliki; Evers, Vanessa; Neerincx, Marc; Kanda, Takayuki; Leite, Iolanda

Many researchers have started to explore natural interaction scenarios for children. No matter if these children are normally developing or have special needs, evaluating Child-Robot Interaction (CRI) is a challenge. To find methods that work well and provide reliable data is difficult, for example

Physics challenges in the strong interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, S.D.

1992-01-01

The study of strong interactions is now a mature field for which scientist now know that the correct underlying theory is QCD. Here, an overview of the challenges to be faced in the area of the strong interactions during the 1990's is presented. As an illustrative example special attention is given to the analysis of jets as studied at hadron colliders

Physics challenges in the strong interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellis, S.D. [Univ. of Washington, Seattle (United States)

1992-12-31

The study of strong interactions is now a mature field for which scientist now know that the correct underlying theory is QCD. Here, an overview of the challenges to be faced in the area of the strong interactions during the 1990`s is presented. As an illustrative example special attention is given to the analysis of jets as studied at hadron colliders.

Patient-reported outcomes and adult patients' disease experience in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. report from the OMERACT 11 Myositis Special Interest Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexanderson, Helene; Del Grande, Maria; Bingham, Clifton O; Orbai, Ana-Maria; Sarver, Catherine; Clegg-Smith, Katherine; Lundberg, Ingrid E; Song, Yeong Wook; Christopher-Stine, Lisa

2014-03-01

The newly formed Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Myositis Special Interest Group (SIG) was established to examine patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) in myositis. At OMERACT 11, a literature review of PROM used in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and other neuromuscular conditions was presented. The group examined in more detail 2 PROM more extensively evaluated in patients with IIM, the Myositis Activities Profile, and the McMaster-Toronto Arthritis Patient Preference Disability Questionnaire, through the OMERACT filter of truth, discrimination, and feasibility. Preliminary results from a qualitative study of patients with myositis regarding their symptoms were discussed that emphasized the range of symptoms experienced: pain, physical tightness/stiffness, fatigue, disease effect on emotional life and relationships, and treatment-related side effects. Following discussion of these results and following additional discussions since OMERACT 11, a research agenda was developed. The next step in evaluating PROM in IIM will require additional focus groups with a spectrum of patients with different myositis disease phenotypes and manifestations across a range of disease activity, and from multiple international settings. The group will initially focus on dermatomyositis and polymyositis in adults. Qualitative analysis will facilitate the identification of commonalities and divergent patient-relevant aspects of disease, insights that are critical given the heterogeneous manifestations of these diseases. Based on these qualitative studies, existing myositis PROM can be examined to more thoroughly assess content validity, and will be important to identify gaps in domain measurement that will be required to develop a preliminary core set of patient-relevant domains for IIM.

Is the modernisation of postgraduate medical training in the Netherlands successful? Views of the NVMO Special Interest Group on Postgraduate Medical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheele, Fedde; Van Luijk, Scheltus; Mulder, Hanneke; Baane, Coby; Rooyen, Corry Den; De Hoog, Matthijs; Fokkema, Joanne; Heineman, Erik; Sluiter, Henk

2014-02-01

Worldwide, the modernisation of medical education is leading to the design and implementation of new postgraduate curricula. In this article, the Special Interest Group for postgraduate medical education of the Netherlands Association for Medical Education (NVMO) reports on the experiences in the Netherlands. To provide insight into the shift in the aims of postgraduate training, as well as into the diffusion of distinct curricular activities, introduced during the process of modernisation. Based on three levels of training described by Frenk et al., the process of modernisation in the Netherlands is reviewed in a narrative way, using the expert views of the NVMO-SIG on PGME as a source of information. Educational science has effectively been incorporated and has until now mainly been applied on the level of informative learning to create 'medical expertise'. Implementing change on the level of formative learning for 'professional performance' has until now been a slow and arduous process, but the concept of reflection on practice has been firmly embraced. The training on the level of transformative learning is still in its early stages. The discussion about the aims of modern medical education could benefit from a more structured and transdisciplinary approach. Research is warranted on the interface between health care provision and those sciences that specialise in generic professional skills and in the societal context. Training professionals and educating 'enlightened change agents' for transformation in health care requires more governance and support from academic leaders with a broader perspective on the future of health care.

School Board Chairmen and School Superintendents: An Analysis of Perceptions Concerning Special Interest Groups and Educational Governance.

Science.gov (United States)

Feuerstein, Abe; Opfer, V. Darleen

1998-01-01

Surveyed all Virginia school board chairmen and superintendents on local governance issues. Discusses both groups' perceptions of board members' orientation to their role as elected representatives, their personal attitude toward the electoral process, their assessment of interest-group involvement in district decision making, their feelings…

Interactive problem solving using LOGO

CERN Document Server

Boecker, Heinz-Dieter; Fischer, Gerhard

2014-01-01

This book is unique in that its stress is not on the mastery of a programming language, but on the importance and value of interactive problem solving. The authors focus on several specific interest worlds: mathematics, computer science, artificial intelligence, linguistics, and games; however, their approach can serve as a model that may be applied easily to other fields as well. Those who are interested in symbolic computing will find that Interactive Problem Solving Using LOGO provides a gentle introduction from which one may move on to other, more advanced computational frameworks or more

Electromagnetic cellular interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Cifra, Michal; Fields, Jeremy Z; Farhadi, Ashkan

2011-05-01

Chemical and electrical interaction within and between cells is well established. Just the opposite is true about cellular interactions via other physical fields. The most probable candidate for an other form of cellular interaction is the electromagnetic field. We review theories and experiments on how cells can generate and detect electromagnetic fields generally, and if the cell-generated electromagnetic field can mediate cellular interactions. We do not limit here ourselves to specialized electro-excitable cells. Rather we describe physical processes that are of a more general nature and probably present in almost every type of living cell. The spectral range included is broad; from kHz to the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. We show that there is a rather large number of theories on how cells can generate and detect electromagnetic fields and discuss experimental evidence on electromagnetic cellular interactions in the modern scientific literature. Although small, it is continuously accumulating. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rush SpecialKare Keepsakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, Brooke; Fatzinger, Cindi; Meier, Paula P

2004-01-01

When an infant is admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), parents seldom have the opportunity to celebrate special events in the infant's life within the context of the family. Our Rush SpecialKare Keepsakes is a program for parents of NICU infants that combines therapeutic photography, journaling, and memento preservation, with the goal of documenting the infant's birth and place within the family. The program has two distinct components: weekly scrapbooking sessions, which are free of charge to all NICU families; and Holiday Family Photo Shoots, in which infants are photographed with their family members to celebrate traditional holidays throughout the year. The program, which was conceived and implemented in January 2001, is under the direction of two NICU bedside nurses, who blend scrapbooking techniques with clinical expertise, so that weekly scrapbooking sessions are transformed into a unique type of parent support group. Data from the first 6 months of the program indicate that all 173 parent participants overwhelmingly appreciated the opportunity to attend these sessions, which they perceived as a brief respite from the NICU and an opportunity to interact with other families.

The specificity of host-bat fly interaction networks across vegetation and seasonal variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zarazúa-Carbajal, Mariana; Saldaña-Vázquez, Romeo A; Sandoval-Ruiz, César A; Stoner, Kathryn E; Benitez-Malvido, Julieta

2016-10-01

Vegetation type and seasonality promote changes in the species composition and abundance of parasite hosts. However, it is poorly known how these variables affect host-parasite interaction networks. This information is important to understand the dynamics of parasite-host relationships according to biotic and abiotic changes. We compared the specialization of host-bat fly interaction networks, as well as bat fly and host species composition between upland dry forest and riparian forest and between dry and rainy seasons in a tropical dry forest in Jalisco, Mexico. Bat flies were surveyed by direct collection from bats. Our results showed that host-bat fly interaction networks were more specialized in upland dry forest compared to riparian forest. Bat fly species composition was different between the dry and rainy seasons, while host species composition was different between upland dry forest and riparian forest. The higher specialization in upland dry forest could be related to the differences in bat host species composition and their respective roosting habits. Variation in the composition of bat fly species between dry and rainy seasons coincides with the seasonal shifts in their species richness. Our study confirms the high specialization of host-bat fly interactions and shows the importance of biotic and abiotic factors to understand the dynamics of parasite-host interactions.

Relativity the special and the general theory

CERN Document Server

Einstein, Albert

2015-01-01

After completing the final version of his general theory of relativity in November 1915, Albert Einstein wrote a book about relativity for a popular audience. His intention was "to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics." The book remains one of the most lucid explanations of the special and general theories ever written. In the early 1920s alone, it was translated into ten languages, and fifteen editions in the original German appeared over the course of Einstein's lifetime. This new edition of Einstein's celebrated book features an authoritative English translation of the text along with an introduction and a reading companion by Hanoch Gutfreund and Jürgen Renn that examines the evolution of Einstein's thinking and casts his ideas in a broader present-day context. A special chapter explores the history...

Separation of attractors in 1-modulus quantum corrected special geometry

CERN Document Server

Bellucci, S; Marrani, A; Shcherbakov, A

2008-01-01

We study the solutions to the N=2, d=4 Attractor Equations in a dyonic, extremal, static, spherically symmetric and asymptotically flat black hole background, in the simplest case of perturbative quantum corrected cubic Special Kahler geometry consistent with continuous axion-shift symmetry, namely in the 1-modulus Special Kahler geometry described (in a suitable special symplectic coordinate) by the holomorphic Kahler gauge-invariant prepotential F=t^3+i*lambda, with lambda real. By performing computations in the ``magnetic'' charge configuration, we find evidence for interesting phenomena (absent in the classical limit of vanishing lambda). Namely, for a certain range of the quantum parameter lambda we find a ``splitting'' of attractors, i.e. the existence of multiple solutions to the Attractor Equations for fixed supporting charge configuration. This corresponds to the existence of ``area codes'' in the radial evolution of the scalar t, determined by the various disconnected regions of the moduli space, wh...

Biomedical image representation approach using visualness and spatial information in a concept feature space for interactive region-of-interest-based retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Md Mahmudur; Antani, Sameer K; Demner-Fushman, Dina; Thoma, George R

2015-10-01

This article presents an approach to biomedical image retrieval by mapping image regions to local concepts where images are represented in a weighted entropy-based concept feature space. The term "concept" refers to perceptually distinguishable visual patches that are identified locally in image regions and can be mapped to a glossary of imaging terms. Further, the visual significance (e.g., visualness) of concepts is measured as the Shannon entropy of pixel values in image patches and is used to refine the feature vector. Moreover, the system can assist the user in interactively selecting a region-of-interest (ROI) and searching for similar image ROIs. Further, a spatial verification step is used as a postprocessing step to improve retrieval results based on location information. The hypothesis that such approaches would improve biomedical image retrieval is validated through experiments on two different data sets, which are collected from open access biomedical literature.

76 FR 63818 - Special Conditions: Boeing Model 767-400ER Series Airplanes; Seats With Inflatable Lapbelts

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-14

... inflatable lapbelt must provide a consistent approach to energy absorption throughout that range of occupants... special conditions effective upon issuance. Comments Invited We invite interested people to take part in...

[Lack of interest in general practice during the National Ranking Examination in 2005].

Science.gov (United States)

Lanson, Yves

2006-03-01

The second national ranking test took place in 2005 in the same conditions as the year before. Analysis of the results permits us to assess whether the objectives of this reform have been met so far. Data crossing of the results provided by the national testing center allowed us to rank: 1) the appeal of specializations for each geographic subdivision, 2) the candidates by medical school, and 3) the appeal of each subdivision by candidate rank. 66% of the students were classified high enough to be able to choose any specialization. Trends observed from the first examination, in 2004, were confirmed, with the clear desirability of medical specializations and a certain lack of interest in occupational medicine and public health. All the surgery posts were filled, even though the number of posts had increased enormously since the first examination. After adjustment for the number of posts available, the specializations in decreasing order of popularity were: medical, surgical, pediatrics, anesthesiology, gynecology-obstetrics, general medicine, psychiatry, and biology. Approximately 1000 posts in general medicine were not filled. The medical schools whose students ranked highest were Paris Pitié, Paris V, Paris West, Lyon North, Grenoble, and Aix-Marseille. Some medical schools did less well than previously: Marseille very slightly and Angers substantially. Strasbourg, Nancy Amiens and Bobigny were at the bottom of the list. The cities most desired for internships were Paris, Toulouse, Lyon, and Aix-Marseille, while Brest, Nancy, Limoges and the West Indies were ranked lowest, although each was chosen by highly ranked candidate. Two thirds of the students were ranked high enough to allow them a free choice of specializations. All the specializations except public health and occupational medicine had very highly ranked students. Medical specializations are the most desired, but surgery remains highly demanded, despite a substantial increase in the number of posts. All

Specialized science.

Science.gov (United States)

Casadevall, Arturo; Fang, Ferric C

2014-04-01

As the body of scientific knowledge in a discipline increases, there is pressure for specialization. Fields spawn subfields that then become entities in themselves that promote further specialization. The process by which scientists join specialized groups has remarkable similarities to the guild system of the middle ages. The advantages of specialization of science include efficiency, the establishment of normative standards, and the potential for greater rigor in experimental research. However, specialization also carries risks of monopoly, monotony, and isolation. The current tendency to judge scientific work by the impact factor of the journal in which it is published may have roots in overspecialization, as scientists are less able to critically evaluate work outside their field than before. Scientists in particular define themselves through group identity and adopt practices that conform to the expectations and dynamics of such groups. As part of our continuing analysis of issues confronting contemporary science, we analyze the emergence and consequences of specialization in science, with a particular emphasis on microbiology, a field highly vulnerable to balkanization along microbial phylogenetic boundaries, and suggest that specialization carries significant costs. We propose measures to mitigate the detrimental effects of scientific specialism.

The Impact of Gender on Interest in Science Topics and the Choice of Scientific and Technical Vocations

Science.gov (United States)

Buccheri, Grazia; Gurber, Nadja Abt; Bruhwiler, Christian

2011-01-01

Many countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) note a shortage of highly qualified scientific-technical personnel, whereas demand for such employees is growing. Therefore, how to motivate (female) high performers in science or mathematics to pursue scientific careers is of special interest. The sample…

Grain interaction effects in polycrystalline Cu

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorning, C.; Somers, Marcel A.J.; Wert, John A.

2005-01-01

Crystal orientation maps for a grain in a deformed Cu polycrystal have been analysed with the goal of understanding the effect of grain interactions on orientation subdivision. The polycrystal was incrementally strained in tension to 5, 8, 15 and 25% extension; a crystal orientation map...... was measured after each strain increment. The measurements are represented as rotations from the initial crystal orientation. A coarse domain structure forms in the initial 5% strain increment and persists at higher strains. Crystal rotations for all coarse domains in the grain are consistent with the full...... range of Tailor solutions for axisymmetric strain; grain interactions are not required to account for the coarse domain structure. Special orientation domains extend 20-100 µm into the grain at various locations around its periphery. The special orientation domain morphologies include layers along...

Plasma-wall interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behrisch, Rainer

1978-01-01

The plasma wall interactions for two extreme cases, the 'vacuum model' and the 'cold gas blanket' are outlined. As a first step for understanding the plasma wall interactions the elementary interaction processes at the first wall are identified. These are energetic ion and neutral particle trapping and release, ion and neutral backscattering, ion sputtering, desorption by ions, photons and electrons and evaporation. These processes have only recently been started to be investigated in the parameter range of interest for fusion research. The few measured data and their extrapolation into regions not yet investigated are reviewed

Smart Polymers with Special Wettability.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Baisong; Zhang, Bei; Sun, Taolei

2017-01-01

Surface wettability plays a key role in addressing issues ranging from basic life activities to our daily life, and thus being able to control it is an attractive goal. Learning from nature, both of its structure and function, brings us much inspiration in designing smart polymers to tackle this major challenge. Life functions particularly depend on biomolecular recognition-induced interfacial properties from the aqueous phase onto either "soft" cell and tissue or "hard" inorganic bone and tooth surfaces. The driving force is noncovalent weak interactions rather than strong covalent combinations. An overview is provided of the weak interactions that perform vital actions in mediating biological processes, which serve as a basis for elaborating multi-component polymers with special wettabilities. The role of smart polymers from molecular recognitions to macroscopic properties are highlighted. The rationale is that highly selective weak interactions are capable of creating a dynamic synergetic communication in the building components of polymers. Biomolecules could selectively induce conformational transitions of polymer chains, and then drive a switching of physicochemical properties, e.g., roughness, stiffness and compositions, which are an integrated embodiment of macroscopic surface wettabilities. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

75 FR 57859 - Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-23

... Home Adaptation AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Department of... specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grants. This final rule incorporates certain... regulations pertaining to eligibility for specially adapted housing (SAH) grants and special home adaptation...

Targeting Virus-host Interactions of HIV Replication.

Science.gov (United States)

Weydert, Caroline; De Rijck, Jan; Christ, Frauke; Debyser, Zeger

2016-01-01

Cellular proteins that are hijacked by HIV in order to complete its replication cycle, form attractive new targets for antiretroviral therapy. In particular, the protein-protein interactions between these cellular proteins (cofactors) and viral proteins are of great interest to develop new therapies. Research efforts have led to the validation of different cofactors and some successes in therapeutic applications. Maraviroc, the first cofactor inhibitor approved for human medicinal use, provided a proof of concept. Furthermore, compounds developed as Integrase-LEDGF/p75 interaction inhibitors (LEDGINs) have advanced to early clinical trials. Other compounds targeting cofactors and cofactor-viral protein interactions are currently under development. Likewise, interactions between cellular restriction factors and their counteracting HIV protein might serve as interesting targets in order to impair HIV replication. In this respect, compounds targeting the Vif-APOBEC3G interaction have been described. In this review, we focus on compounds targeting the Integrase- LEDGF/p75 interaction, the Tat-P-TEFb interaction and the Vif-APOBEC3G interaction. Additionally we give an overview of currently discovered compounds presumably targeting cellular cofactor-HIV protein interactions.

Fluid-structure interactions models, analysis and finite elements

CERN Document Server

Richter, Thomas

2017-01-01

This book starts by introducing the fundamental concepts of mathematical continuum mechanics for fluids and solids and their coupling. Special attention is given to the derivation of variational formulations for the subproblems describing fluid- and solid-mechanics as well as the coupled fluid-structure interaction problem. Two monolithic formulations for fluid-structure interactions are described in detail: the well-established ALE formulation and the modern Fully Eulerian formulation, which can effectively deal with problems featuring large deformation and contact. Further, the book provides details on state-of-the-art discretization schemes for fluid- and solid-mechanics and considers the special needs of coupled problems with interface-tracking and interface-capturing techniques. Lastly, advanced topics like goal-oriented error estimation, multigrid solution and gradient-based optimization schemes are discussed in the context of fluid-structure interaction problems.

Interest rate derivatives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svenstrup, Mikkel

This Ph.D. thesis consists of four self-contained essays on valuation of interest rate derivatives. In particular derivatives related to management of interest rate risk care are considered.......This Ph.D. thesis consists of four self-contained essays on valuation of interest rate derivatives. In particular derivatives related to management of interest rate risk care are considered....

Interest-free and Interest-bearing Money Demand: Policy Invariance and Stability

OpenAIRE

Amir Kia

2001-01-01

This paper, using quarterly Iranian data for the period of 1966-1998, extends the literature by investigating the stability of the interest-free money demand function. The study also examines the stability of economic agents' behavior in demanding interest-bearing and interest-free money. It was found, contrary to interest-bearing demand or money, both short- and long-run demand for interest-free money functions are stable and their coefficients are invariant with respect to policy and other ...

An effective method for finding special solutions of nonlinear differential equations with variable coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Maochang; Fan Guihong

2008-01-01

There are many interesting methods can be utilized to construct special solutions of nonlinear differential equations with constant coefficients. However, most of these methods are not applicable to nonlinear differential equations with variable coefficients. A new method is presented in this Letter, which can be used to find special solutions of nonlinear differential equations with variable coefficients. This method is based on seeking appropriate Bernoulli equation corresponding to the equation studied. Many well-known equations are chosen to illustrate the application of this method

Science for Trade-Offs Between Conflicting Interests in Future Forests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sune Linder

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Forests deliver multiple ecosystem services to society. Management of forests must be able to deal with trade-offs when the delivery of different ecosystem services comes in conflict with each other. The research program Future Forests (http://www.futureforests.se attempts to form a scientific basis for managing such trade-offs between conflicting interests in northern boreal forests. Some key characteristics of the research program are interdisciplinary and participatory research and a clear communication agenda for stakeholders. This paper gives a brief overview of the underlying ideas behind the program, and an introduction to the papers published in this Special Issue.

76 FR 36865 - Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; Interaction of Systems and Structures

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-23

... Systems and Structures AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final special... already established for this evaluation. These criteria are only applicable to structure whose failure... as gusts or pilot actions, or lower flutter margins). B. Effects of Systems on Structures 1. General...

Implicit User Interest Profile

CERN Document Server

Chan, K

2002-01-01

User interest profile presents items that the users are interested in. Typically those items can be listed or grouped. Listing is good but it does not possess interests at different abstraction levels - the higher-level interests are more general, while the lower-level ones are more specific. Furthermore, more general interests, in some sense, correspond to longer-term interests, while more specific interests correspond to shorter-term interests. This hierarchical user interest profile has obvious advantages: specifying user's specific interests and general interests and representing their relationships. Current user interest profile structures mostly do not use implicit method, nor use an appropriate clustering algorithm especially for conceptually hierarchical structures. This research studies building a hierarchical user interest profile (HUIP) and the hierarchical divisive algorithm (HDC). Several users visit hundreds of web pages and each page is recorded in each users profile. These web pages are used t...

Communication Solutions by Improving Interactive Art Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gintarė Vainalavičiūtė

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The article examines the emergence of new forms of expression in modern society such as technology, which makes the traditional art active and the users are drawn into the processes of creation and dissemination. Interactive art technology gradually integrates more and more people to be interested on it because of its innovative and interesting concept and idea. Interactive art removes traditional boundaries between the artist and “public”. Appearance of the new modern technologies in the art provoked the development of the interactive art which later evolved into some other forms of art as cinema, interactive dance, music and etc. The article is based on Lithuanian and foreign academic works, interactive art definition is provided the theoretical aspect of an interactive art projects is highlighted. The modern theories of marketing communications are defined. To solve examined issues marketing communication model with highlighted key elements is proposed.

Co-occurrence and hybridization of anther-smut pathogens specialized on Dianthus hosts.

Science.gov (United States)

Petit, Elsa; Silver, Casey; Cornille, Amandine; Gladieux, Pierre; Rosenthal, Lisa; Bruns, Emily; Yee, Sarah; Antonovics, Janis; Giraud, Tatiana; Hood, Michael E

2017-04-01

Host specialization has important consequences for the diversification and ecological interactions of obligate pathogens. The anther-smut disease of natural plant populations, caused by Microbotryum fungi, has been characterized by specialized host-pathogen interactions, which contribute in part to the isolation among these numerous fungal species. This study investigated the molecular variation of Microbotryum pathogens within the geographic and host-specific distributions on wild Dianthus species in southern European Alps. In contrast to prior studies on this pathogen genus, a range of overlapping host specificities was observed for four delineated Microbotryum lineages on Dianthus hosts, and their frequent co-occurrence within single-host populations was quantified at local and regional scales. In addition to potential consequences for direct pathogen competition, the sympatry of Microbotryum lineages led to hybridization between them in many populations, and these admixed genotypes suffered significant meiotic sterility. Therefore, this investigation of the anther-smut fungi reveals how variation in the degrees of host specificity can have major implications for ecological interactions and genetic integrity of differentiated pathogen lineages. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of ionizing radiation on the immune system with special emphasis on the interaction of dendritic and T cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Manda, Katrin; Glasow, Annegret; Paape, Daniel; Hildebrandt, Guido

2012-01-01

Dendritic cells (DCs), as professional antigen-presenting cells, are members of the innate immune system and function as key players during the induction phase of adaptive immune responses. Uptake, processing, and presentation of antigens direct the outcome toward either tolerance or immunity. The cells of the immune system are among the most highly radiosensitive cells in the body. For high doses of ionizing radiation (HD-IR) both immune-suppressive effects after whole body irradiation and possible immune activation during tumor therapy were observed. On the other hand, the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation (LD-IR) on the immune system are controversial and seem to show high variability among different individuals and species. There are reports revealing that protracted LD-IR can result in radioresistance. But immune-suppressive effects of chronic LD-IR are also reported, including the killing or sensitizing of certain cell types. This article shall review the current knowledge of radiation-induced effects on the immune system, paying special attention to the interaction of DCs and T cells.

Effects of ionizing radiation on the immune system with special emphasis on the interaction of dendritic and T cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manda, Katrin; Glasow, Annegret; Paape, Daniel; Hildebrandt, Guido

2012-01-01

Dendritic cells (DCs), as professional antigen-presenting cells, are members of the innate immune system and function as key players during the induction phase of adaptive immune responses. Uptake, processing, and presentation of antigens direct the outcome toward either tolerance or immunity. The cells of the immune system are among the most highly radiosensitive cells in the body. For high doses of ionizing radiation (HD-IR) both immune-suppressive effects after whole body irradiation and possible immune activation during tumor therapy were observed. On the other hand, the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation (LD-IR) on the immune system are controversial and seem to show high variability among different individuals and species. There are reports revealing that protracted LD-IR can result in radioresistance. But immune-suppressive effects of chronic LD-IR are also reported, including the killing or sensitizing of certain cell types. This article shall review the current knowledge of radiation-induced effects on the immune system, paying special attention to the interaction of DCs and T cells.

Effects of ionizing radiation on the immune system with special emphasis on the interaction of dendritic and T cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manda, Katrin [Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University of Rostock, Rostock (Germany); Glasow, Annegret [Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig (Germany); Paape, Daniel; Hildebrandt, Guido, E-mail: guido.hildebrandt@uni-rostock.de [Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University of Rostock, Rostock (Germany)

2012-08-24

Dendritic cells (DCs), as professional antigen-presenting cells, are members of the innate immune system and function as key players during the induction phase of adaptive immune responses. Uptake, processing, and presentation of antigens direct the outcome toward either tolerance or immunity. The cells of the immune system are among the most highly radiosensitive cells in the body. For high doses of ionizing radiation (HD-IR) both immune-suppressive effects after whole body irradiation and possible immune activation during tumor therapy were observed. On the other hand, the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation (LD-IR) on the immune system are controversial and seem to show high variability among different individuals and species. There are reports revealing that protracted LD-IR can result in radioresistance. But immune-suppressive effects of chronic LD-IR are also reported, including the killing or sensitizing of certain cell types. This article shall review the current knowledge of radiation-induced effects on the immune system, paying special attention to the interaction of DCs and T cells.

Study of the interaction of multiply charged ions and complex systems of biological interest: effects of the molecular environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capron, Michael

2011-01-01

This PhD thesis describes the experimental study of the interaction between slow multiply charged ions (tens of keV) and molecular systems of biological interest (amino acids and nucleobases). It is the aim to identify and to better understand the effect of a molecular environment on different collision induced phenomena. To do so, the time of flight spectra of cationic products emerging from collisions with isolated molecules as well as clusters are compared. It is shown that the molecular environment protects the molecule as it allows to distribute the transferred energies and charges over the whole system (global decrease of the fragmentation and quenching of some fragmentation channels). Furthermore, in the case of adenine clusters, the molecular environment weakens some intramolecular bonds. Moreover, products of chemical reactions are observed concerning proton transfer processes in hydrated cluster of adenine and the formation of peptides bonds between beta-alanine molecules in a cluster. The latter finding is studied as a function of the cluster size and type of the projectile. Some criteria for peptide bond formation, such as flexibility and geometry of the molecule, are investigated for different amino acids. (author)

Self-interest without selfishness: the hedonic benefit of imposed self-interest.

Science.gov (United States)

Berman, Jonathan Z; Small, Deborah A

2012-10-01

Despite commonsense appeal, the link between self-interest and happiness remains elusive. One reason why individuals may not feel satisfied with self-interest is that they feel uneasy about sacrificing the needs of others for their own gain. We propose that externally imposing self-interest allows individuals to enjoy self-benefiting outcomes that are untainted by self-reproach for failing to help others. Study 1 demonstrated that an imposed self-interested option (a reward) leads to greater happiness than does choosing between a self-interested option and a prosocial option (a charity donation). Study 2 demonstrated that this effect is not driven by choice in general; rather, it is the specific trade-off between benefiting the self and benefiting others that inhibits happiness gained from self-interest. We theorize that the agency inherent in choice reduces the hedonic value of self-interest. Results of Study 3 find support for this mechanism.

THE PRACTICE OF USING MULTIMEDIA TRAINING COURSES IN TEACHING COURSES OF SPECIALIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmitry A. Suslov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The implementation of competence-based approach involves a wide use in the educational process of active and interactive forms of training; the article describes the experience of using multimedia training courses in the teaching specialization.

Social Interaction in Adventure Recreation Participation

Science.gov (United States)

Michael A. Schuett

1992-01-01

This study investigated the social interaction of white water kayakers and attempted to predict the level of enduring involvement of participants. It was hypothesized that social interaction would shift from classes and programs to peers of similar interests as level of involvement increased. The results did show that social interaction is a primary reason for...

Introduction to the “Best of ACII 2013‿ Special Section

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D'Mello, Sidney K.; D'Mello, S.K.; Pantic, Maja; Nijholt, Antinus

2015-01-01

WE are delighted to introduce this special section featuring expanded versions of the best papers from the 6th Biannual International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII 2013), held from September 2-5, 2013, in Geneva, Switzerland. The ACII conference series is the

Ecological interactions and the Netflix problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Desjardins-Proulx

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Species interactions are a key component of ecosystems but we generally have an incomplete picture of who-eats-who in a given community. Different techniques have been devised to predict species interactions using theoretical models or abundances. Here, we explore the K nearest neighbour approach, with a special emphasis on recommendation, along with a supervised machine learning technique. Recommenders are algorithms developed for companies like Netflix to predict whether a customer will like a product given the preferences of similar customers. These machine learning techniques are well-suited to study binary ecological interactions since they focus on positive-only data. By removing a prey from a predator, we find that recommenders can guess the missing prey around 50% of the times on the first try, with up to 881 possibilities. Traits do not improve significantly the results for the K nearest neighbour, although a simple test with a supervised learning approach (random forests show we can predict interactions with high accuracy using only three traits per species. This result shows that binary interactions can be predicted without regard to the ecological community given only three variables: body mass and two variables for the species’ phylogeny. These techniques are complementary, as recommenders can predict interactions in the absence of traits, using only information about other species’ interactions, while supervised learning algorithms such as random forests base their predictions on traits only but do not exploit other species’ interactions. Further work should focus on developing custom similarity measures specialized for ecology to improve the KNN algorithms and using richer data to capture indirect relationships between species.

Ecological interactions and the Netflix problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Desjardins-Proulx, Philippe; Laigle, Idaline; Poisot, Timothée; Gravel, Dominique

2017-01-01

Species interactions are a key component of ecosystems but we generally have an incomplete picture of who-eats-who in a given community. Different techniques have been devised to predict species interactions using theoretical models or abundances. Here, we explore the K nearest neighbour approach, with a special emphasis on recommendation, along with a supervised machine learning technique. Recommenders are algorithms developed for companies like Netflix to predict whether a customer will like a product given the preferences of similar customers. These machine learning techniques are well-suited to study binary ecological interactions since they focus on positive-only data. By removing a prey from a predator, we find that recommenders can guess the missing prey around 50% of the times on the first try, with up to 881 possibilities. Traits do not improve significantly the results for the K nearest neighbour, although a simple test with a supervised learning approach (random forests) show we can predict interactions with high accuracy using only three traits per species. This result shows that binary interactions can be predicted without regard to the ecological community given only three variables: body mass and two variables for the species' phylogeny. These techniques are complementary, as recommenders can predict interactions in the absence of traits, using only information about other species' interactions, while supervised learning algorithms such as random forests base their predictions on traits only but do not exploit other species' interactions. Further work should focus on developing custom similarity measures specialized for ecology to improve the KNN algorithms and using richer data to capture indirect relationships between species.

Evaluation of Forensic DNA Traces When Propositions of Interest Relate to Activities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biedermann, Alex; Champod, Christophe; Jackson, Graham

2016-01-01

When forensic scientists evaluate and report on the probative strength of single DNA traces, they commonly rely on only one number, expressing the rarity of the DNA profile in the population of interest. This is so because the focus is on propositions regarding the source of the recovered trace...... demonstrated in day-to-day forensic practice and is also voiced in specialized literature. Yet many forensic scientists remain reluctant to assess their results given propositions that relate to different activities. Some scientists consider evaluations beyond the issue of source as being overly speculative...

How do STEM-interested students pursue multiple interests in their higher educational choice?

Science.gov (United States)

Vulperhorst, Jonne Pieter; Wessels, Koen Rens; Bakker, Arthur; Akkerman, Sanne Floor

2018-05-01

Interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has lately received attention in research due to a gap between the number of STEM students and the needs of the labour market. As interest seems to be one of the most important factors in deciding what to study, we focus in the present study on how STEM-interested students weigh multiple interests in making educational choices. A questionnaire with both open-ended and closed-ended items was administered to 91 STEM-interested students enrolled in a STEM programme of a Dutch University for secondary school students. Results indicate that students find it important that a study programme allows them to pursue multiple interests. Some students pursued multiple interests by choosing to enrol in two programmes at the same time. Most students chose one programme that enabled them to combine multiple interests. Combinations of pursued interests were dependent on the disciplinary range of interests of students. Students who were interested in diverse domains combined interests in an educational programme across academic and non-academic domains, whilst students who were mainly interested in STEM combined only STEM-focused interests. Together these findings stress the importance of taking a multiple interest perspective on interest development and educational choice.

Consensus definition of sarcopenia, cachexia and pre-cachexia: joint document elaborated by Special Interest Groups (SIG) "cachexia-anorexia in chronic wasting diseases" and "nutrition in geriatrics".

Science.gov (United States)

Muscaritoli, M; Anker, S D; Argilés, J; Aversa, Z; Bauer, J M; Biolo, G; Boirie, Y; Bosaeus, I; Cederholm, T; Costelli, P; Fearon, K C; Laviano, A; Maggio, M; Rossi Fanelli, F; Schneider, S M; Schols, A; Sieber, C C

2010-04-01

Chronic diseases as well as aging are frequently associated with deterioration of nutritional status, loss muscle mass and function (i.e. sarcopenia), impaired quality of life and increased risk for morbidity and mortality. Although simple and effective tools for the accurate screening, diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition have been developed during the recent years, its prevalence still remains disappointingly high and its impact on morbidity, mortality and quality of life clinically significant. Based on these premises, the Special Interest Group (SIG) on cachexia-anorexia in chronic wasting diseases was created within ESPEN with the aim of developing and spreading the knowledge on the basic and clinical aspects of cachexia and anorexia as well as of increasing the awareness of cachexia among health professionals and care givers. The definition, the assessment and the staging of cachexia, were identified as a priority by the SIG. This consensus paper reports the definition of cachexia, pre-cachexia and sarcopenia as well as the criteria for the differentiation between cachexia and other conditions associated with sarcopenia, which have been developed in cooperation with the ESPEN SIG on nutrition in geriatrics. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Classification of Arabic Twitter Users: A Study Based on User Behaviour and Interests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullatif Alabdullatif

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Social networks are among the most popular interactive media today due to their simplicity and their ability to break down the barriers of community rules and their speed and because of the increasing pressures of work environments that make it more difficult for people to visit or call friends. There are many social networking products available and they are widely used for social interaction. As the amount of threading data is growing, producing analysis from this large volume of communications is becoming increasingly difficult for public and private organisations. One of the important applications of this work is to determine the trends in social networks that depend on identifying relationships between members of a community. This is not a trivial task as it has numerous challenges. Information shared between social members does not have a formal data structure but is transmitted in the form of texts, emoticons, and multimedia. The inspiration for addressing this area is that if a company is advertising a sports product, for example, it has a difficulty in identifying targeted samples of Arab people on social networks who are interested in sports. In order to accomplish this, an experiment oriented approach is adopted in this study. A goal for this company is to discover users who have been interacting with other users who have the same interests, so they can receive the same type of message or advertisement. This information will help a company to determine how to develop advertisements based on Arab people’s interests. Examples of such work include the timely advertisement of the utilities that can be effectively marketed to increase the audience; for example, on the weekend days, the effective market approaches can yield considerable results in terms of increasing the sales and profits. In addition, finding an efficient way to recommend friends to a user based on interest similarity, celebrity degree, and online behaviour is of

Interação entre crianças com necessidades especiais em contexto lúdico: possibilidades de desenvolvimento Interaction among children with special needs in free-play situations: possibilities of development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Molina Lucenti de Souza

2008-01-01

Full Text Available O trabalho discute o papel dos parceiros, em contexto lúdico, no processo de desenvolvimento da criança com necessidades especiais. Foram observadas, em situação de brincadeira, as interações entre crianças de 4-12 anos, com diagnóstico de deficiência visual (baixa visão ou cegueira, muitas com problemas orgânicos adicionais e dificuldades de aprendizagem. Foram selecionados episódios representativos das capacidades dessas crianças, e estes permitiram a identificação de dois grupos de categorias: (a modos de brincar (individual ou em grupo; (b modos de se relacionar (amistoso ou agonístico das crianças. A análise dos dados indicou a importância da interação entre pares no processo de desenvolvimento das crianças com necessidades especiais e revelou a situação de brincadeira como espaço favorável para a construção dessas interações.The present study discussed the role of peer interaction, in a free-play situation, to the development of children with special needs. The interactions between visually impaired children (low vision or blindness, most of them with additional organic problems and/or learning difficulties, were observed in a free-play situation. The investigation of episodes which were representative of different abilities of the children lead to the identification of two categories: (a ways of playing (individually or in group, and (b kinds of relationships between peers (friendly or agonistic. The analysis pointed to peer interaction as an important contributing factor to the development of children with special needs and suggested that free-play situations can constitute favorable settings for the construction of those interactions.

A Preliminary Core Domain Set for Clinical Trials of Shoulder Disorders: A Report from the OMERACT 2016 Shoulder Core Outcome Set Special Interest Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchbinder, Rachelle; Page, Matthew J; Huang, Hsiaomin; Verhagen, Arianne P; Beaton, Dorcas; Kopkow, Christian; Lenza, Mario; Jain, Nitin B; Richards, Bethan; Richards, Pamela; Voshaar, Marieke; van der Windt, Danielle; Gagnier, Joel J

2017-12-01

The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Shoulder Core Outcome Set Special Interest Group (SIG) was established to develop a core outcome set (COS) for clinical trials of shoulder disorders. In preparation for OMERACT 2016, we systematically examined all outcome domains and measurement instruments reported in 409 randomized trials of interventions for shoulder disorders published between 1954 and 2015. Informed by these data, we conducted an international Delphi consensus study including shoulder trial experts, clinicians, and patients to identify key domains that should be included in a shoulder disorder COS. Findings were discussed at a stakeholder premeeting of OMERACT. At OMERACT 2016, we sought consensus on a preliminary core domain set and input into next steps. There were 13 and 15 participants at the premeeting and the OMERACT 2016 SIG meeting, respectively (9 attended both meetings). Consensus was reached on a preliminary core domain set consisting of an inner core of 4 domains: pain, physical function/activity, global perceived effect, and adverse events including death. A middle core consisted of 3 domains: emotional well-being, sleep, and participation (recreation and work). An outer core of research required to inform the final COS was also formulated. Our next steps are to (1) analyze whether participation (recreation and work) should be in the inner core, (2) conduct a third Delphi round to finalize definitions and wording of domains and reach final endorsement for the domains, and (3) determine which instruments fulfill the OMERACT criteria for measuring each domain.

LOCAL COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT IN THE SPECIAL AUTONOMY LAW IN PAPUA PROVINCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Usman Pakasi

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The establishment of the 2001 Special Autonomy Law in Papua Province is not exempted from economic, political and socio-cultural problems. The law is intended to empower the people by preserving their interests and upholding the basic rights of native Papuans. This research aims at finding out a theoretical understanding on the forms of local community empowerment during the implementation of special autonomy in Papua Province. The study is performed through a qualitative approach with a phenomenological strategy. The research was conducted at a location in Jayapura. Empirical data were obtained using the techniques of observation, in-depth interviews, and other secondary data. The implementation of Special Autonomy in Papua Province has brought forth a fundamental change in the approaches and policies of community development, particularly local community empowerment that includes indigenous communities, women, and religion. Local community empowerment in the economic and socio-cultural aspects represents the effort to improve the welfare and sense of justice within the local community in development.

Focal adhesions and cell-matrix interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Woods, A; Couchman, J R

1988-01-01

Focal adhesions are areas of cell surfaces where specializations of cytoskeletal, membrane and extracellular components combine to produce stable cell-matrix interactions. The morphology of these adhesions and the components identified in them are discussed together with possible mechanisms...

Physics challenges in the strong interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellis, S.D.

1991-01-01

An overview of the challenges to be faced in the area of the strong interactions during the 1990`s is presented. As an illustrative example special attention is given to the analysis of jets as studied at hadron colliders.

Physics challenges in the strong interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, S.D.

1991-01-01

An overview of the challenges to be faced in the area of the strong interactions during the 1990's is presented. As an illustrative example special attention is given to the analysis of jets as studied at hadron colliders

Technology development risk assessment and mixed interests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borrelli, G.; Sartori, S.

1992-05-01

The main purpose of this work is to demonstrate by means of a critical analysis of the state-of-the-art in technological and environmental risk analysis and decision making, that risk and environmental management decisions involve heterogeneous groups of social actors, each representing conflicting interests. It is argued that risk analyses should therefore be based on social interaction and communication paradigma, as well as, on a new rational way of thinking concerning the optimum choice of suitable technological development strategies leading towards a publicly acceptable balance between national energy-economic strategic necessities and social and individual perception of risk

76 FR 8316 - Special Conditions: Gulfstream Model GVI Airplane; Interaction of Systems and Structures

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-14

... system reliability. These special conditions establish a level of safety that neither raises nor lowers... airplane flight conditions following an in-flight occurrence and that are included in the flight manual (e... conditions may be required by other sections of 14 CFR part 25 regardless of calculated system reliability...

Programming Interactivity

CERN Document Server

Noble, Joshua

2009-01-01

Make cool stuff. If you're a designer or artist without a lot of programming experience, this book will teach you to work with 2D and 3D graphics, sound, physical interaction, and electronic circuitry to create all sorts of interesting and compelling experiences -- online and off. Programming Interactivity explains programming and electrical engineering basics, and introduces three freely available tools created specifically for artists and designers: Processing, a Java-based programming language and environment for building projects on the desktop, Web, or mobile phonesArduino, a system t

The notion of general interest in the energy field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauby, P.

2008-01-01

The 1980's have been marked by a reversal of the reference paradigm concerning the manner in which energy issues are tackled: whilst during the whole period following the Second World War, primacy was placed on the pursuit of general interest in energy policies like in the industrial forms of organisation, the issues have tended to be tackled first of all in terms of 'markets', particularly in Europe and in developed countries. This article aims to raise once more and redefine energy issues, not using the opposition and exclusion between markets and general interest as a reference, but their relations and interactions as they are constructed, in particular within the framework of European integration processes. After giving a reminder of the essence of 'general interest', it will examine the energy issues in Europe and the construction of their relationship with the europeanization of public services. It will analyse the perspectives of a Community energy policy around three key questions: what internal market? What common policy? What public service obligations? (authors)

The genetic links between the big five personality traits and general interest domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandler, Christian; Bleidorn, Wiebke; Riemann, Rainer; Angleitner, Alois; Spinath, Frank M

2011-12-01

This is the first genetically informative study in which multiple informants were used to quantify the genetic and environmental sources of individual differences in general interests as well as the phenotypic and genetic links between general interests and Big Five personality traits. Self-reports and two peer ratings from 844 individuals, including 225 monozygotic and 113 dizygotic complete twin pairs, were collected. Multiple-rater scores (composites) revealed that the averaged levels of genetic and environmental effects on seven broad interest domains were similar to those on personality traits. Multivariate analyses showed that about 35% of the genetic and 9% of the environmental variance in interests were explained by personality domains, in particular by Openness. The findings suggest that interests cannot easily be considered as a byproduct of the interactions between personality genotypes and the environmental influences but rather as an internal regulation of behavior with an own genetic basis.

Special quasirandom structures for binary/ternary group IV random alloys

KAUST Repository

Chroneos, Alexander I.

2010-06-01

Simulation of defect interactions in binary/ternary group IV semiconductor alloys at the density functional theory level is difficult due to the random distribution of the constituent atoms. The special quasirandom structures approach is a computationally efficient way to describe the random nature. We systematically study the efficacy of the methodology and generate a number of special quasirandom cells for future use. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the technique, the electronic structures of E centers in Si1-xGex and Si1-x -yGexSny alloys are discussed for a range of nearest neighbor environments. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Coastal GIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy Nyerges

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This special issue of the ISPRS International Journal of Geographic Information about “Coastal GIS” is motivated by many circumstances. More than one-half of the world’s human population lives in coastal areas (within 200 kilometers of coast as of 2000 [1]. The trend toward coastal habitation is expected to continue in the US with the total being 75 percent by 2025, meaning that coastal human–environment interactions will likely increase and intensify [2]. Geographic information systems (GIS are being developed and used by technical specialists, stakeholder publics, and executive/policy decision makers for improving our understanding and management of coastal areas, separately and together as more organizations focus on improving the sustainability and resilience of coastal systems. Coastal systems—defined as the area of land closely connected to the sea, including barrier islands, wetlands, mudflats, beaches, estuaries, cities, towns, recreational areas, and maritime facilities, the continental seas and shelves, and the overlying atmosphere—are subject to complex and dynamic interactions among natural and human-driven processes. Coastal systems are crucial to regional and national economies, hosting valued human-built infrastructure and providing ecosystem services that sustain human well-being. This special issue of IJGI about coastal GIS presents a collection of nine papers that address many of the issues mentioned above. [...

Interest Rate Swaps

OpenAIRE

Marina Pepic

2014-01-01

Interest rates changes have a huge impact on the business performance. Therefore, it is of great importance for the market participants to identify and adequately manage this risk. Financial derivatives are a relatively simple way of protection from adverse changes in interest rates. Interest rate swaps are particularly popular because they reduce interest rate risk to a minimum with a relatively low initial cost and without great risk, but also because of the fact that there are many modific...

The Modalities to Resolve Conflicts of Interest between Stakeholders

OpenAIRE

Georgescu Cristina Elena

2012-01-01

The corporate governance is a complex system of relations and interactions, between various interest groups within and outside a company, aiming to maximize its own expectations. This paper discusses the relation between stakeholders and the means of resolving the conflicts between them. We intend to present main types of conflicts emerging within a company, such us: the shareholders-managers conflict, the shareholders-creditors conflict and the conflict between shareholders. Finnaly, we also...

The Ontology of Interactive Kinds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hauswald Rico

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This paper defends the notions of an interactive kind and a looping effect as features of social and human scientific classifications and aims to give a realist interpretation of them. I argue that interactive kinds can best be modeled as a special case of changing causal property cluster kinds. In order to do so, I develop a typology of looping effects according to the sort of entities that are affected, the main types of which are individual-looping, category-looping, and kind-looping. Based on this distinction, I identify interactive kinds as those causal property cluster kinds that are subjected to kind-looping.

Physics challenges in the strong interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellis, S.D.

1991-01-01

An overview of the challenges to be faced in the area of the strong interactions during the 1990's is presented. As an illustrative example special attention is given to the analysis of jets as studied at hadron colliders.

The phonetics of talk in interaction--introduction to the special issue.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogden, Richard

2012-03-01

This overview paper provides an introduction to work on naturally-occurring speech data, combining techniques of conversation analysis with techniques and methods from phonetics. The paper describes the development of the field, highlighting current challenges and progress in interdisciplinary work. It considers the role of quantification and its relationship to a qualitative methodology. It presents the conversation analytic notion of sequence as a version of context, and argues that sequences of talk constrain relevant phonetic design, and so provide one account for variability in naturally occurring speech. The paper also describes the manipulation of speech and language on many levels simultaneously. All of these themes occur and are explored in more detail in the papers contained in this special issue.

An admissions system to select veterinary medical students with an interest in food animals and veterinary public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Haarhuis, Jan C M; Muijtjens, Arno M M; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; van Beukelen, Peter

2009-01-01

Interest in the areas of food animals (FA) and veterinary public health (VPH) appears to be declining among prospective students of veterinary medicine. To address the expected shortage of veterinarians in these areas, the Utrecht Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has developed an admissions procedure to select undergraduates whose aptitude and interests are suited to these areas. A study using expert meetings, open interviews, and document analysis identified personal characteristics that distinguished veterinarians working in the areas of FA and VPH from their colleagues who specialized in companion animals (CA) and equine medicine (E). The outcomes were used to create a written selection tool. We validated this tool in a study among undergraduate veterinary students in their final (sixth) year before graduation. The applicability of the tool was verified in a study among first-year students who had opted to pursue either FA/VPH or CA/E. The tool revealed statistically significant differences with acceptable effect sizes between the two student groups. Because the written selection tool did not cover all of the differences between the veterinarians who specialized in FA/VPH and those who specialized in CA/E, we developed a prestructured panel interview and added it to the questionnaire. The evaluation of the written component showed that it was suitable for selecting those students who were most likely to succeed in the FA/VPH track.

Category-specificity in sexual interest in gay men and lesbians.

Science.gov (United States)

Rullo, Jordan E; Strassberg, Donald S; Israel, Esther

2010-08-01

The present study assessed the category-specificity of sexual interest of gay men and lesbians toward an understanding of the possible interaction of sex and sexual orientation that may exist in this phenomenon. Utilizing viewing time as a measure of sexual interest, we had participants (N = 99) rate the sexual appeal of sexually provocative pictures while the amount of time spent viewing each picture was inconspicuously measured. As hypothesized, same-sex oriented individuals demonstrated a category-specific pattern of sexual interest. That is, gay men and lesbians (1) viewed preferred sex pictures (i.e., of same sex) significantly longer than nonpreferred sex pictures (i.e., of opposite sex) and (2) rated preferred sex pictures as significantly more sexually appealing than nonpreferred sex pictures. Additionally, the difference in viewing times between preferred and nonpreferred sexual stimuli was not significantly different for gay men and lesbians, suggesting that lesbians are as category-specific as gay men. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Crustal permeability: Introduction to the special issue

Science.gov (United States)

Ingebritsen, Steven E.; Gleeson, Tom

2015-01-01

The topic of crustal permeability is of broad interest in light of the controlling effect of permeability on diverse geologic processes and also timely in light of the practical challenges associated with emerging technologies such as hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas production (‘fracking’), enhanced geothermal systems, and geologic carbon sequestration. This special issue of Geofluids is also motivated by the historical dichotomy between the hydrogeologic concept of permeability as a static material property that exerts control on fluid flow and the perspective of economic geologists, geophysicists, and crustal petrologists who have long recognized permeability as a dynamic parameter that changes in response to tectonism, fluid production, and geochemical reactions. Issues associated with fracking, enhanced geothermal systems, and geologic carbon sequestration have already begun to promote a constructive dialog between the static and dynamic views of permeability, and here we have made a conscious effort to include both viewpoints. This special issue also focuses on the quantification of permeability, encompassing both direct measurement of permeability in the uppermost crust and inferential permeability estimates, mainly for the deeper crust.

Is it really all about the money? Reconsidering non-financial interests in medical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Saver, Richard S

2012-01-01

Concern about financial conflicts crowds out sufficient consideration of other interests that may bias research conduct. Regulations, institutional policies, and guidance from professional bodies and medical journals all primarily focus on financial ties. But why? Economic gain is not the only powerful influence. This article argues that we under-prioritize non-financial interests in the regulation of medical research. It critiques the usual reasons given for regulating financial and non-financial interests differently - that the interests contrast in terms of tangibility, that financial interests are optional, and that financial interests can be efficiently carved out as a discrete area of focus. Moreover, disparate regulatory treatment seems inattentive to the very similar social and psychological forces that animate the bias effect of both financial and non-financial interests and fails to account for how financial and non-financial interests synergistically interact. Under-prioritization of non-financial interests threatens to erode public trust and creates negative spillover effects that weaken financial conflicts regulation. Optimal regulation requires a more integrated, balanced, and proportionate response to secondary interests in medical research. © 2012 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

2101, Sciences & Fiction: a way of developing teenagers' interest for science

Science.gov (United States)

Vauglin, I.; Chiuzzi, P.

2017-12-01

Since nearly 30 years, many european studies have demonstrated a worrying decline of young people's interest in science and technical studies. Despite the number of efforts and programs made to reverse the trend, there are still few signs of improvement. We must step up our efforts otherwise this will impact the long-term innovation capacities of our country. We have tried to participate to these efforts with the creation of a digital and interactive comics "2101, Science & Fiction", created by Chromatiques, that explores the connections between reality of science and science fiction. It takes advantage of the new opportunities opened by digital technology and is another way of developing interest in learning sciences. Free access on: http://2101.fr The goal is to create an new opportunity to popularize science and attract the young generation in different fields of technology and science. L'e-poster présentant cette BD numérique interactive en français est disponible à cette adresse: ttp://sf2a.eu/semaine-sf2a/2017/posterpdfs/294_224_66.pdf

The Evolution of the Region of Interest Builder for the ATLAS Experiment at CERN

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00060668; Blair, Robert; Crone, Gordon Jeremy; Green, Barry; Love, Jeremy; Proudfoot, James; Rifki, Othmane; Panduro Vazquez, William; Vandelli, Wainer; Zhang, Jinlong

2016-01-01

ATLAS is a general purpose particle detector, at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, designed to measure the products of proton collisions. Given the high interaction rate (40 MHz), selective triggering in real time is required to reduce the rate to the experiment's data storage capacity (1 kHz). To meet this requirement, ATLAS employs a hardware trigger that reduces the rate to 100 kHz and software based triggers to select interesting interactions for physics analysis. The Region of Interest Builder (RoIB) is an essential part of the ATLAS detector Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) chain where the coordinates of the regions of interest (RoIs) identified by the first level trigger (L1) are collected and passed to the High Level Trigger (HLT) to make a decision. While the current custom VME based RoIB operated reliably during the first run of the LHC, it is desirable to have a more flexible RoIB and more operationally maintainable in the future, as the LHC reaches higher luminosity and ATLAS increases t...

Interest rates mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Kanevski, M.; Maignan, M.; Pozdnoukhov, A.; Timonin, V.

2008-06-01

The present study deals with the analysis and mapping of Swiss franc interest rates. Interest rates depend on time and maturity, defining term structure of the interest rate curves (IRC). In the present study IRC are considered in a two-dimensional feature space-time and maturity. Exploratory data analysis includes a variety of tools widely used in econophysics and geostatistics. Geostatistical models and machine learning algorithms (multilayer perceptron and Support Vector Machines) were applied to produce interest rate maps. IR maps can be used for the visualisation and pattern perception purposes, to develop and to explore economical hypotheses, to produce dynamic asset-liability simulations and for financial risk assessments. The feasibility of an application of interest rates mapping approach for the IRC forecasting is considered as well.

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientific interactions with the Former Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, P.C.

1995-01-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory has a wide-ranging set of scientific interactions with technical institutes in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Many of these collaborations, especially those in pure science, began long before the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union. This overview will, however, focus for the most part on those activities that were initiated in the last few years. This review may also serve both to indicate the broad spectrum of US government interests that are served, at least in part, through these laboratory initiatives, and to suggest ways in which additional collaborations with the FSU may be developed to serve similar mutual interests of the countries involved. While most of the examples represent programs carried out by Los Alamos, they are also indicative of similar efforts by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. There are indeed other Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories, and many of them have active collaborative programs with FSU institutes. However, the laboratories specifically identified above are those with special nuclear weapons responsibilities, and thus have unique technical capabilities to address certain issues of some importance to the continuing interests of the United States and the states of the Former Soviet Union. Building on pre-collapse scientific collaborations and contacts, Los Alamos has used the shared language of science to build institutional and personal relationships and to pursue common interests. It is important to understand that Los Alamos, and the other DOE weapons laboratories are federal institutions, working with federal funds, and thus every undertaking has a definite relationship to some national objective. The fertile areas for collaboration are obviously those where US and Russian interests coincide

2nd Workshop on Laser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena

CERN Document Server

Hora, Heinrich

1972-01-01

Paul Harteck Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York When the Maser and the Laser Were discovered, people were speculating if this was the beginning of a new page, or even a new chapter, in the Book of Physics. The Second Workshop on "Laser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena" held in Hartford made it clear that the perspective had changed, that people now question if the consequences of these discoveries constitute a new chapter, or possibly a new era in Physics. While the papers presented were all stimulating and of out­ standing quality, of special interest were the experiments which demonstrated that triggering of thermonuclear fusion by Laser techniques is indeed in the realm of the possible. Along these lines, I enjoy recalling an anecdote concerning the late F. G. Houtermans. I think that all who knew him will agree that he was an unusual genius and at the same time a very amusing colleague.

Extracellular matrix in canine mammary tumors with special focus on versican, a versatile extracellular proteoglycan

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erdélyi, Ildikó

2006-01-01

The extracellular matrix (ECM) research has become fundamental to understand cancer. This thesis focuses on the exploration of ECM composition and organization in canine mammary tumors, with a special interest in the large chondroitin-sulfate proteoglycan (PG), versican. Chapter 1 gives an

Review on Microwave-Matter Interaction Fundamentals and Efficient Microwave-Associated Heating Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jing; Wang, Wenlong; Yue, Qinyan

2016-01-01

Microwave heating is rapidly emerging as an effective and efficient tool in various technological and scientific fields. A comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of microwave–matter interactions is the precondition for better utilization of microwave technology. However, microwave heating is usually only known as dielectric heating, and the contribution of the magnetic field component of microwaves is often ignored, which, in fact, contributes greatly to microwave heating of some aqueous electrolyte solutions, magnetic dielectric materials and certain conductive powder materials, etc. This paper focuses on this point and presents a careful review of microwave heating mechanisms in a comprehensive manner. Moreover, in addition to the acknowledged conventional microwave heating mechanisms, the special interaction mechanisms between microwave and metal-based materials are attracting increasing interest for a variety of metallurgical, plasma and discharge applications, and therefore are reviewed particularly regarding the aspects of the reflection, heating and discharge effects. Finally, several distinct strategies to improve microwave energy utilization efficiencies are proposed and discussed with the aim of tackling the energy-efficiency-related issues arising from the application of microwave heating. This work can present a strategic guideline for the developed understanding and utilization of the microwave heating technology. PMID:28773355

When is educational specialization heterogeneity related to creativity in research and development teams? Transformational leadership as a moderator.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Shung J; Zhou, Jing

2007-11-01

The authors examined conditions under which teams' educational specialization heterogeneity was positively related to team creativity. Using a sample of 75 research and development teams, the authors theorized and found that transformational leadership and educational specialization heterogeneity interacted to affect team creativity in such a way that when transformational leadership was high, teams with greater educational specialization heterogeneity exhibited greater team creativity. In addition, teams' creative efficacy mediated this moderated relationship among educational specialization heterogeneity, transformational leadership, and team creativity. The authors discuss the implications of these results for research and practice. (c) 2007 APA

Making the news interesting : Understanding the relationship between familiarity and interest

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sluis, F. van der; Glassey, R.J.; Broek, E.L. van den

2012-01-01

News feeds are an important element of information encountering, feeding our (new) interests but also leading to a state of information overload. Current solutions often select information similar to the user's interests. However, long-term interest in one topic, and being highly familiar with that

Dark patterns in proxemic interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Greenberg, Saul; Boring, Sebastian; Vermeulen, Jo

2014-01-01

to better facilitate seamless and natural interactions. To do so, both people and devices are tracked to determine their spatial relationships. While interest in proxemic interactions has increased over the last few years, it also has a dark side: knowledge of proxemics may (and likely will) be easily...... exploited to the detriment of the user. In this paper, we offer a critical perspective on proxemic interactions in the form of dark patterns: ways proxemic interactions can be misused. We discuss a series of these patterns and describe how they apply to these types of interactions. In addition, we identify...

Energy cascading by triple-bubble interactions via time-delayed control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Yen-Liang; Chang, Chia-Ming; Tseng, Fan-Gang; Yang, I-Da; Chieng, Ching-Chang

2012-01-01

The triple-bubble interaction controlled by a precise time-delayed technique was investigated in detail with respect to different ignition times, heater spaces and sequential firing modes to promote efficient energy cascading and concentration. The target bubble, which was generated under a specific delay time with two auxiliary bubbles, can have a volume that is two or almost three times larger than that of a single bubble. This result overcomes the limitation of energy usage on an explosive microbubble under a constant heat flux. As the heater space decreases, stronger bubble–bubble interactions were obtained due to the hydrodynamic effect and the intensive pressure wave emission, resulting in highly enhancing and depressing bubble dynamics. Other interesting phenomena, such as bubble shifting, mushroom-shape bubble, rod-shape bubble and bubble extension among heaters, were also recorded by a high-speed phase-averaged stroboscopic technique, displaying special non-spherical bubble dynamics. Artificial manipulation of bubble behavior was further conducted in a two-level sequential firing process. Using various volumetric combinations, the adjustable multi-level fluid transportation can be realized by a digital time-delayed control. The above-mentioned information can be applied to not only the design and operation of inkjet printheads but also cavitation research and fluid pumping in microdevices. (paper)

LHC Report: special run with de-squeezed beams for ATLAS/ALFA and TOTEM

CERN Multimedia

Helmut Burkhardt for the LHC team

2015-01-01

The main high-luminosity proton-proton run of the LHC is complemented by one week per year of special proton-proton runs. The special runs are performed with larger beam sizes at the interaction points to allow the forward physics experiments, TOTEM and ATLAS/ALFA, the chance to make precise measurements of protons as they emerge from collisions at small angles.   In standard high-luminosity operation, the beams are squeezed to give small beam sizes at the interaction points to maximise the collision rates. The “squeeze” takes place at top energy and the beam size at the centre of ATLAS (IP1) and CMS (IP5) is reduced from 66 micrometres at the top of the ramp to 18 micrometres before colliding beams are established. Protons that avoid the fate of an inelastic collision but yet still interact – in elastic or diffractive events – are scattered and emerge in the forward direction. The reduction in beam size has a side effect of increasing the an...

Interest Rate Swaps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Pepić

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Interest rates changes have a huge impact on the business performance. Therefore, it is of great importance for the market participants to identify and adequately manage this risk. Financial derivatives are a relatively simple way of protection from adverse changes in interest rates. Interest rate swaps are particularly popular because they reduce interest rate risk to a minimum with a relatively low initial cost and without great risk, but also because of the fact that there are manymodifications of the standard swap created to better satisfy the different needs of market players.

Association of research self-efficacy with medical student career interests, specialization, and scholarship: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bierer, S Beth; Prayson, Richard A; Dannefer, Elaine F

2015-05-01

This study used variables proposed in social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to focus the evaluation of a research curriculum at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University (CCLCM). Eight cohorts of CCLCM medical students completed a web-based version of the six-scale Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory-Short Form (CRAI-SF) items at matriculation (n = 128) or graduation (n = 111) during 2009-2013. Parametric statistics were used to compare CRAI-SF scales to domains proposed in SCCT: trainees' characteristics (gender, training level, advanced degree), career interests, career intentions (medical specialty), and performance (peer-reviewed publications and required thesis topic). A number of lessons emerged in using theory to frame the evaluation of a complex educational program. Graduates rated their research self-efficacy significantly higher on all six CRAI-SF scales with large effect sizes (>.90) on five scales (Conceptualizing a Study, Study Design and Analysis, Responsible Research Conduct, Collaborating with Others, and Reporting a Study). Women and men did not have significantly different scores on CRAI-SF scales (p > .05), suggesting that the research program provides adequate supports for women students. Most thesis projects addressed clinical (36.9 %, n = 41) or translational (34.2 %, n = 38) research topics. The CRAI-SF discriminated between medical school matriculates and graduates, suggesting that research self-efficacy increases with mastery experiences. No significant relationships occurred between CRAI-SF scores and graduates' thesis topics or chosen clinical specialty. Correlations demonstrated significant relationships between graduates' perceptions of research self-efficacy and their interest in clinical research careers.

Supersymmetric black holes in AdS4 from very special geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gnecchi, Alessandra; Halmagyi, Nick

2014-01-01

Supersymmetric black holes in AdS spacetime are inherently interesting for the AdS/CFT correspondence. Within a four dimensional gauged supergravity theory coupled to vector multiplets, the only analytic solutions for regular, supersymmetric, static black holes in AdS 4 are those in the STU-model due to Cacciatori and Klemm. We study a class of U(1)-gauged supergravity theories coupled to vector multiplets which have a cubic prepotential, the scalar manifold is then a very special Kähler manifold. When the resulting very special Kähler manifold is a homogeneous space, we find analytic solutions for static, supersymmetric AdS 4 black holes with vanishing axions. The horizon geometries of our solutions are constant curvature Riemann surfaces of arbitrary genus

Transient effects in beam-plasma interactions in a space simulation chamber stimulated by a fast pulse electron gun

Science.gov (United States)

Raitt, W. J.; Banks, P. M.; Denig, W. F.; Anderson, H. R.

1982-01-01

Interest in the interaction of electron beams with plasma generated by ionization caused by the primary electron beam was stimulated by the need to develop special vacuum tubes to operate in the kMHz frequency region. The experiments of Getty and Smullin (1963) indicated that the interaction of an energetic electron beam with its self-produced plasma resulted in the emission of wave energy over a wide range of frequencies associated with cyclotron and longitudinal plasma instabilities. This enhanced the thermal plasma density in the vicinity of the beam, and the term Beam-Plasma Discharge (BPD) was employed to described this phenomenon. The present investigation is concerned with some of the transient phenomena associated with wave emission during the beam switch-on and switch-off periods. Results are presented on the changes in electron energy spectra on a time scale of tens of milliseconds following beam switch-on. The results are discussed in terms of the beam plasma discharge phenomenon.

Transient effects in beam-plasma interactions in a space simulation chamber stimulated by a fast pulse electron gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raitt, W.J.; Banks, P.M.

1982-01-01

Interest in the interaction of electron beams with plasma generated by ionization caused by the primary electron beam was stimulated by the need to develop special vacuum tubes to operate in the kMHz frequency region. The experiments of Getty and Smullin (1963) indicated that the interaction of an energetic electron beam with its self-produced plasma resulted in the emission of wave energy over a wide range of frequencies associated with cyclotron and longitudinal plasma instabilities. This enhanced the thermal plasma density in the vicinity of the beam, and the term Beam-Plasma Discharge (BPD) was employed to described this phenomenon. The present investigation is concerned with some of the transient phenomena associated with wave emission during the beam switch-on and switch-off periods. Results are presented on the changes in electron energy spectra on a time scale of tens of milliseconds following beam switch-on. The results are discussed in terms of the beam plasma discharge phenomenon. 5 references

Conflict of interest and professional medical associations: the North American Spine Society experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Schofferman, Jerome A; Eskay-Auerbach, Marjorie L; Sawyer, Laura S; Herring, Stanley A; Arnold, Paul M; Muehlbauer, Eric J

2013-08-01

Recently the financial relationships between industry and professional medical associations have come under increased scrutiny because of the concern that industry ties may create real or perceived conflicts of interest. Professional medical associations pursue public advocacy as well as promote medical education, develop clinical practice guidelines, fund research, and regulate professional conduct. Therefore, the conflicts of interest of a professional medical association and its leadership can have more far-reaching effects on patient care than those of an individual physician. Few if any professional medical associations have reported their experience with implementing strict divestment and disclosure policies, and among the policies that have been issued, there is little uniformity. We describe the experience of the North American Spine Society (NASS) in implementing comprehensive conflicts of interest policies. A special feature article. We discuss financial conflicts of interest as they apply to professional medical associations rather than to individual physicians. We describe the current policies of disclosure and divestment adopted by the NASS and how these policies have evolved, been refined, and have had no detrimental impact on membership, attendance at annual meetings, finances, or leadership recruitment. No funding was received for this work. The authors report no potential conflict-of-interest-associated biases in the text. The NASS has shown that a professional medical association can manage its financial relationships with industry in a manner that minimizes influence and bias. The NASS experience can provide a template for other professional medical associations to help manage their own possible conflicts of interest issues. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Matter of Interest

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Paul

2009-01-01

In these days of financial turmoil, there is greater interest in depositing one's money in the bank--at least one might hope for greater interest. Banks and various trusts pay compound interest at regular intervals: this means that interest is paid not only on the original sum deposited, but also on previous interest payments. This article…

Interacting Supernovae: Types IIn and Ibn

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Nathan

Supernovae that show evidence of strong shock interaction between their ejecta and pre-existing slower circumstellar material (CSM) constitute an interesting, diverse, and still poorly understood category of explosive transients. The chief reason they are extremely interesting is because they tell us that in a subset of stellar deaths, the progenitor star becomes wildly unstable in the years, decades, or centuries before explosion. This is something that has not been included in standard stellar evolution models but may significantly change the end product and yield of that evolution and complicates our attempts to map SNe to their progenitors. Another reason they are interesting is because CSM interaction is an efficient engine for making bright transients, allowing superluminous transients to arise from normal SN explosion energy, and transients of normal supernova luminosity to arise from sub-energetic explosions or low radioactivity yield. CSM interaction shrouds the fast ejecta in bright shock emission, obscuring our view of the underlying explosion, and the radiation hydrodynamics is challenging to model. The CSM interaction may also be highly nonspherical, perhaps linked to binary interaction in the progenitor system. In some cases, these complications make it difficult to tell the difference between a core-collapse and thermonuclear explosion or to discern between a nonterminal eruption, failed supernova, or weak supernova. Efforts to uncover the physical parameters of individual events and connections to progenitor stars make this a rapidly evolving topic that challenges paradigms of stellar evolution.

Ecological interactions are evolutionarily conserved across the entire tree of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, José M; Verdú, Miguel; Perfectti, Francisco

2010-06-17

Ecological interactions are crucial to understanding both the ecology and the evolution of organisms. Because the phenotypic traits regulating species interactions are largely a legacy of their ancestors, it is widely assumed that ecological interactions are phylogenetically conserved, with closely related species interacting with similar partners. However, the existing empirical evidence is inadequate to appropriately evaluate the hypothesis of phylogenetic conservatism in ecological interactions, because it is both ecologically and taxonomically biased. In fact, most studies on the evolution of ecological interactions have focused on specialized organisms, such as some parasites or insect herbivores, belonging to a limited subset of the overall tree of life. Here we study the evolution of host use in a large and diverse group of interactions comprising both specialist and generalist acellular, unicellular and multicellular organisms. We show that, as previously found for specialized interactions, generalized interactions can be evolutionarily conserved. Significant phylogenetic conservatism of interaction patterns was equally likely to occur in symbiotic and non-symbiotic interactions, as well as in mutualistic and antagonistic interactions. Host-use differentiation among species was higher in phylogenetically conserved clades, irrespective of their generalization degree and taxonomic position within the tree of life. Our findings strongly suggest a shared pattern in the organization of biological systems through evolutionary time, mediated by marked conservatism of ecological interactions among taxa.

Covariant theory of gravitation in the framework of special relativity

Science.gov (United States)

Vieira, R. S.; Brentan, H. B.

2018-04-01

In this work, we study the magnetic effects of gravity in the framework of special relativity. Imposing covariance of the gravitational force with respect to the Lorentz transformations, we show from a thought experiment that a magnetic-like force must be present whenever two or more bodies are in motion. The exact expression for this gravitomagnetic force is then derived purely from special relativity and the consequences of such a covariant theory are developed. For instance, we show that the gravitomagnetic fields satisfy a system of differential equations similar to the Maxwell equations of electrodynamics. This implies that the gravitational waves spread out with the speed of light in a flat spacetime, which is in agreement with the recent results concerning the gravitational waves detection. We also propose that the vector potential can be associated with the interaction momentum in the same way as the scalar potential is usually associated with the interaction energy. Other topics are also discussed, for example, the transformation laws for the fields, the energy and momentum stored in the gravitomagnetic fields, the invariance of the gravitational mass and so on. We remark that is not our intention here to propose an alternative theory of gravitation but, rather, only a first approximation for the gravitational phenomena, so that it can be applied whenever the gravitational force can be regarded as an ordinary effective force field and special relativity can be used with safety. To make this point clear we present briefly a comparison between our approach and that based on the (linearized) Einstein's theory. Finally, we remark that although we have assumed nothing from the electromagnetic theory, we found that gravity and electricity share many properties in common -these similarities, in fact, are just a requirement of special relativity that must apply to any physically acceptable force field.

Using the Labour of Special Squads in the Stalingrad Region in 1942-1945

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey G. Sidorov

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Special purpose camps for the NKVD of the USSR were established in 1941 to carry out a special inspection of former Red Army servicemen emerging from captivity or encirclement. In 1942 the labour of special squads started to be carried out at certain economic facilities of the country. The article deals with the issues related to the use of special forces in the Stalingrad region during the Great Patriotic War. The case of the Stalingrad region is interesting due to the fact that it showcases the overall evolution of the system of special camps, beginning with the creation of the first camps on December 28, 1941 by the Order of the NKVD of the USSR, and till their liquidation, which began in 1945. The Kamyshinsky special camp, which provided the workforce fo railway construction, was one of the first special camps in which forced labour of the special squads was used. Later, camp no. 018, which provided the workforce for restoration of the destroyed enterprises, was established in the region. The camp’s personnel worked mainly on the restoration of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant. The authors also study other regional objects on which special squads’ labour was used, as well as their organization and effectiveness. It is noted that the labour of highly qualified special squads was in demand in various sectors of the economy. The variable composition of special camps located on the territory of the Stalingrad region made a significant contribution to the restoration of the city and its major plants. This was promoted by the increasing literacy of labour organization, and by the improvement of the material supply of special camps. Special attention is paid to the transfer of the special squads to the permanent staff of industry. V.V. Shevchenko compiled the necessary sources and wrote the paper. S.G. Sidorov revealed some relevant sources, pointed out the conception and accomplished academic editing of the paper.

Exploring the nature of ecological specialization in a coral reef fish community: morphology, diet and foraging microhabitat use.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandl, Simon J; Robbins, William D; Bellwood, David R

2015-09-22

Patterns of ecological specialization offer invaluable information about ecosystems. Yet, specialization is rarely quantified across several ecological niche axes and variables beyond the link between morphological and dietary specialization have received little attention. Here, we provide a quantitative evaluation of ecological specialization in a coral reef fish assemblage (f. Acanthuridae) along one fundamental and two realized niche axes. Specifically, we examined ecological specialization in 10 surgeonfish species with regards to morphology and two realized niche axes associated with diet and foraging microhabitat utilization using a recently developed multidimensional framework. We then investigated the potential relationships between morphological and behavioural specialization. These relationships differed markedly from the traditional ecomorphological paradigm. While morphological specialization showed no relationship with dietary specialization, it exhibited a strong relationship with foraging microhabitat specialization. However, this relationship was inverted: species with specialized morphologies were microhabitat generalists, whereas generalized morphotypes were microhabitat specialists. Interestingly, this mirrors relationships found in plant-pollinator communities and may also be applicable to other ecosystems, highlighting the potential importance of including niche axes beyond dietary specialization into ecomorphological frameworks. On coral reefs, it appears that morphotypes commonly perceived as most generalized may, in fact, be specialized in exploiting flat and easily accessible microhabitats. © 2015 The Author(s).

Towards Building a Computer Aided Education System for Special Students Using Wearable Sensor Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raja Majid Mehmood

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Human computer interaction is a growing field in terms of helping people in their daily life to improve their living. Especially, people with some disability may need an interface which is more appropriate and compatible with their needs. Our research is focused on similar kinds of problems, such as students with some mental disorder or mood disruption problems. To improve their learning process, an intelligent emotion recognition system is essential which has an ability to recognize the current emotional state of the brain. Nowadays, in special schools, instructors are commonly use some conventional methods for managing special students for educational purposes. In this paper, we proposed a novel computer aided method for instructors at special schools where they can teach special students with the support of our system using wearable technologies.

Linked data and user interaction

CERN Document Server

Cervone, H Frank

2015-01-01

This collection of research papers provides extensive information on deploying services, concepts, and approaches for using open linked data from libraries and other cultural heritage institutions. With a special emphasis on how libraries and other cultural heritage institutions can create effective end user interfaces using open, linked data or other datasets. These papers are essential reading for any one interesting in user interface design or the semantic web.

Appeals in Special Adminisrtative Domains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vuk CUCIĆ

2011-10-01

Full Text Available This paper is preceded by another work on the administrative appeal in Serbian law, as prescribed by General Administrative Proceeding Act. It builds upon that by describing and analyzing the most often modifications made to the general regime of the administrative appeal in various policy areas. It furthermore depicts special administrative control mechanisms, different from the administrative appeal, that exist in the fields of public procurement, education and broadcasting. These two articles should conclude the normative analysis of the system of administrative appeal and its counterpart administrative recourses. Normative analysis should further allow empirical research of the efficiency thereof and enable drawing of conclusions on respective features of the appellate proceeding that provide the best results in protection of the legality and private and public interests.

Quantum Uncertainty and Fundamental Interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tosto S.

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The paper proposes a simplified theoretical approach to infer some essential concepts on the fundamental interactions between charged particles and their relative strengths at comparable energies by exploiting the quantum uncertainty only. The worth of the present approach relies on the way of obtaining the results, rather than on the results themselves: concepts today acknowledged as fingerprints of the electroweak and strong interactions appear indeed rooted in the same theoretical frame including also the basic principles of special and general relativity along with the gravity force.

Event review: How Interesting Archaeology Is! - Captivating and Leading-Edge Student Research

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Atsushi Uemine

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Kyoto City Archaeological Museum situated in Kansai region, the central part of Honshu Island, Japan, has held special exhibitions in collaboration with external organizations every year since 2011. From 2011 to 2013, several universities and even a high school have participated projects, and in 2014, the Kansai Archaeological Association for Students (KAAS played an important role as partner, producing the exhibit “ここまでわかる！考古学―学生が魅せる最先端” (“How Interesting Archaeology Is! - Captivating and Leading-Edge Student Research”.

Special functions group theoretical aspects and applications

CERN Document Server

Schempp, Walter; Askey, Richard A

1984-01-01

Approach your problems from It isn't that they can't see the right end and begin with the solution. the answers. Then one day, It is that they can't see the perhaps you will find the problem. final question. G.K. Chesterton. The Scandal 'The Hermit Clad in Crane of Father Brown 'The Point of Feathers' in R. van Gulik's a Pin'. The Chinese Maze Murders. Growing specialization and diversification have brought a host of monographs and textbooks on increasingly specialized topics. However, the "tree" of knowledge of mathematics and related fields does not grow only by putting forth new branches. It also happens, quite often in fact, that branches which were thought to be completely disparate are suddenly seen to be related. Further, the kind and level of sophistication of mathematics applied in various sciences has changed drastically in recent years: measure theory is used (non-trivially) in regional and theoretical economics; algebraic geometry interacts with physics; the Minkowsky lemma, coding theory and the ...

New Frontiers in Analyzing Dynamic Group Interactions: Bridging Social and Computer Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale; Hung, Hayley; Keyton, Joann

2017-10-01

This special issue on advancing interdisciplinary collaboration between computer scientists and social scientists documents the joint results of the international Lorentz workshop, "Interdisciplinary Insights into Group and Team Dynamics," which took place in Leiden, The Netherlands, July 2016. An equal number of scholars from social and computer science participated in the workshop and contributed to the papers included in this special issue. In this introduction, we first identify interaction dynamics as the core of group and team models and review how scholars in social and computer science have typically approached behavioral interactions in groups and teams. Next, we identify key challenges for interdisciplinary collaboration between social and computer scientists, and we provide an overview of the different articles in this special issue aimed at addressing these challenges.

Integrating cues of social interest and voice pitch in men's preferences for women's voices

OpenAIRE

Jones, Benedict C; Feinberg, David R; DeBruine, Lisa M; Little, Anthony C; Vukovic, Jovana

2008-01-01

Most previous studies of vocal attractiveness have focused on preferences for physical characteristics of voices such as pitch. Here we examine the content of vocalizations in interaction with such physical traits, finding that vocal cues of social interest modulate the strength of men's preferences for raised pitch in women's voices. Men showed stronger preferences for raised pitch when judging the voices of women who appeared interested in the listener than when judging the voices of women ...

Making space more interesting to elementary students

Science.gov (United States)

Edlund, J.

When in life do we take the big decision of deciding which path in our career we are going to take? Is this decision made from our experiences in school or is it taken before? Do our family or our friends hopes and dreams for us have any impact on our decision? These are questions that are useful for understanding why some people choose to work with science and why other has chosen another career. In my work to help the university to recruit new student to their master of science in space engineering programme, I have been visiting an elementary school and talked about different topics in space science. The pupils were very interested but when I did a survey of their dream jobs and future career I saw that most of them have hopes of a career that are based on their present talent and not on what education they are going to have. 11 out of 17 students that did this survey wanted to be some kind of artist or soccer professional. Only 4 of them had chosen a career that there are educations for. I do not think this is the situation only for this school, I think this situation is common for children I this age. Since the chance of being a pro in any sport is a really hard thing, probably the most of them have to give up their dream and chose a more realistic approach to their future career. This leaves us with a majority of the students that have not yet had their path chosen and hopefully with help of teachers and special lectures we can make science more attractive to them. This sound like an easy problem, since most of the students finds space really interesting. But there are some problems. The teachers do not have the kind of education, especially in elementary school that is needed for the kids to get proper answer to their questions. The solution is not easy. Should the teachers take more courses in physics and chemistry or should it be their responsibility to search for facts when these kinds of questions appear? I found that in some cases the student have

MANAGE INTERESTED PARTIES IN PROJECT ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BILOKON A. I.

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The success or failure of the project often depends on factors which related to the environment, surrounded by the project and which are outside of the direct control of the project manager. The concept of the project environment, the processes of environmental analysis of the project and the ways in which managers can identify potential problems and develop a plan of action to ensure the success of the project. The management strategy the main factors of the environment includes both organizational forms and measures which aimed at the development process. For alignment of the organizational forms of communication manager must have a clear idea: what kind of interested persons and their actions (functions need to monitor, and in what form to maintain communication (bilateral relations of interdependence. This information is key to the further construction of the formal organization that supports interaction, the definition of its functions, competencies, allocation of roles, areas of responsibility, instructions, forms and methods of work. Purpose. Summarize, analyze and form an idea of the potential of existing approaches to the management of the project environment. Object of study. Management processes of the persons, who interested in the project environment. Subject of study. Methods and tools for the project management environment.

Specialization Patterns

OpenAIRE

Schultz , Ulrik Pagh; Lawall , Julia ,; Consel , Charles

1999-01-01

Design patterns offer numerous advantages for software development, but can introduce inefficiency into the finished program. Program specialization can eliminate such overheads, but is most effective when targeted by the user to specific bottlenecks. Consequently, we propose to consider program specialization and design patterns as complementary concepts. On the one hand, program specialization can optimize object-oriented programs written using design patterns. On the other hand, design pat...

Whole body interaction with public displays

CERN Document Server

Walter, Robert

2017-01-01

This book develops valuable new approaches to digital out-of-home media and digital signage in urban environments. It offers solutions for communicating interactive features of digital signage to passers-by. Digital out-of-home media and digital signage screens are becoming increasingly interactive thanks to touch input technology and gesture recognition. To optimize their conversion rate, interactive public displays must 1) attract attention, 2) communicate to passers-by that they are interactive, 3) explain the interaction, and 4) provide a motivation for passers-by to interact. This book highlights solutions to problems 2 and 3 above. The focus is on whole-body interaction, where the positions and orientations of users and their individual body parts are captured by specialized sensors (e.g., depth cameras). The book presents revealing findings from a field study on communicating interactivity, a laboratory on analysing visual attention, a field study on mid-air gestures, and a field study on using mid-air...

Diverse Approaches to Parent Advocacy during Special Education Home-School Interactions: Identification and Use of Cultural and Social Capital

Science.gov (United States)

Trainor, Audrey A.

2010-01-01

Home-school partnerships in special education often include parent advocacy that at times requires specific and specialized knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Parent participation is shaped by access to cultural and social capital resources and is critical to assessment and service delivery. This study explores the types of capital resources…

Towards a platform of alternative and adaptive interactive systems for idiosyncratic special needs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lewis Brooks, Anthony

2008-01-01

and adults attended with caregivers and helpers. Targeted were fun experiences, social interactions, and recognised achievements. Evident was that the majority of disabled attendees joyfully, freely and creatively self-articulated and playfully interacted. However, traditional caregiver role......Eight participatory workshops were created as a hybrid situation wherein physical and virtual environments were designed to investigate responses of attendees when empowered by noninvasive sensor technology to interactively control responsive multimedia through motion. 144 disabled children...... in such situations is questioned following observations from the workshops. Specific design issues, targeted effect-goals, and attendee responses are reported in the paper. Conclusions reflect how such hybrid situations can offer opportunities to assess the dynamic relationships between technical set-ups and related...

Interactive visualization to advance earthquake simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Kellogg, L.H.; Bawden, G.W.; Bernardin, T.; Billen, M.; Cowgill, E.; Hamann, B.; Jadamec, M.; Kreylos, O.; Staadt, O.; Sumner, D.

2008-01-01

The geological sciences are challenged to manage and interpret increasing volumes of data as observations and simulations increase in size and complexity. For example, simulations of earthquake-related processes typically generate complex, time-varying data sets in two or more dimensions. To facilitate interpretation and analysis of these data sets, evaluate the underlying models, and to drive future calculations, we have developed methods of interactive visualization with a special focus on using immersive virtual reality (VR) environments to interact with models of Earth's surface and interior. Virtual mapping tools allow virtual "field studies" in inaccessible regions. Interactive tools allow us to manipulate shapes in order to construct models of geological features for geodynamic models, while feature extraction tools support quantitative measurement of structures that emerge from numerical simulation or field observations, thereby enabling us to improve our interpretation of the dynamical processes that drive earthquakes. VR has traditionally been used primarily as a presentation tool, albeit with active navigation through data. Reaping the full intellectual benefits of immersive VR as a tool for scientific analysis requires building on the method's strengths, that is, using both 3D perception and interaction with observed or simulated data. This approach also takes advantage of the specialized skills of geological scientists who are trained to interpret, the often limited, geological and geophysical data available from field observations. ?? Birkhaueser 2008.

The role of special education teachers in facilitating peer relationships among students with mild intellectual disabilities in lower secondary school.

Science.gov (United States)

Sigstad, Hanne Marie Høybråten

2017-01-01

Students with intellectual disabilities may lack sufficiently developed skills to initiate qualitatively good social interactions; thus, they might be in need of assistance. This study examined special education teachers' role in facilitating peer relationships among students with mild intellectual disabilities in a mainstream school context. The study was based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with nine special education teachers who belong to special education groups in lower secondary schools. A thematic structural analysis was used to identify themes. The teachers made substantial efforts to promote social competence and ensure optimal conditions to foster peer interactions. An "academic-oriented" education, divergent attitudes, challenges in teacher collaboration, and organizational constraints may be barriers. In a mainstream school, the role of special education teachers appears to be dependent on the basic values of the school management in terms of real opportunities to foster peer relationships among students with mild intellectual disabilities.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF VIRTUAL PRACTICE INTERACTIVE MEDIA DISCIPLINES FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.P. Mazur

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The features of the development of interactive virtual practical training courses for distance learning are examined in the article. The authors propose their own methods of development tools such disciplines as virtual simulation or video-on labs.

Special software for computing the special functions of wave catastrophes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrey S. Kryukovsky

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The method of ordinary differential equations in the context of calculating the special functions of wave catastrophes is considered. Complementary numerical methods and algorithms are described. The paper shows approaches to accelerate such calculations using capabilities of modern computing systems. Methods for calculating the special functions of wave catastrophes are considered in the framework of parallel computing and distributed systems. The paper covers the development process of special software for calculating of special functions, questions of portability, extensibility and interoperability.

Nucleon-deuteron breakup quantities calculated with separable interactions including tensor forces and P-wave interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruinsma, J.; Wageningen, R. van

1977-01-01

Nucleon-deuteron breakup calculations at a nucleon bombarding energy of 22.7 MeV have been performed with separable interactions including a tensor force and P-wave interactions. Differential cross sections and a selection of polarization quantities have been computed for special regions of the phase space. The influence of a tensor force and P-wave interactions on the differential cross section is of the order of 20%. Large discrepancies between theory and experiment occur for the vector analyzing powers, both for the kinematically complete and for the incomplete situation. The calculations show that there are kinematical situations in which the differential cross sections and the tensor analyzing powers are sufficiently large to make measurements feasible. (Auth.)

The sources of sharing externalities: Specialization vs Competition

OpenAIRE

Bucci, Alberto; Ushchev, Philip

2015-01-01

In this paper, we undertake an in-depth inquiry into the nature of sharing externalities, and study how they affect the market outcome. We show that the key thing for understanding sharing externalities is the interplay between two forces: the specialization/complexity effect, on the one hand, and the competition effect, on the other hand. How the interaction between these two forces generates endogenous increasing returns to scale is definitely understudied in the literature because of the w...

Special issue on advances in computer entertainment: editorial

OpenAIRE

Romão, T.; Romão, Teresa; Nijholt, Antinus; Cheok, J.D.; Cheok, Adrian David

2015-01-01

This special issue of the International Journal of Arts and Technology comprises a selection of papers from ACE 2012, the 9th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment (Nijholt et al., 2012). ACE is the leading scientific forum for dissemination of cutting-edge research results in the area of entertainment computing. The main goal of ACE is to stimulate discussion in the development of new and compelling entertainment computing and interactive art concepts and application...

Conflicts of Interest in Medicine. A Systematic Review of Published and Scientifically evaluated Curricula

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weißkircher, Janosch

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: Conflicts of interests resulting from interactions with pharmaceutical companies are pervasive in medicine and can result in an undue influence on physicians’ decision-making. The objective of this systematic review is to analyze published and scientifically evaluated curricula for medical students and residents regarding such conflicts of interest. We begin by describing the covered topics and teaching methods; afterwards we analyze the quality of the curricula using the published data on their evaluations and comparing the content with content recommended for such curricula.Methods: We searched Pubmed, PsycInfo, EMBASE, OECD, WISO, SOWI and googlescholar up to and including the 5th of September 2016. Publications describing curricula for residents or medical students on the topic of conflicts of interest in medicine and evaluating them for their effects on the participants’ learning were included. We analyzed the covered topics and the teaching methods used and compared them with recommendations by the American Medical Students’ Association (AMSA and Health Action International (HAI. Results: The literature search resulted in 20 publications that fulfilled our search criteria. In five trials, a control group was used, in no trial the participants were randomized to intervention or control group. 16/20 published curricula primarily covered marketing strategies by pharmaceutical companies, especially the interaction with pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs. Most curricula only covered a limited number of topics recommended by AMSA/HAI. The most frequent teaching method was a group discussion, which was used in 18/20 curricula; all curricula used at least one interactive teaching method. The evaluation of the curricula was heterogeneous in results as well as design. Some publications described a change of attitudes toward a stronger skepticism regarding interactions with pharmaceutical companies. Four publications

Conflicts of Interest in Medicine. A Systematic Review of Published and Scientifically evaluated Curricula.

Science.gov (United States)

Weißkircher, Janosch; Koch, Cora; Dreimüller, Nadine; Lieb, Klaus

2017-01-01

Objective: Conflicts of interests resulting from interactions with pharmaceutical companies are pervasive in medicine and can result in an undue influence on physicians' decision-making. The objective of this systematic review is to analyze published and scientifically evaluated curricula for medical students and residents regarding such conflicts of interest. We begin by describing the covered topics and teaching methods; afterwards we analyze the quality of the curricula using the published data on their evaluations and comparing the content with content recommended for such curricula. Methods: We searched Pubmed, PsycInfo, EMBASE, OECD, WISO, SOWI and googlescholar up to and including the 5th of September 2016. Publications describing curricula for residents or medical students on the topic of conflicts of interest in medicine and evaluating them for their effects on the participants' learning were included. We analyzed the covered topics and the teaching methods used and compared them with recommendations by the American Medical Students' Association (AMSA) and Health Action International (HAI). Results: The literature search resulted in 20 publications that fulfilled our search criteria. In five trials, a control group was used, in no trial the participants were randomized to intervention or control group. 16/20 published curricula primarily covered marketing strategies by pharmaceutical companies, especially the interaction with pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs). Most curricula only covered a limited number of topics recommended by AMSA/HAI. The most frequent teaching method was a group discussion, which was used in 18/20 curricula; all curricula used at least one interactive teaching method. The evaluation of the curricula was heterogeneous in results as well as design. Some publications described a change of attitudes toward a stronger skepticism regarding interactions with pharmaceutical companies. Four publications described improved knowledge

DNA, Drugs, and Detectives: An Interdisciplinary Special Topics Course for Undergraduate Students in Forensic Science

Science.gov (United States)

Coticone, Sulekha Rao; Van Houten, Lora Bailey

2015-01-01

A special topics course combining two relevant and contemporary themes (forensic DNA analysis and illicit drug detection) was developed to stimulate student enthusiasm and enhance understanding of forensic science. Building on the interest of popular television shows such as "CSI" and "Breaking Bad," this course connects…

Einstein's space-time an introduction to special and general relativity

CERN Document Server

Ferraro, Rafael

2007-01-01

Einstein's Space-Time: An Introduction to Special and General Relativity is a textbook addressed to students in physics and other people interested in Relativity and a history of physics. The book contains a complete account of Special Relativity that begins with the historical analysis of the reasons that led to a change in our manner of regarding the space and time. The first chapters are aimed to afford a deep understanding of the relativistic spacetime and its consequences for Dynamics. The chapter about covariant formulation includes among its topics the concepts of volume and hypersurfaces in manifolds, energy-momentum tensor of a fluid, and prepares the language for General Relativity. The last two chapters are devoted to an introduction of General Relativity and Cosmology in a modern approach connected with the latest discoveries in these areas.

Brazing of special metallic materials and material combinations using a special material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lison, R.

1981-01-01

The special materials include metals of groups IVa, Va and VIa of the periodic tables and their alloys. Their particular properties have won them applications in many highly specialized industries. For these materials to be used, mastery of thermal joining methods appropriate to their characteristics is necessary. High-temperature brazing is one such method for joining special materials. This paper presents variants of this technique suitable for each individual special material. Compatibility tests between various brazing metals and various special materials have been carried out by simulating the temperature/time cycle involved in brazing procedures. Special materials are relatively expensive, and their special properties are not required at every point in a structure: elsewhere they can be replaced by a different special material or by other metals or alloys. This means that joints must be made between two special materials or between a special material and a conventional material. When certain conditions are fulfilled, such joins can be made by high-temperature brazing. This paper also shows the extent to which the geometry of the join determines the choice of process. Example of applications are also given. (orig.)

Air-Sea Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Csanady, G. T.

2001-03-01

In recent years air-sea interaction has emerged as a subject in its own right, encompassing small-scale and large-scale processes in both air and sea. Air-Sea Interaction: Laws and Mechanisms is a comprehensive account of how the atmosphere and the ocean interact to control the global climate, what physical laws govern this interaction, and its prominent mechanisms. The topics covered range from evaporation in the oceans, to hurricanes, and on to poleward heat transport by the oceans. By developing the subject from basic physical (thermodynamic) principles, the book is accessible to graduate students and research scientists in meteorology, oceanography, and environmental engineering. It will also be of interest to the broader physics community involved in the treatment of transfer laws, and thermodynamics of the atmosphere and ocean.

Algorithmically specialized parallel computers

CERN Document Server

Snyder, Lawrence; Gannon, Dennis B

1985-01-01

Algorithmically Specialized Parallel Computers focuses on the concept and characteristics of an algorithmically specialized computer.This book discusses the algorithmically specialized computers, algorithmic specialization using VLSI, and innovative architectures. The architectures and algorithms for digital signal, speech, and image processing and specialized architectures for numerical computations are also elaborated. Other topics include the model for analyzing generalized inter-processor, pipelined architecture for search tree maintenance, and specialized computer organization for raster

iCanPlot: visual exploration of high-throughput omics data using interactive Canvas plotting.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amit U Sinha

Full Text Available Increasing use of high throughput genomic scale assays requires effective visualization and analysis techniques to facilitate data interpretation. Moreover, existing tools often require programming skills, which discourages bench scientists from examining their own data. We have created iCanPlot, a compelling platform for visual data exploration based on the latest technologies. Using the recently adopted HTML5 Canvas element, we have developed a highly interactive tool to visualize tabular data and identify interesting patterns in an intuitive fashion without the need of any specialized computing skills. A module for geneset overlap analysis has been implemented on the Google App Engine platform: when the user selects a region of interest in the plot, the genes in the region are analyzed on the fly. The visualization and analysis are amalgamated for a seamless experience. Further, users can easily upload their data for analysis--which also makes it simple to share the analysis with collaborators. We illustrate the power of iCanPlot by showing an example of how it can be used to interpret histone modifications in the context of gene expression.

Specialized languages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mousten, Birthe; Laursen, Anne Lise

2016-01-01

Across different fields of research, one feature is often overlooked: the use of language for specialized purposes (LSP) as a cross-discipline. Mastering cross-disciplinarity is the precondition for communicating detailed results within any field. Researchers in specialized languages work cross...... science fields communicate their findings. With this article, we want to create awareness of the work in this special area of language studies and of the inherent cross-disciplinarity that makes LSP special compared to common-core language. An acknowledgement of the importance of this field both in terms...... of more empirical studies and in terms of a greater application of the results would give language specialists in trade and industry a solid and updated basis for communication and language use....

The world wide web: an emerging technology for marketing special forest products (poster abstract)

Science.gov (United States)

A.L. Hammett; Shelby Jones; Philip A. Araman

1999-01-01

Interest by forest landowners and agriculturist in Special Forest Products (SFPs) is increasing rapidly. At present there are numerous efforts to increase awareness of these products and the market potential. However, there is a shortage of information available and there are few means effective in disseminating the information necessary for the sustainable management...

Money demand in general equilibrium endogenous growth: Estimating the role of a variable interest elasticity

OpenAIRE

Gillman, Max; Otto, Glen

2006-01-01

The paper presents and tests a theory of the demand for money that is derived from a general equilibrium, endogenous growth economy, which in effect combines a special case of the shopping time exchange economy with the cash-in-advance framework. The model predicts that both higher inflation and financial innovation - that reduces the cost of credit - induce agents to substitute away from money towards exchange credit. The implied interest elasticity of money demand rises with the inflation r...

Emotional responses to interactive fictions

OpenAIRE

Hagger, Andrzej

2012-01-01

We commonly feel a variety of emotional responses to works of fiction. In this thesis I propose to examine what we understand by the terms fictional and narrative, and to describe what sorts of narrator might be required within a narrative work. Of particular interest are interactive works of art, both narrative and non-narrative, and I provide a definition of what features a work should possess if it should properly be considered interactive. I discuss the notions of interactive narrative...

Spectral fingerprints of large-scale neuronal interactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Siegel, M.; Donner, T.H.; Engel, A.K.

2012-01-01

Cognition results from interactions among functionally specialized but widely distributed brain regions; however, neuroscience has so far largely focused on characterizing the function of individual brain regions and neurons therein. Here we discuss recent studies that have instead investigated the

Understanding Interest Rate Volatility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Volker, Desi

This thesis is the result of my Ph.D. studies at the Department of Finance of the Copenhagen Business School. It consists of three essays covering topics related to the term structure of interest rates, monetary policy and interest rate volatility. The rst essay, \\Monetary Policy Uncertainty...... and Interest Rates", examines the role of monetary policy uncertainty on the term structure of interest rates. The second essay, \\A Regime-Switching A ne Term Structure Model with Stochastic Volatility" (co-authored with Sebastian Fux), investigates the ability of the class of regime switching models...... with and without stochastic volatility to capture the main stylized features of U.S. interest rates. The third essay, \\Variance Risk Premia in the Interest Rate Swap Market", investigates the time-series and cross-sectional properties of the compensation demanded for holding interest rate variance risk. The essays...

Drug-radiopharmaceutical interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hladik, W.B.; Ponto, J.A.; Stathis, V.J.

1985-01-01

Patients seen in the nuclear medicine department have a wide variety of disorders and, consequently, may be receiving any number of therapeutic drugs. For this reason, nuclear medicine professionals should be aware of the potential effects that these pharmacologic agents may have on the bio-distribution of subsequently administered radiopharmaceuticals, commonly referred to as ''drug-radiopharmaceutical interactions.'' Compared with the quantity of literature written about interactions between various therapeutic drugs, the information available on drug-radiopharmaceutical interactions is scarce. However, there has been increasing interest in this subject, particularly during the past five years. Some of the reported interactions are used intentionally to add a new dimension to the nuclear medicine study and increase its diagnostic capabilities, i.e., pharmacologic intervention. These beneficial ''interactions'' are discussed in detail in several other chapters of this book. Other interactions, however, cause changes in the normal distribution of radiopharmaceuticals, which may interfere with the diagnostic utility of various nuclear medicine procedures. The latter group of interactions is the focus of this chapter