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Sample records for positive feedback providing

  1. Social anxiety and the ironic effects of positive interviewer feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budnick, Christopher J; Kowal, Marta; Santuzzi, Alecia M

    2015-01-01

    Positive interviewer feedback should encourage positive experiences and outcomes for interviewees. Yet, positive feedback is inconsistent with socially anxious interviewees' negative self-views. Socially anxious interviewees might experience increased self-focus while attempting to reconcile the inconsistency between their self-perceptions and that feedback. This could interfere with successful interview performance. This study used a 3 (feedback: positive, negative, no) × 2 (social anxiety: high, low) between-subjects design. Undergraduate students (N = 88) completed a measure of dispositional social anxiety. They then engaged in a simulated interview with a White confederate trained to adhere to a standardized script. Interviewees received positive, negative, or no interviewer feedback. Each interview was video recorded to code anxiety displays, impression management tactics, and interview success. Following positive feedback, socially anxious interviewees displayed more anxiety, less assertiveness, and received lower success ratings. Among anxious interviewees, increased self-focus provided an indirect path between positive feedback and lower success. Consistent with self-verification theory, anxious interviewees had poorer interview performance following positive feedback that contradicted their negative self-views. Thus, socially anxious interviewees might be at a disadvantage when interviewing, especially following positive feedback. Implications for interviewees and interviewers are discussed.

  2. Collective irrationality and positive feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolis, Stamatios C; Zabzina, Natalia; Latty, Tanya; Sumpter, David J T

    2011-04-26

    Recent experiments on ants and slime moulds have assessed the degree to which they make rational decisions when presented with a number of alternative food sources or shelter. Ants and slime moulds are just two examples of a wide range of species and biological processes that use positive feedback mechanisms to reach decisions. Here we use a generic, experimentally validated model of positive feedback between group members to show that the probability of taking the best of options depends crucially on the strength of feedback. We show how the probability of choosing the best option can be maximized by applying an optimal feedback strength. Importantly, this optimal value depends on the number of options, so that when we change the number of options the preference of the group changes, producing apparent "irrationalities". We thus reinterpret the idea that collectives show "rational" or "irrational" preferences as being a necessary consequence of the use of positive feedback. We argue that positive feedback is a heuristic which often produces fast and accurate group decision-making, but is always susceptible to apparent irrationality when studied under particular experimental conditions.

  3. Collective irrationality and positive feedback.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stamatios C Nicolis

    Full Text Available Recent experiments on ants and slime moulds have assessed the degree to which they make rational decisions when presented with a number of alternative food sources or shelter. Ants and slime moulds are just two examples of a wide range of species and biological processes that use positive feedback mechanisms to reach decisions. Here we use a generic, experimentally validated model of positive feedback between group members to show that the probability of taking the best of options depends crucially on the strength of feedback. We show how the probability of choosing the best option can be maximized by applying an optimal feedback strength. Importantly, this optimal value depends on the number of options, so that when we change the number of options the preference of the group changes, producing apparent "irrationalities". We thus reinterpret the idea that collectives show "rational" or "irrational" preferences as being a necessary consequence of the use of positive feedback. We argue that positive feedback is a heuristic which often produces fast and accurate group decision-making, but is always susceptible to apparent irrationality when studied under particular experimental conditions.

  4. Relational interaction in occupational therapy: Conversation analysis of positive feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiste, Elina

    2018-01-01

    The therapeutic relationship is an important factor for good therapy outcomes. The primary mediator of a beneficial therapy relationship is clinician-client interaction. However, few studies identify the observable interactional attributes of good quality relational interactions, e.g. offering the client positive feedback. The present paper aims to expand current understanding of relational interaction by analyzing the real-time interactional practices therapists use for offering positive feedback, an important value in occupational therapy. The analysis is based on the conversation analysis of 15 video-recorded occupational therapy encounters in psychiatric outpatient clinics. Two types of positive feedback were identified. In aligning feedback, therapists encouraged and complimented clients' positive perspectives on their own achievements in adopting certain behaviour, encouraging and supporting their progress. In redirecting feedback, therapists shifted the perspective from clients' negative experiences to their positive experiences. This shift was interactionally successful if they laid the foundation for the shift in perspective and attuned their expressions to the clients' emotional states. Occupational therapists routinely provide their clients with positive feedback. Awareness of the interactional attributes related to positive feedback is critically important for successful relational interaction.

  5. Performance Feedback Processing Is Positively Biased As Predicted by Attribution Theory.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph W Korn

    Full Text Available A considerable literature on attribution theory has shown that healthy individuals exhibit a positivity bias when inferring the causes of evaluative feedback on their performance. They tend to attribute positive feedback internally (e.g., to their own abilities but negative feedback externally (e.g., to environmental factors. However, all empirical demonstrations of this bias suffer from at least one of the three following drawbacks: First, participants directly judge explicit causes for their performance. Second, participants have to imagine events instead of experiencing them. Third, participants assess their performance only after receiving feedback and thus differences in baseline assessments cannot be excluded. It is therefore unclear whether the classically reported positivity bias generalizes to setups without these drawbacks. Here, we aimed at establishing the relevance of attributions for decision-making by showing an attribution-related positivity bias in a decision-making task. We developed a novel task, which allowed us to test how participants changed their evaluations in response to positive and negative feedback about performance. Specifically, we used videos of actors expressing different facial emotional expressions. Participants were first asked to evaluate the actors' credibility in expressing a particular emotion. After this initial rating, participants performed an emotion recognition task and did--or did not--receive feedback on their veridical performance. Finally, participants re-rated the actors' credibility, which provided a measure of how they changed their evaluations after feedback. Attribution theory predicts that participants change their evaluations of the actors' credibility toward the positive after receiving positive performance feedback and toward the negative after negative performance feedback. Our results were in line with this prediction. A control condition without feedback showed that correct or

  6. Performance Feedback Processing Is Positively Biased As Predicted by Attribution Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korn, Christoph W; Rosenblau, Gabriela; Rodriguez Buritica, Julia M; Heekeren, Hauke R

    2016-01-01

    A considerable literature on attribution theory has shown that healthy individuals exhibit a positivity bias when inferring the causes of evaluative feedback on their performance. They tend to attribute positive feedback internally (e.g., to their own abilities) but negative feedback externally (e.g., to environmental factors). However, all empirical demonstrations of this bias suffer from at least one of the three following drawbacks: First, participants directly judge explicit causes for their performance. Second, participants have to imagine events instead of experiencing them. Third, participants assess their performance only after receiving feedback and thus differences in baseline assessments cannot be excluded. It is therefore unclear whether the classically reported positivity bias generalizes to setups without these drawbacks. Here, we aimed at establishing the relevance of attributions for decision-making by showing an attribution-related positivity bias in a decision-making task. We developed a novel task, which allowed us to test how participants changed their evaluations in response to positive and negative feedback about performance. Specifically, we used videos of actors expressing different facial emotional expressions. Participants were first asked to evaluate the actors' credibility in expressing a particular emotion. After this initial rating, participants performed an emotion recognition task and did--or did not--receive feedback on their veridical performance. Finally, participants re-rated the actors' credibility, which provided a measure of how they changed their evaluations after feedback. Attribution theory predicts that participants change their evaluations of the actors' credibility toward the positive after receiving positive performance feedback and toward the negative after negative performance feedback. Our results were in line with this prediction. A control condition without feedback showed that correct or incorrect performance

  7. Providing Feedback: Practical Skills and Strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkany, David; Deitte, Lori

    2017-06-01

    Feedback is an essential component of education. It is designed to influence, reinforce, and change behaviors, concepts, and attitudes in learners. Although providing constructive feedback can be challenging, it is a learnable skill. The negative consequences of destructive feedback or lack of feedback all together are far-reaching. This article summarizes the components of constructive feedback and provides readers with tangible skills to enhance their ability to give effective feedback to learners and peers. Copyright © 2017 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Novel matched amplifiers with low noise positive feedback. Part II: Resistive-capacitive feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruck, Y.; Zakharenko, V.

    2010-02-01

    This article is a continuation of consideration for an amplifier with resistive positive feedback (RPF) (Bruck (2008), 'Novel Matched LNA with Low Noise Positive Feedback. Part 1: General Features and Resistive Feedback', International Journal of Electronics, 95, 441-456). We propose here new configuration schematics of a transformer-less selective LNA with resistive-capacitive positive feedback (RCPF). A circuit of an amplifier with a transistor connected into a circuit with a common base (CB) configuration is analysed in detail. RCPF and RPF circuits are compared. It is shown that the LNA RCPF provides any pass-band, a good level of input and output matching, a minimum noise temperature which is significantly lower than that of the LNA RPF, a rather high linearity, and stability of amplification. The simulation results and some experimental data for the amplifiers intended for use in the LOFAR radiotelescope (Konovalenko et al. (2003), 'Thirty Element Array Antenna as a Prototype of a Huge Low-Frequency Radio Telescope,' Experimental Astronomy, 16, 149-164; Konovalenko (2007), 'Ukrainian Contribution to LOFAR', A scientific workshop, organised by LOFAR/ASTRON' Emmen, Netherlands, 23-27. http://www.lofar.org/workshop) are given. It is assumed that such devices are of a special interest for high-frequency integral circuits (IC).

  9. A modular positive feedback-based gene amplifier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bhalerao Kaustubh D

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Positive feedback is a common mechanism used in the regulation of many gene circuits as it can amplify the response to inducers and also generate binary outputs and hysteresis. In the context of electrical circuit design, positive feedback is often considered in the design of amplifiers. Similar approaches, therefore, may be used for the design of amplifiers in synthetic gene circuits with applications, for example, in cell-based sensors. Results We developed a modular positive feedback circuit that can function as a genetic signal amplifier, heightening the sensitivity to inducer signals as well as increasing maximum expression levels without the need for an external cofactor. The design utilizes a constitutively active, autoinducer-independent variant of the quorum-sensing regulator LuxR. We experimentally tested the ability of the positive feedback module to separately amplify the output of a one-component tetracycline sensor and a two-component aspartate sensor. In each case, the positive feedback module amplified the response to the respective inducers, both with regards to the dynamic range and sensitivity. Conclusions The advantage of our design is that the actual feedback mechanism depends only on a single gene and does not require any other modulation. Furthermore, this circuit can amplify any transcriptional signal, not just one encoded within the circuit or tuned by an external inducer. As our design is modular, it can potentially be used as a component in the design of more complex synthetic gene circuits.

  10. Feedback in Clinical Education, Part I: Characteristics of Feedback Provided by Approved Clinical Instructors

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    Nottingham, Sara; Henning, Jolene

    2014-01-01

    Context Providing students with feedback is an important component of athletic training clinical education; however, little information is known about the feedback that Approved Clinical Instructors (ACIs; now known as preceptors) currently provide to athletic training students (ATSs). Objective To characterize the feedback provided by ACIs to ATSs during clinical education experiences. Design Qualitative study. Setting One National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletic training facility and 1 outpatient rehabilitation clinic that were clinical sites for 1 entry-level master's degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Patients or Other Participants A total of 4 ACIs with various experience levels and 4 second-year ATSs. Data Collection and Analysis Extensive field observations were audio recorded, transcribed, and integrated with field notes for analysis. The constant comparative approach of open, axial, and selective coding was used to inductively analyze data and develop codes and categories. Member checking, triangulation, and peer debriefing were used to promote trustworthiness of the study. Results The ACIs gave 88 feedback statements in 45 hours and 10 minutes of observation. Characteristics of feedback categories included purpose, timing, specificity, content, form, and privacy. Conclusions Feedback that ACIs provided included several components that made each feedback exchange unique. The ACIs in our study provided feedback that is supported by the literature, suggesting that ACIs are using current recommendations for providing feedback. Feedback needs to be investigated across multiple athletic training education programs to gain more understanding of certain areas of feedback, including frequency, privacy, and form. PMID:24143902

  11. Negative and Positive Outflow-Feedback in Nearby (U)LIRGs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cazzoli, Sara, E-mail: sara@iaa.es [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC), Granada (Spain)

    2017-12-15

    The starburst-AGN coexistence in local (U)LIRGs makes these galaxies excellent laboratories for the study of stellar and AGN outflows and feedback. Outflows regulate star formation and AGN activity, redistributing gas, dust and metals over large scales in the interstellar and intergalactic media (negative feedback) being also considered to be able to undergo vigorous star formation (positive feedback). In this contribution, I will summarize the results from a search for outflows in a sample of nearby 38 local (U)LIRG systems observed with VIMOS/VLT integral field unit. For two galaxies of the sample I will detail the outflow properties and discuss the observational evidence for negative and positive outflow-feedback. The assessment of both negative and positive feedback effects represent a novel approach toward a comprehensive understanding of the impact of outflow feedback in the galaxy evolution.

  12. Improved Position Sensor for Feedback Control of Levitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyers, Robert; Savage, Larry; Rogers, Jan

    2004-01-01

    An improved optoelectronic apparatus has been developed to provide the position feedback needed for controlling the levitation subsystem of a containerless-processing system. As explained, the advantage of this apparatus over prior optoelectronic apparatuses that have served this purpose stems from the use of an incandescent lamp, instead of a laser, to illuminate the levitated object. In containerless processing, a small object to be processed is levitated (e.g., by use of a microwave, low-frequency electromagnetic, electrostatic, or acoustic field) so that it is not in contact with the wall of the processing chamber or with any other solid object during processing. In the case of electrostatic or low-frequency electromagnetic levitation, real-time measurement of the displacement of the levitated object from its nominal levitation position along the vertical axis (and, in some cases, along one or two horizontal axes) is needed for feedback control of the levitating field.

  13. Brain activity elicited by positive and negative feedback in preschool-aged children.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoqin Mai

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available To investigate the processing of positive vs. negative feedback in children aged 4-5 years, we devised a prize-guessing game that is analogous to gambling tasks used to measure feedback-related brain responses in adult studies. Unlike adult studies, the feedback-related negativity (FRN elicited by positive feedback was as large as that elicited by negative feedback, suggesting that the neural system underlying the FRN may not process feedback valence in early childhood. In addition, positive feedback, compared with negative feedback, evoked a larger P1 over the occipital scalp area and a larger positive slow wave (PSW over the right central-parietal scalp area. We believe that the PSW is related to emotional arousal and the intensive focus on positive feedback that is present in the preschool and early school years has adaptive significance for both cognitive and emotional development during this period.

  14. X-ray beam-position feedback system with easy-to-use beam-position monitor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jae Yeon; Kim, Yesul; Lee, Sangsul; Lim, Jun

    2018-05-01

    X-ray beam-position stability is indispensable in cutting-edge experiments using synchrotron radiation. Here, for the first time, a beam-position feedback system is presented that utilizes an easy-to-use X-ray beam-position monitor incorporating a diamond-fluorescence screen. The acceptable range of the monitor is above 500 µm and the feedback system maintains the beam position within 3 µm. In addition to being inexpensive, the system has two key advantages: it works without a scale factor for position calibration, and it has no dependence on X-ray energy, X-ray intensity, beam size or beam shape.

  15. 5 CFR 9701.407 - Monitoring performance and providing feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... feedback. 9701.407 Section 9701.407 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN... performance and providing feedback. In applying the requirements of the performance management system and its... organization; and (b) Provide timely periodic feedback to employees on their actual performance with respect to...

  16. A multiple relevance feedback strategy with positive and negative models.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunlong Ma

    Full Text Available A commonly used strategy to improve search accuracy is through feedback techniques. Most existing work on feedback relies on positive information, and has been extensively studied in information retrieval. However, when a query topic is difficult and the results from the first-pass retrieval are very poor, it is impossible to extract enough useful terms from a few positive documents. Therefore, the positive feedback strategy is incapable to improve retrieval in this situation. Contrarily, there is a relatively large number of negative documents in the top of the result list, and it has been confirmed that negative feedback strategy is an important and useful way for adapting this scenario by several recent studies. In this paper, we consider a scenario when the search results are so poor that there are at most three relevant documents in the top twenty documents. Then, we conduct a novel study of multiple strategies for relevance feedback using both positive and negative examples from the first-pass retrieval to improve retrieval accuracy for such difficult queries. Experimental results on these TREC collections show that the proposed language model based multiple model feedback method which is generally more effective than both the baseline method and the methods using only positive or negative model.

  17. A method for calculating active feedback system to provide vertical

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The active feedback system is applied to control slow motions of plasma. The objective of the ... The other problem is connected with the control of plasma vertical position with active feedback system. Calculation of ... Current Issue Volume 90 ...

  18. Comparing the effects of positive and negative feedback in information-integration category learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freedberg, Michael; Glass, Brian; Filoteo, J Vincent; Hazeltine, Eliot; Maddox, W Todd

    2017-01-01

    Categorical learning is dependent on feedback. Here, we compare how positive and negative feedback affect information-integration (II) category learning. Ashby and O'Brien (2007) demonstrated that both positive and negative feedback are required to solve II category problems when feedback was not guaranteed on each trial, and reported no differences between positive-only and negative-only feedback in terms of their effectiveness. We followed up on these findings and conducted 3 experiments in which participants completed 2,400 II categorization trials across three days under 1 of 3 conditions: positive feedback only (PFB), negative feedback only (NFB), or both types of feedback (CP; control partial). An adaptive algorithm controlled the amount of feedback given to each group so that feedback was nearly equated. Using different feedback control procedures, Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that participants in the NFB and CP group were able to engage II learning strategies, whereas the PFB group was not. Additionally, the NFB group was able to achieve significantly higher accuracy than the PFB group by Day 3. Experiment 3 revealed that these differences remained even when we equated the information received on feedback trials. Thus, negative feedback appears significantly more effective for learning II category structures. This suggests that the human implicit learning system may be capable of learning in the absence of positive feedback.

  19. Suspicion of Motives Predicts Minorities' Responses to Positive Feedback in Interracial Interactions.

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    Major, Brenda; Kunstman, Jonathan W; Malta, Brenna D; Sawyer, Pamela J; Townsend, Sarah S M; Mendes, Wendy Berry

    2016-01-01

    Strong social and legal norms in the United States discourage the overt expression of bias against ethnic and racial minorities, increasing the attributional ambiguity of Whites' positive behavior to ethnic minorities. Minorities who suspect that Whites' positive overtures toward minorities are motivated more by their fear of appearing racist than by egalitarian attitudes may regard positive feedback they receive from Whites as disingenuous. This may lead them to react to such feedback with feelings of uncertainty and threat. Three studies examined how suspicion of motives relates to ethnic minorities' responses to receiving positive feedback from a White peer or same-ethnicity peer (Experiment 1), to receiving feedback from a White peer that was positive or negative (Experiment 2), and to receiving positive feedback from a White peer who did or did not know their ethnicity (Experiment 3). As predicted, the more suspicious Latinas were of Whites' motives for behaving positively toward minorities in general, the more they regarded positive feedback from a White peer who knew their ethnicity as disingenuous and the more they reacted with cardiovascular reactivity characteristic of threat/avoidance, increased feelings of stress, heightened uncertainty, and decreased self-esteem. We discuss the implications for intergroup interactions of perceptions of Whites' motives for nonprejudiced behavior.

  20. Suspicion of Motives Predicts Minorities’ Responses to Positive Feedback in Interracial Interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Major, Brenda; Kunstman, Jonathan W.; Malta, Brenna D.; Sawyer, Pamela J.; Townsend, Sarah S. M.; Mendes, Wendy Berry

    2015-01-01

    Strong social and legal norms in the United States discourage the overt expression of bias against ethnic and racial minorities, increasing the attributional ambiguity of Whites’ positive behavior to ethnic minorities. Minorities who suspect that Whites’ positive overtures toward minorities are motivated more by their fear of appearing racist than by egalitarian attitudes may regard positive feedback they receive from Whites as disingenuous. This may lead them to react to such feedback with feelings of uncertainty and threat. Three studies examined how suspicion of motives relates to ethnic minorities’ responses to receiving positive feedback from a White peer or same-ethnicity peer (Experiment 1), to receiving feedback from a White peer that was positive or negative (Experiment 2), and to receiving positive feedback from a White peer who did or did not know their ethnicity (Experiment 3). As predicted, the more suspicious Latinas were of Whites’ motives for behaving positively toward minorities in general, the more they regarded positive feedback from a White peer who knew their ethnicity as disingenuous and the more they reacted with cardiovascular reactivity characteristic of threat/avoidance, increased feelings of stress, heightened uncertainty, and decreased self-esteem. We discuss the implications for intergroup interactions of perceptions of Whites’ motives for nonprejudiced behavior. PMID:26688594

  1. Positivity effect in healthy aging in observational but not active feedback-learning.

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    Bellebaum, Christian; Rustemeier, Martina; Daum, Irene

    2012-01-01

    The present study investigated the impact of healthy aging on the bias to learn from positive or negative performance feedback in observational and active feedback learning. In active learning, a previous study had already shown a negative learning bias in healthy seniors older than 75 years, while no bias was found for younger seniors. However, healthy aging is accompanied by a 'positivity effect', a tendency to primarily attend to stimuli with positive valence. Based on recent findings of dissociable neural mechanisms in active and observational feedback learning, the positivity effect was hypothesized to influence older participants' observational feedback learning in particular. In two separate experiments, groups of young (mean age 27) and older participants (mean age 60 years) completed an observational or active learning task designed to differentially assess positive and negative learning. Older but not younger observational learners showed a significant bias to learn better from positive than negative feedback. In accordance with previous findings, no bias was found for active learning. This pattern of results is discussed in terms of differences in the neural underpinnings of active and observational learning from performance feedback.

  2. Effects of positive electrical feedback in the oscillating Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction: Experiments and simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sriram, K.

    2006-01-01

    This paper describes both the experimental and numerical investigations on the effect of positive electrical feedback in the oscillating Belovsou-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction under batch conditions. Positive electrical feedback causes an increase in the amplitude and period of the oscillations with the corresponding increase of the feedback strength. Oregonator model with a positive feedback term suitably incorporated in one of the dynamical variables is used to account for these experimental observations. Further, the effect of positive feedback on the Hopf points are investigated numerically by constructing the bifurcation diagrams. In the absence of feedback, for a particular stoichiometric parameter, the model exhibits both supercritical and subcritical Hopf bifurcations with canard existing near the former Hopf point. In the presence of positive feedback it is observed that (i) both the Hopf points advances, (ii) the distance between the two Hopf points decreases linearly, while the period increases exponentially with the increase of feedback strength near the Hopf points, (iii) only supercritical Hopf point without canard survives for a very strong positive feedback strength and (iv) moderate feedback strength takes the system away from limit cycle to the canard regime. These observations are explained in terms of Field-Koeroes-Noyes mechanism of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. This may be the first instance where the advancement of Hopf points due to positive feedback is clearly shown

  3. A beam position feedback system for beam lines at the photon factory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katsura, T.; Kamiya, Y.; Haga, K.; Mitsuhashi, T.

    1987-01-01

    The beam position of the synchrotron radiation produced from the Storage Ring was stabilized by a twofold position feedback system. A digital feedback system was developed to suppress the diurnal beam movement (one cycle of sin-like drifting motion per day) which became a serious problem in low-emittance operation. The feedback was applied to the closed-orbit-distortion (COD) correction system in order to cancel the position variation at all the beam lines proportionately to the variation monitored at one beam line. An analog feedback system is also used to suppress frequency components faster than the slow diurnal movement

  4. Asymmetric positive feedback loops reliably control biological responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratushny, Alexander V; Saleem, Ramsey A; Sitko, Katherine; Ramsey, Stephen A; Aitchison, John D

    2012-04-24

    Positive feedback is a common mechanism enabling biological systems to respond to stimuli in a switch-like manner. Such systems are often characterized by the requisite formation of a heterodimer where only one of the pair is subject to feedback. This ASymmetric Self-UpREgulation (ASSURE) motif is central to many biological systems, including cholesterol homeostasis (LXRα/RXRα), adipocyte differentiation (PPARγ/RXRα), development and differentiation (RAR/RXR), myogenesis (MyoD/E12) and cellular antiviral defense (IRF3/IRF7). To understand why this motif is so prevalent, we examined its properties in an evolutionarily conserved transcriptional regulatory network in yeast (Oaf1p/Pip2p). We demonstrate that the asymmetry in positive feedback confers a competitive advantage and allows the system to robustly increase its responsiveness while precisely tuning the response to a consistent level in the presence of varying stimuli. This study reveals evolutionary advantages for the ASSURE motif, and mechanisms for control, that are relevant to pharmacologic intervention and synthetic biology applications.

  5. Feedback Providing Improvement Strategies and Reflection on Feedback Use: Effects on Students' Writing Motivation, Process, and Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duijnhouwer, Hendrien; Prins, Frans J.; Stokking, Karel M.

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of feedback providing improvement strategies and a reflection assignment on students' writing motivation, process, and performance. Students in the experimental feedback condition (n = 41) received feedback including improvement strategies, whereas students in the control feedback condition (n = 41) received…

  6. Finding Positive Feedback Loops in Environmental Models: A Mathematical Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheikholeslami, R.; Razavi, S.

    2016-12-01

    Dynamics of most earth and environmental systems are generally governed by interactions between several hydrological (e.g., soil moisture and precipitation), geological (e.g., and erosion), geochemical (e.g., nutrient loading), and atmospheric (e.g., temperature) processes which operate on a range of spatio-temporal scales. These interactions create numerous feedback mechanisms with complex behaviours, and their understanding and representation can vary depending on the scale in space and/or time at which the system is analyzed. One of the most crucial characteristics of such complex systems is the existence of positive feedback loops. The presence of positive feedbacks may increase complexity, accelerate change, or trigger multiple stable states in the underlying dynamical system. Furthermore, because of the inherent non-linearity, it is often very difficult to obtain a general idea of their complex dynamics. Feedback loops in environmental systems have been well recognized and qualitatively discussed. With a quantitative/mathematical view, in this presentation, we address the question of how the positive feedback loops can be identified/implemented in environmental models. We investigate the nature of different feedback mechanisms and dynamics of simple example case studies that underlie fundamental processes such as vegetation, precipitation and soil moisture. To do this, we apply the concept of "interaction graph" from mathematics which is built from the Jacobian matrix of the dynamical system. The Jacobian matrix contains information on how variations of one state variable depends on variations of other variables, and thus can be used to understand the dynamical possibilities of feedback mechanisms in the underlying system. Moreover, this study highlights that there are some situations where the existence of positive feedback loops can cause multiple stable states, and thereby regime shifts in environmental systems. Systems with multiple stable states are

  7. Positive Feedback From Male Authority Figures Boosts Women's Math Outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Lora E; Kondrak, Cheryl L; Ward, Deborah E; Streamer, Lindsey

    2018-03-01

    People often search for cues in the environment to determine whether or not they will be judged or treated negatively based on their social identities. Accordingly, feedback from gatekeepers-members of majority groups who hold authority and power in a field-may be an especially important cue for those at risk of experiencing social identity threat, such as women in math settings. Across a series of studies, women who received positive ("Good job!") versus objective (score only) feedback from a male (vs. female) authority figure in math reported greater confidence; belonging; self-efficacy; more favorable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) attitudes/identification/interest; and greater implicit identification with math. Men were affected only by the type of math feedback they received, not by the source of feedback. A meta-analysis across studies confirmed results. Together, these findings suggest that positive feedback from gatekeepers is an important situational cue that can improve the outcomes of negatively stereotyped groups.

  8. PLS beam position measurement and feedback system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, J.Y.; Lee, J.; Park, M.K.; Kim, J.H.; Won, S.C.

    1992-01-01

    A real-time orbit correction system is proposed for the stabilization of beam orbit and photon beam positions in Pohang Light Source. PLS beam position monitoring system is designed to be VMEbus compatible to fit the real-time digital orbit feedback system. A VMEbus based subsystem control computer, Mil-1553B communication network and 12 BPM/PS machine interface units constitute digital part of the feedback system. With the super-stable PLS correction magnet power supply, power line frequency noise is almost filtered out and the dominant spectra of beam obtit fluctuations are expected to appear below 15 Hz. Using DSP board in SCC for the computation and using an appropriate compensation circuit for the phase delay by the vacuum chamber, PLS real-time orbit correction system is realizable without changing the basic structure of PLS computer control system. (author)

  9. Confinement and diffusion modulate bistability and stochastic switching in a reaction network with positive feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mlynarczyk, Paul J.; Pullen, Robert H.; Abel, Steven M.

    2016-01-01

    Positive feedback is a common feature in signal transduction networks and can lead to phenomena such as bistability and signal propagation by domain growth. Physical features of the cellular environment, such as spatial confinement and the mobility of proteins, play important but inadequately understood roles in shaping the behavior of signaling networks. Here, we use stochastic, spatially resolved kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to explore a positive feedback network as a function of system size, system shape, and mobility of molecules. We show that these physical properties can markedly alter characteristics of bistability and stochastic switching when compared with well-mixed simulations. Notably, systems of equal volume but different shapes can exhibit qualitatively different behaviors under otherwise identical conditions. We show that stochastic switching to a state maintained by positive feedback occurs by cluster formation and growth. Additionally, the frequency at which switching occurs depends nontrivially on the diffusion coefficient, which can promote or suppress switching relative to the well-mixed limit. Taken together, the results provide a framework for understanding how confinement and protein mobility influence emergent features of the positive feedback network by modulating molecular concentrations, diffusion-influenced rate parameters, and spatiotemporal correlations between molecules

  10. Feedback Valence Affects Auditory Perceptual Learning Independently of Feedback Probability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amitay, Sygal; Moore, David R.; Molloy, Katharine; Halliday, Lorna F.

    2015-01-01

    Previous studies have suggested that negative feedback is more effective in driving learning than positive feedback. We investigated the effect on learning of providing varying amounts of negative and positive feedback while listeners attempted to discriminate between three identical tones; an impossible task that nevertheless produces robust learning. Four feedback conditions were compared during training: 90% positive feedback or 10% negative feedback informed the participants that they were doing equally well, while 10% positive or 90% negative feedback informed them they were doing equally badly. In all conditions the feedback was random in relation to the listeners’ responses (because the task was to discriminate three identical tones), yet both the valence (negative vs. positive) and the probability of feedback (10% vs. 90%) affected learning. Feedback that informed listeners they were doing badly resulted in better post-training performance than feedback that informed them they were doing well, independent of valence. In addition, positive feedback during training resulted in better post-training performance than negative feedback, but only positive feedback indicating listeners were doing badly on the task resulted in learning. As we have previously speculated, feedback that better reflected the difficulty of the task was more effective in driving learning than feedback that suggested performance was better than it should have been given perceived task difficulty. But contrary to expectations, positive feedback was more effective than negative feedback in driving learning. Feedback thus had two separable effects on learning: feedback valence affected motivation on a subjectively difficult task, and learning occurred only when feedback probability reflected the subjective difficulty. To optimize learning, training programs need to take into consideration both feedback valence and probability. PMID:25946173

  11. Feedback enhances the positive effects and reduces the negative effects of multiple-choice testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, Andrew C; Roediger, Henry L

    2008-04-01

    Multiple-choice tests are used frequently in higher education without much consideration of the impact this form of assessment has on learning. Multiple-choice testing enhances retention of the material tested (the testing effect); however, unlike other tests, multiple-choice can also be detrimental because it exposes students to misinformation in the form of lures. The selection of lures can lead students to acquire false knowledge (Roediger & Marsh, 2005). The present research investigated whether feedback could be used to boost the positive effects and reduce the negative effects of multiple-choice testing. Subjects studied passages and then received a multiple-choice test with immediate feedback, delayed feedback, or no feedback. In comparison with the no-feedback condition, both immediate and delayed feedback increased the proportion of correct responses and reduced the proportion of intrusions (i.e., lure responses from the initial multiple-choice test) on a delayed cued recall test. Educators should provide feedback when using multiple-choice tests.

  12. Dissociation between active and observational learning from positive and negative feedback in Parkinsonism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobza, Stefan; Ferrea, Stefano; Schnitzler, Alfons; Pollok, Bettina; Südmeyer, Martin; Bellebaum, Christian

    2012-01-01

    Feedback to both actively performed and observed behaviour allows adaptation of future actions. Positive feedback leads to increased activity of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra, whereas dopamine neuron activity is decreased following negative feedback. Dopamine level reduction in unmedicated Parkinson's Disease patients has been shown to lead to a negative learning bias, i.e. enhanced learning from negative feedback. Recent findings suggest that the neural mechanisms of active and observational learning from feedback might differ, with the striatum playing a less prominent role in observational learning. Therefore, it was hypothesized that unmedicated Parkinson's Disease patients would show a negative learning bias only in active but not in observational learning. In a between-group design, 19 Parkinson's Disease patients and 40 healthy controls engaged in either an active or an observational probabilistic feedback-learning task. For both tasks, transfer phases aimed to assess the bias to learn better from positive or negative feedback. As expected, actively learning patients showed a negative learning bias, whereas controls learned better from positive feedback. In contrast, no difference between patients and controls emerged for observational learning, with both groups showing better learning from positive feedback. These findings add to neural models of reinforcement-learning by suggesting that dopamine-modulated input to the striatum plays a minor role in observational learning from feedback. Future research will have to elucidate the specific neural underpinnings of observational learning.

  13. Beam position feedback system for the advanced photon source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.

    1994-01-01

    The Advanced Photon Source (APS) will implement both global and local beam position feedback systems to stabilize the particle and x-ray beams for the storage ring. The systems consist of 20 VME crates distributed around the ring, each running multiple digital signal processors (DSP) running at 4 kHz sampling rate with a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control algorithm. The particle and x-ray beam position data is shared by the distributed processors through networked reflective memory. A theory of closed orbit correction using the technique of singular value decomposition (SVD) of the response matrix and simulation of its application to the APS storage ring will be discussed. This technique combines the global and local feedback systems and resolves the conflict among multiple local feedback systems due to local bump closure error. Maximum correction efficiency is achieved by feeding back to the global orbit data to the local feedback systems. The effect of the eddy current induced in the relatively thick (1/2 in.) vacuum chamber by the ac corrector magnet field for local feedback systems is compensated by digital filters. Results of experiments conducted on the x-ray ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source and the SPEAR at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory will also be presented

  14. Beam position feedback system for the advanced photon source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.

    1994-01-01

    The Advanced Photon Source (APS) will implement both global and local beam position feedback systems to stabilize the particle and X-ray beams for the storage ring. The systems consist of 20 VME crates distributed around the ring, each running multiple digital signal processors (DSP) running at 4 kHz sampling rate with a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control algorithm. The particle and X-ray beam position data is shared by the distributed processors through networked reflective memory. A theory of closed orbit correction using the technique of singular value decomposition (SVD) of the response matrix and simulation of its application to the APS storage ring will be discussed. This technique combines the global and local feedback systems and resolves the conflict among multiple local feedback systems due to local bump closure error. Maximum correction efficiency is achieved by feeding back the global orbit data to the local feedback systems. The effect of the vacuum chamber eddy current induced by the AC corrector magnet field for local feedback systems is compensated by digital filters. Results of experiments conducted on the X-ray ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source and the SPEAR at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory will be presented. copyright 1994 American Institute of Physics

  15. Beam position feedback system for the Advanced Photon Source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.

    1993-01-01

    The Advanced Photon Source (APS) will implement both global and local beam position feedback systems to stabilize the particle and X-ray beams for the storage ring. The systems consist of 20 VME crates distributed around the ring, each running multiple digital signal processors (DSP) running at 4kHz sampling rate with a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control algorithm. The particle and X-ray beam position data is shared by the distributed processors through networked reflective memory. A theory of closed orbit correction using the technique of singular value decomposition (SVD) of the response matrix and simulation of its application to the APS storage ring will be discussed. This technique combines the global and local feedback systems and resolves the conflict among multiple local feedback systems due to local bump closure error. Maximum correction efficiency is achieved by feeding back the global orbit data to the local feedback systems. The effect of the vacuum chamber eddy current induced by the AC corrector magnet field for local feedback systems is compensated by digital filters. Results of experiments conducted on the X-ray ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source and the SPEAR at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory will be presented

  16. Beam position feedback system for the Advanced Photon Source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.

    1993-01-01

    The Advanced Photon Source (APS) will implement both global and local beam position feedback systems to stabilize the particle and X-ray beams for the storage ring. The systems consist of 20 VME crates distributed around the ring, each running multiple digital signal processors (DSP) running at 4kHz sampling rate with a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control algorithm. The particle and X-ray beam position data is shared by the distributed processors through networked reflective memory. A theory of closed orbit correction using the technique of singular value decomposition (SVD) of the response matrix and simulation of its application to the APS storage ring will be discussed. This technique combines the global and local feedback systems and resolves the conflict among multiple local feedback systems due to local bump closure error. Maximum correction efficiency is achieved by feeding back the global orbit data to the local feedback systems. The effect of the eddy current induced in the relatively thick (1/2 inch) vacuum chamber by the AC corrector magnet field for local feedback systems is compensated by digital filters. Results of experiments conducted on the X-ray ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source and the SPEAR at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory will also be presented

  17. Feedback providing improvement strategies and reflection on feedback use: Effects on students' writing motivation, process, and performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duijnhouwer, H.; Prins, F.J.; Stokking, K.M.

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of feedback providing improvement strategies and a reflection assignment on students’ writing motivation, process, and performance. Students in the experimental feedback condition (n = 41) received feedback including improvement strategies, whereas students in the

  18. Daresbury SRS Positional Feedback Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Smith, S L

    2000-01-01

    The Daresbury SRS is a second generation synchrotron radiation source which ramps from its injection energy of 600 MeV to 2.0 GeV. Beam orbit feedback systems have been in routine operation on the SRS since 1994 and are now an essential element in delivering stable photon beams to experimental stations. The most recent enhancements to these systems have included the introduction of a ramp servo system to provide the orbit control demanded by the installation of two new narrow gap insertion device and development of the vertical orbit feedback system to cope with an increasing number of photon beamlines. This paper summaries the current status of these systems and briefly discusses proposed developments.

  19. Exploring the value of peer feedback in online learning for the provider

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marijke Kral; Gino Camp; Esther van Popta; Robert Jan Simons; Rob L. Martens

    2017-01-01

    This paper reviews studies of peer feedback from the novel perspective of the providers of that feedback. The possible learning benefits of providing peer feedback in online learning have not been extensively studied. The goal of this study was therefore to explore the process of providing online

  20. Effectiveness of chest compression feedback during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in lateral tilted and semirecumbent positions: a randomised controlled simulation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Y; Oh, J; Chee, Y; Cho, Y; Lee, S; Lim, T H

    2015-11-01

    Feedback devices have been shown to improve the quality of chest compression during cardiopulmonary resuscitation for patients in the supine position, but no studies have reported the effects of feedback devices on chest compression when the chest is tilted. Basic life support-trained providers were randomly assigned to administer chest compressions to a manikin in the supine, 30° left lateral tilt and 30° semirecumbent positions, with or without the aid of a feedback device incorporated into a smartphone. Thirty-six participants were studied. The feedback device did not affect the quality of chest compressions in the supine position, but improved aspects of performance in the tilted positions. In the lateral tilted position, the median (IQR [range]) chest compression rate was 99 (99-100 [96-117]) compressions.min(-1) with and 115 (95-128 [77-164]) compressions.min(-1) without feedback (p = 0.05), and the proportion of compressions of correct depth was 55 (0-96 [0-100])% with and 1 (0-30 [0-100])% without feedback (p = 0.03). In the semirecumbent position, the proportion of compressions of correct depth was 21 (0-87 [0-100])% with and 1 (0-26 [0-100])% without feedback (p = 0.05). Female participants applied chest compressions at a more accurate rate using the feedback device in the lateral tilted position but were unable to increase the chest compression depth, whereas male participants were able to increase the force of chest compression using the feedback device in the lateral tilted and semirecumbent positions. We conclude that a feedback device improves the application of chest compressions during simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation when the chest is tilted. © 2015 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

  1. An FPGA-based Bunch-by-Bunch Position and Angle Feedback System at ATF2

    CERN Document Server

    Christian, G B; Bett, D R; Burrows, P N; Constance, B; Davis, M R; Gerbershagen, A; Perry, C; Resta Lopez, J

    2011-01-01

    The FONT5 intra-train feedback system serves as a prototype for an interaction point beam-based feedback system for future electron-positron colliders, such as the International Linear Collider. The system has been tested on the KEK Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) and is deployed to stabilise the beam orbit at the ATF2. The goal of this system is to correct both position and angle jitter in the vertical plane, providing stability of ~1 micron at the entrance to the ATF2 final-focus system. The system comprises three stripline beam position monitors (BPMs) and two stripline kickers, custom low-latency analogue front-end BPM processors, a custom FPGA-based digital processing board with fast ADCs, and custom kicker-drive amplifiers. An overview of the hardware, and the latest results from beam tests at ATF2, will be presented. The total latency of the system with coupled position and angle feedback loops operating simultaneously was measured to be approximately 140 ns. The greatest degree of correction observed ...

  2. Nonlatching positive feedback enables robust bimodality by decoupling expression noise from the mean

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Razooky, Brandon S. [Rockefeller Univ., New York, NY (United States). Lab. of Virology and Infectious Disease; Gladstone Institutes (Virology and Immunology), San Francisco, CA (United States); Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Science (CNMS); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary; Cao, Youfang [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hansen, Maike M. K. [Gladstone Institutes (Virology and Immunology), San Francisco, CA (United States); Perelson, Alan S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Simpson, Michael L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Science (CNMS); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary; Weinberger, Leor S. [Gladstone Institutes (Virology and Immunology), San Francisco, CA (United States); Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry and Biophysics; Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States). QB3: California Inst. of Quantitative Biosciences; Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States). Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

    2017-10-18

    Fundamental to biological decision-making is the ability to generate bimodal expression patterns where two alternate expression states simultaneously exist. Here in this study, we use a combination of single-cell analysis and mathematical modeling to examine the sources of bimodality in the transcriptional program controlling HIV’s fate decision between active replication and viral latency. We find that the HIV Tat protein manipulates the intrinsic toggling of HIV’s promoter, the LTR, to generate bimodal ON-OFF expression, and that transcriptional positive feedback from Tat shifts and expands the regime of LTR bimodality. This result holds for both minimal synthetic viral circuits and full-length virus. Strikingly, computational analysis indicates that the Tat circuit’s non-cooperative ‘non-latching’ feedback architecture is optimized to slow the promoter’s toggling and generate bimodality by stochastic extinction of Tat. In contrast to the standard Poisson model, theory and experiment show that non-latching positive feedback substantially dampens the inverse noise-mean relationship to maintain stochastic bimodality despite increasing mean-expression levels. Given the rapid evolution of HIV, the presence of a circuit optimized to robustly generate bimodal expression appears consistent with the hypothesis that HIV’s decision between active replication and latency provides a viral fitness advantage. More broadly, the results suggest that positive-feedback circuits may have evolved not only for signal amplification but also for robustly generating bimodality by decoupling expression fluctuations (noise) from mean expression levels.

  3. Positive Feedback of NDT80 Expression Ensures Irreversible Meiotic Commitment in Budding Yeast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchiya, Dai; Yang, Yang; Lacefield, Soni

    2014-01-01

    In budding yeast, meiotic commitment is the irreversible continuation of the developmental path of meiosis. After reaching meiotic commitment, cells finish meiosis and gametogenesis, even in the absence of the meiosis-inducing signal. In contrast, if the meiosis-inducing signal is removed and the mitosis-inducing signal is provided prior to reaching meiotic commitment, cells exit meiosis and return to mitosis. Previous work has shown that cells commit to meiosis after prophase I but before entering the meiotic divisions. Since the Ndt80 transcription factor induces expression of middle meiosis genes necessary for the meiotic divisions, we examined the role of the NDT80 transcriptional network in meiotic commitment. Using a microfluidic approach to analyze single cells, we found that cells commit to meiosis in prometaphase I, after the induction of the Ndt80-dependent genes. Our results showed that high-level expression of NDT80 is important for the timing and irreversibility of meiotic commitment. A modest reduction in NDT80 levels delayed meiotic commitment based on meiotic stages, although the timing of each meiotic stage was similar to that of wildtype cells. A further reduction of NDT80 resulted in the surprising finding of inappropriately uncommitted cells: withdrawal of the meiosis-inducing signal and addition of the mitosis-inducing signal to cells at stages beyond metaphase I caused return to mitosis, leading to multi-nucleate cells. Since Ndt80 enhances its own transcription through positive feedback, we tested whether positive feedback ensured the irreversibility of meiotic commitment. Ablating positive feedback in NDT80 expression resulted in a complete loss of meiotic commitment. These findings suggest that irreversibility of meiotic commitment is a consequence of the NDT80 transcriptional positive feedback loop, which provides the high-level of Ndt80 required for the developmental switch of meiotic commitment. These results also illustrate the

  4. People newly in love are more responsive to positive feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Cassandra L; Beninger, Richard J

    2012-06-01

    Passionate love is associated with increased activity in dopamine-rich regions of the brain. Increased dopamine in these regions is associated with a greater tendency to learn from reward in trial-and-error learning tasks. This study examined the prediction that individuals who were newly in love would be better at responding to reward (positive feedback). In test trials, people who were newly in love selected positive outcomes significantly more often than their single (not in love) counterparts but were no better at the task overall. This suggests that people who are newly in love show a bias toward responding to positive feedback, which may reflect a general bias towards reward-seeking.

  5. A unified approach to global and local beam position feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.

    1994-01-01

    The Advanced Photon Source (APS) will implement both global and local beam position feedback systems to stabilize the particle and X-ray beams for the storage ring. The global feedback system uses 40 BPMs and 40 correctors per plane. Singular value decomposition (SVD) of the response matrix is used for closed orbit correction. The local feedback system uses two X-ray BPMS, two rf BPMS, and the four-magnet local bump to control the angle and displacement of the X-ray beam from a bending magnet or an insertion device. Both the global and local feedback systems are based on digital signal processing (DSP) running at 4-kHz sampling rate with a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control algorithm. In this paper, we will discuss resolution of the conflict among multiple local feedback systems due to local bump closure error and decoupling of the global and local feedback systems to maximize correction efficiency. In this scheme, the global feedback system absorbs the local bump closure error and the local feedback systems compensate for the effect of global feedback on the local beamlines. The required data sharing between the global and local feedback systems is done through the fiber-optically networked reflective memory

  6. Regulative feedback in pattern formation: towards a general relativistic theory of positional information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaeger, Johannes; Irons, David; Monk, Nick

    2008-10-01

    Positional specification by morphogen gradients is traditionally viewed as a two-step process. A gradient is formed and then interpreted, providing a spatial metric independent of the target tissue, similar to the concept of space in classical mechanics. However, the formation and interpretation of gradients are coupled, dynamic processes. We introduce a conceptual framework for positional specification in which cellular activity feeds back on positional information encoded by gradients, analogous to the feedback between mass-energy distribution and the geometry of space-time in Einstein's general theory of relativity. We discuss how such general relativistic positional information (GRPI) can guide systems-level approaches to pattern formation.

  7. Positive Change in Feedback Perceptions and Behavior: A 10-Year Follow-up Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balmer, Dorene F; Tenney-Soeiro, Rebecca; Mejia, Erika; Rezet, Beth

    2018-01-01

    Providing and learning from feedback are essential components of medical education, and typically described as resistant to change. But given a decade of change in the clinical context in which feedback occurs, the authors asked if, and how, perceptions of feedback and feedback behaviors might have changed in response to contextual affordances. In 2017, the authors conducted a follow-up, ethnographic study on 2 general pediatric floors at the same children's hospital where another ethnographic study on a general pediatric floor was conducted in 2007. Data sources included (1) 21 and 34 hours of observation in 2007 and 2017, respectively, (2) 35 and 25 interviews with general pediatric attending physicians and residents in 2007 and 2017, respectively, and (3) a review of 120 program documents spanning 2007 to 2017. Data were coded and organized around 3 recommendations for feedback that were derived from 2007 data and served as standards for assessing change in 2017. Data revealed progress in achieving each recommendation. Compared with 2007, participants in 2017 more clearly distinguished between feedback and evaluation; residents were more aware of in-the-moment feedback, and they had shifted their orientation from evaluation and grades to feedback and learning. Explanations for progress in achieving recommendations, which were derived from the data, pointed to institutional and national influences, namely, the pediatric milestones. On the basis of follow-up, ethnographic data, changes in the clinical context of pediatric education may afford positive change in perceptions of feedback and feedback behavior and point to influences within and beyond the institution. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  8. PReSaFe: A model of barriers and facilitators to patients providing feedback on experiences of safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Brún, Aoife; Heavey, Emily; Waring, Justin; Dawson, Pamela; Scott, Jason

    2017-08-01

    The importance of involving patients in reporting on safety is increasingly recognized. Whilst studies have identified barriers to clinician incident reporting, few have explored barriers and facilitators to patient reporting of safety experiences. This paper explores patient perspectives on providing feedback on safety experiences. Patients (n=28) were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews when given a survey about their experiences of safety following hospital discharge. Transcripts were thematically analysed using NVivo10. Patients were recruited from four hospitals in the UK. Three themes were identified as barriers and facilitators to patient involvement in providing feedback on their safety experiences. The first, cognitive-cultural, found that whilst safety was a priority for most, some felt the term was not relevant to them because safety was the "default" position, and/or because safety could not be disentangled from the overall experience of care. The structural-procedural theme indicated that reporting was facilitated when patients saw the process as straightforward, but that disinclination or perceived inability to provide feedback was a barrier. Finally, learning and change illustrated that perception of the impact of feedback could facilitate or inhibit reporting. When collecting patient feedback on experiences of safety, it is important to consider what may help or hinder this process, beyond the process alone. We present a staged model of prerequisite barriers and facilitators and hypothesize that each stage needs to be achieved for patients to provide feedback on safety experiences. Implications for collecting meaningful data on patients' safety experiences are considered. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Evaluating the negative or valuing the positive? Neural mechanisms supporting feedback-based learning across development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Duijvenvoorde, Anna C K; Zanolie, Kiki; Rombouts, Serge A R B; Raijmakers, Maartje E J; Crone, Eveline A

    2008-09-17

    How children learn from positive and negative performance feedback lies at the foundation of successful learning and is therefore of great importance for educational practice. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural developmental changes related to feedback-based learning when performing a rule search and application task. Behavioral results from three age groups (8-9, 11-13, and 18-25 years of age) demonstrated that, compared with adults, 8- to 9-year-old children performed disproportionally more inaccurately after receiving negative feedback relative to positive feedback. Additionally, imaging data pointed toward a qualitative difference in how children and adults use performance feedback. That is, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and superior parietal cortex were more active after negative feedback for adults, but after positive feedback for children (8-9 years of age). For 11- to 13-year-olds, these regions did not show differential feedback sensitivity, suggesting that the transition occurs around this age. Pre-supplementary motor area/anterior cingulate cortex, in contrast, was more active after negative feedback in both 11- to 13-year-olds and adults, but not 8- to 9-year-olds. Together, the current data show that cognitive control areas are differentially engaged during feedback-based learning across development. Adults engage these regions after signals of response adjustment (i.e., negative feedback). Young children engage these regions after signals of response continuation (i.e., positive feedback). The neural activation patterns found in 11- to 13-year-olds indicate a transition around this age toward an increased influence of negative feedback on performance adjustment. This is the first developmental fMRI study to compare qualitative changes in brain activation during feedback learning across distinct stages of development.

  10. Simulation model for transcervical laryngeal injection providing real-time feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ainsworth, Tiffiny A; Kobler, James B; Loan, Gregory J; Burns, James A

    2014-12-01

    This study aimed to develop and evaluate a model for teaching transcervical laryngeal injections. A 3-dimensional printer was used to create a laryngotracheal framework based on de-identified computed tomography images of a human larynx. The arytenoid cartilages and intrinsic laryngeal musculature were created in silicone from clay casts and thermoplastic molds. The thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle was created with electrically conductive silicone using metallic filaments embedded in silicone. Wires connected TA muscles to an electrical circuit incorporating a cell phone and speaker. A needle electrode completed the circuit when inserted in the TA during simulated injection, providing real-time feedback of successful needle placement by producing an audible sound. Face validation by the senior author confirmed appropriate tactile feedback and anatomical realism. Otolaryngologists pilot tested the model and completed presimulation and postsimulation questionnaires. The high-fidelity simulation model provided tactile and audio feedback during needle placement, simulating transcervical vocal fold injections. Otolaryngology residents demonstrated higher comfort levels with transcervical thyroarytenoid injection on postsimulation questionnaires. This is the first study to describe a simulator for developing transcervical vocal fold injection skills. The model provides real-time tactile and auditory feedback that aids in skill acquisition. Otolaryngologists reported increased confidence with transcervical injection after using the simulator. © The Author(s) 2014.

  11. Towards positive feedbacks between vegetation and tropospheric O3

    Science.gov (United States)

    VanLoocke, A. D.; Bernacchi, C. J.; Ainsworth, E. A.; Betzelberger, A. M.

    2011-12-01

    The concentration of tropospheric ozone ([O3]) has approximately doubled since 1900 and is projected to continue increasing. The extent of this increase depends strongly on the emission of ozone precursors as well as changing temperature and humidity. The responses of vegetation to O3 may also have the potential to positively feedback on regional climate and on the cycle of O3 formation and destruction. Plant productivity is linked to feedbacks in the climate indirectly through the carbon cycle as well as directly through the partitioning of radiation into sensible and latent heat fluxes. In the troposphere, O3 reduces plant productivity, an effect that is pronounced in soybean, the 4th most important food crop in the world. The soybean-maize agro-ecosystem is the largest ecosystem in the contiguous U.S., therefore changes in productivity and water use by soybean under increasing [O3] could impact the regional climate and hydrologic cycle in Midwestern U.S. with feedback effects on tropospheric O3 production and cycling. To assess the response to increasing [O3], soybeans were grown under open-air agricultural conditions at the SoyFACE research facility. During the 2009 growing season, eight 20 m diameter plots were exposed to different [O3] ranging from 40 to 200 ppb. Measurements of leaf-level gas exchange were made on four dates throughout the growing season and non-destructive measurements of Leaf Area Index were made weekly. Canopy latent and sensible heat fluxes were measured continuously throughout the growing season (day of year 197-245) using a residual energy balance micrometeorological technique. Results show that as [O3] increased, rates of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance decreased. Productivity, (i.e. seed yield) decreased by over 60% from 40 to 200 ppb while canopy evapotranspiration decreased by 30%. Sensible heat flux increased by 30%, while the growing season average canopy temperatures increased by 1 °C and with peak increases of 2

  12. Playing with Positive Feedback: External Pressure-triggering of a Star-forming Disk Galaxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bieri, Rebekka; Dubois, Yohan; Silk, Joseph; Mamon, Gary A.

    2015-10-01

    In massive galaxies, the currently favored method for quenching star formation is via active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback, which ejects gas from the galaxy using a central supermassive black hole. At high redshifts however, explanation of the huge rates of star formation often found in galaxies containing AGNs may require a more vigorous mode of star formation than is attainable by simply enriching the gas content of galaxies in the usual gravitationally driven mode that is associated with the nearby universe. Using idealized hydrodynamical simulations, we show that AGN-pressure-driven star formation potentially provides the positive feedback that may be required to generate the accelerated star formation rates observed in the distant universe.

  13. Feasibility and impact of providing feedback to vaccinating medical clinics: evaluating a public health intervention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiely Marilou

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Vaccine coverage (VC at a given age is a widely-used indicator for measuring the performance of vaccination programs. However, there is increasing data suggesting that measuring delays in administering vaccines complements the measure of VC. Providing feedback to vaccinators is recognized as an effective strategy for improving vaccine coverage, but its implementation has not been widely documented in Canada. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of providing personalized feedback to vaccinators and its impact on vaccination delays (VD. Methods In April and May 2008, a one-hour personalized feedback session was provided to health professionals in vaccinating medical clinics in the Quebec City region. VD for vaccines administered at two and twelve months of age were presented. Data from the regional vaccination registry were analysed for participating clinics. Two 12-month periods before and after the intervention were compared, namely from April 1st, 2007 to March 31st, 2008 and from June 1st, 2008 to May 31st, 2009. Results Ten medical clinics out of the twelve approached (83%, representing more than 2500 vaccinated children, participated in the project. Preparing and conducting the feedback involved 20 hours of work and expenses of $1000 per clinic. Based on a delay of one month, 94% of first doses of DTaP-Polio-Hib and 77% of meningococcal vaccine doses respected the vaccination schedule both before and after the intervention. Following the feedback, respect of the vaccination schedule increased for vaccines planned at 12 months for the four clinics that had modified their vaccination practices related to multiple injections (depending on the clinic, VD decreased by 24.4%, 32.0%, 40.2% and 44.6% respectively, p Conclusions The present study shows that it is feasible to provide personalized feedback to vaccinating clinics. While it may have encouraged positive changes in practice concerning multiple

  14. Competition overwhelms the positive plant-soil feedback generated by an invasive plant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawford, Kerri M; Knight, Tiffany M

    2017-01-01

    Invasive plant species can modify soils in a way that benefits their fitness more than the fitness of native species. However, it is unclear how competition among plant species alters the strength and direction of plant-soil feedbacks. We tested how community context altered plant-soil feedback between the non-native invasive forb Lespedeza cuneata and nine co-occurring native prairie species. In a series of greenhouse experiments, we grew plants individually and in communities with soils that differed in soil origin (invaded or uninvaded by L. cuneata) and in soils that were live vs. sterilized. In the absence of competition, L. cuneata produced over 60% more biomass in invaded than uninvaded soils, while native species performance was unaffected. The absence of a soil origin effect in sterile soil suggests that the positive plant-soil feedback was caused by differences in the soil biota. However, in the presence of competition, the positive effect of soil origin on L. cuneata growth disappeared. These results suggest that L. cuneata may benefit from positive plant-soil feedback when establishing populations in disturbed landscapes with few interspecific competitors, but does not support the hypothesis that plant-soil feedbacks influence competitive outcomes between L. cuneata and native plant species. These results highlight the importance of considering whether competition influences the outcome of interactions between plants and soils.

  15. The combination of positive and negative feedback loops confers exquisite flexibility to biochemical switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfeuty, Benjamin; Kaneko, Kunihiko

    2009-01-01

    A wide range of cellular processes require molecular regulatory pathways to convert a graded signal into a discrete response. One prevalent switching mechanism relies on the coexistence of two stable states (bistability) caused by positive feedback regulations. Intriguingly, positive feedback is often supplemented with negative feedback, raising the question of whether and how these two types of feedback can cooperate to control discrete cellular responses. To address this issue, we formulate a canonical model of a protein–protein interaction network and analyze the dynamics of a prototypical two-component circuit. The appropriate combination of negative and positive feedback loops can bring a bistable circuit close to the oscillatory regime. Notably, sharply activated negative feedback can give rise to a bistable regime wherein two stable fixed points coexist and may collide pairwise with two saddle points. This specific type of bistability is found to allow for separate and flexible control of switch-on and switch-off events, for example (i) to combine fast and reversible transitions, (ii) to enable transient switching responses and (iii) to display tunable noise-induced transition rates. Finally, we discuss the relevance of such bistable switching behavior, and the circuit topologies considered, to specific biological processes such as adaptive metabolic responses, stochastic fate decisions and cell-cycle transitions. Taken together, our results suggest an efficient mechanism by which positive and negative feedback loops cooperate to drive the flexible and multifaceted switching behaviors arising in biological systems

  16. A state variable approach to the BESSY II local beam-position-feedback system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilpatrick, J.D.; Khan, S.; Kraemer, D.

    1996-01-01

    At the BESSY II facility, stability of the electron beam position and angle near insertion devices (IDs) is of utmost importance. Disturbances due to ground motion could result in unwanted broad-bandwidth beam-jitter which decreases the electron (and resultant photon) beam's effective brightness. Therefore, feedback techniques must be used. Operating over a frequency range of 100-Hz, a local feedback system will correct these beam-trajectory errors using the four bumps around IDs. This paper reviews how the state-variable feedback approach can be applied to real-time correction of these beam position and angle errors. A frequency-domain solution showing beam jitter reduction is presented. Finally, this paper reports results of a beam-feedback test at BESSY I

  17. Unregulated provider perceptions of audit and feedback reports in long-term care: cross-sectional survey findings from a quality improvement intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraser, Kimberly D; O'Rourke, Hannah M; Baylon, Melba Andrea B; Boström, Anne-Marie; Sales, Anne E

    2013-02-13

    Audit with feedback is a moderately effective approach for improving professional practice in other health care settings. Although unregulated caregivers give the majority of direct care in long-term care settings, little is known about how they understand and perceive feedback reports because unregulated providers have not been directly targeted to receive audit with feedback in quality improvement interventions in long-term care. The purpose of this paper is to describe unregulated care providers' perceptions of usefulness of a feedback report in four Canadian long-term care facilities. We delivered monthly feedback reports to unregulated care providers for 13 months in 2009-2010. The feedback reports described a unit's performance in relation to falls, depression, and pain as compared to eight other units in the study. Follow-up surveys captured participant perceptions of the feedback report. We conducted descriptive analyses of the variables related to participant perceptions and multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between perceived usefulness of the feedback report and a set of independent variables. The vast majority (80%) of unregulated care providers (n = 171) who responded said they understood the reports. Those who discussed the report with others and were interested in other forms of data were more likely to find the feedback report useful for making changes in resident care. This work suggests that unregulated care providers can understand and feel positively about using audit with feedback reports to make changes to resident care. Further research should explore ways to promote fuller engagement of unregulated care providers in decision-making to improve quality of care in long-term care settings.

  18. Rational destabilizing speculation, positive feedback trading, and the oil bubble of 2008

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokic, Damir

    2011-01-01

    This article examines how the interaction of different participants in the crude oil futures markets affects the crude oil price efficiency. Normally, the commercial market participants, such as oil producers and oil consumers, act as arbitrageurs and ensure that the price of crude oil remains within the fundamental value range. However, institutional investors that invest in crude oil to diversify their portfolios and/or hedge inflation can destabilize the interaction among commercial participants and liquidity-providing speculators. We argue that institutional investors can impose limits to arbitrage, particularly during the financial crisis when the investment demand for commodities is particularly strong. In support, we show that commercials hedgers had significantly reduced their short positions leading to the 2008 oil bubble-they were potentially aggressively offsetting their short hedges. As a result, by essentially engaging in a positive feedback trading, commercial hedgers at least contributed to 'the 2008 oil bubble'. These findings have been mainly overlooked by the existing research. - Research Highlights: → This article finds that commercial hedgers at least contributed to the 2008 oil bubble. → Commercial hedgers were aggressively offsetting their short hedges leading to the oil bubble peak. → Commercial hedgers, thus, unwillingly engaged in positive feedback trading. → Institutional investors potentially destabilized the oil markets in 2008.

  19. Rational destabilizing speculation, positive feedback trading, and the oil bubble of 2008

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tokic, Damir, E-mail: Damir.tokic@esc-rennes.f [ESC Rennes - International School of Business, 2 Rue Robert d' Arbissel, 35065 Rennes cedex (France)

    2011-04-15

    This article examines how the interaction of different participants in the crude oil futures markets affects the crude oil price efficiency. Normally, the commercial market participants, such as oil producers and oil consumers, act as arbitrageurs and ensure that the price of crude oil remains within the fundamental value range. However, institutional investors that invest in crude oil to diversify their portfolios and/or hedge inflation can destabilize the interaction among commercial participants and liquidity-providing speculators. We argue that institutional investors can impose limits to arbitrage, particularly during the financial crisis when the investment demand for commodities is particularly strong. In support, we show that commercials hedgers had significantly reduced their short positions leading to the 2008 oil bubble-they were potentially aggressively offsetting their short hedges. As a result, by essentially engaging in a positive feedback trading, commercial hedgers at least contributed to 'the 2008 oil bubble'. These findings have been mainly overlooked by the existing research. - Research Highlights: {yields} This article finds that commercial hedgers at least contributed to the 2008 oil bubble. {yields} Commercial hedgers were aggressively offsetting their short hedges leading to the oil bubble peak. {yields} Commercial hedgers, thus, unwillingly engaged in positive feedback trading. {yields} Institutional investors potentially destabilized the oil markets in 2008.

  20. Providing feedback on emotional experiences and decision making

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Machajdik, J.; Stöttinger, J.; Danelova, E.; Pongratz, M.; Kavicky, L.; Valenti, R.; Hanbury, A.

    2011-01-01

    We present a novel lifelog system concept created to provide a human user with feedback on their conscious and unconscious emotional reactions and encourage the process of self-reflection by looking into an affective mirror. The emotion of the user is deduced from biometric data and enhanced by

  1. Enhancing Healthcare Provider Feedback and Personal Health Literacy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kaltoft, Mette Kjer; Nielsen, Jesper Bo; Salkeld, Glenn

    2015-01-01

    In this protocol for a pilot study we seek to establish the feasibility of using a web-based survey to simultaneously supply healthcare organisations and agencies with feedback on a key aspect of the care experience they provide and increase the generic health decision literacy of the individuals...

  2. The Art of Giving Online Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leibold, Nancyruth; Schwarz, Laura Marie

    2015-01-01

    The cultivation of providing online feedback that is positive, effective, and enhances the learning experience is a valuable educator skill. Acquisition of the art of providing feedback is through education, practice, and faculty development. This article provides information about the best practices for delivering online feedback to learners. An…

  3. Haptic seat for fuel economy feedback

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bobbitt, III, John Thomas

    2016-08-30

    A process of providing driver fuel economy feedback is disclosed in which vehicle sensors provide for haptic feedback on fuel usage. Such sensors may include one or more of a speed sensors, global position satellite units, vehicle pitch/roll angle sensors, suspension displacement sensors, longitudinal accelerometer sensors, throttle position in sensors, steering angle sensors, break pressure sensors, and lateral accelerometer sensors. Sensors used singlely or collectively can provide enhanced feedback as to various environmental conditions and operating conditions such that a more accurate assessment of fuel economy information can be provided to the driver.

  4. On the evocability of a positive oestrogen feedback action on LH secretion in transsexual men and women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dörner, G; Rohde, W; Seidel, K; Haas, W; Schott, G S

    1976-03-01

    In transsexual men with homosexual behaviour and intact testicular function, as well as in homosexual men with normal gender identity, following a negative oestrogen feedback effect a delayed positive oestrogen feedback action on LH secretion was evoked. By contrast, in transsexual men with hypo- or asexuality and intact testes or hypergonadotrophic hypo- or agonadism, as well as in heterosexual men with normal gender identity, a negative oestrogen feedback effect was not followed by a positive feedback action on LH release. In transsexual women with homosexual behaviour and oligo- and/or hypomenorrhoea, only a weak or at best moderate positive oestrogen feedback action on LH release was evocable, similarly as in castrated and oestrogen-primed heterosexual men. By contrast, in a transsexual woman with bisexual behaviour and eumenorrhoea, a strong positive oestrogen feedback action on LH secretion was evocable, as well as in heterosexual women with normal gender identity.

  5. Feedback control of plasma position in the HL-1 tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan Baoshan; Jiao Boliang; Yang Kailing

    1991-01-01

    In the HL-1 tokamak with a thick copper shell, the control of plasma position is successfully performed by a feedback-feedforward system with dual mode regulator and the equilibrium field coils outside the shell. The plasma position can be controlled within ±2 mm in both vertical and horizontal directions under the condition that the iron core of transformer is not saturated

  6. Improve beam position stability of SSRF BL15U beamline by using beam intensity feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Guoqiang; Liang Dongxu; Yan Fen; Li Aiguo; Yu Xiaohan

    2013-01-01

    Background: The shaking of micro-focus spot in the vertical direction is found during the energy scan experiments, such as XAFS scan. The beam position of vertical direction changes obviously with the energy. Purpose: In order to make the beam position shaking amplitude less than 1/10 of the beam size. Methods: The beam position stability of SSRF BL15U beamline is improved by using beam intensity feedback. The feedback system include beam intensity monitor of the beamline and fine adjust mechanism of pitch 2 (the pitch angle of the second crystal of the double crystal monochromator). The feedback control of the beam position is realized by adjusting the pitch 2 to fix beam intensity at its maximum value. Results: The test results show that the vertical beam vibration below 10 Hz frequency is significantly reduced and also the beam position stability during photon energy scan is improved by more than 5 times. Conclusions: By adopting the new feedback systems, the stability of the beam spot on the specimen stage was dramatically improved which achieved the anticipated target. (authors)

  7. Modulation of dynamic modes by interplay between positive and negative feedback loops in gene regulatory networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liu-Suo; Li, Ning-Xi; Chen, Jing-Jia; Zhang, Xiao-Peng; Liu, Feng; Wang, Wei

    2018-04-01

    A positive and a negative feedback loop can induce bistability and oscillation, respectively, in biological networks. Nevertheless, they are frequently interlinked to perform more elaborate functions in many gene regulatory networks. Coupled positive and negative feedback loops may exhibit either oscillation or bistability depending on the intensity of the stimulus in some particular networks. It is less understood how the transition between the two dynamic modes is modulated by the positive and negative feedback loops. We developed an abstract model of such systems, largely based on the core p53 pathway, to explore the mechanism for the transformation of dynamic behaviors. Our results show that enhancing the positive feedback may promote or suppress oscillations depending on the strength of both feedback loops. We found that the system oscillates with low amplitudes in response to a moderate stimulus and switches to the on state upon a strong stimulus. When the positive feedback is activated much later than the negative one in response to a strong stimulus, the system exhibits long-term oscillations before switching to the on state. We explain this intriguing phenomenon using quasistatic approximation. Moreover, early switching to the on state may occur when the system starts from a steady state in the absence of stimuli. The interplay between the positive and negative feedback plays a key role in the transitions between oscillation and bistability. Of note, our conclusions should be applicable only to some specific gene regulatory networks, especially the p53 network, in which both oscillation and bistability exist in response to a certain type of stimulus. Our work also underscores the significance of transient dynamics in determining cellular outcome.

  8. Positive Feedback Keeps Duration of Mitosis Temporally Insulated from Upstream Cell-Cycle Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araujo, Ana Rita; Gelens, Lendert; Sheriff, Rahuman S M; Santos, Silvia D M

    2016-10-20

    Cell division is characterized by a sequence of events by which a cell gives rise to two daughter cells. Quantitative measurements of cell-cycle dynamics in single cells showed that despite variability in G1-, S-, and G2 phases, duration of mitosis is short and remarkably constant. Surprisingly, there is no correlation between cell-cycle length and mitotic duration, suggesting that mitosis is temporally insulated from variability in earlier cell-cycle phases. By combining live cell imaging and computational modeling, we showed that positive feedback is the molecular mechanism underlying the temporal insulation of mitosis. Perturbing positive feedback gave rise to a sluggish, variable entry and progression through mitosis and uncoupled duration of mitosis from variability in cell cycle length. We show that positive feedback is important to keep mitosis short, constant, and temporally insulated and anticipate it might be a commonly used regulatory strategy to create modularity in other biological systems. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Providing Formative Feedback: Language Technologies for Lifelong Learning CONSPECT tool

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berlanga, Adriana

    2011-01-01

    Berlanga, A. J. (2011). Providing Formative Feedback: Language Technologies for Lifelong Learning CONSPECT tool. Presentation given at the Onderwijslunch, University of Maastricht. January, 18, 2011, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

  10. A qualitative study on feedback provided by students in nurse education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Zenobia C Y; Stanley, David John; Meadus, Robert J; Chien, Wai Tong

    2017-08-01

    This study aims to help nurse educators/academics understand the perspectives and expectations of students providing their feedback to educators about teaching performance and subject quality. The aim of this study is to reveal students' voices regarding their feedback in nurse education in order to shed light on how the current student feedback practice may be modified. A qualitative study using focus group inquiry. Convenience sampling was adopted and participants recruited from one school of nursing in Hong Kong. A total of 66 nursing students from two pre-registration programs were recruited for seven focus group interviews: one group of Year 1 students (n=21), two groups of Year 3 students (n=27), and four groups of Final Year students (n=18). The interviews were guided by a semi-structured interview guideline and the interview narratives were processed through content analysis. The trustworthiness of this study was guaranteed through peer checking, research meetings, and an audit trail. The participants' privacy was protected throughout the study. Four core themes were discerned based on the narratives of the focus group interviews: (1) "timing of collecting feedback at more than one time point"; (2) "modify the questions being asked in collecting student feedback"; (3) "are electronic means of collecting feedback good enough?; and (4) "what will be next for student feedback?". This study is significant in the following three domains: 1) it contributed to student feedback because it examined the issue from a student's perspective; 2) it explored the timing and channels for collecting feedback from the students' point of view; and 3) it showed the preferred uses of student feedback. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Switching of the positive feedback for RAS activation by a concerted function of SOS membrane association domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Yuki; Hibino, Kayo; Yanagida, Toshio; Sako, Yasushi

    2016-01-01

    Son of sevenless (SOS) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that regulates cell behavior by activating the small GTPase RAS. Recent in vitro studies have suggested that an interaction between SOS and the GTP-bound active form of RAS generates a positive feedback loop that propagates RAS activation. However, it remains unclear how the multiple domains of SOS contribute to the regulation of the feedback loop in living cells. Here, we observed single molecules of SOS in living cells to analyze the kinetics and dynamics of SOS behavior. The results indicate that the histone fold and Grb2-binding domains of SOS concertedly produce an intermediate state of SOS on the cell surface. The fraction of the intermediated state was reduced in positive feedback mutants, suggesting that the feedback loop functions during the intermediate state. Translocation of RAF, recognizing the active form of RAS, to the cell surface was almost abolished in the positive feedback mutants. Thus, the concerted functions of multiple membrane-associating domains of SOS governed the positive feedback loop, which is crucial for cell fate decision regulated by RAS.

  12. Using Feedback to Promote Physical Activity: The Role of the Feedback Sign.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kramer, Jan-Niklas; Kowatsch, Tobias

    2017-06-02

    Providing feedback is a technique to promote health behavior that is emphasized by behavior change theories. However, these theories make contradicting predictions regarding the effect of the feedback sign-that is, whether the feedback signals success or failure. Thus, it is unclear whether positive or negative feedback leads to more favorable behavior change in a health behavior intervention. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the feedback sign in a health behavior change intervention. Data from participants (N=1623) of a 6-month physical activity intervention was used. Participants received a feedback email at the beginning of each month. Feedback was either positive or negative depending on the participants' physical activity in the previous month. In an exploratory analysis, change in monthly step count averages was used to evaluate the feedback effect. The feedback sign did not predict the change in monthly step count averages over the course of the intervention (b=-84.28, P=.28). Descriptive differences between positive and negative feedback can be explained by regression to the mean. The feedback sign might not influence the effect of monthly feedback emails sent out to participants of a large-scale physical activity intervention. However, randomized studies are needed to further support this conclusion. Limitations as well as opportunities for future research are discussed. ©Jan-Niklas Kramer, Tobias Kowatsch. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 02.06.2017.

  13. Amplification of ABA biosynthesis and signaling through a positive feedback mechanism in seeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nonogaki, Mariko; Sall, Khadidiatou; Nambara, Eiji; Nonogaki, Hiroyuki

    2014-05-01

    Abscisic acid is an essential hormone for seed dormancy. Our previous study using the plant gene switch system, a chemically induced gene expression system, demonstrated that induction of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED), a rate-limiting ABA biosynthesis gene, was sufficient to suppress germination in imbibed Arabidopsis seeds. Here, we report development of an efficient experimental system that causes amplification of NCED expression during seed maturation. The system was created with a Triticum aestivum promoter containing ABA responsive elements (ABREs) and a Sorghum bicolor NCED to cause ABA-stimulated ABA biosynthesis and signaling, through a positive feedback mechanism. The chimeric gene pABRE:NCED enhanced NCED and ABF (ABRE-binding factor) expression in Arabidopsis Columbia-0 seeds, which caused 9- to 73-fold increases in ABA levels. The pABRE:NCED seeds exhibited unusually deep dormancy which lasted for more than 3 months. Interestingly, the amplified ABA pathways also caused enhanced expression of Arabidopsis NCED5, revealing the presence of positive feedback in the native system. These results demonstrated the robustness of positive feedback mechanisms and the significance of NCED expression, or single metabolic change, during seed maturation. The pABRE:NCED system provides an excellent experimental system producing dormant and non-dormant seeds of the same maternal origin, which differ only in zygotic ABA. The pABRE:NCED seeds contain a GFP marker which enables seed sorting between transgenic and null segregants and are ideal for comparative analysis. In addition to its utility in basic research, the system can also be applied to prevention of pre-harvest sprouting during crop production, and therefore contributes to translational biology. © 2014 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Positive Feedback Investment Strategies and Destabilizing Rational Speculation

    OpenAIRE

    J. Bradford De Long; Andrei Shleifer; Lawrence H. Summers; Robert J. Waldmann

    1989-01-01

    Analyses of the role of rational speculators in financial markets usually presume that such investors dampen price fluctuations by trading against liquidity or noise traders. This conclusion does not necessarily hold when noise traders follow positive-feedback investment strategies buy when prices rise and sell when prices fall. In such cases, it may pay rational speculators to try to jump on the bandwagon early and to purchase ahead of noise trader demand. If rational speculators' attempts t...

  15. Local beam position feedback experiments on the ESRF storage ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.; Kahana, E.; Kirchman, J.

    1995-01-01

    This paper describes the results of local beam position feedback experiments conducted on the ESRF storage ring using digital signal processing (DSP) under the trilateral agreement of collaboration among ESRF, APS, and SPring-8. Two rf beam position monitors (BPMS) in the, upstream and downstream of the insertion device (ID) and two x-ray BPMs in the sixth cell were used to monitor the electron beam and the x-ray beam emitted from the ID, respectively. The local bump coefficients were obtained using the technique of singular value decomposition (SVD) on the global response matrix for the bump magnets and all the available BPMs outside the local bump. The local response matrix was then obtained between the two three-magnet bumps and the position monitors. The data sampling frequency was 4 kHz and a proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) controller was used. The result indicates the closed-loop feedback bandwidth close to 100 Hz and clear attenuation (∼ -40 dB) of the 7-Hz beam motion due to girder vibration resonance. Comparison of the results using the rf BPMs and x-ray BPMs will be also discussed

  16. Using Audience Response Technology to provide formative feedback on pharmacology performance for non-medical prescribing students--a preliminary evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mostyn, Alison; Meade, Oonagh; Lymn, Joanne S

    2012-11-13

    The use of anonymous audience response technology (ART) to actively engage students in classroom learning has been evaluated positively across multiple settings. To date, however, there has been no empirical evaluation of the use of individualised ART handsets and formative feedback of ART scores. The present study investigates student perceptions of such a system and the relationship between formative feedback results and exam performance. Four successive cohorts of Non-Medical Prescribing students (n=107) had access to the individualised ART system and three of these groups (n=72) completed a questionnaire about their perceptions of using ART. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of seven students who achieved a range of scores on the formative feedback. Using data from all four cohorts of students, the relationship between mean ART scores and summative pharmacology exam score was examined using a non-parametric correlation. Questionnaire and interview data suggested that the use of ART enhanced the classroom environment, motivated students and promoted learning. Questionnaire data demonstrated that students found the formative feedback helpful for identifying their learning needs (95.6%), guiding their independent study (86.8%), and as a revision tool (88.3%). Interviewees particularly valued the objectivity of the individualised feedback which helped them to self-manage their learning. Interviewees' initial anxiety about revealing their level of pharmacology knowledge to the lecturer and to themselves reduced over time as students focused on the learning benefits associated with the feedback.A significant positive correlation was found between students' formative feedback scores and their summative pharmacology exam scores (Spearman's rho = 0.71, N=107, p<.01). Despite initial anxiety about the use of individualised ART units, students rated the helpfulness of the individualised handsets and personalised formative feedback highly

  17. Using Audience Response Technology to provide formative feedback on pharmacology performance for non-medical prescribing students - a preliminary evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mostyn Alison

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The use of anonymous audience response technology (ART to actively engage students in classroom learning has been evaluated positively across multiple settings. To date, however, there has been no empirical evaluation of the use of individualised ART handsets and formative feedback of ART scores. The present study investigates student perceptions of such a system and the relationship between formative feedback results and exam performance. Methods Four successive cohorts of Non-Medical Prescribing students (n=107 had access to the individualised ART system and three of these groups (n=72 completed a questionnaire about their perceptions of using ART. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of seven students who achieved a range of scores on the formative feedback. Using data from all four cohorts of students, the relationship between mean ART scores and summative pharmacology exam score was examined using a non-parametric correlation. Results Questionnaire and interview data suggested that the use of ART enhanced the classroom environment, motivated students and promoted learning. Questionnaire data demonstrated that students found the formative feedback helpful for identifying their learning needs (95.6%, guiding their independent study (86.8%, and as a revision tool (88.3%. Interviewees particularly valued the objectivity of the individualised feedback which helped them to self-manage their learning. Interviewees’ initial anxiety about revealing their level of pharmacology knowledge to the lecturer and to themselves reduced over time as students focused on the learning benefits associated with the feedback. A significant positive correlation was found between students’ formative feedback scores and their summative pharmacology exam scores (Spearman’s rho = 0.71, N=107, p Conclusions Despite initial anxiety about the use of individualised ART units, students rated the helpfulness of the

  18. Using Audience Response Technology to provide formative feedback on pharmacology performance for non-medical prescribing students - a preliminary evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background The use of anonymous audience response technology (ART) to actively engage students in classroom learning has been evaluated positively across multiple settings. To date, however, there has been no empirical evaluation of the use of individualised ART handsets and formative feedback of ART scores. The present study investigates student perceptions of such a system and the relationship between formative feedback results and exam performance. Methods Four successive cohorts of Non-Medical Prescribing students (n=107) had access to the individualised ART system and three of these groups (n=72) completed a questionnaire about their perceptions of using ART. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of seven students who achieved a range of scores on the formative feedback. Using data from all four cohorts of students, the relationship between mean ART scores and summative pharmacology exam score was examined using a non-parametric correlation. Results Questionnaire and interview data suggested that the use of ART enhanced the classroom environment, motivated students and promoted learning. Questionnaire data demonstrated that students found the formative feedback helpful for identifying their learning needs (95.6%), guiding their independent study (86.8%), and as a revision tool (88.3%). Interviewees particularly valued the objectivity of the individualised feedback which helped them to self-manage their learning. Interviewees’ initial anxiety about revealing their level of pharmacology knowledge to the lecturer and to themselves reduced over time as students focused on the learning benefits associated with the feedback. A significant positive correlation was found between students’ formative feedback scores and their summative pharmacology exam scores (Spearman’s rho = 0.71, N=107, pstudents rated the helpfulness of the individualised handsets and personalised formative feedback highly. The significant correlation between ART

  19. Providing Effective Feedback to EFL Student Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Holi Ibrahim Holi; Al-Adawi, Hamed Ahmed

    2013-01-01

    Feedback on school practicum is of utmost importance for student teachers to help them to develop their pedagogical and teaching skills. This paper attempts to collect data from both student teachers and their mentors in an ELT teacher training programme in Oman to answer the questions which are raised by this study: 1) What kind of feedback do…

  20. Experiments with positive, negative and topical relevance feedback

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kaptein, R.; Kamps, J.; Li, R.; Hiemstra, D.

    2008-01-01

    This document contains a description of experiments for the 2008 Relevance Feedback track. We experiment with different amounts of feedback, including negative relevance feedback. Feedback is implemented using massive weighted query expansion. Parsimonious query expansion using Dirichlet smoothing

  1. Latest Performance Results from the FONT5 Intra-train Beam Position and Angle Feedback System at ATF2

    CERN Document Server

    Christian, G B; Bett, D R; Blaskovic Kraljevic, N; Burrows, P N; Davis, M R; Gerbershagen, A; Perry, C; Constance, B; Resta-Lopez, J

    2012-01-01

    A prototype Interaction Point beam-based feedback system for future electron-positron colliders, such as the International Linear Collider, has been designed and tested on the extraction line of the KEK Accelerator Test Facility (ATF). The FONT5 intra-train feedback system aims to stabilize the beam orbit by correcting both the position and angle jitter in the vertical plane on bunch-tobunch time scales, providing micron-level stability at the entrance to the ATF2 final-focus system. The system comprises three stripline beam position monitors (BPMs) and two stripline kickers, custom low-latency analogue front-end BPM processors, a custom FPGA-based digital processing board with fast ADCs, and custom kickerdrive amplifiers. The latest results from beam tests at ATF2 will be presented, including the system latency and correction performance.

  2. Active vibration control of clamped beams using positive position feedback controllers with moment pair

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Chang Joo; Jeong, Weui Bong; Hong, Chin Suk

    2012-01-01

    This paper investigates the active vibration control of clamp beams using positive position feedback (PPF) controllers with a sensor/ moment pair actuator. The sensor/moment pair actuator which is the non-collocated configuration leads to instability of the control system when using the direct velocity feedback (DVFB) control. To alleviate the instability problem, a PPF controller is considered in this paper. A parametric study of the control system with PPF controller is first conducted to characterize the effects of the design parameters (gain and damping ratio in this paper) on the stability and performance. The gain of the controller is found to affect only the relative stability. Increasing the damping ratio of the controller slightly improves the stability condition while the performance gets worse. In addition, the higher mode tuned PPF controller affects the system response at the lower modes significantly. Based on the characteristics of PPF controllers, a multi-mode controllable SISO PPF controller is then considered and tuned to different modes (in this case, three lowest modes) numerically and experimentally. The multi-mode PPF controller can be achieved to have a high gain margin. Moreover, it reduces the vibration of the beam significantly. The vibration levels at the tuned modes are reduced by about 11 dB

  3. Fast feedback for linear colliders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendrickson, L.; Adolphsen, C.; Allison, S.; Gromme, T.; Grossberg, P.; Himel, T.; Krauter, K.; MacKenzie, R.; Minty, M.; Sass, R.

    1995-01-01

    A fast feedback system provides beam stabilization for the SLC. As the SLC is in some sense a prototype for future linear colliders, this system may be a prototype for future feedbacks. The SLC provides a good base of experience for feedback requirements and capabilities as well as a testing ground for performance characteristics. The feedback system controls a wide variety of machine parameters throughout the SLC and associated experiments, including regulation of beam position, angle, energy, intensity and timing parameters. The design and applications of the system are described, in addition to results of recent performance studies

  4. Observations of Local Positive Low Cloud Feedback Patterns and Their Role in Internal Variability and Climate Sensitivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Tianle; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Platnick, Steven E.; Meyer, Kerry

    2018-05-01

    Modeling studies have shown that cloud feedbacks are sensitive to the spatial pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, while cloud feedbacks themselves strongly influence the magnitude of SST anomalies. Observational counterparts to such patterned interactions are still needed. Here we show that distinct large-scale patterns of SST and low-cloud cover (LCC) emerge naturally from objective analyses of observations and demonstrate their close coupling in a positive local SST-LCC feedback loop that may be important for both internal variability and climate change. The two patterns that explain the maximum amount of covariance between SST and LCC correspond to the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, leading modes of multidecadal internal variability. Spatial patterns and time series of SST and LCC anomalies associated with both modes point to a strong positive local SST-LCC feedback. In many current climate models, our analyses suggest that SST-LCC feedback strength is too weak compared to observations. Modeled local SST-LCC feedback strength affects simulated internal variability so that stronger feedback produces more intense and more realistic patterns of internal variability. To the extent that the physics of the local positive SST-LCC feedback inferred from observed climate variability applies to future greenhouse warming, we anticipate significant amount of delayed warming because of SST-LCC feedback when anthropogenic SST warming eventually overwhelm the effects of internal variability that may mute anthropogenic warming over parts of the ocean. We postulate that many climate models may be underestimating both future warming and the magnitude of modeled internal variability because of their weak SST-LCC feedback.

  5. Combined student ratings and self-assessment provide useful feedback for clinical teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolmans, Diana H. J. M.; Wolfhagen, Ineke H. A. P.; Peters, Wim G.; van Coppenolle, Lieve; Scherpbier, Albert J. J. A.

    2009-01-01

    Many evaluation instruments have been developed to provide feedback to physicians on their clinical teaching but written feedback alone is not always effective. We explored whether feedback effectiveness improved when teachers’ self-assessment was added to written feedback based on student ratings. 37 physicians (10 residents, 27 attending physicians) from different specialties (Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, Neurology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, ENT, and Psychiatry) were invited to fill out a self-assessment questionnaire on their teaching skills. Students completed an almost identical questionnaire to evaluate the same teachers based on their experiences during clerkships. After receiving written feedback incorporating their self-assessment and the student ratings, the teachers indicated their perceptions of the self-assessment exercise and the written feedback in a questionnaire (five-point Likert scale items) and next, in more detail, in semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 12 of the participating teachers. 25 physicians participated (67%). The results showed that self-assessment and student feedback were both perceived as useful (3.7, SD 1.0) but the latter was considered more effective. The physicians we interviewed considered the combination of self-assessment with student ratings more effective than either self-assessment or written feedback alone. Notably, discrepancies between student ratings and self-assessment were deemed a strong incentive for change. We conclude that self-assessment can be a useful tool to stimulate improvement of clinical teaching when it is combined with written feedback based on student ratings. Future research among larger groups is needed to confirm our findings and examine whether these combined tools actually lead to improved teaching. PMID:19779976

  6. Positive Feedbacks Enhance Macroalgal Resilience on Degraded Coral Reefs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dell, Claire L A; Longo, Guilherme O; Hay, Mark E

    2016-01-01

    Many reefs have shifted from coral and fish dominated habitats to less productive macroalgal dominated habitats, and current research is investigating means of reversing this phase shift. In the tropical Pacific, overfished reefs with inadequate herbivory can become dominated by the brown alga Sargassum polycystum. This alga suppresses recruitment and survival of corals and fishes, thus limiting the potential for reef recovery. Here we investigate the mechanisms that reinforce S. polycystum dominance and show that in addition to negatively affecting other species, this species acts in a self-reinforcing manner, positively promoting survival and growth of conspecifics. We found that survival and growth of both recruit-sized and mature S. polycystum fronds were higher within Sargassum beds than outside the beds and these results were found in both protected and fished reefs. Much of this benefit resulted from reduced herbivory within the Sargassum beds, but adult fronds also grew ~50% more within the beds even when herbivory did not appear to be occurring, suggesting some physiological advantage despite the intraspecific crowding. Thus via positive feedbacks, S. polycystum enhances its own growth and resistance to herbivores, facilitating its dominance (perhaps also expansion) and thus its resilience on degraded reefs. This may be a key feedback mechanism suppressing the recovery of coral communities in reefs dominated by macroalgal beds.

  7. Positive Feedbacks Enhance Macroalgal Resilience on Degraded Coral Reefs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claire L A Dell

    Full Text Available Many reefs have shifted from coral and fish dominated habitats to less productive macroalgal dominated habitats, and current research is investigating means of reversing this phase shift. In the tropical Pacific, overfished reefs with inadequate herbivory can become dominated by the brown alga Sargassum polycystum. This alga suppresses recruitment and survival of corals and fishes, thus limiting the potential for reef recovery. Here we investigate the mechanisms that reinforce S. polycystum dominance and show that in addition to negatively affecting other species, this species acts in a self-reinforcing manner, positively promoting survival and growth of conspecifics. We found that survival and growth of both recruit-sized and mature S. polycystum fronds were higher within Sargassum beds than outside the beds and these results were found in both protected and fished reefs. Much of this benefit resulted from reduced herbivory within the Sargassum beds, but adult fronds also grew ~50% more within the beds even when herbivory did not appear to be occurring, suggesting some physiological advantage despite the intraspecific crowding. Thus via positive feedbacks, S. polycystum enhances its own growth and resistance to herbivores, facilitating its dominance (perhaps also expansion and thus its resilience on degraded reefs. This may be a key feedback mechanism suppressing the recovery of coral communities in reefs dominated by macroalgal beds.

  8. Computational Model of a Positive BDNF Feedback Loop in Hippocampal Neurons Following Inhibitory Avoidance Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yili; Smolen, Paul; Alberini, Cristina M.; Baxter, Douglas A.; Byrne, John H.

    2016-01-01

    Inhibitory avoidance (IA) training in rodents initiates a molecular cascade within hippocampal neurons. This cascade contributes to the transition of short- to long-term memory (i.e., consolidation). Here, a differential equation-based model was developed to describe a positive feedback loop within this molecular cascade. The feedback loop begins…

  9. MiR-192-Mediated Positive Feedback Loop Controls the Robustness of Stress-Induced p53 Oscillations in Breast Cancer Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Moore

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The p53 tumor suppressor protein plays a critical role in cellular stress and cancer prevention. A number of post-transcriptional regulators, termed microRNAs, are closely connected with the p53-mediated cellular networks. While the molecular interactions among p53 and microRNAs have emerged, a systems-level understanding of the regulatory mechanism and the role of microRNAs-forming feedback loops with the p53 core remains elusive. Here we have identified from literature that there exist three classes of microRNA-mediated feedback loops revolving around p53, all with the nature of positive feedback coincidentally. To explore the relationship between the cellular performance of p53 with the microRNA feedback pathways, we developed a mathematical model of the core p53-MDM2 module coupled with three microRNA-mediated positive feedback loops involving miR-192, miR-34a, and miR-29a. Simulations and bifurcation analysis in relationship to extrinsic noise reproduce the oscillatory behavior of p53 under DNA damage in single cells, and notably show that specific microRNA abrogation can disrupt the wild-type cellular phenotype when the ubiquitous cell-to-cell variability is taken into account. To assess these in silico results we conducted microRNA-perturbation experiments in MCF7 breast cancer cells. Time-lapse microscopy of cell-population behavior in response to DNA double-strand breaks, together with image classification of single-cell phenotypes across a population, confirmed that the cellular p53 oscillations are compromised after miR-192 perturbations, matching well with the model predictions. Our study via modeling in combination with quantitative experiments provides new evidence on the role of microRNA-mediated positive feedback loops in conferring robustness to the system performance of stress-induced response of p53.

  10. A Simple Negative Interaction in the Positive Transcriptional Feedback of a Single Gene Is Sufficient to Produce Reliable Oscillations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miró-Bueno, Jesús M.; Rodríguez-Patón, Alfonso

    2011-01-01

    Negative and positive transcriptional feedback loops are present in natural and synthetic genetic oscillators. A single gene with negative transcriptional feedback needs a time delay and sufficiently strong nonlinearity in the transmission of the feedback signal in order to produce biochemical rhythms. A single gene with only positive transcriptional feedback does not produce oscillations. Here, we demonstrate that this single-gene network in conjunction with a simple negative interaction can also easily produce rhythms. We examine a model comprised of two well-differentiated parts. The first is a positive feedback created by a protein that binds to the promoter of its own gene and activates the transcription. The second is a negative interaction in which a repressor molecule prevents this protein from binding to its promoter. A stochastic study shows that the system is robust to noise. A deterministic study identifies that the dynamics of the oscillator are mainly driven by two types of biomolecules: the protein, and the complex formed by the repressor and this protein. The main conclusion of this paper is that a simple and usual negative interaction, such as degradation, sequestration or inhibition, acting on the positive transcriptional feedback of a single gene is a sufficient condition to produce reliable oscillations. One gene is enough and the positive transcriptional feedback signal does not need to activate a second repressor gene. This means that at the genetic level an explicit negative feedback loop is not necessary. The model needs neither cooperative binding reactions nor the formation of protein multimers. Therefore, our findings could help to clarify the design principles of cellular clocks and constitute a new efficient tool for engineering synthetic genetic oscillators. PMID:22205920

  11. A Haptic Feedback Scheme to Accurately Position a Virtual Wrist Prosthesis Using a Three-Node Tactor Array.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Erwin

    Full Text Available In this paper, a novel haptic feedback scheme, used for accurately positioning a 1DOF virtual wrist prosthesis through sensory substitution, is presented. The scheme employs a three-node tactor array and discretely and selectively modulates the stimulation frequency of each tactor to relay 11 discrete haptic stimuli to the user. Able-bodied participants were able to move the virtual wrist prosthesis via a surface electromyography based controller. The participants evaluated the feedback scheme without visual or audio feedback and relied solely on the haptic feedback alone to correctly position the hand. The scheme was evaluated through both normal (perpendicular and shear (lateral stimulations applied on the forearm. Normal stimulations were applied through a prototype device previously developed by the authors while shear stimulations were generated using an ubiquitous coin motor vibrotactor. Trials with no feedback served as a baseline to compare results within the study and to the literature. The results indicated that using normal and shear stimulations resulted in accurately positioning the virtual wrist, but were not significantly different. Using haptic feedback was substantially better than no feedback. The results found in this study are significant since the feedback scheme allows for using relatively few tactors to relay rich haptic information to the user and can be learned easily despite a relatively short amount of training. Additionally, the results are important for the haptic community since they contradict the common conception in the literature that normal stimulation is inferior to shear. From an ergonomic perspective normal stimulation has the potential to benefit upper limb amputees since it can operate at lower frequencies than shear-based vibrotactors while also generating less noise. Through further tuning of the novel haptic feedback scheme and normal stimulation device, a compact and comfortable sensory substitution

  12. Provider Communication, Prompts, and Feedback to Improve HPV Vaccination Rates in Resident Clinics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rand, Cynthia M; Schaffer, Stanley J; Dhepyasuwan, Nui; Blumkin, Aaron; Albertin, Christina; Serwint, Janet R; Darden, Paul M; Humiston, Sharon G; Mann, Keith J; Stratbucker, William; Szilagyi, Peter G

    2018-04-01

    Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates lag behind vaccination rates for other adolescent vaccines; a bundled intervention may improve HPV vaccination rates. Our objective is to evaluate the impact of quality improvement (QI) training plus a bundled practice-based intervention (provider prompts plus communication skills training plus performance feedback) on improving HPV vaccinations in pediatric resident continuity clinics. Staff and providers in 8 resident clinics participated in a 12-month QI study. The intervention included training to strengthen provider communication about the HPV vaccine. Clinics also implemented provider prompts, received monthly performance feedback, and participated in learning collaborative calls. The primary outcome measure was eligible visits with vaccination divided by vaccine-eligible visits (captured HPV vaccination opportunities). Practices performed chart audits that were fed into monthly performance feedback on captured HPV vaccination opportunities. We used conditional logistic regression (conditioning on practice) to assess captured vaccination opportunities, with the time period of the study (before and after the QI intervention) as the independent variable. Overall, captured opportunities for HPV vaccination increased by 16.4 percentage points, from 46.9% to 63.3%. Special cause was demonstrated by centerline shift, with 8 consecutive points above the preintervention mean. On adjusted analyses, patients were more likely to receive a vaccine during, versus before, the intervention (odds ratio: 1.87; 95% confidence interval: 1.54-2.28). Captured HPV vaccination rates improved at both well-child and other visits (by 11.7 and 13.0 percentage points, respectively). A bundled intervention of provider prompts and training in communication skills plus performance feedback increased captured opportunities for HPV vaccination. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  13. Effect of position feedback during task-oriented upper-limb training after stroke: Five-case pilot study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Molier, B.I.; Prange, Grada Berendina; Krabben, T.; Stienen, Arno; van der Kooij, Herman; Buurke, Jaap; Jannink, M.J.A.; Hermens, Hermanus J.

    2011-01-01

    Feedback is an important element in motor learning during rehabilitation therapy following stroke. The objective of this pilot study was to better understand the effect of position feedback during task-oriented reach training of the upper limb in people with chronic stroke. Five subjects

  14. A computational model clarifies the roles of positive and negative feedback loops in the Drosophila circadian clock

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Junwei, E-mail: wangjunweilj@yahoo.com.c [Cisco School of Informatics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Zhou Tianshou [School of Mathematics and Computational Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China)

    2010-06-14

    Previous studies showed that a single negative feedback structure should be sufficient for robust circadian oscillations. It is thus pertinent to ask why current cellular clock models almost universally have interlocked negative feedback loop (NFL) and positive feedback loop (PFL). Here, we propose a molecular model that reflects the essential features of the Drosophila circadian clock to clarify the different roles of negative and positive feedback loops. In agreement with experimental observations, the model can simulate circadian oscillations in constant darkness, entrainment by light-dark cycles, as well as phenotypes of per{sup 01} and clk{sup Jrk} mutants. Moreover, sustained oscillations persist when the PFL is removed, implying the crucial role of NFL for rhythm generation. Through parameter sensitivity analysis, it is revealed that incorporation of PFL increases the robustness of the system to regulatory processes in PFL itself. Such reduced models can aid understanding of the design principles of circadian clocks in Drosophila and other organisms with complex transcriptional feedback structures.

  15. A computational model clarifies the roles of positive and negative feedback loops in the Drosophila circadian clock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Junwei; Zhou Tianshou

    2010-01-01

    Previous studies showed that a single negative feedback structure should be sufficient for robust circadian oscillations. It is thus pertinent to ask why current cellular clock models almost universally have interlocked negative feedback loop (NFL) and positive feedback loop (PFL). Here, we propose a molecular model that reflects the essential features of the Drosophila circadian clock to clarify the different roles of negative and positive feedback loops. In agreement with experimental observations, the model can simulate circadian oscillations in constant darkness, entrainment by light-dark cycles, as well as phenotypes of per 01 and clk Jrk mutants. Moreover, sustained oscillations persist when the PFL is removed, implying the crucial role of NFL for rhythm generation. Through parameter sensitivity analysis, it is revealed that incorporation of PFL increases the robustness of the system to regulatory processes in PFL itself. Such reduced models can aid understanding of the design principles of circadian clocks in Drosophila and other organisms with complex transcriptional feedback structures.

  16. Mode Selection Rules for a Two-Delay System with Positive and Negative Feedback Loops

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Kin'ya; Kobayashi, Taizo

    2018-04-01

    The mode selection rules for a two-delay system, which has negative feedback with a short delay time t1 and positive feedback with a long delay time t2, are studied numerically and theoretically. We find two types of mode selection rules depending on the strength of the negative feedback. When the strength of the negative feedback |α1| (α1 0), 2m + 1-th harmonic oscillation is well sustained in a neighborhood of t1/t2 = even/odd, i.e., relevant condition. In a neighborhood of the irrelevant condition given by t1/t2 = odd/even or t1/t2 = odd/odd, higher harmonic oscillations are observed. However, if |α1| is slightly less than α2, a different mode selection rule works, where the condition t1/t2 = odd/even is relevant and the conditions t1/t2 = odd/odd and t1/t2 = even/odd are irrelevant. These mode selection rules are different from the mode selection rule of the normal two-delay system with two positive feedback loops, where t1/t2 = odd/odd is relevant and the others are irrelevant. The two types of mode selection rules are induced by individually different mechanisms controlling the Hopf bifurcation, i.e., the Hopf bifurcation controlled by the "boosted bifurcation process" and by the "anomalous bifurcation process", which occur for |α1| below and above the threshold value αth, respectively.

  17. Can providing feedback on driving behavior and training on parental vigilant care affect male teen drivers and their parents?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farah, Haneen; Musicant, Oren; Shimshoni, Yaara; Toledo, Tomer; Grimberg, Einat; Omer, Haim; Lotan, Tsippy

    2014-08-01

    . The study showed that: (1) the Parental training group recorded significantly lower events rates (-29%) compared to the CONTROL group during the solo period; (2) although directed mainly at the novice drivers, the intervention positively affected also the behavior of parents, with both fathers and mothers in the Parental training group improving their driving (by -23% for both fathers and mothers) and mothers improving it also in the Family feedback group (by -30%). Thus, the intervention has broader impact effect beside the targeted population. It can be concluded that providing feedback on driving behavior and parental training in vigilant care significantly improves the driving behavior of young novice male drivers. Future research directions could include applying the intervention to a broader population, with larger diversity with respect to their driving records, culture, and behaviors. The challenge is to reach wide dissemination of IVDR for young drivers accompanied by parents' involvement, and to find the suitable incentives for its sustainability. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. The impact of positive, negative and topical relevance feedback

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kaptein, Rianne; Kamps, Jaap; Hiemstra, Djoerd

    2008-01-01

    This document contains a description of experiments for the 2008 Relevance Feedback track. We experiment with different amounts of feedback, including negative relevance feedback. Feedback is implemented using massive weighted query expansion. Parsimonious query expansion using only relevant

  19. Extremum seeking x-ray position feedback using power line harmonic leakage as the perturbation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Zohar

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Small x-ray beam sizes necessary for probing nanoscale phenomena require exquisite stability to prevent data corruption by noise. One source of instability at synchrotron radiation x-ray beamlines is the slow detuning of x-ray optics to marginal alignment where the onset of clipping increases the beam’s susceptibility to higher frequency position oscillations. In this article, we show that a 1  μm amplitude horizontal x-ray beam oscillation driven by power line harmonic leakage into the electron storage ring can be used as perturbation for horizontal position extremum seeking feedback. Feedback performance is characterized by convergence to 1.5% away from maximum intensity at optimal alignment.

  20. The FONT5 Bunch-by-Bunch Position and Angle Feedback System at ATF2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apsimon, R. J.; Bett, D. R.; Burrows, P. N.; Christian, G. B.; Constance, B.; Davis, M. R.; Gerbershagen, A.; Perry, C.; Resta-Lopez, J.

    The FONT5 upstream beam-based feedback system at ATF2 is designed to correct the position and angle jitter at the entrance to the ATF2 final-focus system, and also to demonstrate a prototype intra-train feedback system for the International Linear Collider interaction point. We discuss the hardware, from stripline BPMs to kickers, and RF and digital signal processing, as well as presenting results from the latest beam tests at ATF2.

  1. Position detectors, methods of detecting position, and methods of providing positional detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinberg, David M.; Harding, L. Dean; Larsen, Eric D.

    2002-01-01

    Position detectors, welding system position detectors, methods of detecting various positions, and methods of providing position detectors are described. In one embodiment, a welding system positional detector includes a base that is configured to engage and be moved along a curved surface of a welding work piece. At least one position detection apparatus is provided and is connected with the base and configured to measure angular position of the detector relative to a reference vector. In another embodiment, a welding system positional detector includes a weld head and at least one inclinometer mounted on the weld head. The one inclinometer is configured to develop positional data relative to a reference vector and the position of the weld head on a non-planar weldable work piece.

  2. Providing haptic feedback in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery: a direct optical force-sensing solution for haptic rendering of deformable bodies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrampoosh, Shervin; Dave, Mohit; Kia, Michael A; Rablau, Corneliu; Zadeh, Mehrdad H

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents an enhanced haptic-enabled master-slave teleoperation system which can be used to provide force feedback to surgeons in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). One of the research goals was to develop a combined-control architecture framework that included both direct force reflection (DFR) and position-error-based (PEB) control strategies. To achieve this goal, it was essential to measure accurately the direct contact forces between deformable bodies and a robotic tool tip. To measure the forces at a surgical tool tip and enhance the performance of the teleoperation system, an optical force sensor was designed, prototyped, and added to a robot manipulator. The enhanced teleoperation architecture was formulated by developing mathematical models for the optical force sensor, the extended slave robot manipulator, and the combined-control strategy. Human factor studies were also conducted to (a) examine experimentally the performance of the enhanced teleoperation system with the optical force sensor, and (b) study human haptic perception during the identification of remote object deformability. The first experiment was carried out to discriminate deformability of objects when human subjects were in direct contact with deformable objects by means of a laparoscopic tool. The control parameters were then tuned based on the results of this experiment using a gain-scheduling method. The second experiment was conducted to study the effectiveness of the force feedback provided through the enhanced teleoperation system. The results show that the force feedback increased the ability of subjects to correctly identify materials of different deformable types. In addition, the virtual force feedback provided by the teleoperation system comes close to the real force feedback experienced in direct MIS. The experimental results provide design guidelines for choosing and validating the control architecture and the optical force sensor.

  3. Interventions to increase recommendation and delivery of screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers by healthcare providers systematic reviews of provider assessment and feedback and provider incentives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabatino, Susan A; Habarta, Nancy; Baron, Roy C; Coates, Ralph J; Rimer, Barbara K; Kerner, Jon; Coughlin, Steven S; Kalra, Geetika P; Chattopadhyay, Sajal

    2008-07-01

    Most major medical organizations recommend routine screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. Screening can lead to early detection of these cancers, resulting in reduced mortality. Yet not all people who should be screened are screened, either regularly or, in some cases, ever. This report presents results of systematic reviews of effectiveness, applicability, economic efficiency, barriers to implementation, and other harms or benefits of two provider-directed intervention approaches to increase screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. These approaches, provider assessment and feedback, and provider incentives encourage providers to deliver screening services at appropriate intervals. Evidence in these reviews indicates that provider assessment and feedback interventions can effectively increase screening by mammography, Pap test, and fecal occult blood test. Health plans, healthcare systems, and cancer control coalitions should consider such evidence-based findings when implementing interventions to increase screening use. Evidence was insufficient to determine the effectiveness of provider incentives in increasing use of any of these tests. Specific areas for further research are suggested in this report, including the need for additional research to determine whether provider incentives are effective in increasing use of any of these screening tests, and whether assessment and feedback interventions are effective in increasing other tests for colorectal cancer (i.e., flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or double-contrast barium enema).

  4. How positive is the feedback between climate change and the carbon cycle?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedlingstein, P.; Rayner, P.

    2003-01-01

    Future climate change induced by atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases is believed to have a large impact on the global carbon cycle. Several offline studies focusing either on the marine or on the terrestrial carbon cycle highlighted such potential effects. Two recent online studies, using ocean-atmosphere general circulation models coupled to land and ocean carbon cycle models, investigated in a consistent way the feedback between the climate change and the carbon cycle. These two studies used observed anthropogenic CO 2 emissions for the 1860-1995 period and IPCC scenarios for the 1995-2100 period to force the climate - carbon cycle models. The study from the Hadley Centre group showed a very large positive feedback, atmospheric CO 2 reaching 980 ppmv by 2100 if future climate impacts on the carbon cycle, but only about 700 ppmv if the carbon cycle is included but assumed to be insensitive to the climate change. The IPSL coupled climate - carbon cycle model simulated a much smaller positive feedback: climate impact on the carbon cycle leads by 2100 to an addition of less than 100 ppmv in the atmosphere. Here we perform a detailed feedback analysis to show that such differences are due to two key processes that are still poorly constrained in these coupled models: first Southern Ocean circulation, which primarily controls the geochemical uptake of CO 2 , and second vegetation and soil carbon response to global warming. Our analytical analysis reproduces remarkably the results obtained by the fully coupled models. Also it allows us to identify that, amongst the two processes mentioned above, the latter (the land response to global warming) is the one that essentially explains the differences between the IPSL and the Hadley results

  5. Effective Instructor Feedback: Perceptions of Online Graduate Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beverley Getzlaf

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available This descriptive study explored online graduate students' perceptions of effective instructor feedback. The objectives of the study were to determine the students’ perceptions of the content of effective instructor feedback (“what should be included in effective feedback?” and the process of effective instructor feedback (“how should effective feedback be provided?”. The participants were students completing health-related graduate courses offered exclusively online. Data were collected via a survey that included open ended questions inviting participants to share their perspectives regarding effective online instructor feedback. Thematic analysis revealed five major themes: student involvement/individualization, gentle guidance, being positively constructive, timeliness and future orientation. We conclude that effective instructor feedback has positive outcomes for the students. Future studies are warranted to investigate strategies to make feedback a mutual process between instructor and student that supports an effective feedback cycle.

  6. Fractional-order positive position feedback compensator for active vibration control of a smart composite plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marinangeli, L.; Alijani, F.; HosseinNia, S. Hassan

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, Active Vibration Control (AVC) of a rectangular carbon fibre composite plate with free edges is presented. The plate is subjected to out-of-plane excitation by a modal vibration exciter and controlled by Macro Fibre Composite (MFC) transducers. Vibration measurements are performed by using a Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) system. A fractional-order Positive Position Feedback (PPF) compensator is proposed, implemented and compared to the standard integer-order PPF. MFC actuator and sensor are positioned on the plate based on maximal modal strain criterion, so as to control the second natural mode of the plate. Both integer and fractional-order PPF allowed for the effective control of the second mode of vibration. However, the newly proposed fractional-order controller is found to be more efficient in achieving the same performance with less actuation voltage. Moreover, it shows promising performance in reducing spillover effect due to uncontrolled modes.

  7. Return of spontaneous circulation and long-term survival according to feedback provided by automated external defibrillators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agerskov, M; Hansen, M B; Nielsen, A M

    2017-01-01

    levels. METHODS: We collected data on OHCA occurring between 2011 and 2014 in the Capital Region of Denmark where an AED was applied prior to ambulance arrival. Patient data were obtained from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry and medical records. AED data were retrieved from the Emergency Medical...... Dispatch Centre (EMDC) and information on feedback mechanisms, energy waveform and energy level was downloaded from the applied AEDs. RESULTS: A total of 196 OHCAs had an AED applied prior to ambulance arrival; 62 of these (32%) provided audio visual (AV) feedback while no feedback was provided in 134 (68...

  8. Does source matter? Nurses' and Physicians' perceptions of interprofessional feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Schaik, Sandrijn M; O'Sullivan, Patricia S; Eva, Kevin W; Irby, David M; Regehr, Glenn

    2016-02-01

    Receptiveness to interprofessional feedback, which is important for optimal collaboration, may be influenced by 'in-group or out-group' categorisation, as suggested by social identity theory. We used an experimental design to explore how nurses and resident physicians perceive feedback from people within and outside their own professional group. Paediatric residents and nurses participated in a simulation-based team exercise. Two nurses and two physicians wrote anonymous performance feedback for each participant. Participants each received a survey containing these feedback comments with prompts to rate (i) the usefulness (ii) the positivity and (iii) their agreement with each comment. Half of the participants received feedback labelled with the feedback provider's profession (two comments correctly labelled and two incorrectly labelled). Half received unlabelled feedback and were asked to guess the provider's profession. For each group, we performed separate three-way anovas on usefulness, positivity and agreement ratings to examine interactions between the recipient's profession, actual provider profession and perceived provider profession. Forty-five out of 50 participants completed the survey. There were no significant interactions between profession of the recipient and the actual profession of the feedback provider for any of the 3 variables. Among participants who guessed the source of the feedback, we found significant interactions between the profession of the feedback recipient and the guessed source of the feedback for both usefulness (F1,48 = 25.6; p feedback they guessed to be from nurses were higher than ratings of feedback they guessed to be from physicians, and vice versa. Among participants who received labelled feedback, we noted a similar interaction between the profession of the feedback recipient and labelled source of feedback for usefulness ratings (F1,92 = 4.72; p feedback to the in-group than to the out-group. This finding has potential

  9. Social closeness and feedback modulate susceptibility to the framing effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sip, Kamila E.; Smith, David V.; Porcelli, Anthony J.; Kar, Kohitij; Delgado, Mauricio R.

    2014-01-01

    Although, we often seek social feedback from others to help us make decisions, little is known about how social feedback affects decisions under risk, particularly from a close peer. We conducted two experiments using an established framing task to probe how decision making is modulated by social feedback valence (positive, negative) and the level of closeness with feedback provider (friend, confederate). Participants faced mathematically equivalent decisions framed as either an opportunity to keep (gain frame) or lose (loss frame) part of an initial endowment. Periodically, participants were provided with positive (e.g., “Nice!”) or negative (e.g., “Lame!”) feedback about their choices. Such feedback was provided by either a confederate (Experiment 1), or a gender-matched close friend (Experiment 2). As expected, the framing effect was observed in both experiments. Critically, an individual’s susceptibility to the framing effect was modulated by the valence of the social feedback, but only when the feedback provider was a close friend. This effect was reflected in the activation patterns of ventromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, regions involved in complex decision making. Taken together, these results highlight social closeness as an important factor in understanding the impact of social feedback on neural mechanisms of decision making. PMID:25074501

  10. Perception of CPR quality: Influence of CPR feedback, Just-in-Time CPR training and provider role.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Adam; Overly, Frank; Kessler, David; Nadkarni, Vinay M; Lin, Yiqun; Doan, Quynh; Duff, Jonathan P; Tofil, Nancy M; Bhanji, Farhan; Adler, Mark; Charnovich, Alex; Hunt, Elizabeth A; Brown, Linda L

    2015-02-01

    Many healthcare providers rely on visual perception to guide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but little is known about the accuracy of provider perceptions of CPR quality. We aimed to describe the difference between perceived versus measured CPR quality, and to determine the impact of provider role, real-time visual CPR feedback and Just-in-Time (JIT) CPR training on provider perceptions. We conducted secondary analyses of data collected from a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial of 324 healthcare providers who participated in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario between July 2012 and April 2014. Participants were randomized to one of four permutations of: JIT CPR training and real-time visual CPR feedback. We calculated the difference between perceived and measured quality of CPR and reported the proportion of subjects accurately estimating the quality of CPR within each study arm. Participants overestimated achieving adequate chest compression depth (mean difference range: 16.1-60.6%) and rate (range: 0.2-51%), and underestimated chest compression fraction (0.2-2.9%) across all arms. Compared to no intervention, the use of real-time feedback and JIT CPR training (alone or in combination) improved perception of depth (pCPR quality was poor for chest compression depth (0-13%), rate (5-46%) and chest compression fraction (60-63%). Perception of depth is more accurate in CPR providers versus team leaders (27.8% vs. 7.4%; p=0.043) when using real-time feedback. Healthcare providers' visual perception of CPR quality is poor. Perceptions of CPR depth are improved by using real-time visual feedback and with prior JIT CPR training. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Pulsed feedback defers cellular differentiation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joe H Levine

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Environmental signals induce diverse cellular differentiation programs. In certain systems, cells defer differentiation for extended time periods after the signal appears, proliferating through multiple rounds of cell division before committing to a new fate. How can cells set a deferral time much longer than the cell cycle? Here we study Bacillus subtilis cells that respond to sudden nutrient limitation with multiple rounds of growth and division before differentiating into spores. A well-characterized genetic circuit controls the concentration and phosphorylation of the master regulator Spo0A, which rises to a critical concentration to initiate sporulation. However, it remains unclear how this circuit enables cells to defer sporulation for multiple cell cycles. Using quantitative time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of Spo0A dynamics in individual cells, we observed pulses of Spo0A phosphorylation at a characteristic cell cycle phase. Pulse amplitudes grew systematically and cell-autonomously over multiple cell cycles leading up to sporulation. This pulse growth required a key positive feedback loop involving the sporulation kinases, without which the deferral of sporulation became ultrasensitive to kinase expression. Thus, deferral is controlled by a pulsed positive feedback loop in which kinase expression is activated by pulses of Spo0A phosphorylation. This pulsed positive feedback architecture provides a more robust mechanism for setting deferral times than constitutive kinase expression. Finally, using mathematical modeling, we show how pulsing and time delays together enable "polyphasic" positive feedback, in which different parts of a feedback loop are active at different times. Polyphasic feedback can enable more accurate tuning of long deferral times. Together, these results suggest that Bacillus subtilis uses a pulsed positive feedback loop to implement a "timer" that operates over timescales much longer than a cell cycle.

  12. Dynamics and feedback control of plasma equilibrium position in a tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burenko, O.

    1983-01-01

    A brief history of the beginnings of nuclear fusion research involving toroidal closed-system magnetic plasma containment is presented. A tokamak machine is defined mathematically for the purposes of plasma equilibrium position perturbation analysis. The perturbation equations of a tokamak plasma equilibrium position are developed. Solution of the approximated perturbation equations is carried out. A unique, simple, and useful plasma displacement dynamics transfer function of a tokamak is developed. The dominant time constants of the dynamics transfer function are determined in a symbolic form. This symbolic form of the dynamics transfer function makes it possible to study the stability of a tokamak's plasma equilibrium position. Knowledge of the dynamics transfer function permits systematic syntheses of the required plasma displacement feedback control systems

  13. Teachers' Accounts of Their Perceptions and Practices of Providing Written Feedback to Nursing Students on Their Assignments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iqbal, Sajid; Gul, Raisa; Lakhani, Arusa; Rizvi, Nusrat Fatima

    2014-01-01

    Written feedback can facilitate students' learning in several ways. However, the teachers' practices of written feedback may be affected by various factors. This study aimed to explore the nurse teachers' accounts of their perceptions and practices of providing written feedback. A descriptive exploratory design was employed in the study. A…

  14. An adaptive feedback controller for transverse angle and position jitter correction in linear particle beam accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barr, D.S.

    1993-01-01

    It is desired to design a position and angle jitter control system for pulsed linear accelerators that will increase the accuracy of correction over that achieved by currently used standard feedback jitter control systems. Interpulse or pulse-to-pulse correction is performed using the average value of each macropulse. The configuration of such a system resembles that of a standard feedback correction system with the addition of an adaptive controller that dynamically adjusts the gain-phase contour of the feedback electronics. The adaptive controller makes changes to the analog feedback system between macropulses. A simulation of such a system using real measured jitter data from the Stanford Linear Collider was shown to decrease the average rms jitter by over two and a half times. The system also increased and stabilized the correction at high frequencies; a typical problem with standard feedback systems

  15. An adaptive feedback controller for transverse angle and position jitter correction in linear particle beam accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barr, D.S.

    1992-01-01

    It is desired to design a position and angle jitter control system for pulsed linear accelerators that will increase the accuracy of correction over that achieved by currently used standard feedback jitter control systems. Interpulse or pulse-to-pulse correction is performed using the average value of each macropulse. The configuration of such a system resembles that of a standard feedback correction system with the addition of an adaptive controller that dynamically adjusts the gain-phase contour of the feedback electronics. The adaptive controller makes changes to the analog feedback system between macropulses. A simulation of such a system using real measured jitter data from the Stanford Linear Collider was shown to decrease the average rms jitter by over two and a half times. The system also increased and stabilized the correction at high frequencies; a typical problem with standard feedback systems

  16. Position feedback control of a nonmagnetic body levitated in magnetic fluid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, J H; Nam, Y J; Park, M K; Yamane, R

    2009-01-01

    This paper is concerned with the position feedback control of a magnetic fluid actuator which is characterized by the passive levitation of a nonmagnetic body immersed in a magnetic fluid under magnetic fields. First of all, the magnetic fluid actuator is designed based on the ferrohydrostatic relation. After manufacturing the actuator, its static and dynamic characteristics are investigated experimentally. With the aid of the dynamic governing relation obtained experimentally and the proportional-derivative controller, the position tracking control of the actuator is carried out both theoretically and experimentally. As a result, the applicability of the proposed magnetic fluid actuator to various engineering devices is verified.

  17. Dynamics of gene expression with positive feedback to histone modifications at bivalent domains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Rongsheng; Lei, Jinzhi

    2018-03-01

    Experiments have shown that in embryonic stem cells, the promoters of many lineage-control genes contain “bivalent domains”, within which the nucleosomes possess both active (H3K4me3) and repressive (H3K27me3) marks. Such bivalent modifications play important roles in maintaining pluripotency in embryonic stem cells. Here, to investigate gene expression dynamics when there are regulations in bivalent histone modifications and random partition in cell divisions, we study how positive feedback to histone methylation/demethylation controls the transition dynamics of the histone modification patterns along with cell cycles. We constructed a computational model that includes dynamics of histone marks, three-stage chromatin state transitions, transcription and translation, feedbacks from protein product to enzymes to regulate the addition and removal of histone marks, and the inheritance of nucleosome state between cell cycles. The model reveals how dynamics of both nucleosome state transition and gene expression are dependent on the enzyme activities and feedback regulations. Results show that the combination of stochastic histone modification at each cell division and the deterministic feedback regulation work together to adjust the dynamics of chromatin state transition in stem cell regenerations.

  18. The motivating role of positive feedback in sport and physical education: evidence for a motivational model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mouratidis, Athanasios; Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Lens, Willy; Sideridis, Georgios

    2008-04-01

    Based on self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), an experimental study with middle school students participating in a physical education task and a correlational study with highly talented sport students investigated the motivating role of positive competence feedback on participants' well-being, performance, and intention to participate. In Study 1, structural equation modeling favored the hypothesized motivational model, in which, after controlling for pretask perceived competence and competence valuation, feedback positively predicted competence satisfaction, which in turn predicted higher levels of vitality and greater intentions to participate, through the mediation of autonomous motivation. No effects on performance were found. Study 2 further showed that autonomous motivation mediated the relation between competence satisfaction and well-being, whereas a motivation mediated the negative relation between competence satisfaction and ill-being and rated performance. The discussion focuses on the motivational role of competence feedback in sports and physical education settings.

  19. How you provide corrective feedback makes a difference: the motivating role of communicating in an autonomy-supporting way.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mouratidis, Athanasios; Lens, Willy; Vansteenkiste, Maarten

    2010-10-01

    We relied on self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) to investigate to what extent autonomy-supporting corrective feedback (i.e., feedback that coaches communicate to their athletes after poor performance or mistakes) is associated with athletes' optimal motivation and well-being. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a cross-sectional study with 337 (67.1% males) Greek adolescent athletes (age M = 15.59, SD = 2.37) from various sports. Aligned with SDT, we found through path analysis that an autonomy-supporting versus controlling communication style was positively related to future intentions to persist and well-being and negatively related to ill-being. These relations were partially mediated by the perceived legitimacy of the corrective feedback (i.e., the degree of acceptance of corrective feedback), and, in turn, by intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, and external regulation for doing sports. Results indicate that autonomy-supporting feedback can be still motivating even in cases in which such feedback conveys messages of still too low competence.

  20. Consensus positive position feedback control for vibration attenuation of smart structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omidi, Ehsan; Nima Mahmoodi, S.

    2015-04-01

    This paper presents a new network-based approach for active vibration control in smart structures. In this approach, a network with known topology connects collocated actuator/sensor elements of the smart structure to one another. Each of these actuators/sensors, i.e., agent or node, is enhanced by a separate multi-mode positive position feedback (PPF) controller. The decentralized PPF controlled agents collaborate with each other in the designed network, under a certain consensus dynamics. The consensus constraint forces neighboring agents to cooperate with each other such that the disagreement between the time-domain actuation of the agents is driven to zero. The controller output of each agent is calculated using state-space variables; hence, optimal state estimators are designed first for the proposed observer-based consensus PPF control. The consensus controller is numerically investigated for a flexible smart structure, i.e., a thin aluminum beam that is clamped at its both ends. Results demonstrate that the consensus law successfully imposes synchronization between the independently controlled agents, as the disagreements between the decentralized PPF controller variables converge to zero in a short time. The new consensus PPF controller brings extra robustness to vibration suppression in smart structures, where malfunctions of an agent can be compensated for by referencing the neighboring agents’ performance. This is demonstrated in the results by comparing the new controller with former centralized PPF approach.

  1. Collaborative Assembly Operation between Two Modular Robots Based on the Optical Position Feedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liying Su

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies the cooperation between two master-slave modular robots. A cooperative robot system is set up with two modular robots and a dynamic optical meter-Optotrak. With Optotrak, the positions of the end effectors are measured as the optical position feedback, which is used to adjust the robots' end positions. A tri-layered motion controller is designed for the two cooperative robots. The RMRC control method is adopted to adjust the master robot to the desired position. With the kinematics constraints of the two robots including position and pose, joint velocity, and acceleration constraints, the two robots can cooperate well. A bolt and nut assembly experiment is executed to verify the methods.

  2. Informational feedback and self-esteem among male and female athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamal, A F; Blais, C; McCarrey, M; Laramee, D; Ekstrand, K

    1992-06-01

    The self-esteem of male and female competitive athletes was compared after each was provided either positive or negative (verbal) informational feedback on a nonathletic task, a series of single-solution anagrams. Subjects were 50 men and 50 women, aged 18 to 25 years, who were tested on the semantic differential to estimate athletes' self-esteem before and after receiving the informational feedback. Over-all, female athletes responded more strongly to both feedback conditions, with both groups being more influenced by negative rather than by positive feedback.

  3. New positive feedback mechanism between boundary layer meteorology and secondary aerosol formation during severe haze events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Quan; Jia, Xingcan; Quan, Jiannong; Li, Jiayun; Li, Xia; Wu, Yongxue; Chen, Dan; Wang, Zifa; Liu, Yangang

    2018-04-17

    Severe haze events during which particulate matter (PM) increases quickly from tens to hundreds of microgram per cubic meter in 1-2 days frequently occur in China. Although it has been known that PM is influenced by complex interplays among emissions, meteorology, and physical and chemical processes, specific mechanisms remain elusive. Here, a new positive feedback mechanism between planetary boundary layer (PBL), relative humidity (RH), and secondary PM (SPM) formation is proposed based on a comprehensive field experiment and model simulation. The decreased PBL associated with increased PM increases RH by weakening the vertical transport of water vapor; the increased RH in turn enhances the SPM formation through heterogeneous aqueous reactions, which further enhances PM, weakens solar radiation, and decreases PBL height. This positive feedback, together with the PM-Radiation-PBL feedback, constitutes a key mechanism that links PM, radiation, PBL properties (e.g. PBL height and RH), and SPM formation, This mechanism is self-amplifying, leading to faster PM production, accumulation, and more severe haze pollution.

  4. Unpredictability in seagrass restoration: analysing the role of positive feedback and environmental stress on

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Suykerbuyk, W.; Govers, L.L.; Bouma, T.J.; Giesen, W.B.J.T.; de Jong, D.J.; van de Voort, R.; Giesen, K.; Giesen, P.T.; van Katwijk, M.M.

    2016-01-01

    1. Restoration of key species in dynamic coastal ecosystems benefits from reduction in environmentalstress. This can be realized by promoting positive feedback (intrinsic processes) orby reducing extrinsic negative forcing.2. In a seagrass (Zostera noltii) restoration project in the south-western

  5. Sp1-CD147 positive feedback loop promotes the invasion ability of ovarian cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jing; Ye, Wei; Wu, Juan; Liu, Lijuan; Yang, Lina; Gao, Lu; Chen, Biliang; Zhang, Fanglin; Yang, Hong; Li, Yu

    2015-07-01

    CD147 is a novel cancer biomarker that has been confirmed to be overexpressed in ovarian carcinoma, which is significantly associated with poor prognosis. Although the Sp1 protein regulates the expression level of CD147, it remains unclear whether Sp1 phosphorylation plays a role in this regulation. A dual-luciferase assay revealed that T453 and T739 mutations decreased the activity of Sp1 binding to the promoter of CD147, followed by a decrease in CD147 mRNA and protein expression. Western blot analysis showed that CD147 promoted Sp1 phosphorylation at T453 and T739 through the PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways. In addition, blocking the Sp1-CD147 positive feedback loop reduced the invasion ability of HO-8910pm cells. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the components of the feedback loop were overexpressed in ovarian cancer tissues. The correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between phospho-Sp1 (T453), phospho-Sp1 (T739) and CD147 expression levels, with correlation coefficients of r=0.477 and r=0.461, respectively. Collectively, our results suggest that a Sp1-CD147 positive feedback loop plays a critical role in the invasion ability of ovarian cancer cells.

  6. Integration of sensory force feedback is disturbed in CRPS-related dystonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mugge, Winfred; van der Helm, Frans C T; Schouten, Alfred C

    2013-01-01

    Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterized by pain and disturbed blood flow, temperature regulation and motor control. Approximately 25% of cases develop fixed dystonia. The origin of this movement disorder is poorly understood, although recent insights suggest involvement of disturbed force feedback. Assessment of sensorimotor integration may provide insight into the pathophysiology of fixed dystonia. Sensory weighting is the process of integrating and weighting sensory feedback channels in the central nervous system to improve the state estimate. It was hypothesized that patients with CRPS-related dystonia bias sensory weighting of force and position toward position due to the unreliability of force feedback. The current study provides experimental evidence for dysfunctional sensory integration in fixed dystonia, showing that CRPS-patients with fixed dystonia weight force and position feedback differently than controls do. The study shows reduced force feedback weights in CRPS-patients with fixed dystonia, making it the first to demonstrate disturbed integration of force feedback in fixed dystonia, an important step towards understanding the pathophysiology of fixed dystonia.

  7. Integration of sensory force feedback is disturbed in CRPS-related dystonia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Winfred Mugge

    Full Text Available Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS is characterized by pain and disturbed blood flow, temperature regulation and motor control. Approximately 25% of cases develop fixed dystonia. The origin of this movement disorder is poorly understood, although recent insights suggest involvement of disturbed force feedback. Assessment of sensorimotor integration may provide insight into the pathophysiology of fixed dystonia. Sensory weighting is the process of integrating and weighting sensory feedback channels in the central nervous system to improve the state estimate. It was hypothesized that patients with CRPS-related dystonia bias sensory weighting of force and position toward position due to the unreliability of force feedback. The current study provides experimental evidence for dysfunctional sensory integration in fixed dystonia, showing that CRPS-patients with fixed dystonia weight force and position feedback differently than controls do. The study shows reduced force feedback weights in CRPS-patients with fixed dystonia, making it the first to demonstrate disturbed integration of force feedback in fixed dystonia, an important step towards understanding the pathophysiology of fixed dystonia.

  8. Feedback-related brain activity predicts learning from feedback in multiple-choice testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ernst, Benjamin; Steinhauser, Marco

    2012-06-01

    Different event-related potentials (ERPs) have been shown to correlate with learning from feedback in decision-making tasks and with learning in explicit memory tasks. In the present study, we investigated which ERPs predict learning from corrective feedback in a multiple-choice test, which combines elements from both paradigms. Participants worked through sets of multiple-choice items of a Swahili-German vocabulary task. Whereas the initial presentation of an item required the participants to guess the answer, corrective feedback could be used to learn the correct response. Initial analyses revealed that corrective feedback elicited components related to reinforcement learning (FRN), as well as to explicit memory processing (P300) and attention (early frontal positivity). However, only the P300 and early frontal positivity were positively correlated with successful learning from corrective feedback, whereas the FRN was even larger when learning failed. These results suggest that learning from corrective feedback crucially relies on explicit memory processing and attentional orienting to corrective feedback, rather than on reinforcement learning.

  9. Ultra high-speed (508 MHz) beam position digital feedback system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurokawa, Shin-ichi; Kametani, Masatsugu; Nakayama, Takahide; Moriyama, Kunio.

    1997-01-01

    The B-Factory which is constructed by National Laboratory for High Energy Physics is the device for elucidating the breakdown of symmetry of matter and antimatter by studying the behavior of B mesons which are generated in large quantity when the electrons and the positrons which are accelerated to light velocity level are collided. In order to maintain electron beam-positron beam bunch circling the ring at light velocity stably, the instability of the coupled bunch must be overcome. For this purpose, the ultrahigh speed beam position digital feedback control system was developed. This system is composed of the high speed input-output substrate using GaAs LSI, the feedback computation substrate using complementary metal oxide semiconductor and the memory mounted on it, and the real time operation device. The development of both substrates and their functions are explained. The real time data collection and the change of computation parameters for specific bunch in the real time operation device have become feasible. The signal transmission characteristics of this system are shown. As the result of the action test of this system, it was confirmed to work normally. (K.I.)

  10. Influence of feedback characteristics on perceived learning value of feedback in clerkships: does culture matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suhoyo, Yoyo; Van Hell, Elisabeth A; Kerdijk, Wouter; Emilia, Ova; Schönrock-Adema, Johanna; Kuks, Jan B M; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

    2017-04-05

    Various feedback characteristics have been suggested to positively influence student learning. It is not clear how these feedback characteristics contribute to students' perceived learning value of feedback in cultures classified low on the cultural dimension of individualism and high on power distance. This study was conducted to validate the influence of five feedback characteristics on students' perceived learning value of feedback in an Indonesian clerkship context. We asked clerks in Neurology (n = 169) and Internal Medicine (n = 132) to assess on a 5-point Likert scale the learning value of the feedback they received. We asked them to record whether the feedback provider (1) informed the student what went well, (2) mentioned which aspects of performance needed improvement, (3) compared the student's performance to a standard, (4) further explained or demonstrated the correct performance, and (5) prepared an action plan with the student to improve performance. Data were analyzed using multilevel regression. A total of 250 students participated in this study, 131 from Internal Medicine (response rate 99%) and 119 from Neurology (response rate 70%). Of these participants, 225 respondents (44% males, 56% females) completed the form and reported 889 feedback moments. Students perceived feedback as more valuable when the feedback provider mentioned their weaknesses (β = 0.153, p learning value of feedback. No gender differences were found for perceived learning value. In Indonesia, we could validate four out of the five characteristics for effective feedback. We argue that our findings relate to culture, in particular to the levels of individualism and power distance. The recognized characteristics of what constitutes effective feedback should be validated across cultures.

  11. Be kind to your eating disorder patients: the impact of positive and negative feedback on the explicit and implicit self-esteem of female patients with eating disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderlinden, J; Kamphuis, J H; Slagmolen, C; Wigboldus, D; Pieters, G; Probst, M

    2009-12-01

    Lack of self-esteem may play an important role in the development of eating disorders (ED). This study investigated the differential impact of positive and negative feedback on implicit and explicit self-esteem in women with an ED (N=25) as compared to women without an ED (N=29). False feedback (positive or negative) was given on participant's performance on a specifically developed intellectual test. Before and after the performance, explicit and implicit self-esteem was measured. On the explicit measure ED patients reacted congruently with the nature of the feedback. On the implicit measure only ED patients responded to the positive feedback with an improvement of self-esteem, with no effect for negative feedback. The control group was unaffected by either feedback. Furthermore, no correlation was observed between the explicit and implicit measures, a finding suggesting that these measurements tap different constructs. Positive feedback affects implicit self-esteem of female patients with eating disorders. The results underline the importance of positively approaching women with ED.

  12. Pairing attachment theory and social learning theory in video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juffer, Femmie; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H

    2017-06-01

    Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) is a social-learning and attachment-based intervention using video feedback to support sensitive parenting and at the same time setting firm limits. Empirical studies and meta-analyses have shown that sensitive parenting is the key determinant to promote secure child-parent attachment relationships and that adequate parental discipline contributes to fewer behavior problems in children. Building on this evidence, VIPP-SD has been tested in various populations of at-risk parents and vulnerable children (in the age range of zero to six years), as well as in the context of child care. In twelve randomized controlled trials including 1116 parents and caregivers, VIPP-SD proved to be effective in promoting sensitive caregiving, while positive social-emotional child outcomes were also found. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Somatotopical feedback versus non-somatotopical feedback for phantom digit sensation on amputees using electrotactile stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Dingguo; Xu, Heng; Shull, Peter B; Liu, Jianrong; Zhu, Xiangyang

    2015-05-02

    Transcutaneous electrical stimulation can provide amputees with tactile feedback for better manipulating an advanced prosthesis. In general, there are two ways to transfer the stimulus to the skin: somatotopical feedback (SF) that stimulates the phantom digit somatotopy on the stump and non-somatotopical feedback (NF) that stimulates other positions on the human body. To investigate the difference between SF and NF, electrotactile experiments were conducted on seven amputees. Electrical stimulation was applied via a complete phantom map to the residual limb (SF) and to the upper arm (NF) separately. The behavior results of discrimination accuracy and response time were used to examine: 1) performance differences between SF and NF for discriminating position, type and strength of tactile feedback; 2) performance differences between SF and NF for one channel (1C), three channels (3C), and five channels (5C). NASA-TLX standardized testing was used to determine differences in mental workload between SF and NF. The grand-averaged discrimination accuracy for SF was 6% higher than NF, and the average response time for SF was 600 ms faster than NF. SF is better than NF for position, type, strength, and the overall modality regarding both accuracy and response time except for 1C modality (pNASA-TLX scores indicated that mental workload increased as the number of stimulation channels increased. We quantified the difference between SF and NF, and the influence of different number of stimulation channels. SF was better than NF in general, but the practical issues such as the limited area of stumps could constrain the use of SF. We found that more channels increased the amount and richness of information to the amputee while fewer channels resulted in higher performance, and thus the 3C/SF modality was a good compromise. Based on this study, we provide possible solutions to the practical problems involving the implementation of tactile feedback for amputees. These results are

  14. Real-time orbit feedback at the APS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carwardine, J.

    1998-01-01

    A real-time orbit feedback system has been implemented at the Advanced Photon Source in order to meet the stringent orbit stability requirements. The system reduces global orbit motion below 30Hz by a factor of four to below 5 microm rms horizontally and 2 microm rms vertically. This paper focuses on dynamic orbit stability and describes the all-digital orbit feedback system that has been implemented at the APS. Implementation of the global orbit feedback system is described and its latest performance is presented. Ultimately, the system will provide local feedback at each x-ray source point using installed photon BPMs to measure x-ray beam position and angle directly. Technical challenges associated with local feedback and with dynamics of the associated corrector magnets are described. The unique diagnostic capabilities provided by the APS system are discussed with reference to their use in identifying sources of the underlying orbit motion

  15. Reproducibility of The Abdominal and Chest Wall Position by Voluntary Breath-Hold Technique Using a Laser-Based Monitoring and Visual Feedback System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Katsumasa; Shioyama, Yoshiyuki; Nomoto, Satoru; Ohga, Saiji; Toba, Takashi; Yoshitake, Tadamasa; Anai, Shigeo; Terashima, Hiromi; Honda, Hiroshi

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: The voluntary breath-hold (BH) technique is a simple method to control the respiration-related motion of a tumor during irradiation. However, the abdominal and chest wall position may not be accurately reproduced using the BH technique. The purpose of this study was to examine whether visual feedback can reduce the fluctuation in wall motion during BH using a new respiratory monitoring device. Methods and Materials: We developed a laser-based BH monitoring and visual feedback system. For this study, five healthy volunteers were enrolled. The volunteers, practicing abdominal breathing, performed shallow end-expiration BH (SEBH), shallow end-inspiration BH (SIBH), and deep end-inspiration BH (DIBH) with or without visual feedback. The abdominal and chest wall positions were measured at 80-ms intervals during BHs. Results: The fluctuation in the chest wall position was smaller than that of the abdominal wall position. The reproducibility of the wall position was improved by visual feedback. With a monitoring device, visual feedback reduced the mean deviation of the abdominal wall from 2.1 ± 1.3 mm to 1.5 ± 0.5 mm, 2.5 ± 1.9 mm to 1.1 ± 0.4 mm, and 6.6 ± 2.4 mm to 2.6 ± 1.4 mm in SEBH, SIBH, and DIBH, respectively. Conclusions: Volunteers can perform the BH maneuver in a highly reproducible fashion when informed about the position of the wall, although in the case of DIBH, the deviation in the wall position remained substantial

  16. Follower-Centered Perspective on Feedback: Effects of Feedback Seeking on Identification and Feedback Environment

    OpenAIRE

    Gong, Zhenxing; Li, Miaomiao; Qi, Yaoyuan; Zhang, Na

    2017-01-01

    In the formation mechanism of the feedback environment, the existing research pays attention to external feedback sources and regards individuals as objects passively accepting feedback. Thus, the external source fails to realize the individuals’ need for feedback, and the feedback environment cannot provide them with useful information, leading to a feedback vacuum. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of feedback-seeking by different strategies on the supervisor-feedback environme...

  17. A Feedback Model for Data-Rich Learning Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pardo, Abelardo

    2018-01-01

    Feedback has been identified as one of the factors with the largest potential for a positive impact in a learning experience. There is a significant body of knowledge studying feedback and providing guidelines for its implementation in learning environments. In parallel, the areas of learning analytics or educational data mining have emerged to…

  18. Positive feedback between increasing atmospheric CO2 and ecosystem productivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelfand, I.; Hamilton, S. K.; Robertson, G. P.

    2009-12-01

    Increasing atmospheric CO2 will likely affect both the hydrologic cycle and ecosystem productivity. Current assumptions that increasing CO2 will lead to increased ecosystem productivity and plant water use efficiency (WUE) are driving optimistic predictions of higher crop yields as well as greater availability of freshwater resources due to a decrease in evapotranspiration. The plant physiological response that drives these effects is believed to be an increase in carbon uptake either by (a) stronger CO2 gradient between the stomata and the atmosphere, or by (b) reduced CO2 limitation of enzymatic carboxylation within the leaf. The (a) scenario will lead to increased water use efficiency (WUE) in plants. However, evidence for increased WUE is mostly based on modeling studies, and experiments producing a short duration or step-wise increase in CO2 concentration (e.g. free-air CO2 enrichment). We hypothesize that the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration is having a positive effect on ecosystem productivity and WUE. To investigate this hypothesis, we analyzed meteorological, ANPP, and soil CO2 flux datasets together with carbon isotopic ratio (13C/12C) of archived plant samples from the long term ecological research (LTER) program at Kellogg Biological Station. The datasets were collected between 1989 and 2007 (corresponding to an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration of ~33 ppmv at Mauna Loa). Wheat (Triticum aestivum) samples taken from 1989 and 2007 show a significant decrease in the C isotope discrimination factor (Δ) over time. Stomatal conductance is directly related to Δ, and thus Δ is inversely related to plant intrinsic WUE (iWUE). Historical changes in the 13C/12C ratio (δ13C) in samples of a perennial forb, Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), taken from adjacent successional fields, indicate changes in Δ upon uptake of CO2 as well. These temporal trends in Δ suggest a positive feedback between the increasing CO2 concentration in the

  19. Improving the positive feedback adiabatic logic familiy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Fischer

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Positive Feedback Adiabatic Logic (PFAL shows the lowest energy dissipation among adiabatic logic families based on cross-coupled transistors, due to the reduction of both adiabatic and non-adiabatic losses. The dissipation primarily depends on the resistance of the charging path, which consists of a single p-channel MOSFET during the recovery phase. In this paper, a new logic family called Improved PFAL (IPFAL is proposed, where all n- and pchannel devices are swapped so that the charge can be recovered through an n-channel MOSFET. This allows to decrease the resistance of the charging path up to a factor of 2, and it enables a significant reduction of the energy dissipation. Simulations based on a 0.13µm CMOS process confirm the improvements in terms of power consumption over a large frequency range. However, the same simple design rule, which enables in PFAL an additional reduction of the dissipation by optimal transistor sizing, does not apply to IPFAL. Therefore, the influence of several sources of dissipation for a generic IPFAL gate is illustrated and discussed, in order to lower the power consumption and achieve better performance.

  20. Positive feedback between global warming and atmospheric CO2 concentration inferred from past climate change

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scheffer, M.; Brovkin, V.; Cox, P.M.

    2006-01-01

    There is good evidence that higher global temperatures will promote a rise of greenhouse gas levels, implying a positive feedback which will increase the effect of anthropogenic emissions on global temperatures. However, the magnitude of this effect predicted by the available models remains highly

  1. Social closeness and feedback modulate susceptibility to the framing effect

    OpenAIRE

    Sip, Kamila E.; Smith, David V.; Porcelli, Anthony J.; Kar, Kohitij; Delgado, Mauricio R.

    2014-01-01

    Although, we often seek social feedback from others to help us make decisions, little is known about how social feedback affects decisions under risk, particularly from a close peer. We conducted two experiments using an established framing task to probe how decision making is modulated by social feedback valence (positive, negative) and the level of closeness with feedback provider (friend, confederate). Participants faced mathematically equivalent decisions framed as either an opportunity t...

  2. Functional characteristics of a double positive feedback loop coupled with autorepression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banerjee, Subhasis; Bose, Indrani

    2008-01-01

    We study the functional characteristics of a two-gene motif consisting of a double positive feedback loop and an autoregulatory negative feedback loop. The motif appears in the gene regulatory network controlling the functional activity of pancreatic β-cells. The model exhibits bistability and hysteresis in appropriate parameter regions. The two stable steady states correspond to low (OFF state) and high (ON state) protein levels, respectively. Using a deterministic approach, we show that the region of bistability increases in extent when the copy number of one of the genes is reduced from 2 to 1. The negative feedback loop has the effect of reducing the size of the bistable region. Loss of a gene copy, brought about by mutations, hampers the normal functioning of the β-cells giving rise to the genetic disorder, maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). The diabetic phenotype makes its appearance when a sizable fraction of the β-cells is in the OFF state. Using stochastic simulation techniques we show that, on reduction of the gene copy number, there is a transition from the monostable ON to the ON state in the bistable region of the parameter space. Fluctuations in the protein levels, arising due to the stochastic nature of gene expression, can give rise to transitions between the ON and OFF states. We show that as the strength of autorepression increases, the ON → OFF state transitions become less probable whereas the reverse transitions are more probable. The implications of the results in the context of the occurrence of MODY are pointed out

  3. Functional characteristics of a double positive feedback loop coupled with autorepression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banerjee, Subhasis; Bose, Indrani

    2008-12-01

    We study the functional characteristics of a two-gene motif consisting of a double positive feedback loop and an autoregulatory negative feedback loop. The motif appears in the gene regulatory network controlling the functional activity of pancreatic β-cells. The model exhibits bistability and hysteresis in appropriate parameter regions. The two stable steady states correspond to low (OFF state) and high (ON state) protein levels, respectively. Using a deterministic approach, we show that the region of bistability increases in extent when the copy number of one of the genes is reduced from 2 to 1. The negative feedback loop has the effect of reducing the size of the bistable region. Loss of a gene copy, brought about by mutations, hampers the normal functioning of the β-cells giving rise to the genetic disorder, maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). The diabetic phenotype makes its appearance when a sizable fraction of the β-cells is in the OFF state. Using stochastic simulation techniques we show that, on reduction of the gene copy number, there is a transition from the monostable ON to the ON state in the bistable region of the parameter space. Fluctuations in the protein levels, arising due to the stochastic nature of gene expression, can give rise to transitions between the ON and OFF states. We show that as the strength of autorepression increases, the ON → OFF state transitions become less probable whereas the reverse transitions are more probable. The implications of the results in the context of the occurrence of MODY are pointed out.

  4. Real-time orbit feedback at the APS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carwardine, J.A.; Lenkszus, F.R.

    1998-01-01

    A real-time orbit feedback system has been implemented at the Advanced Photon Source in order to meet the stringent orbit stability requirements. The system reduces global orbit motion below 30 Hz by a factor of four to below 5 μm rms horizontally and 2 μm rms vertically. This paper focuses on dynamic orbit stability and describes the all-digital orbit feedback system that has been implemented at the APS. Implementation of the global orbit feedback system is described and its latest performance is presented. Ultimately, the system will provide local feedback at each x-ray source point using installed photon BPMs to measure x-ray beam position and angle directly. Technical challenges associated with local feedback and with dynamics of the associated corrector magnets are described. The unique diagnostic capabilities provided by the APS system are discussed with reference to their use in identifying sources of the underlying orbit motion. copyright 1998 American Institute of Physics

  5. Real-time orbit feedback at the APS.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carwardine, J.

    1998-06-18

    A real-time orbit feedback system has been implemented at the Advanced Photon Source in order to meet the stringent orbit stability requirements. The system reduces global orbit motion below 30Hz by a factor of four to below 5{micro}m rms horizontally and 2{micro}m rms vertically. This paper focuses on dynamic orbit stability and describes the all-digital orbit feedback system that has been implemented at the APS. Implementation of the global orbit feedback system is described and its latest performance is presented. Ultimately, the system will provide local feedback at each x-ray source point using installed photon BPMs to measure x-ray beam position and angle directly. Technical challenges associated with local feedback and with dynamics of the associated corrector magnets are described. The unique diagnostic capabilities provided by the APS system are discussed with reference to their use in identifying sources of the underlying orbit motion.

  6. Diamond Light Source Booster fast orbit feedback system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gayadeen, S.; Duncan, S.R.; Christou, C.; Heron, M.T.; Rowland, J.

    2012-01-01

    The Fast Orbit Feedback system that has been installed on the Diamond Light Source Storage ring has been replicated on the Booster synchrotron in order to provide a test bed for the development of the Storage Ring controller design. To realise this the Booster is operated in DC mode. The electron beam is regulated in two planes using the Fast Orbit Feedback system, which takes the beam position from 22 beam position monitors for each plane, and calculates offsets to 44 corrector power supplies at a sample rate of 10 kHz. This paper describes the design and realization of the controller for the Booster Fast Orbit Feedback, presents results from the implementation and considers future development

  7. Positive feedback between mycorrhizal fungi and plants influences plant invasion success and resistance to invasion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qian; Yang, Ruyi; Tang, Jianjun; Yang, Haishui; Hu, Shuijin; Chen, Xin

    2010-08-24

    Negative or positive feedback between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and host plants can contribute to plant species interactions, but how this feedback affects plant invasion or resistance to invasion is not well known. Here we tested how alterations in AMF community induced by an invasive plant species generate feedback to the invasive plant itself and affect subsequent interactions between the invasive species and its native neighbors. We first examined the effects of the invasive forb Solidago canadensis L. on AMF communities comprising five different AMF species. We then examined the effects of the altered AMF community on mutualisms formed with the native legume forb species Kummerowia striata (Thunb.) Schindl. and on the interaction between the invasive and native plants. The host preferences of the five AMF were also assessed to test whether the AMF form preferred mutualistic relations with the invasive and/or the native species. We found that S. canadensis altered AMF spore composition by increasing one AMF species (Glomus geosporum) while reducing Glomus mosseae, which is the dominant species in the field. The host preference test showed that S. canadensis had promoted the abundance of AMF species (G. geosporum) that most promoted its own growth. As a consequence, the altered AMF community enhanced the competitiveness of invasive S. canadensis at the expense of K. striata. Our results demonstrate that the invasive S. canadensis alters soil AMF community composition because of fungal-host preference. This change in the composition of the AMF community generates positive feedback to the invasive S. canadensis itself and decreases AM associations with native K. striata, thereby making the native K. striata less dominant.

  8. Positive feedback between mycorrhizal fungi and plants influences plant invasion success and resistance to invasion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Zhang

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Negative or positive feedback between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF and host plants can contribute to plant species interactions, but how this feedback affects plant invasion or resistance to invasion is not well known. Here we tested how alterations in AMF community induced by an invasive plant species generate feedback to the invasive plant itself and affect subsequent interactions between the invasive species and its native neighbors. We first examined the effects of the invasive forb Solidago canadensis L. on AMF communities comprising five different AMF species. We then examined the effects of the altered AMF community on mutualisms formed with the native legume forb species Kummerowia striata (Thunb. Schindl. and on the interaction between the invasive and native plants. The host preferences of the five AMF were also assessed to test whether the AMF form preferred mutualistic relations with the invasive and/or the native species. We found that S. canadensis altered AMF spore composition by increasing one AMF species (Glomus geosporum while reducing Glomus mosseae, which is the dominant species in the field. The host preference test showed that S. canadensis had promoted the abundance of AMF species (G. geosporum that most promoted its own growth. As a consequence, the altered AMF community enhanced the competitiveness of invasive S. canadensis at the expense of K. striata. Our results demonstrate that the invasive S. canadensis alters soil AMF community composition because of fungal-host preference. This change in the composition of the AMF community generates positive feedback to the invasive S. canadensis itself and decreases AM associations with native K. striata, thereby making the native K. striata less dominant.

  9. Social closeness and feedback modulate susceptibility to the framing effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sip, Kamila E; Smith, David V; Porcelli, Anthony J; Kar, Kohitij; Delgado, Mauricio R

    2015-01-01

    Although we often seek social feedback (SFB) from others to help us make decisions, little is known about how SFB affects decisions under risk, particularly from a close peer. We conducted two experiments using an established framing task to probe how decision-making is modulated by SFB valence (positive, negative) and the level of closeness with feedback provider (friend, confederate). Participants faced mathematically equivalent decisions framed as either an opportunity to keep (gain frame) or lose (loss frame) part of an initial endowment. Periodically, participants were provided with positive (e.g., "Nice!") or negative (e.g., "Lame!") feedback about their choices. Such feedback was provided by either a confederate (Experiment 1) or a gender-matched close friend (Experiment 2). As expected, the framing effect was observed in both experiments. Critically, an individual's susceptibility to the framing effect was modulated by the valence of the SFB, but only when the feedback provider was a close friend. This effect was reflected in the activation patterns of ventromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, regions involved in complex decision-making. Taken together, these results highlight social closeness as an important factor in understanding the impact of SFB on neural mechanisms of decision-making.

  10. Shadowing emergency medicine residents by medical education specialists to provide feedback on non-medical knowledge-based ACGME sub-competencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waterbrook, Anna L; Spear Ellinwood, Karen C; Pritchard, T Gail; Bertels, Karen; Johnson, Ariel C; Min, Alice; Stoneking, Lisa R

    2018-01-01

    Non-medical knowledge-based sub-competencies (multitasking, professionalism, accountability, patient-centered communication, and team management) are challenging for a supervising emergency medicine (EM) physician to evaluate in real-time on shift while also managing a busy emergency department (ED). This study examines residents' perceptions of having a medical education specialist shadow and evaluate their nonmedical knowledge skills. Medical education specialists shadowed postgraduate year 1 and postgraduate year 2 EM residents during an ED shift once per academic year. In an attempt to increase meaningful feedback to the residents, these specialists evaluated resident performance in selected non-medical knowledge-based Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sub-competencies and provided residents with direct, real-time feedback, followed by a written evaluation sent via email. Evaluations provided specific references to examples of behaviors observed during the shift and connected these back to ACGME competencies and milestones. Twelve residents participated in this shadow experience (six post graduate year 1 and six postgraduate year 2). Two residents emailed the medical education specialists ahead of the scheduled shadow shift requesting specific feedback. When queried, five residents voluntarily requested their feedback to be included in their formal biannual review. Residents received milestone scores and narrative feedback on the non-medical knowledge-based ACGME sub-competencies and indicated the shadow experience and subsequent feedback were valuable. Medical education specialists who observe residents over the course of an entire shift and evaluate non-medical knowledge-based skills are perceived by EM residents to provide meaningful feedback and add valuable information for the biannual review process.

  11. Feedback Seeking in Early Adolescence: Self-Enhancement or Self-Verification?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosen, Lisa H; Principe, Connor P; Langlois, Judith H

    2013-02-13

    The authors examined whether early adolescents ( N = 90) solicit self-enhancing feedback (i.e., positive feedback) or self-verifying feedback (i.e., feedback congruent with self-views, even when these views are negative). Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders first completed a self-perception measure and then selected whether to receive positive or negative feedback from an unknown peer in different domains of self. Results were consistent with self-verification theory; adolescents who perceived themselves as having both strengths and weaknesses were more likely to seek negative feedback regarding a self-perceived weakness compared to a self-perceived strength. The authors found similar support for self-verification processes when they considered the entire sample regardless of perceived strengths and weaknesses; hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) examined the predictive power of ratings of self-perceived ability, certainty, and importance on feedback seeking for all participants and provided additional evidence of self-verification strivings in adolescence.

  12. Operation of the transverse feedback system at the CERN SPS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bossart, R.; Louwerse, R.; Mourier, J.; Vos, L.

    1987-01-01

    To prevent transverse instabilities at high beam intensity in the SPS, the transverse feedback system for damping the betatron oscillations has been upgraded for larger damping decrements and for increased system's bandwidth. The feedback loop now contains a digital delay line cancellor, so that the damper works with a velocity feedback Δx/Δt, unaffected by the closed orbit position x at the pick-up station. The digital processing of the feedback signal facilitates nonlinear feedback techniques such as antidamping and ''band-bang'' feedback. The ''bang-bang'' feedback provides the maximum possible damping rate of the injection oscillations in the SPS-collider, in order to minimize the emittance increase caused by filamentation. The antidamping nonlinearity provides small continuous beam oscillations of 50 μm amplitude for tracking the machine tune Q with a phase locked loop

  13. The Effect of Positive and Negative Feedback on Risk-Taking across Different Contexts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Losecaat Vermeer, Annabel B; Sanfey, Alan G

    2015-01-01

    Preferences for risky choices have often been shown to be unstable and context-dependent. Though people generally avoid gambles with mixed outcomes, a phenomenon often attributed to loss aversion, contextual factors can impact this dramatically. For example, people typically prefer risky options after a financial loss, while generally choosing safer options after a monetary gain. However, it is unclear what exactly contributes to these preference shifts as a function of prior outcomes, as these gain/loss outcomes are usually confounded with participant performance, and therefore it is unclear whether these effects are driven purely by the monetary gains or losses, or rather by success or failure at the actual task. Here, we experimentally separated the effects of monetary gains/losses from performance success/failure prior to a standard risky choice. Participants performed a task in which they experienced contextual effects: 1) monetary gain or loss based directly on performance, 2) monetary gain or loss that was randomly awarded and was, crucially, independent from performance, and 3) success or failure feedback based on performance, but without any monetary incentive. Immediately following these positive/negative contexts, participants were presented with a gain-loss gamble that they had to decide to either play or pass. We found that risk preferences for identical sets of gambles were biased by positive and negative contexts containing monetary gains and losses, but not by contexts containing performance feedback. This data suggests that the observed framing effects are driven by aversion for monetary losses and not simply by the positive or negative valence of the context, or by potential moods resulting from positive or negative contexts. These results highlight the specific context dependence of risk preferences.

  14. Harnessing members' positive mood for team-directed learning behaviour and team innovation : The moderating role of perceived team feedback

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Walter, Frank; van der Vegt, Gerben S.

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the role of individual team members' positive mood and perceived team feedback for their team-directed learning behaviour. Results obtained in a sample of 186 members from 27 work teams showed that positive mood was positively associated with team-directed learning behaviour if

  15. Spatial pattern formation of coastal vegetation in response to external gradients and positive feedbacks affecting soil porewater salinity: A model study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, J.; DeAngelis, D.L.; Smith, T. J.; Teh, S.Y.; Koh, H. L.

    2012-01-01

    Coastal vegetation of South Florida typically comprises salinity-tolerant mangroves bordering salinity-intolerant hardwood hammocks and fresh water marshes. Two primary ecological factors appear to influence the maintenance of mangrove/hammock ecotones against changes that might occur due to disturbances. One of these is a gradient in one or more environmental factors. The other is the action of positive feedback mechanisms, in which each vegetation community influences its local environment to favor itself, reinforcing the boundary between communities. The relative contributions of these two factors, however, can be hard to discern. A spatially explicit individual-based model of vegetation, coupled with a model of soil hydrology and salinity dynamics is presented here to simulate mangrove/hammock ecotones in the coastal margin habitats of South Florida. The model simulation results indicate that an environmental gradient of salinity, caused by tidal flux, is the key factor separating vegetation communities, while positive feedback involving the different interaction of each vegetation type with the vadose zone salinity increases the sharpness of boundaries, and maintains the ecological resilience of mangrove/hammock ecotones against small disturbances. Investigation of effects of precipitation on positive feedback indicates that the dry season, with its low precipitation, is the period of strongest positive feedback. ?? 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. (outside the USA).

  16. Underlying Mechanisms of Cooperativity, Input Specificity, and Associativity of Long-Term Potentiation Through a Positive Feedback of Local Protein Synthesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lijie Hao

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Long-term potentiation (LTP is a specific form of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity that is a leading mechanism of learning and memory in mammals. The properties of cooperativity, input specificity, and associativity are essential for LTP; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, based on experimentally observed phenomena, we introduce a computational model of synaptic plasticity in a pyramidal cell to explore the mechanisms responsible for the cooperativity, input specificity, and associativity of LTP. The model is based on molecular processes involved in synaptic plasticity and integrates gene expression involved in the regulation of neuronal activity. In the model, we introduce a local positive feedback loop of protein synthesis at each synapse, which is essential for bimodal response and synapse specificity. Bifurcation analysis of the local positive feedback loop of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF signaling illustrates the existence of bistability, which is the basis of LTP induction. The local bifurcation diagram provides guidance for the realization of LTP, and the projection of whole system trajectories onto the two-parameter bifurcation diagram confirms the predictions obtained from bifurcation analysis. Moreover, model analysis shows that pre- and postsynaptic components are required to achieve the three properties of LTP. This study provides insights into the mechanisms underlying the cooperativity, input specificity, and associativity of LTP, and the further construction of neural networks for learning and memory.

  17. Useful but Different: Resident Physician Perceptions of Interprofessional Feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vesel, Travis P; O'Brien, Bridget C; Henry, Duncan M; van Schaik, Sandrijn M

    2016-01-01

    Phenomenon: Based on recently formulated interprofessional core competencies, physicians are expected to incorporate feedback from other healthcare professionals. Based on social identity theory, physicians likely differentiate between feedback from members of their own profession and others. The current study examined residents' experiences with, and perceptions of, interprofessional feedback. In 2013, Anesthesia, Obstetrics-Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry residents completed a survey including questions about frequency of feedback from different professionals and its perceived value (5-point scale). The authors performed an analysis of variance to examine interactions between residency program and profession of feedback provider. They conducted follow-up interviews with a subset of residents to explore reasons for residents' survey ratings. Fifty-two percent (131/254) of residents completed the survey, and 15 participated in interviews. Eighty percent of residents reported receiving written feedback from physicians, 26% from nurses, and less than 10% from other professions. There was a significant interaction between residency program and feedback provider profession, F(21, 847) = 3.82, p feedback provider profession, F(7, 847) = 73.7, p feedback from attending physicians higher than feedback from others, and anesthesia residents rated feedback from other professionals significantly lower than other residents. Ten major themes arose from qualitative data analysis, which revealed an overall positive attitude toward interprofessional feedback and clarified reasons behind residents' perceptions and identified barriers. Insights: Residents in our study reported limited exposure to interprofessional feedback and valued such feedback less than intraprofessional feedback. However, our data suggest opportunities exist for effective utilization of interprofessional feedback.

  18. Neural Correlates of Feedback Processing in Decision Making under Risk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beate eSchuermann

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Event-related brain potentials (ERP provide important information about the sensitivity of the brain to process varying risks. The aim of the present study was to determine how different risk levels are reflected in decision-related ERPs, namely the feedback-related negativity (FRN and the P300. Material and Methods. 20 participants conducted a probabilistic two-choice gambling task while an electroencephalogram was recorded. Choices were provided between a low-risk option yielding low rewards and low losses and a high-risk option yielding high rewards and high losses. While options differed in expected risks, they were equal in expected values and in feedback probabilities. Results. At the behavioral level, participants were generally risk-averse but modulated their risk-taking behavior according to reward history. An early positivity (P200 was enhanced on negative feedbacks in high-risk compared to low-risk options. With regard to the FRN, there were significant amplitude differences between positive and negative feedbacks in high-risk options, but not in low-risk options. While the FRN on negative feedbacks did not vary with decision riskiness, reduced amplitudes were found for positive feedbacks in high-risk relative to low-risk choices. P300 amplitudes were larger in high-risk decisions, and in an additive way, after negative compared to positive feedback. Discussion. The present study revealed significant influences of risk and valence processing on ERPs. FRN findings suggest that the reward prediction error signal is increased after high-risk decisions. The increased P200 on negative feedback in risky decisions suggests that large negative prediction errors are processed as early as in the P200 time range. The later P300 amplitude is sensitive to feedback valence as well as to the risk of a decision. Thus, the P300 carries additional information for reward processing, mainly the enhanced motivational significance of risky

  19. Providing physicians with feedback on medication adherence for people with chronic diseases taking long-term medication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaugg, Vincent; Korb-Savoldelli, Virginie; Durieux, Pierre; Sabatier, Brigitte

    2018-01-10

    Poor medication adherence decreases treatment efficacy and worsens clinical outcomes, but average rates of adherence to long-term pharmacological treatments for chronic illnesses are only about 50%. Interventions for improving medication adherence largely focus on patients rather than on physicians; however, the strategies shown to be effective are complex and difficult to implement in clinical practice. There is a need for new care models addressing the problem of medication adherence, integrating this problem into the patient care process. Physicians tend to overestimate how well patients take their medication as prescribed. This can lead to missed opportunities to change medications, solve adverse effects, or propose the use of reminders in order to improve patients' adherence. Thus, providing physicians with feedback on medication adherence has the potential to prompt changes that improve their patients' adherence to prescribed medications. To assess the effects of providing physicians with feedback about their patients' medication adherence for improving adherence. We also assessed the effects of the intervention on patient outcomes, health resource use, and processes of care. We conducted a systematic search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and Embase, all from database inception to December 2016 and without any language restriction. We also searched ISI Web of Science, two trials registers, and grey literature. We included randomised trials, controlled before-after studies, and interrupted time series studies that compared the effects of providing feedback to physicians about their patients' adherence to prescribed long-term medications for chronic diseases versus usual care. We included published or unpublished studies in any language. Participants included any physician and any patient prescribed with long-term medication for chronic disease. We included interventions providing the prescribing physician with

  20. The challenge of giving written thesis feedback to nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuvesson, Hanna; Borglin, Gunilla

    2014-11-01

    Providing effective written feedback on nursing student's assignments can be a challenging task for any assessor. Additionally, as the student groups tend to become larger, written feedback is likely to gain an overall more prominent position than verbal feedback. Lack of formal training or regular discussion in the teaching faculty about the skill set needed to provide written feedback could negatively affect the students' learning abilities. In this brief paper, we discuss written feedback practices, whilst using the Bachelor of Science in Nursing thesis as an example. Our aim is to highlight the importance of an informed understanding of the impact written feedback can have on students. Creating awareness about this can facilitate the development of more strategic and successful written feedback strategies. We end by offering examples of some relatively simple strategies for improving this practice. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Moving mesh finite element method for finite time extinction of distributed parameter systems with positive exponential feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garnadi, A.D.

    1997-01-01

    In the distributed parameter systems with exponential feedback, non-global existence of solution is not always exist. For some positive initial values, there exist finite time T such that the solution goes to infinity, i.e. finite time extinction or blow-up. Here is present a numerical solution using Moving Mesh Finite Element to solve the distributed parameter systems with exponential feedback close to blow-up time. The numerical behavior of the mesh close to the time of extinction is the prime interest in this study

  2. Negative Feedback for Small Capacitive Touchscreen Interfaces: A Usability Study for Data Entry Tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parikh, S P; Esposito, J M

    2012-01-01

    Touchscreen technology has become pervasive in the consumer product arena over the last decade, offering some distinct advantages such as software reconfigurable interfaces and the removal of space consuming mice and keyboards. However, there are significant drawbacks to these devices that have limited their adoption by some users. Most notably, standard touchscreens demand the user's visual attention and require them to look at the input device to avoid pressing the wrong button. This issue is particularly important for mobile, capacitive sensing, nonstylus devices, such as the iPhone where small button sizes can generate high error rates. While previous work has shown the benefits of augmenting such interfaces with audio or vibrotactile feedback, only positive feedback (confirmation of button presses) has been considered. In this paper, we present a simple prototype interface that provides negative vibrotactile feedback. By negative, we mean feedback is generated when an inactive or ambiguous part of the screen, such as the area between two buttons, is touched. First, we present a usability study comparing positive and negative vibrotactile feedback for a benchmark numerical data entry task. The difference in performance is not statistically significant, implying negative feedback provides comparable benefits. Next, based on the experimenter's observations and the users comments, we introduce a multimodal feedback strategy-combining complementary positive audio and negative vibrotactile signals. User tests on a text entry experiment show that, with multimodal feedback, users exhibit a (statistically significant) 24 percent reduction in corrective key presses, as compared to positive audio feedback alone. Exit survey comments indicate that users favor multimodal feedback.

  3. The real-time orbit-position feedback system for the ELETTRA storage ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bulfone, D.

    1990-01-01

    To take full advantage of the low emittance and the small insertion-device source sizes, real-time global harmonic and local feedback systems have been designed for the Trieste synchrotron light source (ELETTRA). A fully digital approach has been chosen for data communication and processing, using VME as the standard system bus. The system architecture is presented, showing the open approach which allows a free choice in the use of beam-position monitors and correctors. The design considerations are given, pointing out the advantages in flexibility offered by the digital processing. (orig.)

  4. Cultural influences on social feedback processing of character traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korn, Christoph W; Fan, Yan; Zhang, Kai; Wang, Chenbo; Han, Shihui; Heekeren, Hauke R

    2014-01-01

    Cultural differences are generally explained by how people see themselves in relation to social interaction partners. While Western culture emphasizes independence, East Asian culture emphasizes interdependence. Despite this focus on social interactions, it remains elusive how people from different cultures process feedback on their own (and on others') character traits. Here, participants of either German or Chinese origin engaged in a face-to-face interaction. Consequently, they updated their self- and other-ratings of 80 character traits (e.g., polite, pedantic) after receiving feedback from their interaction partners. To exclude potential confounds, we obtained data from German and Chinese participants in Berlin [functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)] and in Beijing (behavior). We tested cultural influences on social conformity, positivity biases, and self-related neural activity. First, Chinese conformed more to social feedback than Germans (i.e., Chinese updated their trait ratings more). Second, regardless of culture, participants processed self- and other-related feedback in a positively biased way (i.e., they updated more toward desirable than toward undesirable feedback). Third, changes in self-related medial prefrontal cortex activity were greater in Germans than in Chinese during feedback processing. By investigating conformity, positivity biases, and self-related activity in relation to feedback obtained in a real-life interaction, we provide an essential step toward a unifying framework for understanding the diversity of human culture.

  5. Construction and modelling of an inducible positive feedback loop stably integrated in a mammalian cell-line.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Velia Siciliano

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the relationship between topology and dynamics of transcriptional regulatory networks in mammalian cells is essential to elucidate the biology of complex regulatory and signaling pathways. Here, we characterised, via a synthetic biology approach, a transcriptional positive feedback loop (PFL by generating a clonal population of mammalian cells (CHO carrying a stable integration of the construct. The PFL network consists of the Tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTA, whose expression is regulated by a tTA responsive promoter (CMV-TET, thus giving rise to a positive feedback. The same CMV-TET promoter drives also the expression of a destabilised yellow fluorescent protein (d2EYFP, thus the dynamic behaviour can be followed by time-lapse microscopy. The PFL network was compared to an engineered version of the network lacking the positive feedback loop (NOPFL, by expressing the tTA mRNA from a constitutive promoter. Doxycycline was used to repress tTA activation (switch off, and the resulting changes in fluorescence intensity for both the PFL and NOPFL networks were followed for up to 43 h. We observed a striking difference in the dynamics of the PFL and NOPFL networks. Using non-linear dynamical models, able to recapitulate experimental observations, we demonstrated a link between network topology and network dynamics. Namely, transcriptional positive autoregulation can significantly slow down the "switch off" times, as compared to the non-autoregulated system. Doxycycline concentration can modulate the response times of the PFL, whereas the NOPFL always switches off with the same dynamics. Moreover, the PFL can exhibit bistability for a range of Doxycycline concentrations. Since the PFL motif is often found in naturally occurring transcriptional and signaling pathways, we believe our work can be instrumental to characterise their behaviour.

  6. Construction and modelling of an inducible positive feedback loop stably integrated in a mammalian cell-line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siciliano, Velia; Menolascina, Filippo; Marucci, Lucia; Fracassi, Chiara; Garzilli, Immacolata; Moretti, Maria Nicoletta; di Bernardo, Diego

    2011-06-01

    Understanding the relationship between topology and dynamics of transcriptional regulatory networks in mammalian cells is essential to elucidate the biology of complex regulatory and signaling pathways. Here, we characterised, via a synthetic biology approach, a transcriptional positive feedback loop (PFL) by generating a clonal population of mammalian cells (CHO) carrying a stable integration of the construct. The PFL network consists of the Tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTA), whose expression is regulated by a tTA responsive promoter (CMV-TET), thus giving rise to a positive feedback. The same CMV-TET promoter drives also the expression of a destabilised yellow fluorescent protein (d2EYFP), thus the dynamic behaviour can be followed by time-lapse microscopy. The PFL network was compared to an engineered version of the network lacking the positive feedback loop (NOPFL), by expressing the tTA mRNA from a constitutive promoter. Doxycycline was used to repress tTA activation (switch off), and the resulting changes in fluorescence intensity for both the PFL and NOPFL networks were followed for up to 43 h. We observed a striking difference in the dynamics of the PFL and NOPFL networks. Using non-linear dynamical models, able to recapitulate experimental observations, we demonstrated a link between network topology and network dynamics. Namely, transcriptional positive autoregulation can significantly slow down the "switch off" times, as compared to the non-autoregulated system. Doxycycline concentration can modulate the response times of the PFL, whereas the NOPFL always switches off with the same dynamics. Moreover, the PFL can exhibit bistability for a range of Doxycycline concentrations. Since the PFL motif is often found in naturally occurring transcriptional and signaling pathways, we believe our work can be instrumental to characterise their behaviour.

  7. The Effect of Positive and Negative Feedback on Risk-Taking across Different Contexts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annabel B Losecaat Vermeer

    Full Text Available Preferences for risky choices have often been shown to be unstable and context-dependent. Though people generally avoid gambles with mixed outcomes, a phenomenon often attributed to loss aversion, contextual factors can impact this dramatically. For example, people typically prefer risky options after a financial loss, while generally choosing safer options after a monetary gain. However, it is unclear what exactly contributes to these preference shifts as a function of prior outcomes, as these gain/loss outcomes are usually confounded with participant performance, and therefore it is unclear whether these effects are driven purely by the monetary gains or losses, or rather by success or failure at the actual task. Here, we experimentally separated the effects of monetary gains/losses from performance success/failure prior to a standard risky choice. Participants performed a task in which they experienced contextual effects: 1 monetary gain or loss based directly on performance, 2 monetary gain or loss that was randomly awarded and was, crucially, independent from performance, and 3 success or failure feedback based on performance, but without any monetary incentive. Immediately following these positive/negative contexts, participants were presented with a gain-loss gamble that they had to decide to either play or pass. We found that risk preferences for identical sets of gambles were biased by positive and negative contexts containing monetary gains and losses, but not by contexts containing performance feedback. This data suggests that the observed framing effects are driven by aversion for monetary losses and not simply by the positive or negative valence of the context, or by potential moods resulting from positive or negative contexts. These results highlight the specific context dependence of risk preferences.

  8. A positive feedback-based gene circuit to increase the production of a membrane protein

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gennis Robert B

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Membrane proteins are an important class of proteins, playing a key role in many biological processes, and are a promising target in pharmaceutical development. However, membrane proteins are often difficult to produce in large quantities for the purpose of crystallographic or biochemical analyses. Results In this paper, we demonstrate that synthetic gene circuits designed specifically to overexpress certain genes can be applied to manipulate the expression kinetics of a model membrane protein, cytochrome bd quinol oxidase in E. coli, resulting in increased expression rates. The synthetic circuit involved is an engineered, autoinducer-independent variant of the lux operon activator LuxR from V. fischeri in an autoregulatory, positive feedback configuration. Conclusions Our proof-of-concept experiments indicate a statistically significant increase in the rate of production of the bd oxidase membrane protein. Synthetic gene networks provide a feasible solution for the problem of membrane protein production.

  9. The Effectiveness of Instructor Personalized and Formative Feedback Provided by Instructor in an Online Setting: Some Unresolved Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Planar, Dolors; Moya, Soledad

    2016-01-01

    Formative feedback has great potential for teaching and learning in online undergraduate programmes. There is a large number of courses where the main source of feedback is provided by the instructor. This is particularly seen in subjects where assessments are designed based on specific activities which are the same for all students, and where the…

  10. Destruction of intertidal bar morphology during a summer storm surge event: Example of positive morphodynamic feedback

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Masselink, Gerd; Aagaard, Troels; Kroon, Aart

    2011-01-01

    . The measurements demonstrated an example of positive morphodynamic feedback. Once the bar crest elevation started to decrease because of wave overtopping and sediment transport into the runnel on the rising tide, the bar crest lowered and overwash frequency increased, leading to enhanced crest erosion, even under...

  11. Implementation status of the global and local beam position feedback systems for the Advanced Photon Source storage ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.; Barr, D.; Decker, G.; Galayda, J.; Kirchman, J.; Lenkszus, F.; Lumpkin, A.; Votaw, A.J.

    1995-01-01

    The Advanced Photon Source (APS) is implementing an extensive beam position feedback system for both global and local stabilization of particle and photon beams based on digital signal processing. The description and operational experience of the system will be given in this paper. In particular, we will discuss the underlying fundamental principles, hardware layout, controls interface, and automatic software generation for multiple digital signal processors (DSPS) distributed in 20 VME crates around the ring. The feedback system runs at 4-kHz sampling frequency in order to achieve the correction bandwidth of approximately 100 Hz. For the maximum correction efficiency and resolution of conflicts among multiple local feedback systems due to the local bump closure error, the global and local feedback systems are combined into a single unified system. This novel approach is made possible through data sharing among the global and local systems via the fiber-optically networked reflective memories

  12. Sex Differences, Positive Feedback and Intrinsic Motivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deci, Edward L.; And Others

    The paper presents two experiments which test the "change in feelings of competence and self-determination" proposition of cognitive evaluation theory. This proposition states that when a person receives feedback about his performance on an intrinsically motivated activity this information will affect his sense of competence and…

  13. Designing feedback to mitigate teen distracted driving: A social norms approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merrikhpour, Maryam; Donmez, Birsen

    2017-07-01

    The purpose of this research is to investigate teens' perceived social norms and whether providing normative information can reduce distracted driving behaviors among them. Parents are among the most important social referents for teens; they have significant influences on teens' driving behaviors, including distracted driving which significantly contributes to teens' crash risks. Social norms interventions have been successfully applied in various domains including driving; however, this approach is yet to be explored for mitigating driver distraction among teens. Forty teens completed a driving simulator experiment while performing a self-paced visual-manual secondary task in four between-subject conditions: a) social norms feedback that provided a report at the end of each drive on teens' distracted driving behavior, comparing their distraction engagement to their parent's, b) post-drive feedback that provided just the report on teens' distracted driving behavior without information on their parents, c) real-time feedback in the form of auditory warnings based on eyes of road-time, and d) no feedback as control. Questionnaires were administered to collect data on these teens' and their parents' self-reported engagement in driver distractions and the associated social norms. Social norms and real-time feedback conditions resulted in significantly smaller average off-road glance duration, rate of long (>2s) off-road glances, and standard deviation of lane position compared to no feedback. Further, social norms feedback decreased brake response time and percentage of time not looking at the road compared to no feedback. No major effect was observed for post-drive feedback. Questionnaire results suggest that teens appeared to overestimate parental norms, but no effect of feedback was found on their perceptions. Feedback systems that leverage social norms can help mitigate driver distraction among teens. Overall, both social norms and real-time feedback induced

  14. Using negative and positive social feedback from a robotic agent to save energy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Midden, C.J.H.; Ham, J.R.C.; Chatterjee, S.; Dev, P.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we explore the persuasive effects of social feedback, as provided by an embodied agent, on behavioral change. In a lab setting, two experiments were conducted in which participants had the opportunity to conserve energy while carrying out washing tasks with a simulated washing machine.

  15. Indications of a positive feedback between coastal development and beach nourishment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Scott B.; Lazarus, Eli D.; Limber, Patrick W.; Goldstein, Evan B.; Thorpe, Curtis; Ballinger, Rhoda C.

    2016-12-01

    Beach nourishment, a method for mitigating coastal storm damage or chronic erosion by deliberately replacing sand on an eroded beach, has been the leading form of coastal protection in the United States for four decades. However, investment in hazard protection can have the unintended consequence of encouraging development in places especially vulnerable to damage. In a comprehensive, parcel-scale analysis of all shorefront single-family homes in the state of Florida, we find that houses in nourishing zones are significantly larger and more numerous than in non-nourishing zones. The predominance of larger homes in nourishing zones suggests a positive feedback between nourishment and development that is compounding coastal risk in zones already characterized by high vulnerability.

  16. Generalized fast feedback system in the SLC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendrickson, L.; Allison, S.; Gromme, T.; Himel, T.; Krauter, K.; Rouse, F.; Sass, R.; Shoaee, H.

    1991-11-01

    A generalized fast feedback system has been developed to stabilize beams at various locations in the SLC. The system is designed to perform measurements and change actuator settings to control beam states such as position, angle and energy on a pulse to pulse basis. The software design is based on the state space formalism of digital control theory. The system is database-driven, facilitating the addition of new loops without requiring additional software. A communications system, KISNet, provides fast communications links between microprocessors for feedback loops which involve multiple micros. Feedback loops have been installed in seventeen locations throughout the SLC and have proven to be invaluable in stabilizing the machine

  17. Using Video Feedback to Measure Self-Efficacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bobo, Linda; Andrews, Amanda

    2010-01-01

    When a student has a high sense of self-efficacy, foreseeing success and providing positive guides and supports for performing the skill will usually occur. A low self-efficacy tends to predict failure and anticipation of what could go wrong. Videotape feedback provided to students has reported favorable outcomes. Self-efficacy could alter…

  18. Does Gender Influence Emotions Resulting from Positive Applause Feedback in Self-Assessment Testing? Evidence from Neuroscience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chia-Ju; Huang, Chin-Fei; Liu, Ming-Chi; Chien, Yu-Cheng; Lai, Chia-Hung; Huang, Yueh-Min

    2015-01-01

    Computerized self-assessment testing can help learners reflect on learning content and can also promote their motivation toward learning. However, a positive affective state is the key to achieving these learning goals. This study aims to examine learning gains and emotional reactions resulting from receiving emotional feedback in the form of…

  19. A distal ABA responsive element in AtNCED3 promoter is required for positive feedback regulation of ABA biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan-Zhuo Yang

    Full Text Available The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA plays a crucial role in plant development and responses to abiotic stresses. Recent studies indicate that a positive feedback regulation by ABA exists in ABA biosynthesis in plants under dehydration stress. To understand the molecular basis of this regulation, we analyzed the cis-elements of the AtNCED3 promoter in Arabidopsis. AtNCED3 encodes the first committed and highly regulated dioxygenase in the ABA biosynthetic pathway. Through delineated and mutagenesis analyses in stable-transformed Arabidopsis, we revealed that a distal ABA responsive element (ABRE: GGCACGTG, -2372 to -2364 bp is required for ABA-induced AtNCED3 expression. By analyzing the AtNCED3 expression in ABRE binding protein ABF3 over-expression transgenic plants and knock-out mutants, we provide evidence that the ABA feedback regulation of AtNCED3 expression is not mediated by ABF3.

  20. A distal ABA responsive element in AtNCED3 promoter is required for positive feedback regulation of ABA biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yan-Zhuo; Tan, Bao-Cai

    2014-01-01

    The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in plant development and responses to abiotic stresses. Recent studies indicate that a positive feedback regulation by ABA exists in ABA biosynthesis in plants under dehydration stress. To understand the molecular basis of this regulation, we analyzed the cis-elements of the AtNCED3 promoter in Arabidopsis. AtNCED3 encodes the first committed and highly regulated dioxygenase in the ABA biosynthetic pathway. Through delineated and mutagenesis analyses in stable-transformed Arabidopsis, we revealed that a distal ABA responsive element (ABRE: GGCACGTG, -2372 to -2364 bp) is required for ABA-induced AtNCED3 expression. By analyzing the AtNCED3 expression in ABRE binding protein ABF3 over-expression transgenic plants and knock-out mutants, we provide evidence that the ABA feedback regulation of AtNCED3 expression is not mediated by ABF3.

  1. Feedback For Helpers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stromer, Walter F.

    1975-01-01

    The author offers some feedback to those in the helping professions in three areas: (1) forms and letters; (2) jumping to conclusions; and (3) blaming and belittling, in hopes of stimulating more feedback as well as more positive ways of performing their services. (HMV)

  2. Vision-Based Haptic Feedback for Remote Micromanipulation in-SEM Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolopion, Aude; Dahmen, Christian; Stolle, Christian; Haliyo, Sinan; Régnier, Stéphane; Fatikow, Sergej

    2012-07-01

    This article presents an intuitive environment for remote micromanipulation composed of both haptic feedback and virtual reconstruction of the scene. To enable nonexpert users to perform complex teleoperated micromanipulation tasks, it is of utmost importance to provide them with information about the 3-D relative positions of the objects and the tools. Haptic feedback is an intuitive way to transmit such information. Since position sensors are not available at this scale, visual feedback is used to derive information about the scene. In this work, three different techniques are implemented, evaluated, and compared to derive the object positions from scanning electron microscope images. The modified correlation matching with generated template algorithm is accurate and provides reliable detection of objects. To track the tool, a marker-based approach is chosen since fast detection is required for stable haptic feedback. Information derived from these algorithms is used to propose an intuitive remote manipulation system that enables users situated in geographically distant sites to benefit from specific equipments, such as SEMs. Stability of the haptic feedback is ensured by the minimization of the delays, the computational efficiency of vision algorithms, and the proper tuning of the haptic coupling. Virtual guides are proposed to avoid any involuntary collisions between the tool and the objects. This approach is validated by a teleoperation involving melamine microspheres with a diameter of less than 2 μ m between Paris, France and Oldenburg, Germany.

  3. Cardiac Concomitants of Feedback and Prediction Error Processing in Reinforcement Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kastner, Lucas; Kube, Jana; Villringer, Arno; Neumann, Jane

    2017-01-01

    Successful learning hinges on the evaluation of positive and negative feedback. We assessed differential learning from reward and punishment in a monetary reinforcement learning paradigm, together with cardiac concomitants of positive and negative feedback processing. On the behavioral level, learning from reward resulted in more advantageous behavior than learning from punishment, suggesting a differential impact of reward and punishment on successful feedback-based learning. On the autonomic level, learning and feedback processing were closely mirrored by phasic cardiac responses on a trial-by-trial basis: (1) Negative feedback was accompanied by faster and prolonged heart rate deceleration compared to positive feedback. (2) Cardiac responses shifted from feedback presentation at the beginning of learning to stimulus presentation later on. (3) Most importantly, the strength of phasic cardiac responses to the presentation of feedback correlated with the strength of prediction error signals that alert the learner to the necessity for behavioral adaptation. Considering participants' weight status and gender revealed obesity-related deficits in learning to avoid negative consequences and less consistent behavioral adaptation in women compared to men. In sum, our results provide strong new evidence for the notion that during learning phasic cardiac responses reflect an internal value and feedback monitoring system that is sensitive to the violation of performance-based expectations. Moreover, inter-individual differences in weight status and gender may affect both behavioral and autonomic responses in reinforcement-based learning. PMID:29163004

  4. Cardiac Concomitants of Feedback and Prediction Error Processing in Reinforcement Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucas Kastner

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Successful learning hinges on the evaluation of positive and negative feedback. We assessed differential learning from reward and punishment in a monetary reinforcement learning paradigm, together with cardiac concomitants of positive and negative feedback processing. On the behavioral level, learning from reward resulted in more advantageous behavior than learning from punishment, suggesting a differential impact of reward and punishment on successful feedback-based learning. On the autonomic level, learning and feedback processing were closely mirrored by phasic cardiac responses on a trial-by-trial basis: (1 Negative feedback was accompanied by faster and prolonged heart rate deceleration compared to positive feedback. (2 Cardiac responses shifted from feedback presentation at the beginning of learning to stimulus presentation later on. (3 Most importantly, the strength of phasic cardiac responses to the presentation of feedback correlated with the strength of prediction error signals that alert the learner to the necessity for behavioral adaptation. Considering participants' weight status and gender revealed obesity-related deficits in learning to avoid negative consequences and less consistent behavioral adaptation in women compared to men. In sum, our results provide strong new evidence for the notion that during learning phasic cardiac responses reflect an internal value and feedback monitoring system that is sensitive to the violation of performance-based expectations. Moreover, inter-individual differences in weight status and gender may affect both behavioral and autonomic responses in reinforcement-based learning.

  5. Timing matters: The impact of immediate and delayed feedback on artificial language learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bertram Opitz

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available In the present experiment, we used event-related potentials (ERP to investigate the role of immediate and delayed feedback in an artificial grammar learning task. Two groups of participants were engaged in classifying non-word strings according to an underlying rule system, not known to the participants. Visual feedback was provided after each classification either immediately or with a short delay of one second. Both groups were able to learn the artificial grammar system as indicated by an increase in classification performance. However, the gain in performance was significantly larger for the group receiving immediate feedback as compared to the group receiving delayed feedback. Learning was accompanied by an increase in P300 activity in the ERP for delayed as compared to immediate feedback. Irrespective of feedback delay, both groups exhibited learning related decreases in the feedback-related positivity (FRP elicited by positive feedback only. The feedback-related negativity (FRN, however, remained constant over the course of learning. These results suggest, first, that delayed feedback is less effective for artificial grammar learning as task requirements are very demanding, and second, that the FRP elicited by positive prediction errors decreases with learning while the FRN to negative prediction errors is elicited in an all-or-none fashion by negative feedback throughout the entire experiment.

  6. User-centered development and testing of a monitoring system that provides feedback regarding physical functioning to elderly people

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermeulen, Joan; Neyens, Jacques CL; Spreeuwenberg, Marieke D; van Rossum, Erik; Sipers, Walther; Habets, Herbert; Hewson, David J; de Witte, Luc P

    2013-01-01

    Purpose To involve elderly people during the development of a mobile interface of a monitoring system that provides feedback to them regarding changes in physical functioning and to test the system in a pilot study. Methods and participants The iterative user-centered development process consisted of the following phases: (1) selection of user representatives; (2) analysis of users and their context; (3) identification of user requirements; (4) development of the interface; and (5) evaluation of the interface in the lab. Subsequently, the monitoring and feedback system was tested in a pilot study by five patients who were recruited via a geriatric outpatient clinic. Participants used a bathroom scale to monitor weight and balance, and a mobile phone to monitor physical activity on a daily basis for six weeks. Personalized feedback was provided via the interface of the mobile phone. Usability was evaluated on a scale from 1 to 7 using a modified version of the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ); higher scores indicated better usability. Interviews were conducted to gain insight into the experiences of the participants with the system. Results The developed interface uses colors, emoticons, and written and/or spoken text messages to provide daily feedback regarding (changes in) weight, balance, and physical activity. The participants rated the usability of the monitoring and feedback system with a mean score of 5.2 (standard deviation 0.90) on the modified PSSUQ. The interviews revealed that most participants liked using the system and appreciated that it signaled changes in their physical functioning. However, usability was negatively influenced by a few technical errors. Conclusion Involvement of elderly users during the development process resulted in an interface with good usability. However, the technical functioning of the monitoring system needs to be optimized before it can be used to support elderly people in their self-management. PMID

  7. Training Sessional Academic Staff to Provide Quality Feedback on University Students' Assessment: Lessons from a Faculty of Law Learning and Teaching Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, Kelly; Bell, Tamara; Dwyer, Angela

    2017-01-01

    The quality of feedback provided to university students has long been recognised as the most important predictor of student learning and satisfaction. However, providing quality feedback to students is challenging in the current context, in which universities increasingly rely on casualised and inexperienced academic staff to assess undergraduate…

  8. A positive feedback regulation of ISL-1 in DLBCL but not in pancreatic β-cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Qiao, E-mail: zhangqiao200824@126.com [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, 100191 Beijing (China); Yang, Zhe, E-mail: zheyang@bjmu.edu.cn [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, 100191 Beijing (China); Wang, Weiping, E-mail: wwp@bjmu.edu.cn [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, 100191 Beijing (China); Guo, Ting, E-mail: luckyguoting@bjmu.edu.cn [Department of Gastrointestinal Translation Research, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, 52 Fucheng Road, 100142 Beijing (China); Jia, Zhuqing, E-mail: zhuqingjia@126.com [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, 100191 Beijing (China); Ma, Kangtao, E-mail: makangtao11@126.com [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, 100191 Beijing (China); Zhou, Chunyan, E-mail: chunyanzhou@bjmu.edu.cn [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, 100191 Beijing (China)

    2014-07-04

    Highlights: • ISL-1 is highly expressed in human pancreatic β-cells and DLBCL. • ISL-1 accelerates the tumorigenesis of DLBCL in vivo. • c-Myc positively regulates ISL-1 expression in DLBCL but not in pancreatic β-cells. • ISL-1 and c-Myc forms an ISL-1/c-Myc transcriptional complex only in DLBCL. • Positive feedback regulation of ISL-1 does not exist in normal pancreatic β-cell. - Abstract: Insulin enhancer binding protein-1 (ISL-1), a LIM-homeodomain transcription factor, has been reported to play essential roles in promoting adult pancreatic β-cells proliferation. Recent studies indicate that ISL-1 may also involve in the occurrence of a variety of tumors. However, whether ISL-1 has any functional effect on tumorigenesis, and what are the differences on ISL-1 function in distinct conditions, are completely unknown. In this study, we found that ISL-1 was highly expressed in human pancreatic β-cells, as well as in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but to a much less extent in other normal tissues or tumor specimens. Further study revealed that ISL-1 promoted the proliferation of pancreatic β-cells and DLBCL cells, and also accelerated the tumorigenesis of DLBCL in vivo. We also found that ISL-1 could activate c-Myc transcription not only in pancreatic β-cells but also in DLBCL cells. However, a cell-specific feedback regulation was detectable only in DLBCL cells. This auto-regulatory loop was established by the interaction of ISL-1 and c-Myc to form an ISL-1/c-Myc transcriptional complex, and synergistically to promote ISL-1 transcription through binding on the ISL-1 promoter. Taken together, our results demonstrate a positive feedback regulation of ISL-1 in DLBCL but not in pancreatic β-cells, which might result in the functional diversities of ISL-1 in different physiological and pathological processes.

  9. A positive feedback regulation of ISL-1 in DLBCL but not in pancreatic β-cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Qiao; Yang, Zhe; Wang, Weiping; Guo, Ting; Jia, Zhuqing; Ma, Kangtao; Zhou, Chunyan

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • ISL-1 is highly expressed in human pancreatic β-cells and DLBCL. • ISL-1 accelerates the tumorigenesis of DLBCL in vivo. • c-Myc positively regulates ISL-1 expression in DLBCL but not in pancreatic β-cells. • ISL-1 and c-Myc forms an ISL-1/c-Myc transcriptional complex only in DLBCL. • Positive feedback regulation of ISL-1 does not exist in normal pancreatic β-cell. - Abstract: Insulin enhancer binding protein-1 (ISL-1), a LIM-homeodomain transcription factor, has been reported to play essential roles in promoting adult pancreatic β-cells proliferation. Recent studies indicate that ISL-1 may also involve in the occurrence of a variety of tumors. However, whether ISL-1 has any functional effect on tumorigenesis, and what are the differences on ISL-1 function in distinct conditions, are completely unknown. In this study, we found that ISL-1 was highly expressed in human pancreatic β-cells, as well as in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but to a much less extent in other normal tissues or tumor specimens. Further study revealed that ISL-1 promoted the proliferation of pancreatic β-cells and DLBCL cells, and also accelerated the tumorigenesis of DLBCL in vivo. We also found that ISL-1 could activate c-Myc transcription not only in pancreatic β-cells but also in DLBCL cells. However, a cell-specific feedback regulation was detectable only in DLBCL cells. This auto-regulatory loop was established by the interaction of ISL-1 and c-Myc to form an ISL-1/c-Myc transcriptional complex, and synergistically to promote ISL-1 transcription through binding on the ISL-1 promoter. Taken together, our results demonstrate a positive feedback regulation of ISL-1 in DLBCL but not in pancreatic β-cells, which might result in the functional diversities of ISL-1 in different physiological and pathological processes

  10. How Attributes of the Feedback Message affect Subsequent Feedback Seeking: The interactive effects of feedback sign and type

    OpenAIRE

    Medvedeff, Megan; Gregory, Jane Brodie; Levy, Paul E

    2008-01-01

    In the current study, we examined the interactive effects of feedback type and sign on feedback-seeking behaviour, as well as the moderating role of regulatory focus. Using a behavioural measure of feedback seeking, we demonstrated a strong interaction between feedback type and sign, such that individuals subsequently sought the most feedback after they were provided with negative process feedback. Additionally, results suggested that an individual's chronic regulatory focus has implications ...

  11. Influence of feedback characteristics on perceived learning value of feedback in clerkships : does culture matter?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Suhoyo, Yoyo; Van Hell, Elisabeth A.; Kerdijk, Wouter; Emilia, Ova; Schonrock-Adema, Johanna; Kuks, Jan B. M.; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

    2017-01-01

    Background: Various feedback characteristics have been suggested to positively influence student learning. It is not clear how these feedback characteristics contribute to students' perceived learning value of feedback in cultures classified low on the cultural dimension of individualism and high on

  12. Influence of feedback characteristics on perceived learning value of feedback in clerkships : does culture matter?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Suhoyo, Yoyo; Van Hell, Elisabeth A; Kerdijk, Wouter; Emilia, Ova; Schönrock-Adema, Johanna; Kuks, Jan B M; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Various feedback characteristics have been suggested to positively influence student learning. It is not clear how these feedback characteristics contribute to students' perceived learning value of feedback in cultures classified low on the cultural dimension of individualism and high on

  13. Generalized fast feedback system in the SLC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendrickson, L.; Allison, S.; Gromme, T.; Himel, T.; Krauter, K.; Rouse, F.; Sass, R.; Shoaee, H.

    1992-01-01

    A generalized fast feedback system has been developed to stabilize beams at various locations in the SLC. The system is designed to perform measurements and change actuator settings to control beam states such as position, angle and energy on a pulse to pulse basis. The software design is based on the state space formalism of digital control theory. The system is database-driven, facilitating the addition of new loops without requiring additional software. A communications system, KISNet, provides fast communications links between microprocessors for feedback loops which involve multiple micros. Feedback loops have been installed in seventeen locations throughout the SLC and have proven to be invaluable in stabilizing the machine. (author)

  14. Teleoperation of steerable flexible needles by combining kinesthetic and vibratory feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pacchierotti, Claudio; Abayazid, Momen; Misra, Sarthak; Prattichizzo, Domenico

    2014-01-01

    Needle insertion in soft-tissue is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that demands high accuracy. In this respect, robotic systems with autonomous control algorithms have been exploited as the main tool to achieve high accuracy and reliability. However, for reasons of safety and responsibility, autonomous robotic control is often not desirable. Therefore, it is necessary to focus also on techniques enabling clinicians to directly control the motion of the surgical tools. In this work, we address that challenge and present a novel teleoperated robotic system able to steer flexible needles. The proposed system tracks the position of the needle using an ultrasound imaging system and computes needle's ideal position and orientation to reach a given target. The master haptic interface then provides the clinician with mixed kinesthetic-vibratory navigation cues to guide the needle toward the computed ideal position and orientation. Twenty participants carried out an experiment of teleoperated needle insertion into a soft-tissue phantom, considering four different experimental conditions. Participants were provided with either mixed kinesthetic-vibratory feedback or mixed kinesthetic-visual feedback. Moreover, we considered two different ways of computing ideal position and orientation of the needle: with or without set-points. Vibratory feedback was found more effective than visual feedback in conveying navigation cues, with a mean targeting error of 0.72 mm when using set-points, and of 1.10 mm without set-points.

  15. Pinus contorta invasions increase wildfire fuel loads and may create a positive feedback with fire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Kimberley T; Maxwell, Bruce D; McWethy, David B; Pauchard, Aníbal; Nuñez, Martín A; Whitlock, Cathy

    2017-03-01

    Invasive plant species that have the potential to alter fire regimes have significant impacts on native ecosystems. Concern that pine invasions in the Southern Hemisphere will increase fire activity and severity and subsequently promote further pine invasion prompted us to examine the potential for feedbacks between Pinus contorta invasions and fire in Patagonia and New Zealand. We determined how fuel loads and fire effects were altered by P. contorta invasion. We also examined post-fire plant communities across invasion gradients at a subset of sites to assess how invasion alters the post-fire vegetation trajectory. We found that fuel loads and soil heating during simulated fire increase with increasing P. contorta invasion age or density at all sites. However, P. contorta density did not always increase post-fire. In the largest fire, P. contorta density only increased significantly post-fire where the pre-fire P. contorta density was above an invasion threshold. Below this threshold, P. contorta did not dominate after fire and plant communities responded to fire in a similar manner as uninvaded communities. The positive feedback observed at high densities is caused by the accumulation of fuel that in turn results in greater soil heating during fires and high P. contorta density post-fire. Therefore, a positive feedback may form between P. contorta invasions and fire, but only above an invasion density threshold. These results suggest that management of pine invasions before they reach the invasion density threshold is important for reducing fire risk and preventing a transition to an alternate ecosystem state dominated by pines and novel understory plant communities. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

  16. Age differences in feedback reactions: The roles of employee feedback orientation on social awareness and utility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Mo; Burlacu, Gabriela; Truxillo, Donald; James, Keith; Yao, Xiang

    2015-07-01

    Organizations worldwide are currently experiencing shifts in the age composition of their workforces. The workforce is aging and becoming increasingly age-diverse, suggesting that organizational researchers and practitioners need to better understand how age differences may manifest in the workplace and the implications for human resource practice. Integrating socioemotional selectivity theory with the performance feedback literature and using a time-lagged design, the current study examined age differences in moderating the relationships between the characteristics of performance feedback and employee reactions to the feedback event. The results suggest that older workers had higher levels of feedback orientation on social awareness, but lower levels of feedback orientation on utility than younger workers. Furthermore, the positive associations between favorability of feedback and feedback delivery and feedback reactions were stronger for older workers than for younger workers, whereas the positive association between feedback quality and feedback reactions was stronger for younger workers than for older workers. Finally, the current study revealed that age-related differences in employee feedback orientation could explain the different patterns of relationships between feedback characteristics and feedback reactions across older and younger workers. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications for building theory about workplace aging and improving ways that performance feedback is managed across employees from diverse age groups. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. Feedback and Incentives:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksson, Tor Viking; Poulsen, Anders; Villeval, Marie-Claire

    This paper experimentally investigates the impact of different pay and relative performance information policies on employee effort. We explore three information policies: No feedback about relative performance, feedback given halfway through the production period, and continuously updated feedba...... of positive peer effects since the underdogs almost never quit the competition even when lagging significantly behind, and frontrunners do not slack off. Moreover, in both pay schemes information feedback reduces the quality of the low performers' work....

  18. Feedback on Feedback--Does It Work?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speicher, Oranna; Stollhans, Sascha

    2015-01-01

    It is well documented that providing assessment feedback through the medium of screencasts is favourably received by students and encourages deeper engagement with the feedback given by the language teacher (inter alia Abdous & Yoshimura, 2010; Brick & Holmes, 2008; Cann, 2007; Stannard, 2007). In this short paper we will report the…

  19. Shadowing emergency medicine residents by medical education specialists to provide feedback on non-medical knowledge-based ACGME sub-competencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waterbrook AL

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Anna L Waterbrook,1 Karen C Spear Ellinwood,2 T Gail Pritchard,3 Karen Bertels,1 Ariel C Johnson,4 Alice Min,1 Lisa R Stoneking1 1Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA; 3Department of Pediatrics, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA; 4College of Medicine, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA Objective: Non-medical knowledge-based sub-competencies (multitasking, professionalism, accountability, patient-centered communication, and team management are challenging for a supervising emergency medicine (EM physician to evaluate in real-time on shift while also managing a busy emergency department (ED. This study examines residents’ perceptions of having a medical education specialist shadow and evaluate their nonmedical knowledge skills.Methods: Medical education specialists shadowed postgraduate year 1 and postgraduate year 2 EM residents during an ED shift once per academic year. In an attempt to increase meaningful feedback to the residents, these specialists evaluated resident performance in selected non-medical knowledge-based Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME sub-competencies and provided residents with direct, real-time feedback, followed by a written evaluation sent via email. Evaluations provided specific references to examples of behaviors observed during the shift and connected these back to ACGME competencies and milestones.Results: Twelve residents participated in this shadow experience (six post graduate year 1 and six postgraduate year 2. Two residents emailed the medical education specialists ahead of the scheduled shadow shift requesting specific feedback. When queried, five residents voluntarily requested their feedback to be included in their formal biannual review. Residents received

  20. Perioperative feedback in surgical training: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKendy, Katherine M; Watanabe, Yusuke; Lee, Lawrence; Bilgic, Elif; Enani, Ghada; Feldman, Liane S; Fried, Gerald M; Vassiliou, Melina C

    2017-07-01

    Changes in surgical training have raised concerns about residents' operative exposure and preparedness for independent practice. One way of addressing this concern is by optimizing teaching and feedback in the operating room (OR). The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review on perioperative teaching and feedback. A systematic literature search identified articles from 1994 to 2014 that addressed teaching, feedback, guidance, or debriefing in the perioperative period. Data was extracted according to ENTREQ guidelines, and a qualitative analysis was performed. Thematic analysis of the 26 included studies identified four major topics. Observation of teaching behaviors in the OR described current teaching practices. Identification of effective teaching strategies analyzed teaching behaviors, differentiating positive and negative teaching strategies. Perceptions of teaching behaviors described resident and attending satisfaction with teaching in the OR. Finally models for delivering structured feedback cited examples of feedback strategies and measured their effectiveness. This study provides an overview of perioperative teaching and feedback for surgical trainees and identifies a need for improved quality and quantity of structured feedback. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. A randomized controlled trial of a personalized feedback intervention for problem gamblers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John A Cunningham

    Full Text Available Personalized feedback is a promising self-help for problem gamblers. Such interventions have shown consistently positive results with other addictive behaviours, and our own pilot test of personalized normative feedback materials for gamblers yielded positive findings. The current randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness, and the sustained efficacy, of the personalized feedback intervention materials for problem gamblers.Respondents recruited by a general population telephone screener of Ontario adults included gamblers with moderate and severe gambling problems. Those who agreed to participate were randomly assigned to receive: 1 the full personalized normative feedback intervention; 2 a partial feedback that contained all the feedback information provided to those in condition 1 but without the normative feedback content (i.e., no comparisons provided to general population gambling norms; or 3 a waiting list control condition. The primary hypothesis was that problem gamblers who received the personalized normative feedback intervention would reduce their gambling more than problem gamblers who did not receive any intervention (waiting list control condition by the six-month follow-up.The study found no evidence for the impact of normative personalized feedback. However, participants who received, the partial feedback (without norms reduced the number of days they gambled compared to participants who did not receive the intervention. We concluded that personalized feedback interventions were well received and the materials may be helpful at reducing gambling. Realistically, it can be expected that the personalized feedback intervention may have a limited, short term impact on the severity of participants' problem gambling because the intervention is just a brief screener. An Internet-based version of the personalized feedback intervention tool, however, may offer an easy to access and non-threatening portal that can be used to

  2. The effects of feedback self-consistency, therapist status, and attitude toward therapy on reaction to personality feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, David R; Stukas, Arthur A

    2006-08-01

    Individuals' reactions to interpersonal feedback may depend on characteristics of the feedback and the feedback source. The present authors examined the effects of experimentally manipulated personality feedback that they--in the guise of therapists--e-mailed to participants on the degree of their acceptance of the feedback. Consistent with Self-Verification Theory (W. B. Swann Jr., 1987), participants accepted feedback that was consistent with their self-views more readily than they did feedback that was inconsistent with their self-views. Furthermore, the authors found main effects for therapist's status and participant's attitude toward therapy. Significant interactions showed effects in which high-status therapists and positive client attitudes increased acceptance of self-inconsistent feedback, effects that were only partially mediated by clients' perceptions of therapist competence. The present results indicate the possibility that participants may be susceptible to self-concept change or to self-fulfilling prophecy effects in therapy when they have a positive attitude toward therapy or are working with a high-status therapist.

  3. A Collaborative Approach to Implement Positive Behavior Support Plans for Children with Problem Behaviors: A Comparison of Consultation versus Consultation and Feedback Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erbas, Dilek

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of consultation alone and consultation plus feedback on the proper use of positive behavior support strategies (PBS) on behaviors of three mothers with children with developmental disabilities. Results indicated that consultation plus feedback was more effective than consultation alone…

  4. Feedback to providers improves evidence-based implantable cardioverter-defibrillator programming and reduces shocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silver, Marc T; Sterns, Laurence D; Piccini, Jonathan P; Joung, Boyoung; Ching, Chi-Keong; Pickett, Robert A; Rabinovich, Rafael; Liu, Shufeng; Peterson, Brett J; Lexcen, Daniel R

    2015-03-01

    Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks are associated with increased anxiety, health care utilization, and potentially mortality. The purpose of the Shock-Less Study was to determine if providing feedback reports to physicians on their adherence to evidence-based shock reduction programming could improve their programming behavior and reduce shocks. Shock-Less enrolled primary prevention (PP) and secondary prevention (SP) ICD patients between 2009 and 2012 at 118 study centers worldwide and followed patients longitudinally after their ICD implant. Center-specific therapy programming reports (TPRs) were delivered to each center 9 to 12 months after their first enrollment. The reports detailed adherence to evidence-based programming targets: number of intervals to detect ventricular fibrillation (VF NID), longest treatment interval (LTI), supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) discriminators (Wavelet, PR Logic), SVT limit, Lead Integrity Alert (LIA), and antitachycardia pacing (ATP). Clinicians programmed ICDs at their discretion. The primary outcome measure was the change in utilization of evidence-based shock reduction programming before (phase I, n = 2694 patients) and after initiation of the TPR (phase II, n = 1438 patients). Patients implanted after feedback reports (phase II) were up to 20% more likely to have their ICDs programmed in line with evidence-based shock reduction programming (eg, VF NID in PP patients 30/40 in 33.5% vs 18.6%, P programming feedback reports improves adherence to evidence-based shock reduction programming and is associated with lower risk of ICD shocks. Copyright © 2015 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Perceived Insider Status and Feedback Reactions: A Dual Path of Feedback Motivation Attribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weijiong Wu

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Many studies have evaluated how the characteristics of feedback receiver, feedback deliverer and feedback information influence psychological feedback reactions of the feedback receiver while largely neglecting that feedback intervention is a kind of social interaction process. To address this issue, this study proposes that employees’ perceived insider status (PIS, as a kind of employee-organization relationship, could also influence employees’ reactions to supervisory feedback. In particular, this study investigates the influence of PIS focusing on affective and cognitive feedback reactions, namely feedback satisfaction and feedback utility. Surveys were conducted in a machinery manufacturing company in the Guangdong province of China. Samples were collected from 192 employees. Data analysis demonstrated that PIS and feedback utility possessed a U-shaped relationship, whereas PIS and feedback satisfaction exhibited positively linear relationships. The analysis identified two kinds of mediating mechanisms related to feedback satisfaction and feedback utility. Internal feedback motivation attribution partially mediated the relationship between PIS and feedback satisfaction but failed to do the same with respect to the relationship between PIS and feedback utility. In contrast, external feedback motivation attribution partially mediated the relationship between PIS and feedback utility while failing to mediate the relationship between PIS and feedback satisfaction. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings are discussed at the end of the paper.

  6. Praise in Public, Criticize in Private? An Assessment of Performance Feedback Transparency in a Classroom Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seevers, Matthew T.; Rowe, William J.; Skinner, Steven J.

    2014-01-01

    Conventional wisdom in sales management encourages public delivery of positive feedback, and private delivery of negative feedback. In stark contrast, U.S. educators typically provide all performance feedback in relative (if not strict) privacy to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). To investigate this discrepancy,…

  7. A Role of Base Plate Jerk Feedback Scheme for Suppression of the Self Vibration in a Pneumatic Positioning Stage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wali, Mohebullah; Nakamura, Yukinori; Wakui, Shinji

    In this study, a positioning stage is considered, which is actuated by four pneumatic cylinders and vertically supported by four coil-type spring isolators. Previously, we realized the base plate jerk feedback (BPJFB) to be analogues to a Master-Slave system which can synchronize the motion of the stage as a Slave to the motion of the base plate as a Master. However, in the case of real positioning, the stage had slightly self oscillation with higher frequency due to the higher gains set to the outer feedback loop controller besides its oscillation due to the natural vibration of the base plate. The self oscillation of stage was misunderstood to be the natural vibration of base plate due to the reaction force. However, according to the experimental results, the BPJFB scheme was able to control both of the mentioned vibrations. Suppression of the self vibration of stage is an interesting phenomenon, which should be experimentally investigated. Therefore, the current study focuses on the suppression of the self vibration of stage by using the BPJFB scheme. The experimental results show that besides operating as a Master-Slave synchronizing system, the PBJFB scheme is able to increase the damping ratio and stiffness of stage against its self vibration. This newly recognized phenomenon contributes to further increase the proportional gain of the outer feedback loop controller. As a result, the positioning speed and stability can be improved.

  8. Hvad siger forskningen om feedback?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holdt Christensen, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Feedback skal serveres ligesom en gammeldags sandwich. Først lidt brød, så det lidt sejere kød og til sidst igen til lidt brød”. Sådan nogenlunde lyder en pragmatisk løsning på udfordringerne ved at give feedback. Når medarbejdere skal have negativ feedback, skal denne altså pakkes ind, så...... feedbacken indledes med let fordøjeligt positiv feedback, derefter kommer den negative – og noget sværere fordøjelige – feedback, og til sidst afrundes feedbacken med en god udgangsreplik, nemlig den positive feedback....

  9. The role of noise and positive feedback in the onset of autosomal dominant diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bosl William J

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Autosomal dominant (AD diseases result when a single mutant or non-functioning gene is present on an autosomal chromosome. These diseases often do not emerge at birth. There are presently two prevailing theories explaining the expression of AD diseases. One explanation originates from the Knudson two-hit theory of hereditary cancers, where loss of heterozygosity or occurrence of somatic mutations impairs the function of the wild-type copy. While these somatic second hits may be sufficient for stable disease states, it is often difficult to determine if their occurrence necessarily marks the initiation of disease progression. A more direct consequence of a heterozygous genetic background is haploinsufficiency, referring to a lack of sufficient gene function due to reduced wild-type gene copy number; however, haploinsufficiency can involve a variety of additional mechanisms, such as noise in gene expression or protein levels, injury and second hit mutations in other genes. In this study, we explore the possible contribution to the onset of autosomal dominant diseases from intrinsic factors, such as those determined by the structure of the molecular networks governing normal cellular physiology. Results First, simple models of single gene insufficiency using the positive feedback loops that may be derived from a three-component network were studied by computer simulation using Bionet software. The network structure is shown to affect the dynamics considerably; some networks are relatively stable even when large stochastic variations in are present, while others exhibit switch-like dynamics. In the latter cases, once the network switches over to the disease state it remains in that state permanently. Model pathways for two autosomal dominant diseases, AD polycystic kidney disease and mature onset diabetes of youth (MODY were simulated and the results are compared to known disease characteristics. Conclusions By identifying the

  10. Prefrontal cortex and striatal activation by feedback in Parkinson's disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keitz, Martijn; Koerts, Janneke; Kortekaas, Rudie; Renken, Remco; de Jong, Bauke M.; Leenders, Klaus L.

    2008-01-01

    Positive feedbacks reinforce goal-directed behavior and evoke pleasure. in Parkinson's disease (PD) the striatal dysfunction impairs motor performance, but also may lead to decreased positive feedback (reward) processing. This study investigates two types of positive feedback processing (monetary

  11. Audit and Feedback: A Quality Improvement Study to Increase Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Rebecca Culver; Carter, Kimberly Ferren; Jackson, Julie; Hodges, Deborah

    The purpose of this quality improvement study was to explore the impact of audit and feedback on the pneumococcal immunization rate for at-risk adults in ambulatory settings. Study findings support the hypothesis that timely, individualized audit and feedback can have a positive impact on immunization rate; generalized feedback that did not provide actionable information did not have the same impact. The difference between the interventions was significant, χ (1, N = 1993) = 124.7, P <.001.

  12. Delayed feedback control of fractional-order chaotic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gjurchinovski, A; Urumov, V; Sandev, T

    2010-01-01

    We study the possibility to stabilize unstable steady states and unstable periodic orbits in chaotic fractional-order dynamical systems by the time-delayed feedback method. By performing a linear stability analysis, we establish the parameter ranges for successful stabilization of unstable equilibria in the plane parameterized by the feedback gain and the time delay. An insight into the control mechanism is gained by analyzing the characteristic equation of the controlled system, showing that the control scheme fails to control unstable equilibria having an odd number of positive real eigenvalues. We demonstrate that the method can also stabilize unstable periodic orbits for a suitable choice of the feedback gain, providing that the time delay is chosen to coincide with the period of the target orbit. In addition, it is shown numerically that delayed feedback control with a sinusoidally modulated time delay significantly enlarges the stability region of steady states in comparison to the classical time-delayed feedback scheme with a constant delay.

  13. Nurses' perceptions of feedback to nursing teams on quality measurements: An embedded case study design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giesbers, A P M Suzanne; Schouteten, Roel L J; Poutsma, Erik; van der Heijden, Beatrice I J M; van Achterberg, Theo

    2016-12-01

    Providing nursing teams with feedback on quality measurements is used as a quality improvement instrument in healthcare organizations worldwide. Previous research indicated contradictory results regarding the effect of such feedback on both nurses' well-being and performance. Building on the Job Demands-Resources model this study explores: (1) whether and how nurses' perceptions of feedback on quality measurements (as a burdening job demand or rather as an intrinsically or extrinsically motivating job resource) are respectively related to nurses' well-being and performance; and (2) whether and how team reflection influences nurses' perceptions. An embedded case study. Four surgical wards within three different acute teaching-hospital settings in the Netherlands. During a period of four months, the nurses on each ward were provided with similar feedback on quality measurements. After this period, interviews with eight nurses and the ward manager for each ward were conducted. Additionally, observational data were collected from three oral feedback moments on each of the participating wards. The data revealed that individual nurses perceive the same feedback on quality measurements differently, leading to different effects on nurses' well-being and performance: 1) feedback can be perceived as a job demand that pressures nurses to improve the results on the quality measurements; 2) feedback can be perceived as an extrinsically motivating job resource, that is instrumental to improve the results on quality measurements; 3) feedback can be perceived as an intrinsically motivating job resource that stimulates nurses to improve the results on the quality measurements; and 4) feedback can be perceived neither as a job demand, nor as a job resource, and has no effect on nurses' well-being and performance. Additionally, this study indicates that team reflection after feedback seems to be very low in practice, while our data also provides evidence that nursing teams using the

  14. Control of conducting polymer actuators without physical feedback: simulated feedback control approach with particle swarm optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiang, Xingcan; Mutlu, Rahim; Alici, Gursel; Li, Weihua

    2014-01-01

    Conducting polymer actuators have shown significant potential in articulating micro instruments, manipulation devices, and robotics. However, implementing a feedback control strategy to enhance their positioning ability and accuracy in any application requires a feedback sensor, which is extremely large in size compared to the size of the actuators. Therefore, this paper proposes a new sensorless control scheme without the use of a position feedback sensor. With the help of the system identification technique and particle swarm optimization, the control scheme, which we call the simulated feedback control system, showed a satisfactory command tracking performance for the conducting polymer actuator’s step and dynamic displacement responses, especially under a disturbance, without needing a physical feedback loop, but using a simulated feedback loop. The primary contribution of this study is to propose and experimentally evaluate the simulated feedback control scheme for a class of the conducting polymer actuators known as tri-layer polymer actuators, which can operate both in dry and wet media. This control approach can also be extended to other smart actuators or systems, for which the feedback control based on external sensing is impractical. (paper)

  15. MicroRNA-Mediated Positive Feedback Loop and Optimized Bistable Switch in a Cancer Network Involving miR-17-92

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yichen; Li, Yumin; Zhang, Hui; Chen, Yong

    2011-01-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that play an important role in many key biological processes, including development, cell differentiation, the cell cycle and apoptosis, as central post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Recent studies have shown that miRNAs can act as oncogenes and tumor suppressors depending on the context. The present work focuses on the physiological significance of miRNAs and their role in regulating the switching behavior. We illustrate an abstract model of the Myc/E2F/miR-17-92 network presented by Aguda et al. (2008), which is composed of coupling between the E2F/Myc positive feedback loops and the E2F/Myc/miR-17-92 negative feedback loop. By systematically analyzing the network in close association with plausible experimental parameters, we show that, in the presence of miRNAs, the system bistability emerges from the system, with a bistable switch and a one-way switch presented by Aguda et al. instead of a single one-way switch. Moreover, the miRNAs can optimize the switching process. The model produces a diverse array of response-signal behaviors in response to various potential regulating scenarios. The model predicts that this transition exists, one from cell death or the cancerous phenotype directly to cell quiescence, due to the existence of miRNAs. It was also found that the network involving miR-17-92 exhibits high noise sensitivity due to a positive feedback loop and also maintains resistance to noise from a negative feedback loop. PMID:22022595

  16. What Motivates Students to Provide Feedback to Teachers about Teaching and Learning? An Expectancy Theory Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caulfield, Jay

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this empirical research study was to investigate what motivates students to provide formative anonymous feedback to teachers regarding their perceptions of the teaching and learning experience in order to improve student learning. Expectancy theory, specifically Vroom's Model, was used as the conceptual framework for the study.…

  17. Trainees' Perceptions of Feedback: Validity Evidence for Two FEEDME (Feedback in Medical Education) Instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bing-You, Robert; Ramesh, Saradha; Hayes, Victoria; Varaklis, Kalli; Ward, Denham; Blanco, Maria

    2018-01-01

    Construct: Medical educators consider feedback a core component of the educational process. Effective feedback allows learners to acquire new skills, knowledge, and attitudes. Learners' perceptions of feedback are an important aspect to assess with valid methods in order to improve the feedback skills of educators and the feedback culture. Although guidelines for delivering effective feedback have existed for several decades, medical students and residents often indicate that they receive little feedback. A recent scoping review on feedback in medical education did not reveal any validity evidence on instruments to assess learner's perceptions of feedback. The purpose of our study was to gather validity evidence on two novel FEEDME (Feedback in Medical Education) instruments to assess medical students' and residents' perceptions of the feedback that they receive. After the authors developed an initial instrument with 54 items, cognitive interviews with medical students and residents suggested that 2 separate instruments were needed, one focused on the feedback culture (FEEDME-Culture) and the other on the provider of feedback (FEEDME-Provider). A Delphi study with 17 medical education experts and faculty members assessed content validity. The response process was explored involving 31 medical students and residents at 2 academic institutions. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analyses were performed on completed instruments. Two Delphi consultation rounds refined the wording of items and eliminated several items. Learners found both instruments easy and quick to answer; it took them less than 5 minutes to complete. Learners preferred an electronic format of the instruments over paper. Factor analysis revealed a two- and three-factor solution for the FEEDME-Culture and FEEDME-Provider instruments, respectively. Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.80 for all factors. Items on both instruments were moderately to highly correlated (range, r = .3-.7). Our

  18. Physical limits of feedback noise-suppression in biological networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Jiajun; Yuan, Zhanjiang; Zhou, Tianshou

    2009-01-01

    Feedback is a ubiquitous control mechanism of biological networks, and has also been identified in a variety of regulatory systems and organisms. It has been shown that, for a given gain and with negligible intrinsic noise, negative feedback impairs noise buffering whereas positive feedback enhances noise buffering. We further investigate the influence of negative and positive feedback on noise in output signals by considering both intrinsic and extrinsic noise as well as operator noise. We find that, while maintaining the system sensitivity, either there exists a minimum of the output noise intensity corresponding to a biologically feasible feedback strength, or the output noise intensity is a monotonic function of feedback strength bounded by both biological and dynamical constraints. In both cases, feedback noise-suppression is physically limited. In other words, noise suppressed by negative or positive feedback cannot be reduced without limitation even in the case of slow transcription

  19. The effect of emotions, promotion vs. prevention focus, and feedback on cognitive engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wytykowska Agata

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to explore the role of emotions, promotion-prevention orientation and feedback on cognitive engagement. In the experiment participants had the possibility to engage in a categorization task thrice. After the first categorization all participants were informed that around 75% of their answers were correct. After the second categorization, depending on the experimental condition, participants received feedback either about success or failure. Involvement in the third categorization was depended on participants’ decision whether to take part in it or not. Each time, before and after categorization, the emotional state was assessed. Results showed that promotion orientation predicted experiencing curiosity before the task, which in turn led to a higher cognitive engagement in the first categorization. Promotion and prevention orientation moderated the type of emotional response to positive feedback. Promotion orientation also predicted cognitive engagement after the feedback of success was provided. Generally results confirmed the positive effect of positive emotions as well as promotion orientation on cognitive engagement.

  20. LHC beam stability and feedback control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steinhagen, Ralph

    2007-01-01

    This report presents the stability and the control of the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) two beam orbits and their particle momenta using beam-based feedback systems. The aim of this report is to contribute to a safe and reliable LHC commissioning and machine operation. The first part of the analysis gives an estimate of the expected sources of orbit and energy perturbations that can be grouped into environmental sources, machine-inherent sources and machine element failures: the slowest perturbation due to ground motion, tides, temperature fluctuations of the tunnel and other environmental influences are described in this report by a propagation model that is both qualitatively and quantitatively supported by geophone and beam motion measurements at LEP and other CERN accelerators. The second part of this analysis deals with the control of the two LHC beams' orbit and energy through automated feedback systems. Based on the reading of the more than 1056 beam position monitors (BPMs) that are distributed over the machine, a central global feedback controller calculates new deflection strengths for the more than 1060 orbit corrector magnets (CODs) that are suitable to correct the orbit and momentum around their references. this report provides an analysis of the BPMs and CODs involved in the orbit and energy feedback. The BPMs are based on a wide-band time normaliser circuit that converts the transverse beam position reading of each individual particle bunch into two laser pulses that are separated by a time delay and transmitted through optical fibres to an acquisition card that converts the delay signals into a digital position. A simple error model has been tested and compared to the measurement accuracy of LHC type BPMs, obtained through beam-based measurements in the SPS. The average beam position is controlled through 1060 superconducting and individually powered corrector dipole magnets. The proposed correction in 'time-domain' consists of a proportional

  1. Evaluation of feedback given to trainees in medical specialties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tham, Tony Ck; Burr, Bill; Boohan, Mairead

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of feedback provided to specialty trainees (ST3 or higher) in medical specialties during their workplace-based assessments (WBAs). The feedback given in WBAs was examined in detail in a group of 50 ST3 or higher trainees randomly selected from those taking part in a pilot study of changes to the WBA system conducted by the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board. They were based in Health Education Northeast (Northern Deanery) and Health Education East of England (Eastern Deanery). Thematic analysis was used to identify commonly occurring themes. Feedback was mainly positive but there were differences in quality between specialties. Problems with feedback included insufficient detail, such that it was not possible to map the progression of the trainee, insufficient action plans made and the timing of feedback not being contemporaneous (feedback not being given at the time of assessment). Recommendations included feedback should be more specific; there need to be more options in the feedback forms for the supervisor to compare the trainee's performance to what is expected and action plans need to be made. © Royal College of Physicians 2017. All rights reserved.

  2. Animal personality and state-behaviour feedbacks: a review and guide for empiricists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sih, Andrew; Mathot, Kimberley J; Moirón, María; Montiglio, Pierre-Olivier; Wolf, Max; Dingemanse, Niels J

    2015-01-01

    An exciting area in behavioural ecology focuses on understanding why animals exhibit consistent among-individual differences in behaviour (animal personalities). Animal personality has been proposed to emerge as an adaptation to individual differences in state variables, leading to the question of why individuals differ consistently in state. Recent theory emphasizes the role that positive feedbacks between state and behaviour can play in producing consistent among-individual covariance between state and behaviour, hence state-dependent personality. We review the role of feedbacks in recent models of adaptive personalities, and provide guidelines for empirical testing of model assumptions and predictions. We discuss the importance of the mediating effects of ecology on these feedbacks, and provide a roadmap for including state-behaviour feedbacks in behavioural ecology research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Parallel arrangements of positive feedback loops limit cell-to-cell variability in differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dey, Anupam; Barik, Debashis

    2017-01-01

    Cellular differentiations are often regulated by bistable switches resulting from specific arrangements of multiple positive feedback loops (PFL) fused to one another. Although bistability generates digital responses at the cellular level, stochasticity in chemical reactions causes population heterogeneity in terms of its differentiated states. We hypothesized that the specific arrangements of PFLs may have evolved to minimize the cellular heterogeneity in differentiation. In order to test this we investigated variability in cellular differentiation controlled either by parallel or serial arrangements of multiple PFLs having similar average properties under extrinsic and intrinsic noises. We find that motifs with PFLs fused in parallel to one another around a central regulator are less susceptible to noise as compared to the motifs with PFLs arranged serially. Our calculations suggest that the increased resistance to noise in parallel motifs originate from the less sensitivity of bifurcation points to the extrinsic noise. Whereas estimation of mean residence times indicate that stable branches of bifurcations are robust to intrinsic noise in parallel motifs as compared to serial motifs. Model conclusions are consistent both in AND- and OR-gate input signal configurations and also with two different modeling strategies. Our investigations provide some insight into recent findings that differentiation of preadipocyte to mature adipocyte is controlled by network of parallel PFLs.

  4. Appearance feedback in intimate relationships: the role of self-verification and self-enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Jennifer N; Stukas, Arthur A; Evans, Lynette

    2013-01-01

    To better understand how body image operates within the context of intimate relationships, we investigated women's responses to appearance feedback from an intimate partner. Participants (N=192) imagined receiving feedback from their partner that was either consistent with their own appearance self-view (i.e., self-verifying), more positive (i.e., self-enhancing), or less positive (i.e., devaluing), and then provided their affective and cognitive reactions. As expected, women's perceptions of their own appearance moderated their reactions. Women with more negative self-views felt happier with enhancing feedback, but thought that it meant their partner understood them less well. They also felt less happy when they received verifying feedback, but felt more understood by their partners. Thus, women with body image dissatisfaction may find themselves stuck in the "cognitive-affective crossfire" reacting ambivalently whether their partner enhances their appearance or confirms their negative self-views. Further examination of partners' actual feedback is needed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Hybrid PD and effective multi-mode positive position feedback control for slewing and vibration suppression of a smart flexible manipulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lou, Jun-qiang; Wei, Yan-ding; Yang, Yi-ling; Xie, Feng-ran

    2015-01-01

    A hybrid control strategy for slewing and vibration suppression of a smart flexible manipulator is presented in this paper. It consists of a proportional derivative controller to realize motion control, and an effective multi-mode positive position feedback (EMPPF) controller to suppress the multi-mode vibration. Rather than treat each mode equally as the standard multi-mode PPF, the essence of the EMPPF is that control forces of different modes are applied according to the mode parameters of the respective modes, so the vibration modes with less vibration energy receive fewer control forces. Stability conditions for the close loop system are established through stability analysis. Optimal parameters of the EMPPF controller are obtained using the method of root locus analysis. The performance of the proposed strategy is demonstrated by simulation and experiments. Experimental results show that the first two vibration modes of the manipulator are effectively suppressed. The setting time of the setup descends approximately 55%, reaching 3.12 s from 5.67 s. (paper)

  6. Hybrid PD and effective multi-mode positive position feedback control for slewing and vibration suppression of a smart flexible manipulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Jun-qiang; Wei, Yan-ding; Yang, Yi-ling; Xie, Feng-ran

    2015-03-01

    A hybrid control strategy for slewing and vibration suppression of a smart flexible manipulator is presented in this paper. It consists of a proportional derivative controller to realize motion control, and an effective multi-mode positive position feedback (EMPPF) controller to suppress the multi-mode vibration. Rather than treat each mode equally as the standard multi-mode PPF, the essence of the EMPPF is that control forces of different modes are applied according to the mode parameters of the respective modes, so the vibration modes with less vibration energy receive fewer control forces. Stability conditions for the close loop system are established through stability analysis. Optimal parameters of the EMPPF controller are obtained using the method of root locus analysis. The performance of the proposed strategy is demonstrated by simulation and experiments. Experimental results show that the first two vibration modes of the manipulator are effectively suppressed. The setting time of the setup descends approximately 55%, reaching 3.12 s from 5.67 s.

  7. Physician Perceptions of Performance Feedback in a Quality Improvement Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eden, Aimee R; Hansen, Elizabeth; Hagen, Michael D; Peterson, Lars E

    2017-10-01

    Physician performance and peer comparison feedback can affect physician care quality and patient outcomes. This study aimed to understand family physician perspectives of the value of performance feedback in quality improvement (QI) activities. This study analyzed American Board of Family Medicine open-ended survey data collected between 2004 and 2014 from physicians who completed a QI module that provided pre- and post-QI project individual performance data and peer comparisons. Physicians made 3480 comments in response to a question about this performance feedback, which were generally positive in nature (86%). Main themes that emerged were importance of accurate feedback data, enhanced detail in the content of feedback, and ability to customize peer comparison groups to compare performance to peers with similar patient populations or practice characteristics. Meaningful and tailored performance feedback may be an important tool for physicians to improve their care quality and should be considered an integral part of QI project design.

  8. Electroencephalogy (EEG) Feedback in Decision-Making

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-08-26

    Electroencephalogy ( EEG ) Feedback In Decision- Making The goal of this project is to investigate whether Electroencephalogy ( EEG ) can provide useful...feedback when training rapid decision-making. More specifically, EEG will allow us to provide online feedback about the neural decision processes...Electroencephalogy ( EEG ) Feedback In Decision-Making Report Title The goal of this project is to investigate whether Electroencephalogy ( EEG ) can provide useful

  9. GIVING AND RECEIVING CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ірина Олійник

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The article scrutinizes the notion of feedback applicable in classrooms where team teaching is provided. The experience of giving and receiving feedback has been a good practice in cooperation between a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and a Ukrainian counterpart. Giving and receiving feedback is an effective means of classroom observation that provides better insight into the process of teaching a foreign language. The article discusses the stages of feedback and explicates the notion of sharing experience between two teachers working simultaneously in the same classroom. The guidelines for giving and receiving feedback have been provided as well as the most commonly used vocabulary items have been listed. It has been proved that mutual feedback leads to improving teaching methods and using various teaching styles and techniques.

  10. False feedback and beliefs influence name recall in younger and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strickland-Hughes, Carla M; West, Robin Lea; Smith, Kimberly A; Ebner, Natalie C

    2017-09-01

    Feedback is an important self-regulatory process that affects task effort and subsequent performance. Benefits of positive feedback for list recall have been explored in research on goals and feedback, but the effect of negative feedback on memory has rarely been studied. The current research extends knowledge of memory and feedback effects by investigating face-name association memory and by examining the potential mediation of feedback effects, in younger and older adults, through self-evaluative beliefs. Beliefs were assessed before and after name recognition and name recall testing. Repeated presentation of false positive feedback was compared to false negative feedback and a no feedback condition. Results showed that memory self-efficacy declined over time for participants in the negative and no feedback conditions but was sustained for those receiving positive feedback. Furthermore, participants who received negative feedback felt older after testing than before testing. For name recall, the positive feedback group outperformed the negative feedback and no feedback groups combined, with no age interactions. The observed feedback-related effects on memory were fully mediated by changes in memory self-efficacy. These findings advance our understanding of how beliefs are related to feedback in memory and inform future studies examining the importance of self-regulation in memory.

  11. Relationships among supervisor feedback environment, work-related stressors, and employee deviance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Jei-Chen; Tseng, Mei-Man; Lee, Yin-Ling

    2011-03-01

    Previous research has demonstrated that the employee deviance imposes enormous costs on organizational performance and productivity. Similar research supports the positive effect of favorable supervisor feedback on employee job performance. In light of such, it is important to understand the interaction between supervisor feedback environment and employee deviant behavior to streamline organization operations. The purposes of this study were to explore how the supervisor feedback environment influences employee deviance and to examine the mediating role played by work-related stressors. Data were collected from 276 subordinate-supervisor dyads at a regional hospital in Yilan. Structural equation modeling analyses were conducted to test hypotheses. Structural equation modeling analysis results show that supervisor feedback environment negatively related to interpersonal and organizational deviance. Moreover, work-related stressors were found to partially mediate the relationship between supervisor feedback environment and employee deviance. Study findings suggest that when employees (nurses in this case) perceive an appropriate supervisor-provided feedback environment, their deviance is suppressed because of the related reduction in work-related stressors. Thus, to decrease deviant behavior, organizations may foster supervisor integration of disseminated knowledge such as (a) how to improve employees' actual performance, (b) how to effectively clarify expected performance, and (c) how to improve continuous performance feedback. If supervisors absorb this integrated feedback knowledge, they should be in a better position to enhance their own daily interactions with nurses and reduce nurses' work-related stress and, consequently, decrease deviant behavior.

  12. Feedback Seeking in Early Adolescence: Self-Enhancement or Self-Verification?

    OpenAIRE

    Rosen, Lisa H.; Principe, Connor P.; Langlois, Judith H.

    2012-01-01

    The authors examined whether early adolescents (N = 90) solicit self-enhancing feedback (i.e., positive feedback) or self-verifying feedback (i.e., feedback congruent with self-views, even when these views are negative). Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders first completed a self-perception measure and then selected whether to receive positive or negative feedback from an unknown peer in different domains of self. Results were consistent with self-verification theory; adolescents who perceived ...

  13. Regional feedbacks under changing climate and land-use conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batlle Bayer, L.; van den Hurk, B. J. J. M.; Strengers, B. J.; van Minnen, J. G.

    2012-04-01

    Ecosystem responses to a changing climate and human-induced climate forcings (e.g. deforestation) might amplify (positive feedback) or dampen (negative feedback) the initial climate response. Feedbacks may include the biogeochemical (e.g. carbon cycle) and biogeophysical feedbacks (e.g. albedo and hydrological cycle). Here, we first review the most important feedbacks and put them into the context of a conceptual framework, including the major processes and interactions between terrestrial ecosystems and climate. We explore potential regional feedbacks in four hot spots with pronounced potential changes in land-use/management and local climate: sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Europe, the Amazon Basin and South and Southeast Asia. For each region, the relevant human-induced climate forcings and feedbacks were identified based on published literature. When evapotranspiration is limited by a soil water deficit, heat waves in Europe are amplified (positive soil moisture-temperature feedback). Drought events in the Amazon lead to further rainfall reduction when water recycling processes are affected (positive soil moisture-precipitation feedback). In SSA, the adoption of irrigation in the commonly rainfed systems can modulate the negative soil moisture-temperature feedback. In contrast, future water shortage in South and Southeast Asia can turn the negative soil moisture-temperature feedback into a positive one. Further research including advanced modeling strategies is needed to isolate the dominant processes affecting the strength and sign of the feedbacks. In addition, the socio-economic dimension needs to be considered in the ecosystems-climate system to include the essential role of human decisions on land-use and land-cover change (LULCC). In this context, enhanced integration between Earth System (ES) and Integrated Assessment (IA) modeling communities is strongly recommended.

  14. The importance and acceptability of general and maladaptive personality trait computerized assessment feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lengel, Gregory J; Mullins-Sweatt, Stephanie N

    2017-01-01

    Personality traits are a useful component of clinical assessment, and have been associated with positive and negative life outcomes. Assessment of both general and maladaptive personality traits may be beneficial practice, as they may complement each other to comprehensively and accurately describe one's personality. Notably, personal preferences regarding assessment feedback have not been studied. The current study examined the acceptability of personality assessment feedback from the perspective of the examinee. Treatment-seeking participants from a university (n = 72) and Amazon.com MTurk (n = 101) completed measures of the 5-factor model and the DSM-5 alternative model of personality disorder, and were then provided feedback on their general and maladaptive personality traits. Individuals then provided feedback on which aspects they found most useful. Results demonstrated strong participant agreement that the personality trait feedback was accurate and relevant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Speaking truth to power: the effect of candid feedback on how individuals with power allocate resources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oc, Burak; Bashshur, Michael R; Moore, Celia

    2015-03-01

    Subordinates are often seen as impotent, able to react to but not affect how powerholders treat them. Instead, we conceptualize subordinate feedback as an important trigger of powerholders' behavioral self-regulation and explore subordinates' reciprocal influence on how powerholders allocate resources to them over time. In 2 experiments using a multiparty, multiround dictator game paradigm, we found that when subordinates provided candid feedback about whether they found prior allocations to be fair or unfair, powerholders regulated how self-interested their allocations were over time. However, when subordinates provided compliant feedback about powerholders' prior allocation decisions (offered consistently positive feedback, regardless of the powerholders' prior allocation), those powerholders made increasingly self-interested allocations over time. In addition, we showed that guilt partially mediates this relationship: powerholders feel more guilty after receiving negative feedback about an allocation, subsequently leading to a less self-interested allocation, whereas they feel less guilty after receiving positive feedback about an allocation, subsequently taking more for themselves. Our findings integrate the literature on upward feedback with theory about moral self-regulation to support the idea that subordinates are an important source of influence over those who hold power over them. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  16. A method for calculating active feedback system to provide vertical ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Slow instabilities, development time of which is proportional to the .... where (w, I) denotes the scalar (inner or dot) product of vectors w and I. Solutions ... which the system of passive conductors must satisfy. ..... In this research, the active feedback system consisting of two coils with coordi- .... a new mode becomes dominant.

  17. The Effects of Source, Revision Possibility, and Amount of Feedback on Marketing Students' Impressions of Feedback on an Assignment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ackerman, David S.; Dommeyer, Curt J.; Gross, Barbara L.

    2017-01-01

    This study examines how three factors affect students' reactions to critical feedback on an assignment--amount of feedback (none vs. low amount vs. high amount), source of feedback (instructor-provided feedback vs. peer-provided feedback), and the situational context of the feedback (revision of paper is or is not possible). An incomplete 3 × 2 ×…

  18. User-centered development and testing of a monitoring system that provides feedback regarding physical functioning to elderly people

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vermeulen J

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Joan Vermeulen,1 Jacques CL Neyens,1 Marieke D Spreeuwenberg,1 Erik van Rossum,1,2 Walther Sipers,3 Herbert Habets,3 David J Hewson,4 Luc P de Witte1,2 1School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; 2Research Center for Technology in Care, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Heerlen, The Netherlands; 3Expertise Center for Elderly Care, Orbis Medical Center, Sittard, The Netherlands; 4Institute Charles Delaunay, Université de Technologie de Troyes, Troyes, France Purpose: To involve elderly people during the development of a mobile interface of a monitoring system that provides feedback to them regarding changes in physical functioning and to test the system in a pilot study. Methods and participants: The iterative user-centered development process consisted of the following phases: (1 selection of user representatives; (2 analysis of users and their context; (3 identification of user requirements; (4 development of the interface; and (5 evaluation of the interface in the lab. Subsequently, the monitoring and feedback system was tested in a pilot study by five patients who were recruited via a geriatric outpatient clinic. Participants used a bathroom scale to monitor weight and balance, and a mobile phone to monitor physical activity on a daily basis for six weeks. Personalized feedback was provided via the interface of the mobile phone. Usability was evaluated on a scale from 1 to 7 using a modified version of the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ; higher scores indicated better usability. Interviews were conducted to gain insight into the experiences of the participants with the system. Results: The developed interface uses colors, emoticons, and written and/or spoken text messages to provide daily feedback regarding (changes in weight, balance, and physical activity. The participants rated the usability of the monitoring and feedback system with a mean score of 5

  19. LHC beam stability and feedback control

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steinhagen, Ralph

    2007-07-20

    This report presents the stability and the control of the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) two beam orbits and their particle momenta using beam-based feedback systems. The aim of this report is to contribute to a safe and reliable LHC commissioning and machine operation. The first part of the analysis gives an estimate of the expected sources of orbit and energy perturbations that can be grouped into environmental sources, machine-inherent sources and machine element failures: the slowest perturbation due to ground motion, tides, temperature fluctuations of the tunnel and other environmental influences are described in this report by a propagation model that is both qualitatively and quantitatively supported by geophone and beam motion measurements at LEP and other CERN accelerators. The second part of this analysis deals with the control of the two LHC beams' orbit and energy through automated feedback systems. Based on the reading of the more than 1056 beam position monitors (BPMs) that are distributed over the machine, a central global feedback controller calculates new deflection strengths for the more than 1060 orbit corrector magnets (CODs) that are suitable to correct the orbit and momentum around their references. this report provides an analysis of the BPMs and CODs involved in the orbit and energy feedback. The BPMs are based on a wide-band time normaliser circuit that converts the transverse beam position reading of each individual particle bunch into two laser pulses that are separated by a time delay and transmitted through optical fibres to an acquisition card that converts the delay signals into a digital position. A simple error model has been tested and compared to the measurement accuracy of LHC type BPMs, obtained through beam-based measurements in the SPS. The average beam position is controlled through 1060 superconducting and individually powered corrector dipole magnets. The proposed correction in 'time-domain' consists of a

  20. The biomass burning contribution to climate–carbon-cycle feedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. P. Harrison

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Temperature exerts strong controls on the incidence and severity of fire. All else equal, warming is expected to increase fire-related carbon emissions, and thereby atmospheric CO2. But the magnitude of this feedback is very poorly known. We use a single-box model of the land biosphere to quantify this positive feedback from satellite-based estimates of biomass burning emissions for 2000–2014 CE and from sedimentary charcoal records for the millennium before the industrial period. We derive an estimate of the centennial-scale feedback strength of 6.5 ± 3.4 ppm CO2 per degree of land temperature increase, based on the satellite data. However, this estimate is poorly constrained, and is largely driven by the well-documented dependence of tropical deforestation and peat fires (primarily anthropogenic on climate variability patterns linked to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. Palaeo-data from pre-industrial times provide the opportunity to assess the fire-related climate–carbon-cycle feedback over a longer period, with less pervasive human impacts. Past biomass burning can be quantified based on variations in either the concentration and isotopic composition of methane in ice cores (with assumptions about the isotopic signatures of different methane sources or the abundances of charcoal preserved in sediments, which reflect landscape-scale changes in burnt biomass. These two data sources are shown here to be coherent with one another. The more numerous data from sedimentary charcoal, expressed as normalized anomalies (fractional deviations from the long-term mean, are then used – together with an estimate of mean biomass burning derived from methane isotope data – to infer a feedback strength of 5.6 ± 3.2 ppm CO2 per degree of land temperature and (for a climate sensitivity of 2.8 K a gain of 0.09 ± 0.05. This finding indicates that the positive carbon cycle feedback from increased fire provides a substantial

  1. Giving Feedback: Development of Scales for the Mum Effect, Discomfort Giving Feedback, and Feedback Medium Preference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, Susie S.; Marler, Laura E.; Simmering, Marcia J.; Totten, Jeff W.

    2011-01-01

    Research in organizational behavior and human resources promotes the view that it is critical for managers to provide accurate feedback to employees, yet little research addresses rater tendencies (i.e., the "mum effect") and attitudes that influence how performance feedback is given. Because technology has changed the nature of…

  2. Performance feedback, self-esteem, and cardiovascular adaptation to recurring stressors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Eoin G; Creaven, Ann-Marie

    2017-05-01

    This study sought to examine the effects of performance feedback and individual differences in self-esteem on cardiovascular habituation to repeat stress exposure. Sixty-six university students (n = 39 female) completed a self-esteem measure and completed a cardiovascular stress-testing protocol involving repeated exposure to a mental arithmetic task. Cardiovascular functioning was sampled across four phases: resting baseline, initial stress exposure, a recovery period, and repeated stress exposure. Participants were randomly assigned to receive fictional positive feedback, negative feedback, or no feedback following the recovery period. Negative feedback was associated with a sensitized blood pressure response to a second exposure of the stress task. Positive feedback was associated with decreased cardiovascular and psychological responses to a second exposure. Self-esteem was also found to predict reactivity and this interacted with the type of feedback received. These findings suggest that negative performance feedback sensitizes cardiovascular reactivity to stress, whereas positive performance feedback increases both cardiovascular and psychological habituation to repeat exposure to stressors. Furthermore, an individual's self-esteem also appears to influence this process.

  3. Parallel arrangements of positive feedback loops limit cell-to-cell variability in differentiation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anupam Dey

    Full Text Available Cellular differentiations are often regulated by bistable switches resulting from specific arrangements of multiple positive feedback loops (PFL fused to one another. Although bistability generates digital responses at the cellular level, stochasticity in chemical reactions causes population heterogeneity in terms of its differentiated states. We hypothesized that the specific arrangements of PFLs may have evolved to minimize the cellular heterogeneity in differentiation. In order to test this we investigated variability in cellular differentiation controlled either by parallel or serial arrangements of multiple PFLs having similar average properties under extrinsic and intrinsic noises. We find that motifs with PFLs fused in parallel to one another around a central regulator are less susceptible to noise as compared to the motifs with PFLs arranged serially. Our calculations suggest that the increased resistance to noise in parallel motifs originate from the less sensitivity of bifurcation points to the extrinsic noise. Whereas estimation of mean residence times indicate that stable branches of bifurcations are robust to intrinsic noise in parallel motifs as compared to serial motifs. Model conclusions are consistent both in AND- and OR-gate input signal configurations and also with two different modeling strategies. Our investigations provide some insight into recent findings that differentiation of preadipocyte to mature adipocyte is controlled by network of parallel PFLs.

  4. Synthesis of human-nature feedbacks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vanessa Hull

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In today's globalized world, humans and nature are inextricably linked. The coupled human and natural systems (CHANS framework provides a lens with which to understand such complex interactions. One of the central components of the CHANS framework involves examining feedbacks among human and natural systems, which form when effects from one system on another system feed back to affect the first system. Despite developments in understanding feedbacks in single disciplines, interdisciplinary research on CHANS feedbacks to date is scant and often site-specific, a shortcoming that prevents complex coupled systems from being fully understood. The special feature "Exploring Feedbacks in Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS" makes strides to fill this critical gap. Here, as an introduction to the special feature, we provide an overview of CHANS feedbacks. In addition, we synthesize key CHANS feedbacks that emerged in the papers of this special feature across agricultural, forest, and urban landscapes. We also examine emerging themes explored across the papers, including multilevel feedbacks, time lags, and surprises as a result of feedbacks. We conclude with recommendations for future research that can build upon the foundation provided in the special feature.

  5. The Impact of Feedback on the Different Time Courses of Multisensory Temporal Recalibration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew A. De Niear

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The capacity to rapidly adjust perceptual representations confers a fundamental advantage when confronted with a constantly changing world. Unexplored is how feedback regarding sensory judgments (top-down factors interacts with sensory statistics (bottom-up factors to drive long- and short-term recalibration of multisensory perceptual representations. Here, we examined the time course of both cumulative and rapid temporal perceptual recalibration for individuals completing an audiovisual simultaneity judgment task in which they were provided with varying degrees of feedback. We find that in the presence of feedback (as opposed to simple sensory exposure temporal recalibration is more robust. Additionally, differential time courses are seen for cumulative and rapid recalibration dependent upon the nature of the feedback provided. Whereas cumulative recalibration effects relied more heavily on feedback that informs (i.e., negative feedback rather than confirms (i.e., positive feedback the judgment, rapid recalibration shows the opposite tendency. Furthermore, differential effects on rapid and cumulative recalibration were seen when the reliability of feedback was altered. Collectively, our findings illustrate that feedback signals promote and sustain audiovisual recalibration over the course of cumulative learning and enhance rapid trial-to-trial learning. Furthermore, given the differential effects seen for cumulative and rapid recalibration, these processes may function via distinct mechanisms.

  6. Nanosecond-Timescale Intra-Bunch-Train Feedback for the Linear Collider: Results of the FONT2 Run

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barlow, R.; Dufau, M.; Kalinin, A.; Daresbury; Myatt, G.; Perry, C.; Oxford U.; Burrows, P.N.; Hartin, T.; Hussain, S.M.; Molloy, S.; White, G.R.; Queen Mary, U. of London; Adolphsen, C.; Frisch, J.C.; Hendrickson, L.; Jobe, R.K.; Markiewicz, T.; McCormick, D.J.; Nelson, J.; Ross, M.C.; Smith, S.; Smith, T.J.; SLAC

    2005-01-01

    We report on experimental results from the December 2003/January 2004 data run of the Feedback On Nanosecond Timescales (FONT) experiment at the Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator at SLAC. We built a second-generation prototype intra-train beam-based feedback system incorporating beam position monitors, fast analogue signal processors, a feedback circuit, fast-risetime amplifiers and stripline kickers. We applied a novel real-time charge-normalization scheme to account for beam current variations along the train. We used the system to correct the position of the 170-nanosecond-long bunchtrain at NLCTA. We achieved a latency of 53 nanoseconds, representing a significant improvement on FONT1 (2002), and providing a demonstration of intra-train feedback for the Linear Collider

  7. Development of the Teacher Feedback Observation Scheme: evaluating the quality of feedback in peer groups

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thurlings, Marieke; Vermeulen, Marjan; Kreijns, Karel; Bastiaens, Theo; Stijnen, Sjef

    2018-01-01

    Research suggests that feedback is an essential element in learning. This study focuses on feedback that teachers provide in reciprocal peer groups to improve their performance in the classroom. The Teacher Feedback Observation Scheme (TFOS) was developed to identify feedback patterns, which

  8. Influence of Vibrotactile Feedback on Controlling Tilt Motion After Spaceflight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, S. J.; Rupert, A. H.; Vanya, R. D.; Esteves, J. T.; Clement, G.

    2011-01-01

    We hypothesize that adaptive changes in how inertial cues from the vestibular system are integrated with other sensory information leads to perceptual disturbances and impaired manual control following transitions between gravity environments. The primary goals of this ongoing post-flight investigation are to quantify decrements in manual control of tilt motion following short-duration spaceflight and to evaluate vibrotactile feedback of tilt as a sensorimotor countermeasure. METHODS. Data is currently being collected on 9 astronaut subjects during 3 preflight sessions and during the first 8 days after Shuttle landings. Variable radius centrifugation (216 deg/s, body axis, thereby eliciting canal reflexes without concordant otolith or visual cues. A simple 4 tactor system was implemented to provide feedback when tilt position exceeded predetermined levels in either device. Closed-loop nulling tasks are performed during random tilt steps or sum-of-sines (TTS only) with and without vibrotactile feedback of chair position. RESULTS. On landing day the manual control performance without vibrotactile feedback was reduced by >30% based on the gain or the amount of tilt disturbance successfully nulled. Manual control performance tended to return to baseline levels within 1-2 days following landing. Root-mean-square position error and tilt velocity were significantly reduced with vibrotactile feedback. CONCLUSIONS. These preliminary results are consistent with our hypothesis that adaptive changes in vestibular processing corresponds to reduced manual control performance following G-transitions. A simple vibrotactile prosthesis improves the ability to null out tilt motion within a limited range of motion disturbances.

  9. Developing effective automated feedback in temporal bone surgery simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wijewickrema, Sudanthi; Piromchai, Patorn; Zhou, Yun; Ioannou, Ioanna; Bailey, James; Kennedy, Gregor; O'Leary, Stephen

    2015-06-01

    We aim to test the effectiveness, accuracy, and usefulness of an automated feedback system in facilitating skill acquisition in virtual reality surgery. We evaluate the performance of the feedback system through a randomized controlled trial of 24 students allocated to feedback and nonfeedback groups. The feedback system was based on the Melbourne University temporal bone surgery simulator. The study was conducted at the simulation laboratory of the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne. The study participants were medical students from the University of Melbourne, who were asked to perform virtual cortical mastoidectomy on the simulator. The extent to which the drilling behavior of the feedback and nonfeedback groups differed was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the system. Its accuracy was determined through a postexperiment observational assessment of recordings made during the experiment by an expert surgeon. Its usability was evaluated using students' self-reports of their impressions of the system. A Friedman's test showed that there was a significant improvement in the drilling performance of the feedback group, χ(2)(1) = 14.450, P feedback (when trainee behavior was detected) 88.6% of the time and appropriate feedback (accurate advice) 84.2% of the time. Participants' opinions about the usefulness of the system were highly positive. The automated feedback system was observed to be effective in improving surgical technique, and the provided feedback was found to be accurate and useful. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.

  10. Ombud’s Corner: the gift of feedback (part 2)

    CERN Multimedia

    Sudeshna Datta-Cockerill

    2016-01-01

    “When feedback is specific and timely, and also accompanied by a genuinely positive intention, it may be considered to be a gift”. This was the concluding message of the article in the last Bulletin. But how can negative feedback be perceived as an appreciated and useful gift?   As discussed in the previous article, delivering meaningful and effective feedback is an art, and as such, it may also be considered a duty for supervisors, in particular, to invest in honing their skills in order to achieve this aim without triggering demotivation or frustration in their supervisees. But the feedback loop is a two-way process, and requires an open mind on the receiving end in order to be truly useful. If delivered in a constructive and respectful way, feedback can provide us with important clues as to our own possible weaknesses and point us towards ways in which to develop and grow professionally. However, for it to be truly effective, it is up to each of us to hold back our initial ...

  11. Adaptation effects in static postural control by providing simultaneous visual feedback of center of pressure and center of gravity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeda, Kenta; Mani, Hiroki; Hasegawa, Naoya; Sato, Yuki; Tanaka, Shintaro; Maejima, Hiroshi; Asaka, Tadayoshi

    2017-07-19

    The benefit of visual feedback of the center of pressure (COP) on quiet standing is still debatable. This study aimed to investigate the adaptation effects of visual feedback training using both the COP and center of gravity (COG) during quiet standing. Thirty-four healthy young adults were divided into three groups randomly (COP + COG, COP, and control groups). A force plate was used to calculate the coordinates of the COP in the anteroposterior (COP AP ) and mediolateral (COP ML ) directions. A motion analysis system was used to calculate the coordinates of the center of mass (COM) in both directions (COM AP and COM ML ). The coordinates of the COG in the AP direction (COG AP ) were obtained from the force plate signals. Augmented visual feedback was presented on a screen in the form of fluctuation circles in the vertical direction that moved upward as the COP AP and/or COG AP moved forward and vice versa. The COP + COG group received the real-time COP AP and COG AP feedback simultaneously, whereas the COP group received the real-time COP AP feedback only. The control group received no visual feedback. In the training session, the COP + COG group was required to maintain an even distance between the COP AP and COG AP and reduce the COG AP fluctuation, whereas the COP group was required to reduce the COP AP fluctuation while standing on a foam pad. In test sessions, participants were instructed to keep their standing posture as quiet as possible on the foam pad before (pre-session) and after (post-session) the training sessions. In the post-session, the velocity and root mean square of COM AP in the COP + COG group were lower than those in the control group. In addition, the absolute value of the sum of the COP - COM distances in the COP + COG group was lower than that in the COP group. Furthermore, positive correlations were found between the COM AP velocity and COP - COM parameters. The results suggest that the novel visual feedback

  12. Feasibility of a novel positive feedback effect of 131I-promoted Bac-Egr1-hNIS expression in malignant glioma via baculovirus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Rui; Tian Lipeng; Han Bing; Xu Haoping; Zhang Miao; Li Biao

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: As intracellular iodine is released rapidly, increased expression of sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) is required for effective radioiodine treatment of tumor. As Egr1 promoter is activated by 131 I and may promote human NIS (hNIS) expression, hNIS also induces 131 I uptake and activates Egr1, so the existence of a positive feedback effect of 131 I-promoted Egr1-hNIS expression is possible. Our purpose was to investigate the possible existence of this positive feedback effect through a series of in vitro pioneer studies. Method: Recombinant baculovirus (Bac-Egr1-hNIS) encoding the hNIS gene under the control of a radiation-inducible Egrl promoter was constructed. To test 131 I-promoted hNIS expression, human malignant glioma U87 cells were transfected with Bac-Egr1-hNIS, stimulated with or without 131 I; the expression of hNIS protein was detected by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry test. In addition, the uptake and efflux of 131 I were determined after the incubation of Bac-Egr1-hNIS-transfected U87 cells with or without 131 I. Results: Immunocytochemical staining and flow cytometry test showed a higher hNIS protein expression in Bac-Egr1-hNIS-transfected U87 cells with 131 I stimulation than in cells without stimulation. Bac-Egr1-hNIS-transfected U87 cells accumulated up to about 4.05 times of 131 I after 131 I stimulation. The amount of 131 I uptake in both groups showed a baculovirus dose-dependent manner. However, rapid efflux of radioactivity was observed in both groups, with 50% lost during the first 2 min after the 131 I-containing medium had been replaced by a nonradioactive medium. Conclusion: Our results indicated that an improved transgene expression of 131 I-stimulated hNIS in U87 cells using a baculovirus vector containing the Egr1 promoter is possible, and the increased expression of hNIS is responsible for a higher 131 I uptake. It might provide a reference for the existence of a positive feedback effect in 131 I-promoted Bac-Egr1-h

  13. Hardware design and implementation of the closed-orbit feedback system at APS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barr, D.; Chung, Youngjoo.

    1996-01-01

    The Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring will utilize a closed-orbit feedback system in order to produce a more stable beam. The specified orbit measurement resolution is 25 microns for global feedback and 1 micron for local feedback. The system will sample at 4 kHz and provide a correction bandwidth of 100 Hz. At this bandwidth, standard rf BPMs will provide a resolution of 0.7 micron, while specialized miniature BPMs positioned on either side of the insertion devices for local feedback will provide a resolution of 0.2 micron (1). The measured BPM noise floor for standard BPMs is 0.06 micron per root hertz mA. Such a system has been designed, simulated, and tested on a small scale (2). This paper covers the actual hardware design and layout of the entire closed-loop system. This includes commercial hardware components, in addition to many components designed and built in-house. The paper will investigate the large-scale workings of all these devices, as well as an overall view of each piece of hardware used

  14. Negative Plant-Soil Feedback and Positive Species Interaction in a Herbaceous Plant Community

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bonanomi, G.; Rietkerk, M.; Dekker, S.C.; Mazzoleni, S.

    2005-01-01

    Increasing evidence shows that facilitative interaction and negative plant¿soil feedback are driving factors of plant population dynamics and community processes. We studied the intensity and the relative impact of negative feedback on clonal growth and seed germination of Scirpus holoschoenus, a

  15. Negative Plant–Soil Feedback and Positive Species Interaction in a Herbaceous Plant Community

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bonanomi, G.; Rietkerk, M.G.; Dekker, S.C.; Mazzoleni, S.

    2005-01-01

    Increasing evidence shows that facilitative interaction and negative plant–soil feedback are driving factors of plant population dynamics and community processes. We studied the intensity and the relative impact of negative feedback on clonal growth and seed germination of Scirpus holoschoenus, a

  16. Relations between third grade teachers' depressive symptoms and their feedback to students, with implications for student mathematics achievement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLean, Leigh; Connor, Carol McDonald

    2018-06-01

    Recent studies have observed connections among teachers' depressive symptoms and student outcomes; however, the specific mechanisms through which teachers' mental health characteristics operate in the classroom remain largely unknown. The present study used student-level observation methods to examine the relations between third-grade teachers' (N = 32) depressive symptoms and their academic feedback to students (N = 310) and sought to make inferences about how these factors might influence students' mathematics achievement. A novel observational tool, the Teacher Feedback Coding System-Academic (TFCS-A), was used that assesses feedback across 2 dimensions-teacher affect and instructional strategy, which have been shown to be important to student learning. Multilevel exploratory factor analysis of TFCS-A data suggested 2 primary factors: positive feedback and neutral/negative feedback. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that positive feedback was related to higher math achievement among students who began the year with weaker math skills and that teachers who reported more depressive symptoms less frequently provided this positive feedback. Results offer new information about a type of instruction that may be affected by teachers' depressive symptoms and inform efforts aimed at improving teachers' instructional interactions with students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. Complete the Picture: Evaluation Fills In the Missing Pieces That Feedback Can't Provide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumas, Chad; Jenkins, Lee

    2013-01-01

    The workshop is done--How does anyone know that staff learned what they needed to learn? How does anyone know that the content of the workshop day is now common knowledge among the attendees? Two key indicators are feedback and evaluation. Feedback from participants is what the presenter uses to fine-tune his or her professional learning delivery.…

  18. Impact of audit and feedback and pay-for-performance interventions on pediatric hospitalist discharge communication with primary care providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tejedor-Sojo, Javier; Creek, Tracy; Leong, Traci

    2015-01-01

    The study team sought to improve hospitalist communication with primary care providers (PCPs) at discharge through interventions consisting of (a) audit and feedback and (b) inclusion of a discharge communication measure in the incentive compensation for pediatric hospitalists. The setting was a 16-physician pediatric hospitalist group within a tertiary pediatric hospital. Discharge summaries were selected randomly for documentation of communication with PCPs. At baseline, 57% of charts had documented communication with PCPs, increasing to 84% during the audit and feedback period. Following the addition of a financial incentive, documentation of communication with PCPs increased to 93% and was sustained during the combined intervention period. The number of physicians meeting the study's performance goal increased from 1 to 14 by the end of the study period. A financial incentive coupled with an audit and feedback tool was effective at modifying physician behavior, achieving focused, measurable quality improvement gains. © 2014 by the American College of Medical Quality.

  19. Relatively slow stochastic gene-state switching in the presence of positive feedback significantly broadens the region of bimodality through stabilizing the uninduced phenotypic state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Hao; Wu, Pingping; Qian, Hong; Xie, Xiaoliang Sunney

    2018-03-01

    Within an isogenic population, even in the same extracellular environment, individual cells can exhibit various phenotypic states. The exact role of stochastic gene-state switching regulating the transition among these phenotypic states in a single cell is not fully understood, especially in the presence of positive feedback. Recent high-precision single-cell measurements showed that, at least in bacteria, switching in gene states is slow relative to the typical rates of active transcription and translation. Hence using the lac operon as an archetype, in such a region of operon-state switching, we present a fluctuating-rate model for this classical gene regulation module, incorporating the more realistic operon-state switching mechanism that was recently elucidated. We found that the positive feedback mechanism induces bistability (referred to as deterministic bistability), and that the parameter range for its occurrence is significantly broadened by stochastic operon-state switching. We further show that in the absence of positive feedback, operon-state switching must be extremely slow to trigger bistability by itself. However, in the presence of positive feedback, which stabilizes the induced state, the relatively slow operon-state switching kinetics within the physiological region are sufficient to stabilize the uninduced state, together generating a broadened parameter region of bistability (referred to as stochastic bistability). We illustrate the opposite phenotype-transition rate dependence upon the operon-state switching rates in the two types of bistability, with the aid of a recently proposed rate formula for fluctuating-rate models. The rate formula also predicts a maximal transition rate in the intermediate region of operon-state switching, which is validated by numerical simulations in our model. Overall, our findings suggest a biological function of transcriptional "variations" among genetically identical cells, for the emergence of bistability and

  20. Feedback control of atomic motion in an optical lattice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrow, N.V.; Dutta, S.K.; Raithel, G.

    2002-01-01

    We demonstrate a real-time feedback scheme to manipulate wave-packet oscillations of atoms in an optical lattice. The average position of the atoms in the lattice wells is measured continuously and nondestructively. A feedback loop processes the position signal and translates the lattice potential. Depending on the feedback loop characteristics, we find amplification, damping, or an entire alteration of the wave-packet oscillations. Our results are well supported by simulations

  1. Atmospheric radiative feedbacks associated with transient climate change and climate variability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colman, Robert A.; Power, Scott B. [Bureau of Meteorology, Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, GPO Box 1289, Melbourne, VIC (Australia)

    2010-06-15

    This study examines in detail the 'atmospheric' radiative feedbacks operating in a coupled General Circulation Model (GCM). These feedbacks (defined as the change in top of atmosphere radiation per degree of global surface temperature change) are due to responses in water vapour, lapse rate, clouds and surface albedo. Two types of radiative feedback in particular are considered: those arising from century scale 'transient' warming (from a 1% per annum compounded CO{sub 2} increase), and those operating under the model's own unforced 'natural' variability. The time evolution of the transient (or 'secular') feedbacks is first examined. It is found that both the global strength and the latitudinal distributions of these feedbacks are established within the first two or three decades of warming, and thereafter change relatively little out to 100 years. They also closely approximate those found under equilibrium warming from a 'mixed layer' ocean version of the same model forced by a doubling of CO{sub 2}. These secular feedbacks are then compared with those operating under unforced (interannual) variability. For water vapour, the interannual feedback is only around two-thirds the strength of the secular feedback. The pattern reveals widespread regions of negative feedback in the interannual case, in turn resulting from patterns of circulation change and regions of decreasing as well as increasing surface temperature. Considering the vertical structure of the two, it is found that although positive net mid to upper tropospheric contributions dominate both, they are weaker (and occur lower) under interannual variability than under secular change and are more narrowly confined to the tropics. Lapse rate feedback from variability shows weak negative feedback over low latitudes combined with strong positive feedback in mid-to-high latitudes resulting in no net global feedback - in contrast to the dominant negative low

  2. Proprioceptive feedback and brain computer interface (BCI based neuroprostheses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ander Ramos-Murguialday

    Full Text Available Brain computer interface (BCI technology has been proposed for motor neurorehabilitation, motor replacement and assistive technologies. It is an open question whether proprioceptive feedback affects the regulation of brain oscillations and therefore BCI control. We developed a BCI coupled on-line with a robotic hand exoskeleton for flexing and extending the fingers. 24 healthy participants performed five different tasks of closing and opening the hand: (1 motor imagery of the hand movement without any overt movement and without feedback, (2 motor imagery with movement as online feedback (participants see and feel their hand, with the exoskeleton moving according to their brain signals, (3 passive (the orthosis passively opens and closes the hand without imagery and (4 active (overt movement of the hand and rest. Performance was defined as the difference in power of the sensorimotor rhythm during motor task and rest and calculated offline for different tasks. Participants were divided in three groups depending on the feedback receiving during task 2 (the other tasks were the same for all participants. Group 1 (n = 9 received contingent positive feedback (participants' sensorimotor rhythm (SMR desynchronization was directly linked to hand orthosis movements, group 2 (n = 8 contingent "negative" feedback (participants' sensorimotor rhythm synchronization was directly linked to hand orthosis movements and group 3 (n = 7 sham feedback (no link between brain oscillations and orthosis movements. We observed that proprioceptive feedback (feeling and seeing hand movements improved BCI performance significantly. Furthermore, in the contingent positive group only a significant motor learning effect was observed enhancing SMR desynchronization during motor imagery without feedback in time. Furthermore, we observed a significantly stronger SMR desynchronization in the contingent positive group compared to the other groups during active and

  3. Proprioceptive feedback and brain computer interface (BCI) based neuroprostheses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos-Murguialday, Ander; Schürholz, Markus; Caggiano, Vittorio; Wildgruber, Moritz; Caria, Andrea; Hammer, Eva Maria; Halder, Sebastian; Birbaumer, Niels

    2012-01-01

    Brain computer interface (BCI) technology has been proposed for motor neurorehabilitation, motor replacement and assistive technologies. It is an open question whether proprioceptive feedback affects the regulation of brain oscillations and therefore BCI control. We developed a BCI coupled on-line with a robotic hand exoskeleton for flexing and extending the fingers. 24 healthy participants performed five different tasks of closing and opening the hand: (1) motor imagery of the hand movement without any overt movement and without feedback, (2) motor imagery with movement as online feedback (participants see and feel their hand, with the exoskeleton moving according to their brain signals, (3) passive (the orthosis passively opens and closes the hand without imagery) and (4) active (overt) movement of the hand and rest. Performance was defined as the difference in power of the sensorimotor rhythm during motor task and rest and calculated offline for different tasks. Participants were divided in three groups depending on the feedback receiving during task 2 (the other tasks were the same for all participants). Group 1 (n = 9) received contingent positive feedback (participants' sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) desynchronization was directly linked to hand orthosis movements), group 2 (n = 8) contingent "negative" feedback (participants' sensorimotor rhythm synchronization was directly linked to hand orthosis movements) and group 3 (n = 7) sham feedback (no link between brain oscillations and orthosis movements). We observed that proprioceptive feedback (feeling and seeing hand movements) improved BCI performance significantly. Furthermore, in the contingent positive group only a significant motor learning effect was observed enhancing SMR desynchronization during motor imagery without feedback in time. Furthermore, we observed a significantly stronger SMR desynchronization in the contingent positive group compared to the other groups during active and passive

  4. Feedback using an ePortfolio for medicine long cases: quality not quantity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleasel, Jane; Burgess, Annette; Weeks, Ruth; Haq, Inam

    2016-10-21

    The evidence for the positive impact of an electronic Portfolio (ePortfolio) on feedback in medicine is mixed. An ePortfolio for medical long cases in a Graduate Medical Program was developed. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of medical students and faculty of the impact of the ePortfolio on the feedback process. In total, 130 Year 3 medical students, and six faculty participated in the study. This is a mixed methods study, using a combination of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative methods were used to quantify the number of long cases performed. Qualitative methods were used to explore the relationship between quantity and quality of feedback, and provide a rich understanding of both students' and faculty's experience and perceptions of the ePortfolio. Students received a variable quantity of feedback at each of the three studied clinical schools, with an average of between 4 - 5.4 feedback episodes per student. Feedback that was constructive, specific and timely and delivered by a senior academic was important. Quantity was not an essential factor, with two episodes of detailed feedback reported to be adequate. The barriers to the use of the ePortfolio were technical aspects of the platform that interfered with student engagement. Feedback using the ePortfolio for medical long cases is a valuable tool providing a senior clinician delivers detailed, constructive and personalized feedback in a timely fashion. The ePortfolio system needs to be user-friendly to engage students.

  5. Effects of Informative and Confirmatory Feedback on Brain Activation During Negative Feedback Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeon-Kyoung eWoo

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The current study compared the effects of informative and confirmatory feedback on brain activation during negative feedback processing. For confirmatory feedback trials, participants were informed that they had failed the task, whereas informative feedback trials presented task relevant information along with the notification of their failure. Fourteen male undergraduates performed a series of spatial-perceptual tasks and received feedback while their brain activity was recorded. During confirmatory feedback trials, greater activations in the amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the thalamus (including the habenular were observed in response to incorrect responses. These results suggest that confirmatory feedback induces negative emotional reactions to failure. In contrast, informative feedback trials elicited greater activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC when participants experienced failure. Further psychophysiological interaction (PPI analysis revealed a negative coupling between the DLPFC and the amygdala during informative feedback relative to confirmatory feedback trials. These findings suggest that providing task-relevant information could facilitate implicit down-regulation of negative emotions following failure.

  6. Teacher feedback in the classroom. Analyzing and developing teachers' feedback behavior in secondary education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Voerman, A.

    2014-01-01

    Providing feedback is one of the most influential means of teachers to enhance student learning. In this dissertation, we first focused on what is known from research about effective (i.e. learning-enhancing) feedback. Effective feedback, mostly studied from a cognitive psychologist point of view,

  7. Real-time feedback on nonverbal clinical communication. Theoretical framework and clinician acceptance of ambient visual design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartzler, A L; Patel, R A; Czerwinski, M; Pratt, W; Roseway, A; Chandrasekaran, N; Back, A

    2014-01-01

    This article is part of the focus theme of Methods of Information in Medicine on "Pervasive Intelligent Technologies for Health". Effective nonverbal communication between patients and clinicians fosters both the delivery of empathic patient-centered care and positive patient outcomes. Although nonverbal skill training is a recognized need, few efforts to enhance patient-clinician communication provide visual feedback on nonverbal aspects of the clinical encounter. We describe a novel approach that uses social signal processing technology (SSP) to capture nonverbal cues in real time and to display ambient visual feedback on control and affiliation--two primary, yet distinct dimensions of interpersonal nonverbal communication. To examine the design and clinician acceptance of ambient visual feedback on nonverbal communication, we 1) formulated a model of relational communication to ground SSP and 2) conducted a formative user study using mixed methods to explore the design of visual feedback. Based on a model of relational communication, we reviewed interpersonal communication research to map nonverbal cues to signals of affiliation and control evidenced in patient-clinician interaction. Corresponding with our formulation of this theoretical framework, we designed ambient real-time visualizations that reflect variations of affiliation and control. To explore clinicians' acceptance of this visual feedback, we conducted a lab study using the Wizard-of-Oz technique to simulate system use with 16 healthcare professionals. We followed up with seven of those participants through interviews to iterate on the design with a revised visualization that addressed emergent design considerations. Ambient visual feedback on non- verbal communication provides a theoretically grounded and acceptable way to provide clinicians with awareness of their nonverbal communication style. We provide implications for the design of such visual feedback that encourages empathic patient

  8. When compliments don't hit but critiques do: an fMRI study into self-esteem and self-knowledge in processing social feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Schie, C C; Chiu, C D; Rombouts, S A R B; Heiser, W J; Elzinga, B M

    2018-02-27

    The way we view ourselves may play an important role in our responses to interpersonal interactions. In this study, we investigate how feedback valence, consistency of feedback with self-knowledge and global self-esteem influence affective and neural responses to social feedback. Participants (N = 46) with a high range of self-esteem levels performed the social feedback task in an MRI scanner. Negative, intermediate and positive feedback was provided, supposedly by another person based on a personal interview. Participants rated their mood and applicability of feedback to the self. Analyses on trial basis on neural and affective responses are used to incorporate applicability of individual feedback words. Lower self-esteem related to low mood especially after receiving non-applicable negative feedback. Higher self-esteem related to increased PCC and precuneus activation (i.e., self-referential processing) for applicable negative feedback. Lower self-esteem related to decreased mPFC, insula, ACC and PCC activation (i.e, self-referential processing) during positive feedback and decreased TPJ activation (i.e., other referential processing) for applicable positive feedback. Self-esteem and consistency of feedback with self-knowledge appear to guide our affective and neural responses to social feedback. This may be highly relevant for the interpersonal problems that individuals face with low self-esteem and negative self-views.

  9. The Practice of Feedback Provision in teaching writing skills: Adu ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The study showed that the teachers and students had positive perception towards the contribution of feedback provision in improving writing skills. The study also showed that teachers don't provide regular writing activities which create conducive environment and encourage multi draft writing. The study further showed that ...

  10. From Static Output Feedback to Structured Robust Static Output Feedback: A Survey

    OpenAIRE

    Sadabadi , Mahdieh ,; Peaucelle , Dimitri

    2016-01-01

    This paper reviews the vast literature on static output feedback design for linear time-invariant systems including classical results and recent developments. In particular, we focus on static output feedback synthesis with performance specifications, structured static output feedback, and robustness. The paper provides a comprehensive review on existing design approaches including iterative linear matrix inequalities heuristics, linear matrix inequalities with rank constraints, methods with ...

  11. Evaluating the impact of audits and feedback as methods for implementation of evidence in stroke rehabilitation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Hanne Kaae; Hounsgaard, Lise

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: This paper evaluates audits and feedback as methods to increase implementation of evidence in stroke rehabilitation. Method: The study used an action research approach and theories of knowledge translation. A sample of 22 occupational therapists participated from two Danish hospital...... for implementing change. The process was strengthened by providing the audits and feedback more than once. The effect of audits and feedback was positively influenced by being in line with current conceptual frameworks, local policies, and values....

  12. Excited, Proud, and Accomplished: Exploring the Effects of Feedback Supplemented with Web-Based Peer Benchmarking on Self-Regulated Learning in Marketing Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raska, David

    2014-01-01

    This research explores and tests the effect of an innovative performance feedback practice--feedback supplemented with web-based peer benchmarking--through a lens of social cognitive framework for self-regulated learning. The results suggest that providing performance feedback with references to exemplary peer output is positively associated with…

  13. The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Feedbacks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Covey, C.; Haberle, R. M.; McKay, C. P.; Titov, D. V.

    This chapter reviews the theory of the greenhouse effect and climate feedback. It also compares the theory with observations, using examples taken from all four known terrestrial worlds with substantial atmospheres: Venus, Earth, Mars, and Titan. The greenhouse effect traps infrared radiation in the atmosphere, thereby increasing surface temperature. It is one of many factors that affect a world's climate. (Others include solar luminosity and the atmospheric scattering and absorption of solar radiation.) A change in these factors — defined as climate forcing — may change the climate in a way that brings other processes — defined as feedbacks — into play. For example, when Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, warming the surface, the water vapor content of the atmosphere increases. This is a positive feedback on global warming because water vapor is itself a potent greenhouse gas. Many positive and negative feedback processes are significant in determining Earth's climate, and probably the climates of our terrestrial neighbors.

  14. The Drosophila Duox maturation factor is a key component of a positive feedback loop that sustains regeneration signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Sumbul Jawed; Abidi, Syeda Nayab Fatima; Skinner, Andrea; Tian, Yuan; Smith-Bolton, Rachel K

    2017-07-01

    Regenerating tissue must initiate the signaling that drives regenerative growth, and sustain that signaling long enough for regeneration to complete. How these key signals are sustained is unclear. To gain a comprehensive view of the changes in gene expression that occur during regeneration, we performed whole-genome mRNAseq of actively regenerating tissue from damaged Drosophila wing imaginal discs. We used genetic tools to ablate the wing primordium to induce regeneration, and carried out transcriptional profiling of the regeneration blastema by fluorescently labeling and sorting the blastema cells, thus identifying differentially expressed genes. Importantly, by using genetic mutants of several of these differentially expressed genes we have confirmed that they have roles in regeneration. Using this approach, we show that high expression of the gene moladietz (mol), which encodes the Duox-maturation factor NIP, is required during regeneration to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn sustain JNK signaling during regeneration. We also show that JNK signaling upregulates mol expression, thereby activating a positive feedback signal that ensures the prolonged JNK activation required for regenerative growth. Thus, by whole-genome transcriptional profiling of regenerating tissue we have identified a positive feedback loop that regulates the extent of regenerative growth.

  15. Feedback systems in the SLC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, K.A.; Jobe, R.K.; Johnson, R.; Phinney, N.

    1987-02-01

    Two classes of computer-controlled feedback have been implemented to stabilize parameters in subsystems of the SLC: (1) ''slow'' (time scales ∼ minutes) feedback, and (2) ''fast'', i.e., pulse-to-pulse, feedback. The slow loops run in a single FEEDBACK process in the SLC host VAX, which acquires signals and sets control parameters via communication with the database and the network of normal SLC microprocessors. Slow loops exist to stabilize beam energy and energy spread, beam position and angle, and timing of kicker magnets, and to compensate for changes in the phase length of the rf drive line. The fast loops run in dedicated microprocessors, and may sample and/or feedback on particular parameters as often as every pulse of the SLC beam. The first implementations of fast feedback are to control transverse beam blow-up and to stabilize the energy and energy spread of bunches going into the SLC arcs. The overall architecture of the feedback software and the operator interface for controlling loops are discussed

  16. A conceptual framework for regional feedbacks in a changing climate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batlle Bayer, L.; van den Hurk, B. J. J. M.; Strengers, B.

    2012-04-01

    Terrestrial ecosystems and climate influence each other through biogeochemical (e.g. carbon cycle) and biogeophysical (e.g. albedo, water fluxes) processes. These interactions might be disturbed when a climate human-induced forcing takes place (e.g. deforestation); and the ecosystem responses to the climate system might amplify (positive feedback) or dampen (negative feedback) the initial forcing. Research on feedbacks has been mainly based on the carbon cycle at the global scale. However, biogeophysical feedbacks might have a great impact at the local or regional scale, which is the main focus of this article. A conceptual framework, with the major interactions and processes between terrestrial ecosystems and climate, is presented to further explore feedbacks at the regional level. Four hot spots with potential changes in land use/management and climate are selected: sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Europe, the Amazon Basin and South and Southeast Asia. For each region, diverse climate human-induced forcings and feedbacks were identified based on relevant published literature. For Europe, the positive soil moisture-evapotranspiration (ET) is important for natural vegetation during a heat wave event, while the positive soil moisture-precipitation feedback plays a more important role for droughts in the Amazon region. Agricultural expansion in SSA will depend on the impacts of the changing climate on crop yields and the adopted agro-technologies. The adoption of irrigation in the commonly rainfed systems might turn the positive soil moisture- ET feedback into a negative one. In contrast, South and Southeast Asia might face water shortage in the future, and thus turning the soil moisture-ET feedback into a positive one. Further research is needed for the major processes that affect the ultimate sign of the feedbacks, as well as for the interactions, which effect remains uncertain, such as ET-precipitation interaction. In addition, socio-economic feedbacks need to be added

  17. The influence of the analog-to-digital conversion error on the JT-60 plasma position/shape feedback control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Michiharu; Kurihara, Kenichi

    1995-12-01

    In the plasma feedback control system (PFCS) and the direct digital controller (DDC) for the poloidal field coil power supply in the JT-60 tokamak, it is necessary to observe signals of all the poloidal field coil currents. Each of the signals, originally measured by a single sensor, is distributed to the PFCS and DDC through different cable routes and different analog-to-digital converters from each other. This produces the conversion error to the amount of several bits. Consequently, proper voltage from feedback calculation cannot be applied to the coil, and hence the control performance is possibly supposed to deteriorate to a certain extent. This paper describes how this error makes an influence on the plasma horizontal position control and how to improve the deteriorated control performance. (author)

  18. A Surgical Robot Teleoperation Framework for Providing Haptic Feedback Incorporating Virtual Envrioment-Based Guidance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adnan Munawar

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available In robot-assisted tele-operated laparoscopic surgeries, the patient side manipulators are controlled via the master manipulators that are controlled by the surgeon. The current generation of robots approved for laparoscopic surgery lack haptic feedback. In theory, haptic feedback would enhance the surgical procedures by enabling better coordination between the hand movements that are improved by the tactile sense of the operating environment. This research presents an overall control framework for a haptic feedback on existing robot platforms, and demonstrated on the daVinci Research Kit (dVRK system. The paper discusses the implementation of a flexible framework that incorporates a stiffness control with gravity compensation for the surgeons manipulator and a sensing and collision detection algorithm for calculating the interaction between the patients manipulators and the surgical area.

  19. Effects of continuous visual feedback during sitting balance training in chronic stroke survivors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellegrino, Laura; Giannoni, Psiche; Marinelli, Lucio; Casadio, Maura

    2017-10-16

    Postural control deficits are common in stroke survivors and often the rehabilitation programs include balance training based on visual feedback to improve the control of body position or of the voluntary shift of body weight in space. In the present work, a group of chronic stroke survivors, while sitting on a force plate, exercised the ability to control their Center of Pressure with a training based on continuous visual feedback. The goal of this study was to test if and to what extent chronic stroke survivors were able to learn the task and transfer the learned ability to a condition without visual feedback and to directions and displacement amplitudes different from those experienced during training. Eleven chronic stroke survivors (5 Male - 6 Female, age: 59.72 ± 12.84 years) participated in this study. Subjects were seated on a stool positioned on top of a custom-built force platform. Their Center of Pressure positions were mapped to the coordinate of a cursor on a computer monitor. During training, the cursor position was always displayed and the subjects were to reach targets by shifting their Center of Pressure by moving their trunk. Pre and post-training subjects were required to reach without visual feedback of the cursor the training targets as well as other targets positioned in different directions and displacement amplitudes. During training, most stroke survivors were able to perform the required task and to improve their performance in terms of duration, smoothness, and movement extent, although not in terms of movement direction. However, when we removed the visual feedback, most of them had no improvement with respect to their pre-training performance. This study suggests that postural training based exclusively on continuous visual feedback can provide limited benefits for stroke survivors, if administered alone. However, the positive gains observed during training justify the integration of this technology-based protocol in a well

  20. Effectiveness of a training program in supervisors' ability to provide feedback on residents' communication skills

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Junod Perron, N.; Nendaz, M.; Louis-Simonet, M.; Sommer, J.; Gut, A.; Baroffio, A.; Dolmans, D.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der

    2013-01-01

    Teaching communication skills (CS) to residents during clinical practice remains problematic. Direct observation followed by feedback is a powerful way to teach CS in clinical practice. However, little is known about the effect of training on feedback skills in this field. Controlled studies are

  1. Feedback effect on flute dynamics in a mirror machine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Be’ery, I; Seemann, O

    2015-01-01

    The effect of active feedback on flute instability is experimentally studied in a table-top mirror machine. Changing the plasma conditions from mirror-loss dominated to flute-loss dominated, it is demonstrated that while the feedback has no effect on plasma density in the first case, it increases the plasma density by up to 50% in the second case. Measurements of the dependence of instability amplitude on feedback gain show that large gain stimulates high frequency perturbations. The period of these perturbations corresponds to the inherent delay of immersed electrode feedback. Variation of the spatial phase between the input and output of the phase reveals a large asymmetry between positive and negative phase shifts. A simplified model is introduced to explain how a negative phase shift causes positive feedback between the external feedback and the centrifugally driven rotation. (paper)

  2. Positive and negative feedback loops in nutrient phytoplankton interactions related to climate dynamics factors in a shallow temperate estuary (Vistula Lagoon, southern Baltic)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruk, Marek; Kobos, Justyna; Nawrocka, Lidia; Parszuto, Katarzyna

    2018-04-01

    This study aims to demonstrate that factors associated with climate dynamics, such as temperature and wind, affect the ecosystem of the shallow Vistula Lagoon in the southern Baltic and cause nutrient forms phytoplankton interactions: the growth of biomass and constraints of it. This occurs through a network of direct and indirect relationships between environmental and phytoplankton factors, including interactions of positive and negative feedback loops. Path analysis supported by structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test hypotheses regarding the impact of climate factors on algal assemblages. Increased phytoplankton biomass was affected directly by water temperature and salinity, while the wind speed effect was indirect as it resulted in increased concentrations of suspended solids (SS) in the water column. Simultaneously, the concentration of SS in the water was positively correlated with particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate nitrogen (PN), and particulate phosphorus (PP), and was negatively correlated with the total nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) ratio. Particulate forms of C, N, and phosphorus (P), concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and nitrate and nitrite nitrogen (NO3-N + NO2-N), and ratios of the total N:P and DIN:SRP, all indirectly effected Cyanobacteria C concentrations. These processes influence other phytoplankton groups (Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyceae and the picophytoplankton fraction). Increased levels of SRP associated with organic matter (POC), which stemmed from reduced DIN:SRP ratios, contributed to increased Cyanoprokaryota and picophytoplankton C concentrations, which created a positive feedback loop. However, a simultaneous reduction in the total N:P ratio could have inhibited increases in the biomass of these assemblages by limiting N, which likely formed a negative feedback loop. The study indicates that the nutrients-phytoplankton feedback loop phenomenon can intensify eutrophication in a temperate lagoon

  3. Differential effects of visual feedback on subjective visual vertical accuracy and precision.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Bjasch

    Full Text Available The brain constructs an internal estimate of the gravitational vertical by integrating multiple sensory signals. In darkness, systematic head-roll dependent errors in verticality estimates, as measured by the subjective visual vertical (SVV, occur. We hypothesized that visual feedback after each trial results in increased accuracy, as physiological adjustment errors (A-/E-effect are likely based on central computational mechanisms and investigated whether such improvements were related to adaptational shifts of perceived vertical or to a higher cognitive strategy. We asked 12 healthy human subjects to adjust a luminous arrow to vertical in various head-roll positions (0 to 120deg right-ear down, 15deg steps. After each adjustment visual feedback was provided (lights on, display of previous adjustment and of an earth-vertical cross. Control trials consisted of SVV adjustments without feedback. At head-roll angles with the largest A-effect (90, 105, and 120deg, errors were reduced significantly (p0.05 influenced. In seven subjects an additional session with two consecutive blocks (first with, then without visual feedback was completed at 90, 105 and 120deg head-roll. In these positions the error-reduction by the previous visual feedback block remained significant over the consecutive 18-24 min (post-feedback block, i.e., was still significantly (p<0.002 different from the control trials. Eleven out of 12 subjects reported having consciously added a bias to their perceived vertical based on visual feedback in order to minimize errors. We conclude that improvements of SVV accuracy by visual feedback, which remained effective after removal of feedback for ≥18 min, rather resulted from a cognitive strategy than by adapting the internal estimate of the gravitational vertical. The mechanisms behind the SVV therefore, remained stable, which is also supported by the fact that SVV precision - depending mostly on otolith input - was not affected by visual

  4. The Impact of Observed Vegetation Changes on Land–Atmosphere Feedbacks During Drought

    KAUST Repository

    Meng, X. H.; Evans, J. P.; McCabe, Matthew

    2014-01-01

    Simulated feedbacks between vegetation fraction, soil moisture, and drought over southeast Australia were also investigated. Results indicate that vegetation fraction changes lag precipitation reductions by 6–8 months in nonarid regions. With the onset of the 2002 drought, a potential fast physical mechanism was found to play a positive role in the soil moisture–precipitation feedback, while a slow biological mechanism provides a negative feedback in the soil moisture–precipitation interaction on a longer time scale. That is, in the short term, a reduction in soil moisture leads to a reduction in the convective potential and, hence, precipitation, further reducing the soil moisture. If low levels of soil moisture persist long enough, reductions in vegetation cover and vigor occur, reducing the evapotranspiration and thus reducing the soil moisture decreases and dampening the fast physical feedback. Importantly, it was observed that these feedbacks are both space and time dependent.

  5. Relaxation rates of gene expression kinetics reveal the feedback signs of autoregulatory gene networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Chen; Qian, Hong; Chen, Min; Zhang, Michael Q.

    2018-03-01

    The transient response to a stimulus and subsequent recovery to a steady state are the fundamental characteristics of a living organism. Here we study the relaxation kinetics of autoregulatory gene networks based on the chemical master equation model of single-cell stochastic gene expression with nonlinear feedback regulation. We report a novel relation between the rate of relaxation, characterized by the spectral gap of the Markov model, and the feedback sign of the underlying gene circuit. When a network has no feedback, the relaxation rate is exactly the decaying rate of the protein. We further show that positive feedback always slows down the relaxation kinetics while negative feedback always speeds it up. Numerical simulations demonstrate that this relation provides a possible method to infer the feedback topology of autoregulatory gene networks by using time-series data of gene expression.

  6. A Computerized Tablet with Visual Feedback of Hand Position for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahta eKarimpoor

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Neuropsychological tests - behavioral tasks that very commonly involve handwriting and drawing - are widely used in the clinic to detect abnormal brain function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI may be useful in increasing the specificity of such tests. However, performing complex pen-and-paper tests during fMRI involves engineering challenges. Previously, we developed an fMRI-compatible, computerized tablet system to address this issue. However, the tablet did not include visual feedback of hand position (VFHP, a human factors component that may be important for fMRI of certain patient populations. A real-time system was thus developed to provide VFHP and integrated with the tablet in an augmented reality display. The effectiveness of the system was initially tested in young healthy adults who performed various handwriting tasks in front of a computer display with and without VFHP. Pilot fMRI of writing tasks were performed by two representative individuals with and without VFHP. Quantitative analysis of the behavioral results indicated improved writing performance with VFHP. The pilot fMRI results suggest that writing with VFHP requires less neural resources compared to the without VFHP condition, to maintain similar behavior. Thus, the tablet system with VFHP is recommended for future fMRI studies involving patients with impaired brain function and where ecologically valid behavior is important.

  7. A computerized tablet with visual feedback of hand position for functional magnetic resonance imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimpoor, Mahta; Tam, Fred; Strother, Stephen C.; Fischer, Corinne E.; Schweizer, Tom A.; Graham, Simon J.

    2015-01-01

    Neuropsychological tests behavioral tasks that very commonly involve handwriting and drawing are widely used in the clinic to detect abnormal brain function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may be useful in increasing the specificity of such tests. However, performing complex pen-and-paper tests during fMRI involves engineering challenges. Previously, we developed an fMRI-compatible, computerized tablet system to address this issue. However, the tablet did not include visual feedback of hand position (VFHP), a human factors component that may be important for fMRI of certain patient populations. A real-time system was thus developed to provide VFHP and integrated with the tablet in an augmented reality display. The effectiveness of the system was initially tested in young healthy adults who performed various handwriting tasks in front of a computer display with and without VFHP. Pilot fMRI of writing tasks were performed by two representative individuals with and without VFHP. Quantitative analysis of the behavioral results indicated improved writing performance with VFHP. The pilot fMRI results suggest that writing with VFHP requires less neural resources compared to the without VFHP condition, to maintain similar behavior. Thus, the tablet system with VFHP is recommended for future fMRI studies involving patients with impaired brain function and where ecologically valid behavior is important. PMID:25859201

  8. Technologies for learner-centered feedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jane Costello

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available As the number, type, and use of technologies to support learning increases, so do the opportunities for using these technologies for feedback. Learner-centered feedback is a core to the teaching-learning process. It is related to assessment in describing how learners perform in their learning, their gain in knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Feedback, types of feedback, guidelines for effective learner-centered feedback, and feedback’s relationship to assessment are presented. Methods of providing feedback, for example, automated, audio scribe pens, digital audio, etc., and the related technologies are described. Technologies that allow instructors to make informed decisions about the use of various methods for feedback are discussed.

  9. CGILS: Results from the First Phase of an International Project to Understand the Physical Mechanisms of Low Cloud Feedbacks in Single Column Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Minghua; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Blossey, Peter N.; Austin, Phillip H.; Bacmeister, Julio T.; Bony, Sandrine; Brient, Florent; Cheedela, Suvarchal K.; Cheng, Anning; DelGenio, Anthony; hide

    2013-01-01

    1] CGILS-the CFMIP-GASS Intercomparison of Large Eddy Models (LESs) and single column models (SCMs)-investigates the mechanisms of cloud feedback in SCMs and LESs under idealized climate change perturbation. This paper describes the CGILS results from 15 SCMs and 8 LES models. Three cloud regimes over the subtropical oceans are studied: shallow cumulus, cumulus under stratocumulus, and well-mixed coastal stratus/stratocumulus. In the stratocumulus and coastal stratus regimes, SCMs without activated shallow convection generally simulated negative cloud feedbacks, while models with active shallow convection generally simulated positive cloud feedbacks. In the shallow cumulus alone regime, this relationship is less clear, likely due to the changes in cloud depth, lateral mixing, and precipitation or a combination of them. The majority of LES models simulated negative cloud feedback in the well-mixed coastal stratus/stratocumulus regime, and positive feedback in the shallow cumulus and stratocumulus regime. A general framework is provided to interpret SCM results: in a warmer climate, the moistening rate of the cloudy layer associated with the surface-based turbulence parameterization is enhanced; together with weaker large-scale subsidence, it causes negative cloud feedback. In contrast, in the warmer climate, the drying rate associated with the shallow convection scheme is enhanced. This causes positive cloud feedback. These mechanisms are summarized as the "NESTS" negative cloud feedback and the "SCOPE" positive cloud feedback (Negative feedback from Surface Turbulence under weaker Subsidence-Shallow Convection PositivE feedback) with the net cloud feedback depending on how the two opposing effects counteract each other. The LES results are consistent with these interpretations

  10. Want More? Learn Less: Motivation Affects Adolescents Learning from Negative Feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhuang, Yun; Feng, Wenfeng; Liao, Yu

    2017-01-01

    The primary goal of the present study was to investigate how positive and negative feedback may differently facilitate learning throughout development. In addition, the role of motivation as a modulating factor was examined. Participants (children, adolescents, and adults) completed two forms of the guess and application task (GAT). Feedback from the Cool-GAT task has low motivational salience because there are no consequences, while feedback from the Hot-GAT task has high motivational salience as it pertains to receiving a reward. The results indicated that negative feedback leads to a reduction in learning compared to positive feedback. The effect of negative feedback was greater in adolescent participants compared to children and adults in the Hot-GAT task, suggesting an interaction between age and motivation level on learning. Further analysis indicated that greater risk was associated with a greater reduction in learning from negative feedback and again, the reduction was greatest in adolescents. In summary, the current study supports the idea that learning from positive feedback and negative feedback differs throughout development. In a rule-based learning task, when associative learning is primarily in practice, participants learned less from negative feedback. This reduction is amplified during adolescence when task-elicited motivation is high.

  11. The impact of computer-based feedback on students’ written work

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khaled El Ebyary

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available A pesar de que la investigación sobre escritura en segundas lenguas sugiere que los comentarios de los profesores pueden tener una influencia positiva sobre el trabajo escrito de los estudiantes, el proporcionar con regularidad tales comentarios puede ser problemático, especialmente en clases muy numerosas. Sin embargo, existen en el mercado una serie de programas informáticos que garantizan poder proporcionar tanto evaluaciones integrales de carácter automático como comentarios informatizados sobre trabajos escritos y que, por lo tanto, tienen cierto potencial para tratar este problema. Criterion es una de estas herramientas y, como tal, proporciona información automatizada a nivel de palabra, oración, párrafo y texto. En el presente trabajo analizamos el valor práctico que ofrece en la producción de comentarios para la escritura en L2 y, a este respecto, recogimos datos cuantitativos y cualitativos de 31 instructores y 616 profesores en formación de inglés como lengua extranjera de origen egipcio por medio de cuestionarios previos, entrevistas y discusiones en grupo. 24 de los profesores recibieron comentarios informatizados producidos por medio de Criterion sobre dos borradores de redacciones realizadas acerca de 4 temas diferentes. La información registrada en el software indica un efecto positivo sobre la calidad de los segundos borradores realizados por los estudiantes, así como de escritos posteriores. Asimismo, tanto los cuestionarios administrados después de la aplicación, como las entrevistas y las discusiones en grupo revelan un efecto positivo sobre la actitud de los estudiantes hacia los comentarios de los profesorWhile research in second language writing suggests that instructor feedback can have a positive influence on students’ written work, the provision of such feedback on a regular basis can be problematic, especially with larger student numbers. A number of computer programs that claim to provide both

  12. Feedback using an ePortfolio for medicine long cases: quality not quantity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jane Bleasel

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The evidence for the positive impact of an electronic Portfolio (ePortfolio on feedback in medicine is mixed. An ePortfolio for medical long cases in a Graduate Medical Program was developed. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of medical students and faculty of the impact of the ePortfolio on the feedback process. Methods In total, 130 Year 3 medical students, and six faculty participated in the study. This is a mixed methods study, using a combination of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative methods were used to quantify the number of long cases performed. Qualitative methods were used to explore the relationship between quantity and quality of feedback, and provide a rich understanding of both students’ and faculty’s experience and perceptions of the ePortfolio. Results Students received a variable quantity of feedback at each of the three studied clinical schools, with an average of between 4 – 5.4 feedback episodes per student. Feedback that was constructive, specific and timely and delivered by a senior academic was important. Quantity was not an essential factor, with two episodes of detailed feedback reported to be adequate. The barriers to the use of the ePortfolio were technical aspects of the platform that interfered with student engagement. Conclusions Feedback using the ePortfolio for medical long cases is a valuable tool providing a senior clinician delivers detailed, constructive and personalized feedback in a timely fashion. The ePortfolio system needs to be user-friendly to engage students.

  13. Providing Feedback on Computer-Based Algebra Homework in Middle-School Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fyfe, Emily R.

    2016-01-01

    Homework is transforming at a rapid rate with continuous advances in educational technology. Computer-based homework, in particular, is gaining popularity across a range of schools, with little empirical evidence on how to optimize student learning. The current aim was to test the effects of different types of feedback on computer-based homework.…

  14. Feedback as real-time constructions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keiding, Tina Bering; Qvortrup, Ane

    2014-01-01

    instant it takes place. This article argues for a clear distinction between the timing of communicative events, such as responses that are provided as help for feedback constructions, and the feedback construction itself as an event in a psychic system. Although feedback is described as an internal...

  15. Gamification and Smart, Competence-Centered Feedback: Promising Experiences in the Classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael D. Kickmeier-Rust

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Gamification appears being a promising approach to utilize the strong motivational potential of “gaming” in classroom without suffering from shortcomings such as low efficiency, weak pedagogy, or maybe most importantly the high costs. In the context of a European project we developed a rather light weight tool for learning and practicing multiplications. The target age group of the tool is 6 to 8 years. To benefit from the motivational potential of games we used a “gamification” approach. Accordingly we designed and developed a game-like, attractive user interface and integrated aspects of competition. The system is capable of providing students formative, competence-oriented feedback in real-time. Tailored to the age group this feedback is presented in form of a ninja character. For an experimental comparison of the effects of different feedback modes, we realized the conditions (i no feedback, (ii written only right/wrong feedback, (iii audio right/wrong feedback, and (iv competence-based, smart formative feedback. We applied and evaluated the tool in Austrian classrooms and found some evidence for the motivational aspect of the gamification elements, in particular the scoring. We also found strong positive effects of an individualized and meaningful feedback about achievements and progress.

  16. When compliments do not hit but critiques do: an fMRI study into self-esteem and self-knowledge in processing social feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Schie, Charlotte C; Chiu, Chui-De; Rombouts, Serge A R B; Heiser, Willem J; Elzinga, Bernet M

    2018-01-01

    Abstract The way we view ourselves may play an important role in our responses to interpersonal interactions. In this study, we investigate how feedback valence, consistency of feedback with self-knowledge and global self-esteem influence affective and neural responses to social feedback. Participants (N = 46) with a high range of self-esteem levels performed the social feedback task in an MRI scanner. Negative, intermediate and positive feedback was provided, supposedly by another person based on a personal interview. Participants rated their mood and applicability of feedback to the self. Analyses on trial basis on neural and affective responses are used to incorporate applicability of individual feedback words. Lower self-esteem related to low mood especially after receiving non-applicable negative feedback. Higher self-esteem related to increased posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus activation (i.e. self-referential processing) for applicable negative feedback. Lower self-esteem related to decreased medial prefrontal cortex, insula, anterior cingulate cortex and posterior cingulate cortex activation (i.e. self-referential processing) during positive feedback and decreased temporoparietal junction activation (i.e. other referential processing) for applicable positive feedback. Self-esteem and consistency of feedback with self-knowledge appear to guide our affective and neural responses to social feedback. This may be highly relevant for the interpersonal problems that individuals face with low self-esteem and negative self-views. PMID:29490088

  17. From Demonstration System to Prototype: ShakeAlert Beta Users Provide Feedback to Improve Alert Delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strauss, J. A.; Vinci, M.; Steele, W. P.; Allen, R. M.; Hellweg, M.

    2013-12-01

    Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) is a system that can provide a few to tens of seconds to minutes of warning prior to ground shaking at a given location. The goal and purpose of such a system is to reduce the damage, costs, and casualties resulting from an earthquake. A prototype earthquake early warning system (ShakeAlert) is in development by the UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory, Caltech, ETH Zurich, University of Washington, and the USGS. Events are published to the UserDisplay--ShakeAlert's Java based graphical interface, which is being tested by a small group of beta users throughout California. The beta users receive earthquake alerts in real-time and are providing feedback on their experiences. For early warning alerts to be useful, people, companies, and institutions must know beforehand what actions they will perform when they receive the information. Beta user interactions allow the ShakeAlert team to discern: which alert delivery options are most effective, what changes would make the UserDisplay more useful in a pre-disaster situation, and most importantly, what actions users plan to take for various scenarios. We also collect feedback detailing costs of implementing actions and challenges within the beta user organizations, as well as anticipated benefits and savings. Thus, creating a blueprint for a fully operational system that will meet the needs of the public. New California users as well as the first group of Pacific Northwest users are slated to join the ShakeAlert beta test group in the fall of 2013.

  18. Consequences of changes in vegetation and snow cover for climate feedbacks in Alaska and northwest Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Euskirchen, Eugénie S.; Bennett, A. P.; Breen, Amy L.; Genet, Helene; Lindgren, Michael A.; Kurkowski, Tom; McGuire, A. David; Rupp, T. Scott

    2016-01-01

    Changes in vegetation and snow cover may lead to feedbacks to climate through changes in surface albedo and energy fluxes between the land and atmosphere. In addition to these biogeophysical feedbacks, biogeochemical feedbacks associated with changes in carbon (C) storage in the vegetation and soils may also influence climate. Here, using a transient biogeographic model (ALFRESCO) and an ecosystem model (DOS-TEM), we quantified the biogeophysical feedbacks due to changes in vegetation and snow cover across continuous permafrost to non-permafrost ecosystems in Alaska and northwest Canada. We also computed the changes in carbon storage in this region to provide a general assessment of the direction of the biogeochemical feedback. We considered four ecoregions, or Landscape Conservations Cooperatives (LCCs; including the Arctic, North Pacific, Western Alaska, and Northwest Boreal). We examined the 90 year period from 2010 to 2099 using one future emission scenario (A1B), under outputs from two general circulation models (MPI-ECHAM5 and CCCMA-CGCM3.1). We found that changes in snow cover duration, including both the timing of snowmelt in the spring and snow return in the fall, provided the dominant positive biogeophysical feedback to climate across all LCCs, and was greater for the ECHAM (+3.1 W m−2 decade−1regionally) compared to the CCCMA (+1.3 W m−2 decade−1 regionally) scenario due to an increase in loss of snow cover in the ECHAM scenario. The greatest overall negative feedback to climate from changes in vegetation cover was due to fire in spruce forests in the Northwest Boreal LCC and fire in shrub tundra in the Western LCC (−0.2 to −0.3 W m−2 decade−1). With the larger positive feedbacks associated with reductions in snow cover compared to the smaller negative feedbacks associated with shifts in vegetation, the feedback to climate warming was positive (total feedback of +2.7 W m−2decade regionally in the ECHAM scenario compared to +0.76 W

  19. The inhibitory microcircuit of the substantia nigra provides feedback gain control of the basal ganglia output.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Jennifer; Pan, Wei-Xing; Dudman, Joshua Tate

    2014-05-21

    Dysfunction of the basal ganglia produces severe deficits in the timing, initiation, and vigor of movement. These diverse impairments suggest a control system gone awry. In engineered systems, feedback is critical for control. By contrast, models of the basal ganglia highlight feedforward circuitry and ignore intrinsic feedback circuits. In this study, we show that feedback via axon collaterals of substantia nigra projection neurons control the gain of the basal ganglia output. Through a combination of physiology, optogenetics, anatomy, and circuit mapping, we elaborate a general circuit mechanism for gain control in a microcircuit lacking interneurons. Our data suggest that diverse tonic firing rates, weak unitary connections and a spatially diffuse collateral circuit with distinct topography and kinetics from feedforward input is sufficient to implement divisive feedback inhibition. The importance of feedback for engineered systems implies that the intranigral microcircuit, despite its absence from canonical models, could be essential to basal ganglia function. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02397.001. Copyright © 2014, Brown et al.

  20. A Journey towards Sustainable Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mutch, Allyson; Young, Charlotte; Davey, Tamzyn; Fitzgerald, Lisa

    2018-01-01

    Meeting students' expectations associated with the provision of feedback is a perennial challenge for tertiary education. Efforts to provide comprehensive, timely feedback within our own first year undergraduate public health courses have not always met students' expectations. In response, we sought to develop peer feedback activities to support…

  1. Self-evaluation and peer-feedback of medical students' communication skills using a web-based video annotation system. Exploring content and specificity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hulsman, Robert L; van der Vloodt, Jane

    2015-03-01

    Self-evaluation and peer-feedback are important strategies within the reflective practice paradigm for the development and maintenance of professional competencies like medical communication. Characteristics of the self-evaluation and peer-feedback annotations of medical students' video recorded communication skills were analyzed. Twenty-five year 4 medical students recorded history-taking consultations with a simulated patient, uploaded the video to a web-based platform, marked and annotated positive and negative events. Peers reviewed the video and self-evaluations and provided feedback. Analyzed were the number of marked positive and negative annotations and the amount of text entered. Topics and specificity of the annotations were coded and analyzed qualitatively. Students annotated on average more negative than positive events. Additional peer-feedback was more often positive. Topics most often related to structuring the consultation. Students were most critical about their biomedical topics. Negative annotations were more specific than positive annotations. Self-evaluations were more specific than peer-feedback and both show a significant correlation. Four response patterns were detected that negatively bias specificity assessment ratings. Teaching students to be more specific in their self-evaluations may be effective for receiving more specific peer-feedback. Videofragmentrating is a convenient tool to implement reflective practice activities like self-evaluation and peer-feedback to the classroom in the teaching of clinical skills. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. On the Secrecy Capacity Region of the Block-Fading BCC with Limited CSI Feedback

    KAUST Repository

    Hyadi, Amal

    2017-02-07

    In this work, we examine the secrecy capacity region of the block-fading broadcast channel with confidential messages (BCC) when the transmitter has limited knowledge of the channel. In particular, we consider a two-user communication system where the transmitter has one common message to be transmitted to both users and one confidential message intended to only one of them. The confidential message has to be kept secret from the other user to whom the information is not intended. The transmitter is not aware of the channel state information (CSI) of neither channel and is only provided by limited CSI feedback sent at the beginning of each fading block. Assuming an error-free feedback link, we characterize the secrecy capacity region of this channel and show that even with a 1-bit CSI feedback, a positive secrecy rate can still be achieved. Then, we look at the case where the feedback link is not error- free and is rather a binary erasure channel (BEC). In the latter case, we provide an achievable secrecy rate region and show that as long as the erasure event is not a probability 1 event, the transmitter can still transmit the confidential information with a positive secrecy rate.

  3. The Influence of Peer Feedback on the Acquisition of Physical-Examination Skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernard Martineau

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Studies have suggested that having students observe peers while acquiring physical-examination (PE skills fosters the acquisition of the psychomotor skills required to conduct a PE. One difficulty, however, has been to disentangle the effect of peer observation from peer feedback, both of which occur when students learn in groups. This study investigated the influence of peer feedback on learning the neurolocomotor physical exam for low-back pain. 120 second-year medical students were randomly assigned to a peer-feedback group (n=61 or a no-peer-feedback group (n=53, during a regular learning activity with a standardized-patient instructor. Students first practised the NLE in groups of three, with or without peer feedback, depending on the group to which they were assigned. Subsequently, the members of both groups performed the NLE individually. The final NLE was videotaped and assessed later. Peer feedback had a positive effect on the acquisition of PE skills (87.9% vs. 90.8%, p=0.023, despite the fact that students had an initial preference for instructor feedback compared with peer feedback. These results support the use of group activities that give students the opportunity to provide feedback to their peers while learning PE skills.

  4. ABCDEFG IS - the principle of constructive feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattarai, M

    2007-01-01

    Feedback is an integral part of any learning experience. Constructive feedback is a powerful instrument and facilitates the learner's professional and personal development. "ABCDEFG IS", a mnemonic for the principles of constructive feedback, stands for Amount of the information, Benefit of the trainees, Change behaviour, Descriptive language, Environment, Focused, Group check, Interpretation check, and Sharing information. The eight important steps of feedback are: Ensure prior information, Collect data, Make appropriate meeting arrangement, Begin by encouraging self assessment by the trainee, Highlight areas where the trainee is doing well, Give feedback, Handle reaction maintaining the dignity and Plan actions. Communication and reflection also share many of the principles and steps of constructive feedback and giving regular feedback, thus, helps to improve communication and reflection. The feedback provider would be able to provide genuine feedback by following the appropriate steps and principles of constructive feedback and realize how important and rewarding its role is in teaching learning activities.

  5. Ring a bell? Adaptive Auditory Game Feedback to Sustain Performance in Stroke Rehabilitation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hald, Kasper; Knoche, Hendrik

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the effect of adaptive auditory feed- back on continued player performance for stroke patients in a Whack- a-Mole style tablet game. The feedback consisted of accumulatively in- creasing the pitch of positive feedback sounds on tasks with fast reaction time and resetting...... it after slow reaction times. The analysis was based on data was obtained in a field trial with lesion patients during their regular rehabilitation. The auditory feedback events were categorized by feedback type (positive/negative) and the associated pitch change of ei- ther high or low magnitude. Both...... feedback type and magnitude had a significant effect on players performance. Negative feedback improved re- action time on the subsequent hit by 0.42 second and positive feedback impaired performance by 0.15 seconds....

  6. Neural correlates of anticipation and processing of performance feedback in social anxiety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heitmann, Carina Y; Peterburs, Jutta; Mothes-Lasch, Martin; Hallfarth, Marlit C; Böhme, Stephanie; Miltner, Wolfgang H R; Straube, Thomas

    2014-12-01

    Fear of negative evaluation, such as negative social performance feedback, is the core symptom of social anxiety. The present study investigated the neural correlates of anticipation and perception of social performance feedback in social anxiety. High (HSA) and low (LSA) socially anxious individuals were asked to give a speech on a personally relevant topic and received standardized but appropriate expert performance feedback in a succeeding experimental session in which neural activity was measured during anticipation and presentation of negative and positive performance feedback concerning the speech performance, or a neutral feedback-unrelated control condition. HSA compared to LSA subjects reported greater anxiety during anticipation of negative feedback. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results showed deactivation of medial prefrontal brain areas during anticipation of negative feedback relative to the control and the positive condition, and medial prefrontal and insular hyperactivation during presentation of negative as well as positive feedback in HSA compared to LSA subjects. The results indicate distinct processes underlying feedback processing during anticipation and presentation of feedback in HSA as compared to LSA individuals. In line with the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in self-referential information processing and the insula in interoception, social anxiety seems to be associated with lower self-monitoring during feedback anticipation, and an increased self-focus and interoception during feedback presentation, regardless of feedback valence. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Multi-Scale Influences of Climate, Spatial Pattern, and Positive Feedback on 20th Century Tree Establishment at Upper Treeline in the Rocky Mountains, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, G. P.

    2009-12-01

    The influences of 20th century climate, spatial pattern of tree establishment, and positive feedback were assessed to gain a more holistic understanding of how broad scale abiotic and local scale biotic components interact to govern upper treeline ecotonal dynamics along a latitudinal gradient (ca. 35°N-45°N) in the Rocky Mountains. Study sites (n = 22) were in the Bighorn, Medicine Bow, Front Range, and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. Dendroecological techniques were used for a broad scale analysis of climate at treeline. Five-year age-structure classes were compared with identical five-year bins of 20th century climate data using Spearman’s rank correlation and regime shift analysis. Local scale biotic interactions capable of ameliorating broad scale climate inputs through positive feedback were examined by using Ripley’s K to determine the spatial patterns of tree establishment above timberline. Significant correlations (p Medicine Bow and Sangre de Cristo Mountains primarily contain clustered spatial patterns of trees above timberline, which indicates a strong reliance on the amelioration of abiotic conditions through positive feedback with nearby vegetation. Although clustered spatial patterns likely originate in response to harsh abiotic conditions such as drought or constant strong winds, the local scale biotic interactions within a clustered formation of trees appears to override the immediate influence of broad scale climate. This is evidenced both by a lack of significant correlations between tree establishment and climate in these mountain ranges, as well as the considerable lag times between initial climate regime shifts and corresponding shifts in tree age structure. Taken together, this research suggests that the influence of broad scale climate on upper treeline ecotonal dynamics is contingent on the local scale spatial patterns of tree establishment and related influences of positive feedback. These findings have global implications for our

  8. Feedback Systems for Linear Colliders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-01-01

    Feedback systems are essential for stable operation of a linear collider, providing a cost-effective method for relaxing tight tolerances. In the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC), feedback controls beam parameters such as trajectory, energy, and intensity throughout the accelerator. A novel dithering optimization system which adjusts final focus parameters to maximize luminosity contributed to achieving record performance in the 1997-98 run. Performance limitations of the steering feedback have been investigated, and improvements have been made. For the Next Linear Collider (NLC), extensive feedback systems are planned as an integral part of the design. Feedback requirements for JLC (the Japanese Linear Collider) are essentially identical to NLC; some of the TESLA requirements are similar but there are significant differences. For NLC, algorithms which incorporate improvements upon the SLC implementation are being prototyped. Specialized systems for the damping rings, rf and interaction point will operate at high bandwidth and fast response. To correct for the motion of individual bunches within a train, both feedforward and feedback systems are planned. SLC experience has shown that feedback systems are an invaluable operational tool for decoupling systems, allowing precision tuning, and providing pulse-to-pulse diagnostics. Feedback systems for the NLC will incorporate the key SLC features and the benefits of advancing technologies

  9. Self-Management of Patient Body Position, Pose, and Motion Using Wide-Field, Real-Time Optical Measurement Feedback: Results of a Volunteer Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parkhurst, James M.; Price, Gareth J.; Sharrock, Phil J.; Jackson, Andrew S.N.; Stratford, Julie; Moore, Christopher J.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: We present the results of a clinical feasibility study, performed in 10 healthy volunteers undergoing a simulated treatment over 3 sessions, to investigate the use of a wide-field visual feedback technique intended to help patients control their pose while reducing motion during radiation therapy treatment. Methods and Materials: An optical surface sensor is used to capture wide-area measurements of a subject's body surface with visualizations of these data displayed back to them in real time. In this study we hypothesize that this active feedback mechanism will enable patients to control their motion and help them maintain their setup pose and position. A capability hierarchy of 3 different level-of-detail abstractions of the measured surface data is systematically compared. Results: Use of the device enabled volunteers to increase their conformance to a reference surface, as measured by decreased variability across their body surfaces. The use of visual feedback also enabled volunteers to reduce their respiratory motion amplitude to 1.7 ± 0.6 mm compared with 2.7 ± 1.4 mm without visual feedback. Conclusions: The use of live feedback of their optically measured body surfaces enabled a set of volunteers to better manage their pose and motion when compared with free breathing. The method is suitable to be taken forward to patient studies

  10. Software feedback for monochromator tuning at UNICAT (abstract)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jemian, Pete R.

    2002-03-01

    Automatic tuning of double-crystal monochromators presents an interesting challenge in software. The goal is to either maximize, or hold constant, the throughput of the monochromator. An additional goal of the software feedback is to disable itself when there is no beam and then, at the user's discretion, re-enable itself when the beam returns. These and other routine goals, such as adherence to limits of travel for positioners, are maintained by software controls. Many solutions exist to lock in and maintain a fixed throughput. Among these include a hardware solution involving a wave form generator, and a lock-in amplifier to autocorrelate the movement of a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) providing fine adjustment of the second crystal Bragg angle. This solution does not work when the positioner is a slow acting device such as a stepping motor. Proportional integral differential (PID) loops have been used to provide feedback through software but additional controls must be provided to maximize the monochromator throughput. Presented here is a software variation of the PID loop which meets the above goals. By using two floating point variables as inputs, representing the intensity of x rays measured before and after the monochromator, it attempts to maximize (or hold constant) the ratio of these two inputs by adjusting an output floating point variable. These floating point variables are connected to hardware channels corresponding to detectors and positioners. When the inputs go out of range, the software will stop making adjustments to the control output. Not limited to monochromator feedback, the software could be used, with beam steering positioners, to maintain a measure of beam position. Advantages of this software feedback are the flexibility of its various components. It has been used with stepping motors and PZTs as positioners. Various devices such as ion chambers, scintillation counters, photodiodes, and photoelectron collectors have been used as

  11. Feedback Seeking in Early Adolescence: Self-Enhancement or Self-Verification?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosen, Lisa H.; Principe, Connor P.; Langlois, Judith H.

    2013-01-01

    The authors examined whether early adolescents ("N" = 90) solicit self-enhancing feedback (i.e., positive feedback) or self-verifying feedback (i.e., feedback congruent with self-views, even when these views are negative). Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders first completed a self-perception measure and then selected whether to receive…

  12. Social dimension and complexity differentially influence brain responses during feedback processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfabigan, Daniela M; Gittenberger, Marianne; Lamm, Claus

    2017-10-30

    Recent research emphasizes the importance of social factors during performance monitoring. Thus, the current study investigated the impact of social stimuli -such as communicative gestures- on feedback processing. Moreover, it addressed a shortcoming of previous studies, which failed to consider stimulus complexity as potential confounding factor. Twenty-four volunteers performed a time estimation task while their electroencephalogram was recorded. Either social complex, social non-complex, non-social complex, or non-social non-complex stimuli were used to provide performance feedback. No effects of social dimension or complexity were found for task performance. In contrast, Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) and P300 amplitudes were sensitive to both factors, with larger FRN and P300 amplitudes after social compared to non-social stimuli, and larger FRN amplitudes after complex positive than non-complex positive stimuli. P2 amplitudes were solely sensitive to feedback valence and social dimension. Subjectively, social complex stimuli were rated as more motivating than non-social complex ones. Independently of each other, social dimension and visual complexity influenced amplitude variation during performance monitoring. Social stimuli seem to be perceived as more salient, which is corroborated by P2, FRN and P300 results, as well as by subjective ratings. This could be explained due to their given relevance during every day social interactions.

  13. Effects of feedback reliability on feedback-related brain activity: A feedback valuation account.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ernst, Benjamin; Steinhauser, Marco

    2018-04-06

    Adaptive decision making relies on learning from feedback. Because feedback sometimes can be misleading, optimal learning requires that knowledge about the feedback's reliability be utilized to adjust feedback processing. Although previous research has shown that feedback reliability indeed influences feedback processing, the underlying mechanisms through which this is accomplished remain unclear. Here we propose that feedback processing is adjusted by the adaptive, top-down valuation of feedback. We assume that unreliable feedback is devalued relative to reliable feedback, thus reducing the reward prediction errors that underlie feedback-related brain activity and learning. A crucial prediction of this account is that the effects of feedback reliability are susceptible to contrast effects. That is, the effects of feedback reliability should be enhanced when both reliable and unreliable feedback are experienced within the same context, as compared to when only one level of feedback reliability is experienced. To evaluate this prediction, we measured the event-related potentials elicited by feedback in two experiments in which feedback reliability was varied either within or between blocks. We found that the fronto-central valence effect, a correlate of reward prediction errors during reinforcement learning, was reduced for unreliable feedback. But this result was obtained only when feedback reliability was varied within blocks, thus indicating a contrast effect. This suggests that the adaptive valuation of feedback is one mechanism underlying the effects of feedback reliability on feedback processing.

  14. Local orbit feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1991-01-01

    Critically aligned experiments are sensitive to small changes in the electron beam orbit. At the NSLS storage rings, the electron beam and photon beam motions have been monitored over the past several years. In the survey conducted in 1986 by the NSLS Users Executive Committee, experimenters requested the vertical beam position variation and the vertical angle variation, within a given fill, remain within 10 μm and 10 μr, respectively. This requires improvement in the beam stability by about one order of magnitude. At the NSLS and SSRL storage rings, the beam that is originally centered on the position monitor by a dc orbit correction is observed to have two kinds of motion: a dc drift over a storage period of several hours and a beam bounce about its nominal position. These motions are a result of the equilibrium orbit not being held perfectly stable due to time-varying errors introduced into the magnetic guide field by power supplies, mechanical vibration of the magnets, cooling water temperature variations, etc. The approach to orbit stabilization includes (1) identifying and suppressing as many noise sources on the machine as possible, (2) correcting the beam position globally (see Section 6) by controlling a number of correctors around the circumference of the machine, and (3) correcting the beam position and angle at a given source location by position feedback using local detectors and local orbit bumps. The third approach, called Local Orbit Feedback will be discussed in this section

  15. Feedback is good or bad? Medical residents’ points of view on feedback in clinical education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LEILA BAZRAFKAN

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Feedback is very important in education and can help quality in the training process and orient the trainees in clinical contexts. This study aimed to assess the residents’ points of view about feedback in clinical education at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The sample of this study included 170 medical residents attending medical workshops in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The residents filled a valid and reliable questionnaire containing 21 items on their perceptions of the feedback they got throughout the workshops. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 14. Results: The study revealed that residents, generally, have a positive perception of feedback in their training. The highest score belonged to the items such as “feedback was applicable to future work”, “feedback corrected my behavior”, “feedback worked as a motivation for education” and “feedback was specific in one subject”. Residents who had a negative feedback experience also increased their efforts to learn. The Surgery residents acquired the highest scores while radiology residents got the lowest. The difference between these groups was statistically significant (P = 0.000. Conclusion: The highest mean score belonged to internal medicine residents. This shows that residents believe that obstetrics & gynecology ward is a ward in which the formative assessment is much more powerful in comparison to the other three major wards. The surgery ward received the lowest score for formative assessment and this shows that the feedback in surgery ward is very low.

  16. Research and Teaching: Exploring the Use of an Online Quiz Game to Provide Formative Feedback in a Large-Enrollment, Introductory Biochemistry Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milner, Rachel; Parrish, Jonathan; Wright, Adrienne; Gnarpe, Judy; Keenan, Louanne

    2015-01-01

    In a large-enrollment, introductory biochemistry course for nonmajors, the authors provide students with formative feedback through practice questions in PDF format. Recently, they investigated possible benefits of providing the practice questions via an online game (Brainspan). Participants were randomly assigned to either the online game group…

  17. Positive and negative feedback in the earthquake cycIe: the role of pore fluids on states of criticality in the crust

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. R. Sammonds

    1994-06-01

    Full Text Available Fluids exert a strong physical and chemical control on local processes of rock fracture and friction. For example they may accelerate fracture by stress corrosion reactions or the development of overpressure (a form of positive feedback, or retard fracture by time-dependent stress relaxation or dilatant hardening (negative feed-back, thereby introducing a variable degree of local force conservation into the process. In particular the valve action of dynamic faulting may be important in tuning the Earth to a metastable state of incipient failure on all scales over several cycles, similar to current models of Self-Organised Criticality (SOC as a paradigm for eartiquakes However laboratory results suggest that ordered fluctuations about this state may occur in a single cycle due to non conservative processes involving fluids which have the potential to be recognised, at least in the short term, in the scaling properties of earthquake statistics. Here we describe a 2-D cellular automaton which uses local rules of positive and negative feedback to model the effect of fluids on failure in a heterogeneous medium in a single earthquake cycle. The model successfully predicts the observed fractal distribution of fractures, with a negative correlation between the predicted seismic b-value and the local crack extension force G. Such a negative correlation is found in laboratory tests involving (a fluid-assisted crack growth in tension (b water-saturated compressional deformation, and (c in field results on an intermediate scale from hydraulic mining-induced seismicity all cases where G can be determined independently, and where the physical and chemical action of pore fluids is to varying degrees a controlled variable. For a finite local hardening mechanism (negative feedback, the model exhibits a systematic increase followed by a decrease in the seismic b-value as macroscopic failure is approached, similar to that found in water-saturated laboratory tests

  18. Facilitating effects of deep brain stimulation on feedback learning in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meissner, Sarah Nadine; Südmeyer, Martin; Keitel, Ariane; Pollok, Bettina; Bellebaum, Christian

    2016-10-15

    Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) provides an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms. However, findings of effects on cognitive function such as feedback learning remain controversial and rare. The aim of the present study was to gain a better understanding of cognitive alterations associated with STN-DBS. Therefore, we investigated effects of STN-DBS on active and observational feedback learning in PD. 18 PD patients with STN-DBS and 18 matched healthy controls completed active and observational feedback learning tasks. Patients were investigated ON and OFF STN-DBS. Tasks consisted of learning (with feedback) and test phases (without feedback). STN-DBS improved active learning during feedback trials and PD patients ON (but not OFF) STN-DBS showed comparable performance patterns as healthy controls. No STN-DBS effect was found when assessing performance during active test trials without feedback. In this case, however, STN-DBS effects were found to depend on symptom severity. While more impaired patients benefited from STN-DBS, stimulation had no facilitating effect on patients with less severe symptoms. Along similar lines, the severity of motor symptoms tended to be significantly correlated with differences in active test performance due to STN-DBS. For observational feedback learning, there was a tendency for a positive STN-DBS effect with patients reaching the performance level of healthy controls only ON STN-DBS. The present data suggest that STN-DBS facilitates active feedback learning in PD patients. Furthermore, they provide first evidence that STN-DBS might not only affect learning from own but also from observed actions and outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Olfactory Performance Can Be Influenced by the Presentation Order, Background Noise, and Positive Concurrent Feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walliczek-Dworschak, Ute; Pellegrino, Robert; Lee, Shangwa; Hummel, Cornelia; Hähner, Antje; Hummel, Thomas

    2016-10-01

    Sniffin' Sticks have become a popular procedure to measure overall olfactory functionality with 3 subtest: phenyl ethyl alcohol threshold test (T), discrimination (D), and identification (I). However, several procedural components specified by the original paper have not been tested nor has the impact of deviations been measured. The aim of the present work was to measure olfactory performance under modified testing procedures. First, the reverse order of subtests (IDT) was compared with more standard practices (TDI). Next, the possible impact of background noise and positive concurrent feedback were assessed. A total of 120 individuals participated in the study where the 3 conditional experiments, each involving 40 participants, were completed. Testing procedures that reversed the presentation order of subtests (I->D->T) scored a significantly lower overall TDI score than standard testing order with the threshold subtest being the most influenced. Additionally, nonverbal background noise lowered overall olfactory performance while concurrent feedback modulated threshold performance. These results emphasize the importance of testing parameters where olfactory perception and tasks may be modulated by adaptation and attentional distraction, respectively. This study helped furthermore to demonstrate that the investigated 3 deviations from the standard procedure revealed a significant impact on the performance outcome in olfactory assessment using the Sniffin' Sticks. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. Positive feedback of greenhouse gas balances to warming is determined by non-growing season emissions in an alpine meadow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, S.; Wang, J.; Quan, Q.; Chen, W.; Wen, X.; Yu, G.

    2017-12-01

    Large uncertainties exist in the sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) in response to climate warming and human activity. So far, numerous previous studies have evaluated the CO2 budget, but little attention has paid to CH4 and N2O budgets and the concurrent balance of these three gases in combination, especially in the non-growing season. Here, we synthesized eddy covariance measurement with the automatic chamber measurements of CO2, CH4, and N2O exposed to three levels of temperature treatments (ambient, +1.5 °C, +2.5 °C) and two disturbance treatments (ummowing, mowing) in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. We have found that warming caused increase in CH4 uptake and decrease in N2O emission offset little of the enhancement in CO2 emission, triggering a positive feedback to climate warming. Warming switches the ecosystem from a net sink (-17 ± 14 g CO2-eq m-2 yr-1) in the control to a net source of greenhouse gases of 94 ± 36 gCO2-eq m-2 yr-1 in the plots with +1.5 °C warming treatment, and 177 ± 6 gCO2-eq m-2 yr-1 in the plots with +2.5 °C warming treatment. The changes in the non-growing season balance, rather than those in the growing season, dominate the warming responses of annual greehouse gas balance. And this is not changed by mowing. The dominant role of responses of winter greenhouse gas balance in the positive feedback of ecosystem to climate warming highlights that greenhouse gas balance in cold season has to be considered when assessing climate-carbon cycle feedback.

  1. The Effects of Feedback on Online Quizzes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, Melanie; Pyzdrowski, Laura; Goodykoontz, Adam; Walker, Vennessa

    2008-01-01

    Online homework is unable to provide the detailed feedback of paper and pencil assignments. However, immediate feedback is an advantage that online assessments provide. A research study was conducted that focused on the effects of immediate feedback; students in 5 sections of a Pre-calculus course were participants. Three sections were randomly…

  2. Exploring the value of usability feedback formats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgaard, Mie; Hornbæk, Kasper Anders Søren

    2009-01-01

    The format used to present feedback from usability evaluations to developers affects whether problems are understood, accepted, and fixed. Yet, little research has investigated which formats are the most effective. We describe an explorative study where three developers assess 40 usability findings...... presented using five feedback formats. Our usability findings comprise 35 problems and 5 positive comments. Data suggest that feedback serves multiple purposes. Initially, feedback must convince developers about the relevance of a problem and convey an understanding of this. Feedback must next be easy...... working with the feedback to address the usability problems, there were no significant differences among the developers' ratings of the value of the different formats. This suggests that all of the formats may serve equally well as reminders in later stages of working with usability problems...

  3. Static inverter with synchronous output waveform synthesized by time-optimal-response feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kernick, A.; Stechschulte, D. L.; Shireman, D. W.

    1976-01-01

    Time-optimal-response 'bang-bang' or 'bang-hang' technique, using four feedback control loops, synthesizes static-inverter sinusoidal output waveform by self-oscillatory but yet synchronous pulse-frequency-modulation (SPFM). A single modular power stage per phase of ac output entails the minimum of circuit complexity while providing by feedback synthesis individual phase voltage regulation, phase position control and inherent compensation simultaneously for line and load disturbances. Clipped sinewave performance is described under off-limit load or input voltage conditions. Also, approaches to high power levels, 3-phase arraying and parallel modular connection are given.

  4. Malaysian Tertiary Level ESL Students’ Perceptions toward Teacher Feedback, Peer Feedback and Self-assessment in their Writing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kayatri Vasu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In Malaysia, teacher feedback is highly preferred by students, who often believe that teachers know best. Teacher feedback shows them their teacher’s idea of an ideal writing. However, excessive dependence on teachers adds to their workload. Therefore, teachers are increasingly promoting two other alternative methods that are gradually gaining importance. These methods are peer feedback and self-assessment. This study investigates ESL students’ perceptions toward teacher feedback, peer feedback and self-assessment in students’ writing process. Questionnaires, adapted from the instruments in the literature, were administered to 107 randomly selected students in a private local university in Malaysia. Students found feedback given to the content and organization of their writing more useful than feedback provided for their vocabulary and grammar. It was also found that students perceived feedback from teacher, peers and self-assessment all as highly useful. Additionally the results indicated while there was no significant difference (p > .05 between the students’ perceptions toward teacher feedback and self-assessment, they were both perceived as significantly more useful (p < .001 than peer feedback. The students also perceived explicit feedback as significantly more useful (p < .001 than implicit feedback. The results of this study have implications for English language learning-teaching practitioners and researchers. They shed light on the options preferred by students in revising their writing in ESL writing classrooms. Future research on the effects of teacher feedback, peer feedback and self-assessment on students’ writing performance will provide better insight on the preferred methods in ESL writing classrooms in similar settings.

  5. Feedback stabilization of electrostatic reactive instabilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richards, R.K.

    1976-01-01

    A general theory for the feedback stabilization of electrostatic reactive instabilities is developed which includes the effects of dissipation in the plasma and frequency dependence in the sensor-suppressor elements and in the external feedback circuit. This theory is compared to experiments involving particular reactive instability, an interchange mode, found in a magnetic mirror device; these results are found to be in good agreement with theory. One noteworthy result is that a frequency dependence in the overall gain and phase shift of the feedback loop can cause destabilization at large gain. Multimode feedback stabilization is studied using the spatial variation of two interchange modes to separate them such that each can be acted upon individually by the feedback system. The transfer function of the plasma is also examined. This analysis is used for mode identification and location of the pole positions. As an example of using feedback as a diagnostic tool, instability induced transport is studied. Here feedback is used to control the amplitude of fluctuations at saturation

  6. Feedback Cooling of a Single Neutral Atom

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koch, Markus; Sames, Christian; Kubanek, Alexander; Apel, Matthias; Balbach, Maximilian; Ourjoumtsev, Alexei; Pinkse, Pepijn Willemszoon Harry; Rempe, Gerhard

    2010-01-01

    We demonstrate feedback cooling of the motion of a single rubidium atom trapped in a high-finesse optical resonator to a temperature of about 160  μK. Time-dependent transmission and intensity-correlation measurements prove the reduction of the atomic position uncertainty. The feedback increases the

  7. Peer Feedback in Learning a Foreign Language in Facebook

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Akbari, E.; Simons, P.R.J.; Pilot, A.; Naderi, Ahmad

    2017-01-01

    Feedback can have different forms and functions depending on its objectives as well as its provider: teacher feedback, student feedback, peer feedback, written feedback, oral feedback, etc. One of the most constructive forms of feedback may be peer feedback, since it involves group learning (Van

  8. Invisible Support: Effects on the Provider's Positive and Negative Affect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    König, Claudia; Stadler, Gertraud; Knoll, Nina; Ochsner, Sibylle; Hornung, Rainer; Scholz, Urte

    2016-07-01

    Social support that goes unnoticed by receivers (i.e. invisible support) seems to be most beneficial for the receivers' well-being. The providers' well-being, however, has been neglected so far. This study examines how invisible support is related to the providers' well-being and whether this association is dependent on the providers' relationship satisfaction. Overall, 97 non-smoking partners of smokers who were about to quit smoking were examined. Invisible support was assessed dyadically: partners' reports on smoking-specific provided social support together with smokers' reports on received support were assessed at baseline. Partners' relationship satisfaction was also assessed at baseline. Partners' positive and negative affect were measured at baseline and six-week follow-up. No main effects of invisible instrumental or emotional support occurred. However, partners' relationship satisfaction moderated the association between invisible instrumental support and change in partners' negative and positive affect: For partners with lower relationship satisfaction more invisible instrumental support was related to increased negative affect and decreased positive affect, whereas for partners with higher relationship satisfaction the inverse effects occurred. The study's results emphasise that invisible instrumental support might have emotional costs for the providers. Relationship satisfaction seems to serve as a protective factor. © 2016 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

  9. INDIRECT WRITTEN CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK, REVISION, AND LEARNING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Poorebrahim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Corrective feedback, the necessity of providing it, and how it should be provided has been one of the hot topics in the area of ELT. Amid continuing controversies over whether providing feedback helps L2 learners improve their writing accuracy, many research studies have been undertaken to compare the relative effectiveness of different types of feedback. However, the difference between two types of indirect corrective feedback, namely indication and indication plus location, have not been properly examined yet. Motivated to narrow this gap, this study is designed to compare two groups of Iranian learners, each revising their papers based on one of the aforementioned options. For data analysis, a series of independent samples t tests were employed. The results revealed that the difference between the two groups in their reduction of errors from the original draft to the revision of each task followed a growing trend and became significant. Nonetheless, the difference in accuracy of new pieces of writing fell short of significance. Finally, it was found that error reduction in revision stage cannot be considered as learning. The results of the study, discussed in relation to that of others, implicate that the purpose for which feedback is provided is essential in determining the type of feedback; more explicit feedback is better for revising purposes while more implicit feedback is good for learning purposes.

  10. 'Peer feedback' voor huisartsopleiders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Damoiseaux, R A M J; Truijens, L

    2016-01-01

    In medical specialist training programmes it is common practice for residents to provide feedback to their medical trainers. The problem is that due to its anonymous nature, the feedback often lacks the specificity necessary to improve the performance of trainers. If anonymity is to be abolished,

  11. The development of a thermal hydraulic feedback mechanism with a quasi-fixed point iteration scheme for control rod position modeling for the TRIGSIMS-TH application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karriem, Veronica V.

    Nuclear reactor design incorporates the study and application of nuclear physics, nuclear thermal hydraulic and nuclear safety. Theoretical models and numerical methods implemented in computer programs are utilized to analyze and design nuclear reactors. The focus of this PhD study's is the development of an advanced high-fidelity multi-physics code system to perform reactor core analysis for design and safety evaluations of research TRIGA-type reactors. The fuel management and design code system TRIGSIMS was further developed to fulfill the function of a reactor design and analysis code system for the Pennsylvania State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR). TRIGSIMS, which is currently in use at the PSBR, is a fuel management tool, which incorporates the depletion code ORIGEN-S (part of SCALE system) and the Monte Carlo neutronics solver MCNP. The diffusion theory code ADMARC-H is used within TRIGSIMS to accelerate the MCNP calculations. It manages the data and fuel isotopic content and stores it for future burnup calculations. The contribution of this work is the development of an improved version of TRIGSIMS, named TRIGSIMS-TH. TRIGSIMS-TH incorporates a thermal hydraulic module based on the advanced sub-channel code COBRA-TF (CTF). CTF provides the temperature feedback needed in the multi-physics calculations as well as the thermal hydraulics modeling capability of the reactor core. The temperature feedback model is using the CTF-provided local moderator and fuel temperatures for the cross-section modeling for ADMARC-H and MCNP calculations. To perform efficient critical control rod calculations, a methodology for applying a control rod position was implemented in TRIGSIMS-TH, making this code system a modeling and design tool for future core loadings. The new TRIGSIMS-TH is a computer program that interlinks various other functional reactor analysis tools. It consists of the MCNP5, ADMARC-H, ORIGEN-S, and CTF. CTF was coupled with both MCNP and ADMARC-H to provide the

  12. Memory for performance feedback :a test of three self- motivation theories

    OpenAIRE

    Donlin, Joanne Mac

    1990-01-01

    The current study tests the adequacy of three self-motive theories to predict recall of performance feedback, memory sensitivity, and ratings of perceived accuracy. Self-enhancement (Jones, 1973) predicts individuals are motivated to maintain their self-esteem. Individuals will therefore recall positive relative to negative feedback and will rate positive feedback as more accurate. Self-consistency theory (Swann, 1985) predicts individuals are motivated to maintain their self-conceptions. The...

  13. Multisource feedback to graduate nurses: a multimethod study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McPhee, Samantha; Phillips, Nicole M; Ockerby, Cherene; Hutchinson, Alison M

    2017-11-01

    (1) To explore graduate nurses' perceptions of the influence of multisource feedback on their performance and (2) to explore perceptions of Clinical Nurse Educators involved in providing feedback regarding feasibility and benefit of the approach. Graduate registered nurses are expected to provide high-quality care for patients in demanding and unpredictable clinical environments. Receiving feedback is essential to their development. Performance appraisals are a common method used to provide feedback and typically involve a single source of feedback. Alternatively, multisource feedback allows the learner to gain insight into performance from a variety of perspectives. This study explores multisource feedback in an Australian setting within the graduate nurse context. Multimethod study. Eleven graduates were given structured performance feedback from four raters: Nurse Unit Manager, Clinical Nurse Educator, preceptor and a self-appraisal. Thirteen graduates received standard single-rater appraisals. Data regarding perceptions of feedback for both groups were obtained using a questionnaire. Semistructured interviews were conducted with nurses who received multisource feedback and the educators. In total, 94% (n = 15) of survey respondents perceived feedback was important during the graduate year. Four themes emerged from interviews: informal feedback, appropriateness of raters, elements of delivery and creating an appraisal process that is 'more real'. Multisource feedback was perceived as more beneficial compared to single-rater feedback. Educators saw value in multisource feedback; however, perceived barriers were engaging raters and collating feedback. Some evidence exists to indicate that feedback from multiple sources is valued by graduates. Further research in a larger sample and with more experienced nurses is required. Evidence resulting from this study indicates that multisource feedback is valued by both graduates and educators and informs graduates

  14. The Effect of Information Feedback in Construction Bidding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Soo

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available  With the goal to achieve efficiency in bidding competitions, many codes of bidding procedure recommend clients provide contractors with bidding feedback information. Contractors strive to bid competitively via learning based on their experiences in past bidding attempts. The level of bidding feedback information, however, varies across clients. In many cases, clients do not provide feedback or provide insufficient feedback to contractors. Focussing on two information feedback conditions (full and partial, we examine: (i the changes in bidding trend over time, and (ii the effects of bidding feedback information on bidders’ competitiveness in bidding. Data were gathered using a bidding experiment that involved student (inexperienced bidders with a construction project management background. The results show that the variations in bids over time for full information feedback condition are statistically significant, but not for bids from bidders with partial bidding feedback information. Bidders with full bidding feedback information are more competitive than those with partial bidding feedback information. The findings add to both our theoretical and empirical understanding of construction bidding: an understanding of the process of changes in the price of building work, and how the process can be manipulated through the release of bidding feedback information.

  15. Detection of Membrane Puncture with Haptic Feedback using a Tip-Force Sensing Needle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elayaperumal, Santhi; Bae, Jung Hwa; Daniel, Bruce L; Cutkosky, Mark R

    2014-09-01

    This paper presents calibration and user test results of a 3-D tip-force sensing needle with haptic feedback. The needle is a modified MRI-compatible biopsy needle with embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors for strain detection. After calibration, the needle is interrogated at 2 kHz, and dynamic forces are displayed remotely with a voice coil actuator. The needle is tested in a single-axis master/slave system, with the voice coil haptic display at the master, and the needle at the slave end. Tissue phantoms with embedded membranes were used to determine the ability of the tip-force sensors to provide real-time haptic feedback as compared to external sensors at the needle base during needle insertion via the master/slave system. Subjects were able to determine the position of the embedded membranes with significantly better accuracy using FBG tip feedback than with base feedback using a commercial force/torque sensor (p = 0.045) or with no added haptic feedback (p = 0.0024).

  16. Modeling terrestrial gamma ray flashes produced by relativistic feedback discharges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ningyu; Dwyer, Joseph R.

    2013-05-01

    This paper reports a modeling study of terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) produced by relativistic feedback discharges. Terrestrial gamma ray flashes are intense energetic radiation originating from the Earth's atmosphere that has been observed by spacecraft. They are produced by bremsstrahlung interactions of energetic electrons, known as runaway electrons, with air atoms. An efficient physical mechanism for producing large fluxes of the runaway electrons to make the TGFs is the relativistic feedback discharge, where seed runaway electrons are generated by positrons and X-rays, products of the discharge itself. Once the relativistic feedback discharge becomes self-sustaining, an exponentially increasing number of relativistic electron avalanches propagate through the same high-field region inside the thundercloud until the electric field is partially discharged by the ionization created by the discharge. The modeling results indicate that the durations of the TGF pulses produced by the relativistic feedback discharge vary from tens of microseconds to several milliseconds, encompassing all durations of the TGFs observed so far. In addition, when a sufficiently large potential difference is available in thunderclouds, a self-propagating discharge known as the relativistic feedback streamer can be formed, which propagates like a conventional positive streamer. For the relativistic feedback streamer, the positive feedback mechanism of runaway electron production by the positrons and X-rays plays a similar role as the photoionization for the conventional positive streamer. The simulation results of the relativistic feedback streamer show that a sequence of TGF pulses with varying durations can be produced by the streamer. The relativistic streamer may initially propagate with a pulsed manner and turn into a continuous propagation mode at a later stage. Milliseconds long TGF pulses can be produced by the feedback streamer during its continuous propagation. However

  17. A software module for implementing auditory and visual feedback on a video-based eye tracking system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosanlall, Bharat; Gertner, Izidor; Geri, George A.; Arrington, Karl F.

    2016-05-01

    We describe here the design and implementation of a software module that provides both auditory and visual feedback of the eye position measured by a commercially available eye tracking system. The present audio-visual feedback module (AVFM) serves as an extension to the Arrington Research ViewPoint EyeTracker, but it can be easily modified for use with other similar systems. Two modes of audio feedback and one mode of visual feedback are provided in reference to a circular area-of-interest (AOI). Auditory feedback can be either a click tone emitted when the user's gaze point enters or leaves the AOI, or a sinusoidal waveform with frequency inversely proportional to the distance from the gaze point to the center of the AOI. Visual feedback is in the form of a small circular light patch that is presented whenever the gaze-point is within the AOI. The AVFM processes data that are sent to a dynamic-link library by the EyeTracker. The AVFM's multithreaded implementation also allows real-time data collection (1 kHz sampling rate) and graphics processing that allow display of the current/past gaze-points as well as the AOI. The feedback provided by the AVFM described here has applications in military target acquisition and personnel training, as well as in visual experimentation, clinical research, marketing research, and sports training.

  18. Moving mesh finite element method for finite time extinction of distributed parameter systems with positive exponential feedback; Lokakarya Komputasi dalam Sains dan Teknologi Nuklir VI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garnadi, A D [Department of Matematics, Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Bogor (Indonesia)

    1997-07-01

    In the distributed parameter systems with exponential feedback, non-global existence of solution is not always exist. For some positive initial values, there exist finite time T such that the solution goes to infinity, i.e. finite time extinction or blow-up. Here is present a numerical solution using Moving Mesh Finite Element to solve the distributed parameter systems with exponential feedback close to blow-up time. The numerical behavior of the mesh close to the time of extinction is the prime interest in this study.

  19. Feedback on composition: a case study of a remedial sixth-grader Feedback on composition: a case study of a remedial sixth-grader

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marilda C. Cavalcanti

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on a case study conducted in Brazil, aimed at investigating the relationship between what a Portuguese native-language teacher provided as feedback on compositions in a remedial sixth-grade class and what the students thought about and did with that feedback. The study called for the teacher to fill out a questionnaire and to provide verbal report protocol data while making comments on the composition of a selected student. The student also provided a verbal report protocol concerning his reactions to the feedback, and all the students in the class filled out a questionnaire about their handling of the feedback. This paper reports on a case study conducted in Brazil, aimed at investigating the relationship between what a Portuguese native-language teacher provided as feedback on compositions in a remedial sixth-grade class and what the students thought about and did with that feedback. The study called for the teacher to fill out a questionnaire and to provide verbal report protocol data while making comments on the composition of a selected student. The student also provided a verbal report protocol concerning his reactions to the feedback, and all the students in the class filled out a questionnaire about their handling of the feedback.

  20. No positive feedback between fire and a nonnative perennial grass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erika L. Geiger; Guy R. McPherson

    2005-01-01

    Semi-desert grasslands flank the “Sky Island” mountains in southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. Many of these grasslands are dominated by nonnative grasses, which potentially alter native biotic communities. One specific concern is the potential for a predicted feedback between nonnative grasses and fire. In a large-scale experiment in southern Arizona we investigated...

  1. Position-sensitive proportional counter with low-resistance metal-wire anode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopp, M.K.

    1980-01-01

    A position-sensitive proportional counter circuit is provided which uses a conventional (low-resistance, metal-wire anode) proportional counter for spatial resolution of an ionizing event along the anode of the counther. A pair of specially designed activecapacitance preamplifiers terminate the anode ends wherein the anode is treated as an RC line. The preamplifiers act as stabilized active capacitance loads and each is composed of a series-feedback, lownoise amplifier, a unity-gain, shunt-feedback amplifier whose output is connected through a feedback capacitor to the series-feedback amplifier input. The stabilized capacitance loading of the anode allows distributed RC-line position encoding and subsequent time difference decoding by sensing the difference in rise times of pulses at te anode ends where the difference is primarily in response to the distributed capacitance along the anode. This allows the use of lower resistance wire anodes for spatial radiation detection which simplifies the counter construction and handling of the anodes, and stabilizes the anode resistivity at high count rates

  2. Retesting the Limits of Data-Driven Learning: Feedback and Error Correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crosthwaite, Peter

    2017-01-01

    An increasing number of studies have looked at the value of corpus-based data-driven learning (DDL) for second language (L2) written error correction, with generally positive results. However, a potential conundrum for language teachers involved in the process is how to provide feedback on students' written production for DDL. The study looks at…

  3. "Booster" training: evaluation of instructor-led bedside cardiopulmonary resuscitation skill training and automated corrective feedback to improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation compliance of Pediatric Basic Life Support providers during simulated cardiac arrest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutton, Robert M; Niles, Dana; Meaney, Peter A; Aplenc, Richard; French, Benjamin; Abella, Benjamin S; Lengetti, Evelyn L; Berg, Robert A; Helfaer, Mark A; Nadkarni, Vinay

    2011-05-01

    To investigate the effectiveness of brief bedside "booster" cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to improve CPR guideline compliance of hospital-based pediatric providers. Prospective, randomized trial. General pediatric wards at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Sixty-nine Basic Life Support-certified hospital-based providers. CPR recording/feedback defibrillators were used to evaluate CPR quality during simulated pediatric arrest. After a 60-sec pretraining CPR evaluation, subjects were randomly assigned to one of three instructional/feedback methods to be used during CPR booster training sessions. All sessions (training/CPR manikin practice) were of equal duration (2 mins) and differed only in the method of corrective feedback given to participants during the session. The study arms were as follows: 1) instructor-only training; 2) automated defibrillator feedback only; and 3) instructor training combined with automated feedback. Before instruction, 57% of the care providers performed compressions within guideline rate recommendations (rate >90 min(-1) and 38 mm); and 36% met overall CPR compliance (rate and depth within targets). After instruction, guideline compliance improved (instructor-only training: rate 52% to 87% [p .01], and overall CPR compliance, 43% to 78% [p CPR compliance, 35% to 96% [p training combined with automated feedback: rate 48% to 100% [p CPR compliance, 30% to 100% [p CPR instruction, most certified Pediatric Basic Life Support providers did not perform guideline-compliant CPR. After a brief bedside training, CPR quality improved irrespective of training content (instructor vs. automated feedback). Future studies should investigate bedside training to improve CPR quality during actual pediatric cardiac arrests.

  4. Ambulatory Feedback System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finger, Herbert; Weeks, Bill

    1985-01-01

    This presentation discusses instrumentation that will be used for a specific event, which we hope will carry on to future events within the Space Shuttle program. The experiment is the Autogenic Feedback Training Experiment (AFTE) scheduled for Spacelab 3, currently scheduled to be launched in November, 1984. The objectives of the AFTE are to determine the effectiveness of autogenic feedback in preventing or reducing space adaptation syndrome (SAS), to monitor and record in-flight data from the crew, to determine if prediction criteria for SAS can be established, and, finally, to develop an ambulatory instrument package to mount the crew throughout the mission. The purpose of the Ambulatory Feedback System (AFS) is to record the responses of the subject during a provocative event in space and provide a real-time feedback display to reinforce the training.

  5. Lessons from feedback of safety operating experience for reactor physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suchomel, J.; Rapavy, S.

    1999-01-01

    Analyses of events in WWER operations as a part of safety experience feedback provide a valuable source of lessons for reactor physics. Examples of events from Bohunice operation will be shown such as events with inadequate approach to criticality, positive reactivity insertions, expulsion of a control rod from shut-down reactor, problems with reactor protection system and control rods. (Authors)

  6. The benefits and harms of providing parents with weight feedback as part of the national child measurement programme: a prospective cohort study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Small-scale evaluations suggest that the provision of feedback to parents about their child’s weight status may improve recognition of overweight, but the effects on lifestyle behaviour are unclear and there are concerns that informing parents that their child is overweight may have harmful effects. The aims of this study were to describe the benefits and harms of providing weight feedback to parents as part of a national school-based weight-screening programme in England. Methods We conducted a pre-post survey of 1,844 parents of children aged 4–5 and 10–11 years who received weight feedback as part of the 2010–2011 National Child Measurement Programme. Questionnaires assessed general knowledge about the health risks associated with child overweight, parental recognition of overweight and the associated health risks in their child, child lifestyle behaviour, child self-esteem and weight-related teasing, parental experience of the feedback, and parental help-seeking behaviour. Differences in the pre-post proportions of parents reporting each outcome were assessed using a McNemar’s test. Results General knowledge about child overweight as a health issue was high at baseline and increased further after weight feedback. After feedback, the proportion of parents that correctly recognised their child was overweight increased from 21.9% to 37.7%, and more than a third of parents of overweight children sought further information regarding their child’s weight. However, parent-reported changes in lifestyle behaviours among children were minimal, and limited to increases in physical activity in the obese children only. There was some suggestion that weight feedback had a greater impact upon changing parental recognition of the health risks associated with child overweight in non-white ethnic groups. Conclusions In this population-based sample of parents of children participating in the National Child Measurement Programme, provision of weight feedback

  7. Fear of negative evaluation modulates electrocortical and behavioral responses when anticipating social evaluative feedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melle J.W. Van Der Molen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Cognitive models posit that the fear of negative evaluation (FNE is a hallmark feature of social anxiety. As such, individuals with high FNE may show biased information processing when faced with social evaluation. The aim of the current study was to examine the neural underpinnings of anticipating and processing of social-evaluative feedback, and its correlates with FNE. We used a social judgment paradigm in which female participants (N=31 were asked to indicate whether they believed to be socially accepted or rejected by their peers. Anticipatory attention was indexed by the stimulus preceding negativity (SPN, while the feedback-related negativity and P3 were used to index the processing of social-evaluative feedback. Results provided evidence of an optimism bias in social peer evaluation, as participants more often predicted to be socially accepted than rejected. Participants with high levels of FNE needed more time to provide their judgments about the social-evaluative outcome. While anticipating social-evaluative feedback, SPN amplitudes were larger for anticipated social acceptance than for social rejection feedback. Interestingly, the SPN during anticipated social acceptance was larger in participants with high levels of FNE. None of the feedback-related brain potentials correlated with the FNE. Together, the results provide evidence of biased information processing in individuals with high levels of FNE when anticipating (rather than processing social-evaluative feedback. The delayed response times in high FNE individuals were interpreted to reflect augmented vigilance imposed by the upcoming social evaluative threat. Allegedly, the SPN constitutes a neural marker of this vigilance in females with higher FNE levels, particularly when anticipating social acceptance feedback.

  8. Fear of negative evaluation modulates electrocortical and behavioral responses when anticipating social evaluative feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Molen, Melle J. W.; Poppelaars, Eefje S.; Van Hartingsveldt, Caroline T. A.; Harrewijn, Anita; Gunther Moor, Bregtje; Westenberg, P. Michiel

    2014-01-01

    Cognitive models posit that the fear of negative evaluation (FNE) is a hallmark feature of social anxiety. As such, individuals with high FNE may show biased information processing when faced with social evaluation. The aim of the current study was to examine the neural underpinnings of anticipating and processing social-evaluative feedback, and its correlates with FNE. We used a social judgment paradigm in which female participants (N = 31) were asked to indicate whether they believed to be socially accepted or rejected by their peers. Anticipatory attention was indexed by the stimulus preceding negativity (SPN), while the feedback-related negativity and P3 were used to index the processing of social-evaluative feedback. Results provided evidence of an optimism bias in social peer evaluation, as participants more often predicted to be socially accepted than rejected. Participants with high levels of FNE needed more time to provide their judgments about the social-evaluative outcome. While anticipating social-evaluative feedback, SPN amplitudes were larger for anticipated social acceptance than for social rejection feedback. Interestingly, the SPN during anticipated social acceptance was larger in participants with high levels of FNE. None of the feedback-related brain potentials correlated with the FNE. Together, the results provided evidence of biased information processing in individuals with high levels of FNE when anticipating (rather than processing) social-evaluative feedback. The delayed response times in high FNE individuals were interpreted to reflect augmented vigilance imposed by the upcoming social-evaluative threat. Possibly, the SPN constitutes a neural marker of this vigilance in females with higher FNE levels, particularly when anticipating social acceptance feedback. PMID:24478667

  9. Plasma position control on Alcator C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pribyl, P.A.

    1981-05-01

    The Alcator C MHD equilibrium is investigated from the standpoint of determining the plasma position. A review of equilibrium theory is presented, indicating that the central flux surfaces of the plasma should be displaced about 1 to 2 cm from the outermost. Further, the plasma should have a slightly noncircular cross-section. A comparison is made between the observed and predicted profiles. Flux loops sensitive to plasma position generate the error signal for the feedback control circuit. This measurement agrees with other position-sensitive diagnostics, such as limiter heating, and centroids of density, soft x-ray, and electron cyclotron emission. A linear model is developed for the position control feedback system, including the vertical field SCR supply, plasma, and feedback electronics. Operation of the control system agrees well with that predicted by the model, with acceptable plasma position being maintained for the duration of the discharge. The feedback control system is in daily use for Alcator C runs

  10. Providing Graduated Corrective Feedback in an Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ai, Haiyang

    2017-01-01

    Corrective feedback (CF), a response to linguistic errors made by second language (L2) learners, has received extensive scholarly attention in second language acquisition. While much of the previous research in the field has focused on whether CF facilitates or impedes L2 development, few studies have examined the efficacy of gradually modifying…

  11. Random distributed feedback fibre lasers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turitsyn, Sergei K., E-mail: s.k.turitsyn@aston.ac.uk [Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Babin, Sergey A. [Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Churkin, Dmitry V. [Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Vatnik, Ilya D.; Nikulin, Maxim [Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Podivilov, Evgenii V. [Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

    2014-09-10

    The concept of random lasers exploiting multiple scattering of photons in an amplifying disordered medium in order to generate coherent light without a traditional laser resonator has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. This research area lies at the interface of the fundamental theory of disordered systems and laser science. The idea was originally proposed in the context of astrophysics in the 1960s by V.S. Letokhov, who studied scattering with “negative absorption” of the interstellar molecular clouds. Research on random lasers has since developed into a mature experimental and theoretical field. A simple design of such lasers would be promising for potential applications. However, in traditional random lasers the properties of the output radiation are typically characterized by complex features in the spatial, spectral and time domains, making them less attractive than standard laser systems in terms of practical applications. Recently, an interesting and novel type of one-dimensional random laser that operates in a conventional telecommunication fibre without any pre-designed resonator mirrors–random distributed feedback fibre laser–was demonstrated. The positive feedback required for laser generation in random fibre lasers is provided by the Rayleigh scattering from the inhomogeneities of the refractive index that are naturally present in silica glass. In the proposed laser concept, the randomly backscattered light is amplified through the Raman effect, providing distributed gain over distances up to 100 km. Although an effective reflection due to the Rayleigh scattering is extremely small (∼0.1%), the lasing threshold may be exceeded when a sufficiently large distributed Raman gain is provided. Such a random distributed feedback fibre laser has a number of interesting and attractive features. The fibre waveguide geometry provides transverse confinement, and effectively one-dimensional random distributed feedback leads to the

  12. Random distributed feedback fibre lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turitsyn, Sergei K.; Babin, Sergey A.; Churkin, Dmitry V.; Vatnik, Ilya D.; Nikulin, Maxim; Podivilov, Evgenii V.

    2014-01-01

    The concept of random lasers exploiting multiple scattering of photons in an amplifying disordered medium in order to generate coherent light without a traditional laser resonator has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. This research area lies at the interface of the fundamental theory of disordered systems and laser science. The idea was originally proposed in the context of astrophysics in the 1960s by V.S. Letokhov, who studied scattering with “negative absorption” of the interstellar molecular clouds. Research on random lasers has since developed into a mature experimental and theoretical field. A simple design of such lasers would be promising for potential applications. However, in traditional random lasers the properties of the output radiation are typically characterized by complex features in the spatial, spectral and time domains, making them less attractive than standard laser systems in terms of practical applications. Recently, an interesting and novel type of one-dimensional random laser that operates in a conventional telecommunication fibre without any pre-designed resonator mirrors–random distributed feedback fibre laser–was demonstrated. The positive feedback required for laser generation in random fibre lasers is provided by the Rayleigh scattering from the inhomogeneities of the refractive index that are naturally present in silica glass. In the proposed laser concept, the randomly backscattered light is amplified through the Raman effect, providing distributed gain over distances up to 100 km. Although an effective reflection due to the Rayleigh scattering is extremely small (∼0.1%), the lasing threshold may be exceeded when a sufficiently large distributed Raman gain is provided. Such a random distributed feedback fibre laser has a number of interesting and attractive features. The fibre waveguide geometry provides transverse confinement, and effectively one-dimensional random distributed feedback leads to the

  13. Coupling between feedback loops in autoregulatory networks affects bistability range, open-loop gain and switching times

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tiwari, Abhinav; Igoshin, Oleg A

    2012-01-01

    Biochemical regulatory networks governing diverse cellular processes such as stress-response, differentiation and cell cycle often contain coupled feedback loops. We aim at understanding how features of feedback architecture, such as the number of loops, the sign of the loops and the type of their coupling, affect network dynamical performance. Specifically, we investigate how bistability range, maximum open-loop gain and switching times of a network with transcriptional positive feedback are affected by additive or multiplicative coupling with another positive- or negative-feedback loop. We show that a network's bistability range is positively correlated with its maximum open-loop gain and that both quantities depend on the sign of the feedback loops and the type of feedback coupling. Moreover, we find that the addition of positive feedback could decrease the bistability range if we control the basal level in the signal-response curves of the two systems. Furthermore, the addition of negative feedback has the capacity to increase the bistability range if its dissociation constant is much lower than that of the positive feedback. We also find that the addition of a positive feedback to a bistable network increases the robustness of its bistability range, whereas the addition of a negative feedback decreases it. Finally, we show that the switching time for a transition from a high to a low steady state increases with the effective fold change in gene regulation. In summary, we show that the effect of coupled feedback loops on the bistability range and switching times depends on the underlying mechanistic details. (paper)

  14. Exploring Challenges and Opportunities for Eco-Feedback Technology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Verdezoto, Nervo

    This position paper explores challenges and opportunities for eco-feedback technology. Drawing on two design cases, I discuss the importance of supporting active participation as well as the articulation of work in everyday practices to facilitate reduction of consumption.......This position paper explores challenges and opportunities for eco-feedback technology. Drawing on two design cases, I discuss the importance of supporting active participation as well as the articulation of work in everyday practices to facilitate reduction of consumption....

  15. The positive effect of mirror visual feedback on arm control in children with Spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsy is dependent on which arm is viewed

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smorenburg, A; Ledebt, A.; Feltham, M.; Deconinck, F.; Savelsbergh, G.J.P.

    2011-01-01

    Mirror visual feedback has previously been found to reduce disproportionate interlimb variability and neuromuscular activity in the arm muscles in children with Spastic Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy (SHCP). The aim of the current study was to determine whether these positive effects are generated by

  16. Operation of PEP longitudinal feedback system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, M.A.; Karvonen, L.G.; McConnell, R.A.; Schwarz, H.

    1981-03-01

    In order to suppress longitudinal coupled-bunch oscillations which might limit the capabilities of PEP, the 18 GeV e + e - storage ring at SLAC, a longitudinal feedback system is utilized. A frequency domain feedback system was chosen with the frequency spectrum of the stored beam being sampled close to a symmetry point in the ring where the feedback cavity itself is also located. The symmetry point chosen is symmetry point 5 which lies half-way between interaction regions 4 and 6. The system has been installed in PEP and is now operational. However, at stored currents up to the maximum stored in PEP to date at 14.5 GeV (approximately 40 mA in 6 bunches), the ring has been stable to all modes of longitudinal coupled-bunch oscillations both barycentric and the other fundamental modes. By deliberately detuning the main accelerating cavities, small multibunch oscillations can be introduced which, in turn, can be damped by the feedback system. Under optimized beam conditions the feedback system could be adjusted to positive feedback and excite oscillations with relatively small power to the feedback cavity. This will be described along with other details of the system

  17. Optimal centralized and decentralized velocity feedback control on a beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engels, W P; Elliott, S J

    2008-01-01

    This paper considers the optimization of a velocity feedback controller with a collocated force actuator, to minimize the kinetic energy of a simply supported beam. If the beam is excited at a single location, the optimum feedback gain varies with the position of the control system. It is shown that this variation depends partly on the location of the control force relative to the exciting force. If a distributed excitation is assumed, that is random in both time and space, a unique optimum value of the feedback gain can be found for a given control location. The effect of the control location on performance and the optimal feedback gain can then be examined and is found to be limited provided the control locations are not close to the ends of the beam. The optimization can also be performed for a multichannel velocity feedback system. Both a centralized and a decentralized controller are considered. It is shown that the difference in performance between a centralized and a decentralized controller is small, unless the control locations are closely spaced. In this case the centralized controller effectively feeds back a moment proportional to angular velocity as well as a force proportional to a velocity. It is also shown that the optimal feedback gain can be approximated on the basis of a limited model and that similar results can be achieved

  18. Unexpected Acceptance? Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder Manifest their Social Expectancy in ERPs During Social Feedback Processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Jianqin; Gu, Ruolei; Bi, Xuejing; Zhu, Xiangru; Wu, Haiyan

    2015-01-01

    Previous studies on social anxiety have demonstrated negative-expectancy bias in social contexts. In this study, we used a paradigm that employed self-relevant positive or negative social feedback, in order to test whether this negative expectancy manifests in event-related potentials (ERPs) during social evaluation among socially anxious individuals. Behavioral data revealed that individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) showed more negative expectancy of peer acceptance both in the experiment and in daily life than did the healthy control participants. Regarding ERP results, we found a overally larger P2 for positive social feedback and also a group main effect, such that the P2 was smaller in SAD group. SAD participants demonstrated a larger feedback-related negativity (FRN) to positive feedback than to negative feedback. In addition, SAD participants showed a more positive ΔFRN (ΔFRN = negative – positive). Furthermore, acceptance expectancy in daily life correlated negatively with ΔFRN amplitude, while the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS) score correlated positively with the ΔFRN amplitude. Finally, the acceptance expectancy in daily life fully mediated the relationship between the IAS and ΔFRN. These results indicated that both groups could differentiate between positive and negative social feedback in the early stage of social feedback processing (reflected on the P2). However, the SAD group exhibited a larger FRN to positive social feedback than to negative social feedback, demonstrating their dysfunction in the late stage of social feedback processing. In our opinion, such dysfunction is due to their greater negative social feedback expectancy. PMID:26635659

  19. Unexpected Acceptance? Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder Manifest their Social Expectancy in ERPs During Social Feedback Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Jianqin; Gu, Ruolei; Bi, Xuejing; Zhu, Xiangru; Wu, Haiyan

    2015-01-01

    Previous studies on social anxiety have demonstrated negative-expectancy bias in social contexts. In this study, we used a paradigm that employed self-relevant positive or negative social feedback, in order to test whether this negative expectancy manifests in event-related potentials (ERPs) during social evaluation among socially anxious individuals. Behavioral data revealed that individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) showed more negative expectancy of peer acceptance both in the experiment and in daily life than did the healthy control participants. Regarding ERP results, we found a overally larger P2 for positive social feedback and also a group main effect, such that the P2 was smaller in SAD group. SAD participants demonstrated a larger feedback-related negativity (FRN) to positive feedback than to negative feedback. In addition, SAD participants showed a more positive ΔFRN (ΔFRN = negative - positive). Furthermore, acceptance expectancy in daily life correlated negatively with ΔFRN amplitude, while the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS) score correlated positively with the ΔFRN amplitude. Finally, the acceptance expectancy in daily life fully mediated the relationship between the IAS and ΔFRN. These results indicated that both groups could differentiate between positive and negative social feedback in the early stage of social feedback processing (reflected on the P2). However, the SAD group exhibited a larger FRN to positive social feedback than to negative social feedback, demonstrating their dysfunction in the late stage of social feedback processing. In our opinion, such dysfunction is due to their greater negative social feedback expectancy.

  20. Closed orbit feedback with digital signal processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Y.; Kirchman, J.; Lenkszus, F.

    1994-01-01

    The closed orbit feedback experiment conducted on the SPEAR using the singular value decomposition (SVD) technique and digital signal processing (DSP) is presented. The beam response matrix, defined as beam motion at beam position monitor (BPM) locations per unit kick by corrector magnets, was measured and then analyzed using SVD. Ten BPMs, sixteen correctors, and the eight largest SVD eigenvalues were used for closed orbit correction. The maximum sampling frequency for the closed loop feedback was measured at 37 Hz. Using the proportional and integral (PI) control algorithm with the gains Kp = 3 and K I = 0.05 and the open-loop bandwidth corresponding to 1% of the sampling frequency, a correction bandwidth (-3 dB) of approximately 0.8 Hz was achieved. Time domain measurements showed that the response time of the closed loop feedback system for 1/e decay was approximately 0.25 second. This result implies ∼ 100 Hz correction bandwidth for the planned beam position feedback system for the Advanced Photon Source storage ring with the projected 4-kHz sampling frequency

  1. A model for educational feedback based on clinical communication skills strategies: beyond the "feedback sandwich".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milan, Felise B; Parish, Sharon J; Reichgott, Michael J

    2006-01-01

    Feedback is an essential tool in medical education, and the process is often difficult for both faculty and learner. There are strong analogies between the provision of educational feedback and doctor-patient communication during the clinical encounter. Relationship-building skills used in the clinical setting-Partnership, Empathy, Apology, Respect, Legitimation, Support (PEARLS)-can establish trust with the learner to better manage difficult feedback situations involving personal issues, unprofessional behavior, or a defensive learner. Using the stage of readiness to change (transtheoretical) model, the educator can "diagnose" the learner's stage of readiness and employ focused interventions to encourage desired changes. This approach has been positively received by medical educators in faculty development workshops. A model for provision of educational feedback based on communication skills used in the clinical encounter can be useful in the medical education setting. More robust evaluation of the construct validity is required in actual training program situations.

  2. Stable haptic feedback based on a Dynamic Vision Sensor for Microrobotics.

    OpenAIRE

    Bolopion , Aude; Ni , Zhenjiang; Agnus , Joël; Benosman , Ryad; Régnier , Stéphane

    2012-01-01

    International audience; This work presents a stable vision based haptic feedback for micromanipulation using both an asynchronous Address Event Representation (AER) silicon retina and a conventional frame-based camera. At this scale, most of the grippers used to manipulate objects lack of force sensing. High frequency vision detection thus provides a sound solution to get information about the position of the object and the tool to provide virtual haptic guides. Artificial retinas present hig...

  3. Sensory feedback in upper limb prosthetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antfolk, Christian; D'Alonzo, Marco; Rosén, Birgitta; Lundborg, Göran; Sebelius, Fredrik; Cipriani, Christian

    2013-01-01

    One of the challenges facing prosthetic designers and engineers is to restore the missing sensory function inherit to hand amputation. Several different techniques can be employed to provide amputees with sensory feedback: sensory substitution methods where the recorded stimulus is not only transferred to the amputee, but also translated to a different modality (modality-matched feedback), which transfers the stimulus without translation and direct neural stimulation, which interacts directly with peripheral afferent nerves. This paper presents an overview of the principal works and devices employed to provide upper limb amputees with sensory feedback. The focus is on sensory substitution and modality matched feedback; the principal features, advantages and disadvantages of the different methods are presented.

  4. The impact of parametrized convection on cloud feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webb, Mark J.; Lock, Adrian P.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Bony, Sandrine; Cole, Jason N. S.; Idelkadi, Abderrahmane; Kang, Sarah M.; Koshiro, Tsuyoshi; Kawai, Hideaki; Ogura, Tomoo; Roehrig, Romain; Shin, Yechul; Mauritsen, Thorsten; Sherwood, Steven C.; Vial, Jessica; Watanabe, Masahiro; Woelfle, Matthew D.; Zhao, Ming

    2015-01-01

    We investigate the sensitivity of cloud feedbacks to the use of convective parametrizations by repeating the CMIP5/CFMIP-2 AMIP/AMIP + 4K uniform sea surface temperature perturbation experiments with 10 climate models which have had their convective parametrizations turned off. Previous studies have suggested that differences between parametrized convection schemes are a leading source of inter-model spread in cloud feedbacks. We find however that ‘ConvOff’ models with convection switched off have a similar overall range of cloud feedbacks compared with the standard configurations. Furthermore, applying a simple bias correction method to allow for differences in present-day global cloud radiative effects substantially reduces the differences between the cloud feedbacks with and without parametrized convection in the individual models. We conclude that, while parametrized convection influences the strength of the cloud feedbacks substantially in some models, other processes must also contribute substantially to the overall inter-model spread. The positive shortwave cloud feedbacks seen in the models in subtropical regimes associated with shallow clouds are still present in the ConvOff experiments. Inter-model spread in shortwave cloud feedback increases slightly in regimes associated with trade cumulus in the ConvOff experiments but is quite similar in the most stable subtropical regimes associated with stratocumulus clouds. Inter-model spread in longwave cloud feedbacks in strongly precipitating regions of the tropics is substantially reduced in the ConvOff experiments however, indicating a considerable local contribution from differences in the details of convective parametrizations. In both standard and ConvOff experiments, models with less mid-level cloud and less moist static energy near the top of the boundary layer tend to have more positive tropical cloud feedbacks. The role of non-convective processes in contributing to inter-model spread in cloud

  5. Augmented Feedback System to Support Physical Therapy of Non-specific Low Back Pain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brodbeck, Dominique; Degen, Markus; Stanimirov, Michael; Kool, Jan; Scheermesser, Mandy; Oesch, Peter; Neuhaus, Cornelia

    Low back pain is an important problem in industrialized countries. Two key factors limit the effectiveness of physiotherapy: low compliance of patients with repetitive movement exercises, and inadequate awareness of patients of their own posture. The Backtrainer system addresses these problems by real-time monitoring of the spine position, by providing a framework for most common physiotherapy exercises for the low back, and by providing feedback to patients in a motivating way. A minimal sensor configuration was identified as two inertial sensors that measure the orientation of the lower back at two points with three degrees of freedom. The software was designed as a flexible platform to experiment with different hardware, and with various feedback modalities. Basic exercises for two types of movements are provided: mobilizing and stabilizing. We developed visual feedback - abstract as well as in the form of a virtual reality game - and complemented the on-screen graphics with an ambient feedback device. The system was evaluated during five weeks in a rehabilitation clinic with 26 patients and 15 physiotherapists. Subjective satisfaction of subjects was good, and we interpret the results as encouraging indication for the adoption of such a therapy support system by both patients and therapists.

  6. Augmented feedback in autistic disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salome Geertsema

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Children with autistic disorder (AD display atypical eye contact and struggle with the social imitation of eye contact. Impaired social imitation may be indicative of disruptions in motor learning processes. The application of specific motor learning principles, such as external feedback, may suggest which variables will result in positive change in eye contact. The study aimed to determine the effects of knowledge of performance (KP and knowledge of results (KR as types of feedback on the frequency and duration of elicited and spontaneous eye contact in children with AD. A two-phase multiple-probe, multi-treatment (cross-over, singleparticipant design with a withdrawal component was used. Mixed treatment effects were obtained. Overall effects suggest that KR results in the greatest positive change over a short period of time regarding frequency and duration for both elicited and spontaneous eye contact. This type of feedback seems to be the most effective for spontaneous eye contact. The provision of KP, after elicited and spontaneous eye contact, produced positive effects for duration only. The current Phase 1 evidence suggests that KR (which is goal-directed with fewer additional instructions may be more beneficial to children with AD. These findings are in accordance with the limb motor learning literature and may therefore support preliminary evidence for disrupted motor learning during eye contact imitation in children with AD.

  7. Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Na

    2017-01-01

    Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indicate that employees' perceptions of a supportive supervisor feedback environment indirectly influence their level of creative performance through positive affect (t2); the negative affect (t1) moderates the relationship between positive affect (t2) and creative performance (t2), rendering the relationship more positive if negative affect (t1) is high. The change in positive affect mediates the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance; a decrease in negative affect moderates the relationship between increased positive affect and creative performance, rendering the relationship more positive if the decrease in negative affect is large. The implications for improving the creative performances of employees are further discussed.

  8. Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhenxing Gong

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indicate that employees’ perceptions of a supportive supervisor feedback environment indirectly influence their level of creative performance through positive affect (t2; the negative affect (t1 moderates the relationship between positive affect (t2 and creative performance (t2, rendering the relationship more positive if negative affect (t1 is high. The change in positive affect mediates the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance; a decrease in negative affect moderates the relationship between increased positive affect and creative performance, rendering the relationship more positive if the decrease in negative affect is large. The implications for improving the creative performances of employees are further discussed.

  9. Ion feedback effect in the multi GEM structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Se Hwan; Kim, Yong Kyun; Han, Sang Hyo; Ha, Jang Ho; Moon, Byung Soo; Chung, Chong Eun

    2003-01-01

    The feedback of positive ions in a gas electron multiplier (GEM) has to be suppressed to reduce the photocathode degradation in GEM photomultipliers and to prevent the field distortion in a time projection chamber (TPC). The ion feedback dependency on the drift electric field, the transfer field, the asymmetry in the voltages across the GEM, and the effective gain was carefully measured in various gases. The ion feedback is sensitive to the drift field and the effective gain. A model prediction of the ion feedback in a double GEM structure was compared with the measurement. Our systematic study of the ion feedback effect can lead to progress in gas detectors with GEMs.

  10. Feedback and assessment for clinical placements: achieving the right balance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burgess A

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Annette Burgess, Craig Mellis Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia Abstract: During clinical placements, the provision of feedback forms an integral part of the learning process and enriches students' learning experiences. The purpose of feedback is to improve the learner's knowledge, skills, or behavior. Receipt of accurate feedback can help to narrow the gap between actual and desired performance. Effective and regular feedback has the potential to reinforce good practice and motivate the learner toward the desired outcome. Despite the obvious role of feedback in effective teaching and learning, a common complaint from students is that they do not receive adequate feedback. Unfortunately, skills in giving and receiving feedback are rarely taught to students or clinicians. This study aims to provide an understanding of the role of feedback within the learning process, consider consequences of inadequate or poorly given feedback, consider the barriers to the feedback process, provide practical guidelines for providing feedback, and consider the need for student and faculty development in feedback skills. Keywords: medical students, formative, summative, assessment

  11. Emotional feedback for mobile devices

    CERN Document Server

    Seebode, Julia

    2015-01-01

    This book investigates the functional adequacy as well as the affective impression made by feedback messages on mobile devices. It presents an easily adoptable experimental setup to examine context effects on various feedback messages, and applies it to auditory, tactile and auditory-tactile feedback messages. This approach provides insights into the relationship between the affective impression and functional applicability of these messages as well as an understanding of the influence of unimodal components on the perception of multimodal feedback messages. The developed paradigm can also be extended to investigate other aspects of context and used to investigate feedback messages in modalities other than those presented. The book uses questionnaires implemented on a Smartphone, which can easily be adopted for field studies to broaden the scope even wider. Finally, the book offers guidelines for the design of system feedback.

  12. Control of an atom laser using feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haine, S.A.; Ferris, A.J.; Close, J.D.; Hope, J.J.

    2004-01-01

    A generalized method of using feedback to control multimode behavior in Bose-Einstein condensates is introduced. We show that for any available control, there is an associated moment of the atomic density and a feedback scheme that will remove energy from the system while there are oscillations in that moment. We demonstrate these schemes by considering a condensate trapped in a harmonic potential that can be modulated in strength and position. The formalism of our feedback scheme also allows the inclusion of certain types of nonlinear controls. If the nonlinear interaction between the atoms can be controlled via a Feshbach resonance, we show that the feedback process can operate with a much higher efficiency

  13. Unexpected acceptance? Patients with social anxiety disorder manifest their social expectancy in ERPs during social feedback processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianqin eCao

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Previous studies on social anxiety have demonstrated negative-expectancy bias in social contexts. In this study, we used a paradigm that employed self-relevant positive or negative social feedback, in order to test whether this negative expectancy manifests in event-related potentials (ERPs during social evaluation among socially anxious individuals. Behavioral data revealed that individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD showed more negative expectancy of peer acceptance both in the experiment and in daily life than did the healthy control (HC participants. Regarding ERP results, we found a overally larger P2 for positive social feedback and also a group main effect, such that the P2 was smaller in SAD group. SAD participants demonstrated a larger FRN to positive feedback than to negative feedback. In addition, SAD participants showed a more positive △FRN (△FRN = negative - positive. Furthermore, acceptance expectancy in daily life correlated negatively with △FRN amplitude, while the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS score correlated positively with the △FRN amplitude. Finally, the acceptance expectancy in daily life fully mediated the relationship between the IAS and △FRN. These results indicated that both groups could differentiate between positive and negative social feedback in the early stage of social feedback processing (reflected on the P2. However, the SAD group exhibited a larger FRN to positive social feedback than to negative social feedback, demonstrating their dysfunction in the late stage of social feedback processing. In our opinion, such dysfunction is due to their greater negative social feedback expectancy.

  14. Learning from Negative Feedback in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder is Attenuated by SSRI Antidepressants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad M. Herzallah

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available One barrier to interpreting past studies of cognition and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD has been the failure in many studies to adequately dissociate the effects of MDD from the potential cognitive side effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI use. To better understand how remediation of depressive symptoms affects cognitive function in MDD, we evaluated three groups of subjects: medication-naïve patients with MDD, medicated patients with MDD receiving the SSRI paroxetine and healthy control subjects. All were administered a category-learning task that allows for dissociation between learning from positive feedback (reward versus learning from negative feedback (punishment. Healthy subjects learned significantly better from positive feedback than medication-naïve and medicated MDD groups, whose learning accuracy did not differ significantly. In contrast, medicated patients with MDD learned significantly less from negative feedback than medication-naïve patients with MDD and healthy subjects, whose learning accuracy was comparable. A comparison of subject’s relative sensitivity to positive versus negative feedback showed that both the medicated MDD and healthy control groups conform to Kahneman and Tversky’s (1979 Prospect Theory, which expects losses (negative feedback to loom psychologically slightly larger than gains (positive feedback. However, medicated MDD and HC profiles are not similar, which indicates that the state of medicated MDD is not ‘normal’ when compared to HC, but rather balanced with less learning from both positive and negative feedback. On the other hand, medication-naïve patients with MDD violate Prospect Theory by having significantly exaggerated learning from negative feedback. This suggests that SSRI antidepressants impair learning from negative feedback, while having negligible effect on learning from positive feedback. Overall, these findings shed light on the importance of dissociating the

  15. Artificial proprioceptive feedback for myoelectric control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pistohl, Tobias; Joshi, Deepak; Ganesh, Gowrishankar; Jackson, Andrew; Nazarpour, Kianoush

    2015-05-01

    The typical control of myoelectric interfaces, whether in laboratory settings or real-life prosthetic applications, largely relies on visual feedback because proprioceptive signals from the controlling muscles are either not available or very noisy. We conducted a set of experiments to test whether artificial proprioceptive feedback, delivered noninvasively to another limb, can improve control of a two-dimensional myoelectrically-controlled computer interface. In these experiments, participants were required to reach a target with a visual cursor that was controlled by electromyogram signals recorded from muscles of the left hand, while they were provided with an additional proprioceptive feedback on their right arm by moving it with a robotic manipulandum. Provision of additional artificial proprioceptive feedback improved the angular accuracy of their movements when compared to using visual feedback alone but did not increase the overall accuracy quantified with the average distance between the cursor and the target. The advantages conferred by proprioception were present only when the proprioceptive feedback had similar orientation to the visual feedback in the task space and not when it was mirrored, demonstrating the importance of congruency in feedback modalities for multi-sensory integration. Our results reveal the ability of the human motor system to learn new inter-limb sensory-motor associations; the motor system can utilize task-related sensory feedback, even when it is available on a limb distinct from the one being actuated. In addition, the proposed task structure provides a flexible test paradigm by which the effectiveness of various sensory feedback and multi-sensory integration for myoelectric prosthesis control can be evaluated.

  16. Dynamic Mesoscale Land-Atmosphere Feedbacks in Fragmented Forests in Amazonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rastogi, D.; Baidya Roy, S.

    2011-12-01

    This paper investigates land-atmosphere feedbacks in disturbed rainforests of Amazonia. Deforestation along the rapidly expanding highways and road network has created the unique fishbone land cover pattern in Rondonia, a state in southwestern Amazonia. Numerical experiments and observations show that sharp gradients in land cover due to the fishbone heterogeneity triggers mesoscale circulations. These circulations significantly change the spatial pattern of local hydrometeorology, especially convection, clouds and precipitation. The primary research question now is can these changes in local hydrometeorology affect vegetation growth in the clearings. If so, that would be a clear indication that land-atmosphere feedbacks can affect vegetation recovery in fragmented forests. A computationally-efficient modeling tool consisting of a mesoscale atmospheric model dynamically coupled with a plant growth model has been specifically developed to identify the atmospheric feedback pathways. Preliminary experiments focus on the seasonal-scale feedbacks during the dry season. Results show that temperature, incoming shortwave and precipitation are the three primary drivers through which the feedbacks operate. Increasing temperature increases respiratory losses generating a positive feedback. Increased cloud cover reduces incoming PAR and photosynthesis, resulting in a positive feedback. Increased precipitation reduces water stress and promotes growth resulting in a negative feedback. The net effect is a combination of these 3 feedback loops. These findings can significantly improve our understanding of ecosystem resiliency in disturbed tropical forests.

  17. An integrative model linking feedback environment and organizational citizenship behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Jei-Chen; Chiu, Su-Fen

    2010-01-01

    Past empirical evidence has suggested that a positive supervisor feedback environment may enhance employees' organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). In this study, we aim to extend previous research by proposing and testing an integrative model that examines the mediating processes underlying the relationship between supervisor feedback environment and employee OCB. Data were collected from 259 subordinate-supervisor dyads across a variety of organizations in Taiwan. We used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. The results demonstrated that supervisor feedback environment influenced employees' OCB indirectly through (1) both positive affective-cognition and positive attitude (i.e., person-organization fit and organizational commitment), and (2) both negative affective-cognition and negative attitude (i.e., role stressors and job burnout). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

  18. Beam bunch feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambertson, G.

    1995-09-01

    When the electromagnetic fields that are excited by the passage of a bundle of charged particles persist to act upon bunches that follow, then the motions of the bunches are coupled. This action between bunches circulating on a closed orbit can generate growing patterns of bunch excursions. Such growth can often be suppressed by feedback systems that detect the excursion and apply corrective forces to the bunches. To be addressed herein is feedback that acts on motions of the bunch body centers. In addition to being useful for suppressing the spontaneous growth of coupled-bunch motions, such feedback can be used to damp transients in bunches injected into an accelerator or storage ring; for hadrons which lack strong radiation damping, feedback is needed to avoid emittance growth through decoherence. Motions excited by noise in magnetic fields or accelerating rf can also be reduced by using this feedback. Whether the action is on motions that are transverse to the closed orbit or longitudinal, the arrangement is the same. Bunch position is detected by a pickup and that signal is processed and directed to a kicker that may act upon the same bunch or some other portion of the collective beam pattern. Transverse motion is an oscillation with angular frequency ν perpendicular ω o where ω o is the orbital frequency 2π line-integral o. Longitudinal synchrotron oscillation occurs at frequency ω s = ν s ω o . The former is much more rapid, ν perpendicular being on the order of 10 while ν s is typically about 10 minus 1 to 10 minus 2

  19. Augmenting Environmental Interaction in Audio Feedback Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seunghun Kim

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Audio feedback is defined as a positive feedback of acoustic signals where an audio input and output form a loop, and may be utilized artistically. This article presents new context-based controls over audio feedback, leading to the generation of desired sonic behaviors by enriching the influence of existing acoustic information such as room response and ambient noise. This ecological approach to audio feedback emphasizes mutual sonic interaction between signal processing and the acoustic environment. Mappings from analyses of the received signal to signal-processing parameters are designed to emphasize this specificity as an aesthetic goal. Our feedback system presents four types of mappings: approximate analyses of room reverberation to tempo-scale characteristics, ambient noise to amplitude and two different approximations of resonances to timbre. These mappings are validated computationally and evaluated experimentally in different acoustic conditions.

  20. Self-controlled feedback enhances learning in adults with Down syndrome Feedback autocontrolado melhora a aprendizagem em adultos com síndrome de Down

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzete Chiviacowsky

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: One factor that has consistently been shown to enhance learning in typical participants is self-controlled practice. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the learning benefits of self-controlled feedback found previously in non-disabled adults would also be found in adults with Down syndrome. METHODS: Participants with Down syndrome practiced a linear positioning task. In the self-control group, learners were provided with feedback about the movement outcome at their request. Each participant in the yoked group received the same feedback schedule as their counterpart in the self-control group. RESULTS: Learning was assessed by a retention test, consisting of 10 trials without feedback, one day later. The self-control group demonstrated more effective learning of the task than the yoked group. CONCLUSION: Self-controlled feedback enhanced motor learning in participants with Down syndrome.CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: Uma variável que consistentemente tem mostrado melhorar a aprendizagem em sujeitos típicos é a prática autocontrolada. OBJETIVOS: Examinar se os benefícios do feedback autocontrolado para a aprendizagem, encontrados previamente em adultos típicos, também serão encontrados em adultos que apresentam a Síndrome de Down. MÉTODOS: Participantes com a Síndrome de Down praticaram uma tarefa de posicionamento linear. Os aprendizes do grupo autocontrolado receberam feedback sobre o resultado do movimento, quando solicitado. Já os participantes do grupo pareado receberam o mesmo arranjo de feedback dos sujeitos do grupo autocontrolado. RESULTADOS: A aprendizagem foi avaliada por meio de um teste de retenção, o qual consistiu em dez tentativas sem feedback, um dia depois da fase de prática. O grupo autocontrolado demonstrou aprendizagem mais efetiva da tarefa do que o grupo pareado. CONCLUSÃO: Feedback autocontrolado melhora a aprendizagem motora em sujeitos com a Síndrome de Down.

  1. Cloud CCN feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hudson, J.G.

    1992-01-01

    Cloud microphysics affects cloud albedo precipitation efficiency and the extent of cloud feedback in response to global warming. Compared to other cloud parameters, microphysics is unique in its large range of variability and the fact that much of the variability is anthropogenic. Probably the most important determinant of cloud microphysics is the spectra of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) which display considerable variability and have a large anthropogenic component. When analyzed in combination three field observation projects display the interrelationship between CCN and cloud microphysics. CCN were measured with the Desert Research Institute (DRI) instantaneous CCN spectrometer. Cloud microphysical measurements were obtained with the National Center for Atmospheric Research Lockheed Electra. Since CCN and cloud microphysics each affect the other a positive feedback mechanism can result

  2. The benefits of computer-generated feedback for mathematics problem solving.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fyfe, Emily R; Rittle-Johnson, Bethany

    2016-07-01

    The goal of the current research was to better understand when and why feedback has positive effects on learning and to identify features of feedback that may improve its efficacy. In a randomized experiment, second-grade children received instruction on a correct problem-solving strategy and then solved a set of relevant problems. Children were assigned to receive no feedback, immediate feedback, or summative feedback from the computer. On a posttest the following day, feedback resulted in higher scores relative to no feedback for children who started with low prior knowledge. Immediate feedback was particularly effective, facilitating mastery of the material for children with both low and high prior knowledge. Results suggest that minimal computer-generated feedback can be a powerful form of guidance during problem solving. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Feedback on Trait or Action Impacts on Caudate and Paracingulum Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appelgren, Alva; Bengtsson, Sara L

    2015-01-01

    There is a general conception that positive associations to one’s trait, e.g. ‘I’m clever’, are beneficial for cognitive performance. Scientific evidence shows that this is a simplification. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study we used written trial-based trait feedback ‘you are clever’, or task feedback ‘your choice was correct’, on each correct response of a rule-switching task, to investigate how the character of positive self-associations influences performance outcome. Twenty participants took part in this crossover design study. We found that trait feedback was less beneficial for motivation and performance improvement, and resulting in enhanced neural activation on more difficult bivalent rule trials. This indicates that the task was treated as more complex in this condition. For example, ‘you are clever’ feedback led to enhanced activation in anterior caudate nucleus, an area known to process uncertainty. We further observed that activation in anterior paracingulate cortex was sensitive to whether self-reflection was imposed by external feedback or generated from internal processes, where the latter activation correlated positively with performance when following after task feedback. Our results illustrate how feedback can evoke self-reflections that either help or hinder motivation and performance, most likely by impacting on processes of uncertainty. The results support social psychological models stipulating that trait focus take resources away from task focus. PMID:26102501

  4. Feedback on Trait or Action Impacts on Caudate and Paracingulum Activity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alva Appelgren

    Full Text Available There is a general conception that positive associations to one's trait, e.g. 'I'm clever', are beneficial for cognitive performance. Scientific evidence shows that this is a simplification. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI study we used written trial-based trait feedback 'you are clever', or task feedback 'your choice was correct', on each correct response of a rule-switching task, to investigate how the character of positive self-associations influences performance outcome. Twenty participants took part in this crossover design study. We found that trait feedback was less beneficial for motivation and performance improvement, and resulting in enhanced neural activation on more difficult bivalent rule trials. This indicates that the task was treated as more complex in this condition. For example, 'you are clever' feedback led to enhanced activation in anterior caudate nucleus, an area known to process uncertainty. We further observed that activation in anterior paracingulate cortex was sensitive to whether self-reflection was imposed by external feedback or generated from internal processes, where the latter activation correlated positively with performance when following after task feedback. Our results illustrate how feedback can evoke self-reflections that either help or hinder motivation and performance, most likely by impacting on processes of uncertainty. The results support social psychological models stipulating that trait focus take resources away from task focus.

  5. EFFECTS OF THREE FEEDBACK CONDITIONS ON AEROBIC SWIM SPEEDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Pérez Soriano

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was twofold: (a to develop an underwater chronometer capable to provide feedback while the athlete is swimming, as well as being a control tool for the coach, and (b to analyse its feedback effect on swim pace control compared with feedback provided by the coach and with no feedback, in 25 m and 50 m swimming pools. 30 male swimmers of national level volunteer to participate. Each swimmer swam 3 x 200 m at aerobic speed (AS and 3 x 200 m just under the anaerobic threshold speed (AnS, each swam repetition with a different feedback condition: chronometer, coach and without feedback. Results (a validate the chronometer system developed and (b show that swimmers pace control is affected by the type of feedback provided, the swim speed elected and the size of the swimming pool

  6. Output Feedback Tracking Control of an Underactuated Quad-Rotor UAV

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Lee, DongBin; Burg, Timothy; Xian, Bin; Dawson, Darren

    2006-01-01

    ...) using output feedback (OFB). Specifically, an observer is designed to estimate the velocities and an output feedback controller is designed for a nonlinear UAV system in which only position and angles are measurable...

  7. Effectiveness of Feedback in First Year Physics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bearden, Ian; Voigt, Karen A; Mathiasen, Helle

    How can we provide better and more effective feedback to our students? How can we encourage students to use feedback effectively? We will present results of a study of first year physics students addressing these questions and comparing the effectiveness of written and screencast feedback....

  8. Students’ expectations of feedback given on draft writing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zach Simpson

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Academic writing is the primary means of assessing university students and feedback (oral or written responses on writing can contribute significantly to student learning and success (Ferris, 2003; Hyland & Hyland, 2006. This study explores students’ expectations of feedback on draft writing. The research design was two-pronged. The initial quantitative aspect employed a questionnaire which students completed after receiving feedback from Writing Centre consultants who aim to give developmental feedback. A subsequent phase involved focus groups with volunteer students. This mixed methods design allowed for greater depth of understanding as the qualitative findings extended the quantitative results. The study concludes that students expect feedback to be understandable, encouraging and to focus on both positive and negative aspects of their writing. Importantly, students expect feedback to ‘unpack’ the conventions of academic literacy while still encouraging independence and originality.

  9. The Y-located gonadoblastoma gene TSPY amplifies its own expression through a positive feedback loop in prostate cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kido, Tatsuo; Lau, Yun-Fai Chris, E-mail: Chris.Lau@UCSF.edu

    2014-03-28

    Highlights: • Y-encoded proto-oncoprotein TSPY amplifies its expression level via a positive feedback loop. • TSPY binds to the chromatin/DNA at exon 1 of TSPY gene. • TSPY enhances the gene expression in a TSPY exon 1 sequence dependent manner. • The conserved SET/NAP-domain is essential for TSPY transactivation. • Insights on probable mechanisms on TSPY exacerbation on cancer development in men. - Abstract: The testis-specific protein Y-encoded (TSPY) is a repetitive gene located on the gonadoblastoma region of the Y chromosome, and has been considered to be the putative gene for this oncogenic locus on the male-only chromosome. It is expressed in spermatogonial cells and spermatocytes in normal human testis, but abundantly in gonadoblastoma, testicular germ cell tumors and a variety of somatic cancers, including melanoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and prostate cancer. Various studies suggest that TSPY accelerates cell proliferation and growth, and promotes tumorigenesis. In this report, we show that TSPY could bind directly to the chromatin/DNA at exon 1 of its own gene, and greatly enhance the transcriptional activities of the endogenous gene in the LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Domain mapping analyses of TSPY have localized the critical and sufficient domain to the SET/NAP-domain. These results suggest that TSPY could efficiently amplify its expression and oncogenic functions through a positive feedback loop, and contribute to the overall tumorigenic processes when it is expressed in various human cancers.

  10. Tactile feedback improves auditory spatial localization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monica eGori

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Our recent studies suggest that congenitally blind adults have severely impaired thresholds in an auditory spatial-bisection task, pointing to the importance of vision in constructing complex auditory spatial maps (Gori et al., 2014. To explore strategies that may improve the auditory spatial sense in visually impaired people, we investigated the impact of tactile feedback on spatial auditory localization in 48 blindfolded sighted subjects. We measured auditory spatial bisection thresholds before and after training, either with tactile feedback, verbal feedback or no feedback. Audio thresholds were first measured with a spatial bisection task: subjects judged whether the second sound of a three sound sequence was spatially closer to the first or the third sound. The tactile-feedback group underwent two audio-tactile feedback sessions of 100 trials, where each auditory trial was followed by the same spatial sequence played on the subject’s forearm; auditory spatial bisection thresholds were evaluated after each session. In the verbal-feedback condition, the positions of the sounds were verbally reported to the subject after each feedback trial. The no-feedback group did the same sequence of trials, with no feedback. Performance improved significantly only after audio-tactile feedback. The results suggest that direct tactile feedback interacts with the auditory spatial localization system, possibly by a process of cross-sensory recalibration. Control tests with the subject rotated suggested that this effect occurs only when the tactile and acoustic sequences are spatially coherent. Our results suggest that the tactile system can be used to recalibrate the auditory sense of space. These results encourage the possibility of designing rehabilitation programs to help blind persons establish a robust auditory sense of space, through training with the tactile modality.

  11. Surgical Trainee Feedback-Seeking Behavior in the Context of Workplace-Based Assessment in Clinical Settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaunt, Anne; Patel, Abhilasha; Fallis, Simon; Rusius, Victoria; Mylvaganam, Seni; Royle, T James; Almond, Max; Markham, Deborah H; Pawlikowska, Teresa R B

    2017-06-01

    To investigate surgical trainee feedback-seeking behaviors-directly asking for feedback (inquiry) and observing and responding to situational clues (monitoring)-in the context of workplace-based assessment (WBA). A hypothetical model of trainee feedback-seeking behavior was developed using existing literature. A questionnaire, incorporating previously validated instruments from organizational psychology, was distributed to general surgical trainees at 23 U.K. hospitals in 2012-2013. Statistical modeling techniques compared the data with 12 predetermined hypothetical relationships between feedback-seeking behaviors and predictive variables (goal orientation, supervisory style) through mediating variables (perceptions of personal benefits and costs of feedback) to develop a final model. Of 235 trainees invited, 178 (76%) responded. Trainees completed 48 WBAs/year on average, and 73% reported receiving feedback via WBA. The final model was of good fit (chi-square/degree of freedom ratio = 1.620, comparative fit index = 0.953, root mean square error of approximation = 0.059). Modeled data showed trainees who perceive personal benefits to feedback use both feedback inquiry and monitoring to engage in feedback interactions. Trainees who seek feedback engage in using WBA. Trainees' goal orientations and perceptions of trainers' supervisory styles as supportive and instrumental are associated with perceived benefits and costs to feedback. Trainees actively engage in seeking feedback and using WBA. Their perceptions of feedback benefits and costs and supervisory style play a role in their feedback-seeking behavior. Encouraging trainees to actively seek feedback by providing specific training and creating a supportive environment for feedback interactions could positively affect their ability to seek feedback.

  12. Perceptions of teachers' general and informational feedback and intrinsic motivation in physical education: two-year effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koka, Andre; Hein, Vello

    2006-10-01

    Relative change or stability of perceived positive general feedback and perceived informational feedback and their influence on students' intrinsic motivation in physical education over two years were examined. 302 students, ages 11 to 15 years, responded to the Perception of Teacher's Feedback questionnaire. Two years later, these students filled out the questionnaire again, along with a modified version of the Sport Motivation Scale. Analysis showed that both types of perceived feedback exhibited moderate stability over the two years. Perceived positive general feedback demonstrated a significant direct effect on students' intrinsic motivation measured concurrently in physical education. Further, fixing to zero the effect of perceived positive general feedback on intrinsic motivation measured concurrently, an effect emerged over the two years.

  13. How to reduce the ion feedback in GEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, S. H.; Kang, S. M.; Kim, Y. G.

    2003-01-01

    The feedback of positive ions in Gas Electron Multiplier(GEM) has to be suppressed to reduce the photocathode degradation in GEM photomultiplier and to prevent the field distortion in a Time Projection Chamber(TPC). The ion feedback dependency on the drift electric field, the transfer field, the asymmetry in the voltages across the GEM, and the effective gain was measured in various gases. The ion feedback is sensitive to the drift field and the effective gain. A model prediction of the ion feedback in multiple GEM was compared with the measurement. The ion gating method, which is being studyed in TPC, is introduced to reduce the ion feedback in GEM. With Maxwell and Garfield calculation, we obtained the reduction of the ion feedback by placing the wires between the drift plate and the GEM. We calculated the depedency of the ion feedback with respect to the bias voltage on the wire, the distance between the wires, and the distance between the wire and the GEM

  14. “Booster” training: Evaluation of instructor-led bedside cardiopulmonary resuscitation skill training and automated corrective feedback to improve cardiopulmonary resuscitation compliance of Pediatric Basic Life Support providers during simulated cardiac arrest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutton, Robert M.; Niles, Dana; Meaney, Peter A.; Aplenc, Richard; French, Benjamin; Abella, Benjamin S.; Lengetti, Evelyn L.; Berg, Robert A.; Helfaer, Mark A.; Nadkarni, Vinay

    2013-01-01

    Objective To investigate the effectiveness of brief bedside “booster” cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to improve CPR guideline compliance of hospital-based pediatric providers. Design Prospective, randomized trial. Setting General pediatric wards at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Subjects Sixty-nine Basic Life Support–certified hospital-based providers. Intervention CPR recording/feedback defibrillators were used to evaluate CPR quality during simulated pediatric arrest. After a 60-sec pretraining CPR evaluation, subjects were randomly assigned to one of three instructional/feedback methods to be used during CPR booster training sessions. All sessions (training/CPR manikin practice) were of equal duration (2 mins) and differed only in the method of corrective feedback given to participants during the session. The study arms were as follows: 1) instructor-only training; 2) automated defibrillator feedback only; and 3) instructor training combined with automated feedback. Measurements and Main Results Before instruction, 57% of the care providers performed compressions within guideline rate recommendations (rate >90 min−1 and 38 mm); and 36% met overall CPR compliance (rate and depth within targets). After instruction, guideline compliance improved (instructor-only training: rate 52% to 87% [p .01], and overall CPR compliance, 43% to 78% [p CPR compliance, 35% to 96% [p training combined with automated feedback: rate 48% to 100% [p CPR compliance, 30% to 100% [p CPR instruction, most certified Pediatric Basic Life Support providers did not perform guideline-compliant CPR. After a brief bedside training, CPR quality improved irrespective of training content (instructor vs. automated feedback). Future studies should investigate bedside training to improve CPR quality during actual pediatric cardiac arrests. PMID:20625336

  15. Feedbacks in human-landscape systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chin, Anne

    2015-04-01

    As human interactions with Earth systems intensify in the "Anthropocene", understanding the complex relationships among human activity, landscape change, and societal responses to those changes is increasingly important. Interdisciplinary research centered on the theme of "feedbacks" in human-landscape systems serves as a promising focus for unraveling these interactions. Deciphering interacting human-landscape feedbacks extends our traditional approach of considering humans as unidirectional drivers of change. Enormous challenges exist, however, in quantifying impact-feedback loops in landscapes with significant human alterations. This paper illustrates an example of human-landscape interactions following a wildfire in Colorado (USA) that elicited feedback responses. After the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire, concerns for heightened flood potential and debris flows associated with post-fire hydrologic changes prompted local landowners to construct tall fences at the base of a burned watershed. These actions changed the sediment transport regime and promoted further landscape change and human responses in a positive feedback cycle. The interactions ultimately increase flood and sediment hazards, rather than dampening the effects of fire. A simple agent-based model, capable of integrating social and hydro-geomorphological data, demonstrates how such interacting impacts and feedbacks could be simulated. Challenges for fully capturing human-landscape feedback interactions include the identification of diffuse and subtle feedbacks at a range of scales, the availability of data linking impact with response, the identification of multiple thresholds that trigger feedback mechanisms, and the varied metrics and data needed to represent both the physical and human systems. By collaborating with social scientists with expertise in the human causes of landscape change, as well as the human responses to those changes, geoscientists could more fully recognize and anticipate the coupled

  16. Positive Feedback Regulation of Agonist-Stimulated Endothelial Ca2+ Dynamics by KCa3.1 Channels in Mouse Mesenteric Arteries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Qian, Xun; Francis, Michael; Köhler, Ralf

    2014-01-01

    Intermediate and small conductance KCa channels IK1 (KCa3.1) and SK3 (KCa2.3) are primary targets of endothelial Ca(2+) signals in the arterial vasculature, and their ablation results in increased arterial tone and hypertension. Activation of IK1 channels by local Ca(2+) transients from internal ...... stores or plasma membrane channels promotes arterial hyperpolarization and vasodilation. Here, we assess arteries from genetically altered IK1 knockout mice (IK1(-/-)) to determine whether IK1 channels exert a positive feedback influence on endothelial Ca(2+) dynamics....

  17. Stimulation of apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter expands the bile acid pool and generates bile acids with positive feedback properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudling, Mats; Bonde, Ylva

    2015-01-01

    Bile acid synthesis has been considered a prototype for how a physiological process is controlled by end product feedback inhibition. By this feedback inhibition, bile acid concentrations are kept within safe ranges. However, careful examination of published rodent data strongly suggests that bile acid synthesis is also under potent positive feedback control by hydrophilic bile acids. Current concepts on the regulation of bile acid synthesis are derived from mouse models. Recent data have shown that mice have farnesoid X receptor (FXR) antagonistic bile acids capable of quenching responses elicited by FXR agonistic bile acids. This is important to recognize to understand the regulation of bile acid synthesis in the mouse, and in particular to clarify if mouse model findings are valid also in the human situation. In addition to classic end product feedback inhibition, regulation of bile acid synthesis in the mouse largely appears also to be driven by changes in hepatic levels of murine bile acids such as α- and β-muricholic acids. This has not been previously recognized. Stimulated bile acid synthesis or induction of the apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter in the intestine, increase the availability of chenodeoxycholic acid in the liver, thereby promoting hepatic conversion of this bile acid into muricholic acids. Recognition of these mechanisms is essential for understanding the regulation of bile acid synthesis in the mouse, and for our awareness of important species differences in the regulation of bile acid synthesis in mice and humans. 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. Reflection as a component of formative assessment appears to be instrumental in promoting the use of feedback; an observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelgrim, E A M; Kramer, A W M; Mokkink, H G A; van der Vleuten, C P M

    2013-09-01

    Although the literature suggests that reflection has a positive impact on learning, there is a paucity of evidence to support this notion. We investigated feedback and reflection in relation to the likelihood that feedback will be used to inform action plans. We hypothesised that feedback and reflection present a cumulative sequence (i.e. trainers only pay attention to trainees' reflections when they provided specific feedback) and we hypothesised a supplementary effect of reflection. We analysed copies of assessment forms containing trainees' reflections and trainers' feedback on observed clinical performance. We determined whether the response patterns revealed cumulative sequences in line with the Guttman scale. We further examined the relationship between reflection, feedback and the mean number of specific comments related to an action plan (ANOVA) and we calculated two effect sizes. Both hypotheses were confirmed by the results. The response pattern found showed an almost perfect fit with the Guttman scale (0.99) and reflection seems to have supplementary effect on the variable action plan. Reflection only occurs when a trainer has provided specific feedback; trainees who reflect on their performance are more likely to make use of feedback. These results confirm findings and suggestions reported in the literature.

  19. Feedback in Clinical Education, Part II: Approved Clinical Instructor and Student Perceptions of and Influences on Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nottingham, Sara; Henning, Jolene

    2014-01-01

    Context: Approved Clinical Instructors (ACIs; now known as preceptors) are expected to provide feedback to athletic training students (ATSs) during clinical education experiences. Researchers in other fields have found that clinical instructors and students often have different perceptions of actual and ideal feedback and that several factors may influence the feedback exchanges between instructors and students. However, understanding of these issues in athletic training education is minimal. Objective: To investigate the current characteristics and perceptions of and the influences on feedback exchanges between ATSs and ACIs. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: One entry-level master's degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Patients or Other Participants: Four ACIs and 4 second-year ATSs. Data Collection and Analysis: Individual, semistructured interviews were conducted with participants and integrated with field notes and observations for analysis. We used the constant comparative approach to inductively analyze data and develop codes and categories. Member checking, triangulation, and peer debriefing were used to promote trustworthiness of the study. Results: Participants described that feedback plays an important role in clinical education and has several purposes related to improving performance. The ACIs and ATSs also discussed several preferred characteristics of feedback. Participants identified 4 main influences on their feedback exchanges, including the ACI, the ATS, personalities, and the learning environment. Conclusions: The ACIs and ATSs had similar perceptions of ideal feedback in addition to the actual feedback that was provided during their clinical education experiences. Most of the preferences for feedback were aligned with recommendations in the literature, suggesting that existing research findings are applicable to athletic training clinical education. Several factors influenced the

  20. Short structured feedback training is equivalent to a mechanical feedback device in two-rescuer BLS: a randomised simulation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavo, Noemi; Goliasch, Georg; Nierscher, Franz Josef; Stumpf, Dominik; Haugk, Moritz; Breckwoldt, Jan; Ruetzler, Kurt; Greif, Robert; Fischer, Henrik

    2016-05-13

    Resuscitation guidelines encourage the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) feedback devices implying better outcomes after sudden cardiac arrest. Whether effective continuous feedback could also be given verbally by a second rescuer ("human feedback") has not been investigated yet. We, therefore, compared the effect of human feedback to a CPR feedback device. In an open, prospective, randomised, controlled trial, we compared CPR performance of three groups of medical students in a two-rescuer scenario. Group "sCPR" was taught standard BLS without continuous feedback, serving as control. Group "mfCPR" was taught BLS with mechanical audio-visual feedback (HeartStart MRx with Q-CPR-Technology™). Group "hfCPR" was taught standard BLS with human feedback. Afterwards, 326 medical students performed two-rescuer BLS on a manikin for 8 min. CPR quality parameters, such as "effective compression ratio" (ECR: compressions with correct hand position, depth and complete decompression multiplied by flow-time fraction), and other compression, ventilation and time-related parameters were assessed for all groups. ECR was comparable between the hfCPR and the mfCPR group (0.33 vs. 0.35, p = 0.435). The hfCPR group needed less time until starting chest compressions (2 vs. 8 s, p feedback or by using a mechanical audio-visual feedback device was similar. Further studies should investigate whether extended human feedback training could further increase CPR quality at comparable costs for training.

  1. Robot-assisted microsurgical forceps with haptic feedback for transoral laser microsurgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deshpande, Nikhil; Chauhan, Manish; Pacchierotti, Claudio; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Caldwell, Darwin G; Mattos, Leonardo S

    2016-08-01

    In this paper, a novel, motorized, multi-degrees-of-freedom (DoF), microsurgical forceps tool is presented, which is based on a master-slave teleoperation architecture. The slave device is a 7-DoF manipulator with: (i) 6-DoF positioning and orientation, (ii) 1 open/close gripper DoF; and (iii) an integrated force/torque sensor for tissue grip-force measurement. The master device is a 7-DoF haptic interface which teleoperates the slave device, and provides haptic feedback in its gripper interface. The combination of the device and the surgeon interface replaces the manual, hand-held device providing easy-to-use and ergonomic tissue control, simplifying the surgical tasks. This makes the system suitable to real surgical scenarios in the operating room (OR). The performance of the system was analysed through the evaluation of teleoperation control and characterization of gripping force. The new system offers an overall positioning error of less than 400 μm demonstrating its safety and accuracy. Improved system precision, usability, and ergonomics point to the potential suitability of the device for the OR and its ability to advance haptic-feedback-enhanced transoral laser microsurgeries.

  2. Effectiveness of a Training Program in Supervisors' Ability to Provide Feedback on Residents' Communication Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Junod Perron, Noelle; Nendaz, Mathieu; Louis-Simonet, Martine; Sommer, Johanna; Gut, Anne; Baroffio, Anne; Dolmans, Diana; van der Vleuten, Cees

    2013-01-01

    Teaching communication skills (CS) to residents during clinical practice remains problematic. Direct observation followed by feedback is a powerful way to teach CS in clinical practice. However, little is known about the effect of training on feedback skills in this field. Controlled studies are scarce as well as studies that go beyond…

  3. Penerapan Model Multidimensional Scaling dalam Pemetaan Brand Positioning Internet Service Provider

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robertus Tang Herman

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available In this high-tech era, there have been tremendous advances in tech-based products and services. Internet is one of them that have widened the world’s eyes to a new borderless marketplace. High competition among internet service providers has pushed companies to create competitive advantage and brilliant marketing strategies. They undertake positioning mapping to describe product or service’s positioning amongst many competitors. The right positioning strategy becomes a powerful weapon to win in the battle. This research is designed to create positioning mapping based on perceptual mapping. The researcher uses Multidimensional Scaling and image mapping to achieve this research goal. Sampling is using non-probability sampling in Jakarta. Based on non-attribute approach, the research findings show that there is similarity between two different brands. Thus, both brands are competing against one another. On the other hand, CBN and Netzap provider reflect some differences to others. And some brands require some improvements in terms of network reliability.

  4. Impact of a novel teaching method based on feedback, activity, individuality and relevance on students' learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edafe, Ovie; Brooks, William S; Laskar, Simone N; Benjamin, Miles W; Chan, Philip

    2016-03-20

    This study examines the perceived impact of a novel clinical teaching method based on FAIR principles (feedback, activity, individuality and relevance) on students' learning on clinical placement. This was a qualitative research study. Participants were third year and final year medical students attached to one UK vascular firm over a four-year period (N=108). Students were asked to write a reflective essay on how FAIRness approach differs from previous clinical placement, and its advantages and disadvantages. Essays were thematically analysed and globally rated (positive, negative or neutral) by two independent researchers. Over 90% of essays reported positive experiences of feedback, activity, individuality and relevance model. The model provided multifaceted feedback; active participation; longitudinal improvement; relevance to stage of learning and future goals; structured teaching; professional development; safe learning environment; consultant involvement in teaching. Students perceived preparation for tutorials to be time intensive for tutors/students; a lack of teaching on medical sciences and direct observation of performance; more than once weekly sessions would be beneficial; some issues with peer and public feedback, relevance to upcoming exam and large group sizes. Students described negative experiences of "standard" clinical teaching. Progressive teaching programmes based on the FAIRness principles, feedback, activity, individuality and relevance, could be used as a model to improve current undergraduate clinical teaching.

  5. Patients' use and views of real-time feedback technology in general practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Christine; Davey, Antoinette; Elmore, Natasha; Carter, Mary; Mounce, Luke; Wilson, Ed; Burt, Jenni; Roland, Martin; Campbell, John

    2017-06-01

    There is growing interest in real-time feedback (RTF), which involves collecting and summarizing information about patient experience at the point of care with the aim of informing service improvement. To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of RTF in UK general practice. Exploratory randomized trial. Ten general practices in south-west England and Cambridgeshire. All patients attending surgeries were eligible to provide RTF. Touch screens were installed in waiting areas for 12 weeks with practice staff responsible for encouraging patients to provide RTF. All practices received fortnightly feedback summaries. Four teams attended a facilitated reflection session. RTF 'response rates' among consulting patients were estimated, and the representativeness of touch screen users were assessed. The frequency of staff-patient interactions about RTF (direct observation) and patient views of RTF (exit survey) were summarized. Associated costs were collated. About 2.5% consulting patients provided RTF (range 0.7-8.0% across practices), representing a mean of 194 responses per practice. Patients aged above 65 were under-represented among touch screen users. Receptionists rarely encouraged RTF but, when this did occur, 60% patients participated. Patients were largely positive about RTF but identified some barriers. Costs per practice for the twelve-week period ranged from £1125 (unfacilitated team-level feedback) to £1887 (facilitated team ± practitioner-level feedback). The main cost was the provision of touch screens. Response rates for RTF were lower than those of other survey modes, although the numbers of patients providing feedback to each practice were comparable to those achieved in the English national GP patient survey. More patients might engage with RTF if the opportunity were consistently highlighted to them. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Exploring the Impact of Role-Playing on Peer Feedback in an Online Case-Based Learning Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Hui Ching

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This study explored the impact of role-playing on the quality of peer feedback and learners’ perception of this strategy in a case-based learning activity with VoiceThread in an online course. The findings revealed potential positive impact of role-playing on learners’ generation of constructive feedback as role-playing was associated with higher frequency of problem identification in the peer comments. Sixty percent of learners perceived the role-play strategy useful in assisting them to compose and provide meaningful feedback. Multiple motivations drove learners in making decisions on role choice when responding to their peers, mostly for peer benefits. Finally, 90% of learners reported the peer feedback useful or somewhat useful. Based on the findings of this study, we discussed educational and instructional design implications and future directions to further the line of research using role-play strategy to enhance peer feedback activity.

  7. No evidence for an elephant-termite feedback loop in Sand Forest, South Africa

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lagendijk, D. D G; Davies, A. B.; Eggleton, P.; Slotow, R.

    2016-01-01

    Termites and mammalian herbivores might derive mutual benefit from each other through positive feedback loops, but empirical evidence is lacking. One suggested positive feedback loop is between termites and elephant, both ecosystem engineers. Termites, as decomposer organisms, contribute to nutrient

  8. Mental models of audit and feedback in primary care settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hysong, Sylvia J; Smitham, Kristen; SoRelle, Richard; Amspoker, Amber; Hughes, Ashley M; Haidet, Paul

    2018-05-30

    Audit and feedback has been shown to be instrumental in improving quality of care, particularly in outpatient settings. The mental model individuals and organizations hold regarding audit and feedback can moderate its effectiveness, yet this has received limited study in the quality improvement literature. In this study we sought to uncover patterns in mental models of current feedback practices within high- and low-performing healthcare facilities. We purposively sampled 16 geographically dispersed VA hospitals based on high and low performance on a set of chronic and preventive care measures. We interviewed up to 4 personnel from each location (n = 48) to determine the facility's receptivity to audit and feedback practices. Interview transcripts were analyzed via content and framework analysis to identify emergent themes. We found high variability in the mental models of audit and feedback, which we organized into positive and negative themes. We were unable to associate mental models of audit and feedback with clinical performance due to high variance in facility performance over time. Positive mental models exhibit perceived utility of audit and feedback practices in improving performance; whereas, negative mental models did not. Results speak to the variability of mental models of feedback, highlighting how facilities perceive current audit and feedback practices. Findings are consistent with prior research  in that variability in feedback mental models is associated with lower performance.; Future research should seek to empirically link mental models revealed in this paper to high and low levels of clinical performance.

  9. Effects of acoustic feedback training in elite-standard Para-Rowing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaffert, Nina; Mattes, Klaus

    2015-01-01

    Assessment and feedback devices have been regularly used in technique training in high-performance sports. Biomechanical analysis is mainly visually based and so can exclude athletes with visual impairments. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of auditory feedback on mean boat speed during on-water training of visually impaired athletes. The German National Para-Rowing team (six athletes, mean ± s, age 34.8 ± 10.6 years, body mass 76.5 ± 13.5 kg, stature 179.3 ± 8.6 cm) participated in the study. Kinematics included boat acceleration and distance travelled, collected with Sofirow at two intensities of training. The boat acceleration-time traces were converted online into acoustic feedback and presented via speakers during rowing (sections with and without alternately). Repeated-measures within-participant factorial ANOVA showed greater boat speed with acoustic feedback than baseline (0.08 ± 0.01 m·s(-1)). The time structure of rowing cycles was improved (extended time of positive acceleration). Questioning of athletes showed acoustic feedback to be a supportive training aid as it provided important functional information about the boat motion independent of vision. It gave access for visually impaired athletes to biomechanical analysis via auditory information. The concept for adaptive athletes has been successfully integrated into the preparation for the Para-Rowing World Championships and Paralympics.

  10. Design of the ILC Prototype FONT4 Digital Intra-Train Beam-Based Feedback System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burrows, P.; Queen Mary, U. of London; Christian, G.B.; Hartin, A.F.; Dabiri Khah, H.; White, G.R.; Oxford U.; Clarke, C.C.; Perry, C.; Oxford Instruments; Kalinin, A.; Daresbury; McCormick, D.J.; Molloy, S.; Ross, M.C.; SLAC

    2007-01-01

    We present the design of the FONT4 digital intra-train beam position feedback system prototype and preliminary results of initial beam tests at the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) at KEK. The feedback system incorporates a fast analogue beam position monitor (BPM) front-end signal processor, a digital feedback board, and a kicker driver amplifier. The short bunchtrain, comprising 3 electron bunches separated by c. 150ns, in the ATF extraction line was used to test components of the prototype feedback system

  11. A strategy for improving worker satisfaction and job attitudes in a repetitive industrial task: application of production standards and performance feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shikdar, Ashraf A; Das, Biman

    2003-04-15

    Worker satisfaction improved significantly as a consequence of the provision of the assigned and participative standards with performance feedback in a repetitive industrial production task. The maximum improvement in worker satisfaction was found for the participative standard and feedback condition. Only this condition had a significant positive effect on worker job attitudes. Monetary incentive, when provided with an assigned or participative standard with feedback, added no incremental worker satisfaction or job attitudes gain. The participative standard with feedback condition emerges as the optimum strategy for improving worker satisfaction and job attitudes in a repetitive industrial production task.

  12. Using Feedback Requests to Actively Involve Assessees in Peer Assessment: Effects on the Assessor's Feedback Content and Assessee's Agreement with Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voet, Michiel; Gielen, Mario; Boelens, Ruth; De Wever, Bram

    2018-01-01

    Criticizing the common approach of supporting peer assessment through providing assessors with an explication of assessment criteria, recent insights on peer assessment call for support focusing on assessees, who often assume a passive role of receivers of feedback. Feedback requests, which require assessees to formulate their specific needs for…

  13. Ombud’s Corner: the gift of feedback

    CERN Multimedia

    Sudeshna Datta-Cockerill

    2016-01-01

    Dealing with feedback is an essential part of any learning process. Taking into account other people’s perceptions of what we do or say can be a very valuable insight into ways in which we can develop and improve our performance. However, knowing how to give feedback does not come naturally, and we can all gain from developing this skill.   In the workplace, feedback can be considered a gift when delivered with positive intent and empathy. It is a two-way process and everyone – supervisors and staff alike – can benefit from listening to feedback from others. Giving feedback effectively, however, can sometimes present a challenge, and it is certainly in everyone’s interest to invest in learning how to deliver honest and appropriate messages in the most constructive way possible. Feedback is often of a sensitive nature and it can backfire badly if it is delivered at the wrong time (e.g. too late) or in the wrong place (e.g. during team meetings as opposed to ...

  14. Human or monitor feedback to improve mask ventilation during simulated neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Binder, Corinna; Schmölzer, Georg M; O'Reilly, Megan; Schwaberger, Bernhard; Urlesberger, Berndt; Pichler, Gerhard

    2014-03-01

    To investigate if external chest compressions (ECC) increase mask leak, and if human or technical feedback improves mask ventilation during simulated neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In this observational study, 32 participants delivered positive pressure ventilation (PPV) to a modified, leak-free manikin via facemask. Mask leak, tidal volume (VT), positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) and respiratory rate (RR) were measured with a respiratory function monitor (RFM). Participants had to perform four studies. In the first study, participants performed PPV alone as baseline. Thereafter, three studies were performed in random order. In the PPV+ECC+manometer group, participants had to observe the manometer while the RFM was covered; in the PPV+ECC+RFM group, the RFM was used while the manometer was covered; and in the PPV+ECC+verbal feedback group, the RFM and manometer were covered while a team leader viewed the RFM and provided verbal feedback to the participants. Median (IQR) mask leak of all studies was 15% (5-47%). Comparing the studies, PPV+ECC+RFM and PPV+ECC+verbal feedback had significantly less mask leak than PPV+ECC+manometer. Mean (SD) VT of all studies was 9.5±3.5 mL. Comparing all studies, PPV+ECC+RFM had a significantly higher VT than PPV and PPV+ECC+manometer. As well, PPV+ECC+verbal feedback had a significantly higher VT than PPV. PEEP and RR were within our target, mean (SD) PEEP was 6±2 cmH2O and RR was 36±13/min. During simulated neonatal CPR, ECCs did not influence mask leak, and a RFM and verbal feedback were helpful methods to reduce mask leak and increase VT significantly.

  15. Reliability of performance velocity for jump squats under feedback and nonfeedback conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randell, Aaron D; Cronin, John B; Keogh, Justin Wl; Gill, Nicholas D; Pedersen, Murray C

    2011-12-01

    Randell, AD, Cronin, JB, Keogh, JWL, Gill, ND, and Pedersen, MC. Reliability of performance velocity for jump squats under feedback and nonfeedback conditions. J Strength Cond Res 25(12): 3514-3518, 2011-Advancements in the monitoring of kinematic and kinetic variables during resistance training have resulted in the ability to continuously monitor performance and provide feedback during training. If equipment and software can provide reliable instantaneous feedback related to the variable of interest during training, it is thought that this may result in goal-oriented movement tasks that increase the likelihood of transference to on-field performance or at the very least improve the mechanical variable of interest. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of performance velocity for jump squats under feedback and nonfeedback conditions over 3 consecutive training sessions. Twenty subjects were randomly allocated to a feedback or nonfeedback group, and each group performed a total of 3 "jump squat" training sessions with the velocity of each repetition measured using a linear position transducer. There was less change in mean velocities between sessions 1-2 and sessions 2-3 (0.07 and 0.02 vs. 0.13 and -0.04 m·s), less random variation (TE = 0.06 and 0.06 vs. 0.10 and 0.07 m·s) and greater consistency (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.83 and 0.87 vs. 0.53 and 0.74) between sessions for the feedback condition as compared to the nonfeedback condition. It was concluded that there is approximately a 50-50 probability that the provision of feedback was beneficial to the performance in the squat jump over multiple sessions. It is suggested that this has the potential for increasing transference to on-field performance or at the very least improving the mechanical variable of interest.

  16. Feedback in the OSCE: What Do Residents Remember?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphrey-Murto, Susan; Mihok, Marika; Pugh, Debra; Touchie, Claire; Halman, Samantha; Wood, Timothy J

    2016-01-01

    The move to competency-based education has heightened the importance of direct observation of clinical skills and effective feedback. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is widely used for assessment and affords an opportunity for both direct observation and feedback to occur simultaneously. For feedback to be effective, it should include direct observation, assessment of performance, provision of feedback, reflection, decision making, and use of feedback for learning and change. If one of the goals of feedback is to engage students to think about their performance (i.e., reflection), it would seem imperative that they can recall this feedback both immediately and into the future. This study explores recall of feedback in the context of an OSCE. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to (a) determine the amount and the accuracy of feedback that trainees remember immediately after an OSCE, as well as 1 month later, and (b) assess whether prompting immediate recall improved delayed recall. Internal medicine residents received 2 minutes of verbal feedback from physician examiners in the context of an OSCE. The feedback was audio-recorded and later transcribed. Residents were randomly allocated to the immediate recall group (immediate-RG; n = 10) or the delayed recall group (delayed-RG; n = 8). The immediate-RG completed a questionnaire prompting recall of feedback received immediately after the OSCE, and then again 1 month later. The delayed-RG completed a questionnaire only 1 month after the OSCE. The total number and accuracy of feedback points provided by examiners were compared to the points recalled by residents. Results comparing recall at 1 month between the immediate-RG and the delayed-RG were also studied. Physician examiners provided considerably more feedback points (M = 16.3) than the residents recalled immediately after the OSCE (M = 2.61, p feedback points recalled upon completion of the OSCE (2.61) compared to 1 month later (M = 1

  17. The impact of feedback valence and communication style on intrinsic motivation in middle childhood: Experimental evidence and generalization across individual differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mabbe, Elien; Soenens, Bart; De Muynck, Gert-Jan; Vansteenkiste, Maarten

    2018-06-01

    Prior research among adolescents and emerging adults has provided evidence for the beneficial effects of positive (relative to negative) feedback and an autonomy-supportive (relative to a controlling) communication style on students' intrinsic motivation. Unfortunately, similar experimental research in middle childhood is lacking. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the question of whether individual differences in personality and perceived parenting play a role in these effects. In the current experimental study (N = 110; M age  = 10.71 years), children completed puzzles at school under one of four experimental conditions, thereby crossing normative feedback valence (i.e., positive vs. negative) with communication style (i.e., autonomy supportive vs. controlling). Prior to the experiment, children filled out questionnaires tapping into the Big Five personality traits and into perceived maternal autonomy support and psychological control. After the experimental induction, children rated several motivational constructs (i.e., intrinsic motivation and need-based experiences). In addition, their voluntary behavioral persistence in a subsequent challenging puzzle task was recorded objectively. Providing positive normative feedback in an autonomy-supportive way yielded the most favorable motivational outcomes. Both feedback valence and communication style yielded an independent impact on children's experiences of competence and autonomy during task engagement, which in turn helped to explain children's elevated intrinsic motivation, as reflected by their perceived interest and behavioral persistence. A few effects were moderated by children's perceived parenting and personality traits, but the number of interactions was limited. The discussion focuses on the motivating role of positive normative feedback and an autonomy-supportive communication style for children. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Position-sensitive proportional counter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopp, M.K.

    1980-01-01

    A position-sensitive proportional counter circuit uses a conventional (low-resistance, metal-wire anode) counter for spatial resolution of an ionizing event along the anode, which functions as an RC line. A pair of preamplifiers at the anode ends act as stabilized active-capacitance loads, each comprising a series-feedback, low-noise amplifier and a unity-gain, shunt-feedback amplifier whose output is connected through a feedback capacitor to the series-feedback amplifier input. The stabilized capacitance loading of the anode allows distributed RC-line position encoding and subsequent time difference decoding by sensing the difference in rise times of pulses at the anode ends where the difference is primarily in response to the distributed capacitance along the anode. This allows the use of lower resistance wire anodes for spatial radiation detection which simplifies the counter construction of handling of the anodes, and stabilizes the anode resistivity at high count rates (>10 6 counts/sec). (author)

  19. Fostering Dental Students' Academic Achievements and Reflection Skills Through Clinical Peer Assessment and Feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tricio, Jorge A; Woolford, Mark J; Escudier, Michael P

    2016-08-01

    Peer assessment is increasingly being encouraged to enhance dental students' learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational impact in terms of academic achievements and reflective thinking of a formative prospective peer assessment and feedback protocol. Volunteer final-year dental students at King's College London Dental Institute, UK, received training on peer assessment, peer feedback, and self-reflection. At the beginning (baseline) and end (resultant) of the 2012-13 academic year, 86 students (55% of the year group) completed a reflection questionnaire (RQ). Sixty-eight of those students used a modified Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) as a framework for peer assessment and peer feedback during a complete academic year. End-of-year, high-stakes examination grades and RQ scores from the participants and nonparticipants were statistically compared. The participants completed 576 peer DOPS. Those 22 students who peer assessed each other ≥10 times exhibited highly statistically significant differences and powerful positive effect sizes in their high-stakes exam grades (p=0.0001, d=0.74) and critical reflection skills (p=0.005, d=1.41) when compared to those who did not assess one another. Furthermore, only the same 22 students showed a statistically significant increase and positive effect size in their critical reflection skills from baseline to resultant (p=0.003, d=1.04). The results of this study suggest that the protocol used has the potential to impact dental students' academic and reflection skills, provided it is practiced in ten or more peer encounters and ensuring peer feedback is provided followed by self-reflection.

  20. Interface Prostheses With Classifier-Feedback-Based User Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Yinfeng; Zhou, Dalin; Li, Kairu; Liu, Honghai

    2017-11-01

    It is evident that user training significantly affects performance of pattern-recognition-based myoelectric prosthetic device control. Despite plausible classification accuracy on offline datasets, online accuracy usually suffers from the changes in physiological conditions and electrode displacement. The user ability in generating consistent electromyographic (EMG) patterns can be enhanced via proper user training strategies in order to improve online performance. This study proposes a clustering-feedback strategy that provides real-time feedback to users by means of a visualized online EMG signal input as well as the centroids of the training samples, whose dimensionality is reduced to minimal number by dimension reduction. Clustering feedback provides a criterion that guides users to adjust motion gestures and muscle contraction forces intentionally. The experiment results have demonstrated that hand motion recognition accuracy increases steadily along the progress of the clustering-feedback-based user training, while conventional classifier-feedback methods, i.e., label feedback, hardly achieve any improvement. The result concludes that the use of proper classifier feedback can accelerate the process of user training, and implies prosperous future for the amputees with limited or no experience in pattern-recognition-based prosthetic device manipulation.It is evident that user training significantly affects performance of pattern-recognition-based myoelectric prosthetic device control. Despite plausible classification accuracy on offline datasets, online accuracy usually suffers from the changes in physiological conditions and electrode displacement. The user ability in generating consistent electromyographic (EMG) patterns can be enhanced via proper user training strategies in order to improve online performance. This study proposes a clustering-feedback strategy that provides real-time feedback to users by means of a visualized online EMG signal input as well

  1. A Positive Feedback Process Between Tropical Cyclone Intensity and the Moisture Conveyor Belt Assessed With Lagrangian Diagnostics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujiwara, Keita; Kawamura, Ryuichi; Hirata, Hidetaka; Kawano, Tetsuya; Kato, Masaya; Shinoda, Taro

    2017-12-01

    Using a cloud-resolving regional model and Lagrangian diagnostics, we assess a positive feedback process between tropical cyclone (TC) intensity and the moisture conveyor belt (MCB), which connects a TC and the Indian Ocean (IO), the South China Sea (SCS), and the Philippine Sea (PS) vapors, from a macroscopic view. We performed sensitivity experiments that modified the observed sea surface temperature field over the IO and the SCS to regulate the MCB behavior, and we examined the remote response of a prototypical TC. The results show that the connection between MCB formation and TC development is very robust, which was also observed in another TC's case. The MCB plays a vital role in transporting lots of moist air parcels toward the TC from the IO, SCS, and PS regions. The transported parcels, which further gained the underlying ocean vapor along the MCB, are easily trapped in the inner core by radial inflow in the atmospheric boundary layer and, subsequently, release latent heat around the eyewall, resulting in the TC's intensifying. This acts to further penetrate the moist parcels of remote ocean origin into the inner core through the enhanced and expanded inflow. An additional experiment suggested that the MCB is not formed unless the westward propagation of equatorial waves induced by TC heating overlaps with the background monsoon westerlies. These findings support the reliability and validity of TC-MCB feedback.

  2. A positive feedback process between tropical cyclone intensity and the moisture conveyor belt assessed with Lagrangian diagnostics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujiwara, K.; Kawamura, R.; Hirata, H.; Kawano, T.

    2017-12-01

    Using a cloud-resolving regional model and Lagrangian diagnostics, we assess a positive feedback process between tropical cyclone (TC) intensity and the moisture conveyor belt (MCB), which connects a TC and the Indian Ocean (IO), the South China Sea (SCS), and the Philippine Sea vapors, from a macroscopic view. We performed sensitivity experiments that modified the observed sea surface temperature (SST) field over the IO and the SCS to regulate the MCB behavior, and we examined the remote response of a prototypical TC. The results show that the connection between MCB formation and TC development is very robust, which was also observed in another TC's case. The MCB plays a vital role in transporting lots of moist air parcels toward the TC from the remote ocean. The transported parcels are easily trapped in the inner core by radial inflow in the atmospheric boundary layer and, subsequently, release latent heat around the eye wall, resulting in the TC's intensifying. This acts to further penetrate the moist parcels of remote ocean origin into the inner core through the enhanced and expanded inflow. An additional experiment confirmed that the MCB is not formed unless the westward propagation of equatorial Rossby waves induced by TC heating overlaps with the background monsoon westerlies. These findings support the reliability and validity of TC-MCB feedback.

  3. Self-Controlled Feedback for a Complex Motor Task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wolf Peter

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Self-controlled augmented feedback enhances learning of simple motor tasks. Thereby, learners tend to request feedback after trials that were rated as good by themselves. Feedback after good trials promotes positive reinforcement, which enhances motor learning. The goal of this study was to investigate when naïve learners request terminal visual feedback in a complex motor task, as conclusions drawn on simple tasks can hardly be transferred to complex tasks. Indeed, seven of nine learners stated to have intended to request feedback predominantly after good trials, but in contrast to their intention, kinematic analysis showed that feedback was rather requested randomly (23% after good, 44% after intermediate, 33% after bad trials. Moreover, requesting feedback after good trials did not correlate with learning success. It seems that self-estimation of performance in complex tasks is challenging. As a consequence, learners might have focused on certain movement aspects rather than on the overall movement. Further studies should assess the current focus of the learner in detail to gain more insight in self-estimation capabilities during complex motor task learning.

  4. Object discrimination using electrotactile feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arakeri, Tapas J; Hasse, Brady A; Fuglevand, Andrew J

    2018-04-09

    A variety of bioengineering systems are being developed to restore tactile sensations in individuals who have lost somatosensory feedback because of spinal cord injury, stroke, or amputation. These systems typically detect tactile force with sensors placed on an insensate hand (or prosthetic hand in the case of amputees) and deliver touch information by electrically or mechanically stimulating sensate skin above the site of injury. Successful object manipulation, however, also requires proprioceptive feedback representing the configuration and movements of the hand and digits. Therefore, we developed a simple system that simultaneously provides information about tactile grip force and hand aperture using current amplitude-modulated electrotactile feedback. We evaluated the utility of this system by testing the ability of eight healthy human subjects to distinguish among 27 objects of varying sizes, weights, and compliances based entirely on electrotactile feedback. The feedback was modulated by grip-force and hand-aperture sensors placed on the hand of an experimenter (not visible to the subject) grasping and lifting the test objects. We were also interested to determine the degree to which subjects could learn to use such feedback when tested over five consecutive sessions. The average percentage correct identifications on day 1 (28.5%  ±  8.2% correct) was well above chance (3.7%) and increased significantly with training to 49.2%  ±  10.6% on day 5. Furthermore, this training transferred reasonably well to a set of novel objects. These results suggest that simple, non-invasive methods can provide useful multisensory feedback that might prove beneficial in improving the control over prosthetic limbs.

  5. Developing students' teaching through peer observation and feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, Eliot L; Davies, Benjamin; Eastwood, Michael

    2015-10-01

    With the increasing popularity and scale of peer teaching, it is imperative to develop methods that ensure the quality of teaching provided by undergraduate students. We used an established faculty development and quality assurance process in a novel context: peer observation of teaching for undergraduate peer tutors. We have developed a form to record observations and aid the facilitation of feedback. In addition, experienced peer tutors have been trained to observe peer-taught sessions and provide tutors with verbal and written feedback. We have found peer observation of teaching to be a feasible and acceptable process for improving quality of teaching provided by undergraduate medical students. However, feedback regarding the quality of peer observer's feedback may help to develop students' abilities further.

  6. Unipedal balance in healthy adults: effect of visual environments yielding decreased lateral velocity feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deyer, T W; Ashton-Miller, J A

    1999-09-01

    To test the (null) hypotheses that the reliability of unipedal balance is unaffected by the attenuation of visual velocity feedback and that, relative to baseline performance, deterioration of balance success rates from attenuated visual velocity feedback will not differ between groups of young men and older women, and the presence (or absence) of a vertical foreground object will not affect balance success rates. Single blind, single case study. University research laboratory. Two volunteer samples: 26 healthy young men (mean age, 20.0yrs; SD, 1.6); 23 healthy older women (mean age, 64.9 yrs; SD, 7.8). Normalized success rates in unipedal balance task. Subjects were asked to transfer to and maintain unipedal stance for 5 seconds in a task near the limit of their balance capabilities. Subjects completed 64 trials: 54 trials of three experimental visual scenes in blocked randomized sequences of 18 trials and 10 trials in a normal visual environment. The experimental scenes included two that provided strong velocity/weak position feedback, one of which had a vertical foreground object (SVWP+) and one without (SVWP-), and one scene providing weak velocity/strong position (WVSP) feedback. Subjects' success rates in the experimental environments were normalized by the success rate in the normal environment in order to allow comparisons between subjects using a mixed model repeated measures analysis of variance. The normalized success rate was significantly greater in SVWP+ than in WVSP (p = .0001) and SVWP- (p = .013). Visual feedback significantly affected the normalized unipedal balance success rates (p = .001); neither the group effect nor the group X visual environment interaction was significant (p = .9362 and p = .5634, respectively). Normalized success rates did not differ significantly between the young men and older women in any visual environment. Near the limit of the young men's or older women's balance capability, the reliability of transfer to unipedal

  7. Reward positivity: Reward prediction error or salience prediction error?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heydari, Sepideh; Holroyd, Clay B

    2016-08-01

    The reward positivity is a component of the human ERP elicited by feedback stimuli in trial-and-error learning and guessing tasks. A prominent theory holds that the reward positivity reflects a reward prediction error signal that is sensitive to outcome valence, being larger for unexpected positive events relative to unexpected negative events (Holroyd & Coles, 2002). Although the theory has found substantial empirical support, most of these studies have utilized either monetary or performance feedback to test the hypothesis. However, in apparent contradiction to the theory, a recent study found that unexpected physical punishments also elicit the reward positivity (Talmi, Atkinson, & El-Deredy, 2013). The authors of this report argued that the reward positivity reflects a salience prediction error rather than a reward prediction error. To investigate this finding further, in the present study participants navigated a virtual T maze and received feedback on each trial under two conditions. In a reward condition, the feedback indicated that they would either receive a monetary reward or not and in a punishment condition the feedback indicated that they would receive a small shock or not. We found that the feedback stimuli elicited a typical reward positivity in the reward condition and an apparently delayed reward positivity in the punishment condition. Importantly, this signal was more positive to the stimuli that predicted the omission of a possible punishment relative to stimuli that predicted a forthcoming punishment, which is inconsistent with the salience hypothesis. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  8. Self-esteem, performance feedback, and cardiovascular stress reactivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Brian M

    2007-09-01

    This study sought to establish the impact of performance-related feedback on cardiovascular responses to stressors, and whether this impact is influenced by individual differences in self-esteem. A total of 66 college women were categorized as either high or low in self-esteem on the basis of their scores in a standardized psychometric test. They then took part in a laboratory experiment, in which they were assigned to one of three performance-feedback manipulations. Following the provision of feedback on an initial laboratory task (picture-matching), they undertook a second task (mental arithmetic). Cardiovascular functioning was monitored throughout. Provision of negative feedback to the initial task exerted an adverse impact on cardiovascular responses, suggestive of unhappiness with performance. Provision of positive feedback to the initial task exerted an impact on cardiovascular functioning during the second task, suggestive of task engagement. Importantly, low self-esteem exacerbated the adverse impact of negative feedback. The impact of feedback and the buffering role of self-esteem may have important consequences for cardiovascular health. Further, discrepancies in the findings of previous feedback research may be accounted for by dispositional individual differences.

  9. The feedback in the studies of interpersonal interaction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N V Amyaga

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The article examines the problem of interpreting and studying the feedback in interpersonal interaction as a result of some reflective position. A scientist interested in the feedback has to study the reflective positions as well and to consider their ‘second order’, i. e. to identify the object of his research as a certain number of direct and reverse processes together with their possible subjective representation. Considering the interaction of the sociologist with his customer, this means the necessity to correctly understand and reflect the goals, interests and negotiating tools of the other party that determine the success of negotiations.

  10. Shortwave forcing and feedbacks in Last Glacial Maximum and Mid-Holocene PMIP3 simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braconnot, Pascale; Kageyama, Masa

    2015-11-13

    Simulations of the climates of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), 21 000 years ago, and of the Mid-Holocene (MH), 6000 years ago, allow an analysis of climate feedbacks in climate states that are radically different from today. The analyses of cloud and surface albedo feedbacks show that the shortwave cloud feedback is a major driver of differences between model results. Similar behaviours appear when comparing the LGM and MH simulated changes, highlighting the fingerprint of model physics. Even though the different feedbacks show similarities between the different climate periods, the fact that their relative strength differs from one climate to the other prevents a direct comparison of past and future climate sensitivity. The land-surface feedback also shows large disparities among models even though they all produce positive sea-ice and snow feedbacks. Models have very different sensitivities when considering the vegetation feedback. This feedback has a regional pattern that differs significantly between models and depends on their level of complexity and model biases. Analyses of the MH climate in two versions of the IPSL model provide further indication on the possibilities to assess the role of model biases and model physics on simulated climate changes using past climates for which observations can be used to assess the model results. © 2015 The Author(s).

  11. Feedback Codes and Action Plans: Building the Capacity of First-Year Students to Apply Feedback to a Scientific Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bird, Fiona L.; Yucel, Robyn

    2015-01-01

    Effective feedback can build self-assessment skills in students so that they become more competent and confident to identify and self-correct weaknesses in their work. In this study, we trialled a feedback code as part of an integrated programme of formative and summative assessment tasks, which provided feedback to first-year students on their…

  12. Feedback systems for linear colliders

    CERN Document Server

    Hendrickson, L; Himel, Thomas M; Minty, Michiko G; Phinney, N; Raimondi, Pantaleo; Raubenheimer, T O; Shoaee, H; Tenenbaum, P G

    1999-01-01

    Feedback systems are essential for stable operation of a linear collider, providing a cost-effective method for relaxing tight tolerances. In the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC), feedback controls beam parameters such as trajectory, energy, and intensity throughout the accelerator. A novel dithering optimization system which adjusts final focus parameters to maximize luminosity contributed to achieving record performance in the 1997-98 run. Performance limitations of the steering feedback have been investigated, and improvements have been made. For the Next Linear Collider (NLC), extensive feedback systems are planned as an intregal part of the design. Feedback requiremetns for JLC (the Japanese Linear Collider) are essentially identical to NLC; some of the TESLA requirements are similar but there are significant differences. For NLC, algorithms which incorporate improvements upon the SLC implementation are being prototyped. Specialized systems for the damping rings, rf and interaction point will operate at hi...

  13. Real time global orbit feedback system for NSLS x-ray ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, L.H.; Biscardi, R.; Bittner, J.; Fauchet, A.M.; Krinsky, F.S.; Nawrocky, R.J.; Rothman, J.; Singh, O.V.; Yang, K.M.

    1991-01-01

    We report on the design and commissioning of a real time harmonic global orbit feedback system for the NSLS X-ray ring. This system uses 8 pick-up electrode position monitors and 16 trim dipole magnets to eliminate 3 harmonic components of the orbit fluctuations. Because of the larger number of position monitors and trim magnets, the X-ray ring feedback system differs from the previously reported VUV ring system in that the Fourier analysis and harmonic generation networks are comprised of MDAC boards controlled by computer. The implementation of the global feedback system has resulted in a dramatic improvement of orbit stability, by more than a factor of five everywhere. Simultaneous operation of the global and several local bump feedback systems has been achieved. 4 refs., 5 figs

  14. Developing a Web-Based Developmental Feedback Program

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Douglas, Matthew

    2003-01-01

    Developmental feedback programs provide an opportunity to improve leadership practices by giving leaders feedback about their performance from a number of sources, This thesis expanded on Capt Doug Patton's pilot study (2002...

  15. RHIC 10 Hz global orbit feedback system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michnoff, R.; Arnold, L.; Carboni, L.; Cerniglia, P.; Curcio, A.; DeSanto, L.; Folz, C.; Ho, C.; Hoff, L.; Hulsart, R.; Karl, R.; Luo, Y.; Liu, C.; MacKay, W.; Mahler, G.; Meng, W.; Mernick, K.; Minty, M.; Montag, C.; Olsen, R.; Piacentino, J.; Popken, P.; Przybylinski, R.; Ptitsyn, V.; Ritter, J.; Schoenfeld, R.; Thieberger, P.; Tuozzolo, J.; Weston, A.; White, J.; Ziminski, P.; Zimmerman, P.

    2011-01-01

    Vibrations of the cryogenic triplet magnets at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) are suspected to be causing the horizontal beam perturbations observed at frequencies around 10 Hz. Several solutions to counteract the effect have been considered in the past, including a local beam feedback system at each of the two experimental areas, reinforcing the magnet base support assembly, and a mechanical servo feedback system. However, the local feedback system was insufficient because perturbation amplitudes outside the experimental areas were still problematic, and the mechanical solutions are very expensive. A global 10 Hz orbit feedback system consisting of 36 beam position monitors (BPMs) and 12 small dedicated dipole corrector magnets in each of the two 3.8 km circumference counter-rotating rings has been developed and commissioned in February 2011. A description of the system architecture and results with beam will be discussed.

  16. Amount of kinematic feedback affects learning of speech motor skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ballard, Kirrie J; Smith, Heather D; Paramatmuni, Divija; McCabe, Patricia; Theodoros, Deborah G; Murdoch, Bruce E

    2012-01-01

    Knowledge of Performance (KP) feedback, such as biofeedback or kinematic feedback, is used to provide information on the nature and quality of movement responses for the purpose of guiding active learning or rehabilitation of motor skills. It has been proposed that KP feedback may interfere with long-term learning when provided throughout training. Here, twelve healthy English-speaking adults were trained to produce a trilled Russian [r] in words with KP kinematic feedback using electropalatography (EPG) and without KP (noKP). Five one-hour training sessions were provided over one week with testing pretraining and one day and one week posttraining. No group differences were found at pretraining or one day post training for production accuracy. A group by time interaction supported the hypothesis that providing kinematic feedback continually during skill acquisition interferes with retention.

  17. Interaction in Spoken Word Recognition Models: Feedback Helps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magnuson, James S.; Mirman, Daniel; Luthra, Sahil; Strauss, Ted; Harris, Harlan D.

    2018-01-01

    Human perception, cognition, and action requires fast integration of bottom-up signals with top-down knowledge and context. A key theoretical perspective in cognitive science is the interactive activation hypothesis: forward and backward flow in bidirectionally connected neural networks allows humans and other biological systems to approximate optimal integration of bottom-up and top-down information under real-world constraints. An alternative view is that online feedback is neither necessary nor helpful; purely feed forward alternatives can be constructed for any feedback system, and online feedback could not improve processing and would preclude veridical perception. In the domain of spoken word recognition, the latter view was apparently supported by simulations using the interactive activation model, TRACE, with and without feedback: as many words were recognized more quickly without feedback as were recognized faster with feedback, However, these simulations used only a small set of words and did not address a primary motivation for interaction: making a model robust in noise. We conducted simulations using hundreds of words, and found that the majority were recognized more quickly with feedback than without. More importantly, as we added noise to inputs, accuracy and recognition times were better with feedback than without. We follow these simulations with a critical review of recent arguments that online feedback in interactive activation models like TRACE is distinct from other potentially helpful forms of feedback. We conclude that in addition to providing the benefits demonstrated in our simulations, online feedback provides a plausible means of implementing putatively distinct forms of feedback, supporting the interactive activation hypothesis. PMID:29666593

  18. Interaction in Spoken Word Recognition Models: Feedback Helps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magnuson, James S; Mirman, Daniel; Luthra, Sahil; Strauss, Ted; Harris, Harlan D

    2018-01-01

    Human perception, cognition, and action requires fast integration of bottom-up signals with top-down knowledge and context. A key theoretical perspective in cognitive science is the interactive activation hypothesis: forward and backward flow in bidirectionally connected neural networks allows humans and other biological systems to approximate optimal integration of bottom-up and top-down information under real-world constraints. An alternative view is that online feedback is neither necessary nor helpful; purely feed forward alternatives can be constructed for any feedback system, and online feedback could not improve processing and would preclude veridical perception. In the domain of spoken word recognition, the latter view was apparently supported by simulations using the interactive activation model, TRACE, with and without feedback: as many words were recognized more quickly without feedback as were recognized faster with feedback, However, these simulations used only a small set of words and did not address a primary motivation for interaction: making a model robust in noise. We conducted simulations using hundreds of words, and found that the majority were recognized more quickly with feedback than without. More importantly, as we added noise to inputs, accuracy and recognition times were better with feedback than without. We follow these simulations with a critical review of recent arguments that online feedback in interactive activation models like TRACE is distinct from other potentially helpful forms of feedback. We conclude that in addition to providing the benefits demonstrated in our simulations, online feedback provides a plausible means of implementing putatively distinct forms of feedback, supporting the interactive activation hypothesis.

  19. Interaction in Spoken Word Recognition Models: Feedback Helps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James S. Magnuson

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Human perception, cognition, and action requires fast integration of bottom-up signals with top-down knowledge and context. A key theoretical perspective in cognitive science is the interactive activation hypothesis: forward and backward flow in bidirectionally connected neural networks allows humans and other biological systems to approximate optimal integration of bottom-up and top-down information under real-world constraints. An alternative view is that online feedback is neither necessary nor helpful; purely feed forward alternatives can be constructed for any feedback system, and online feedback could not improve processing and would preclude veridical perception. In the domain of spoken word recognition, the latter view was apparently supported by simulations using the interactive activation model, TRACE, with and without feedback: as many words were recognized more quickly without feedback as were recognized faster with feedback, However, these simulations used only a small set of words and did not address a primary motivation for interaction: making a model robust in noise. We conducted simulations using hundreds of words, and found that the majority were recognized more quickly with feedback than without. More importantly, as we added noise to inputs, accuracy and recognition times were better with feedback than without. We follow these simulations with a critical review of recent arguments that online feedback in interactive activation models like TRACE is distinct from other potentially helpful forms of feedback. We conclude that in addition to providing the benefits demonstrated in our simulations, online feedback provides a plausible means of implementing putatively distinct forms of feedback, supporting the interactive activation hypothesis.

  20. An HIV feedback resistor: auto-regulatory circuit deactivator and noise buffer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinberger, Leor S; Shenk, Thomas

    2007-01-01

    Animal viruses (e.g., lentiviruses and herpesviruses) use transcriptional positive feedback (i.e., transactivation) to regulate their gene expression. But positive-feedback circuits are inherently unstable when turned off, which presents a particular dilemma for latent viruses that lack transcriptional repressor motifs. Here we show that a dissipative feedback resistor, composed of enzymatic interconversion of the transactivator, converts transactivation circuits into excitable systems that generate transient pulses of expression, which decay to zero. We use HIV-1 as a model system and analyze single-cell expression kinetics to explore whether the HIV-1 transactivator of transcription (Tat) uses a resistor to shut off transactivation. The Tat feedback circuit was found to lack bi-stability and Tat self-cooperativity but exhibited a pulse of activity upon transactivation, all in agreement with the feedback resistor model. Guided by a mathematical model, biochemical and genetic perturbation of the suspected Tat feedback resistor altered the circuit's stability and reduced susceptibility to molecular noise, in agreement with model predictions. We propose that the feedback resistor is a necessary, but possibly not sufficient, condition for turning off noisy transactivation circuits lacking a repressor motif (e.g., HIV-1 Tat). Feedback resistors may be a paradigm for examining other auto-regulatory circuits and may inform upon how viral latency is established, maintained, and broken.

  1. Impact of a novel teaching method based on feedback, activity, individuality and relevance on students’ learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, William S.; Laskar, Simone N.; Benjamin, Miles W.; Chan, Philip

    2016-01-01

    Objectives This study examines the perceived impact of a novel clinical teaching method based on FAIR principles (feedback, activity, individuality and relevance) on students’ learning on clinical placement. Methods This was a qualitative research study. Participants were third year and final year medical students attached to one UK vascular firm over a four-year period (N=108). Students were asked to write a reflective essay on how FAIRness approach differs from previous clinical placement, and its advantages and disadvantages. Essays were thematically analysed and globally rated (positive, negative or neutral) by two independent researchers. Results Over 90% of essays reported positive experiences of feedback, activity, individuality and relevance model.  The model provided multifaceted feedback; active participation; longitudinal improvement; relevance to stage of learning and future goals; structured teaching; professional development; safe learning environment; consultant involvement in teaching. Students perceived preparation for tutorials to be time intensive for tutors/students; a lack of teaching on medical sciences and direct observation of performance; more than once weekly sessions would be beneficial; some issues with peer and public feedback, relevance to upcoming exam and large group sizes. Students described negative experiences of “standard” clinical teaching. Conclusions Progressive teaching programmes based on the FAIRness principles, feedback, activity, individuality and relevance, could be used as a model to improve current undergraduate clinical teaching. PMID:26995588

  2. Factors affecting feeling-of-knowing in a medical intelligent tutoring system: the role of immediate feedback as a metacognitive scaffold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Saadawi, Gilan M; Azevedo, Roger; Castine, Melissa; Payne, Velma; Medvedeva, Olga; Tseytlin, Eugene; Legowski, Elizabeth; Jukic, Drazen; Crowley, Rebecca S

    2010-03-01

    Previous studies in our laboratory have shown the benefits of immediate feedback on cognitive performance for pathology residents using an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) in pathology. In this study, we examined the effect of immediate feedback on metacognitive performance, and investigated whether other metacognitive scaffolds will support metacognitive gains when immediate feedback is faded. Twenty-three participants were randomized into intervention and control groups. For both groups, periods working with the ITS under varying conditions were alternated with independent computer-based assessments. On day 1, a within-subjects design was used to evaluate the effect of immediate feedback on cognitive and metacognitive performance. On day 2, a between-subjects design was used to compare the use of other metacognitive scaffolds (intervention group) against no metacognitive scaffolds (control group) on cognitive and metacognitive performance, as immediate feedback was faded. Measurements included learning gains (a measure of cognitive performance), as well as several measures of metacognitive performance, including Goodman-Kruskal gamma correlation (G), bias, and discrimination. For the intervention group, we also computed metacognitive measures during tutoring sessions. Results showed that immediate feedback in an intelligent tutoring system had a statistically significant positive effect on learning gains, G and discrimination. Removal of immediate feedback was associated with decreasing metacognitive performance, and this decline was not prevented when students used a version of the tutoring system that provided other metacognitive scaffolds. Results obtained directly from the ITS suggest that other metacognitive scaffolds do have a positive effect on G and discrimination, as immediate feedback is faded. We conclude that immediate feedback had a positive effect on both metacognitive and cognitive gains in a medical tutoring system. Other metacognitive scaffolds

  3. Feedback coupling in dynamical systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trimper, Steffen; Zabrocki, Knud

    2003-05-01

    Different evolution models are considered with feedback-couplings. In particular, we study the Lotka-Volterra system under the influence of a cumulative term, the Ginzburg-Landau model with a convolution memory term and chemical rate equations with time delay. The memory leads to a modified dynamical behavior. In case of a positive coupling the generalized Lotka-Volterra system exhibits a maximum gain achieved after a finite time, but the population will die out in the long time limit. In the opposite case, the time evolution is terminated in a crash. Due to the nonlinear feedback coupling the two branches of a bistable model are controlled by the the strength and the sign of the memory. For a negative coupling the system is able to switch over between both branches of the stationary solution. The dynamics of the system is further controlled by the initial condition. The diffusion-limited reaction is likewise studied in case the reacting entities are not available simultaneously. Whereas for an external feedback the dynamics is altered, but the stationary solution remain unchanged, a self-organized internal feedback leads to a time persistent solution.

  4. Negative feedback enables fast and flexible collective decision-making in ants.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph Grüter

    Full Text Available Positive feedback plays a major role in the emergence of many collective animal behaviours. In many ants pheromone trails recruit and direct nestmate foragers to food sources. The strong positive feedback caused by trail pheromones allows fast collective responses but can compromise flexibility. Previous laboratory experiments have shown that when the environment changes, colonies are often unable to reallocate their foragers to a more rewarding food source. Here we show both experimentally, using colonies of Lasius niger, and with an agent-based simulation model, that negative feedback caused by crowding at feeding sites allows ant colonies to maintain foraging flexibility even with strong recruitment to food sources. In a constant environment, negative feedback prevents the frequently found bias towards one feeder (symmetry breaking and leads to equal distribution of foragers. In a changing environment, negative feedback allows a colony to quickly reallocate the majority of its foragers to a superior food patch that becomes available when foraging at an inferior patch is already well underway. The model confirms these experimental findings and shows that the ability of colonies to switch to a superior food source does not require the decay of trail pheromones. Our results help to resolve inconsistencies between collective foraging patterns seen in laboratory studies and observations in the wild, and show that the simultaneous action of negative and positive feedback is important for efficient foraging in mass-recruiting insect colonies.

  5. Cloud-radiation interactions - Effects of cirrus optical thickness feedbacks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Somerville, Richard C. J.; Iacobellis, Sam

    1987-01-01

    The paper is concerned with a cloud-radiation feedback mechanism which may be an important component of the climate changes expected from increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other trace greenhouse gases. A major result of the study is that cirrus cloud optical thickness feedbacks may indeed tend to increase the surface warming due to trace gas increases. However, the positive feedback from cirrus appears to be generally weaker than the negative effects due to lower clouds. The results just confirm those of earlier research indicating that the net effect of cloud optical thickness feedbacks may be a negative feedback which may substantially (by a factor of about 2) reduce the surface warming due to the doubling of CO2, even in the presence of cirrus clouds.

  6. Searching for Prototypical Facial Feedback Signals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heylen, Dirk K.J.; Bevacqua, E.; Tellier, M.; Pelachaud, C.; Pelachaud, C.; Martin, J-C.; André, E.; Chollet, G.; Pelé, D.

    2007-01-01

    Embodied conversational agents should be able to provide feedback on what a human interlocutor is saying. We are compiling a list of facial feedback expressions that signal attention and interest, grounding and attitude. As expressions need to serve many functions at the same time and most of the

  7. Educators' Perceptions of Automated Feedback Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debuse, Justin C. W.; Lawley, Meredith; Shibl, Rania

    2008-01-01

    Assessment of student learning is a core function of educators. Ideally students should be provided with timely, constructive feedback to facilitate learning. However, provision of high quality feedback becomes more complex as class sizes increase, modes of study expand and academic workloads increase. ICT solutions are being developed to…

  8. A conceptual framework for understanding leader selfschemas and the influence of those self-schemas on the integration of feedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.W. (Cobus Pienaar

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: Recently, the importance of blind spots, derailments and failures of leaders have been in the spotlight. Enhancing their levels of self-awareness is one of the steps leaders can take to avoid derailment. While it promotes self-awareness and decreases leadership blind spots, feedback is also considered one of the most effective tools available to modify behaviour. Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to explore the individual characteristics that will enhance or impede the feedback received from others so as to bring about behavioural change and increased levels of self-awareness. Motivation for the study: The aim of this theoretical article was to consider various conceptual frameworks and literature in an endeavour to illustrate how leaders’ self-schemas might explain the underlying reasons why some leaders are more likely to receive, integrate, assimilate and act on the feedback, while others are not, based on how they see themselves in relation to others. Research design, approach and method: A literature-based method was utilised for this study in order to provide a critical analysis of the available literature and illustrate the different theoretical perspectives and underpinnings. Practical/managerial implications: Leaders who are more likely to consider feedback and/or ask for feedback from others seem to be less prone to develop a blind spot and will therefore have a more accurate view of themselves. Those who have an over-rating of themselves are unlikely to have an accurate view of themselves. In an attempt to ‘protect’ this inflated view, such individuals will be less open to negative feedback, as it may challenge their own perspectives and opinions they hold of themselves. Individuals who hold an overly negative view of themselves are more likely to reject positive feedback and less likely to request or accept positive feedback as it may contradict the viewpoint they hold of themselves. They may however be

  9. Audio-Visual Feedback for Self-monitoring Posture in Ballet Training

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Esben Winther; Hølledig, Malte Lindholm; Bach-Nielsen, Sebastian Siem

    2017-01-01

    An application for ballet training is presented that monitors the posture position (straightness of the spine and rotation of the pelvis) deviation from the ideal position in real-time. The human skeletal data is acquired through a Microsoft Kinect v2. The movement of the student is mirrored......-coded. In an experiment with 9-12 year-old dance students from a ballet school, comparing the audio-visual feedback modality with no feedback leads to an increase in posture accuracy (p

  10. Feedback-linearization and feedback-feedforward decentralized control for multimachine power system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Tuglie, Enrico [Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell' Ambiente, e per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile - DIASS, Politecnico di Bari, Viale del Turismo 8, 74100 Taranto (Italy); Iannone, Silvio Marcello; Torelli, Francesco [Dipartimento di Elettrotecnica, ed Elettronica - DEE, Politecnico di Bari, Via Re David 200, 70125 Bari (Italy)

    2008-03-15

    In this paper a decentralized nonlinear controller for large-scale power systems is investigated. The proposed controller design is based on the input-output feedback linearization methodology. In order to overcome computational difficulties in adopting such methodology, the overall interconnected nonlinear system, given as n-order, is analyzed as a cascade connection of an n{sub 1}-order nonlinear subsystem and an n{sub 2}-order linear subsystem. The controller design is obtained by applying input-output feedback linearization to the nonlinear subsystem and adopting a tracking control scheme, based on feedback-feedforward technique, for the linear subsystem. In the assumed system model, which is characterised by an interconnected structure between generating units, a decentralised adaptive controller is implemented by decentralizing these constraints. The use of a totally decentralised controller implies a system performance decay with respect to performance when the system is equipped with a centralised controller. Fortunately, the robustness of the proposed controller, based on input-output feedback procedure, guarantees good performance in terms of disturbance even when disturbances are caused by decentralization of interconnection constraints. Test results, provided on the IEEE 30 bus test system, demonstrate the effectiveness and practical applicability of proposed methodology. (author)

  11. Physician performance feedback in a Canadian academic center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garvin, Dennis; Worthington, James; McGuire, Shaun; Burgetz, Stephanie; Forster, Alan J; Patey, Andrea; Gerin-Lajoie, Caroline; Turnbull, Jeffrey; Roth, Virginia

    2017-10-02

    Purpose This paper aims at the implementation and early evaluation of a comprehensive, formative annual physician performance feedback process in a large academic health-care organization. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods approach was used to introduce a formative feedback process to provide physicians with comprehensive feedback on performance and to support professional development. This initiative responded to organization-wide engagement surveys through which physicians identified effective performance feedback as a priority. In 2013, physicians primarily affiliated with the organization participated in a performance feedback process, and physician satisfaction and participant perceptions were explored through participant survey responses and physician leader focus groups. Training was required for physician leaders prior to conducting performance feedback discussions. Findings This process was completed by 98 per cent of eligible physicians, and 30 per cent completed an evaluation survey. While physicians endorsed the concept of a formative feedback process, process improvement opportunities were identified. Qualitative analysis revealed the following process improvement themes: simplify the tool, ensure leaders follow process, eliminate redundancies in data collection (through academic or licensing requirements) and provide objective quality metrics. Following physician leader training on performance feedback, 98 per cent of leaders who completed an evaluation questionnaire agreed or strongly agreed that the performance feedback process was useful and that training objectives were met. Originality/value This paper introduces a physician performance feedback model, leadership training approach and first-year implementation outcomes. The results of this study will be useful to health administrators and physician leaders interested in implementing physician performance feedback or improving physician engagement.

  12. Beam position monitor data acquisition for the Advanced Photon Source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lenkszus, F.R.; Kahana, E.; Votaw, A.J.; Decker, G.A.; Chung, Y.; Ciarlette, D.J.; Laird, R.J.

    1993-01-01

    This paper describes the Beam Position Monitor (BPM) data acquisition scheme for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring. The storage ring contains 360 beam position monitors distributed around its 1104-meter circumference. The beam position monitor data acquisition system is capable of making turn-by-turn measurements of all BPMs simultaneously. It is VXI-based with each VXI crate containing the electronics for 9 BPMS. The VXI Local Bus is used to provide sustained data transfer rates of up to 13 mega-transfers per second to a scanner module. The system provides single-bunch tracking, bunch-to-bunch measurements, fast digital-averaged positions, beam position history buffering, and synchronized multi-turn measurements. Data is accessible to the control system VME crates via an MXI bus. Dedicated high-speed ports are provided to supply position data to beam orbit feedback systems

  13. Force feedback in a piezoelectric linear actuator for neurosurgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Lorenzo, Danilo; De Momi, Elena; Dyagilev, Ilya; Manganelli, Rudy; Formaglio, Alessandro; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Shoham, Moshe; Ferrigno, Giancarlo

    2011-09-01

    Force feedback in robotic minimally invasive surgery allows the human operator to manipulate tissues as if his/her hands were in contact with the patient organs. A force sensor mounted on the probe raises problems with sterilization of the overall surgical tool. Also, the use of off-axis gauges introduces a moment that increases the friction force on the bearing, which can easily mask off the signal, given the small force to be measured. This work aims at designing and testing two methods for estimating the resistance to the advancement (force) experienced by a standard probe for brain biopsies within a brain-like material. The further goal is to provide a neurosurgeon using a master-slave tele-operated driver with direct feedback on the tissue mechanical characteristics. Two possible sensing methods, in-axis strain gauge force sensor and position-position error (control-based method), were implemented and tested, both aimed at device miniaturization. The analysis carried out was aimed at fulfilment of the psychophysics requirements for force detection and delay tolerance, also taking into account safety, which is directly related to the last two issues. Controller parameters definition is addressed and consideration is given to development of the device with integration of a haptic interface. Results show better performance of the control-based method (RMSE sensors. Force feedback in minimally invasive surgery allows the human operator to manipulate tissues as if his/her hands were in contact with the patient organs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Providing Feedback, Orientation and Opportunities for Reflection as Key Elements for Successful Mentoring Programs: Reviewing a Program for Future Business Education Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elisabeth Riebenbauer

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The introduction to teaching is critical for novice teachers. Near the end of their master’s program, students of Business Education and Development in Austria spend one semester at an assigned school. They are introduced to teaching, while being assisted by peer students, mentoring teachers, and a companion course. Mentors receive special training and preparation in advance, thus contributing to a high quality mentoring program. The program is organized threefold: (1 providing feedback, (2 opportunities for reflection and (3 career orientation. The purpose of this paper is to assess key elements of successful mentoring programs and to question which competences of mentors contribute most to the success of those programs. Between 2012 and 2015, 188 persons (student teachers and their mentors responded to an online survey at the end of their mentoring program. Additionally, data from a study (1,245 questionnaires regarding the student teachers’ perception of their own competence was utilized, allowing for a comparison of student teacher confidence in their abilities before and after the mentoring program. The present results provide insight into the key elements of successful mentoring programs; both from a student teacher’s and mentor’s perspective. During the semester, students showed an increase regarding their self-perception of their professional competences. It was found that students and mentoring teachers valued feedback after each lesson more than feedback in regular meetings. Opportunities for reflection (e.g. exchange with peer students, learning diaries were considered helpful. The mentoring program helped students to decide whether to become a teacher or not.

  15. Nonlinear output feedback control of underwater vehicle propellers using feedback form estimated axial flow velocity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fossen, T. I.; Blanke, Mogens

    2000-01-01

    Accurate propeller shaft speed controllers can be designed by using nonlinear control theory and feedback from the axial water velocity in the propeller disc. In this paper, an output feedback controller is derived, reconstructing the axial flow velocity from vehicle speed measurements, using...... a three-state model of propeller shaft speed, forward (surge) speed of the vehicle, and the axial flow velocity. Lyapunov stability theory is used to prove that a nonlinear observer combined with an output feedback integral controller provide exponential stability. The output feedback controller...... compensates for variations in thrust due to time variations in advance speed. This is a major problem when applying conventional vehicle-propeller control systems, The proposed controller is simulated for an underwater vehicle equipped with a single propeller. The simulations demonstrate that the axial water...

  16. Methods and approaches to provide feedback from nuclear and covariance data adjustment for improvement of nuclear data files. SG39 meeting, December 2015

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cabellos, Oscar; De Saint Jean, Cyrille; Hursin, Mathieu; Pelloni, Sandro; Ivanov, Evgeny; Kodeli, Ivan; Leconte, Pierre; Palmiotti, Giuseppe; Salvatores, Massimo; Sobes, Vladimir; Yokoyama, Kenji

    2015-12-01

    The aim of WPEC subgroup 39 'Methods and approaches to provide feedback from nuclear and covariance data adjustment for improvement of nuclear data files' is to provide criteria and practical approaches to use effectively the results of sensitivity analyses and cross section adjustments for feedback to evaluators and differential measurement experimentalists in order to improve the knowledge of neutron cross sections, uncertainties, and correlations to be used in a wide range of applications. This document is the proceedings of the fifth formal Subgroup 39 meeting held at the Institute Curie, Paris, France, on 4 December 2015. It comprises a Summary Record of the meeting, and all the available presentations (slides) given by the participants: A - Sensitivity methods: - 1: Short update on deliverables (K. Yokoyama); - 2: Does one shot Bayesian is equivalent to successive update? Bayesian inference: some matrix linear algebra (C. De Saint Jean); - 3: Progress in Methodology (G. Palmiotti); - SG39-3: Use of PIA approach. Possible application to neutron propagation experiments (S. Pelloni); - 4: Update on sensitivity coefficient methods (E. Ivanov); - 5: Stress test for U-235 fission (H. Wu); - 6: Methods and approaches development at ORNL for providing feedback from integral benchmark experiments for improvement of nuclear data files (V. Sobes); B - Integral experiments: - 7a: Update on SEG analysis (G. Palmiotti); - 7b:Status of MANTRA (G. Palmiotti); - 7c: Possible new experiments at NRAD (G. Palmiotti); - 8: B-eff experiments (I. Kodeli); - 9: On going CEA activities related to dedicated integral experiments for nuclear date validation in the Fast energy range (P. Leconte); - 10: PROTEUS Experiments: an update (M. Hursin); - 11: Short updates on neutron propagation experiments, STEK, CIELO status (O. Cabellos)

  17. Medical student perspective: working toward specific and actionable clinical clerkship feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, Haley A; Derman, Peter B; Clement, R Carter

    2012-01-01

    Feedback on the wards is an important component of medical student education. Medical schools have incorporated formalized feedback mechanisms such as clinical encounter cards and standardized patient encounters into clinical curricula. However, the system could be further improved as medical students frequently feel uncomfortable requesting feedback, and are often dissatisfied with the quality of the feedback they receive. This article explores the shortcomings of the existing medical student feedback system and examines the relevant literature in an effort to shed light on areas in which the system can be enhanced. The discussion focuses on resident-provided feedback but is broadly applicable to delivering feedback in general. A review of the organizational psychology and business administration literature on fostering effective feedback was performed. These insights were then applied to the setting of medical education. Providing effective feedback requires training and forethought. Feedback itself should be specific and actionable. Utilizing these strategies will help medical students and educators get the most out of existing feedback systems.

  18. Calculations of axisymmetric stability of tokamak plasmas with active and passive feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ward, D.J.; Jardin, S.C.; Cheng, C.Z.

    1991-07-01

    A new linear MHD stability code, NOVA-W, has been developed in order to study feedback stabilization of the axisymmetric mode in deformable tokamak plasmas. The NOVA-W code is a modification of the non-variational MHD stability code NOVA that includes the effects of resistive passive conductors and active feedback circuits. The vacuum calculation has been reformulated in terms of the perturbed poloidal flux to allow the inclusion of perturbed toroidal currents outside the plasma. The boundary condition at the plasma-vacuum interface relates the instability displacement to the perturbed poloidal flux. This allows a solution of the linear MHD stability equations with the feedback effects included. The passive stability predictions of the code have been tested both against a simplified analytic model and against a different numerical calculation for a realistic tokamak configuration. The comparisons demonstrate the accuracy of the NOVA-W results. Active feedback calculations are performed for the CIT tokamak design demonstrating the effect of varying the position of the flux loops that provide the measurements of vertical displacement. The results compare well with those computed earlier using a less efficient nonlinear code. 37 refs., 13 figs

  19. Feedback stabilization of plasma instabilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cap, F.F.

    1977-01-01

    This paper reviews the theoretical and experimental aspects of feedback stabilization. After giving an outline of a general theoretical model for electrostatic instabilities the author provides a theoretical analysis of the suppression of various types of instability. Experiments which have been carried out on the feedback stabilization of various types of plasma instability are reported. An extensive list of references is given. (B.R.H.)

  20. Control Rod Driveline Reactivity Feedback Model for Liquid Metal Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, Young-Min; Jeong, Hae-Yong; Chang, Won-Pyo; Cho, Chung-Ho; Lee, Yong-Bum

    2008-01-01

    The thermal expansion of the control rod drivelines (CRDL) is one important passive mitigator under all unprotected accident conditions in the metal and oxide cores. When the CRDL are washed by hot sodium in the coolant outlet plenum, the CRDL thermally expands and causes the control rods to be inserted further down into the active core region, providing a negative reactivity feedback. Since the control rods are attached to the top of the vessel head and the core attaches to the bottom of the reactor vessel (RV), the expansion of the vessel wall as it heats will either lower the core or raise the control rods supports. This contrary thermal expansion of the reactor vessel wall pulls the control rods out of the core somewhat, providing a positive reactivity feedback. However this is not a safety factor early in a transient because its time constant is relatively large. The total elongated length is calculated by subtracting the vessel expansion from the CRDL expansion to determine the net control rod expansion into the core. The system-wide safety analysis code SSC-K includes the CRDL/RV reactivity feedback model in which control rod and vessel expansions are calculated using single-nod temperatures for the vessel and CRDL masses. The KALIMER design has the upper internal structures (UIS) in which the CRDLs are positioned outside the structure where they are exposed to the mixed sodium temperature exiting the core. A new method to determine the CRDL expansion is suggested. Two dimensional hot pool thermal hydraulic model (HP2D) originally developed for the analysis of the stratification phenomena in the hot pool is utilized for a detailed heat transfer between the CRDL mass and the hot pool coolant. However, the reactor vessel wall temperature is still calculated by a simple lumped model

  1. Neural correlates of feedback processing in toddlers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meyer, M.; Bekkering, H.; Janssen, D.J.C.; Bruijn, E.R.A. de; Hunnius, S.

    2014-01-01

    External feedback provides essential information for successful learning. Feedback is especially important for learning in early childhood, as toddlers strongly rely on external signals to determine the consequences of their actions. In adults, many electrophysiological studies have elucidated

  2. Improving the Effectiveness of Peer Feedback for Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gielen, Sarah; Peeters, Elien; Dochy, Filip; Onghena, Patrick; Struyven, Katrien

    2010-01-01

    The present study examined the effectiveness of (a) peer feedback for learning, more specifically of certain characteristics of the content and style of the provided feedback, and (b) a particular instructional intervention to support the use of the feedback. A quasi-experimental repeated measures design was adopted. Writing assignments of 43…

  3. Audio Feedback -- Better Feedback?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voelkel, Susanne; Mello, Luciane V.

    2014-01-01

    National Student Survey (NSS) results show that many students are dissatisfied with the amount and quality of feedback they get for their work. This study reports on two case studies in which we tried to address these issues by introducing audio feedback to one undergraduate (UG) and one postgraduate (PG) class, respectively. In case study one…

  4. The role of formative feedback in promoting higher order thinking ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The role of formative feedback in promoting higher order thinking skills in ... activities, task characteristics, validating students' thinking, and providing feedback. ... Keywords: classroom environment, formative assessment, formative feedback, ...

  5. The clinical relevance of advanced artificial feedback in the control of a multi-functional myoelectric prosthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markovic, Marko; Schweisfurth, Meike A; Engels, Leonard F; Bentz, Tashina; Wüstefeld, Daniela; Farina, Dario; Dosen, Strahinja

    2018-03-27

    To effectively replace the human hand, a prosthesis should seamlessly respond to user intentions but also convey sensory information back to the user. Restoration of sensory feedback is rated highly by the prosthesis users, and feedback is critical for grasping in able-bodied subjects. Nonetheless, the benefits of feedback in prosthetics are still debated. The lack of consensus is likely due to the complex nature of sensory feedback during prosthesis control, so that its effectiveness depends on multiple factors (e.g., task complexity, user learning). We evaluated the impact of these factors with a longitudinal assessment in six amputee subjects, using a clinical setup (socket, embedded control) and a range of tasks (box and blocks, block turn, clothespin and cups relocation). To provide feedback, we have proposed a novel vibrotactile stimulation scheme capable of transmitting multiple variables from a multifunction prosthesis. The subjects wore a bracelet with four by two uniformly placed vibro-tactors providing information on contact, prosthesis state (active function), and grasping force. The subjects also completed a questionnaire for the subjective evaluation of the feedback. The tests demonstrated that feedback was beneficial only in the complex tasks (block turn, clothespin and cups relocation), and that the training had an important, task-dependent impact. In the clothespin relocation and block turn tasks, training allowed the subjects to establish successful feedforward control, and therefore, the feedback became redundant. In the cups relocation task, however, the subjects needed some training to learn how to properly exploit the feedback. The subjective evaluation of the feedback was consistently positive, regardless of the objective benefits. These results underline the multifaceted nature of closed-loop prosthesis control as, depending on the context, the same feedback interface can have different impact on performance. Finally, even if the closed

  6. Enhanced jump performance when providing augmented feedback compared to an external or internal focus of attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Martin; Lauber, Benedikt; Gottschalk, Marius; Taube, Wolfgang

    2015-01-01

    Factors such as an external focus of attention (EF) and augmented feedback (AF) have been shown to improve performance. However, the efficacy of providing AF to enhance motor performance has never been compared with the effects of an EF or an internal focus of attention (IF). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify which of the three conditions (AF, EF or IF) leads to the highest performance in a countermovement jump (CMJ). Nineteen volunteers performed 12 series of 8 maximum CMJs. Changes in jump height between conditions and within the series were analysed. Jump heights differed between conditions (P jump heights at the end of the series in AF (+1.60%) and lower jump heights at the end of the series in EF (-1.79%) and IF (-1.68%) were observed. Muscle activity did not differ between conditions. The differences between conditions and within the series provide evidence that AF leads to higher performance and better progression within one series than EF and IF. Consequently, AF seems to outperform EF and IF when maximising jump height.

  7. Academic Detailing with Provider Audit and Feedback Improve Prescribing Quality for Older Veterans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenberg, Ann E; Echt, Katharina V; Kemp, Lawanda; McGwin, Gerald; Perkins, Molly M; Mirk, Anna K

    2018-03-01

    Suboptimal prescribing persists as a driver of poor quality care of older veterans and is associated with risk of hospitalization and emergency department visits. We adapted a successful medication management model, Integrated Management and Polypharmacy Review of Vulnerable Elders (IMPROVE), from an urban geriatric specialty clinic to rural community-based clinics that deliver primary care. The goals were to promote prescribing quality and safety for older adults, including reduced prescribing of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). We augmented the original model, which involved a pharmacist-led, one-on-one medication review with high-risk older veterans, to provide rural primary care providers (PCPs) and pharmacists with educational outreach through academic detailing and tools to support safe geriatric prescribing practices, as well as individual audit and feedback on prescribing practice and confidential peer benchmarking. Twenty PCPs and 4 pharmacists at 4 rural Georgia community-based outpatient clinics participated. More than 7,000 older veterans were seen in more than 20,000 PCP encounters during the 14-month intervention period. Implementation of the IMPROVE intervention reduced PIM prescribing incidence from 9.6 new medications per 100 encounters during baseline to 8.7 after the intervention (P = .009). IMPROVE reduced PIM prevalence (proportion of encounters involving veterans who were taking at least 1 PIM) from 22.6% to 16.7% (P < .001). These approaches were effective in reducing PIMs prescribed to older veterans in a rural setting and constitute a feasible model for disseminating geriatric best practices to the primary care setting. © 2018, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2018, The American Geriatrics Society.

  8. Factors Affecting Feeling-of-knowing in a Medical Intelligent Tutoring System – the role of Immediate Feedback as a Metacognitive Scaffold

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Saadawi, Gilan M.; Azevedo, Roger; Castine, Melissa; Payne, Velma; Medvedeva, Olga; Tseytlin, Eugene; Legowski, Elizabeth; Jukic, Drazen; Crowley, Rebecca S.

    2009-01-01

    Objective Previous studies in our laboratory have shown the benefits of immediate feedback on cognitive performance for pathology residents using an Intelligent Tutoring System in Pathology. In this study, we examined the effect of immediate feedback on metacognitive performance, and investigated whether other metacognitive scaffolds will support metacognitive gains when immediate feedback is faded. Methods Twenty-three (23) participants were randomized into intervention and control groups. For both groups, periods working with the ITS under varying conditions were alternated with independent computer-based assessments. On day 1, a within-subjects design was used to evaluate the effect of immediate feedback on cognitive and metacognitive performance. On day 2, a between-subjects design was used to compare the use of other metacognitive scaffolds (intervention group) against no metacognitive scaffolds (control group) on cognitive and metacognitive performance, as immediate feedback was faded. Measurements included learning gains (a measure of cognitive performance), as well as several measures of metacognitive performance, including Goodman-Kruskal Gamma correlation (G), Bias, and Discrimination. For the intervention group, we also computed metacognitive measures during tutoring sessions. Results Results showed that immediate feedback in an intelligent tutoring system had a statistically significant positive effect on learning gains, G and discrimination. Removal of immediate feedback was associated with decreasing metacognitive performance, and this decline was not prevented when students used a version of the tutoring system that provided other metacognitive scaffolds. Results obtained directly from the ITS suggest that other metacognitive scaffolds do have a positive effect on G and Discrimination, as immediate feedback is faded. Conclusions Immediate feedback had a positive effect on both metacognitive and cognitive gains in a medical tutoring system. Other

  9. Final analysis of the engineering data on the scyllac feedback stabilization experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kutac, K.J.; Kewish, R.W.; Miller, G.; Gribble, R.F.

    1977-01-01

    The feedback stabilization system consists of four basic components: plasma position detectors, a signal processor or mode analyzer driven by the position detector signals, power amplifiers which are driven by the mode analyzer, and feedback load coils driven by the power amplifiers. A short description of each of the four components of the system is presented. The location of the components in the experiment is shown

  10. Efficacy of the Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline in Twin Families (VIPP-Twins): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Euser, Saskia; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J; van den Bulk, Bianca G; Linting, Mariëlle; Damsteegt, Rani C; Vrijhof, Claudia I; van Wijk, Ilse C; Crone, Eveline A; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H

    2016-06-06

    Intervention programs with the aim of enhancing parenting quality have been found to be differentially effective in decreasing negative child outcomes such as externalizing behavioral problems, resulting in modest overall effect sizes. Here we present the protocol for a randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of the Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline for Twin Families (VIPP-Twins) on parenting quality and children's behavioral control and social competence. In addition, we aim to test the differential susceptibility theory; we examine differential efficacy of the intervention based on genetic make-up or temperament for both parents and children. Lastly, we explore neurobiological mechanisms underlying intervention effects on children's developmental outcomes. The original VIPP-SD was adapted for use in families with twins. The VIPP-Twins consists of five biweekly sessions in which the families are visited at home, parent-child interactions are videotaped and parents receive positive feedback on selected video fragments. Families (N = 225) with a same sex twin (mean age = 3.6 years) were recruited to participate in the study. The study consists of four assessments. After two baseline assessments in year 1 and year 2, a random 40 % of the sample will receive the VIPP-Twins program. The first post-test assessment will be carried out one month after the intervention and there will be a long term follow-up assessment two years after the intervention. Measures include observational assessments of parenting and children's social competence and behavioral control, and neurobiological assessments (i.e., hormonal functioning and neural (re-)activity). Results of the study will provide insights in the efficacy of the VIPP-Twins and reveal moderators and mediators of program efficacy. Overall the randomized controlled trial is an experimental test of the differential susceptibility theory. Dutch Trial

  11. A satellite digital controller or 'play that PID tune again, Sam'. [Position, Integral, Derivative feedback control algorithm for design strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seltzer, S. M.

    1976-01-01

    The problem discussed is to design a digital controller for a typical satellite. The controlled plant is considered to be a rigid body acting in a plane. The controller is assumed to be a digital computer which, when combined with the proposed control algorithm, can be represented as a sampled-data system. The objective is to present a design strategy and technique for selecting numerical values for the control gains (assuming position, integral, and derivative feedback) and the sample rate. The technique is based on the parameter plane method and requires that the system be amenable to z-transform analysis.

  12. Feedback effects on students' writing motivation, process, and performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duijnhouwer, H.

    2010-01-01

    Many students’ writing capacities remain insufficient during college years (Kellogg & Whiteford, 2009). Teachers try to improve students’ writing skills by providing them with feedback on their texts. Remarkably, research on the effects of feedback provided on written products is scarce (Graham &

  13. Targeted Feedback in the Milestones Era: Utilization of the Ask-Tell-Ask Feedback Model to Promote Reflection and Self-Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Judith C; Colbert, Colleen Y; Pien, Lily C; Dannefer, Elaine F; Taylor, Christine A

    2015-01-01

    The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Milestones Project focuses trainee education on the formation of valued behaviors and skills believed to be necessary for trainees to become independent practitioners. The development and refinement of behaviors and skills outlined within the milestones will require learners to monitor, reflect, and assess their own performance over time. External feedback provides an opportunity for learners to recalibrate their self-assessments, thereby enabling them to develop better self-monitoring and self-assessment skills. Yet, feedback to trainees is frequently generic, such as "great job," "nice work," or "you need to read more." In this article, we describe a feedback model that faculty can use to provide specific feedback, while increasing accountability for learners. We offer practical examples of its use in a variety of settings in the milestone era. The Ask-Tell-Ask (ATA) patient communication skills strategy, which was adapted for use as a trainee feedback model 10 years ago at our institution, is a learner-centered approach for reinforcing and modifying behaviors. The model is efficient, promotes learner accountability, and helps trainees develop reflection and self-assessment skills. A feedback agreement further enhances ATA by establishing a shared understanding of goals for the educational encounter. The ATA feedback model, combined with a feedback agreement, encourages learners to self-identify strengths and areas for improvement, before receiving feedback. Personal monitoring, reflection, self-assessment, and increased accountability make ATA an ideal learner-centered feedback model for the milestones era, which focuses on performance improvement over time. We believe the introduction of the ATA feedback model in surgical training programs is a step in the right direction towards meaningful programmatic culture change. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier

  14. Corticocortical feedback increases the spatial extent of normalization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nassi, Jonathan J; Gómez-Laberge, Camille; Kreiman, Gabriel; Born, Richard T

    2014-01-01

    Normalization has been proposed as a canonical computation operating across different brain regions, sensory modalities, and species. It provides a good phenomenological description of non-linear response properties in primary visual cortex (V1), including the contrast response function and surround suppression. Despite its widespread application throughout the visual system, the underlying neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. We recently observed that corticocortical feedback contributes to surround suppression in V1, raising the possibility that feedback acts through normalization. To test this idea, we characterized area summation and contrast response properties in V1 with and without feedback from V2 and V3 in alert macaques and applied a standard normalization model to the data. Area summation properties were well explained by a form of divisive normalization, which computes the ratio between a neuron's driving input and the spatially integrated activity of a "normalization pool." Feedback inactivation reduced surround suppression by shrinking the spatial extent of the normalization pool. This effect was independent of the gain modulation thought to mediate the influence of contrast on area summation, which remained intact during feedback inactivation. Contrast sensitivity within the receptive field center was also unaffected by feedback inactivation, providing further evidence that feedback participates in normalization independent of the circuit mechanisms involved in modulating contrast gain and saturation. These results suggest that corticocortical feedback contributes to surround suppression by increasing the visuotopic extent of normalization and, via this mechanism, feedback can play a critical role in contextual information processing.

  15. Peer Feedback in Second Language Writing (2005-2014)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Shulin; Lee, Icy

    2016-01-01

    This article reviews research on peer feedback in second language (L2) writing published in the last decade (i.e. 2005-2014). We analyse first the theoretical underpinnings that have informed both peer feedback research and the pedagogical use of peer feedback in L2 writing instruction. We also provide a critical interpretation of existing peer…

  16. Further investigation of spectral temperature feedbacks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kornreich, D.E.

    1997-11-01

    This paper serves two purposes: (1) to introduce some new calculations of the temperature coefficients for uranium solutions, and (2) to examine some simplified calculations based on earlier work. Uranium solutions, while never having positive temperature coefficients, show trends in the feedback coefficient as a function of solution concentration that are similar to those seen for plutonium solutions. For both the plutonium and uranium solutions, the feedback coefficient experiences a local minimum near the over/under moderation transition point. The earlier work on the simplified calculations is expanded to include better treatment of cross sections and to include strict numerical integration techniques

  17. Feedback Conversations: Creating Feedback Dialogues with a New Textual Tool for Industrial Design Student Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funk, Mathias; van Diggelen, Migchiel

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, the authors describe how a study of a large database of written university teacher feedback in the department of Industrial Design led to the development of a new conceptual framework for feedback and the design of a new feedback tool. This paper focuses on the translation of related work in the area of feedback mechanisms for…

  18. Effect of biased feedback on motor imagery learning in BCI-teleoperation system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam eAlimardani

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Feedback design is an important issue in motor imagery BCI systems. Regardless, to date it has not been reported how feedback presentation can optimize co-adaptation between a human brain and such systems. This paper assesses the effect of realistic visual feedback on users’ BC performance and motor imagery skills. We previously developed a tele-operation system for a pair of humanlike robotic hands and showed that BCI control of such hands along with first-person perspective visual feedback of movements can arouse a sense of embodiment in the operators. In the first stage of this study, we found that the intensity of this ownership illusion was associated with feedback presentation and subjects’ performance during BCI motion control. In the second stage, we probed the effect of positive and negative feedback bias on subjects’ BCI performance and motor imagery skills. Although the subject specific classifier, which was set up at the beginning of experiment, detected no significant change in the subjects’ online performance, evaluation of brain activity patterns revealed that subjects’ self-regulation of motor imagery features improved due to a positive bias of feedback and a possible occurrence of ownership illusion. Our findings suggest that in general training protocols for BCIs, manipulation of feedback can play an important role in the optimization of subjects’ motor imagery skills.

  19. Feedback on Feedback: Eliciting Learners' Responses to Written Feedback through Student-Generated Screencasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Toro, María; Furnborough, Concha

    2014-01-01

    Despite the potential benefits of assignment feedback, learners often fail to use it effectively. This study examines the ways in which adult distance learners engage with written feedback on one of their assignments. Participants were 10 undergraduates studying Spanish at the Open University, UK. Their responses to feedback were elicited by means…

  20. Writing Helpful Feedback: The Influence of Feedback Type on Students' Perceptions and Writing Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alyssa Taylor

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Written feedback on students’ assignments is a common method that instructors and teaching assistants use to inform students about their performance or guide revisions. Despite its frequency of use, written feedback often lacks sufficient detail to be beneficial to students, and additional empirical research should examine its effectiveness as a teaching tool. The current study examined the effectiveness of two different types of feedback, developed and undeveloped, in terms of its influence on students’ subsequent writing performance and students’ perceptions of the feedback. Results demonstrated that the type of feedback significantly affected students’ perceptions, with developed feedback related to higher ratings of fairness and helpfulness; however, this feedback did not have a significant positive effect on students’ written performance.Les commentaires écrits sur les travaux sont une méthode courante utilisée par les enseignants et les aides-enseignants pour renseigner les étudiants sur leurs performances ou pour orienter les révisions. Malgré leur fréquence, il arrive souvent que les commentaires écrits ne soient pas assez détaillés pour être profitables aux étudiants. De plus amples recherches empiriques devraient se pencher sur l’efficacité de cet outil d'enseignement. La présente étude porte sur l'efficacité de différents types de commentaires élaborés et sous-élaborés; sur leur influence sur la performance écrite subséquente des étudiants et sur la perception de ces derniers à propos des commentaires. Les résultats démontrent que le type de commentaires influe significativement sur la perception des étudiants, les commentaires élaborés entraînant des évaluations supérieures en ce qui a trait à l’impartialité et à l'utilité; cependant, ces commentaires n'ont pas d'effets positifs importants sur la performance écrite des étudiants.

  1. RF feedback simulation results for PEP-II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tighe, R.; Corredoura, P.

    1995-06-01

    A model of the RF feedback system for PEP-II has been developed to provide time-domain simulation and frequency-domain analysis of the complete system. The model includes the longitudinal beam dynamics, cavity fundamental resonance, feedback loops, and the nonlinear klystron operating near saturation. Transients from an ion clearing gap and a reference phase modulation from the longitudinal feedback system are also studied. Growth rates are predicted and overall system stability examined

  2. Interpretation of Melanoma Risk Feedback in First-Degree Relatives of Melanoma Patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hay, J. L.; Baguer, C.; Li, Y.; Orlow, I.; Berwick, M.

    2012-01-01

    Little is known about how individuals might interpret brief genetic risk feedback. We examined interpretation and behavioral intentions (sun protection, skin screening) in melanoma first-degree relatives (FDRs) after exposure to brief prototypic melanoma risk feedback. Using a 3 by 2 experimental pre-post design where feedback type (high-risk mutation, gene environment, and nongenetic) and risk level (positive versus negative findings) were systematically varied, 139 melanoma FDRs were randomized to receive one of the six scenarios. All scenarios included an explicit reminder that melanoma family history increased their risk regardless of their feedback. The findings indicate main effects by risk level but not feedback type; positive findings led to heightened anticipated melanoma risk perceptions and anticipated behavioral intentions. Yet those who received negative findings often discounted their family melanoma history. As such, 25%, 30%, and 32% of those who received negative mutation, gene-environment, and nongenetic feedback, respectively, reported that their risk was similar to the general population. Given the frequency with which those who pursue genetic testing may receive negative feedback, attention is needed to identify ideal strategies to present negative genetic findings in contexts such as direct to consumer channels where extensive genetic counseling is not required.

  3. Communicating Truthfully and Positively in Appraising Work Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearce, C. Glenn; And Others

    1989-01-01

    Explores the issue of acceptable behavior for managers when giving feedback to their subordinates. Notes that feedback can be either truthful or untruthful, and can be communicated either positively or negatively. Describes the advantages and disadvantages for each feedback approach to work performance. (MM)

  4. English Learners Perception on Lecturers’ Corrective Feedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Titien Fatmawaty Mohammad

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The importance of written corrective feedback (CF has been an issue of substantial debate in the literature and this controversial issue has led to a development in latest studies to draw on foreign language acquisition (FLA research as a way to further comprehend the complexities of this issue particularly how students and teachers perceive the effectiveness of written corrective feedback. This research has largely focused on students’ perception on Lecturers’ corrective feedback, perceives the usefulness of different types of corrective feedback and the reasons they have for their preferences. Qualitative data was collected from 40 EFL students in 6th semester, by means of written questionnaires, interview and observation. Four feedback strategies were employed in this research and ranked each statement by using five-point Likert scale. Findings showed that almost all students 81.43 % want correction or feedback from lecturers for the mistakes on their writing. For the type of written corrective feedback, students prefer lecturers mark their mistakes and give comment on their work with the percentage as follows: 93% students found that giving clues or comment about how to fix errors can improve their writing ability, 76.69% of the students found that error identification is the most useful type of feedback, and 57.50% of students have a positive opinion for the provision of correction which is accompanied by comment. Those percentages of students perspective is supported by students’ explanation in an open ended question of questionnaire. Pedagogical implications of the study are also discussed.

  5. Positive smoking cessation-related interactions with HIV care providers increase the likelihood of interest in cessation among HIV-positive cigarette smokers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pacek, Lauren R; Rass, Olga; Johnson, Matthew W

    2017-10-01

    Smoking cessation has proven to be a challenge for HIV-positive smokers. Patient and provider characteristics may provide barriers to smoking cessation. We aimed to identify characteristics associated with interest in cessation as well as characterize use of, current interest in, and provider recommendations for smoking cessation modalities. Data came from 275 HIV-positive smokers recruited online. Half (49.1%) of the sample was interested in quitting; daily smoking was associated with decreased likelihood of interest in cessation, whereas making a lifetime quit attempt, receiving encouragement to quit from an HIV care provider, and greater frequency of discussions regarding cessation with HIV care providers were associated with increased likelihood of interest in cessation. Nicotine replacement therapy was the most commonly used (42.9%), generated the most interest (59.1%), and was the most commonly clinician-recommended (70.7%) cessation modality. Findings emphasize the importance of the healthcare provider-patient relationship for smoking cessation promotion in HIV-positive smokers.

  6. Entropy as a measure of the noise extent in a two-level quantum feedback controlled system

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Wang Tao-Bo; Fang Mao-Fa; Hu Yao-Hua

    2007-01-01

    By introducing the von Neumann entropy as a measure of the extent of noise, this paper discusses the entropy evolution in a two-level quantum feedback controlled system. The results show that the feedback control can induce the reduction of the degree of noise, and different control schemes exhibit different noise controlling ability, the extent of the reduction also related with the position of the target state on the Bloch sphere. It is shown that the evolution of entropy can provide a real time noise observation and a systematic guideline to make reasonable choice of control strategy.

  7. Feedback in online course for non-native English-speaking students

    CERN Document Server

    Olesova, Larisa

    2013-01-01

    Feedback in Online Course for Non-Native English-Speaking Students is an investigation of the effectiveness of audio and text feedback provided in English in an online course for non-native English-speaking students. The study presents results showing how audio and text feedback can impact on non-native English-speaking students' higher-order learning as they participate in an asynchronous online course. It also discusses the results of how students perceive both types of the feedback provided. In addition, the study examines how the impact and perceptions differ when the instructor giving the

  8. Development and implementation of an objective structured clinical examination to provide formative feedback on communication and interpersonal skills in geriatric training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Sullivan, Patricia; Chao, Serena; Russell, Matthew; Levine, Sharon; Fabiny, Anne

    2008-09-01

    Teaching and assessment of communication and interpersonal skills, one of the American Council for Graduate Medical Education-designated core competencies, is an important but difficult task in the training of physicians. Assessment of trainees offers an opportunity to provide explicit feedback on their skills and encourages learning. This article describes a pilot study in which clinician-educators affiliated with the geriatrics training programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston University Medical Center designed and piloted a novel Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to assess the communication and interpersonal skills of medical, dental, and geriatric psychiatry fellows. The OSCE consisted of three stations where geriatricians and standardized patients evaluated candidates using specifically designed checklists and an abbreviated version of the Master Interview Rating Scale. Communication skills were assessed through performance of specific "real life" clinical tasks, such as obtaining a medical history, explaining a diagnosis and prognosis, giving therapeutic instructions, and counseling. Interpersonal skills were assessed through the effect of the communication between doctor and standardized patient on fostering trust, relieving anxiety, and establishing a therapeutic relationship. This pilot study demonstrated that the OSCE format of assessment provides a valid means of evaluating the communication and interpersonal skills of interdisciplinary geriatric trainees and provides a valuable forum for formative assessment and feedback. Given that geriatricians and non geriatricians involved in elder care both need communication and interpersonal skills, this novel OSCE can be used for assessment of these skills in trainees in diverse healthcare subspecialties.

  9. The value of feedback in forecasting competitions

    OpenAIRE

    George Athanasopoulos; Rob J Hyndman

    2011-01-01

    In this paper we challenge the traditional design used for forecasting competitions. We implement an online competition with a public leaderboard that provides instant feedback to competitors who are allowed to revise and resubmit forecasts. The results show that feedback significantly improves forecasting accuracy.

  10. A Closer Look at the Relationship between Justice Perceptions and Feedback Reactions: The role of the quality of the relationship with the supervisor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marjolein Feys

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Two field studies were undertaken to investigate the nature of the relationship between justice perceptions and feedback reactions. Previous work suggests that the relationship between procedural justice and feedback reactions is mediated by the quality of the relationship with the supervisor. However, there are also good theoretical reasons to hypothesise that the relationship between justice perceptions and feedback reactions is moderated by relationship quality. Across two field studies, we found support for both mediated and moderated relationships. Results of the moderator analyses showed that the positive relationship between justice perceptions and feedback reactions was more pronounced for subordinates in a low-quality relationship with their supervisor. The present results provide useful suggestions for enhancing feedback reactions in organisations.

  11. Younger but not older adults benefit from salient feedback during learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael eHerbert

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Older adults are impaired in reinforcement learning (RL when feedback is partially ambiguous (e.g., Eppinger and Kray, 2011. In this study we examined whether older adults benefit from salient feedback information during learning. We used an electrophysiological approach and investigated 15 younger and 15 older adults with a RL task in which they had to learn stimulus-response associations under two learning conditions. In the positive learning conditions, participants could gain 50 Cents for a correct response but did not gain or lose money (*00 Cent for an incorrect response. In negative learning conditions, they could lose 50 Cents for an incorrect response but did not gain or lose money (*00 Cent for a correct response. As the identical outcome 00 Cent is either better or worse than the alternative outcome depending on the learning condition, this feedback type is ambiguous. To examine the influence of feedback salience we compared this condition with a condition in which positive and negative outcomes were color-coded and thereby clearly separable. The behavioral results indicated that younger adults reached higher accuracy levels under salient feedback conditions. Moreover, the error-related negativity (ERN and the feedback-related negativity (FRN for losses were larger if the good-bad dimension of feedback was salient. Hence, in younger adults salient feedback facilitates the rapid evaluation of outcomes on a good-bad dimension and by this supports learning. In contrast, for older adults we obtained neither behavioral nor electrophysiological effects of feedback salience. The older adults’ performance monitoring system therefore appears less flexible in integrating additional information in this evaluation process.

  12. Depression and selection of positive and negative social feedback: motivated preference or cognitive balance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alloy, L B; Lipman, A J

    1992-05-01

    In this commentary we examine Swann, Wenzlaff, Krull, and Pelham's (1992) findings with respect to each of 5 central propositions in self-verification theory. We conclude that although the data are consistent with self-verification theory, none of the 5 components of the theory have been demonstrated convincingly as yet. Specifically, we argue that depressed subjects' selection of social feedback appears to be balanced or evenhanded rather than biased toward negative feedback and that there is little evidence to indicate that depressives actively seek negative appraisals. Furthermore, we suggest that the studies are silent with respect to the motivational postulates of self-verification theory and that a variety of competing cognitive and motivational models can explain Swann et al.'s findings as well as self-verification theory.

  13. Feedback control modeling of plasma position and current during intense heating in ISX-B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charlton, L.A.; Swain, D.W.; Neilson, G.H.

    1979-08-01

    The ISX-B Tokamak at ORNL is designed to have 1.8 MW (and eventually 3 MW) of neutral beam power injected to heat the plasma. This power may raise the anti β of the plasma to over 5% in less than 50 msec if the plasma is MHD stable. The results of a numerical simulation of the feedback control system and poloidal coil power supplies necessary to control the resulting noncircular (D-shaped or elliptical) plasma are presented. The resulting feedback control system is shown to be straightforward, although nonlinear voltage-current dependence is assumed in the power supplies. The required power supplied to the poloidal coils in order to contain the plasma under the high heating rates is estimated

  14. Task feedback effects on conflict monitoring and executive control: relationship to subclinical measures of depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, Avram J; Pizzagalli, Diego A

    2007-02-01

    Emerging evidence suggests that depression is associated with executive dysfunction, particularly after committing errors or receiving negative performance feedback. To test this hypothesis, 57 participants performed two executive tasks known to elicit errors (the Simon and Stroop Tasks) during positive or negative performance feedback. Participants with elevated depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory scores >or= 13) were characterized by impaired posterror and postconflict performance adjustments, especially during emotionally negative task-related feedback. Additionally, for both tasks, depressive symptoms were inversely related to postconflict reaction time adjustments following negative, but not positive, feedback. These findings suggest that subclinical depression is associated with impairments in behavioral adjustments after internal (perceived failure) and external feedback about deficient task performance. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

  15. About Politeness, Face, and Feedback: Exploring Resident and Faculty Perceptions of How Institutional Feedback Culture Influences Feedback Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramani, Subha; Könings, Karen D; Mann, Karen V; Pisarski, Emily E; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

    2018-03-06

    To explore resident and faculty perspectives on what constitutes feedback culture, their perceptions of how institutional feedback culture (including politeness concepts) might influence the quality and impact of feedback, feedback seeking, receptivity, and readiness to engage in bidirectional feedback. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, five focus group discussions with internal medicine residents, three focus group discussions with general medicine faculty, and eight individual interviews with subspecialist faculty were conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital between April and December 2016. Discussions and interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim; concurrent data collection and analysis were performed using the constant comparative approach. Analysis was considered through the lens of politeness theory and organizational culture. Twenty-nine residents and twenty-two general medicine faculty participated in focus group discussions, and eight subspecialty faculty participated in interviews. The institutional feedback culture was described by participants as: (1) a culture of politeness, in which language potentially damaging to residents' self-esteem was discouraged, and (2) a culture of excellence, in which the institution's outstanding reputation and pedigree of trainees inhibited constructive feedback. Three key themes situated within this broader cultural context were discovered: normalizing constructive feedback to promote a culture of growth, overcoming the mental block to feedback seeking, and hierarchical culture impeding bidirectional feedback. An institutional feedback culture of excellence and politeness may impede honest, meaningful feedback and may impact feedback seeking, receptivity, and bidirectional feedback exchanges. It is essential to understand the institutional feedback culture before it can be successfully changed.

  16. Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting adapted to Autism (VIPP-AUTI): A randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poslawsky, Irina E; Naber, Fabiënne Ba; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J; van Daalen, Emma; van Engeland, Herman; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H

    2015-07-01

    In a randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the early intervention program Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting adapted to Autism (VIPP-AUTI) with 78 primary caregivers and their child (16-61 months) with Autism Spectrum Disorder. VIPP-AUTI is a brief attachment-based intervention program, focusing on improving parent-child interaction and reducing the child's individual Autism Spectrum Disorder-related symptomatology in five home visits. VIPP-AUTI, as compared with usual care, demonstrated efficacy in reducing parental intrusiveness. Moreover, parents who received VIPP-AUTI showed increased feelings of self-efficacy in child rearing. No significant group differences were found on other aspects of parent-child interaction or on child play behavior. At 3-months follow-up, intervention effects were found on child-initiated joint attention skills, not mediated by intervention effects on parenting. Implementation of VIPP-AUTI in clinical practice is facilitated by the use of a detailed manual and a relatively brief training of interveners. © The Author(s) 2014.

  17. A Content Analysis of Peer Feedback in Triadic Supervision

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avent, Janeé R.; Wahesh, Edward; Purgason, Lucy L.; Borders, L. DiAnne; Mobley, A. Keith

    2015-01-01

    There is limited research on the types of peer feedback exchanged during triadic supervision. Through a content analysis, the authors found that students provided feedback about counseling performance and cognitive counseling skills most often in supervision sessions. However, there were differences in the types of feedback exchanged across three…

  18. False physiological feedback and persuasion: effect of fear arousal vs. fear reduction on attitude change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendrick, C; Giesen, M; Borden, R

    1975-06-01

    Two experiments tested the hypothesis that increases in false physiological feedback of fear arousal will enhance persuasion and that reduction in the arousal feedback is unnecessary for increased persuasion to occur. Prior research has usually found a positive relation between level of arousal and persuasion, but support for the drive reduction hypothesis is tenuous. However, Harris and Jellison (1971) claimed support for such a hypothesis. They manipulated subjects' fear arousal cognitively via false physiological feedback while the subjects listened to a persuasive communication. The present experiments used a similar procedure in an attempt to test an "arousal only" against an "arousal reduction" hypothesis. Subjects listened to a persuasive speech while receiving false feedback via a meter concerning their fear arousal. In Experiment I half of the subjects received high arousal and half received moderate arousal information. Within each of these conditions half of the subjects had their arousal reduced, and the other half did not. In Experiment II subjects received either low arousal, high arousal, or high then low arousal feedback while listening. The results of the two studies generally provided support for the "arousal only" hypothesis. An interpretation in terms of Bem's attribution theory was tentatively suggested.

  19. Voluntarily controlled but not merely observed visual feedback affects postural sway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asai, Tomohisa; Hiromitsu, Kentaro; Imamizu, Hiroshi

    2018-01-01

    Online stabilization of human standing posture utilizes multisensory afferences (e.g., vision). Whereas visual feedback of spontaneous postural sway can stabilize postural control especially when observers concentrate on their body and intend to minimize postural sway, the effect of intentional control of visual feedback on postural sway itself remains unclear. This study assessed quiet standing posture in healthy adults voluntarily controlling or merely observing visual feedback. The visual feedback (moving square) had either low or high gain and was either horizontally flipped or not. Participants in the voluntary-control group were instructed to minimize their postural sway while voluntarily controlling visual feedback, whereas those in the observation group were instructed to minimize their postural sway while merely observing visual feedback. As a result, magnified and flipped visual feedback increased postural sway only in the voluntary-control group. Furthermore, regardless of the instructions and feedback manipulations, the experienced sense of control over visual feedback positively correlated with the magnitude of postural sway. We suggest that voluntarily controlled, but not merely observed, visual feedback is incorporated into the feedback control system for posture and begins to affect postural sway. PMID:29682421

  20. Feedback, Lineages and Self-Organizing Morphogenesis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sameeran Kunche

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Feedback regulation of cell lineage progression plays an important role in tissue size homeostasis, but whether such feedback also plays an important role in tissue morphogenesis has yet to be explored. Here we use mathematical modeling to show that a particular feedback architecture in which both positive and negative diffusible signals act on stem and/or progenitor cells leads to the appearance of bistable or bi-modal growth behaviors, ultrasensitivity to external growth cues, local growth-driven budding, self-sustaining elongation, and the triggering of self-organization in the form of lamellar fingers. Such behaviors arise not through regulation of cell cycle speeds, but through the control of stem or progenitor self-renewal. Even though the spatial patterns that arise in this setting are the result of interactions between diffusible factors with antagonistic effects, morphogenesis is not the consequence of Turing-type instabilities.