What works with worked examples: Extending self-explanation and analogical comparison to synthesis problems

Science.gov (United States)

Badeau, Ryan; White, Daniel R.; Ibrahim, Bashirah; Ding, Lin; Heckler, Andrew F.

2017-12-01

The ability to solve physics problems that require multiple concepts from across the physics curriculum—"synthesis" problems—is often a goal of physics instruction. Three experiments were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of two instructional methods employing worked examples on student performance with synthesis problems; these instructional techniques, analogical comparison and self-explanation, have previously been studied primarily in the context of single-concept problems. Across three experiments with students from introductory calculus-based physics courses, both self-explanation and certain kinds of analogical comparison of worked examples significantly improved student performance on a target synthesis problem, with distinct improvements in recognition of the relevant concepts. More specifically, analogical comparison significantly improved student performance when the comparisons were invoked between worked synthesis examples. In contrast, similar comparisons between corresponding pairs of worked single-concept examples did not significantly improve performance. On a more complicated synthesis problem, self-explanation was significantly more effective than analogical comparison, potentially due to differences in how successfully students encoded the full structure of the worked examples. Finally, we find that the two techniques can be combined for additional benefit, with the trade-off of slightly more time on task.

Model-based explanation of plant knowledge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huuskonen, P.J. [VTT Electronics, Oulu (Finland). Embedded Software

1997-12-31

This thesis deals with computer explanation of knowledge related to design and operation of industrial plants. The needs for explanation are motivated through case studies and literature reviews. A general framework for analysing plant explanations is presented. Prototypes demonstrate key mechanisms for implementing parts of the framework. Power plants, steel mills, paper factories, and high energy physics control systems are studied to set requirements for explanation. The main problems are seen to be either lack or abundance of information. Design knowledge in particular is found missing at plants. Support systems and automation should be enhanced with ways to explain plant knowledge to the plant staff. A framework is formulated for analysing explanations of plant knowledge. It consists of three parts: 1. a typology of explanation, organised by the class of knowledge (factual, functional, or strategic) and by the target of explanation (processes, automation, or support systems), 2. an identification of explanation tasks generic for the plant domain, and 3. an identification of essential model types for explanation (structural, behavioural, functional, and teleological). The tasks use the models to create the explanations of the given classes. Key mechanisms are discussed to implement the generic explanation tasks. Knowledge representations based on objects and their relations form a vocabulary to model and present plant knowledge. A particular class of models, means-end models, are used to explain plant knowledge. Explanations are generated through searches in the models. Hypertext is adopted to communicate explanations over dialogue based on context. The results are demonstrated in prototypes. The VICE prototype explains the reasoning of an expert system for diagnosis of rotating machines at power plants. The Justifier prototype explains design knowledge obtained from an object-oriented plant design tool. Enhanced access mechanisms into on-line documentation are

Model-based explanation of plant knowledge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huuskonen, P J [VTT Electronics, Oulu (Finland). Embedded Software

1998-12-31

This thesis deals with computer explanation of knowledge related to design and operation of industrial plants. The needs for explanation are motivated through case studies and literature reviews. A general framework for analysing plant explanations is presented. Prototypes demonstrate key mechanisms for implementing parts of the framework. Power plants, steel mills, paper factories, and high energy physics control systems are studied to set requirements for explanation. The main problems are seen to be either lack or abundance of information. Design knowledge in particular is found missing at plants. Support systems and automation should be enhanced with ways to explain plant knowledge to the plant staff. A framework is formulated for analysing explanations of plant knowledge. It consists of three parts: 1. a typology of explanation, organised by the class of knowledge (factual, functional, or strategic) and by the target of explanation (processes, automation, or support systems), 2. an identification of explanation tasks generic for the plant domain, and 3. an identification of essential model types for explanation (structural, behavioural, functional, and teleological). The tasks use the models to create the explanations of the given classes. Key mechanisms are discussed to implement the generic explanation tasks. Knowledge representations based on objects and their relations form a vocabulary to model and present plant knowledge. A particular class of models, means-end models, are used to explain plant knowledge. Explanations are generated through searches in the models. Hypertext is adopted to communicate explanations over dialogue based on context. The results are demonstrated in prototypes. The VICE prototype explains the reasoning of an expert system for diagnosis of rotating machines at power plants. The Justifier prototype explains design knowledge obtained from an object-oriented plant design tool. Enhanced access mechanisms into on-line documentation are

Explanation components as interactive tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wahlster, W.

1983-01-01

The ability to explain itself is probably the most important criterion of the user-friendliness of interactive systems. Explanation aids in the form of simple help functions do not meet this criterion. The reasons for this are outlined. More promising is an explanation component which can give the user intelligible and context-oriented explanations. The essential requirement for this is the development of knowledge-based interactive systems using artificial intelligence methods and techniques. The authors report on experiences with the development of explanation components, in particular a number of examples from the HAM-ANS project. 12 references.

Sequential and simultaneous multiple explanation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Litchfield

2007-02-01

Full Text Available This paper reports two experiments comparing variants of multiple explanation applied in the early stages of a judgment task (a case involving employee theft where participants are not given a menu of response options. Because prior research has focused on situations where response options are provided to judges, we identify relevant dependent variables that an intervention might affect when such options are not given. We use these variables to build a causal model of intervention that illustrates both the intended effects of multiple explanation and some potentially competing processes that it may trigger. Although multiple explanation clearly conveys some benefits (e.g., willingness to delay action to engage in information search, increased detail, quality and confidence in alternative explanations in the present experiments, we also found evidence that it may initiate or enhance processes that attenuate its advantages (e.g., feelings that one does not need more data if one has multiple good explanations.

Scientific explanation in school: An enactive view

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim-Didi, Khadeeja

This study explores explanation-in-action, a corollary to an enactive orientation to cognition. Explanation, understood this way is identified as a semiotic, perceptually driven activity, where the interactions that arise between students that enable the engagement to continue indicate a certain tentative coherence of meaning that is brought forth in interaction in a constraining environment. Challenging summary state views of explanation as statement, this study explores the evolution of scientific explanation in two Grade Eight Maldivian classrooms. Enactivism, understood across different embodied cognitive systems, reconfigures the discourse on explanation by re-orienting the form in which explanation is understood. The notion of explanation-in-action as a topological function implicates the boundary of the cognitive system in the action. Further, it also recognizes that embedding boundaries and the dynamics that create the boundaries can constrain the explanation that occurs in different domains. In effect, the study calls for reconfiguring validation as in-action---as the constraining dynamic feature that emerges in the ongoing explanation-in-action. In the study I pay attention to the different boundaries of some systemic configurations in the classroom. I consider how the boundary conditions create the possibility for signification, and therefore, explanation. This research suggests that in explaining-in-action students are able to draw on the enabling possibilities of personal boundaries and the constraining social boundaries to further structure their explaining in ways that are local to the task at hand.

Theory-based explanation as intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Weisman, Kara; Markman, Ellen M

2017-10-01

Cogent explanations are an indispensable means of providing new information and an essential component of effective education. Beyond this, we argue that there is tremendous untapped potential in using explanations to motivate behavior change. In this article we focus on health interventions. We review four case studies that used carefully tailored explanations to address gaps and misconceptions in people's intuitive theories, providing participants with a conceptual framework for understanding how and why some recommended behavior is an effective way of achieving a health goal. These case studies targeted a variety of health-promoting behaviors: (1) children washing their hands to prevent viral epidemics; (2) parents vaccinating their children to stem the resurgence of infectious diseases; (3) adults completing the full course of an antibiotic prescription to reduce antibiotic resistance; and (4) children eating a variety of healthy foods to improve unhealthy diets. Simply telling people to engage in these behaviors has been largely ineffective-if anything, concern about these issues is mounting. But in each case, teaching participants coherent explanatory frameworks for understanding health recommendations has shown great promise, with such theory-based explanations outperforming state-of-the-art interventions from national health authorities. We contrast theory-based explanations both with simply listing facts, information, and advice and with providing a full-blown educational curriculum, and argue for providing the minimum amount of information required to understand the causal link between a target behavior and a health outcome. We argue that such theory-based explanations lend people the motivation and confidence to act on their new understanding.

Great Explanations: Opinionated Explanations for Recommendation

OpenAIRE

Muhammad, Khalil; Lawlor, Aonghus; Rafter, Rachael; Smyth, Barry

2015-01-01

Explaining recommendations helps users to make better, more satisfying decisions. We describe a novel approach to explanation for recommender systems, one that drives the recommendation process, while at the same time providing the user with useful insights into the reason why items have been chosen and the trade-os they may need to consider when making their choice. We describe this approach in the context ofa case-based recommender system that harnesses opinions mined from user-generated re...

The One-Child Policy, Elder Care, and LGB Chinese: A Social Policy Explanation for Family Pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrandt, Timothy

2018-01-03

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people in China consistently report family pressure as the greatest challenge they face in their daily lives. This problem has been explained primarily by highlighting sociocultural factors. While such explanations are important to understanding family pressure, they do not easily lead to actionable policy interventions to relieve it. This article suggests a new way of looking at family pressure by positing a social policy explanation. In particular, it reveals how both the one-child policy and elder care reforms have strong heteronormative biases that negatively and disproportionately affect LGB people, and it explores social policy interventions that may help address them. Beyond the China case, the article seeks to open up new avenues for research into how sexuality could be better accounted for in analyses of social policies and considered in broader discussions on defamilization and welfare state reform.

Automated Explanation for Educational Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Suthers, Daniel D.

1991-01-01

Artificial intelligence techniques available for generating explanations for teaching purposes are surveyed, and the way in which they are combined in a computer program that provides explanations is described. The program responds to questions in the physical sciences. Potential contributions of this technology to computer-based education are…

Problematic use of social network sites: the interactive relationship between gratifications sought and privacy concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsuan-Ting; Kim, Yonghwan

2013-11-01

Problematic Internet use has long been a matter of concern; however, few studies extend this line of research from general Internet use to the use of social network sites (SNSs), or explicate the problematic use of SNSs by understanding what factors may enhance or reduce users' compulsive behaviors and excessive form of use on SNSs. Building on literature that found a positive relationship between gratifications sought from the Internet and problematic Internet use, this study first explores the types of gratifications sought from SNSs and examines their relationship with problematic SNS use. It found that three types of gratifications-diversion, self-presentation, and relationship building-were positively related to problematic SNS use. In addition, with a growing body of research on SNS privacy, a moderating role of privacy concerns on SNSs has been proposed to understand how it can influence the relationship between gratifications sought from SNSs and problematic SNS use. The findings suggest that different subdimensions of privacy concerns interact with gratifications sought in different manners. In other words, privacy concerns, including unauthorized secondary use and improper access, play a more influential role in constraining the positive relationship between gratifications sought and problematic SNS use when individuals seek to build relationships on SNSs. However, if individuals seek to have diversion on SNSs, their privacy concerns will be overridden by their gratifications sought, which in turn leads to problematic SNS use. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Qualitative explanations for red giant formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhaskar, R.; Nigam, A.

1991-01-01

Recent research on giant formation has focused on the need for qualitative explanations. The explanations have the following general, qualitative form: the polytrope n assumes a certain value, that makes (d ln r)/(d ln z) take on a very large value; large increases in r can then be explained in terms of small changes in the variable z. This form is applicable to all the explanations current in the literature: they all have (1) either implicitly or explicitly, both a hydrostatic component and a luminosity-opacity component, and (2) a reliance on singular solutions. Dimensional analysis reveals that power laws that assume the polytrope n to 5 are identical in both the hydrostatic and luminosity-based explanations. 12 refs

Motivated Explanation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard ePatterson

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Although motivation is a well-established field of study in its own right, and has been fruitfully studied in connection with attribution theory and belief formation under the heading of motivated thinking, its powerful and pervasive influence on explanatory processes is less well explored. Where one has a strong motivation to understand some event correctly, one is thereby motivated to adhere as best one can to normative or epistemic criteria for correct or accurate explanation, even if one does not consciously formulate or apply such criteria. By contrast, many of our motivations to explain introduce bias into the processes involved in generating, evaluating, or giving of explanations. Non-epistemic explanatory motivations, or (following Kunda’s usage, directional motivations, include self-justification, resolution of cognitive dissonance, deliberate deception, teaching, and many more. Some of these motivations lead to the relaxation or violation of epistemic norms, combined with an effort to preserve the appearance of accuracy; others enhance epistemic motivation, so that one engages in more careful and thorough generational and evaluative processes. In short, real life explanatory processes are often constrained by multiple goals, epistemic and directional, where these goals may mutually reinforce one another or may conflict, and where our explanations emerge as a matter of weighing and satisfying those goals. Our proposals are largely programmatic, although we do review a good deal of relevant behavioral and neurological evidence. Specifically, we recognize five generative processes, some of which cover further sub-processes, and six evaluative processes. All of these are potential points of entry for the influence of motivation. We then suggest in some detail how specific sorts of explanatory motivation interact with specific explanatory processes.

WPPSS debacle: explanations and lessons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, M.B.

1984-01-01

Principal explanations for the WPPSS events to date can be more or less satisfactorily derived. Five explanations appear to dominate: (1) the long and previously successful history of public power in the Pacific Northwest; (2) overoptimism by architect/engineers and consulting engineers about construction costs and construction durations; (3) laxness by bond counsel in scrutinizing and disclosing potential legal impediments to the various transactions involved; (4) WPPSS easy access to capital markets, combined with naivete in those markets; and (5) the inability of WPPSS to manage and oversee the construction process. This paper explains the specific reasons for, and the importance of, each of these five explanations for the WPPSS debacle. It then develops lessons and conclusions for the future which can be derived from this debacle. 12 references

Scientific Explanations and Piagetian Operational Levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Bass, Joel E.; Maddux, Cleborne D.

1982-01-01

Examined effects of operational levels of ninth-grade (N=16) and college (N=40) students on causal explanations they recalled after instruction. Results indicate concrete/formal students recalled explanations requiring chaining of two implication statements while formal subjects outperformed concrete subjects in reconstruction of complex…

Is the bias for function-based explanations culturally universal? Children from China endorse teleological explanations of natural phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Schachner, Adena; Zhu, Liqi; Li, Jing; Kelemen, Deborah

2017-01-01

Young children in Western cultures tend to endorse teleological (function-based) explanations broadly across many domains, even when scientifically unwarranted. For instance, in contrast to Western adults, they explicitly endorse the idea that mountains were created for climbing, just like hats were created for warmth. Is this bias a product of culture, or a product of universal aspects of human cognition? In two studies, we explored whether adults and children in Mainland China, a highly secular, non-Western culture, show a bias for teleological explanations. When explaining both object properties (Exp. 1) and origins (Exp. 2), we found evidence that they do. While Chinese adults restricted teleological explanations to scientifically warranted cases, Chinese children endorsed them more broadly, extending them across different kinds of natural phenomena. This bias decreased with rising grade level across first, second and fourth grade. Overall, these data provide evidence that children’s bias for teleological explanations is not solely a product of Western Abrahamic cultures. Instead, it extends to other cultures including the East Asian secular culture of modern-day China. This suggests that the bias for function-based explanations may be driven by universal aspects of human cognition. PMID:28110152

Axis: Generating Explanations at Scale with Learnersourcing and Machine Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Joseph Jay; Kim, Juho; Rafferty, Anna; Heffernan, Neil; Maldonado, Samuel; Gajos, Krzysztof Z.; Lasecki, Walter S.; Heffernan, Neil

2016-01-01

While explanations may help people learn by providing information about why an answer is correct, many problems on online platforms lack high-quality explanations. This paper presents AXIS (Adaptive eXplanation Improvement System), a system for obtaining explanations. AXIS asks learners to generate, revise, and evaluate explanations as they solve…

Economic explanations for concurrent sourcing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mols, Niels Peter

2010-01-01

Concurrent sourcing is a phenomenon where firms simultaneously make and buy the same good, i.e. they simultaneously use the governance modes of market and hierarchy. Though concurrent sourcing seems to be widespread, few studies of sourcing have focused on this phenomenon. This paper reviews...... different economic explanations for why firms use concurrent sourcing. The distinctive features of the explanations are compared, and it is discussed how they may serve as a springboard for research on concurrent sourcing. Managerial implications are also offered....

Evolutionary Explanations of Eating Disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Kardum

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This article reviews several most important evolutionary mechanisms that underlie eating disorders. The first part clarifies evolutionary foundations of mental disorders and various mechanisms leading to their development. In the second part selective pressures and evolved adaptations causing contemporary epidemic of obesity as well as differences in dietary regimes and life-style between modern humans and their ancestors are described. Concerning eating disorders, a number of current evolutionary explanations of anorexia nervosa are presented together with their main weaknesses. Evolutionary explanations of eating disorders based on the reproductive suppression hypothesis and its variants derived from kin selection theory and the model of parental manipulation were elaborated. The sexual competition hypothesis of eating disorder, adapted to flee famine hypothesis as well as explanation based on the concept of social attention holding power and the need to belonging were also explained. The importance of evolutionary theory in modern conceptualization and research of eating disorders is emphasized.

The status of functional explanation in psychology: reduction and mechanistic explanation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gervais, H.; Looren De Jong, H.

2013-01-01

The validity of functional explanations as they are commonly used in psychology has recently come under attack. Kim's supervenience argument purports to prove that higher-level generalizations have no causal powers of their own, and hence are explanatorily irrelevant. In a nutshell, the

Turing patterns and biological explanation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Serban, Maria

2017-01-01

, promoting theory exploration, and acting as constitutive parts of empirically adequate explanations of naturally occurring phenomena, such as biological pattern formation. Focusing on the roles that minimal model explanations play in science motivates the adoption of a broader diachronic view of scientific......Turing patterns are a class of minimal mathematical models that have been used to discover and conceptualize certain abstract features of early biological development. This paper examines a range of these minimal models in order to articulate and elaborate a philosophical analysis...

Pupils' evaluation and generation of evidence and explanation in argumentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Glassner, Amnon; Weinstock, Michael; Neuman, Yair

2005-03-01

Studies on argument have found that participants tend to prefer explanations to evidence. This apparent bias toward explanation has been qualified recently by research that has found it to diminish with the availability of evidence. This study examines the use of explanation versus evidence in the context of argumentation with reference to the goals of particular argument situations. Seventy-nine eighth-grade pupils at a regular, urban middle school. The pupils read argumentation scenarios, each having the stated goal of either explaining or proving a claim. The pupils rated the degree to which each of two provided assertions (one a theoretical explanation, and the other evidence-based) helped achieve the goal of the argument. On a second task, the pupils chose which of the two assertions should be more effective in achieving the argument goal. On the third task, the pupils generated either an explanation or evidence for each of the argumentation scenarios. Pupils demonstrated sensitivity to the relative epistemic strength of explanation and evidence. They rated explanations as more advantageous in achieving the explanation goal, and evidence as more advantageous in achieving the proof goal. Conversely, however, when asked to generate or recall an explanation or evidence, pupils produced more explanations than evidence independent of the argumentation goal. The study refines the definition of argumentation context to include specific goals. Pupils were sensitive to the context of the argumentation situation (e.g.goals, availability of evidence). However, they appeared to have a disposition toward explanation when asked to produce an explanation or evidence-based justification.

Explanation and Categorization: How "Why?" Informs "What?"

Science.gov (United States)

Lombrozo, Tania

2009-01-01

Recent theoretical and empirical work suggests that explanation and categorization are intimately related. This paper explores the hypothesis that explanations can help structure conceptual representations, and thereby influence the relative importance of features in categorization decisions. In particular, features may be differentially important…

Generating Explanations for Internet-based Business Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Fischer

2007-06-01

Full Text Available It is widely established debriefing in business games is important and influences the students' learning performance. Most games only support game statistics instead of explaining solution paths. We suggest the automatic generation of explanations for internet-mediated business games to improve the debriefing quality. As a proof of concept we developed a prototype of an internet-based auction game embedding an open simulation model and an automatic explanation component helping students and teachers to analyse the decision making process. This paper describes the usefulness of automated explanations and the underlying generic software architecture.

Generating explanations via analogical comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoyos, Christian; Gentner, Dedre

2017-10-01

Generating explanations can be highly effective in promoting learning in both adults and children. Our interest is in the mechanisms that underlie this effect and in whether and how they operate in early learning. In adult reasoning, explanation may call on many subprocesses-including comparison, counterfactual reasoning, and reasoning by exclusion; but it is unlikely that all these processes are available to young children. We propose that one process that may serve both children and adults is comparison. In this study, we asked whether children would use the results of a comparison experience when asked to explain why a model skyscraper was stable. We focused on a challenging principle-that diagonal cross-bracing lends stability to physical structures (Gentner et al., Cognitive Science, 40, 224-240, 2016). Six-year-olds either received no training or interacted with model skyscrapers in one of three different conditions, designed to vary in their potential to invite and support comparison. In the Single Model condition, children interacted with a single braced model. In the comparison conditions (Low Alignability and High Alignability), children compared braced and unbraced models. Following experience with the models, children were asked to explain why the braced model was stable. They then received two transfer tasks. We found that children who received highly alignable pairs were most likely to (a) produce brace-based explanations and (b) transfer the brace principle to a dissimilar context. This provides evidence that children can benefit from analogical comparison in generating explanations and also suggests limitations on this ability.

5 CFR 1201.101 - Explanation and definitions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... definitions. (a) Explanation. An ex parte communication is an oral or written communication between a decision... outcome of a proceeding before the Board. (2) Decision-making official means any judge, officer or other... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Explanation and definitions. 1201.101...

Students' reasons for preferring teleological explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Trommler, Friederike; Gresch, Helge; Hammann, Marcus

2018-01-01

The teleological bias, a major learning obstacle, involves explaining biological phenomena in terms of purposes and goals. To probe the teleological bias, researchers have used acceptance judgement tasks and preference judgement tasks. In the present study, such tasks were used with German high school students (N = 353) for 10 phenomena from human biology, that were explained both teleologically and causally. A sub-sample (n = 26) was interviewed about the reasons for their preferences. The results showed that the students favoured teleological explanations over causal explanations. Although the students explained their preference judgements etiologically (i.e. teleologically and causally), they also referred to a wide range of non-etiological criteria (i.e. familiarity, complexity, relevance and five more criteria). When elaborating on their preference for causal explanations, the students often focused not on the causality of the phenomenon, but on mechanisms whose complexity they found attractive. When explaining their preference for teleological explanations, they often focused not teleologically on purposes and goals, but rather on functions, which they found familiar and relevant. Generally, students' preference judgements rarely allowed for making inferences about causal reasoning and teleological reasoning, an issue that is controversial in the literature. Given that students were largely unaware of causality and teleology, their attention must be directed towards distinguishing between etiological and non-etiological reasoning. Implications for educational practice as well as for future research are discussed.

The Characteristics Sought by Public School Leaders of Applicants for Teaching Positions

Science.gov (United States)

Stultz, Sherry L.

2015-01-01

This study examined the characteristics of teacher applicants that are sought by public school systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Superintendents of each of the public school districts in the Commonwealth were surveyed. A total of 99 respondents completed the survey (n = 99). This response rate of 57.2% was well-above the average for…

Reasoning in explanation-based decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Pennington, N; Hastie, R

1993-01-01

A general theory of explanation-based decision making is outlined and the multiple roles of inference processes in the theory are indicated. A typology of formal and informal inference forms, originally proposed by Collins (1978a, 1978b), is introduced as an appropriate framework to represent inferences that occur in the overarching explanation-based process. Results from the analysis of verbal reports of decision processes are presented to demonstrate the centrality and systematic character of reasoning in a representative legal decision-making task.

A new explanation of the extinction paradox

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, M.J.; Sorensen, C.M.; Chakrabarti, A.

2011-01-01

This work presents a new explanation for the extinction paradox and shows that the canonical explanations are incorrect. This paradox refers to the large size limit of a particle's extinction cross section. It is called a paradox because the geometrical optics approximation, which should be valid in this limit, predicts a cross section that is half of the true value. The new explanation is achieved by formulating the scattered wave in terms of an integral over the particle's surface where the seemingly unrelated Ewald-Oseen theorem appears in the formulation. By expressing the cross section in terms of this surface integral, the Ewald-Oseen theorem is analytically connected to the cross section. Several illustrations are used to reveal the significance of this connection: The paradox is seen to be a consequence of the requirement that the incident wave be canceled within the particle by secondary radiation from its own internal field. Following this, the canonical explanations are examined to reveal serious problems. In the process, the same asymptotic extinction behavior is shown to occur for small highly refractive dielectric particles, and thus is not just a large particle size or small wavelength effect as is often stated. The traditional explanations cannot account for this behavior while the new one actually predicts it. All in all, this work constitutes a fundamental reworking of 60 years of accepted understanding for the cause of the asymptotic behavior of the extinction cross section.

Mesopause Jumps: Observations and Explanation

Science.gov (United States)

Luebken, F. J.; Becker, E.; Höffner, J.; Viehl, T. P.; Latteck, R.

2017-12-01

Recent high resolution temperature measurements by resonance lidar at Davis (69°S) occasionally showed a sudden mesopause altitude increase by 5km and an associated mesopause temperature decrease by 10K. We present further observations which are closely related to this `mesopause jump', namely the increase of mean height of polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE) observed by a VHF radar, very strong westward winds in the upper mesosphere measured by an MF radar, and relatively large eastward winds in the stratosphere taken from reanalysis. We compare to similar observations in the Northern Hemisphere, namely at ALOMAR (69°N) where such mesopause jumps have never been observed. We present a detailed explanation of mesopause jumps. They occur only when stratospheric winds are moderately eastward and mesospheric winds are very large (westward). Under these conditions, gravity waves with comparatively large eastward phase speeds can pass the stratosphere and propagate to the lower thermosphere because their vertical wavelengths in the mesosphere are rather large which implies reduced dynamical stability. When finally breaking in the lower thermosphere, these waves drive an enhanced residual circulation that causes a cold and high-altitude mesopause. The conditions for a mesopause jump occur only in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and are associated with the late breakdown of the polar vortex.Mesopause jumps are primarily, but not only, observed prior and close to solstice. We also show that during the onset of PMSE in the SH, stratospheric zonal winds are still eastward (up to 30m/s), and that the onset is not closely related to the transition of the stratospheric circulation.

Re-orienting discussions of scientific explanation: A functional perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Woody, Andrea I

2015-08-01

Philosophy of science offers a rich lineage of analysis concerning the nature of scientific explanation, but the vast majority of this work, aiming to provide an analysis of the relation that binds a given explanans to its corresponding explanandum, presumes the proper analytic focus rests at the level of individual explanations. There are, however, other questions we could ask about explanation in science, such as: What role(s) does explanatory practice play in science? Shifting focus away from explanations, as achievements, toward explaining, as a coordinated activity of communities, the functional perspective aims to reveal how the practice of explanatory discourse functions within scientific communities given their more comprehensive aims and practices. In this paper, I outline the functional perspective, argue that taking the functional perspective can reveal important methodological roles for explanation in science, and consequently, that beginning here provides resources for developing more adequate responses to traditional concerns. In particular, through an examination of the ideal gas law, I emphasize the normative status of explanations within scientific communities and discuss how such status underwrites a compelling rationale for explanatory power as a theoretical virtue. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Children's success at detecting circular explanations and their interest in future learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Candice M; Danovitch, Judith H; Rowles, Sydney P; Campbell, Ian L

2017-10-01

These studies explore elementary-school-aged children's ability to evaluate circular explanations and whether they respond to receiving weak explanations by expressing interest in additional learning. In the first study, 6-, 8-, and 10-year-olds (n = 53) heard why questions about unfamiliar animals. For each question, they rated the quality of single explanations and later selected the best explanation between pairs of circular and noncircular explanations. When judging single explanations, 8- and 10-year-olds, and to some extent 6-year-olds, provided higher ratings for noncircular explanations compared to circular ones. When selecting between pairs of explanations, all age groups preferred noncircular explanations to circular ones, but older children did so more consistently than 6-year-olds. Children who recognized the weakness of the single circular explanations were more interested in receiving additional information about the question topics. In Study 2, all three age groups (n = 87) provided higher ratings for noncircular explanations compared to circular ones when listening to responses to how questions, but older children showed a greater distinction in their ratings than 6-year-olds. Moreover, the link between recognizing circular explanations as weak and interest in future learning could not be accounted for solely by individual differences in verbal intelligence. These findings illustrate the developmental trajectory of explanation evaluation and support that recognition of weak explanations is linked to interest in future learning across the elementary years. Implications for education are discussed.

Social class, sense of control, and social explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kraus, Michael W; Piff, Paul K; Keltner, Dacher

2009-12-01

Lower social class is associated with diminished resources and perceived subordinate rank. On the basis of this analysis, the authors predicted that social class would be closely associated with a reduced sense of personal control and that this association would explain why lower class individuals favor contextual over dispositional explanations of social events. Across 4 studies, lower social class individuals, as measured by subjective socioeconomic status (SES), endorsed contextual explanations of economic trends, broad social outcomes, and emotion. Across studies, the sense of control mediated the relation between subjective SES and contextual explanations, and this association was independent of objective SES, ethnicity, political ideology, and self-serving biases. Finally, experimentally inducing a higher sense of control attenuated the tendency for lower subjective SES individuals to make more contextual explanations (Study 4). Implications for future research on social class as well as theoretical distinctions between objective SES and subjective SES are discussed.

Explanation and teleology in Aristotle's Philosophy of Nature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leunissen, Mariska Elisabeth Maria Philomena Johannes

2007-01-01

This dissertation explores Aristotle’s use of teleology as a principle of explanation, especially as it is used in the natural treatises. Its main purposes are, first, to determine the function, structure, and explanatory power of teleological explanations in four of Aristotle’s natural treatises,

The many roles of "explanation" in science education: a case study

Science.gov (United States)

Rocksén, Miranda

2016-12-01

In this paper the role of explanations is discussed in relation to possible consequences originating in the polysemy of the word explanation. The present study is a response to conceptual confusions that have arisen in the intersection between theory and practice, and between science education literature and communication in authentic science classroom settings. Science classroom communication is examined in terms of one teacher's word use during eleven lessons about evolution. The study contributes empirical examples of how disciplinary norms of valid explanations are manifested in science classroom communication. A dialogical analysis shows how the teacher provides three conversational structures: asking for acts of explanation, providing opportunities to talk about what explanations are in this context and providing opportunities to talk about explanations constructed by students. These three structures facilitate the process of learning how to evaluate and justify explanations. Three potential meanings of the word "explanation" are pointed to: an everyday meaning, a pedagogical-professional meaning and a scientific meaning of the word. It is suggested that the co-existence of these three potential meanings has communicative consequences in science education.

Talking Physics: Two Case Studies on Short Answers and Self-explanation in Learning Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Badeau, Ryan C.

This thesis explores two case studies into the use of short answers and self-explanation to improve student learning in physics. The first set of experiments focuses on the role of short answer questions in the context of computer-based instruction. Through a series of six experiments, we compare and evaluate the performance of computer-assessed short answer questions versus multiple choice for training conceptual topics in physics, controlling for feedback between the two formats. In addition to finding overall similar improvements on subsequent student performance and retention, we identify unique differences in how students interact with the treatments in terms of time spent on feedback and performance on follow-up short answer assessment. In addition, we identify interactions between the level of interactivity of the training, question format, and student attitudinal ratings of each respective training. The second case study focuses on the use of worked examples in the context of multi-concept physics problems - which we call "synthesis problems." For this part of the thesis, four experiments were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of two instructional methods employing worked examples on student performance with synthesis problems; these instructional techniques, analogical comparison and self-explanation, have previously been studied primarily in the context of single-concept problems. As such, the work presented here represents a novel focus on extending these two techniques to this class of more complicated physics problem. Across the four experiments, both self-explanation and certain kinds of analogical comparison of worked examples significantly improved student performance on a target synthesis problem, with distinct improvements in recognition of the relevant concepts. More specifically, analogical comparison significantly improved student performance when the comparisons were invoked between worked synthesis examples. In contrast, similar

Teacher Explanation of Physics Concepts: A Video Study

Science.gov (United States)

Geelan, David

2013-01-01

Video recordings of Year 11 physics lessons were analyzed to identify key features of teacher explanations. Important features of the explanations used included teachers' ability to move between qualitative and quantitative modes of discussion, attention to what students require to succeed in high stakes examinations, thoughtful use of…

Promoting Vicarious Learning of Physics Using Deep Questions with Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Scotty D.; Gholson, Barry; Brittingham, Joshua K.; Williams, Joah L.; Shubeck, Keith T.

2012-01-01

Two experiments explored the role of vicarious "self" explanations in facilitating student learning gains during computer-presented instruction. In Exp. 1, college students with low or high knowledge on Newton's laws were tested in four conditions: (a) monologue (M), (b) questions (Q), (c) explanation (E), and (d) question + explanation (Q + E).…

Simple explanations and reasoning: From philosophy of science to expert systems

Science.gov (United States)

Rochowiak, Daniel

1988-01-01

A preliminary prototype of a simple explanation system was constructed. Although the system, based on the idea of storytelling, did not incorporate all of the principles of simple explanation, it did demonstrate the potential of the approach. The system incorporated a hypertext system, an inference engine, and facilities for constructing contrast type explanations. The continued development of such a system should prove to be valuable. By extending the resources of the expert system paradigm, the knowledge engineer is not forced to learn a new set of skills, and the domain knowledge already acquired by him is not lost. Further, both the beginning user and the more advanced user can be accommodated. For the beginning user, corrective explanations and ES explanations provide facilities for more clearly understanding the way in which the system is functioning. For the more advanced user, the instance and state explanations allow him to focus on the issues at hand. The simple model of explanation attempts to exploit and show how the why and how facilities of the expert system paradigm can be extended by attending to the pragmatics of explanation and adding texture to the ordinary pattern of reasoning in a rule based system.

Algorithms and Their Explanations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benini, M.; Gobbo, F.; Beckmann, A.; Csuhaj-Varjú, E.; Meer, K.

2014-01-01

By analysing the explanation of the classical heapsort algorithm via the method of levels of abstraction mainly due to Floridi, we give a concrete and precise example of how to deal with algorithmic knowledge. To do so, we introduce a concept already implicit in the method, the ‘gradient of

Self-Explanation and Explanatory Feedback in Games: Individual Differences, Gameplay, and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Killingsworth, Stephen S.; Clark, Douglas B.; Adams, Deanne M.

2015-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of two explanation-based approaches for increasing learning in educational games. The first involves asking students to explain their answers (self-explanation) and the second involves providing correct explanations (explanatory feedback). This study (1) compared self-explanation and explanatory…

Bothered by abstractness or engaged by cohesion? Experts' explanations enhance novices' deep-learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachner, Andreas; Nückles, Matthias

2015-03-01

Experts' explanations have been shown to better enhance novices' transfer as compared with advanced students' explanations. Based on research on expertise and text comprehension, we investigated whether the abstractness or the cohesion of experts' and intermediates' explanations accounted for novices' learning. In Study 1, we showed that the superior cohesion of experts' explanations accounted for most of novices' transfer, whereas the degree of abstractness did not impact novices' transfer performance. In Study 2, we investigated novices' processing while learning with experts' and intermediates' explanations. We found that novices studying experts' explanations actively self-regulated their processing of the explanations, as they showed mainly deep-processing activities, whereas novices learning with intermediates' explanations were mainly engaged in shallow-processing activities by paraphrasing the explanations. Thus, we concluded that subject-matter expertise is a crucial prerequisite for instructors. Despite the abstract character of experts' explanations, their subject-matter expertise enables them to generate highly cohesive explanations that serve as a valuable scaffold for students' construction of flexible knowledge by engaging them in deep-level processing. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

The Limits of Materialism: Auspicious for Teleological Explanation?

Science.gov (United States)

Athearn, Daniel

2012-09-01

The idea that scientific explanation runs up against certain inherent limits beyond which the field is open for other kinds of explanation is based on flawed assumptions. Modern physical knowledge, as I read it, does contain at least one important implication for theology having to do with how "Creation" is understood, if indeed the term remains usable and suitable.

Reasoning with alternative explanations in physics: The cognitive accessibility rule

Science.gov (United States)

Heckler, Andrew F.; Bogdan, Abigail M.

2018-06-01

A critical component of scientific reasoning is the consideration of alternative explanations. Recognizing that decades of cognitive psychology research have demonstrated that relative cognitive accessibility, or "what comes to mind," strongly affects how people reason in a given context, we articulate a simple "cognitive accessibility rule", namely that alternative explanations are considered less frequently when an explanation with relatively high accessibility is offered first. In a series of four experiments, we test the cognitive accessibility rule in the context of consideration of alternative explanations for six physical scenarios commonly found in introductory physics curricula. First, we administer free recall and recognition tasks to operationally establish and distinguish between the relative accessibility and availability of common explanations for the physical scenarios. Then, we offer either high or low accessibility explanations for the physical scenarios and determine the extent to which students consider alternatives to the given explanations. We find two main results consistent across algebra- and calculus-based university level introductory physics students for multiple answer formats. First, we find evidence that, at least for some contexts, most explanatory factors are cognitively available to students but not cognitively accessible. Second, we empirically verify the cognitive accessibility rule and demonstrate that the rule is strongly predictive, accounting for up to 70% of the variance of the average student consideration of alternative explanations across scenarios. Overall, we find that cognitive accessibility can help to explain biases in the consideration of alternatives in reasoning about simple physical scenarios, and these findings lend support to the growing number of science education studies demonstrating that tasks relevant to science education curricula often involve rapid, automatic, and potentially predictable processes and

Predicting help-seeking behavior: The impact of knowing someone close who has sought help.

Science.gov (United States)

Disabato, David J; Short, Jerome L; Lameira, Diane M; Bagley, Karen D; Wong, Stephanie J

2018-02-15

This study sought to replicate and extend research on social facilitators of college student's help seeking for psychological problems. We collected data on 420 ethnically diverse college students at a large public university (September 2008-May 2010). Students completed a cross-sectional online survey. We found that students who were aware of close others' (eg, family, friends) help seeking were two times more likely to have sought formal (eg, psychologist) and informal (eg, clergy) help themselves. Tests of moderation revealed the incremental effect (ie, controlling for help-seeking attitudes, internalizing symptoms, cultural demographics) of close others' formal help seeking was strong and significant for men (R 2 = 0.112), while it was negligible and nonsignificant for women (R 2 = .002). We discuss the importance for students-particularly men-to learn about close others' help seeking for facilitating their own help seeking during times of distress.

Explanation-based learning in infancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Baillargeon, Renée; DeJong, Gerald F

2017-10-01

In explanation-based learning (EBL), domain knowledge is leveraged in order to learn general rules from few examples. An explanation is constructed for initial exemplars and is then generalized into a candidate rule that uses only the relevant features specified in the explanation; if the rule proves accurate for a few additional exemplars, it is adopted. EBL is thus highly efficient because it combines both analytic and empirical evidence. EBL has been proposed as one of the mechanisms that help infants acquire and revise their physical rules. To evaluate this proposal, 11- and 12-month-olds (n = 260) were taught to replace their current support rule (that an object is stable when half or more of its bottom surface is supported) with a more sophisticated rule (that an object is stable when half or more of the entire object is supported). Infants saw teaching events in which asymmetrical objects were placed on a base, followed by static test displays involving a novel asymmetrical object and a novel base. When the teaching events were designed to facilitate EBL, infants learned the new rule with as few as two (12-month-olds) or three (11-month-olds) exemplars. When the teaching events were designed to impede EBL, however, infants failed to learn the rule. Together, these results demonstrate that even infants, with their limited knowledge about the world, benefit from the knowledge-based approach of EBL.

6 CFR 5.45 - Procedure when testimony or production of documents is sought; general.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 6 Domestic Security 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedure when testimony or production of... Procedure when testimony or production of documents is sought; general. (a) If official information is... requiring oral testimony, and identification of potentially relevant documents. (c) The appropriate...

Why the Difference Between Explanation and Argument Matters to Science Education

Science.gov (United States)

Brigandt, Ingo

2016-05-01

Contributing to the recent debate on whether or not explanations ought to be differentiated from arguments, this article argues that the distinction matters to science education. I articulate the distinction in terms of explanations and arguments having to meet different standards of adequacy. Standards of explanatory adequacy are important because they correspond to what counts as a good explanation in a science classroom, whereas a focus on evidence-based argumentation can obscure such standards of what makes an explanation explanatory. I provide further reasons for the relevance of not conflating explanations with arguments (and having standards of explanatory adequacy in view). First, what guides the adoption of the particular standards of explanatory adequacy that are relevant in a scientific case is the explanatory aim pursued in this context. Apart from explanatory aims being an important aspect of the nature of science, including explanatory aims in classroom instruction also promotes students seeing explanations as more than facts, and engages them in developing explanations as responses to interesting explanatory problems. Second, it is of relevance to science curricula that science aims at intervening in natural processes, not only for technological applications, but also as part of experimental discovery. Not any argument enables intervention in nature, as successful intervention specifically presupposes causal explanations. Students can fruitfully explore in the classroom how an explanatory account suggests different options for intervention.

Scientific explanations in Greek upper secondary physics textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Velentzas, Athanasios; Halkia, Krystallia

2018-01-01

In this study, an analysis of the structure of scientific explanations included in physics textbooks of upper secondary schools in Greece was completed. In scientific explanations for specific phenomena found in the sample textbooks, the explanandum is a logical consequence of the explanans, which in all cases include at least one scientific law (and/or principle, model or rule) previously presented, as well as statements concerning a specific case or specific conditions. The same structure is also followed in most of the cases in which the textbook authors explain regularities (i.e. laws, rules) as consequences of one or more general law or principle of physics. Finally, a number of the physics laws and principles presented in textbooks are not deduced as consequences from other, more general laws, but they are formulated axiomatically or inductively derived and the authors argue for their validity. Since, as it was found, the scientific explanations presented in the textbooks used in the study have similar structures to the explanations in internationally known textbooks, the findings of the present work may be of interest not only to science educators in Greece, but also to the community of science educators in other countries.

Explanation for the Mystical Practice III.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Květoslav Minařík

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Concentration on feet and legs as a whole, with a special focus on their flesh, has an effect on the development of the intellect and deepening of the sensory discernment, because right here, in the legs, in the flesh of the body, the basis of the inner life is situated. The same concentration with a special focus on their bones – and in particular to the bones of knees – eliminates the instability of the usual attention; it is used to stabilize the entire inner life. The current article is a continuation of Explanation for the Mystical Practice I. and Explanation for the Mystical Practice II., published in the previous editions of Spirituality Studies.

Sublime Views and Beautiful Explanations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barry, Daved; Meisiek, Stefan; Hatch, Mary Jo

To create a generative theory that provides beautiful explanations and sublime views requires both a crafts and an art approach to scientific theorizing. The search for generativity leads scholars to perform various theorizing moves between the confines of simple, yet eloquent beauty...

Self-Explanation and Explanatory Feedback in Games: Individual Differences, Gameplay, and Learning

OpenAIRE

Killingsworth, Stephen; Clark, Douglas; Adams, Deanne

2015-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of two explanation-based approaches for increasing learning in educational games. The first involves asking students to explain their answers (self-explanation) and the second involves providing correct explanations (explanatory feedback). This study (1) compared self-explanation and explanatory feedback features embedded into a game designed to teach Newtonian dynamics and (2) investigated relationships between learning and individual differenc...

Ultimate and proximate explanations of strong reciprocity.

Science.gov (United States)

Vromen, Jack

2017-08-23

Strong reciprocity (SR) has recently been subject to heated debate. In this debate, the "West camp" (West et al. in Evol Hum Behav 32(4):231-262, 2011), which is critical of the case for SR, and the "Laland camp" (Laland et al. in Science, 334(6062):1512-1516, 2011, Biol Philos 28(5):719-745, 2013), which is sympathetic to the case of SR, seem to take diametrically opposed positions. The West camp criticizes advocates of SR for conflating proximate and ultimate causation. SR is said to be a proximate mechanism that is put forward by its advocates as an ultimate explanation of human cooperation. The West camp thus accuses advocates of SR for not heeding Mayr's original distinction between ultimate and proximate causation. The Laland camp praises advocates of SR for revising Mayr's distinction. Advocates of SR are said to replace Mayr's uni-directional view on the relation between ultimate and proximate causes by the bi-directional one of reciprocal causation. The paper argues that both the West camp and the Laland camp misrepresent what advocates of SR are up to. The West camp is right that SR is a proximate cause of human cooperation. But rather than putting forward SR as an ultimate explanation, as the West camp argues, advocates of SR believe that SR itself is in need of ultimate explanation. Advocates of SR tend to take gene-culture co-evolutionary theory as the correct meta-theoretical framework for advancing ultimate explanations of SR. Appearances notwithstanding, gene-culture coevolutionary theory does not imply Laland et al.'s notion of reciprocal causation. "Reciprocal causation" suggests that proximate and ultimate causes interact simultaneously, while advocates of SR assume that they interact sequentially. I end by arguing that the best way to understand the debate is by disambiguating Mayr's ultimate-proximate distinction. I propose to reserve "ultimate" and "proximate" for different sorts of explanations, and to use other terms for distinguishing

Explanations and expectations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Järvinen, Margaretha; Ravn, Signe

2015-01-01

drug use ‘aetiologies’ drawn upon by the interviewees. These cover childhood experiences, self-medication, the influence of friends and cannabis use as a specific lifestyle. A central argument of the article is that these explanations not only concern the past but also point towards the future......This article analyses how young people enrolled in drug addiction treatment in Copenhagen, Denmark, explain their cannabis careers and how they view their possibilities for quitting drug use again. Inspired by Mead and narrative studies of health and illness, the article identifies four different...

Mind the gap! Automated concept map feedback supports students in writing cohesive explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachner, Andreas; Burkhart, Christian; Nückles, Matthias

2017-03-01

Many students are challenged with the demand of writing cohesive explanations. To support students in writing cohesive explanations, we developed a computer-based feedback tool that visualizes cohesion deficits of students' explanations in a concept map. We conducted three studies to investigate the effectiveness of such feedback as well as the underlying cognitive processes. In Study 1, we found that the concept map helped students identify potential cohesion gaps in their drafts and plan remedial revisions. In Study 2, students with concept map feedback conducted revisions that resulted in more locally and globally cohesive, and also more comprehensible, explanations than the explanations of students who revised without concept map feedback. In Study 3, we replicated the findings of Study 2 by and large. More importantly, students who had received concept map feedback on a training explanation 1 week later wrote a transfer explanation without feedback that was more cohesive than the explanation of students who had received no feedback on their training explanation. The automated concept map feedback appears to particularly support the evaluation phase of the revision process. Furthermore, the feedback enabled novice writers to acquire sustainable skills in writing cohesive explanations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Towards an Explanation Generation System for Robots: Analysis and Recommendations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ben Meadows

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A fundamental challenge in robotics is to reason with incomplete domain knowledge to explain unexpected observations and partial descriptions extracted from sensor observations. Existing explanation generation systems draw on ideas that can be mapped to a multidimensional space of system characteristics, defined by distinctions, such as how they represent knowledge and if and how they reason with heuristic guidance. Instances in this multidimensional space corresponding to existing systems do not support all of the desired explanation generation capabilities for robots. We seek to address this limitation by thoroughly understanding the range of explanation generation capabilities and the interplay between the distinctions that characterize them. Towards this objective, this paper first specifies three fundamental distinctions that can be used to characterize many existing explanation generation systems. We explore and understand the effects of these distinctions by comparing the capabilities of two systems that differ substantially along these axes, using execution scenarios involving a robot waiter assisting in seating people and delivering orders in a restaurant. The second part of the paper uses this study to argue that the desired explanation generation capabilities corresponding to these three distinctions can mostly be achieved by exploiting the complementary strengths of the two systems that were explored. This is followed by a discussion of the capabilities related to other major distinctions to provide detailed recommendations for developing an explanation generation system for robots.

Mind and Meaning: Piaget and Vygotsky on Causal Explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Beilin, Harry

1996-01-01

Piaget's theory has been characterized as descriptive and not explanatory, not qualifying as causal explanation. Piaget was consistent in showing how his theory was both explanatory and causal. Vygotsky also endorsed causal-genetic explanation but, on the basis of knowledge of only Piaget's earliest works, he claimed that Piaget's theory was not…

How to Program a Domain Independent Tracer for Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Ishizaka, Alessio; Lusti, Markus

2006-01-01

Explanations are essential in the teaching process. Tracers are one possibility to provide students with explanations in an intelligent tutoring system. Their development can be divided into four steps: (a) the definition of the trace model; (b) the extraction of the information from this model; (c) the analysis and abstraction of the extracted…

Particle physics explanations for ultra-high energy cosmic ray events

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

this talk I briefly summarize several proposed particle physics explanations: a breakdown ... as primaries, and magnetic monopoles with mass below 1010 GeV as primaries. .... these monopoles would be the ultimate test of this explanation.

Supernatural Explanations: Science or Not?

Science.gov (United States)

Eastwell, Peter

2011-01-01

Contrary to the advice of supposedly authoritative sources, the a priori exclusion of supernatural explanations or claims from scientific scrutiny is not appropriate. This paper shows how supernatural hypotheses or claims should be treated by science and, in the process, differentiates scientific and non-scientific hypotheses or claims.…

Self-Explanation, An Instructional Strategy to Foster Clinical Reasoning in Medical Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martine Chamberland

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Clinical reasoning is a critical and complex skill that medical students have to develop in the course of their training. Although research on medical expertise has successfully examined the different components of that skill, designing educational interventions that support the development of clinical reasoning in students remains a challenge for medical educators. The theory of medical expertise describes how students׳ medical knowledge develops and is progressively restructured during their training and in particular through clinical exposure to patient problems. Instructional strategies to foster students’ learning from practice with clinical cases are scarce. This article describes the use of self-explanation as such a strategy. Self-explanation is an active learning technique of proven effectiveness in other domains which consists of having students explaining to themselves information on to-be-learned materials. The mechanisms through which self-explanation fosters learning are described. Self-explanation promotes knowledge development and revision of mental representations through elaboration on new information, organisation and integration of new knowledge into existing cognitive structures and monitoring of the learning process. Subsequently, the article shows how self-explanation has recently been investigated in medicine as an instructional strategy to support students׳ clinical reasoning. Available studies have demonstrated that students׳ diagnostic performance improves when they use self-explanation while solving clinical problems of a less familiar clinical topic. Unfamiliarity seems to trigger more self-explanations and to stimulate students to reactivate relevant biomedical knowledge, which could lead to the development of more coherent representations of diseases. The benefit of students׳ self-explanation is increased when it is combined with listening to residents׳ self-explanation examples and with prompts. The

Making context explicit for explanation and incremental knowledge acquisition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brezillon, P. [Univ. Paris (France)

1996-12-31

Intelligent systems may be improved by making context explicit in problem solving. This is a lesson drawn from a study of the reasons why a number of knowledge-based systems (KBSs) failed. We discuss the interest to make context explicit in explanation generation and incremental knowledge acquisition, two important aspects of intelligent systems that aim to cooperate with users. We show how context can be used to better explain and incrementally acquire knowledge. The advantages of using context in explanation and incremental knowledge acquisition are discussed through SEPIT, an expert system for supporting diagnosis and explanation through simulation of power plants. We point out how the limitations of such systems may be overcome by making context explicit.

On the nature of explanation: A PDP approach

Science.gov (United States)

Churchland, Paul M.

1990-06-01

Neural network models of sensory processing and associative memory provide the resources for a new theory of what explanatory understanding consists in. That theory finds the theoretically important factors to reside not at the level of propositions and the relations between them, but at the level of the activation patterns across large populations of neurons. The theory portrays explanatory understanding, perceptual recognition, and abductive inference as being different instances of the same more general sort of cognitive achievement, viz. prototype activation. It thus effects a unification of the theories of explanation, perception, and ampliative inference. It also finds systematic unity in the wide diversity of types of explanation (causal, functional, mathematical, intentional, reductive, etc.), a chronic problem for theories of explanation in the logico-linguistic tradition. Finally, it is free of the many defects, both logical and psychological, that plague models in that older tradition.

The discourse of causal explanations in school science

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, Tammy Jayne Anne

Researchers and educators working from a systemic functional linguistic perspective have provided a body of work on science discourse which offers an excellent starting point for examining the linguistic aspects of the development of causal discourse in school science, discourse which Derewianka (1995) claimed is critical to success in secondary school. No work has yet described the development of causal language by identifying the linguistic features present in oral discourse or by comparing the causal discourse of native and non-native (ESL) speakers of English. The current research responds to this gap by examining the oral discourse collected from ESL and non-ESL students at the primary and high school grades. Specifically, it asks the following questions: (1) How do the teachers and students in these four contexts develop causal explanations and their relevant taxonomies through classroom interactions? (2) What are the causal discourse features being used by the students in these four contexts to construct oral causal explanations? The findings of the social practice analysis showed that the teachers in the four contexts differed in their approaches to teaching, with the primary school mainstream teacher focusing largely on the hands-on practice , the primary school ESL teacher moving from practice to theory, the high school mainstream teacher moving from theory to practice, and the high school ESL teacher relying primarily on theory. The findings from the quantitative, small corpus approach suggest that the developmental path of cause which has been identified in the writing of experts shows up not only in written texts but also in the oral texts which learners construct. Moreover, this move appears when the discourse of high school ESL and non-ESL students is compared, suggesting a developmental progression in the acquisition of these features by these students. The findings also reveal that the knowledge constructed, as shown by the concept maps created

Testing the Transivity Explanation of the Allais Paradox

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Groes, Ebbe; Jacobsen, Hans Jørgen; Sloth, Birgitte

1999-01-01

This paper uses a two-dimensional version of a standard common consequence experiment to test the intransitivity explanation of Allais-paradox-type violations of expected utility theory. We compare the common consequence effect of two choice problems differing only with respect to whether...... intransitivity as an explanation of the Allais Paradox. The question whether violations of expected utility are mainly due to intransitivity or to violation of independence is important since it is exactly on this issue the main new decision theories differ...

Criteria for deciding what is the ’best’ scientific explanation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wagemans, J.H.M.; Mohammed, D.; Lewiński, M.

2016-01-01

In justifying their choice of the ‘best’ scientific explanation from a number of candidate explanations, scientists may employ specific theoretical virtues and other criteria for good scientific theories. This paper is aimed at providing an inventory of such criteria and at analyzing how they

Generative Mechanistic Explanation Building in Undergraduate Molecular and Cellular Biology

Science.gov (United States)

Southard, Katelyn M.; Espindola, Melissa R.; Zaepfel, Samantha D.; Bolger, Molly S.

2017-01-01

When conducting scientific research, experts in molecular and cellular biology (MCB) use specific reasoning strategies to construct mechanistic explanations for the underlying causal features of molecular phenomena. We explored how undergraduate students applied this scientific practice in MCB. Drawing from studies of explanation building among…

Structural Equations and Causal Explanations: Some Challenges for Causal SEM

Science.gov (United States)

Markus, Keith A.

2010-01-01

One common application of structural equation modeling (SEM) involves expressing and empirically investigating causal explanations. Nonetheless, several aspects of causal explanation that have an impact on behavioral science methodology remain poorly understood. It remains unclear whether applications of SEM should attempt to provide complete…

Generative mechanistic explanation building in undergraduate molecular and cellular biology

Science.gov (United States)

Southard, Katelyn M.; Espindola, Melissa R.; Zaepfel, Samantha D.; Bolger, Molly S.

2017-09-01

When conducting scientific research, experts in molecular and cellular biology (MCB) use specific reasoning strategies to construct mechanistic explanations for the underlying causal features of molecular phenomena. We explored how undergraduate students applied this scientific practice in MCB. Drawing from studies of explanation building among scientists, we created and applied a theoretical framework to explore the strategies students use to construct explanations for 'novel' biological phenomena. Specifically, we explored how students navigated the multi-level nature of complex biological systems using generative mechanistic reasoning. Interviews were conducted with introductory and upper-division biology students at a large public university in the United States. Results of qualitative coding revealed key features of students' explanation building. Students used modular thinking to consider the functional subdivisions of the system, which they 'filled in' to varying degrees with mechanistic elements. They also hypothesised the involvement of mechanistic entities and instantiated abstract schema to adapt their explanations to unfamiliar biological contexts. Finally, we explored the flexible thinking that students used to hypothesise the impact of mutations on multi-leveled biological systems. Results revealed a number of ways that students drew mechanistic connections between molecules, functional modules (sets of molecules with an emergent function), cells, tissues, organisms and populations.

Learning from instructional explanations: effects of prompts based on the active-constructive-interactive framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Roelle, Julian; Müller, Claudia; Roelle, Detlev; Berthold, Kirsten

2015-01-01

Although instructional explanations are commonly provided when learners are introduced to new content, they often fail because they are not integrated into effective learning activities. The recently introduced active-constructive-interactive framework posits an effectiveness hierarchy in which interactive learning activities are at the top; these are then followed by constructive and active learning activities, respectively. Against this background, we combined instructional explanations with different types of prompts that were designed to elicit these learning activities and tested the central predictions of the active-constructive-interactive framework. In Experiment 1, N = 83 students were randomly assigned to one of four combinations of instructional explanations and prompts. To test the active learning hypothesis, the learners received either (1) complete explanations and engaging prompts designed to elicit active activities or (2) explanations that were reduced by inferences and inference prompts designed to engage learners in constructing the withheld information. Furthermore, in order to explore how interactive learning activities can be elicited, we gave the learners who had difficulties in constructing the prompted inferences adapted remedial explanations with either (3) unspecific engaging prompts or (4) revision prompts. In support of the active learning hypothesis, we found that the learners who received reduced explanations and inference prompts outperformed the learners who received complete explanations and engaging prompts. Moreover, revision prompts were more effective in eliciting interactive learning activities than engaging prompts. In Experiment 2, N = 40 students were randomly assigned to either (1) a reduced explanations and inference prompts or (2) a reduced explanations and inference prompts plus adapted remedial explanations and revision prompts condition. In support of the constructive learning hypothesis, the learners who received

Gender differences in attitudes toward nuclear power: a multivariate explanation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baxter, R.K.

1987-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in attitudes toward nuclear power and to discover what factors account for these differences. The marginality explanation for these differences suggest that women have less-favorable attitudes toward nuclear power because they are less concerned about energy supplies and economic growth and are less convinced of the benefits of nuclear power for society than are men. The irrationality explanation holds that women are less favorable toward nuclear power because they are less knowledgeable about this technology than are men. The lay-rationality explanation argues that people form attitudes toward nuclear power which are consistent with their relevant beliefs, attitudes and values; thus, this explanation suggests that women's unfavorable attitudes toward nuclear power stem from greater concern about environmental protection, exposing society to risk, and lower faith in science and technology. Data for this study were collected via a mail questionnaire administered to a state wide sample of Washington residents (n= 696)

"Ratio via Machina": Three Standards of Mechanistic Explanation in Sociology

Science.gov (United States)

Aviles, Natalie B.; Reed, Isaac Ariail

2017-01-01

Recently, sociologists have expended much effort in attempts to define social mechanisms. We intervene in these debates by proposing that sociologists in fact have a choice to make between three standards of what constitutes a good mechanistic explanation: substantial, formal, and metaphorical mechanistic explanation. All three standards are…

Competence Matching Tool - Explanations and Implementation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herder, Eelco; Kärger, Philipp

2010-01-01

Herder, E., Kärger, P. (2009) Competence Matching Tool - Explanations and Implementation. The document contains the technical specification of the competence matching tool. The tool can be found at http://tencompetence.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/tencompetence/wp7/CompetenceMatcher/ and the location

Separable explanations of neural network decisions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rieger, Laura

2017-01-01

Deep Taylor Decomposition is a method used to explain neural network decisions. When applying this method to non-dominant classifications, the resulting explanation does not reflect important features for the chosen classification. We propose that this is caused by the dense layers and propose...

Exploring Dominant Types of Explanations Built by General Chemistry Students

Science.gov (United States)

Talanquer, Vicente

2010-01-01

The central goal of our study was to explore the nature of the explanations generated by science and engineering majors with basic training in chemistry to account for the colligative properties of solutions. The work was motivated by our broader interest in the characterisation of the dominant types of explanations that science college students…

Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia From a Levels of Explanation Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Hugdahl, Kenneth; Sommer, Iris E

2018-02-15

In the present article, we present a "Levels of Explanation" (LoE) approach to auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia. Mental phenomena can be understood at different levels of explanation, including cultural, clinical, cognitive, brain imaging, cellular, and molecular levels. Current research on AVHs is characterized by accumulation of data at all levels, but with little or no interaction of findings between levels. A second advantage with a Levels of Explanation approach is that it fosters interdisciplinarity and collaboration across traditional borders, facilitating a real breakthrough in future research. We exemplify a Levels of Explanation approach with data from 3 levels where findings at 1 level provide predictions for another level. More specifically, we show how functional neuroimaging data at the brain level correspond with behavioral data at the cognitive level, and how data at these 2 levels correspond with recent findings of changes in neurotransmitter function at the cellular level. We further discuss implications for new therapeutic interventions, and the article is ended by suggestion how future research could incorporate genetic influences on AVHs at the molecular level of explanation by providing examples for animal work.

How perceptions of experience-based analysis influence explanations of work accidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Mbaye, Safiétou; Kouabenan, Dongo Rémi

2013-12-01

This article looks into how perceptions of experience-based analysis (EBA) influence causal explanations of accidents given by managers and workers in the chemical industry (n=409) and in the nuclear industry (n=222). The approach is based on the model of naive explanations of accidents (Kouabenan, 1999, 2006, 2009), which recommends taking into account explanations of accidents spontaneously given by individuals, including laypersons, not only to better understand why accidents occur but also to design and implement the most appropriate prevention measures. The study reported here describes the impact of perceptions about EBA (perceived effectiveness, personal commitment, and the feeling of being involved in EBA practices) on managers' and workers' explanations of accidents likely to occur at the workplace. The results indicated that both managers and workers made more internal explanations than external ones when they perceived EBA positively. Moreover, the more the participants felt involved in EBA, were committed to it, and judged it effective, the more they explained accidents in terms of factors internal to the workers. Recommendations are proposed for reducing defensive reactions, increasing personal commitment to EBA, and improving EBA effectiveness. © 2013.

Strategic Explanations for a Diagnostic Consultation System. Technical Report #8.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasling, Diane Warner; And Others

This paper examines the problem of automatic explanation of reasoning, or the ability of a program to discuss what it is doing in some understandable way, particularly as part of an expert system. An introduction presents a general framework in which to view explanation and reviews some of the research in this area. This is followed by a…

Enhancing human understanding through intelligent explanations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mioch, T.; Harbers, M.; Doesburg, W.A. van; Bosch, K. van den

2007-01-01

Ambient systems that explain their actions promote the user's understanding as they give the user more insight in the e®ects of their behavior on the environment. In order to provide individualized intelligent explanations, we need not only to evaluate a user's observable behavior, but we also need

Society by Numbers : Studies on Model-Based Explanations in the Social Sciences

OpenAIRE

Kuorikoski, Jaakko

2010-01-01

The aim of this dissertation is to provide conceptual tools for the social scientist for clarifying, evaluating and comparing explanations of social phenomena based on formal mathematical models. The focus is on relatively simple theoretical models and simulations, not statistical models. These studies apply a theory of explanation according to which explanation is about tracing objective relations of dependence, knowledge of which enables answers to contrastive why and how-questions. This th...

Refining Students' Explanations of an Unfamiliar Physical Phenomenon-Microscopic Friction

Science.gov (United States)

Corpuz, Edgar De Guzman; Rebello, N. Sanjay

2017-08-01

The first phase of this multiphase study involves modeling of college students' thinking of friction at the microscopic level. Diagnostic interviews were conducted with 11 students with different levels of physics backgrounds. A phenomenographic approach of data analysis was used to generate categories of responses which subsequently were used to generate a model of explanation. Most of the students interviewed consistently used mechanical interactions in explaining microscopic friction. According to these students, friction is due to the interlocking or rubbing of atoms. Our data suggest that students' explanations of microscopic friction are predominantly influenced by their macroscopic experiences. In the second phase of the research, teaching experiment was conducted with 18 college students to investigate how students' explanations of microscopic friction can be refined by a series of model-building activities. Data were analyzed using Redish's two-level transfer framework. Our results show that through sequences of hands-on and minds-on activities, including cognitive dissonance and resolution, it is possible to facilitate the refinement of students' explanations of microscopic friction. The activities seemed to be productive in helping students activate associations that refine their ideas about microscopic friction.

Selective effects of explanation on learning during early childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Legare, Cristine H; Lombrozo, Tania

2014-10-01

Two studies examined the specificity of effects of explanation on learning by prompting 3- to 6-year-old children to explain a mechanical toy and comparing what they learned about the toy's causal and non-causal properties with children who only observed the toy, both with and without accompanying verbalization. In Study 1, children were experimentally assigned to either explain or observe the mechanical toy. In Study 2, children were classified according to whether the content of their response to an undirected prompt involved explanation. Dependent measures included whether children understood the toy's functional-mechanical relationships, remembered perceptual features of the toy, effectively reconstructed the toy, and (for Study 2) generalized the function of the toy when constructing a new one. Results demonstrate that across age groups, explanation promotes causal learning and generalization but does not improve (and in younger children can even impair) memory for causally irrelevant perceptual details. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Coexistence of Natural and Supernatural Explanations across Cultures and Development

Science.gov (United States)

Legare, Cristine H.; Evans, E. Margaret; Rosengren, Karl S.; Harris, Paul L.

2012-01-01

Although often conceptualized in contradictory terms, the common assumption that natural and supernatural explanations are incompatible is psychologically inaccurate. Instead, there is considerable evidence that the same individuals use both natural and supernatural explanations to interpret the very same events and that there are multiple ways in…

Memory accessibility shapes explanation: Testing key claims of the inherence heuristic account.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussak, Larisa J; Cimpian, Andrei

2018-01-01

People understand the world by constructing explanations for what they observe. It is thus important to identify the cognitive processes underlying these judgments. According to a recent proposal, everyday explanations are often constructed heuristically: Because people need to generate explanations on a moment-by-moment basis, they cannot perform an exhaustive search through the space of possible reasons, but may instead use the information that is most easily accessible in memory (Cimpian & Salomon 2014a, b). In the present research, we tested two key claims of this proposal that have so far not been investigated. First, we tested whether-as previously hypothesized-the information about an entity that is most accessible in memory tends to consist of inherent or intrinsic facts about that entity, rather than extrinsic (contextual, historical, etc.) facts about it (Studies 1 and 2). Second, we tested the implications of this difference in the memory accessibility of inherent versus extrinsic facts for the process of generating explanations: Does the fact that inherent facts are more accessible than relevant extrinsic facts give rise to an inherence bias in the content of the explanations generated (Studies 3 and 4)? The findings supported the proposal that everyday explanations are generated in part via a heuristic process that relies on easily accessible-and often inherent-information from memory.

A Teaching Model for Scaffolding 4th Grade Students' Scientific Explanation Writing

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hsiu-Ting; Wang, Kuo-Hua

2014-08-01

Improving students scientific explanations is one major goal of science education. Both writing activities and concept mapping are reported as effective strategies for enhancing student learning of science. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a teaching model, named the DCI model, which integrates a Descriptive explanation writing activity, Concept mapping, and an Interpretive explanation writing activity, is introduced in a 4th grade science class to see if it would improve students' scientific explanations and understanding. A quasi-experimental design, including a non-randomized comparison group and a pre- and post-test design, was adopted for this study. An experimental group of 25 students were taught using the DCI teaching model, while a comparison group received a traditional lecture teaching. A rubric and content analysis was used to assess students' scientific explanations. The independent sample t test was used to measure difference in conceptual understanding between the two groups, before and after instruction. Then, the paired t test analysis was used to understand the promotion of the DCI teaching model. The results showed that students in the experimental group performed better than students in the comparison group, both in scientific concept understanding and explanation. Suggestions for using concept mapping and writing activities (the DCI teaching model) in science classes are provided in this study.

29 CFR 780.607 - “Primarily employed” in agriculture.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false âPrimarily employedâ in agriculture. 780.607 Section 780... AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT Employment in Agriculture and Livestock Auction Operations Under the Section 13(b)(13) Exemption Requirements...

Evolutionary explanations in medicine: how do they differ and how to benefit from them.

Science.gov (United States)

Lozano, George A

2010-04-01

Evolutionary explanations, many of which have appeared on the pages of this journal, are becoming more pervasive and influential in medicine, so it is becoming more important to understand how these types of explanations differ from the proximate approach that is more common in medicine, and how the evolutionary approach can contribute to medicine. Understanding of any biological phenomenon can occur at four levels: (1) ontogeny (2) causation, (3) function and (4) evolution. These approaches are not mutually exclusive, and whereas the first two are more common in medical practice, a complete explanation requires all four levels of analysis. Two major differences among these approaches are the apparent degree of immediacy associated with them, and the extent to which they apply to individuals rather than populations. Criticisms of adaptive explanations often arise from a failure to understand the complementary nature of these four types of explanations. Other unwarranted criticisms result from a failure to appreciate that adaptive explanations often apply to populations, not individuals. A third type of criticism is driven by the mistaken belief that adaptive explanations somehow justify morally reprehensible behaviours. Finally, evolutionary explanations sometimes face the criticism of "personal incredulity". Adaptive explanations must be consistent with basic evolutionary concepts and must adhere to the physical reality of the phenomenon in question. Their value, however, comes not in devising a seemingly rational explanation, but in their predictions. Testable predictions must be explicitly stated and clearly articulated. They must differ from those of arising from other hypotheses and must not only be interesting to evolutionary biologists, but also useful to medical practitioners. Integration of the proximate and the ultimate approaches is possible and potentially beneficial to both evolutionists and physicians, but it requires some basic understanding of our

The Many Roles of "Explanation" in Science Education: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Rocksén, Miranda

2016-01-01

In this paper the role of explanations is discussed in relation to possible consequences originating in the polysemy of the word explanation. The present study is a response to conceptual confusions that have arisen in the intersection between theory and practice, and between science education literature and communication in authentic science…

Inside case-based explanation

CERN Document Server

Schank, Roger C; Riesbeck, Christopher K

2014-01-01

This book is the third volume in a series that provides a hands-on perspective on the evolving theories associated with Roger Schank and his students. The primary focus of this volume is on constructing explanations. All of the chapters relate to the problem of building computer programs that can develop hypotheses about what might have caused an observed event. Because most researchers in natural language processing don't really want to work on inference, memory, and learning issues, most of their sample text fragments are chosen carefully to de-emphasize the need for non text-related reasoni

Towards to An Explanation for Conceptual Change: A Mechanistic Alternative

Science.gov (United States)

Rusanen, Anna-Mari

2014-07-01

Conceptual change is one of the most studied fields in science education and psychology of learning. However, there are still some foundational issues in conceptual change research on which no clear consensus has emerged. Firstly, there is no agreement on what changes in belief and concept systems constitute conceptual change and what changes do not. Secondly, there is no consensus on what the specific mechanisms of conceptual change are. Thirdly, there is no common explanatory framework of how to explain conceptual change. In this paper a sketch for explanations of conceptual change is outlined. According to this account, the explanation for conceptual change requires (1) a description for the information processing task and (2) a sufficiently accurate and detailed description of the cognitive mechanisms responsible for the task. The scope and limits of this type of explanation are discussed.

Using Self-Explanations in the Laboratory to Connect Theory and Practice: The Decision/ Explanation/Observation/Inference Writing Method

Science.gov (United States)

Van Duzor, Andrea Gay

2016-01-01

While many faculty seek to use student-centered, inquiry-based approaches in teaching laboratories, transitioning from traditional to inquiry instruction can be logistically challenging. This paper outlines use of a laboratory notebook and report writing-to-learn method that emphasizes student self-explanations of procedures and outcomes,…

Dynamical explanation for the high water abundance detected in Orion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elitzur, M.

1979-01-01

Shock wave chemistry is suggested as the likely explanation for the high water abundance which has been recently detected in Orion by Phyllips et al. The existence of such a shock and its inferred properties are in agreement with other observations of Orion such as the broad velocity feature and H 2 vibration emission. Shock waves are proposed as the likely explanation for high water abundances observed in other sources such as the strong H 2 O masers

Transforming Biology Assessment with Machine Learning: Automated Scoring of Written Evolutionary Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Nehm, Ross H.; Ha, Minsu; Mayfield, Elijah

2012-01-01

This study explored the use of machine learning to automatically evaluate the accuracy of students' written explanations of evolutionary change. Performance of the Summarization Integrated Development Environment (SIDE) program was compared to human expert scoring using a corpus of 2,260 evolutionary explanations written by 565 undergraduate…

Age and the Explanation of Crime, Revisited

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeten, Gary; Piquero, Alex R.; Steinberg, Laurence

2013-01-01

Age is one of the most robust correlates of criminal behavior. Yet, explanations for this relationship are varied and conflicting. Developmental theories point to a multitude of sociological, psychological, and biological changes that occur during adolescence and adulthood. One prominent criminological perspective outlined by Gottfredson and…

Theism and Inference to the Best Explanation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Holten, W. van

2002-01-01

In this paper the author critically examines the explanatory role of theistic belief. Although talk of religious beliefs as explanations is commonly employed in the context of religious epistemology, it may also serve to simply characterise one of the functions of religious views of life. It is

Theism and inference to the Best Explanation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Holten, Wilko van

2002-01-01

In this paper the author critically examines the explanatory role of theistic belief. Although talk of religious beliefs as explanations is commonly employed in the context of religious epistemology, it may also serve to simply characterise one of the functions of religious views of life. It is

The pattern of clinical advice sought by general practitioners from a medical consultant in clinical biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatnagar, D

1997-01-01

Clinical biochemistry departments can be a valuable source of clinical advice for further investigations and the need for referral to specialist clinics. This paper outlines the pattern of clinical advice sought by general practitioners in a district hospital setting, and addresses some of the issues regarding seeking such advice and the implications for continuing medical education and training. PMID:9196966

Cultural border crossing: The interaction between fundamental Christian beliefs and scientific explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Elimbi, Celestine Nakeli

The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction between people's fundamental Christian beliefs and scientific explanations. When people with fundamental Christian beliefs encounter scientific explanations, such explanations may interact with their deeply rooted beliefs in a way that is likely to produce tensions. It is expedient to understand the classroom/professional experiences of such individuals and how they manage these tensions. I will apply Jegede's collateral learning theory as a lens to look at how individuals manage the tensions between their religious and scientific worldviews. Gaining insight into people's experiences in the classroom/work place and how they manage these tensions will potentially inform classroom instruction and ways by which we can help students with fundamental Christian beliefs maintain their pursuit of science related careers by easing the nature of the borders they cross. Sources of data will include participant reported perspectives of how they manage the tensions and observations of real-time resolution of potentially conflicting explanations from their religious and scientific worldviews.

Students' self-explanations while solving unfamiliar cases: the role of biomedical knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Chamberland, Martine; Mamede, Sílvia; St-Onge, Christina; Rivard, Marc-Antoine; Setrakian, Jean; Lévesque, Annie; Lanthier, Luc; Schmidt, Henk G; Rikers, Remy M J P

2013-11-01

General guidelines for teaching clinical reasoning have received much attention, despite a paucity of instructional approaches with demonstrated effectiveness. As suggested in a recent experimental study, self-explanation while solving clinical cases may be an effective strategy to foster reasoning in clinical clerks dealing with less familiar cases. However, the mechanisms that mediate this benefit have not been specifically investigated. The aim of this study was to explore the types of knowledge used by students when solving familiar and less familiar clinical cases with self-explanation. In a previous study, 36 third-year medical students diagnosed familiar and less familiar clinical cases either by engaging in self-explanation or not. Based on an analysis of previously collected data, the present study compared the content of self-explanation protocols generated by seven randomly selected students while solving four familiar and four less familiar cases. In total, 56 verbal protocols (28 familiar and 28 less familiar) were segmented and coded using the following categories: paraphrases, biomedical inferences, clinical inferences, monitoring statements and errors. Students provided more self-explanation segments from less familiar cases (M = 275.29) than from familiar cases (M = 248.71, p = 0.046). They provided significantly more paraphrases (p = 0.001) and made more errors (p = 0.008). A significant interaction was found between familiarity and the type of inferences (biomedical versus clinical, p = 0.016). When self-explaining less familiar cases, students provided significantly more biomedical inferences than familiar cases. Lack of familiarity with a case seems to stimulate medical students to engage in more extensive thinking during self-explanation. Less familiar cases seem to activate students' biomedical knowledge, which in turn helps them to create new links between biomedical and clinical knowledge, and eventually construct a more coherent mental

Students' explanations in complex learning of disciplinary programming

Science.gov (United States)

Vieira, Camilo

Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) has been denominated as the third pillar of science and as a set of important skills to solve the problems of a global society. Along with the theoretical and the experimental approaches, computation offers a third alternative to solve complex problems that require processing large amounts of data, or representing complex phenomena that are not easy to experiment with. Despite the relevance of CSE, current professionals and scientists are not well prepared to take advantage of this set of tools and methods. Computation is usually taught in an isolated way from engineering disciplines, and therefore, engineers do not know how to exploit CSE affordances. This dissertation intends to introduce computational tools and methods contextualized within the Materials Science and Engineering curriculum. Considering that learning how to program is a complex task, the dissertation explores effective pedagogical practices that can support student disciplinary and computational learning. Two case studies will be evaluated to identify the characteristics of effective worked examples in the context of CSE. Specifically, this dissertation explores students explanations of these worked examples in two engineering courses with different levels of transparency: a programming course in materials science and engineering glass box and a thermodynamics course involving computational representations black box. Results from this study suggest that students benefit in different ways from writing in-code comments. These benefits include but are not limited to: connecting xv individual lines of code to the overall problem, getting familiar with the syntax, learning effective algorithm design strategies, and connecting computation with their discipline. Students in the glass box context generate higher quality explanations than students in the black box context. These explanations are related to students prior experiences. Specifically, students with

Ontological Order in Scientific Explanation | Park | Philosophical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A conceptually sound explanation, I claim, respects the ontological order between properties. A dependent property is to be explained in terms of its underlying property, not the other way around. The applicability of this point goes well beyond the realm of the debate between scientific realists and antirealists.

Social Groups, Explanation and Ontological Holism | Sheehy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The paper begins from the claim that ontological holism is given prima facie plausibility by the apparently ineliminable role of groups in some descriptions and explanations of the social domain. If the individualist accepts the link between indispensabilty and realism, then individualism must show that groups cannot play the ...

Foreword: Surface Tensions: Between Explanation and Understanding.

Science.gov (United States)

Blauvelt, Andrew

1995-01-01

Introduces this issue of the journal, which is devoted to new perspectives on critical histories of graphic design. Notes that the essays in this issue offer examples of the variety of interpretative approaches available that serve to question both the previously unchallenged acceptance of historical explanations and the transcendent understanding…

Impact of Self-Explanation and Analogical Comparison Support on Learning Processes, Motivation, Metacognition, and Transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Richey, J. Elizabeth

Research examining analogical comparison and self-explanation has produced a robust set of findings about learning and transfer supported by each instructional technique. However, it is unclear how the types of knowledge generated through each technique differ, which has important implications for cognitive theory as well as instructional practice. I conducted a pair of experiments to directly compare the effects of instructional prompts supporting self-explanation, analogical comparison, and the study of instructional explanations across a number of fine-grained learning process, motivation, metacognition, and transfer measures. Experiment 1 explored these questions using sequence extrapolation problems, and results showed no differences between self-explanation and analogical comparison support conditions on any measure. Experiment 2 explored the same questions in a science domain. I evaluated condition effects on transfer outcomes; self-reported self-explanation, analogical comparison, and metacognitive processes; and achievement goals. I also examined relations between transfer and self-reported processes and goals. Receiving materials with analogical comparison support and reporting greater levels of analogical comparison were both associated with worse transfer performance, while reporting greater levels of self-explanation was associated with better performance. Learners' self-reports of self-explanation and analogical comparison were not related to condition assignment, suggesting that the questionnaires did not measure the same processes promoted by the intervention, or that individual differences in processing are robust even when learners are instructed to engage in self-explanation or analogical comparison.

Phase space overpopulation at CERN and possible explanations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pratt, S.

1998-01-01

By combining information from correlations from Pb+Pb collisions at CERN, one comes to the conclusion that pionic phase space is significantly overpopulated compared to expectations based on chemical equilibrium. A variety of explanations will be addressed. (author)

The 'side effects' of medicalization: a meta-analytic review of how biogenetic explanations affect stigma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kvaale, Erlend P; Haslam, Nick; Gottdiener, William H

2013-08-01

Reducing stigma is crucial for facilitating recovery from psychological problems. Viewing these problems biomedically may reduce the tendency to blame affected persons, but critics have cautioned that it could also increase other facets of stigma. We report on the first meta-analytic review of the effects of biogenetic explanations on stigma. A comprehensive search yielded 28 eligible experimental studies. Four separate meta-analyses (Ns=1207-3469) assessed the effects of biogenetic explanations on blame, perceived dangerousness, social distance, and prognostic pessimism. We found that biogenetic explanations reduce blame (Hedges g=-0.324) but induce pessimism (Hedges g=0.263). We also found that biogenetic explanations increase endorsement of the stereotype that people with psychological problems are dangerous (Hedges g=0.198), although this result could reflect publication bias. Finally, we found that biogenetic explanations do not typically affect social distance. Promoting biogenetic explanations to alleviate blame may induce pessimism and set the stage for self-fulfilling prophecies that could hamper recovery from psychological problems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What Do Students' Explanations Look Like When They Use Second-Hand Data?

Science.gov (United States)

Delen, Ibrahim; Krajcik, Joseph

2015-01-01

Explanation studies underlined the importance of using evidence in support of claims. However, few studies have focused on students' use of others' data (second-hand data) in this process. In this study, students collected data from a local water source and then took all the data back to the classroom to create scientific explanations by using…

75 FR 75453 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Technical Data Letter of Explanation

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-03

... Request; Technical Data Letter of Explanation AGENCY: Bureau of Industry and Security. ACTION: Notice....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract These technical data letters of explanation will assure the Bureau of Industry and Security that U.S.-origin technical data will be exported only for...

Theoretical explanations for maintenance of behaviour change: a systematic review of behaviour theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwasnicka, Dominika; Dombrowski, Stephan U; White, Martin; Sniehotta, Falko

2016-09-01

Behaviour change interventions are effective in supporting individuals in achieving temporary behaviour change. Behaviour change maintenance, however, is rarely attained. The aim of this review was to identify and synthesise current theoretical explanations for behaviour change maintenance to inform future research and practice. Potentially relevant theories were identified through systematic searches of electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO). In addition, an existing database of 80 theories was searched, and 25 theory experts were consulted. Theories were included if they formulated hypotheses about behaviour change maintenance. Included theories were synthesised thematically to ascertain overarching explanations for behaviour change maintenance. Initial theoretical themes were cross-validated. One hundred and seventeen behaviour theories were identified, of which 100 met the inclusion criteria. Five overarching, interconnected themes representing theoretical explanations for behaviour change maintenance emerged. Theoretical explanations of behaviour change maintenance focus on the differential nature and role of motives, self-regulation, resources (psychological and physical), habits, and environmental and social influences from initiation to maintenance. There are distinct patterns of theoretical explanations for behaviour change and for behaviour change maintenance. The findings from this review can guide the development and evaluation of interventions promoting maintenance of health behaviours and help in the development of an integrated theory of behaviour change maintenance.

The Improvement of Simple Explanation and Inferencetion Skills with Problem Solving

OpenAIRE

Dewanti, Fransiska Olivia; Diawati, Chansyanah; Fadiawati, Noor

2013-01-01

The learning process is strongly influenced by the ability and accuracy of teachers in selecting and applying the learning model. The model can be applied to improve of  simple explanation and inferencetion skill is a model of problem solving. The purpose of this study was to describe the model of problem solving that are effective in improving simple explanation and inferencetion skills on the material electrolyte and non-electrolyte solution. This research use a quasi-experimental methods ...

32 CFR 516.3 - Explanation of abbreviations and terms.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Glossary contains explanations of abbreviations and terms. (b) The masculine gender has been used throughout this regulation for simplicity and consistency. Any reference to the masculine gender is intended...

Learning the Language of Evolution: Lexical Ambiguity and Word Meaning in Student Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Rector, Meghan A.; Nehm, Ross H.; Pearl, Dennis

2013-01-01

Our study investigates the challenges introduced by students' use of lexically ambiguous language in evolutionary explanations. Specifically, we examined students' meaning of five key terms incorporated into their written evolutionary explanations: "pressure", "select", "adapt", "need", and "must". We utilized a new technological tool known as the…

Investigating the Development of Chinese Oral Explanation and Justification in Singapore Primary Students

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Jing

2016-01-01

Explanation and justification require cognitive ability which selects and organises relevant information in a logical way, and linguistic ability which enables speakers to encode the information with linguistic knowledge. This study aims to investigate the development of Chinese oral explanation and justification in Singapore primary students. The…

Phase space overpopulation at CERN and possible explanations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pratt, S.

1999-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. By combining information from correlations from Pb+Pb collisions at CERN, one comes to the conclusion that pionic phase space is significantly overpopulated compared to expectations based on chemical equilibrium. A variety of explanations will be addressed. (author)

Negotiating explanations: doctor-patient communication with patients with medically unexplained symptoms-a qualitative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

den Boeft, Madelon; Huisman, Daniëlle; Morton, LaKrista; Lucassen, Peter; van der Wouden, Johannes C; Westerman, Marjan J; van der Horst, Henriëtte E; Burton, Christopher D

2017-02-01

Patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) seek explanations for their symptoms, but often find general practitioners (GPs) unable to deliver these. Different methods of explaining MUPS have been proposed. Little is known about how communication evolves around these explanations. To examine the dialogue between GPs and patients related to explanations in a community-based clinic for MUPS. We categorized dialogue types and dialogue outcomes. Patients were ≥18 years with inclusion criteria for moderate MUPS: ≥2 referrals to specialists, ≥1 functional syndrome/symptoms, ≥10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 and GP's judgement that symptoms were unexplained. We analysed transcripts of 112 audio-recorded consultations (39 patients and 5 GPs) from two studies on the Symptoms Clinic Intervention, a consultation intervention for MUPS in primary care. We used constant comparative analysis to code and classify dialogue types and outcomes. We extracted 115 explanation sequences. We identified four dialogue types, differing in the extent to which the GP or patient controlled the dialogue. We categorized eight outcomes of the sequences, ranging from acceptance to rejection by the patient. The most common outcome was holding (conversation suspended in an unresolved state), followed by acceptance. Few explanations were rejected by the patient. Co-created explanations by patient and GP were most likely to be accepted. We developed a classification of dialogue types and outcomes in relation to explanations offered by GPs for MUPS patients. While it requires further validation, it provides a framework, which can be used for teaching, evaluation of practice and research. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sex Differences in Social Behavior: Are the Social Role and Evolutionary Explanations Compatible?

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, John

1996-01-01

Examines competing claims of two explanations of sex differences in social behavior, social role theory, and evolutionary psychology. Findings associated with social role theory are weighed against evolutionary explanations. It is suggested that evolutionary theory better accounts for the overall pattern of sex differences and for their origins.…

A Self-Categorization Explanation for Opinion Consensus Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jinguang; Reid, Scott A.

2013-01-01

The public expression of opinions (and related communicative activities) hinges upon the perception of opinion consensus. Current explanations for opinion consensus perceptions typically focus on egocentric and other biases, rather than functional cognitions. Using self-categorization theory we showed that opinion consensus perceptions flow from…

Predicting Internet risks: a longitudinal panel study of gratifications-sought, Internet addiction symptoms, and social media use among children and adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Louis

2014-01-01

This study used longitudinal panel survey data collected from 417 adolescents at 2 points in time 1 year apart. It examined relationships between Internet risks changes in Time 2 and social media gratifications-sought, Internet addiction symptoms, and social media use all measured at Time 1. By controlling for age, gender, education, and criterion variable scores in Internet addiction at Time 1, entertainment and instant messaging use at Time 1 significantly predicted increased Internet addiction measured at Time 2. The study also controlled for demographics and scores of criterion variables in Internet risks: targeted for harassment, privacy exposed, and pornographic or violent content consumed in Time 1. Gratifications-sought (including status-gaining, expressing opinions, and identity experimentation), Internet addiction symptoms (including withdrawal and negative life consequences), and social media use (in particular, blogs, and Facebook) significantly predicted Internet risk changes in Time 2. These findings suggest that, with their predictive power, these predictors at Time 1 could be used to identify those adolescents who are likely to develop Internet addiction symptoms and the likelihood of experiencing Internet risks based on their previous gratifications-sought, previous addiction symptoms, and their habits of social media use at Time 1. PMID:25750792

Predicting Internet risks: a longitudinal panel study of gratifications-sought, Internet addiction symptoms, and social media use among children and adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Louis

2014-01-01

This study used longitudinal panel survey data collected from 417 adolescents at 2 points in time 1 year apart. It examined relationships between Internet risks changes in Time 2 and social media gratifications-sought, Internet addiction symptoms, and social media use all measured at Time 1. By controlling for age, gender, education, and criterion variable scores in Internet addiction at Time 1, entertainment and instant messaging use at Time 1 significantly predicted increased Internet addiction measured at Time 2. The study also controlled for demographics and scores of criterion variables in Internet risks: targeted for harassment, privacy exposed, and pornographic or violent content consumed in Time 1. Gratifications-sought (including status-gaining, expressing opinions, and identity experimentation), Internet addiction symptoms (including withdrawal and negative life consequences), and social media use (in particular, blogs, and Facebook) significantly predicted Internet risk changes in Time 2. These findings suggest that, with their predictive power, these predictors at Time 1 could be used to identify those adolescents who are likely to develop Internet addiction symptoms and the likelihood of experiencing Internet risks based on their previous gratifications-sought, previous addiction symptoms, and their habits of social media use at Time 1.

Theoretical explanations for maintenance of behaviour change: a systematic review of behaviour theories

Science.gov (United States)

Kwasnicka, Dominika; Dombrowski, Stephan U; White, Martin; Sniehotta, Falko

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Behaviour change interventions are effective in supporting individuals in achieving temporary behaviour change. Behaviour change maintenance, however, is rarely attained. The aim of this review was to identify and synthesise current theoretical explanations for behaviour change maintenance to inform future research and practice. Methods: Potentially relevant theories were identified through systematic searches of electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO). In addition, an existing database of 80 theories was searched, and 25 theory experts were consulted. Theories were included if they formulated hypotheses about behaviour change maintenance. Included theories were synthesised thematically to ascertain overarching explanations for behaviour change maintenance. Initial theoretical themes were cross-validated. Findings: One hundred and seventeen behaviour theories were identified, of which 100 met the inclusion criteria. Five overarching, interconnected themes representing theoretical explanations for behaviour change maintenance emerged. Theoretical explanations of behaviour change maintenance focus on the differential nature and role of motives, self-regulation, resources (psychological and physical), habits, and environmental and social influences from initiation to maintenance. Discussion: There are distinct patterns of theoretical explanations for behaviour change and for behaviour change maintenance. The findings from this review can guide the development and evaluation of interventions promoting maintenance of health behaviours and help in the development of an integrated theory of behaviour change maintenance. PMID:26854092

An ancient explanation of presbyopia based on binocular vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbero, Sergio

2014-06-01

Presbyopia, understood as the age-related loss of ability to clearly see near objects, was known to ancient Greeks. However, few references to it can be found in ancient manuscripts. A relevant discussion on presbyopia appears in a book called Symposiacs written by Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus around 100 A.C. In this work, Plutarch provided four explanations of presbyopia, associated with different theories of vision. One of the explanations is particularly interesting as it is based on a binocular theory of vision. In this theory, vision is produced when visual rays, emanating from the eyes, form visual cones that impinge on the objects to be seen. Visual rays coming from old people's eyes, it was supposed, are weaker than those from younger people's eyes; so the theory, to be logically coherent, implies that this effect is compensated by the increase in light intensity due to the overlapping, at a certain distance, of the visual cones coming from both eyes. Thus, it benefits the reader to move the reading text further away from the eyes in order to increase the fusion area of both visual cones. The historical hypothesis taking into consideration that the astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea was the source of Plutarch's explanation of the theory is discussed. © 2013 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Competing explanations for adopting energy innovations for new office buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vermeulen, Walter J.V.; Hovens, Jeroen

2006-01-01

An integrative model to explain potential adopters' decisions to adopt energy innovations was adapted and applied in the field of new office building construction. We tested the relative effects of competing theoretical explanations (derived from economics, innovation science and policy science) on the decision to adopt. The research covered 35 projects representing 9% of the total volume of new office construction in the Netherlands between 2000 and mid-2002. Two levels of explanations for adopting innovations were derived: (a) the potential adopter's weighed assessments of the innovations and his or her nature of decision making and (b) explanation of those first-level variables. Using multiple regression techniques, we determined the relative influence on innovation-adoption of variables covering economy and technology, government intervention, company characteristics, and influences from market and society. The decision to adopt 'mature' innovations, in contrast to 'young' innovations, is based more on routine procedures than project-specific considerations. Policies need to take this difference into consideration. We also show evidence that in promoting adoption of E-innovations for new office buildings the Dutch system of applying Energy Performance Standards and subsidies proofs to be effective

Infant Preferences for Attractive Faces: A Cognitive Explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubenstein, Adam J.; Kalakanis, Lisa; Langlois, Judith H.

1999-01-01

Four studies assessed a cognitive explanation for development of infants' preference for attractive faces: cognitive averaging and preferences for mathematically averaged faces, or prototypes. Findings indicated that adults and 6-month olds prefer prototypical, mathematically averaged faces and that 6-month olds can abstract the central tendency…

Psychosocial explanations of complaints in Dutch general practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joosten, A; Mazeland, H; Meyboom-de Jong, B

BACKGROUND: Dutch GPs are frequently consulted by patients presenting physical complaints which have a psychosocial cause. Until now, this type of complaint has often been the subject of study, but the way in which psychosocial explanations for complaints are broached and discussed has not yet been

A flat space-time relativistic explanation for the perihelion advance of Mercury

OpenAIRE

Behera, Harihar; Naik, P. C.

2003-01-01

Starting with the flat space-time relativistic versions of Maxwell-Heaviside's toy model vector theory of gravity and introducing the gravitational analogues for the electromagnetic Lienard-Wiechert potentials together with the notion of a gravitational Thomas Precession; the observed anomalous perihelion advance of Mercury's orbit is here explained as a relativistic effect in flat (Minkowski) space-time, unlike Einstein's curved space-time relativistic explanation. In this new explanation fo...

Prediction and explanation over DL-Lite data streams

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Klarman, S

2013-12-01

Full Text Available the popular DL-Lite family, and study the logic foundations of prediction and explanation over DL-Lite data streams, i.e., reasoning from finite segments of streaming data to conjectures about the content of the streams in the future or in the past. We propose...

Biogenetic explanations and stigma: a meta-analytic review of associations among laypeople.

Science.gov (United States)

Kvaale, Erlend P; Gottdiener, William H; Haslam, Nick

2013-11-01

The stigma and social rejection faced by people with a mental disorder constitute a major barrier to their well-being and recovery. Medicalization has been welcomed as a strategy to reduce blame and stigma, although critics have cautioned that attributing mental disorders to biogenetic causes may have unintended side effects that could exacerbate prejudice and rejection. The present study presents a quantitative synthesis of the literature on relationships between biogenetic explanations for mental disorders and three key elements of stigma, namely blame, perceptions of dangerousness, and social distance. A comprehensive search yielded 25 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Separate meta-analyses (Ns = 4278-23,816) were conducted for the three stigma types, and assessed the consistency of effects across subgroups of studies involving different types of biogenetic explanations, mental disorders, and samples. We found that people who hold biogenetic explanations for mental disorders tend to blame affected persons less for their problems (r = -0.19), but perceive them as more dangerous (r = 0.09) and desire more distance from them (r = 0.05). The negative association with blame was significant for schizophrenia, belief in genetic causation, and in student samples. The positive association with dangerousness was significant for all disorders, belief in general biogenetic causation, and in community samples. The positive association with social distance was significant for schizophrenia, beliefs in neurochemical and general biogenetic causation, and in community samples. Nevertheless, across all analyses, biogenetic explanations were only weakly related to stigma. We conclude that biogenetic explanations for mental disorders confer mixed blessings for stigma. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disgust sensitivity is primarily associated with purity-based moral judgments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagemans, Fieke M A; Brandt, Mark J; Zeelenberg, Marcel

2018-03-01

Individual differences in disgust sensitivity are associated with a range of judgments and attitudes related to the moral domain. Some perspectives suggest that the association between disgust sensitivity and moral judgments will be equally strong across all moral domains (i.e., purity, authority, loyalty, care, fairness, and liberty). Other perspectives predict that disgust sensitivity is primarily associated with judgments of specific moral domains (e.g., primarily purity). However, no study has systematically tested if disgust sensitivity is associated with moral judgments of the purity domain specifically, more generally to moral judgments of the binding moral domains, or to moral judgments of all of the moral domains equally. Across 5 studies (total N = 1,104), we find consistent evidence for the notion that disgust sensitivity relates more strongly to moral condemnation of purity-based transgressions (meta-analytic r = .40) than to moral condemnation of transgressions of any of the other domains (range meta-analytic rs: .07-.27). Our findings are in line with predictions from Moral Foundations Theory, which predicts that personality characteristics like disgust sensitivity make people more sensitive to a certain set of moral issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Causal explanations of distress and general practitioners' assessments of common mental disorder among punjabi and English attendees.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhui, Kamaldeep; Bhugra, Dinesh; Goldberg, David

2002-01-01

The literature on the primary care assessment of mental distress among Indian subcontinent origin patients suggests frequent presentations to general practitioner, but rarely for recognisable psychiatric disorders. This study investigates whether cultural variations in patients' causal explanatory models account for cultural variations in the assessment of non-psychotic mental disorders in primary care. In a two-phase survey, 272 Punjabi and 269 English subjects were screened. The second phase was completed by 209 and 180 subjects, respectively. Causal explanatory models were elicited as explanations of two vignette scenarios. One of these emphasised a somatic presentation and the other anxiety symptoms. Psychiatric disorder was assessed by GPs on a Likert scale and by a psychiatrist on the Clinical Interview Schedule. Punjabis more commonly expressed medical/somatic and religious beliefs. General practitioners were more likely to assess any subject giving psychological explanations to vignette A and English subjects giving religious explanations to vignette B as having a significant psychiatric disorder. Where medical/somatic explanations of distress were most prevalent in response to the somatic vignette, psychological, religious and work explanations were less prevalent among Punjabis but not among English subjects. Causal explanations did not fully explain cultural differences in assessments. General practitioners' assessments and causal explanations are related and influenced by culture, but causal explanations do not fully explain cultural differences in assessments.

The Effects of Two Reality Explanations on Children's Reactions to a Frightening Movie Scene.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Barbara J.; Weiss, Audrey J.

1991-01-01

Assesses the effectiveness of two reality explanations on children's reactions to frightening programs. Shows that neither influenced younger children's emotional or cognitive reactions, whereas the special tricks explanation reduced older children's emotional responses with no impact on their interpretation. Shows that the real life explanation…

Why have socio-economic explanations between favoured over ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

explanations trump cultural ones in the South African HIV aetiological literature? In this article, we explore how three factors (a belief in monogamy as a universal norm, HIV's emergence in a time of the construction of non-racialism, and a simplified understanding of HIV epidemiology) have intersected to produce this bias ...

An Explanation of Economic Change and Development

OpenAIRE

Fusari, Angelo

2014-01-01

The contribution to the explanation of economic change that this paper sets out is centered on a core of interconnected endogenous variables, mainly innovation, radical uncertainty and entrepreneurship, which current economic analyses consider only in part and separately, sometimes as endogenous but for the most as exogenous. The article (and the formalized model) suppose that the functioning of the economy is not disturbed by the operation of pathological factors mainly concer...

Superfluous neuroscience information makes explanations of psychological phenomena more appealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Duque, Diego; Evans, Jessica; Christian, Colton; Hodges, Sara D

2015-05-01

Does the presence of irrelevant neuroscience information make explanations of psychological phenomena more appealing? Do fMRI pictures further increase that allure? To help answer these questions, 385 college students in four experiments read brief descriptions of psychological phenomena, each one accompanied by an explanation of varying quality (good vs. circular) and followed by superfluous information of various types. Ancillary measures assessed participants' analytical thinking, beliefs on dualism and free will, and admiration for different sciences. In Experiment 1, superfluous neuroscience information increased the judged quality of the argument for both good and bad explanations, whereas accompanying fMRI pictures had no impact above and beyond the neuroscience text, suggesting a bias that is conceptual rather than pictorial. Superfluous neuroscience information was more alluring than social science information (Experiment 2) and more alluring than information from prestigious "hard sciences" (Experiments 3 and 4). Analytical thinking did not protect against the neuroscience bias, nor did a belief in dualism or free will. We conclude that the "allure of neuroscience" bias is conceptual, specific to neuroscience, and not easily accounted for by the prestige of the discipline. It may stem from the lay belief that the brain is the best explanans for mental phenomena.

A Bayesian explanation of the "Uncanny Valley" effect and related psychological phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Roger K.

2012-11-01

There are a number of psychological phenomena in which dramatic emotional responses are evoked by seemingly innocuous perceptual stimuli. A well known example is the `uncanny valley' effect whereby a near human-looking artifact can trigger feelings of eeriness and repulsion. Although such phenomena are reasonably well documented, there is no quantitative explanation for the findings and no mathematical model that is capable of predicting such behavior. Here I show (using a Bayesian model of categorical perception) that differential perceptual distortion arising from stimuli containing conflicting cues can give rise to a perceptual tension at category boundaries that could account for these phenomena. The model is not only the first quantitative explanation of the uncanny valley effect, but it may also provide a mathematical explanation for a range of social situations in which conflicting cues give rise to negative, fearful or even violent reactions.

Primarily Experimental Results for a W Wire Array Z Pinch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuai Bin; Aici, Qiu; Wang Liangping; Zeng Zhengzhong; Wang Wensheng; Cong Peitian; Gai Tongyang; Wei Fuli; Guo Ning; Zhang Zhong

2006-01-01

Primarily experimental results are given for a W wire array Z pinch imploded with up to 2 MA in 100 ns on a Qiangguang-I pulsed power generator. The configuration and parameters of the generator, the W wire array load assembly and the diagnostic system for the experiment are described. The total X-ray energy has been obtained with a averaged power of X-ray radiation of 1.28 TW

Explanation and practice on ISO 9000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Dong Myeong

2001-01-01

This book reveals introduction on revision of ISO 9000:2000 with full account and contents of revision and change method change into ISO 9001:2000, the basic principle on ISO 9000:2000 and improvement and aim, definition on explanation, method for detail term, demand for ISO/KS A 9001:2000, quality management system development and transition way, standardization for quality management, manual of quality and making procedure and guide, case of quality manual and procedure and guide and ISO 9001:2000 / KS A 9001:2001 an English-Korean translation.

Theoretical vocabularies and styles of explanation of robot behaviours in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Datteri Edoardo

2017-06-01

Full Text Available How do children describe and explain the behaviour of robotic systems? In this paper, some distinctions between different types of explanations, drawing from the philosophy of science literature, are proposed and exemplified by reference to an activity in which primary school children are asked to describe and explain the behaviour of a pre-programmed Braitenberg-like vehicle. The proposed distinctions are also discussed against other studies drawn from the related scientific literature. A qualitative study has provided insights to further refine the analysis described here, through the introduction of other sub-categories of explanation of robotic behaviours.

The Difficulties of Reductionistic Explanation of Moral Knowledge

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SeyyedAli Asghari

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Moral reductionist believes that the reality of moral qualities are the same qualities which can be expressed with immoral words. Such an ontological view has an epistemological aspect which states our understanding of moral facts is either our understanding of immoral facts or our deductions of immoral understanding. From moral reductionists and especially the naturalists’ point of view, the ability to explain moral knowledge without resorting to some theories such as moral intuition is considered to be an important advantage and even a strong reason for their view. Therefore, the present paper is going to study the reductionistic explanations about moral knowledge and justifications of moral believes. We have come to the conclusion that among the explanations presented by the naturalists, analytic knowledge has the same problems which have discredited the theory of analytic reductionism. Also, deducing value from non-value is either facing the logical gap of is-must; or if there is a meaningful descriptive-valuable link, we can’t finally come to unconditional moral results.

ExplaNet: A Collaborative Learning Tool and Hybrid Recommender System for Student-Authored Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Masters, Jessica; Madhyastha, Tara; Shakouri, Ali

2008-01-01

ExplaNet is a web-based, anonymous, asynchronous explanation-sharing network. Instructors post questions to the network and students submit explanatory answers. Students then view and rank the explanations submitted by their peers before optionally resubmitting a final and revised answer. Three classroom evaluations of ExplaNet showed that by…

Evolutionary explanations in medical and health profession courses: are you answering your students' "why" questions?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malyango Avelin A

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Medical and pre-professional health students ask questions about human health that can be answered in two ways, by giving proximate and evolutionary explanations. Proximate explanations, most common in textbooks and classes, describe the immediate scientifically known biological mechanisms of anatomical characteristics or physiological processes. These explanations are necessary but insufficient. They can be complemented with evolutionary explanations that describe the evolutionary processes and principles that have resulted in human biology we study today. The main goal of the science of Darwinian Medicine is to investigate human disease, disorders, and medical complications from an evolutionary perspective. Discussion This paper contrasts the differences between these two types of explanations by describing principles of natural selection that underlie medical questions. Thus, why is human birth complicated? Why does sickle cell anemia exist? Why do we show symptoms like fever, diarrhea, and coughing when we have infection? Why do we suffer from ubiquitous age-related diseases like arteriosclerosis, Alzheimer's and others? Why are chronic diseases like type II diabetes and obesity so prevalent in modern society? Why hasn't natural selection eliminated the genes that cause common genetic diseases like hemochromatosis, cystic fibrosis, Tay sachs, PKU and others? Summary In giving students evolutionary explanations professors should underscore principles of natural selection, since these can be generalized for the analysis of many medical questions. From a research perspective, natural selection seems central to leading hypotheses of obesity and type II diabetes and might very well explain the occurrence of certain common genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis, hemochromatosis, Tay sachs, Fragile X syndrome, G6PD and others because of their compensating advantages. Furthermore, armed with evolutionary explanations, health care

Social selection is a powerful explanation for prosociality.

Science.gov (United States)

Nesse, Randolph M

2016-01-01

Cultural group selection helps explain human cooperation, but social selection offers a complementary, more powerful explanation. Just as sexual selection shapes extreme traits that increase matings, social selection shapes extreme traits that make individuals preferred social partners. Self-interested partner choices create strong and possibly runaway selection for prosocial traits, without requiring group selection, kin selection, or reciprocity.

Dynamical 3-Space: Alternative Explanation of the "Dark Matter Ring"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cahill R. T.

2007-10-01

Full Text Available NASA has claimed the discovery of a “Ring of Dark Matter” in the galaxy cluster CL 0024 +17, see Jee M.J. et al. arXiv:0705.2171, based upon gravitational lensing data. Here we show that the lensing can be given an alternative explanation that does not involve “dark matter”. This explanation comes from the new dynamics of 3-space. This dynamics involves two constant G and alpha — the fine structure constant. This dynamics has explained the bore hole anomaly, spiral galaxy flat rotation speeds, the masses of black holes in spherical galaxies, gravitational light bending and lensing, all without invoking “dark matter”, and also the supernova redshift data without the need for “dark energy”.

Nursing Teaching Strategies by Encouraging Students’ Questioning, Argumentation and Explanation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dayse Neri de Souza

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Nursing students need to develop competences in the field of explanation, argumentation and questioning as they are pivotal to foster a relationship with their patients and achieve a greater humanisation of care. The objective of this paper is to analyse the perception of 1st-year nursing students with regard to the humanisation of care provided to patients by encouraging them to discuss real-life episodes. The study is qualitative and content analysis used the students’ questions, explanations and argumentation as core discourses. Among other conclusions, results point towards the importance of promoting activities that encourage the different nursing students’ discourses and the ability to understand the humanisation and dehumanisation patterns arising from the real-life episodes used as case study.

An Explanation of the Missing Flux from Boyajian's Mysterious Star

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foukal, Peter [192 Willow Road, Nahant, MA 01908 (United States)

2017-06-10

A previously unremarkable star in the constellation Cygnus has, in the past year, become known as the most mysterious object in our Galaxy. Boyajian’s star exhibits puzzling episodes of sporadic, deep dimming discovered in photometry with the Kepler Mission. Proposed explanations have focused on its obscuration by colliding exoplanets, exocomets, and even intervention of alien intelligence. These hypotheses have considered only phenomena external to the star because the radiative flux missing in the dimmings was believed to exceed the star’s storage capacity. We point out that modeling of variations in solar luminosity indicates that convective stars can store the required fluxes. It also suggests explanations for (a) a reported time-profile asymmetry of the short, deep dimmings and (b) a slower, decadal scale dimming reported from archival and Kepler photometry. Our findings suggest a broader range of explanations of Boyajian’s star that may produce new insights into stellar magneto-convection.

Graphical explanation in an expert system for Space Station Freedom rack integration

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, F. G.; Cutts, D. E.; Fennel, T. R.; Purves, B.

1990-01-01

The rationale and methodology used to incorporate graphics into explanations provided by an expert system for Space Station Freedom rack integration is examined. The rack integration task is typical of a class of constraint satisfaction problems for large programs where expertise from several areas is required. Graphically oriented approaches are used to explain the conclusions made by the system, the knowledge base content, and even at more abstract levels the control strategies employed by the system. The implemented architecture combines hypermedia and inference engine capabilities. The advantages of this architecture include: closer integration of user interface, explanation system, and knowledge base; the ability to embed links to deeper knowledge underlying the compiled knowledge used in the knowledge base; and allowing for more direct control of explanation depth and duration by the user. The graphical techniques employed range from simple statis presentation of schematics to dynamic creation of a series of pictures presented motion picture style. User models control the type, amount, and order of information presented.

Interpreting Black-Box Classifiers Using Instance-Level Visual Explanations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamagnini, Paolo; Krause, Josua W.; Dasgupta, Aritra; Bertini, Enrico

2017-05-14

To realize the full potential of machine learning in diverse real- world domains, it is necessary for model predictions to be readily interpretable and actionable for the human in the loop. Analysts, who are the users but not the developers of machine learning models, often do not trust a model because of the lack of transparency in associating predictions with the underlying data space. To address this problem, we propose Rivelo, a visual analytic interface that enables analysts to understand the causes behind predictions of binary classifiers by interactively exploring a set of instance-level explanations. These explanations are model-agnostic, treating a model as a black box, and they help analysts in interactively probing the high-dimensional binary data space for detecting features relevant to predictions. We demonstrate the utility of the interface with a case study analyzing a random forest model on the sentiment of Yelp reviews about doctors.

Synergy and Students' Explanations: Exploring the Role of Generic and Content-Specific Scaffolds

Science.gov (United States)

Delen, Ibrahim; Krajcik, Joseph

2018-01-01

In this study, we explored how a teacher used a new mobile application that enables students to collect data inside and outside the classroom, and then use the data to create scientific explanations by using claim-evidence-reasoning framework. Previous technologies designed to support scientific explanations focused on how these programs improve…

75 FR 28249 - Comment Sought on Measures Designed To Assist U.S. Wireless Consumers To Avoid “Bill Shock”

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-20

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION [CG Docket No. 09-158; DA 10-803] Comment Sought on Measures... Filing System (ECFS), through the Commission's Web site: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ , or the Federal e...-mail. To get filing instructions, filers should send an e-mail to [email protected]fcc.gov , and include the...

Modes of risk explanation in telephone consultations between nurses and parents for a genetic condition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zayts, Olga; Sarangi, Srikant

2013-01-01

as warrants for advice-giving and providing reassurance. We then examine how the genetic nurses interactionally orient themselves to the parents’ existing knowledge regarding G6PD deficiency while delivering these risk explanations. The differences in explanation trajectories are linked to the presence...

Sixth Graders' Co-Construction of Explanations of a Disturbance in an Ecosystem: Exploring Relationships between Grouping, Reflective Scaffolding, and Evidence-Based Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Kyza, Eleni A.; Constantinou, Costas P.; Spanoudis, George

2011-01-01

We report on a study investigating the relationship between cognitive ability grouping, reflective inquiry scaffolding, and students' collaborative explanations of an ecosystem disturbance which took place when a number of flamingo birds died in a salt lake because of nearby intensive human activities. Twenty-six pairs of students from two intact…

A “Pathology Explanation Clinic (PEC” for Patient-Centered Laboratory Medicine Test Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blake Gibson MD

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This concept paper addresses communication issues arising between physicians and their patients. To facilitate the communication of essential diagnostic pathology information to patients, and address their questions and concerns, we propose that “Pathology Explanation Clinics” be created. The Pathology Explanation Clinics would provide a channel for direct communications between pathologists and patients. Pathologists would receive special training as “Certified Pathologist Navigators” in preparation for this role. The goal of Pathology Explanation Clinics would be to help fill gaps in communication of information contained in laboratory reports to patients, further explain its relevance, and improve patient understanding of the meaning of such information and its impact on their health and health-care choices. Effort would be made to ensure that Certified Pathologist Navigators work within the overall coordination of care by the health-care team.

Information performances and illative sequences: Sequential organization of explanations of chemical phase equilibrium

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Nathaniel James Swanton

While there is consensus that conceptual change is surprisingly difficult, many competing theories of conceptual change co-exist in the literature. This dissertation argues that this discord is partly the result of an inadequate account of the unwritten rules of human social interaction that underlie the field's preferred methodology---semi-structured interviewing. To better understand the contributions of interaction during explanations, I analyze eight undergraduate general chemistry students as they attempt to explain to various people, for various reasons, why phenomena involving chemical phase equilibrium occur. Using the methods of interaction analysis, I characterize the unwritten, but systematic, rules that these participants follow as they explain. The result is a description of the contributions of interaction to explaining. Each step in each explanation is a jointly performed expression of a subject-predicate relation, an interactive accomplishment I call an information performance (in-form, for short). Unlike clauses, in-forms need not have a coherent grammatical structure. Unlike speaker turns, in-forms have the clear function of expressing information. Unlike both clauses and speaker turns, in-forms are a co-construction, jointly performed by both the primary speaker and the other interlocutor. The other interlocutor strongly affects the form and content of each explanation by giving or withholding feedback at the end of each in-form, moments I call feedback-relevant places. While in-forms are the bricks out of which the explanation is constructed, they are secured by a series of inferential links I call an illative sequence. Illative sequences are forward-searching, starting with a remembered fact or observation and following a chain of inferences in the hope it leads to the target phenomenon. The participants treat an explanation as a success if the illative sequence generates an in-form that describes the phenomenon. If the illative sequence does

The Quality of Explanations for Deviation from Principles of Corporate Governance. An Introduction

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Izabela Koładkiewicz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to summarize studies aiming to define matters related to the quality of explanations found in corporate governance statements published by listed companies. Another important aspect of the conducted analysis is the identification of various dimensions of explanation quality. Methodology: The character of the conducted research is that of an overview of literature devoted to the subject. Apart from scientific articles, it covers European Union regulations, regulations characteristic of countries selected for the analysis (member states of the European Union, and applied solutions aimed at guaranteeing the desired quality of explanations for deviation included in corporate governance statements that are in the centre of attention. Findings: The conducted analysis organizes the current knowledge concerning actions aimed at improving the quality of explanations for deviation from principles of corporate governance. Without a doubt, the primary pillar consists of the level of information and its quality, as found in explanations for shareholders. It is this quality that determines if the shareholder understands the processes occurring in the realm of corporate governance in the company. Research limitations: The conducted analysis should be treated as an introduction to related research issues. It should be stressed that research into explanations provided by companies is still in the process of development, and the number of publications devoted to this topic is still modest. Practical implications: The study fits in the research into the phenomena of the “comply or explain” mechanism as applied in practice, which according of many researchers, continues to be poorly investigated. In terms of the directions for further research, there are promising topics including e.g. identification of factors that may translate into the quality of such statements (e.g. ownership structure, identity of shareholders, the

Coleridge: a computer tool for assisting musical reflection and self-explanation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Cook

1998-12-01

Full Text Available Since the mid-1980s, there has been a movement away from knowledge supplied by the teacher and towards talking, reflecting and explaining as ways to learn. An example of this change in focus is provided by the self-explanation work of Chi et al (1994 who describe an approach to talking science rather than hearing science. According to Chi and coworkers, generating explanations to oneself (self-explanations facilitates the integration of new information into existing knowledge. Reflecting about one's own learning is the same as thinking about learning or metacognition. Metacognition can be defined as the understanding of knowledge, an understanding that can be reflected in either effective use or overt description of the knowledge in question (Brown, 1987. This definition of metacognition requires of a learner both internalized thinking about learning (that is, reflection, and externalized communication, through language or action, that indicates an understanding of knowledge (that is, a self-explanation. In the work described in this paper the overall pedagogical goal is to encourage creative reflection in learners. Creative reflection is defined as the ability of a learner to imagine musical opportunities in novel situations, and then to make accurate predictions (verbally about these opportunities. To succeed at creative reflection there should be a correspondence between what a learner predicts will happen and what actually happens. An example would be a learner first writing a musical phrase using musical notation, then predicting verbally how that phrase will sound, playing the phrase back on a piano, and finally evaluating if the prediction was accurate or not. Very little work has been done on how computers can be used to support talking, reflecting and explaining in the creative subject-area of musical composition. The rest of this paper addresses this issue.

Developing Explanations and Developing Understanding: Students Explain the Phases of the Moon Using Visual Representations

Science.gov (United States)

Parnafes, Orit

2012-01-01

This article presents a theoretical model of the process by which students construct and elaborate explanations of scientific phenomena using visual representations. The model describes progress in the underlying conceptual processes in students' explanations as a reorganization of fine-grained knowledge elements based on the Knowledge in Pieces…

Developmental Origins of Biological Explanations: The case of infants' internal property bias.

Science.gov (United States)

Taborda-Osorio, Hernando; Cheries, Erik W

2017-10-01

People's explanations about the biological world are heavily biased toward internal, non-obvious properties. Adults and children as young as 5 years of age find internal properties more causally central than external features for explaining general biological processes and category membership. In this paper, we describe how this 'internal property bias' may be grounded in two different developmental precursors observed in studies with infants: (1) an early understanding of biological agency that is apparent in infants' reasoning about animals, and (2) the acquisition of kind-based representations that distinguish between essential and accidental properties, spanning from animals to artifacts. We argue that these precursors may support the progressive construction of the notion of biological kinds and explanations during childhood. Shortly after their first year of life, infants seem to represent the internal properties of animates as more central and identity-determining that external properties. Over time, this skeletal notion of biological kinds is integrated into diverse explanations about kind membership and biological processes, with an increasingly better understanding of the causal role of internal properties.

Box-and-arrow explanations need not be more abstract than neuroscientific mechanism descriptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Datteri, Edoardo; Laudisa, Federico

2014-01-01

The nature of the relationship between box-and-arrow (BA) explanations and neuroscientific mechanism descriptions (NMDs) is a key foundational issue for cognitive science. In this article we attempt to identify the nature of the constraints imposed by BA explanations on the formulation of NMDs. On the basis of a case study about motor control, we argue that BA explanations and NMDs both identify regularities that hold in the system, and that these regularities place constraints on the formulation of NMDs from BA analyses, and vice versa. The regularities identified in the two kinds of explanation play a crucial role in reasoning about the relationship between them, and in justifying the use of neuroscientific experimental techniques for the empirical testing of BA analyses of behavior. In addition, we make claims concerning the similarities and differences between BA analyses and NMDs. First, we argue that both types of explanation describe mechanisms. Second, we propose that they differ in terms of the theoretical vocabulary used to denote the entities and properties involved in the mechanism and engaging in regular, mutual interactions. On the contrary, the notion of abstractness, defined as omission of detail, does not help to distinguish BA analyses from NMDs: there is a sense in which BA analyses are more detailed than NMDs. In relation to this, we also focus on the nature of the extra detail included in NMDs and missing from BA analyses, arguing that such detail does not always concern how the system works. Finally, we propose reasons for doubting that BA analyses, unlike NMDs, may be considered "mechanism sketches." We have developed these views by critically analyzing recent claims in the philosophical literature regarding the foundations of cognitive science.

Box-and-arrow explanations need not be more abstract than neuroscientific mechanism descriptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edoardo eDatteri

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The nature of the relationship between box-and-arrow (BA explanations and neuroscientific mechanism descriptions (NMDs is a key foundational issue for cognitive science. In this article we attempt to identify the nature of the constraints imposed by BA explanations on the formulation of NMDs. On the basis of a case study about motor control, we argue that BA explanations and NMDs both identify regularities that hold in the system, and that these regularities place constraints on the formulation of NMDs from BA analyses, and vice versa. The regularities identified in the two kinds of explanation play a crucial role in reasoning about the relationship between them, and in justifying the use of neuroscientific experimental techniques for the empirical testing of BA analyses of behavior. In addition, we make claims concerning the similarities and differences between BA analyses and NMDs. First, we argue that both types of explanation describe mechanisms. Second, we propose that they differ in terms of the theoretical vocabulary used to denote the entities and properties involved in the mechanism and engaging in regular, mutual interactions. On the contrary, the notion of abstractness, defined as omission of detail, does not help to distinguish BA analyses from NMDs: there is a sense in which BA analyses are more detailed than NMDs. In relation to this, we also focus on the nature of the extra detail included in NMDs and missing from BA analyses, arguing that such detail does not always concern how the system works. Finally, we propose reasons for doubting that BA analyses, unlike NMDs, may be considered mechanism sketches. We have developed these views by critically analyzing recent claims in the philosophical literature regarding the foundations of cognitive science.

Education's impact on explanations of radical right-wing voting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lubbers, M.; Tolsma, J.

2011-01-01

One of the reactions to the large demographic changes in Europe due to migration has been the rise of radical right-wing parties. Previous research has shown that education is one of the most relevant explanations of this voting behaviour. By pooling the European Social Surveys from 2002, 2004, 2006

Experiences and Explanations of ADHD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Mikka

Research on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) usually presents the disorder from either a neurobiological perspective, describing the disorder as an impairment in executive functions, or from a critical, sociological perspective, whereby ADHD is explained as a consequence...... of the medicalization of deviant behaviour. Neither of these perspectives tells us about the experience of living with ADHD, or explains how ADHD unfolds within specific contexts and relations. Experiences and Explanations of ADHD addresses this lacuna by exploring bodily experiences of ADHD and people’s experiences...... of obtaining a diagnosis. Drawing on in-depth interviews with adults diagnosed with ADHD, the book provides an examination of how the diagnosis is understood, used and acted upon by the people receiving the diagnosis. This book delves into the phenomenology of ADHD and uncovers the experiences of a highly...

Pluralism, Pragmatism and Functional Explanations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaw Jamie

2016-04-01

Full Text Available While many philosophers speak of ‘pluralism’ within philosophy of biology, there has been little said about what such pluralism amounts to or what its underlying assumptions are. This has provoked so me anxiety about whether pluralism is compatible with their commitment to naturalism (Cussins 1992. This paper surveys three prominent pluralist positions (Sandra Mitchell and Michael Dietrich’s (2006 ‘integrative pluralism’, and both Peter Godfrey-Smith’s (1993 and Beth Preston’s (1998 pluralist analyses of functional explanations in evolutionary biology and demonstrates how all three are committed to a form of pragmatism. This analysis both clarifies the justification and grounding of pluralism and allows these pluralisms to avoid the criticisms of Cussins. I close by making some more general points about pluralism and its relationship to history and integration.

CERN Press Release: CERN experiments observe particle consistent with long-sought Higgs boson

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

Geneva, 4 July 2012. At a seminar held at CERN today as a curtain raiser to the year’s major particle physics conference, ICHEP2012 in Melbourne, the ATLAS and CMS experiments presented their latest preliminary results in the search for the long sought Higgs particle. Both experiments observe a new particle in the mass region around 125-126 GeV.   CERN physicists await the start of the Higgs seminar. “We observe in our data clear signs of a new particle, at the level of 5 sigma, in the mass region around 126 GeV. The outstanding performance of the LHC and ATLAS and the huge efforts of many people have brought us to this exciting stage,” said ATLAS experiment spokesperson Fabiola Gianotti, “but a little more time is needed to prepare these results for publication.” "The results are preliminary but the 5 sigma signal at around 125 GeV we’re seeing is dramatic. This is indeed a new particle. We know it must be a boson and it&...

A skin-picking disorder case report: a psychopathological explanation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ângela Ribeiro

2015-06-01

Full Text Available We describe the case of a 44-year-old woman, without known previous psychiatric history, hospitalized after a significant hemorrhage caused by self-inflicted deep facial dermal lesions (with muscle exposition. Psychopathological possible explanations of this case, as in similar reviewed ones, are related to frustration, aggression, and impulsivity.

A Self-Categorization Explanation for the Third-Person Effect

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Scott A.; Hogg, Michael A.

2005-01-01

Three studies tested a self-categorization theory explanation for the third-person effect. In Study 1 (N = 49) undergraduate students judged the influence of the "National Enquirer," "Wall Street Journal," and TV show "Friends" on themselves, relative to low- and high-status outgroup members, and other undergraduate students. The profile of first-…

Assessing recall, conceptualization, and transfer capabilities of novice biochemistry students' across learning style preferences as revealed by self-explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Hilsenbeck-Fajardo, Jacqueline L.

2009-08-01

The research described herein is a multi-dimensional attempt to measure student's abilities to recall, conceptualize, and transfer fundamental and dynamic protein structure concepts as revealed by their own diagrammatic (pictorial) representations and written self-explanations. A total of 120 participants enrolled in a 'Fundamentals of Biochemistry' course contributed to this mixed-methodological study. The population of interest consisted primarily of pre-nursing and sport and exercise science majors. This course is typically associated with a high (researcher with an ideal context in which to apply novel transfer assessment strategies. In the past, students within this population have reported very little chemistry background. In the following study, student-generated diagrammatic representations and written explanations were coded thematically using a highly objective rubric that was designed specifically for this study. Responses provided by the students were characterized on the macroscopic, microscopic, molecular-level, and integrated scales. Recall knowledge gain (i.e., knowledge that was gained through multiple-choice questioning techniques) was quantitatively correlated to learning style preferences (i.e., high-object, low-object, and non-object). Quantitative measures revealed that participants tended toward an object (i.e., snapshot) -based visualization preference, a potentially limiting factor in their desire to consider dynamic properties of fundamental biochemical contexts such as heat-induced protein denaturation. When knowledge transfer was carefully assessed within the predefined context, numerous misconceptions pertaining to the fundamental and dynamic nature of protein structure were revealed. Misconceptions tended to increase as the transfer model shifted away from the context presented in the original learning material. Ultimately, a fundamentally new, novel, and unique measure of knowledge transfer was developed as a main result of this study

Explanations of Freud's Psychoanalysis Theories on the Lives and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper examines some of the various explanations of Freud's theories on a selected number of Western Artist and their works. It highlights the impact of his findings on the authenticity of the concept as regards, dreams, the Oedipus complex and imagery. Its objective is to prove that a number of Western European artist ...

An explanation of the Hiroshima activation dilemma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhoades, W.A.; Barnes, J.M.; Santoro, R.T.

1994-01-01

A 1987 study of the radiation from the World War II nuclear weapons applied state-of-the-art data and computer techniques, providing an important advance in reliability of the results. Still, a disturbing disagreement remained between slow-neutron activation measurements and calculations for the Hiroshima event. Newer data have confirmed the validity of the discrepancy. This work examines various potential explanations. Of those examined, only an enhancement to the weapon neutron leakage spectrum in the vicinity of the 2.3 MeV oxygen cross section window can fit the data accurately

Why Sketching May Aid Learning From Science Texts: Contrasting Sketching With Written Explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheiter, Katharina; Schleinschok, Katrin; Ainsworth, Shaaron

2017-10-01

The goal of this study was to explore two accounts for why sketching during learning from text is helpful: (1) sketching acts like other constructive strategies such as self-explanation because it helps learners to identify relevant information and generate inferences; or (2) that in addition to these general effects, sketching has more specific benefits due to the pictorial representation that is constructed. Seventy-three seventh-graders (32 girls, M = 12.82 years) were first taught how to either create sketches or self-explain while studying science texts. During a subsequent learning phase, all students were asked to read an expository text about the greenhouse effect. Finally, they were asked to write down everything they remembered and then answer transfer questions. Strategy quality during learning was assessed as the number of key concepts that had either been sketched or mentioned in the self-explanations. The results showed that at an overall performance level there were only marginal group differences. However, a more in-depth analysis revealed that whereas no group differences emerged for students implementing either strategy poorly, the sketching group clearly outperformed the self-explanation group for students who applied the strategies with higher quality. Furthermore, higher sketching quality was strongly related to better learning outcomes. Thus, the study's results are more in line with the second account: Sketching can have a beneficial effect on learning above and beyond generating written explanations; at least, if well deployed. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Indexing and Exploiting a Discourse History to Generate Context-Sensitive Explanations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Johanna D

1993-01-01

... to their own previous explanations. Based on a study of human-human instructional inter- actions, we are categorizing the uses of previous discourse and are developing a computational model of this behavior...

Tutorial dialogues and gist explanations of genetic breast cancer risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Widmer, Colin L; Wolfe, Christopher R; Reyna, Valerie F; Cedillos-Whynott, Elizabeth M; Brust-Renck, Priscila G; Weil, Audrey M

2015-09-01

The intelligent tutoring system (ITS) BRCA Gist is a Web-based tutor developed using the Shareable Knowledge Objects (SKO) platform that uses latent semantic analysis to engage women in natural-language dialogues to teach about breast cancer risk. BRCA Gist appears to be the first ITS designed to assist patients' health decision making. Two studies provide fine-grained analyses of the verbal interactions between BRCA Gist and women responding to five questions pertaining to breast cancer and genetic risk. We examined how "gist explanations" generated by participants during natural-language dialogues related to outcomes. Using reliable rubrics, scripts of the participants' verbal interactions with BRCA Gist were rated for content and for the appropriateness of the tutor's responses. Human researchers' scores for the content covered by the participants were strongly correlated with the coverage scores generated by BRCA Gist, indicating that BRCA Gist accurately assesses the extent to which people respond appropriately. In Study 1, participants' performance during the dialogues was consistently associated with learning outcomes about breast cancer risk. Study 2 was a field study with a more diverse population. Participants with an undergraduate degree or less education who were randomly assigned to BRCA Gist scored higher on tests of knowledge than those assigned to the National Cancer Institute website or than a control group. We replicated findings that the more expected content that participants included in their gist explanations, the better they performed on outcome measures. As fuzzy-trace theory suggests, encouraging people to develop and elaborate upon gist explanations appears to improve learning, comprehension, and decision making.

Human punishment is not primarily motivated by inequality.

Science.gov (United States)

Marczyk, Jesse

2017-01-01

Previous theorizing about punishment has suggested that humans desire to punish inequality per se. However, the research supporting such an interpretation contains important methodological confounds. The main objective of the current experiment was to remove those confounds in order to test whether generating inequality per se is punished. Participants were recruited from an online market to take part in a wealth-alteration game with an ostensible second player. The participants were given an option to deduct from the other player's payment as punishment for their behavior during the game. The results suggest that human punishment does not appear to be motivated by inequality per se, as inequality that was generated without inflicting costs on others was not reliably punished. Instead, punishment seems to respond primarily to the infliction of costs, with inequality only becoming relevant as a secondary input for punishment decisions. The theoretical significance of this finding is discussed in the context of its possible adaptive value.

Human punishment is not primarily motivated by inequality

Science.gov (United States)

Marczyk, Jesse

2017-01-01

Previous theorizing about punishment has suggested that humans desire to punish inequality per se. However, the research supporting such an interpretation contains important methodological confounds. The main objective of the current experiment was to remove those confounds in order to test whether generating inequality per se is punished. Participants were recruited from an online market to take part in a wealth-alteration game with an ostensible second player. The participants were given an option to deduct from the other player’s payment as punishment for their behavior during the game. The results suggest that human punishment does not appear to be motivated by inequality per se, as inequality that was generated without inflicting costs on others was not reliably punished. Instead, punishment seems to respond primarily to the infliction of costs, with inequality only becoming relevant as a secondary input for punishment decisions. The theoretical significance of this finding is discussed in the context of its possible adaptive value. PMID:28187166

Human punishment is not primarily motivated by inequality.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesse Marczyk

Full Text Available Previous theorizing about punishment has suggested that humans desire to punish inequality per se. However, the research supporting such an interpretation contains important methodological confounds. The main objective of the current experiment was to remove those confounds in order to test whether generating inequality per se is punished. Participants were recruited from an online market to take part in a wealth-alteration game with an ostensible second player. The participants were given an option to deduct from the other player's payment as punishment for their behavior during the game. The results suggest that human punishment does not appear to be motivated by inequality per se, as inequality that was generated without inflicting costs on others was not reliably punished. Instead, punishment seems to respond primarily to the infliction of costs, with inequality only becoming relevant as a secondary input for punishment decisions. The theoretical significance of this finding is discussed in the context of its possible adaptive value.

HIV/AIDS stigma among a sample of primarily African-American and Latino men who have sex with men social media users.

Science.gov (United States)

Garett, Renee; Smith, Justin; Chiu, Jason; Young, Sean D

2016-01-01

The recent increase in social media use allows these technologies to rapidly reach communities with higher HIV prevalence, such as African-American and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). However, no studies have looked at HIV/AIDS stigma among social media users from African-American and Latino MSM communities, or the association between stigma and social media use among these groups. This study sought to assess the level of HIV/AIDS stigma among a sample of social media-using African-American and Latino MSM from Los Angeles. A total of 112 (primarily African-American and Latino, n = 98, 88%) MSM Facebook users completed a survey on demographics, online social network use, and HIV/AIDS stigma. A composite stigma score was created by taking the cumulative score from a 15-item stigma questionnaire. Cumulative logistic models were used to assess the association between HIV/AIDS stigma and online social network use. In general, participants reported a low level of HIV/AIDS stigma (mean = 22.2/75, SD = 5.74). HIV/AIDS stigma composite score was significantly associated with increased time spent on online social networks each day (Adjusted odds ratios (AOR): 1.07, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.15). Among this diverse sample of MSM online social network users, findings suggest that HIV/AIDS stigma is associated with usage of social media. We discuss the implications of this work for future HIV prevention.

Children balance theories and evidence in exploration, explanation, and learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bonawitz, E.B.; van Schijndel, T.J.P.; Friel, D.; Schulz, L.

2012-01-01

We look at the effect of evidence and prior beliefs on exploration, explanation and learning. In Experiment 1, we tested children both with and without differential prior beliefs about balance relationships (Center Theorists, mean: 82 months; Mass Theorists, mean: 89 months; No Theory children,

The Importance of Qualitative Research for Causal Explanation in Education

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Joseph A.

2012-01-01

The concept of causation has long been controversial in qualitative research, and many qualitative researchers have rejected causal explanation as incompatible with an interpretivist or constructivist approach. This rejection conflates causation with the positivist "theory" of causation, and ignores an alternative understanding of causation,…

Social class, psychosocial factors and disease : from deception towards explanation.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ranchor, Adelita Vijaynti

1994-01-01

This thesis deals with the question of the extent to which socioeconomic status (sas) is related to disease. The main focus is the explanation of this relation, applying a muitifactor approach aimed at the integration of socioeconomic, psychosocial factors and health-related behavior. ... Zie:

Generalizing the order and the parameters of macro-operators by explanation-based learning - Extension of Explanation-Based Learning on Partial Order

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Huihua

1992-01-01

The traditional generalization methods such as FIKE's macro-operator learning and Explanation-Based Learning (EBL) deal with totally ordered plans. They generalize only the plan operators and the conditions under which the generalized plan can be applied in its initial total order, but not the partial order among operators in which the generalized plan can be successfully executed. In this paper, we extend the notion of the EBL on the partial order of plans. A new method is presented for learning, from a totally or partially ordered plan, partially ordered macro-operators (generalized plans) each of which requires a set of the weakest conditions for its reuse. It is also valuable for generalizing partially ordered plans. The operators are generalized in the FIKE's triangle table. We introduce the domain axioms to generate the constraints for the consistency of generalized states. After completing the triangle table with the information concerning the operator destructions (interactions), we obtain the global explanation of the partial order on the operators. Then, we represent all the necessary ordering relations by a directed graph. The exploitation of this graph permits to explicate the dependence between the partial orders and the constraints among the parameters of generalized operators, and allows all the solutions to be obtained. (author) [fr

46 CFR Appendix II to Part 150 - Explanation of Figure 1

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... COMPATIBILITY OF CARGOES Pt. 150, App. II Appendix II to Part 150—Explanation of Figure 1 Definition of a..., aromatic hydrocarbons or paraffins. Others will form hazardous combinations with many groups: For example...

Investigating the origins of political views: biases in explanation predict conservative attitudes in children and adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussak, Larisa J; Cimpian, Andrei

2018-05-01

We tested the hypothesis that political attitudes are influenced by an information-processing factor - namely, a bias in the content of everyday explanations. Because many societal phenomena are enormously complex, people's understanding of them often relies on heuristic shortcuts. For instance, when generating explanations for such phenomena (e.g., why does this group have low status?), people often rely on facts that they can retrieve easily from memory - facts that are skewed toward inherent or intrinsic features (e.g., this group is unintelligent). We hypothesized that this bias in the content of heuristic explanations leads to a tendency to (1) view socioeconomic stratification as acceptable and (2) prefer current societal arrangements to alternative ones, two hallmarks of conservative ideology. Moreover, since the inherence bias in explanation is present across development, we expected it to shape children's proto-political judgments as well. Three studies with adults and 4- to 8-year-old children (N = 784) provided support for these predictions: Not only did individual differences in reliance on inherent explanations uniquely predict endorsement of conservative views (particularly the stratification-supporting component; Study 1), but manipulations of this explanatory bias also had downstream consequences for political attitudes in both children and adults (Studies 2 and 3). This work contributes to our understanding of the origins of political attitudes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A network-level explanation for the differences in HIV prevalence in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A network-level explanation for the differences in HIV prevalence in South Africa's ... or ethnic groups may help explain the differential spread of HIV in South Africa. ... Keywords: concurrency, epidemiology, ethnicity, HIV/AIDS, race, social ...

Major disruptions, inverse cascades, and the Strauss equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montgomery, D.

1982-01-01

Current-carrying plasmas in a strong dc magnetic field are subject to violent disruptions above certain thresholds. At present difficult to verify, explanations are typically sought in terms of tearing modes. An alternative explanation is in terms of inverse magnetic helicity cascades, generated from a variety of possible sources of small-scale MHD turbulence. Strongly anisotropic MHD plasmas may be described by the Strauss equations. Indications of turbulent inverse cascade behavior for the Strauss equations are sought, in parallel with earlier examples from MHD and fluid mechanics

The Different Effects of Family on Objective Career Success across Gender: A Test of Alternative Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Kirchmeyer, Catherine

2006-01-01

Gender gaps in achieved rank and salary, common indicators of objective success, often are attributed to the different family roles and responsibilities of men and women. This study tested three explanations for the different effects of family on careers: that is, choice, performance, and signaling explanations. In a sample of American doctoral…

Designing Automated Guidance to Promote Productive Revision of Science Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Tansomboon, Charissa; Gerard, Libby F.; Vitale, Jonathan M.; Linn, Marcia C.

2017-01-01

Supporting students to revise their written explanations in science can help students to integrate disparate ideas and develop a coherent, generative account of complex scientific topics. Using natural language processing to analyze student written work, we compare forms of automated guidance designed to motivate productive revision and help…

A hadronic explanation of the lepton anomaly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mertsch, Philipp; Sarkar, Subir

2014-01-01

The rise in the positron fraction, observed by PAMELA, Fermi-LAT and most recently by AMS-02, has created a lot of interest, fuelled by speculations about an origin in dark matter annihilation in the Galactic halo. However, other channels, e.g. antiprotons or gamma-rays, now severely constrain dark....... This mechanism is guaranteed if hadronic CRs are present and would also lead to observable signatures in other secondary channels like the boron-to-carbon or antiproton-to-proton ratios. If such features were borne out by upcoming AMS-02 data, this would rule out other explanations....

Flip-Floppers and Wafflers: Explanations and Repositioning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Robison, Joshua

to this literature by showing that repositioning’s influence on evaluations depends on beliefs citizens make concerning why the policy switch occurred, beliefs that are, in turn, structured by the communication environment surrounding such switches. Specifically, I use two large national survey experiments to show...... that repositioning elites who provide a satisfactory explanation for their change in position escape evaluative harm from their actions and that this occurs even among individuals who lost proximity from the elite’s change in position and among those from a different party as the elite. This study thus has important...

A Critique of the Meta-theoretical Explanations and Analyses of the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

conditions for the Stimulation and Attraction of Foreign Direct Investments. ... these explanations and analyses are able to sufficiently account for, and capture the critical forces, processes and factors that tend to shape the movement of capital globally.

A Critical Analysis of the Established Explanations about the Nature of Ecotourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nazmiye Erdoğan

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This qualitative study questions the prevailing explanations about the nature of ecotourism. The major aims of the study are (a to point out that the widespread notions and theoretical attributions about the character of ecotourism should be reconsidered and (b to express the need for critical questioning and design in qualitative and quantitative academic studies in social, management, administrative and tourism sciences. The article explains, first, the basic rationale for legitimizing, market building, supporting, sustaining and expanding the capitalist market, including ecotourism practices, and connects the concept of environment with economy, and inclusion of tourism and ecotourism in sustainable development. Then, it discusses the nature of dominant explanations of ecotourism. The study concludes that widespread explanations of the nature, structure, activity and outcome of ecotourism rarely match the nature of daily ecotourism practices. Instead, they generally create, employ and sustain functional myths about industrial practices, relations, causes, effects and outcomes of ecotourism. They provide strategically prescriptive and normative ethics and principles that are mostly unattainable. They consciously or inadvertently ignore the fact that the notion of ecotourism is deeply embedded in the logics of ideological normalisation of corporate activities, commodity circulation, technological end-product distribution and use, and global governance of the economic, political and cultural market conditions.

On the electrodynamic explanation of the retrograde motion of the electric arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, J.S.; Allen, J.E.

1992-01-01

The retrograde motion of the cathode spot in a transverse magnetic field is one of the more intriguing phenomena of the electric arc. Although the phenomenon has been known for nearly ninety years since its discovery by Stark and has stimulated numerous investigations which result in many models giving explanation from different points of view, there is still no theory that can account both qualitatively and quantitatively for all the observations. Most of the explanations of the retrograde motion involve the study of cathode processes to give the preferential formation of new cathode spots along the retrograde direction. One line of explanation, which is rather different from the others, is based on electrodynamics. In this approach the retrograde motion is treated as an electrodynamic event. The present paper develops the theory suggested by Robson and von Engel. A more complete model is proposed and studied in detail by means of electromagnetic field theory. The results obtained not only show that the retrograde motion can be explained by the electrodynamics, but also confirm that the average current density on the cathode spot must be around the order of 10 12 A/m 2 . Recent studies of spot current density have shown values of this order. (author) 22 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Experiences and explanations of mental ill health in a group of devout Christians from the ethnic majority population in secular Sweden: a qualitative study

Science.gov (United States)

Lilja, Aina; DeMarinis, Valerie; Lehti, Arja; Forssén, Annika

2016-01-01

Objective To explore existential meaning-making in an ethnic-majority subgroup with mental ill health and to increase knowledge about the importance of gaining access to such information in mental healthcare. Design Qualitative study using in-depth interviews and systematic text condensation analysis. Participants 17 devote Christians with an ethnic-Swedish background, 12 women and 5 men, 30–73 years old, from different congregations across Sweden, having sought medical care for mental ill health of any kind. Setting The secular Swedish society. Results A living, although asymmetric, relationship with God often was seen as the most important relationship, giving hope and support when ill, but creating feelings of abandonment and fear if perceived as threatened. Symptoms were interpreted through an existential framework influenced by their view of God. A perceived judging God increased feelings of guilt, sinfulness and shame. A perceived merciful God soothed symptoms and promoted recovery. Existential consequences, such as being unable to pray or participate in congregational rituals, caused feelings of ‘spiritual homelessness’. Participants gave biopsychosocial explanations of their mental ill health, consonant with and sometimes painfully conflicting with existential explanations, such as being attacked by demons. Three different patterns of interaction among biopsychosocial and existential dimensions in their explanatory systems of illness causation were identified: (a) comprehensive thinking and consensus; (b) division and parallel functions and (c) division and competitive functions. Conclusions Prevailing medical models for understanding mental ill health do not include the individual's existential experiences, which are important for identifying risk and protective factors as well as possible resources for recovery. The various expressions of existential meaning-making identified in this devout religious subgroup illustrate that existential

Misconceptions about optics: An effect of misleading explanations?

Science.gov (United States)

Favale, Fabrizio; Bondani, Maria

2014-07-01

During our activities of physics dissemination with High School students especially concerning optics, we are used to distribute a questionnaire about colors and image formation by mirrors and lenses. The answers to some questions clearly show misconceptions and naïve ideas about colors, ray tracing, image formation in reflection and refraction. These misconceptions are widespread and do not depend on the gender, the level, and the age of the students: they seem to depend on some wrong ideas and explanatory models that are not changed by the curricular studies at school. In fact, the same errors are present in groups of students before and after taking optics courses at High School. On the other hand we have also found some misleading explanations of the phenomena both in textbooks and websites. Most of the time, errors occur in the explanatory drawings accompanying the text, which are based on some hybrid description of the optical processes: sometimes the description of the path of the ray light is confused with the image reconstruction by the lenses. We think that to partially avoid some errors it is important to use a teaching path centered on the actual path of the rays and not on what eyes see (the vision). Here we present the results of data collected from more than 200 students and some considerations about figures and explanations found in textbooks.

An explanation of the mysterious quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borissov, O.

1977-01-01

The article presents details of a convincing new theory submitted by Russian scientists, concerning the physical nature of quasars. These were discovered in 1963 and for over ten years no satisfactory theory has been forthcoming to explain their seemingly incompatible properties or the associated phenomena. These very distant objects are believed to be sources of the most powerful electromagnetic emission. From the new theory expounded it is concluded that for the first time since their discovery a satisfactory explanation of their nature has been reached. From this it is hoped that the mechanism of energy generation by quasars may ultimately be understood and, though on a much reduced scale, contribute to the solution of energy problems on earth. (R.J.J.)

'First we go to the small doctor': First contact for curative health care sought by rural communities in Andhra Pradesh & Orissa, India

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. Gautham (Meenakshi); E. Binnendijk (Erica); R. Koren (Ruth); D.M. Dror (David)

2011-01-01

textabstractBackground & objectives: Against the backdrop of insufficient public supply of primary care and reports of informal providers, the present study sought to collect descriptive evidence on 1 st contact curative health care seeking choices among rural communities in two States of India -

Children Balance Theories and Evidence in Exploration, Explanation, and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Bonawitz, Elizabeth Baraff; van Schijndel, Tessa J. P.; Friel, Daniel; Schulz, Laura

2012-01-01

We look at the effect of evidence and prior beliefs on exploration, explanation and learning. In Experiment 1, we tested children both with and without differential prior beliefs about balance relationships (Center Theorists, mean: 82 months; Mass Theorists, mean: 89 months; No Theory children, mean: 62 months). Center and Mass Theory children who…

Style investing: behavioral explanations of stock market anomalies

OpenAIRE

Wouters, T.

2006-01-01

Abstract PhD-project The aim of this thesis is to explore the mechanisms of style investing. My project consists of two parts, each with an individual goal: 1. The first objective will be to analyze the implications of the dynamics of value and growth strategies for the US stock market. 2. The second objective will be to find explanations for stock returns by introducing the effects of collective preferences of investors into the dynamics of stock markets. We introduce style popularity as an ...

Empirical Phenomenon, Subjective Construction And Ontological Trught: (An Analysis of Problems of Scientific Explanation and Critical Realism Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faramarz Taghilou

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Both the positivist and negativist frameworks of explanation are common in this naturalist proposition that unlike the metaphysical philosophy, reality is embedded only in experimental level. Therefore, the scientific explanation of natural and social phenomenon should refer to this experimental level in order to be called meaningful, verifiable and scientific. But, the problem was always that the principle of causality as a necessary condition for every kind of scientific explanation is not logically deductible from induction in experimental level and remains as a metaphysical principle. The principle of experimental objectivity as a condition for the verifiability clause of scientific explanations could not be defended, because the experimentation was always embedded in subjectivity and theory. The Kantian idealists, in contrast, considering the scientific explanation as a mere representation of reality in subjective categories, could not justify the experimental knowledge of reality and the rationality for comparison among theories and paradigms. Critical Realism as an important approach in philosophy of science that relates to the works and thoughts of Roy Bhaskar tries to solve these problems by resorting to its principles of ontological realism, epistemological relativism, and judgmental rationality. Considering and analyzing the scientific explanation’s issues, we have focused here on the answers of the Critical Realism in this case. We will argue that how the Critical Realist interpretation of scientific explanation, the experimental phenomenon, and the subjective construction and ontological reality all reach to a logical coherence with each other.

Explanation and observability of diffraction in time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torrontegui, E.; Muga, J. G.; Munoz, J.; Ban, Yue

2011-01-01

Diffraction in time (DIT) is a fundamental phenomenon in quantum dynamics due to time-dependent obstacles and slits. It is formally analogous to diffraction of light, and is expected to play an increasing role in the design of coherent matter wave sources, as in the atom laser, to analyze time-of-flight information and emission from ultrafast pulsed excitations, and in applications of coherent matter waves in integrated atom-optical circuits. We demonstrate that DIT emerges robustly in quantum waves emitted by an exponentially decaying source and provide a simple explanation of the phenomenon, as an interference of two characteristic velocities. This allows for its controllability and optimization.

[Glucocorticoid therapy: what is the information sought by patients? Traffic analysis of the website cortisone-info.fr].

Science.gov (United States)

Poisson, J; Six, M; Morin, C; Fardet, L

2013-05-01

About 1% of the general population are receiving systemic glucocorticoids. The information about this treatment sought by patients is unknown. The website www.cortisone-info.fr aims to provide therapeutic information about glucocorticoids and glucocorticoid therapy. It was posted on January 16, 2012. The information available on the website is documented and based on the recent medical literature. The website is made of 43 pages divided into five main sections (generalities about glucocorticoids, adverse events, measures associated with glucocorticoid therapy, discontinuation of glucocorticoids and, situations requiring attention). The website traffic between February 1st, 2012 and January 4, 2013 was analyzed using Google Analytics. During the study period, the website was visited by 67,496 people (average number of visitors per day: 33 in February 2012, 326 in December 2012). The number of page views was 230,496 or an average of 3.5 pages per visitor. Of these 230,496 page views, 145,431 (63.1%) were related to adverse events and 37,722 (16.4%) were related to generalities about glucocorticoids (e.g., what is cortisone? For which disease? How does it work?). Information particularly sought by visitors was related to the diet to follow during glucocorticoid therapy (page accessed 11,946 times), data about what cortisone is (page accessed 11,829 times) and the effects of glucocorticoids on weight (page accessed 10,442 times). Knowledge of glucocorticoid-treated patients' expectations may help physicians to optimize information they give, thereby helping to reduce patients' concerns about glucocorticoids and to improve adherence to the treatment. Copyright © 2013 Société nationale française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

An Explanation of Nakamoto's Analysis of Double-spend Attacks

OpenAIRE

Ozisik, A. Pinar; Levine, Brian Neil

2017-01-01

The fundamental attack against blockchain systems is the double-spend attack. In this tutorial, we provide a very detailed explanation of just one section of Satoshi Nakamoto's original paper where the attack's probability of success is stated. We show the derivation of the mathematics relied upon by Nakamoto to create a model of the attack. We also validate the model with a Monte Carlo simulation, and we determine which model component is not perfect.

How people explain their own and others’ behavior: A theory of lay causal explanations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gisela eBöhm

2015-02-01

Full Text Available A theoretical model is proposed that speci¬fies lay causal theo¬ries of behavior; and supporting experimental evidence is presented. The model’s basic assumption is that diffe¬rent types of behavior trigger different hypotheses concerning the types of causes that may have brought about the behavior. Se¬ven categories are distinguished that are assumed to serve as both behavior types and explanation types: goals, disposi¬tions, tem¬po¬rary states such as emotions, intentional actions, outcomes, events, and sti¬mulus attributes. The mo¬del specifies inference rules that lay people use when explai¬ning beha¬vior (actions are caused by goals; goals are caused by higher order goals or temporary states; temporary states are caused by dispositions, stimulus attributes, or events; outcomes are caused by actions, temporary states, dispositions, stimulus attributes, or events; events are caused by dispositions or preceding events. Two experiments are reported. Experi¬ment 1 showed that free-response explanations followed the assumed inference rules. Expe¬ri¬ment 2 demonstrated that ex¬plana¬tions which match the inference rules are generated faster and more frequently than non-matching explanations. Together, the findings support models that incorporate knowledge-based aspects into the process of causal explanation. The results are discussed with respect to their implications for different stages of this process, such as the activation of causal hypotheses and their subsequent selection, as well as with respect to social influences on this process.

Destroyed documents: uncovering the science that Imperial Tobacco Canada sought to conceal.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, David; Chaiton, Michael; Lee, Alex; Collishaw, Neil

2009-11-10

In 1992, British American Tobacco had its Canadian affiliate, Imperial Tobacco Canada, destroy internal research documents that could expose the company to liability or embarrassment. Sixty of these destroyed documents were subsequently uncovered in British American Tobacco's files. Legal counsel for Imperial Tobacco Canada provided a list of 60 destroyed documents to British American Tobacco. Information in this list was used to search for copies of the documents in British American Tobacco files released through court disclosure. We reviewed and summarized this information. Imperial Tobacco destroyed documents that included evidence from scientific reviews prepared by British American Tobacco's researchers, as well as 47 original research studies, 35 of which examined the biological activity and carcinogenicity of tobacco smoke. The documents also describe British American Tobacco research on cigarette modifications and toxic emissions, including the ways in which consumers adapted their smoking behaviour in response to these modifications. The documents also depict a comprehensive research program on the pharmacology of nicotine and the central role of nicotine in smoking behaviour. British American Tobacco scientists noted that ".. the present scale of the tobacco industry is largely dependent on the intensity and nature of the pharmacological action of nicotine," and that "... should nicotine become less attractive to smokers, the future of the tobacco industry would become less secure." The scientific evidence contained in the documents destroyed by Imperial Tobacco demonstrates that British American Tobacco had collected evidence that cigarette smoke was carcinogenic and addictive. The evidence that Imperial Tobacco sought to destroy had important implications for government regulation of tobacco.

Causal learning is collaborative: Examining explanation and exploration in social contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Legare, Cristine H; Sobel, David M; Callanan, Maureen

2017-10-01

Causal learning in childhood is a dynamic and collaborative process of explanation and exploration within complex physical and social environments. Understanding how children learn causal knowledge requires examining how they update beliefs about the world given novel information and studying the processes by which children learn in collaboration with caregivers, educators, and peers. The objective of this article is to review evidence for how children learn causal knowledge by explaining and exploring in collaboration with others. We review three examples of causal learning in social contexts, which elucidate how interaction with others influences causal learning. First, we consider children's explanation-seeking behaviors in the form of "why" questions. Second, we examine parents' elaboration of meaning about causal relations. Finally, we consider parents' interactive styles with children during free play, which constrains how children explore. We propose that the best way to understand children's causal learning in social context is to combine results from laboratory and natural interactive informal learning environments.

48 CFR 9903.302 - Definitions, explanations, and illustrations of the terms, “cost accounting practice” and “change...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... ACCOUNTING STANDARDS CONTRACT COVERAGE CAS Rules and Regulations 9903.302 Definitions, explanations, and... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Definitions, explanations, and illustrations of the terms, âcost accounting practiceâ and âchange to a cost accounting practice.â...

Practicing Possibilities: Parents' Explanations of Unusual Events and Children's Possibility Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan-Reyes, Charlotte; Callanan, Maureen A.; Haigh, Kirsten A.

2016-01-01

Young children tend to judge improbable events to be impossible, yet there is variability across age and across individuals. Our study examined parent-child conversations about impossible and improbable events and links between parents' explanations about those events and children's possibility judgments in a reasoning task. Regression analyses…

Demographics and complaints of university students who sought help at a campus mental health service between 1987 and 2004.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Maria Lilian Coelho de; Dantas, Clarissa de Rosalmeida; Azevedo, Renata Cruz Soares de; Banzato, Cláudio Eduardo Muller

2008-01-02

Client characterization is an important step in evaluating the services offered by campus counseling and mental health centers and in their further planning and development. The objectives here were to describe reported complaints and demographics among students who sought counseling/mental healthcare at a Brazilian campus mental health service over a 17-year period and to compare these characteristics with those of the general university student body. Retrospective study at the Psychological and Psychiatric Service for Students (SAPPE), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp). The participants were all of the 2,194 students who sought counseling/mental health care at SAPPE from 1987 to 2004. Information was obtained from clients clinical charts. Unicamps database was consulted for general information on its students. The findings indicated overrepresentation, among the clients, of undergraduates, female students, students from Brazilian states other than São Paulo, students living in the campus residence hall and those whose main source of income was a scholarship grant. We also found overrepresentation of Humanities and Arts students among the clients. The most frequently reported complaints were difficulties in interpersonal relationships, family conflicts and poor academic performance. Course level (undergraduate or postgraduate), study field, living in a university residential facility and reliance on a scholarship grant were found to influence the behavior of seeking mental health counseling among Brazilian university students in this study. Course level was found to influence the pattern of complaints reported at first contact with the mental health service.

Acceleration of particles by black holes: Kinematic explanation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaslavskii, O. B.

2011-01-01

A new simple and general explanation of the effect of acceleration of particles by black holes to infinite energies in the center of mass frame is suggested. It is based on kinematics of particles moving near the horizon. This effect arises when particles of two kinds collide near the horizon. For massive particles, the first kind represents a particle with the generic energy and angular momentum (I call them ''usual''). Near the horizon, such a particle has a velocity almost equal to that of light in the frame that corotates with a black hole (the frame is static if a black hole is static). The second kind (called ''critical'') consists of particles with the velocity v< c near the horizon due to special relationship between the energy and angular momentum (or charge). As a result, the relative velocity approaches the speed of light c, and the Lorentz factor grows unbound. This explanation applies both to generic rotating black holes and charged ones (even for radial motion of particles). If one of the colliding particles is massless (photon), the critical particle is distinguished by the fact that its frequency is finite near the horizon. The existence (or absence) of the effect is determined depending on competition of two factors--gravitational blue shift for a photon propagating towards a black hole and the Doppler effect due to transformation from the locally nonrotating frame to a comoving one. Classification of all possible types of collisions is suggested depending on whether massive or massless particle is critical or usual.

WomenÕs Advancement in the Accounting Profession: Consideration of Person-Centered and Organization-Centered Explanations

OpenAIRE

Janet S. Omundson; Richard G. Schroeder; Mary B. Stevens

1997-01-01

Today, communication skills are among the most popular content areas in employee training. This survey of training managers examined the status of communication training in businesDespite the entry of large numbers of women into the accounting profession over the last decade, few women have reached top management levels. Two alternative paradigms that attempt to explain this phenomenon are the person-centered explanation and the organization-centered explanation. This study explores the Type ...

Cultural stereotypes of women from South Asian communities: mental health care professionals' explanations for patterns of suicide and depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Burr, J

2002-09-01

Low rates of treated depression and high rates of suicide in women from some South Asian communities are evident in epidemiological studies in the UK. It is argued here that explanations for these apparent differences are likely to be located in stereotypes of repressive South Asian cultures. This small scale study, utilising focus groups and individual interviews, sought to explore the construction of cultural stereotypes within mental health discourse with specific reference to stereotypes of women from South Asian communities. Mental health carers from a UK inner city area of relatively high social deprivation were targeted. Focus groups were conducted with a range of mental health care professionals who worked in both inpatient and outpatient mental health care services. In addition, individual interviews were conducted with consultant psychiatrists and General Practitioners. Extensive reference is made in this paper to the content of focus groups and interviews and how health carer's knowledge about and experience of South Asian cultures and caring for women from these communities was contextualised. Mental health care professionals constructed cultural difference in terms of fixed and immutable categories which operated to inferiorise Britain's South Asian communities. It is argued that their knowledge is constructed upon stereotypes of western culture as superior to a construction of eastern cultures as repressive, patriarchal and inferior to a western cultural ideal. Ultimately, it is argued that these stereotypes become incorporated as 'fact' and have the potential to misdirect diagnosis and therefore, also misdirect treatment pathways.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Delen, Ibrahim

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

Radiometric method and abnormal explanation of landslide survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye Shulin; Sun Zhanxue; Luo Liangsheng

2003-01-01

Radioactivity exploration mechanism of landslide is researched. Radioactive measure technical and its anomaly explanation models of application is introduced. Test verification result of landslide body geological form (boundary and landslide body thickness) in the district of Wanzhou 233 of Chongqing city ancients landslide and the Yunyang new county Zhaiba landslide shows, it can be used in determining the body boundary (reason) line, investigating the underground current direction and landslide body moving direction, explaining that calculation of weathered zone thickness of landslide body. It can also increase the geological effect of landslide exploration in adaption with geology and drilling

The Diboson Excess: Experimental Situation and Classification of Explanations; A Les Houches Pre-Proceeding

CERN Document Server

Brehmer, Johann; Cacciapaglia, Giacomo; Carmona, Adrian; Chivukula, R.Sekhar; Delgado, Antonio; Goertz, Florian; Hewett, JoAnne L.; Katz, Andrey; Kopp, Joachim; Lane, Kenneth; Martin, Adam; Mohan, Kirtimaan; Morse, David M.; Nardecchia, Marco; No, Jose Miguel; Oliveira, Alexandra; Pollard, Chris; Quiros, Mariano; Rizzo, Thomas G.; Santiago, Jose; Sanz, Veronica; Simmons, Elizabeth H.; Tattersall, Jamie

2015-01-01

We examine the `diboson' excess at $\\sim 2$ TeV seen by the LHC experiments in various channels. We provide a comparison of the excess significances as a function of the mass of the tentative resonance and give the signal cross sections needed to explain the excesses. We also present a survey of available theoretical explanations of the resonance, classified in three main approaches. Beyond that, we discuss methods to verify the anomaly, determining the major properties of the various surpluses and exploring how different models can be discriminated. Finally, we give a tabular summary of the numerous explanations, presenting their main phenomenological features.

The application of contrast explanation to energy policy research: UK nuclear energy policy 2002–2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heffron, Raphael J.

2013-01-01

This paper advances the application of the methodology, contrast explanation, to energy policy research. Research in energy policy is complex and often involves inter-disciplinary work, which traditional economic methodologies fail to capture. Consequently, the more encompassing methodology of contrast explanation is assessed and its use in other social science disciplines explored in brief. It is then applied to an energy policy research topic—in this case, nuclear energy policy research in the UK. Contrast explanation facilitates research into policy and decision-making processes in energy studies and offers an alternative to the traditional economic methods used in energy research. Further, contrast explanation is extended by the addition of contested and uncontested hypotheses analyses. This research focuses on the methods employed to deliver the new nuclear programme of the UK government. In order to achieve a sustainable nuclear energy policy three issues are of major importance: (1) law, policy and development; (2) public administration; and (3) project management. Further, the research identifies that policy in the area remains to be resolved, in particular at an institutional and legal level. However, contrary to the literature, in some areas, the research identifies a change of course as the UK concentrates on delivering a long-term policy for the nuclear energy sector and the overall energy sector. - Highlights: ► Energy policy research is interdisciplinary and needs additional methodological approaches. ► New method of contrast explanation advanced for energy policy research. ► This methodology is based on dialectical learning which examines conflict between sources of data. ► Research example used here is of UK nuclear energy policy. ► Major issues in UK nuclear energy policy are planning law, public administration, and project management

Complexity and demographic explanations of cumulative culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Querbes, Adrien; Vaesen, Krist; Houkes, Wybo

2014-01-01

Formal models have linked prehistoric and historical instances of technological change (e.g., the Upper Paleolithic transition, cultural loss in Holocene Tasmania, scientific progress since the late nineteenth century) to demographic change. According to these models, cumulation of technological complexity is inhibited by decreasing--while favoured by increasing--population levels. Here we show that these findings are contingent on how complexity is defined: demography plays a much more limited role in sustaining cumulative culture in case formal models deploy Herbert Simon's definition of complexity rather than the particular definitions of complexity hitherto assumed. Given that currently available empirical evidence doesn't afford discriminating proper from improper definitions of complexity, our robustness analyses put into question the force of recent demographic explanations of particular episodes of cultural change.

SPIRIT 2013 explanation and elaboration: guidance for protocols of clinical trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, An-Wen; Tetzlaff, Jennifer M; Gøtzsche, Peter C; Altman, Douglas G; Mann, Howard; Berlin, Jesse A; Dickersin, Kay; Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn; Schulz, Kenneth F; Parulekar, Wendy R; Krleza-Jeric, Karmela; Laupacis, Andreas; Moher, David

2013-01-08

High quality protocols facilitate proper conduct, reporting, and external review of clinical trials. However, the completeness of trial protocols is often inadequate. To help improve the content and quality of protocols, an international group of stakeholders developed the SPIRIT 2013 Statement (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials). The SPIRIT Statement provides guidance in the form of a checklist of recommended items to include in a clinical trial protocol. This SPIRIT 2013 Explanation and Elaboration paper provides important information to promote full understanding of the checklist recommendations. For each checklist item, we provide a rationale and detailed description; a model example from an actual protocol; and relevant references supporting its importance. We strongly recommend that this explanatory paper be used in conjunction with the SPIRIT Statement. A website of resources is also available (www.spirit-statement.org). The SPIRIT 2013 Explanation and Elaboration paper, together with the Statement, should help with the drafting of trial protocols. Complete documentation of key trial elements can facilitate transparency and protocol review for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Study to paraphrase nuclear technical terms with clear and brief explanations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shobu, Nobuhiro; Takashita, Hirofumi; Horikoshi, Hidehiko; Osawa, Yukiko

2010-01-01

This report summarizes the review work to paraphrase nuclear technical terms with clear and brief explanations. Explanation with nuclear technical terms was not very acceptable to the public in a variety of contexts. The objective of this study is not to paraphrase with the expert's ideas but to paraphrase from the public point of view. Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereafter abbreviated as 'JAEA') has conducted a survey on public attitudes toward fifty-nine nuclear technical terms by using an online questionnaire. Most of them were frequently used in the brochures of Nuclear fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories of JAEA. The survey clarified the public awareness and comprehension of each term. Thirty-two terms, which was subject to paraphrase on a priority basis, were selected from fifty-nine nuclear technical terms based on our importance rating. At the work to paraphrase thirty-two terms, emphasis was placed more on clearness and briefness than on scientific/technical accuracy. They are reviewed through focus group interviews. This study brought results on recognizable style and thirty-two well-polished paraphrases. (author)

Demographics and complaints of university students who sought help at a campus mental health service between 1987 and 2004

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Lilian Coelho de Oliveira

Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Client characterization is an important step in evaluating the services offered by campus counseling and mental health centers and in their further planning and development. The objectives here were to describe reported complaints and demographics among students who sought counseling/mental healthcare at a Brazilian campus mental health service over a 17-year period and to compare these characteristics with those of the general university student body. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study at the Psychological and Psychiatric Service for Students (SAPPE, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp. METHODS: The participants were all of the 2,194 students who sought counseling/mental health care at SAPPE from 1987 to 2004. Information was obtained from clients’ clinical charts. Unicamp’s database was consulted for general information on its students. RESULTS: The findings indicated overrepresentation, among the clients, of undergraduates, female students, students from Brazilian states other than São Paulo, students living in the campus residence hall and those whose main source of income was a scholarship grant. We also found overrepresentation of Humanities and Arts students among the clients. The most frequently reported complaints were difficulties in interpersonal relationships, family conflicts and poor academic performance. CONCLUSION: Course level (undergraduate or postgraduate, study field, living in a university residential facility and reliance on a scholarship grant were found to influence the behavior of seeking mental health counseling among Brazilian university students in this study. Course level was found to influence the pattern of complaints reported at first contact with the mental health service.

DEMAND FOR AND SUPPLY OF MARK-UP AND PLS FUNDS IN ISLAMIC BANKING: SOME ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS

OpenAIRE

KHAN, TARIQULLAH

1995-01-01

Profit and loss-sharing (PLS) and bai’ al murabahah lil amir bil shira (mark-up) are the two parent principles of Islamic financing. The use of PLS is limited and that of mark-up overwhelming in the operations of the Islamic banks. Several studies provide different explanations for this phenomenon. The dominant among these is the moral hazard hypothesis. Some alternative explanations are given in the present paper. The discussion is based on both demand (user of funds) and supply (bank) side ...

Predicting Internet risks: a longitudinal panel study of gratifications-sought, Internet addiction symptoms, and social media use among children and adolescents

OpenAIRE

Leung, Louis

2014-01-01

This study used longitudinal panel survey data collected from 417 adolescents at 2 points in time 1 year apart. It examined relationships between Internet risks changes in Time 2 and social media gratifications-sought, Internet addiction symptoms, and social media use all measured at Time 1. By controlling for age, gender, education, and criterion variable scores in Internet addiction at Time 1, entertainment and instant messaging use at Time 1 significantly predicted increased Internet addic...

The geomagnetic field - An explanation for the microturbulence in coaxial gun plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mather, J.W.; Ahluwalia, H.S.

1988-01-01

The authors describe the complexity introduced by the geomagnetic field in several regions of a coaxial gun plasma device. It is shown that the annihilation of the swept-up geomagnetic flux, trapped within the highly compressed turbulent plasma, provides an explanation for varied performance and experimental results

49 CFR 37.195 - Purchase or lease of OTRBs by private entities not primarily in the business of transporting people.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... primarily in the business of transporting people. 37.195 Section 37.195 Transportation Office of the... transporting people. This section applies to all purchases or leases of new vehicles by private entities which are not primarily engaged in the business of transporting people, with respect to buses delivered to...

Cultural Explanations of Sleep Paralysis in Italy: The Pandafeche Attack and Associated Supernatural Beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Jalal, Baland; Romanelli, Andrea; Hinton, Devon E

2015-12-01

The current study examines cultural explanations regarding sleep paralysis (SP) in Italy. The study explores (1) whether the phenomenology of SP generates culturally specific interpretations and causal explanations and (2) what are the beliefs and local traditions associated with such cultural explanations. The participants were Italian nationals from the general population (n = 68) recruited in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. All participants had experienced at least one lifetime episode of SP. The sleep paralysis experiences and phenomenology questionnaire were orally administered to participants. We found a multilayered cultural interpretation of SP, namely the Pandafeche attack, associated with various supernatural beliefs. Thirty-eight percent of participants believed that this supernatural being, the Pandafeche-often referred to as an evil witch, sometimes as a ghost-like spirit or a terrifying humanoid cat-might have caused their SP. Twenty-four percent of all participants sensed the Pandafeche was present during their SP. Strategies to prevent Pandafeche attack included sleeping in supine position, placing a broom by the bedroom door, or putting a pile of sand by the bed. Case studies are presented to illustrate the study findings. The Pandafeche attack thus constitutes a culturally specific, supernatural interpretation of the phenomenology of SP in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

Evaluation of Explanation Interfaces in Recommender Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Cleger-Tamayo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Explaining interfaces become a useful tool in systems that have a lot of content to evaluate by users. The different interfaces represent a help for the undecided users or those who consider systems as boxed black smart. These systems present recommendations to users based on different learning models. In this paper, we present the different objectives of the explanation interfaces and some of the criteria that you can evaluate, as well as a proposal of metrics to obtain results in the experiments. Finally, we showed the main results of a study with real users and their interaction with e-commerce systems. Among the main results, highlight the positive impact in relation to the time of interaction with the applications and acceptance of the recommendations received.

Complexity and demographic explanations of cumulative culture.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrien Querbes

Full Text Available Formal models have linked prehistoric and historical instances of technological change (e.g., the Upper Paleolithic transition, cultural loss in Holocene Tasmania, scientific progress since the late nineteenth century to demographic change. According to these models, cumulation of technological complexity is inhibited by decreasing--while favoured by increasing--population levels. Here we show that these findings are contingent on how complexity is defined: demography plays a much more limited role in sustaining cumulative culture in case formal models deploy Herbert Simon's definition of complexity rather than the particular definitions of complexity hitherto assumed. Given that currently available empirical evidence doesn't afford discriminating proper from improper definitions of complexity, our robustness analyses put into question the force of recent demographic explanations of particular episodes of cultural change.

Causation at Different Levels: Tracking the Commitments of Mechanistic Explanations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fazekas, Peter; Kertész, Gergely

2011-01-01

connections transparent. These general commitments get confronted with two claims made by certain proponents of the mechanistic approach: William Bechtel often argues that within the mechanistic framework it is possible to balance between reducing higher levels and maintaining their autonomy at the same time...... their autonomy at the same time than standard reductive accounts are, and that what mechanistic explanations are able to do at best is showing that downward causation does not exist....

Comment on McCall, Trombetta, and Gipe's 2004 proposed impression management explanation for the credit card effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Spangenberg, Eric R

2005-08-01

There is a dearth of empirically supported theoretical explanation since its introduction; Feinberg's 1986 credit card effect showed greater product valuations and donation intentions by experimental participants when asked to make such estimates in the presence of credit card stimuli. This comment on McCall, Trombetta, and Gipe (2004) notes potential flaws and adjudged over-interpretation of results in their attempt to replicate successfully and derive theoretical explanation for the credit card effect.

Coding Scheme for Assessment of Students’ Explanations and Predictions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihael Gojkošek

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In the process of analyzing students’ explanations and predictions for interaction between brightness enhancement film and beam of white light, a need for objective and reliable assessment instrumentarose. Consequently, we developed a codingscheme that was mostly inspired by the rubrics for self-assessment of scientific abilities. In the paper we present the grading categories that were integrated in the coding scheme, and descriptions of criteria used for evaluation of students work. We report the results of reliability analysis of new assessment tool and present some examples of its application.

What is sought from graphic designers? A first thematic analysis of job offers for graphic design positions in the United Kingdom

OpenAIRE

Nicoletti Dziobczenski, Paulo; Person, Oscar

2016-01-01

An empirically grounded understanding about which knowledge and skills that are sought from designers is missing for a number of professional subfields of design. This gap in research challenges i) design educators in planning their educational offerings and ii) design practitioners and students in articulating their contribution to clients and future employers. In this paper, we study the references that are made to knowledge and skills in job offers for graphic designers in UK. Based on a f...

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

Science.gov (United States)

Federer, Meghan Rector

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

Distinguishing the City, Neighbourhood and Individual Level in the Explanation of Youth Delinquency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weijters, Gijs; Scheepers, Peer; Gerris, Jan

2007-01-01

Previous research on intercity differences in crime rates neglects individual determinants of youth delinquency, whereas studies focusing on neighbourhoodand individual-level explanations of youth delinquency neglect higher-level, city characteristics. This raises the question of the extent to which

Bipolar disorder: idioms of susceptibility and disease and the role of 'genes' in illness explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Baart, Ingrid; Widdershoven, Guy

2013-11-01

This qualitative study explores (1) how members of the Dutch Association for People with Bipolar Disorder explain the affliction of bipolar disorder; (2) the relationship between genetic, environmental and personal factors in these explanations and (3) the relationship between illness explanations, self-management and identity. A total of 40 participants took part in seven different focus group discussions. The results demonstrate that there are two different explanatory idioms, each one centred around an opposing concept, that is, susceptibility and disease. Individuals who construct explanations around the concept of 'disease' attach more importance to 'genes and chemicals' than to environmental components in the onset of the disorder, whereas individuals adhering to the central concept of 'susceptibility' tend to do this much less. Compared with individuals using the 'susceptibility' idiom, those who use a 'disease' idiom tend to observe fewer possibilities for self-management and are less inclined to construct normalcy through a quest for personal growth. Stories of suffering seem more integral to the 'disease' idiom than to the 'susceptibility' idiom. The 'disease' idiom seems less integrated in a contemporary surveillance psychiatric discourse than the 'susceptibility' idiom; however, both vocabularies can offer normative constraints.

The Perennial Debate: Nature, Nurture, or Choice? Black and White Americans' Explanations for Individual Differences

Science.gov (United States)

Jayaratne, Toby Epstein; Gelman, Susan A.; Feldbaum, Merle; Sheldon, Jane P.; Petty, Elizabeth M.; Kardia, Sharon L.R.

2009-01-01

This paper examines three common explanations for human characteristics: genes, the environment, and choice. Based on data from a representative sample of White and Black Americans, respondents indicated how much they believed each factor influenced individual differences in athleticism, nurturance, drive, math ability, violence, intelligence, and sexual orientation. Results show that across traits: 1) Black respondents generally favor choice and reject genetic explanations, whereas White respondents indicate less causal consistency; 2) although a sizeable subset of respondents endorse just one factor, most report multiple factors as at least partly influential; and 3) among White respondents greater endorsement of genetic explanations is associated with less acceptance of choice and the environment, although among Black respondents a negative relationship holds only between genes and choice. The social relevance of these findings is discussed within the context of the attribution, essentialism and lay theory literature. The results underscore the need to consider more complex and nuanced issues than are implied by the simplistic, unidimensional character of the nature/nurture and determinism/free will debates — perennial controversies that have significance in the current genomic era. PMID:20072661

Lamin A/C mutation affecting primarily the right side of the heart

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Ollila

2013-04-01

Full Text Available LMNA mutations are amongst the most important causes of familial dilated cardiomyopathy. The most important cause of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC is desmosomal pathology. The aim of the study was to elucidate the role of LMNA mutations among Finnish cardiomyopathy patients. We screened 135 unrelated cardiomyopathy patients for LMNA mutations. Because of unusual phenotype, two patients were screened for the known Finnish ARVC-related mutations of desmosomal genes, and their Plakophilin-2b gene was sequenced. Myocardial samples from two patients were examined by immunohistochemical plakoglobin staining and in one case by electron microscopy. We found a new LMNA mutation Phe237Ser in a family of five affected members with a cardiomyopathy affecting primarily the right side of the heart. The phenotype resembles ARVC but does not fulfill the Task Force Criteria. The main clinical manifestations of the mutation were severe tricuspid insufficiency, right ventricular enlargement and failure. Three of the affected patients died of the heart disease, and the two living patients received heart transplants at ages 44 and 47. Electron microscopy showed nuclear blebbing compatible with laminopathy. Immunohisto - chemical analysis did not suggest desmosomal pathology. No desmosomal mutations were found. The Phe237Ser LMNA mutation causes a phenotype different from traditional cardiolaminopathy. Our findings suggest that cardiomyopathy affecting primarily the right side of the heart is not always caused by desmosomal pathology. Our observations highlight the challenges in classifying cardiomyopathies, as there often is significant overlap between the traditional categories.

Adaptive Problem Solving and Decision Making in Complex and Changing Environments: The Role of Understanding and Explanation

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-28

34In the population as a whole, people tend to prefer Pepsi to Coke about as often as they prefer Coke to Pepsi . However, it turns out that ministers...tend to prefer Pepsi over Coke," and asked them to generate an explanation for this "fact". Their subjects had no difficulty doing so, and all their...explanations drew on multiple sources of knowledge, including knowledge about ministers, Coke and Pepsi both as products and corporations, and

How the explanation of LENR can be made consistent with observed behaviour and natural laws

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Storms, Edmund

2015-01-01

The phenomenon called 'cold fusion' or low energy nuclear reaction has been a challenge to accept and explain. The problem is compounded because an effective explanation must be consistent with the observed behaviour and natural laws. Hundreds of explanations have been published, but none was able to meet this expectation. Consequently, acceptance of the phenomenon by conventional science and application of the energy have been handicapped. The present article summarizes an effort to reduce this problem by identifying a few critical requirements and proposing a mechanism that is consistent with these requirements. This model can also predict many behaviours of importance to science and commercial applications. (author)

Data for the elaboration of the CIPROS checklist with items for a patient registry software system: Examples and explanations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doris Lindoerfer

2017-10-01

The data presented per checklist item provide the relevant textual information (examples and a first qualitative summary (explanation. The examples and explanations provide the background information on CIPROS. They elucidate how to implement the checklist items in other projects. The literature list and the selected texts serve as a reference for scientists and system developers.

Diquarks as an explanation for psi's R, and everything else

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pavkovic, M [Stanford Univ., Calif. (USA). School of Medicine

1976-06-05

In order to overcome some contradictions and limitations in the charm model without introducing new quantum numbers, a new quark model is required. The letter presents a candidate for such a model. Some tests of the model are discussed including the explanation of the observed behaviour of R=sigma(e/sup +/e/sup -/..-->..hadrons)/sigma(e/sup +/e/sup -/ ..--> mu..sup(+)..mu..sup(-)) and the narrow width of psi's. Moreover some predictions of the model are illustrated.

Religiousness, well-being and ageing – selected explanations of positive relationships

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woźniak Barbara

2015-12-01

Full Text Available According to research that have been conducted in the field of gerontology, sociology and psychology of ageing, there is a relationship between the level of religious involvement and health status/ well-being/quality of life in older age. How does religiousness influence aging process and health status? The aim of the article is to review explanations of a positive relationship between religiousness and health that are discussed in the literature. Those explanations may be grouped in three broad categories reflecting three functions of religion that play a role for well-being in older age. Those functions are: (1 religiousness as a source of coherence and the role of religious coping and provision of meaning in dealing with stressful life events (including ageing losses (2 religiousness as a source of positive self-perception and a sense of personal control, (3 provision of social resources (i.e. social ties and social support within religious community and emphasis on interpersonal relations (with special focus on forgiveness as a norm in interpersonal relations. Those functions of religion are discussed in the context of their potential role in successful ageing, as determined by - among others - active engagement in life.

A flavor-safe composite explanation of $R_K$

CERN Document Server

Carmona, Adrian

2017-05-04

In these proceedings we discuss a flavor-safe explanation of the anomaly found in $R_K= {\\cal B}(B \\to K \\mu^+ \\mu^-)/{\\cal B}(B \\to K e^+ e^-)$ by LHCb, within the framework of composite Higgs models. We present a model featuring a non-negligible degree of compositeness for all three generations of right-handed leptons, which leads to a violation of lepton-flavor universality in neutral current interactions while other constraints from quark- and lepton-flavor physics are met. Moreoever, the particular embedding of the lepton sector considered in this setup provides a parametrically enhanded contribution to the Higgs mass that can weak considerably the need for ultra-light top partners.

Towards an explanation for the success of Acinetobacter baumannii in the human host

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Breij, Anastasia (Anna)

2012-01-01

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen responsible for outbreaks of infection worldwide. The studies presented in this thesis aimed to gain further insight into the bacterial and host factors associated with the pathogenesis of A. baumannii to seek an explanation for the

Asian Americans and European Americans' stigma levels in response to biological and social explanations of depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhen Hadassah

2015-05-01

Mental illness stigma is prevalent among Asian Americans, and it is a key barrier that prevents them from seeking psychological services. Limited studies have experimentally examined how Asian Americans respond to biological and social explanations of mental illness. Understanding how to educate and communicate about mental illness effectively is crucial in increasing service utilization among Asian Americans. To assess how genetic, neurobiological, and social explanations for the onset of depression affects Asian American and European American's mental illness stigma. 231 Asian Americans and 206 European Americans read about an individual with major depression and were randomly assigned to be informed that the cause was either genetic, neurobiological, social, or unknown. Various stigma outcomes, including social distance, fear, and depression duration were assessed. Consistent with prior research, Asian Americans had higher baseline levels of stigma compared to European Americans. Greater social essentialist beliefs predicted positive stigma outcomes for Asian Americans, such as a greater willingness to be near, help, and hire someone with depression, but genetic essentialist beliefs predicted negative stigma outcomes, such as fear. In addition, a social explanation for the etiology of depression led to lower stigma outcomes for Asian Americans; it decreased their fear of someone with depression and increased the perception that depression is treatable. For European Americans, both genetic and social essentialist beliefs predicted a greater perception of depression treatability. Although genetics do play a role in the development of depression, emphasizing a social explanation for the origin of depression may help reduce stigma for Asian Americans.

Considerations of Elder Sibling Closeness in Predicting Younger Sibling Substance Use: Social Learning versus Social Bonding Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Samek, Diana R.; Rueter, Martha A.

2011-01-01

Adolescent siblings are often similar in a variety of adjustment outcomes, yet little is known about the processes that explain sibling influences during adolescence. Two alternative explanations were tested, attachment (based in social bonding theory) and anaclitic identification (based in social learning theory). Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 613 adolescent sibling pairs (206 non-adopted, 407 adopted; elder sibling Mage = 16.1, younger sibling Mage = 13.8) across three sibling contexts (gender composition, age difference, and genetic similarity). Attachment explanations were supported such that the greater the perceived sibling emotional and behavioral closeness, the lower the likelihood of substance use; however, there were considerable moderating effects of sibling gender composition. Anaclitic identification explanations were not supported; closeness and elder sibling substance use did not interact to predict younger sibling substance use. Overall, this research adds to a body of work demonstrating important sibling influences on adolescent substance use. PMID:21988080

Mechanisms of cold fusion: comprehensive explanations by the Nattoh model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Takaaki

1995-01-01

The phenomena of cold fusion seem to be very complicated; inconsistent data between the production rates of heat, neutrons, tritiums and heliums. Our thoughts need to drastically change in order to appropriately understand the mechanisms of cold fusion. Here, a review is described for the Nattoh model, that has been developed extensively to provide comprehensive explanations for the mechanisms of cold fusion. Important experimental findings that prove the model are described. Furthermore several subjects including impacts on other fields are also discussed. (author)

The matchmaking paradox: a statistical explanation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eliazar, Iddo I; Sokolov, Igor M

2010-01-01

Medical surveys regarding the number of heterosexual partners per person yield different female and male averages-a result which, from a physical standpoint, is impossible. In this paper we term this puzzle the 'matchmaking paradox', and establish a statistical model explaining it. We consider a bipartite graph with N male and N female nodes (N >> 1), and B bonds connecting them (B >> 1). Each node is associated a random 'attractiveness level', and the bonds connect to the nodes randomly-with probabilities which are proportionate to the nodes' attractiveness levels. The population's average bonds-per-nodes B/N is estimated via a sample average calculated from a survey of size n (n >> 1). A comprehensive statistical analysis of this model is carried out, asserting that (i) the sample average well estimates the population average if and only if the attractiveness levels possess a finite mean; (ii) if the attractiveness levels are governed by a 'fat-tailed' probability law then the sample average displays wild fluctuations and strong skew-thus providing a statistical explanation to the matchmaking paradox.

Hydrogen peroxide production is not primarily increased in human myotubes established from type 2 diabetic subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Minet, A D; Gaster, M

2011-09-01

Increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated in the development of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. To date, it is unknown whether increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in skeletal muscle from patients with type 2 diabetes is primarily increased or a secondary adaptation to environmental, lifestyle, and hormonal factors. This study investigates whether ROS production is primarily increased in isolated diabetic myotubes. Mitochondrial membrane potential, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), superoxide, and mitochondrial mass were determined in human myotubes precultured under normophysiological conditions. Furthermore, the corresponding ATP synthesis was measured in isolated mitochondria. Muscle biopsies were taken from 10 lean subjects, 10 obese subjects, and 10 subjects with type 2 diabetes; satellite cells were isolated, cultured, and differentiated to myotubes. Mitochondrial mass, membrane potential/mitochondrial mass, and superoxide-production/mitochondrial mass were not different between groups. In contrast, H(2)O(2) production/mitochondrial mass and ATP production were significantly reduced in diabetic myotubes compared to lean controls (P production is not primarily increased in diabetic myotubes but rather is reduced. Moreover, the comparable ATP/H(2)O(2) ratios indicate that the reduced ROS production in diabetic myotubes parallels the reduced ATP production because ROS production in diabetic myotubes must be considered to be in a proportion comparable to lean. Thus, the increased ROS production seen in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic patients is an adaptation to the in vivo conditions.

Modeling systems-level dynamics: Understanding without mechanistic explanation in integrative systems biology.

Science.gov (United States)

MacLeod, Miles; Nersessian, Nancy J

2015-02-01

In this paper we draw upon rich ethnographic data of two systems biology labs to explore the roles of explanation and understanding in large-scale systems modeling. We illustrate practices that depart from the goal of dynamic mechanistic explanation for the sake of more limited modeling goals. These processes use abstract mathematical formulations of bio-molecular interactions and data fitting techniques which we call top-down abstraction to trade away accurate mechanistic accounts of large-scale systems for specific information about aspects of those systems. We characterize these practices as pragmatic responses to the constraints many modelers of large-scale systems face, which in turn generate more limited pragmatic non-mechanistic forms of understanding of systems. These forms aim at knowledge of how to predict system responses in order to manipulate and control some aspects of them. We propose that this analysis of understanding provides a way to interpret what many systems biologists are aiming for in practice when they talk about the objective of a "systems-level understanding." Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An explanation for the shape of nanoindentation unloading curves based on finite element simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolshakov, A.; Pharr, G.M.

1995-01-01

Current methods for measuring hardness and modulus from nanoindentation load-displacement data are based on Sneddon's equations for the indentation of an elastic half-space by an axially symmetric rigid punch. Recent experiments have shown that nanoindentation unloading data are distinctly curved in a manner which is not consistent with either the flat punch or the conical indenter geometries frequently used in modeling, but are more closely approximated by a parabola of revolution. Finite element simulations for conical indentation of an elastic-plastic material are presented which corroborate the experimental observations, and from which a simple explanation for the shape of the unloading curve is derived. The explanation is based on the concept of an effective indenter shape whose geometry is determined by the shape of the plastic hardness impression formed during indentation

Students' Affordance of Teleologic Explanations and Anthropomorphic Language in Eliciting Concepts in Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Bautista, Romiro G.

2015-01-01

This study ascertains that the students' affordance of teleologic explanations and anthropomorphic language in eliciting concepts in Physics is influenced by their age and learning exposure and experience. Using Explicative-Reductive Method of Descriptive Research, this study focused on the determinants of students' affordance of…

Polarization and Persuasion: Integrating the Elaboration Likelihood Model with Explanations of Group Polarization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mongeau, Paul A.

Interest has recently focused on group polarization as a function of attitude processes. Several recent reviewers have challenged polarization researchers to integrate the explanations of polarization to existing theories of attitude change. This review suggests that there exists a clear similarity between the social comparison and persuasive…

Bayesianism and inference to the best explanation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valeriano IRANZO

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Bayesianism and Inference to the best explanation (IBE are two different models of inference. Recently there has been some debate about the possibility of “bayesianizing” IBE. Firstly I explore several alternatives to include explanatory considerations in Bayes’s Theorem. Then I distinguish two different interpretations of prior probabilities: “IBE-Bayesianism” (IBE-Bay and “frequentist-Bayesianism” (Freq-Bay. After detailing the content of the latter, I propose a rule for assessing the priors. I also argue that Freq-Bay: (i endorses a role for explanatory value in the assessment of scientific hypotheses; (ii avoids a purely subjectivist reading of prior probabilities; and (iii fits better than IBE-Bayesianism with two basic facts about science, i.e., the prominent role played by empirical testing and the existence of many scientific theories in the past that failed to fulfil their promises and were subsequently abandoned.

Invisible-hand explanations: From blindness to lack of we-ness

OpenAIRE

Dayer-Tieffenbach, Emma

2013-01-01

The unintendedness of the phenomenon that is to be explained is a constraint visible in the various applications and clarifications of invisible hand explanations. The article casts doubt on such a requirement and proposes a revised account. To have a role in an invisible hand process it is argued agents may very well act with a view to contributing to the occurrence of the social outcome that is to be explained provided they see what they do as an aggregation of their individual actions rath...

Girls' explanations for being unvaccinated or under vaccinated against human papillomavirus: a content analysis of survey responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Forster, Alice S; Waller, Jo; Bowyer, Harriet L; Marlow, Laura A V

2015-12-22

In England HPV vaccination is offered to all girls age 12-13 years, free-at-the-point-of-receipt, mostly in schools. Coverage is good, but around 20% of girls remain unvaccinated. This research sought to explore reasons for being un-/under vaccinated. An ethnically diverse sample of girls aged 15-16 years attending one of twelve London schools completed a survey three years after being offered HPV vaccination. Girls reported their HPV vaccine status and those who were unvaccinated (had not received any doses of the vaccine) or under vaccinated (had not completed the recommended 3-dose course) recorded reasons for their un-/under vaccinated status. Reasons were reported using free-text and content analysis was used to analyse responses. Around 74% of un-/under vaccinated girls provided a reason for their vaccination status (n = 259). Among unvaccinated girls, the most common reasons related to lack of perceived need for vaccination, concerns about safety and lack of parental consent. Girls who were under vaccinated gave practical reasons, including the need for more information (e.g. not knowing that multiple doses were needed), administrative issues (e.g. school absence), health and procedural concerns (e.g. fear of needles). Descriptively, there were few differences in the reasons given between girls from different ethnic backgrounds. Girls from Black and Asian backgrounds more commonly thought that the vaccine was not needed. Lack of parental consent without providing further explanation was most often cited by girls from Black backgrounds. Safety concerns and lack of perceived need should be addressed to encourage informed uptake of HPV vaccination. Immunisation programme coordinators may be able to increase series completion by tackling practical problems facing under vaccinated girls.

X-ray and CT signs of connective tissue dysplasia in patients with primarily diagnosed infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sukhanova, L.A.; Sharmazanova, O.P.

2009-01-01

The x-ray signs of connective tissue systemic dysplasia (CTSD) in patients with primarily diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis was investigated. Fifty-four patients (28 med and 26 women aged 18-70) with primarily diagnosed infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis underwent x-ray study. In patients with infiltration pulmonary tuberculosis CTSD in the lungs manifests by their diminishing, deformity of the lung pattern, high position of the diaphragm cupola, mediastinum shift to the side of the pathology, which is better seen on CT. The degree of CTSD x-ray signs in the lungs depends on the number of phenotypical signs that is the degree of the disease manifestation. CT allows more accurate determining of the signs of connective tissue dysplasia in which tuberculosis develops

Examining explanations for fundamental frequency's contribution to speech intelligibility in noise

Science.gov (United States)

Schlauch, Robert S.; Miller, Sharon E.; Watson, Peter J.

2005-09-01

Laures and Weismer [JSLHR, 42, 1148 (1999)] reported that speech with natural variation in fundamental frequency (F0) is more intelligible in noise than speech with a flattened F0 contour. Cognitive-linguistic based explanations have been offered to account for this drop in intelligibility for the flattened condition, but a lower-level mechanism related to auditory streaming may be responsible. Numerous psychoacoustic studies have demonstrated that modulating a tone enables a listener to segregate it from background sounds. To test these rival hypotheses, speech recognition in noise was measured for sentences with six different F0 contours: unmodified, flattened at the mean, natural but exaggerated, reversed, and frequency modulated (rates of 2.5 and 5.0 Hz). The 180 stimulus sentences were produced by five talkers (30 sentences per condition). Speech recognition for fifteen listeners replicate earlier findings showing that flattening the F0 contour results in a roughly 10% reduction in recognition of key words compared with the natural condition. Although the exaggerated condition produced results comparable to those of the flattened condition, the other conditions with unnatural F0 contours all yielded significantly poorer performance than the flattened condition. These results support the cognitive, linguistic-based explanations for the reduction in performance.

Examining the Effects of Two Computer Programming Learning Strategies: Self-Explanation versus Reading Questions and Answers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nancy Lee

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The study described here explored the differential effects of two learning strategies, self-explanation and reading questions and answers, on learning the computer programming language JavaScript. Students’ test performance and perceptions of effectiveness toward the two strategies were examined. An online interactive tutorial instruction implementing worked-examples and multimedia learning principles was developed for this study. Participants were 147 high school students (ages 14 to 18 of a computer introductory course in six periods which were randomly divided into two groups (n = 78; n = 69 of three periods each. The two groups alternated learning strategies to learn five lessons. Students’ prerequisite knowledge of XHTML and motivation to learn computer programming languages were measured before starting the tutorial. Students largely expressed their preference toward self-explanation over reading questions and answers. They thought self-explanation incurred much more work yet was more effective. However, the two learning strategies did not have differential effects on students’ test performance. The seeming discrepancy arising from students’ preferred strategy and their test performance was discussed in the areas of familiar versus new strategy, difficulty of learning materials and testing method, and experimental duration.

14 CFR 221.200 - Content and explanation of abbreviations, reference marks and symbols.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

..., reference marks and symbols. 221.200 Section 221.200 Aeronautics and Space OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY... § 221.200 Content and explanation of abbreviations, reference marks and symbols. (a) Content. The format..., reference marks and symbols. Abbreviations, reference marks and symbols which are used in the tariff shall...

Institutional and Demographic Explanations of Women's Employment in 18 OECD Countries, 1975-1999

Science.gov (United States)

Nieuwenhuis, Rense; Need, Ariana; Van Der Kolk, Henk

2012-01-01

This study combined demographic and institutional explanations of women's employment, describing and explaining the degree to which mothers in industrialized societies are less likely to be employed than women without children. A large number of cross-sectional surveys were pooled, covering 18 Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development…

Why do firms hold so much cash? A tax-based explanation

OpenAIRE

C. Fritz Foley; Jay C. Hartzell; Sheridan Titman; Garry Twite

2006-01-01

U.S. corporations hold significant amounts of cash on their balance sheets, and these cash holdings have been justified in the existing empirical literature by transaction costs and precautionary motives. An additional explanation, considered in this study, is that U.S. multinational firms hold cash in their foreign subsidiaries because of the tax costs associated with repatriating foreign income. Consistent with this hypothesis, firms that face higher repatriation tax burdens hold higher lev...

Contradictory or Complementary? Creationist and Evolutionist Explanations of the Origin(s) of Species

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, E. Margaret; Lane, Jonathan D.

2011-01-01

Almost half of the US public rejects the idea that humans originated via evolution rather than by supernatural design. Moreover, studies demonstrate that even biology teachers have difficulty teaching their students about evolution, often including creationist explanations as well. A typical response to such findings is the argument that greater…

Experience and Explanation: Using Videogames to Prepare Students for Formal Instruction in Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Arena, Dylan A.; Schwartz, Daniel L.

2014-01-01

Well-designed digital games can deliver powerful experiences that are difficult to provide through traditional instruction, while traditional instruction can deliver formal explanations that are not a natural fit for gameplay. Combined, they can accomplish more than either can alone. An experiment tested this claim using the topic of statistics,…

The clinical surveillance process as carried out by expert nurses in a critical care context: A theoretical explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Milhomme, Daniel; Gagnon, Johanne; Lechasseur, Kathleen

2018-02-01

Nursing Science presents surveillance as an indispensable component of patient safety. Although the literature defines surveillance fully, its implementation is not well understood. This research aims to formulate a theoretical explanation of the surveillance process that expert nurses employ in critical care. To develop the theoretical explanation for the surveillance process of critical care nurses, Strauss and Corbin's (1998) grounded theory approach and Think Aloud Method (Fonteyn et al., 1993) were used with fifteen expert critical care nurses (n=15). Surveillance in critical care is a continual process of collaborative vigilance that starts with the thought process and behaviour related to data collection, analysis and interpretation. The surveillance process comprises five key elements: 1) Managing the risk of complications; 2) Collecting data; 3) Detecting a problem; 4) Making a decision and 5) Working in synergy. In developing a theoretical explanation, this research leads to an understanding of the surveillance process performed by expert nurses in a critical care context. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rethinking the health selection explanation for health inequalities.

Science.gov (United States)

West, P

1991-01-01

As one of several explanations for class differentials in health, health selection has received remarkably little systematic attention in the inequalities debate. It is widely regarded as having (at best) a very minor role in the production of inequalities, and a theoretical debt to social Darwinism. This paper examines the validity of those assumptions in terms of the evidence which has emerged since the publication of the 'Black Report'. It is suggested that it is too easy to write off health selection as of little or no significance, and that reconceptualising the issue within a specifically sociological perspective owing much to labelling theory offers much greater potential for understanding the processes involved. From this perspective, health selection has many of the features of discrimination of the sort that characterises race and sex.

Successful child psychotherapy of attention deficit/hyperactive disorder: an agitated depression explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Seitler, Burton Norman

2008-09-01

Science tries to explain phenomena in ways that are demonstrable and replicable to develop logical, coherent, parsimonious, and predictive theoretical systems. Yet hyperactive children are given stimulants to "calm" them down, despite the fact that science would predict stimulants would increase hyperactivity. Bradley (1937, 1950) observed that half of the behavior-problem children to whom he administered a stimulant for one week became subdued. He called this finding paradoxical, speculating that inhibitory centers of the central nervous system were stimulated. While Bradley's assertion of a paradoxical reverse effect in children may be an empirical observation, it is not an explanation. The Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is inferred to exist from hyperactive behavior, which in turn, is inferred to be neurological in origin, a circular argument. An inevitable consequence of the belief in the hypothetical neurological etiology of ADHD is that children are typically given stimulants. Using the case of a seven-year old child, described as experiencing ADHD, who was treated successfully without medication as an illustration, the author provides an alternative, more parsimonious explanation of the etiology, suggesting that ADHD is related to agitated depression.

Transforming Biology Assessment with Machine Learning: Automated Scoring of Written Evolutionary Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Nehm, Ross H.; Ha, Minsu; Mayfield, Elijah

2012-02-01

This study explored the use of machine learning to automatically evaluate the accuracy of students' written explanations of evolutionary change. Performance of the Summarization Integrated Development Environment (SIDE) program was compared to human expert scoring using a corpus of 2,260 evolutionary explanations written by 565 undergraduate students in response to two different evolution instruments (the EGALT-F and EGALT-P) that contained prompts that differed in various surface features (such as species and traits). We tested human-SIDE scoring correspondence under a series of different training and testing conditions, using Kappa inter-rater agreement values of greater than 0.80 as a performance benchmark. In addition, we examined the effects of response length on scoring success; that is, whether SIDE scoring models functioned with comparable success on short and long responses. We found that SIDE performance was most effective when scoring models were built and tested at the individual item level and that performance degraded when suites of items or entire instruments were used to build and test scoring models. Overall, SIDE was found to be a powerful and cost-effective tool for assessing student knowledge and performance in a complex science domain.

Assessing the place of neurobiological explanations in accounts of a family member's addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Meurk, Carla; Fraser, Doug; Weier, Megan; Lucke, Jayne; Carter, Adrian; Hall, Wayne

2016-07-01

The brain disease model of addiction posits that addiction is a persistent form of neural dysfunction produced by chronic drug use, which makes it difficult for addicted persons to become and remain abstinent. As part of an anticipatory policy analysis of addiction neuroscience, we engaged family members of addicted individuals to assess their views on the place and utility of brain-based accounts of addiction. Fifteen in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted and used to develop a quantitative online survey that was completed by 55 family members. This article reports responses on what addiction is and how it is caused and responses to explanations of the brain disease model of addiction. Participants gave multiple reasons for their family members developing an addiction and there was no single dominant belief about the best way to describe addiction. Participants emphasised the importance of both scientific and non-scientific perspectives on addiction by providing multifactorial explanations of their family members' addictions. Most family members acknowledged that repeated drug use can cause changes to the brain, but they varied in their reactions to labelling addiction a 'brain disease'. They believed that understanding addiction, and how it is caused, could help them support their addicted relative. Participants' beliefs about neurobiological information and the brain disease model of addiction appeared to be driven by empathetic, utilitarian considerations rather than rationalist ones. We discuss the importance of providing information about the nature and causes of addiction. [Meurk C, Fraser D, Weier M, Lucke J, Carter A, Hall W. Assessing the place of neurobiological explanations in accounts of a family member's addiction. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:461-469]. © 2015 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Explanations of sleep paralysis among Egyptian college students and the general population in Egypt and Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Jalal, Baland; Simons-Rudolph, Joseph; Jalal, Bamo; Hinton, Devon E

2014-04-01

This cross-cultural study compared explanations of sleep paralysis (SP) in two countries and two groups with different levels of education in one country. Comparisons were made between individuals having experienced SP at least once in a lifetime from Cairo, Egypt (n = 89), Copenhagen, Denmark (n = 59), and the American University in Cairo, Egypt (n = 44). As hypothesized, participants from the general Egyptian population were more likely to endorse supernatural causal explanation of their SP compared to participants from Denmark; participants from the American University in Cairo were less likely to endorse supernatural causes of their SP compared to participants from the general Egyptian population. Moreover, participants from the American University in Cairo were marginally significantly more likely to endorse supernatural causes of their SP compared to participants from Denmark. Additionally, we explored which culturally bound explanations and beliefs about SP existed in Egypt and Denmark. We found that nearly half (48%) of the participants from the general Egyptian population believed their SP to be caused by the Jinn, a spirit-like creature with roots in Islamic tradition, which constitutes a culturally bound interpretation of the phenomenology of SP in this region of the world. Case studies are presented to illustrate these findings.

Extending the Seductive Allure of Neuroscience Explanations Effect to Popular Articles about Educational Topics

Science.gov (United States)

Im, Soo-hyun; Varma, Keisha; Varma, Sashank

2017-01-01

Background: The "seductive allure of neuroscience explanations" (SANE) is the finding that people overweight psychological arguments when framed in terms of neuroscience findings. Aim: This study extended this finding to arguments concerning the application of psychological findings to educational topics. Sample Participants (n = 320)…

The geomagnetic field - An explanation for the microturbulence in coaxial gun plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Mather, J. W.; Ahluwalia, H. S.

1988-01-01

The complexity introduced by the geomagnetic field in several regions of a coaxial gun plasma device is described. It is shown that the annihilation of the swept-up geomagnetic flux, trapped within the highly compressed turbulent plasma, provides an explanation for varied performance and experimental results. The results indicate that the device should be aligned along the direction of the local geomagnetic field or enclosed in a mu-metal shield.

Effects of a chemical imbalance causal explanation on individuals' perceptions of their depressive symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kemp, Joshua J; Lickel, James J; Deacon, Brett J

2014-05-01

Although the chemical imbalance theory is the dominant causal explanation of depression in the United States, little is known about the effects of this explanation on depressed individuals. This experiment examined the impact of chemical imbalance test feedback on perceptions of stigma, prognosis, negative mood regulation expectancies, and treatment credibility and expectancy. Participants endorsing a past or current depressive episode received results of a bogus but credible biological test demonstrating their depressive symptoms to be caused, or not caused, by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Results showed that chemical imbalance test feedback failed to reduce self-blame, elicited worse prognostic pessimism and negative mood regulation expectancies, and led participants to view pharmacotherapy as more credible and effective than psychotherapy. The present findings add to a growing literature highlighting the unhelpful and potentially iatrogenic effects of attributing depressive symptoms to a chemical imbalance. Clinical and societal implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An exploration of students’ own explanations about dropout in vocational education in a danish context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanggaard, Lene

2013-01-01

The present paper addresses the phenomenon of student dropout from vocational education in Denmark. It does so by addressing the need to critically discuss the term ‘drop-out’ taking the perspective of students’ own reflections on the topic. The empirical findings indicate that dropout...... is considered in terms of two very different, but intersecting broad explanations voiced by students themselves: (1) as something created in educational institutions in various situations, such as when teachers spend more time and resources on the more affluent, quick-witted and clever students or when...... there is a lack of trainee places and (2) an act resulting from individual initiative and or a lack of perseverance. Secondly, and as a result of analysing the possible interplay between and differences related to the above two broad explanations, the empirical material reveals alternatives to the dropout concept...

The Interrelations between Diagrammatic Representations and Verbal Explanations in Learning from Social Science Texts.

Science.gov (United States)

Guri-Rozenblit, Sarah

1988-01-01

Describes study that examined the instructional effectiveness of abstract diagrams and verbal explanations in learning from social science texts. The control and treatment groups of adult learners at Everyman's University (Israel) are described, verbal and visual aptitude tests are explained, and results are analyzed. (25 references) (Author/LRW)

Proverb explanation through the lifespan: a developmental study of adolescents and adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Nippold, M A; Uhden, L D; Schwarz, I E

1997-04-01

A proverb explanation task consisting of 24 low-familiarity expressions was administered to 353 individuals ranging in age from 13 through 79 years. Half the proverbs were composed of concrete nouns ("A caged bird longs for the clouds") and half were composed of abstract nouns ("Humility often gains more than pride"). The task was designed to examine how patterns of language growth in adults compare to those observed in adolescents. It also served as a tool for examining the "metasemantic hypothesis," the view that complex semantic units, such as proverbs, are learned through active analysis of the words they contain. Performance on the task improved markedly during adolescence and into early adulthood. It reached a plateau during the 20s, remained stable during the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and began a slight decline during the 60s that reached statistical significance during the 70s. Concrete proverbs were easier to explain than abstract proverbs for adolescents and for adults in their 20s, but the two proverb types did not differ for adults in their 30s and older. Thus, the metasemantic hypothesis was supported for adolescents and young adults. For the adults, performance on the proverb explanation task was related to the number of years of formal education they had completed.

The Role of Social Capital in the Explanation of Educational Success and Educational Inequalities

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Tobias

2013-01-01

This article examines the role that social capital plays in school success and in the explanation of social and ethnic inequalities in the German educational system. Based on Coleman's well-known concept of social capital, different aspects of social capital are distinguished, including social network composition, parent-school interaction and…

Triacylglycerol Accumulation is not primarily affected in Myotubes established from Type 2 Diabetic Subjects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gaster, Michael; Beck-Nielsen, Henning

2006-01-01

In the present study, we investigated triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation, glucose and fatty acid (FA) uptake, and glycogen synthesis (GS) in human myotubes from healthy, lean, and obese subjects with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D), exposed to increasing palmitate (PA) and oleate (OA...... uptake (P0.05). These results indicate that (1) TAG accumulation is not primarily affected in skeletal muscle tissue of obese and T2D; (2) induced inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation is followed by TAG accumulation...... in skeletal muscle of obese and T2D subjects is adaptive....

An Explanation of True Dreams: Aristotle and Jung

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Sanai

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The naturalistic explanation of realized dream (or dreams that come true means that this phenomen will be explained regardless of supernatural agents. Aristotle in Parva naturalia and Jung in his works explained dream visionary. In this article by scrutiny on these thinkers’ theory, we will indicate the naturalistic approach to dream that is far- fetched for followers of metaphysics. In spite of this fact that Aristotle and Jung both belongs to different historical contexts, they have common aspects in terms of naturalistic method; in the universal or broad sense of word, but in terms of content both explain the true dream by the term “coincidence” or accidental conformity between objective events and psychological affairs. It also seems that the notion of Neutral monism in Jung is adaptive to Hylomorphism in Aristotle psychology, and this, provides a path for naturalistic approach to dream as one forms of consciousness.

What determines the informativeness of firms' explanations for deviations from the Dutch corporate governance code?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hooghiemstra, R.B.H.

2012-01-01

The comply-or-explain principle is a common feature of corporate governance codes. While prior studies investigated compliance with corporate governance codes as well as the effects of compliance on firm behaviour and performance, explanations for deviations from a corporate governance code remain

Denomination, Religious Context, and Suicide : Neo-Durkheimian Multilevel Explanations Tested with Individual and Contextual Data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tubergen, Frank van; Grotenhuis, Manfred te; Ultee, Wout

2005-01-01

In Suicide, Durkheim found that involvement in religious communities is inversely related to suicide risk. In this article, two explanations for this relationship are examined. One is that religious networks provide support. The other is that religious communities prohibit suicide. To examine these

Possible interplay between non-axial and hexadecapole degrees of freedom. An explanation for ''enormously'' large Q4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudek, J.; Nazarewicz, W.; Rozmej, P.

1980-02-01

The theoretical calculations of equilibrium deformations and multipole moments of rare earth nuclei are presented. The good agreement with experiment for Gd, Dy, Er, Yb nuclei is found in contrast to large discrepancies for heavy Hf, W and Os isotopes, especially connected with hexadecapole deformations and moments. Possibilities of the explanation of the above hexadecapole anomaly are discussed. The assumption of the ''partial-bubble''-like density distribution, suggested from electron scattering measurements, is found to be quite insufficient for the hexadecapole anomaly explanation. The simultaneous inclusion of non-axial and hexadecapole degrees of freedom is found to be the most promising approach to explain the ''hexadecapole anomaly'' for Hf, W, Os isotopes. (author)

The individual tolerance concept is not the sole explanation for the probit dose-effect model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Newman, M.C.; McCloskey, J.T.

2000-02-01

Predominant methods for analyzing dose- or concentration-effect data (i.e., probit analysis) are based on the concept of individual tolerance or individual effective dose (IED, the smallest characteristic dose needed to kill an individual). An alternative explanation (stochasticity hypothesis) is that individuals do not have unique tolerances: death results from stochastic processes occurring similarly in all individuals. These opposing hypotheses were tested with two types of experiments. First, time to stupefaction (TTS) was measured for zebra fish (Brachydanio rerio) exposed to benzocaine. The same 40 fish were exposed during five trials to test if the same order for TTS was maintained among trials. The IED hypothesis was supported with a minor stochastic component being present. Second, eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) were exposed to sublethal or lethal NaCl concentrations until a large portion of the lethally exposed fish died. After sufficient time for recovery, fish sublethally exposed and fish surviving lethal exposure were exposed simultaneously to lethal NaCl concentrations. No statistically significant effect was found of previous exposure on survival time but a large stochastic component to the survival dynamics was obvious. Repetition of this second type of test with pentachlorophenol also provided no support for the IED hypothesis. The authors conclude that neither hypothesis alone was the sole or dominant explanation for the lognormal (probit) model. Determination of the correct explanation (IED or stochastic) or the relative contributions of each is crucial to predicting consequences to populations after repeated or chronic exposures to any particular toxicant.

Examining Change in K-3 Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs: The Case of Primarily Math

Science.gov (United States)

Kutaka, T. S.; Ren, L.; Smith, W. M.; Beattie, H. L.; Edwards, C. P.; Green, J. L.; Chernyavskiy, P.; Stroup, W.; Heaton, R. M.; Lewis, W. J.

2018-01-01

This study examines the impact of the Primarily Math Elementary Mathematics Specialist program on K-3 teachers' mathematical content knowledge for teaching, attitudes toward learning mathematics, and beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning. Three cohorts of teachers participating in the program were compared to a similar group of…

An evolutionary explanation model on the transformation of culture by cultural genes*

OpenAIRE

Lee, Han

2009-01-01

This article seeks to explain how cultural transformation takes place through the evolution of cultural genes. This explanation posits that just as the evolution of an organism takes place at the genetic level, so also does the transformation of culture. As such, this paper must answer the four following questions: 1) Are there cultural genes that correspond to biological genes? 2) How can we prove that the fundamental characteristic of such cultural genes is to replicate themselves? 3) Will ...

Theoretical explanations for maintenance of behaviour change: a systematic review of behaviour theories

OpenAIRE

Kwasnicka, Dominika; Dombrowski, Stephan U; White, Martin; Sniehotta, Falko

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Behaviour change interventions are effective in supporting individuals in achieving temporary behaviour change. Behaviour change maintenance, however, is rarely attained. The aim of this review was to identify and synthesise current theoretical explanations for behaviour change maintenance to inform future research and practice. Methods: Potentially relevant theories were identified through systematic searches of electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO). In a...

The energy consumption of households - technical and social explanations of variations; Boligers energiforbrug - sociale og tekniske forklaringer pae forskelle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gram-Hansen, K

2003-07-01

It is well known that the amount of energy consumed in different households varies greatly with respect to both heat and electricity. Previous research has focused on either technical or social explanations for this and the social explanations have focused on the big variations between social groups. In contrast to this, the aim of this project has been to explain differences in energy consumption between quite similar households and to seek social and technical explanations. Seven high-dense, low-rise neighbourhoods in the municipality of Albertslund have been investigated. The eco-account of the municipality shows large variations in the level of energy consumption both between households in the same neighbourhood and between the neighbourhoods. Noticeably larger heat consumption was found in neighbourhoods with rented apartments rather than with owner-occupied apartments. On this background the aim of this project has been: To explore technical and social explanations for large variations in energy consumption in similar neighbourhoods; To investigate connections between technical and social explanations; To point to relevant strategies concerning behaviour and lifestyle to reduce energy consumption. To answer these questions several investigations were carried out in the seven neighbourhoods including computer calculations of the buildings' heat loss, a survey among 500 residents, qualitative interviews with ten families and detailed measures of the indoor climate in thirty households. Based on the results the following strategies to reduce energy consumption are formulated: Emphasising positive aspect of a modest life to promote families with a saving attitude to stick to this in spite of societal pressure for increased consumption; Continuing information strategies towards a more environmentally sound behaviour, bur with greater emphasis on reducing consumption than on the attitude towards environment; Concerning new information technologies, technology

The energy consumption of households - technical and social explanations of variations; Boligers energiforbrug - sociale og tekniske forklaringer pae forskelle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gram-Hansen, K.

2003-07-01

It is well known that the amount of energy consumed in different households varies greatly with respect to both heat and electricity. Previous research has focused on either technical or social explanations for this and the social explanations have focused on the big variations between social groups. In contrast to this, the aim of this project has been to explain differences in energy consumption between quite similar households and to seek social and technical explanations. Seven high-dense, low-rise neighbourhoods in the municipality of Albertslund have been investigated. The eco-account of the municipality shows large variations in the level of energy consumption both between households in the same neighbourhood and between the neighbourhoods. Noticeably larger heat consumption was found in neighbourhoods with rented apartments rather than with owner-occupied apartments. On this background the aim of this project has been: To explore technical and social explanations for large variations in energy consumption in similar neighbourhoods; To investigate connections between technical and social explanations; To point to relevant strategies concerning behaviour and lifestyle to reduce energy consumption. To answer these questions several investigations were carried out in the seven neighbourhoods including computer calculations of the buildings' heat loss, a survey among 500 residents, qualitative interviews with ten families and detailed measures of the indoor climate in thirty households. Based on the results the following strategies to reduce energy consumption are formulated: Emphasising positive aspect of a modest life to promote families with a saving attitude to stick to this in spite of societal pressure for increased consumption; Continuing information strategies towards a more environmentally sound behaviour, bur with greater emphasis on reducing consumption than on the attitude towards environment; Concerning new information technologies, technology

Students' Reasoning When Tackling Electric Field and Potential in Explanation of DC Resistive Circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Leniz, Ane; Zuza, Kristina; Guiasola, Jenaro

2017-01-01

This study examines the causal reasoning that university students use to explain how dc circuits work. We analyze how students use the concepts of electric field and potential difference in their explanatory models of dc circuits, and what kinds of reasoning they use at the macroscopic and microscopic levels in their explanations. This knowledge…

Impact of an individualist vs. collectivist context on the social valorization of internal explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Testé, Benoît

2012-01-01

The theory of the norm of internality emphasizes the role of Western individualism in the normativity of internal explanations. The present study examines the link between the social value accorded to targets expressing internal vs. external explanations and individualist vs. collectivist contexts. Sixty-three male and female French management sciences students evaluated two targets (internal vs. external) in a simulated recruitment situation. The job vacancy was partially manipulated to create individualist vs. collectivist contexts. Participants were asked to state whether or not they would recruit the targets and to describe the targets on traits relating to social utility (market value) and social desirability (likeability). As expected, the results showed that the effect of the targets' internality on recruitment judgments and perceived social utility was stronger in the individualist context than in the collectivist context. However, the analysis also revealed that the participant's gender moderated the impact of the context on the evaluation of the targets. The results showed that the context strongly affected the men's judgments, whereas it had no effect on the women's judgments.

Disordered locality as an explanation for the dark energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prescod-Weinstein, Chanda; Smolin, Lee

2009-01-01

We discuss a novel explanation of the dark energy as a manifestation of macroscopic nonlocality coming from quantum gravity, as proposed by Markopoulou [F. Markopoulou (private communication)]. It has been previously suggested that in a transition from an early quantum geometric phase of the Universe to a low temperature phase characterized by an emergent spacetime metric, locality might have been 'disordered'. This means that there is a mismatch of micro-locality, as determined by the microscopic quantum dynamics and macro-locality as determined by the classical metric that governs the emergent low energy physics. In this paper we discuss the consequences for cosmology by studying a simple extension of the standard cosmological models with disordered locality. We show that the consequences can include a naturally small vacuum energy.

Dimensions of integration in interdisciplinary explanations of the origin of evolutionary novelty.

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Alan C; Lugar, Gary L

2013-12-01

Many philosophers of biology have embraced a version of pluralism in response to the failure of theory reduction but overlook how concepts, methods, and explanatory resources are in fact coordinated, such as in interdisciplinary research where the aim is to integrate different strands into an articulated whole. This is observable for the origin of evolutionary novelty-a complex problem that requires a synthesis of intellectual resources from different fields to arrive at robust answers to multiple allied questions. It is an apt locus for exploring new dimensions of explanatory integration because it necessitates coordination among historical and experimental disciplines (e.g., geology and molecular biology). These coordination issues are widespread for the origin of novel morphologies observed in the Cambrian Explosion. Despite an explicit commitment to an integrated, interdisciplinary explanation, some potential disciplinary contributors are excluded. Notable among these exclusions is the physics of ontogeny. We argue that two different dimensions of integration-data and standards-have been insufficiently distinguished. This distinction accounts for why physics-based explanatory contributions to the origin of novelty have been resisted: they do not integrate certain types of data and differ in how they conceptualize the standard of uniformitarianism in historical, causal explanations. Our analysis of these different dimensions of integration contributes to the development of more adequate and integrated explanatory frameworks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary Explanations for Antibiotic Resistance in Daily Press, Online Websites and Biology Textbooks in Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

Bohlin, Gustav; Höst, Gunnar E.

2015-01-01

The present study explores the extent and precision of evolutionary explanations for antibiotic resistance in communication directed toward the Swedish public. Bacterial resistance develops through evolutionary mechanisms and knowledge of these helps to explain causes underlying the growing prevalence of resistant strains, as well as important…

Analytic cognitive style predicts paranormal explanations of anomalous experiences but not the experiences themselves: Implications for cognitive theories of delusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Robert M; Hartig, Bjoern; McKay, Ryan

2017-09-01

It has been proposed that delusional beliefs are attempts to explain anomalous experiences. Why, then, do anomalous experiences induce delusions in some people but not in others? One possibility is that people with delusions have reasoning biases that result in them failing to reject implausible candidate explanations for anomalous experiences. We examine this hypothesis by studying paranormal interpretations of anomalous experiences. We examined whether analytic cognitive style (i.e. the willingness or disposition to critically evaluate outputs from intuitive processing and engage in effortful analytic processing) predicted anomalous experiences and paranormal explanations for these experiences after controlling for demographic variables and cognitive ability. Analytic cognitive style predicted paranormal explanations for anomalous experiences, but not the anomalous experiences themselves. We did not study clinical delusions. Our attempts to control for cognitive ability may have been inadequate. Our sample was predominantly students. Limited analytic cognitive style might contribute to the interpretation of anomalous experiences in terms of delusional beliefs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discovery Learning, Representation, and Explanation within a Computer-Based Simulation: Finding the Right Mix

Science.gov (United States)

Rieber, Lloyd P.; Tzeng, Shyh-Chii; Tribble, Kelly

2004-01-01

The purpose of this research was to explore how adult users interact and learn during an interactive computer-based simulation supplemented with brief multimedia explanations of the content. A total of 52 college students interacted with a computer-based simulation of Newton's laws of motion in which they had control over the motion of a simple…

Direct healthcare costs of selected diseases primarily or partially transmitted by water.

Science.gov (United States)

Collier, S A; Stockman, L J; Hicks, L A; Garrison, L E; Zhou, F J; Beach, M J

2012-11-01

Despite US sanitation advancements, millions of waterborne disease cases occur annually, although the precise burden of disease is not well quantified. Estimating the direct healthcare cost of specific infections would be useful in prioritizing waterborne disease prevention activities. Hospitalization and outpatient visit costs per case and total US hospitalization costs for ten waterborne diseases were calculated using large healthcare claims and hospital discharge databases. The five primarily waterborne diseases in this analysis (giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, Legionnaires' disease, otitis externa, and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection) were responsible for over 40 000 hospitalizations at a cost of $970 million per year, including at least $430 million in hospitalization costs for Medicaid and Medicare patients. An additional 50 000 hospitalizations for campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, shigellosis, haemolytic uraemic syndrome, and toxoplasmosis cost $860 million annually ($390 million in payments for Medicaid and Medicare patients), a portion of which can be assumed to be due to waterborne transmission.

Tell Me Why! Content Knowledge Predicts Process-Orientation of Math Researchers' and Math Teachers' Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Lachner, Andreas; Nückles, Matthias

2016-01-01

In two studies, we investigated the impact of instructors' different knowledge bases on the quality of their instructional explanations. In Study 1, we asked 20 mathematics teachers (with high pedagogical content knowledge, but lower content knowledge) and 15 mathematicians (with lower pedagogical content knowledge, but high content knowledge) to…

Applying Computerized-Scoring Models of Written Biological Explanations across Courses and Colleges: Prospects and Limitations

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Minsu; Nehm, Ross H.; Urban-Lurain, Mark; Merrill, John E.

2011-01-01

Our study explored the prospects and limitations of using machine-learning software to score introductory biology students' written explanations of evolutionary change. We investigated three research questions: 1) Do scoring models built using student responses at one university function effectively at another university? 2) How many human-scored…

Self-Explanation and Reading Strategy Training (SERT) Improves Low-Knowledge Students' Science Course Performance

Science.gov (United States)

McNamara, Danielle S.

2017-01-01

This study demonstrates the generalization of previous laboratory results showing the benefits of Self-Explanation Reading Training (SERT) to college students' course exam performance. The participants were 265 students enrolled in an Introductory Biology course, 59 of whom were provided with SERT. The results showed that SERT benefited students…

An Explanation of the Relationship between Instructor Humor and Student Learning: Instructional Humor Processing Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Wanzer, Melissa B.; Frymier, Ann B.; Irwin, Jeffrey

2010-01-01

This paper proposes the Instructional Humor Processing Theory (IHPT), a theory that incorporates elements of incongruity-resolution theory, disposition theory, and the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) of persuasion. IHPT is proposed and offered as an explanation for why some types of instructor-generated humor result in increased student…

Normative study of theme identifiability: Instructions with and without explanation of the false memory effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Beato, Maria Soledad; Cadavid, Sara

2016-12-01

False-memory illusions have been widely studied using the Deese/Roediger-McDermott paradigm (DRM). In this paradigm, words semantically related to a single nonpresented critical word are studied. In a later memory test, critical words are often falsely recalled and recognized. The present normative study was conducted to measure the theme identifiability of 60 associative word lists in Spanish that include six words (e.g., stove, coat, blanket, scarf, chill, and bonnet) that are simultaneously associated with three critical words (e.g., HEAT, COLD, and WINTER; Beato & Díez, Psicothema, 26, 457-463, 2011). Different levels of backward associative strength were used in the construction of the DRM lists. In addition, we used two types of instructions to obtain theme identifiability. In the without-explanation condition, traditional instructions were used, requesting participants to write the theme list. In the with-explanation condition, the false-memory effect and how the lists were built were explained, and an example of a DRM list and critical words was shown. Participants then had to discover the critical words. The results showed that all lists produced theme identifiability. Moreover, some lists had a higher theme identifiability rate (e.g., 61 % for the critical words LOVE, BOYFRIEND, COUPLE) than others (e.g., 24 % for CITY, PLACE, VILLAGE). After comparing the theme identifiabilities in the different conditions, the results indicated higher theme identifiability when the false-memory effect was explained than without such an explanation. Overall, these new normative data provide a useful tool for those experiments that, for example, aim to analyze the wide differences observed in false memory with DRM lists and the role of theme identifiability.

Social Facilitation Effects by Pedagogical Conversational Agent: Lexical Network Analysis in an Online Explanation Task

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Yugo

2015-01-01

The present study investigates web-based learning activities of undergraduate students who generate explanations about a key concept taught in a large-scale classroom. The present study used an online system with Pedagogical Conversational Agent (PCA), asked to explain about the key concept from different points and provided suggestions and…

The Effects of Self-Explanation and Reading Questions and Answers on Learning Computer Programming Language

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Nancy

2013-01-01

The current study explored the differential effects of two learning strategies, self-explanation and reading questions and answers, on students' test performance in the computer programming language JavaScript. Students' perceptions toward the two strategies as to their effectiveness in learning JavaScript was also explored by examining students'…

Using the Existential Criterion for Assessing the Personality of Overprotective and Overly Demanding Parents in the Families of Patients Who Have Sought Psychological Counseling for Parent-Child Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Kapustin, S. A.

2016-01-01

The article presents the results of applying the existential criterion of normal and abnormal personalities for assessing the personality of overprotective and overly demanding parents in 176 families of patients who have sought psychological counseling. It is shown that the position of overprotective parents is one-sided in relation to the…

What causes addiction problems? Environmental, biological and constitutional explanations in press portrayals from four European welfare societies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellman, Matilda; Majamäki, Maija; Rolando, Sara; Bujalski, Michał; Lemmens, Paul

2015-03-01

Press items (N = 1327) about addiction related problems were collected from politically independent daily newspapers in Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland from 1991, 1998, and 2011. A synchronized qualitative coding was performed for discerning the descriptions of the genesis to the problems in terms of described causes to and reasons for why they occur. Environmental explanations were by far the most common and they varied most between the materials. The analysis documents how the portrayals include traces of their contextual origin, relating to different media tasks and welfare cultural traditions. Meaning-based differences were also assigned to the kind of problems that held the most salience in the press reporting. A general worry over societal change is tied into the explanations of accumulating addiction problems and underpins the press reporting in all countries.

Unraveling the Effects of Critical Thinking Instructions, Practice, and Self-Explanation on Students' Reasoning Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Heijltjes, Anita; van Gog, Tamara; Leppink, Jimmie; Paas, Fred

2015-01-01

Acquisition of critical thinking skills is considered an important goal in higher education, but it is still unclear which specific instructional techniques are effective for fostering it. The main aim of this study was to unravel the impact of critical thinking instructions, practice, and self-explanation prompts during practice, on students'…

A prospective cohort study investigating the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in health in The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mackenbach, J. P.; van de Mheen, H.; Stronks, K.

1994-01-01

In this paper, the objectives, design, data-collection procedures and enrollment rates of the Longitudinal Study on Socio-Economic Health Differences (LS-SEHD) are described. This study started in 1991, and is the first large-scale longitudinal study of the explanation of socio-economic inequalities

Mental disorder as the cause of a crime.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchanan, Alec; Zonana, Howard

2009-01-01

An offender's punishment can be reduced when a court decides that his mental disorder reduces his responsibility for what he did. Courts have sought to establish whether a mentally disordered offender's responsibility is reduced by asking whether his disorder caused the crime. Acceptance of this "causation by mental disorder" criterion has fluctuated, however. This may be because causal explanations are not the types of explanations we are accustomed to offering for the kinds of acts that bring defendants, and psychiatric witnesses, to court. More often, we offer what philosophers have called "possibility" explanations for these acts. The application of psychiatry to possibility explanations has not been widely explored. It offers the potential for the improved use of psychiatric evidence in criminal proceedings.

Cognitive science as an interface between rational and mechanistic explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chater, Nick

2014-04-01

Cognitive science views thought as computation; and computation, by its very nature, can be understood in both rational and mechanistic terms. In rational terms, a computation solves some information processing problem (e.g., mapping sensory information into a description of the external world; parsing a sentence; selecting among a set of possible actions). In mechanistic terms, a computation corresponds to causal chain of events in a physical device (in engineering context, a silicon chip; in biological context, the nervous system). The discipline is thus at the interface between two very different styles of explanation--as the papers in the current special issue well illustrate, it explores the interplay of rational and mechanistic forces. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Practitioner and client explanations for disparities in health care use between migrant and non-migrant groups in Sweden: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhavan, Sharareh; Karlsen, Saffron

2013-02-01

To investigate variations in explanations given for disparities in health care use between migrant and non-migrant groups, by clients and care providers in Sweden. Qualitative evidence collected during in-depth interviews with five 'migrant' health service clients and five physicians. The interview data generated three categories which were perceived by respondents to produce ethnic differences in health service use: "Communication issues", "Cultural differences in approaches to medical consultations" and "Effects of perceptions of inequalities in care quality and discrimination". Explanations for disparities in health care use in Sweden can be categorized into those reflecting social/structural conditions and the presence/absence of power and those using cultural/behavioural explanations. The negative perceptions of 'migrant' clients held by some Swedish physicians place the onus for addressing their poor health with the clients themselves and risks perpetuating their health disadvantage. The power disparity between doctors and 'migrant' patients encourages a sense of powerlessness and mistreatment among patients.

The ISA 700 Auditor’s Report and the Audit Expectation Gap – Do Additional Explanations Matter?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gold, A.H.; Pott, C.; Gronewold, U.

2012-01-01

In this paper we test the effectiveness of explanations as mandated by the revised ISA 700 auditor's report in reducing the audit expectation gap. German auditors and financial statement users participated in an experiment where they read a summary of a firm's financial statements and an auditor's

Opportunities for Inquiry Science in Montessori Classrooms: Learning from a Culture of Interest, Communication, and Explanation

Science.gov (United States)

Rinke, Carol R.; Gimbel, Steven J.; Haskell, Sophie

2013-08-01

Although classroom inquiry is the primary pedagogy of science education, it has often been difficult to implement within conventional classroom cultures. This study turned to the alternatively structured Montessori learning environment to better understand the ways in which it fosters the essential elements of classroom inquiry, as defined by prominent policy documents. Specifically, we examined the opportunities present in Montessori classrooms for students to develop an interest in the natural world, generate explanations in science, and communicate about science. Using ethnographic research methods in four Montessori classrooms at the primary and elementary levels, this research captured a range of scientific learning opportunities. The study found that the Montessori learning environment provided opportunities for students to develop enduring interests in scientific topics and communicate about science in various ways. The data also indicated that explanation was largely teacher-driven in the Montessori classroom culture. This study offers lessons for both conventional and Montessori classrooms and suggests further research that bridges educational contexts.

An explanation of closed-flux formation and sustainment using coaxial helicity injection on HIT-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarboe, T R

2010-01-01

An explanation of the closed-flux operation on HIT-II is given. This method of operation generated flux amplification and closed flux on HIT-II without the presence of n = 1 or any large amplitude mode as measured from the outside shell. The method of operating also prevents hard absorber arcs and maximizes the toroidal current.

Rational Learning and Information Sampling: On the "Naivety" Assumption in Sampling Explanations of Judgment Biases

Science.gov (United States)

Le Mens, Gael; Denrell, Jerker

2011-01-01

Recent research has argued that several well-known judgment biases may be due to biases in the available information sample rather than to biased information processing. Most of these sample-based explanations assume that decision makers are "naive": They are not aware of the biases in the available information sample and do not correct for them.…

Towards an explanation of age-related difficulties in crossing a two-way street

OpenAIRE

Dommes , Aurélie; LE LAY , Tristan; Vienne , Fabrice; DANG , Nguyen-Thong; PERROT BEAUDOIN , Alexandra; Do , Manh Cuong

2015-01-01

Crossing a two-way street is a complex task that involves visual, cognitive and motor abilities, all of which are known to decline with ageing. In particular, older pedestrians may experience difficulties when crossing two-way streets because of incorrect gap acceptance choices and impossible or unperceived evasive actions. To understand the overrepresentation of older pedestrians in crash statistics, several experimental studies have sought to identify traffic-related factors as well as thos...

Pilot Error? : Managerial decision biases as explanation for disruptions in aircraft development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Akkermans, Henk; van Oorschot, K.E.

2016-01-01

Although concurrency between project development stages is an effective approach to speeding up project progress, previous research recommends concurrent engineer- ing primarily for less complex, incremental projects. As such, in complex radical aircraft development projects, managers opt for less

Examining Alternative Explanations of the Covariation of ADHD and Anxiety Symptoms in Children: A Community Study

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Jennifer S.; Dadds, Mark R.

2008-01-01

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is comorbid with a range of other disorders, including anxiety disorders. The aim was to examine different explanations for the covariation of these symptom domains in children according to the framework provided by (Lilienfeld, S. O. Comorbidity between and within childhood externalizing and…

Genetic and environmental influences on conduct and antisocial personality problems in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wesseldijk, Laura W; Bartels, Meike; Vink, Jacqueline M; van Beijsterveldt, Catharina E M; Ligthart, Lannie; Boomsma, Dorret I; Middeldorp, Christel M

2017-01-01

Conduct problems in children and adolescents can predict antisocial personality disorder and related problems, such as crime and conviction. We sought an explanation for such predictions by performing a genetic longitudinal analysis. We estimated the effects of genetic, shared environmental, and

Assessment of Vegetation Variation on Primarily Creation Zones of the Dust Storms Around the Euphrates Using Remote Sensing Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jamil Amanollahi

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, period frequency and effect domain of the dust storms that enter Iran from Iraq have increased. In this study, in addition to detecting the creation zones of the dust storms, the effect of vegetation cover variation on their creation was investigated using remote sensing. Moderate resolution image Spectroradiometer (MODIS and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM5 have been utilized to identify the primarily creation zones of the dust storms and to assess the vegetation cover variation, respectively. Vegetation cover variation was studied using Normalized Differences Vegetation Index (NDVI obtained from band 3 and band 4 of the Landsate satellite. The results showed that the surrounding area of the Euphrates in Syria, the desert in the vicinity of this river in Iraq, including the deserts of Alanbar Province, and the north deserts of Saudi Arabia are the primarily creation zones of the dust storms entering west and south west of Iran. The results of NDVI showed that excluding the deserts in the border of Syria and Iraq, the area with very weak vegetation cover have increased between 2.44% and 20.65% from 1991 to 2009. In the meanwhile, the retention pound surface areas in the south deserts of Syria as well as the deserts in its border with Iraq have decreased 6320 and 4397 hectares, respectively. As it can be concluded from the findings, one of the main environmental parameters initiating these dust storms is the decrease in the vegetation cover in their primarily creation zones.

"Too much medicine": Insights and explanations from economic theory and research.

Science.gov (United States)

Hensher, Martin; Tisdell, John; Zimitat, Craig

2017-03-01

Increasing attention has been paid in recent years to the problem of "too much medicine", whereby patients receive unnecessary investigations and treatments providing them with little or no benefit, but which expose them to risks of harm. Despite this phenomenon potentially constituting an inefficient use of health care resources, it has received limited direct attention from health economists. This paper considers "too much medicine" as a form of overconsumption, drawing on research from health economics, behavioural economics and ecological economics to identify possible explanations for and drivers of overconsumption. We define overconsumption of health care as a situation in which individuals consume in a way that undermines their own well-being. Extensive health economics research since the 1960s has provided clear evidence that physicians do not act as perfect agents for patients, and there are perverse incentives for them to provide unnecessary services under various circumstances. There is strong evidence of the existence of supplier-induced demand, and of the impact of various forms of financial incentives on clinical practice. The behavioural economics evidence provides rich insights on why clinical practice may depart from an "evidence-based" approach. Moreover, behavioural findings on health professionals' strategies for dealing with uncertainty, and for avoiding potential regret, provide powerful explanations of why overuse and overtreatment may frequently appear to be the "rational" choice in clinical decision-making, even when they cause harm. The ecological economics literature suggests that status or positional competition can, via the principal-agent relationship in health care, provide a further force driving overconsumption. This novel synthesis of economic perspectives suggests important scope for interdisciplinary collaboration; signals potentially important issues for health technology assessment and health technology management policies; and

Connecting Teacher Professional Development and Student Mathematics Achievement: Mediating Belonging With Multimodal Explorations in Language, Identity, and Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Kutaka, Traci Shizu; Smith, Wendy M.; Albano, Anthony D.; Edwards, Carolyn Pope; Ren, Lixin; Beattie, Heidi Lynn; Lewis, W. James; Heaton, Ruth M.; Stroup, Walter W.

2017-01-01

The present study investigated the effects of "Primarily Math", an inservice elementary mathematics specialist program. "Primarily Math" sought to augment the mathematical knowledge for teaching of kindergarten through third-grade teachers using a longitudinal multiple cohort design. Two sets of analyses were conducted. The…

A generic approach does not work : Disciplinary differences as explanation for study progress in higher professional education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamphorst, J. C.; Hofman, W. H. A.; Jansen, E. P. W. A.; Terlouw, C.

2012-01-01

A generic approach does not work. Disciplinary differences as explanation for study progress in higher professional education. We combine concepts of Tinto's theory on student departure and Becher's theory on disciplinary tribes for explaining study progress in universities. We collected data with

Exploring the MACH Model’s Potential as a Metacognitive Tool to Help Undergraduate Students Monitor Their Explanations of Biological Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Trujillo, Caleb M.; Anderson, Trevor R.; Pelaez, Nancy J.

2016-01-01

When undergraduate biology students learn to explain biological mechanisms, they face many challenges and may overestimate their understanding of living systems. Previously, we developed the MACH model of four components used by expert biologists to explain mechanisms: Methods, Analogies, Context, and How. This study explores the implementation of the model in an undergraduate biology classroom as an educational tool to address some of the known challenges. To find out how well students’ written explanations represent components of the MACH model before and after they were taught about it and why students think the MACH model was useful, we conducted an exploratory multiple case study with four interview participants. We characterize how two students explained biological mechanisms before and after a teaching intervention that used the MACH components. Inductive analysis of written explanations and interviews showed that MACH acted as an effective metacognitive tool for all four students by helping them to monitor their understanding, communicate explanations, and identify explanatory gaps. Further research, though, is needed to more fully substantiate the general usefulness of MACH for promoting students’ metacognition about their understanding of biological mechanisms. PMID:27252295

Temporal integration of loudness in listeners with hearing losses of primarily cochlear origin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buus, Søren; Florentine, Mary; Poulsen, Torben

1999-01-01

To investigate how hearing loss of primarily cochlear origin affects the loudness of brief tones, loudness matches between 5- and 200-ms tones were obtained as a function of level for 15 listeners with cochlear impairments and for seven age-matched controls. Three frequencies, usually 0.5, 1, and 4...... of temporal integration—defined as the level difference between equally loud short and long tones—varied nonmonotonically with level and was largest at moderate levels. No consistent effect of frequency was apparent. The impaired listeners varied widely, but most showed a clear effect of level on the amount...... of temporal integration. Overall, their results appear consistent with expectations based on knowledge of the general properties of their loudness-growth functions and the equal-loudness-ratio hypothesis, which states that the loudness ratio between equal-SPL long and brief tones is the same at all SPLs...

Joan Robinson Meets Harold Hotelling: A Dyopsonistic Explanation of the Gender Pay Gap

OpenAIRE

Boris Hirsch

2007-01-01

This paper presents an alternative explanation of the gender pay gap resting on a simple Hotelling-style dyopsony model of the labor market. Since there are only two employers equally productive women and men have to commute and face travel cost to do so. We assume that a fraction of the women have higher travel cost, e.g., due to more domestic responsibilities. Employers exploit that women are less inclined to commute to their competitor and offer lower wages to women. Since women's labor su...

Commentary on: "Toward Computer-Based Support of Metacognitive Skills: A Computational Framework to Coach Self Explanation"

Science.gov (United States)

Conati, Cristina

2016-01-01

This paper is a commentary on "Toward Computer-Based Support of Meta-Cognitive Skills: a Computational Framework to Coach Self-Explanation", by Cristina Conati and Kurt Vanlehn, published in the "IJAED" in 2000 (Conati and VanLehn 2010). This work was one of the first examples of Intelligent Learning Environments (ILE) that…

Examining the Effects of Combining Self-Explanation Principles with an Educational Game on Learning Science Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Chung-Yuan; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2013-01-01

Educational researchers have indicated that although computer games have the potential to promote students' motivation and engagement, the work on how to design effective games that fulfil educational purposes is still in its infancy. This study aimed to examine how integration of self-explanation into a computer game affected primary schoolers'…

Explanation for Cancer in Rats, Mice and Humans due to Cell Phone Radiofrequency Radiation

OpenAIRE

Feldman, Bernard J.

2016-01-01

Very recently, the National Toxicology Program reported a correlation between exposure to whole body 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation and cancer in the brains and hearts of Sprague Dawley male rats. This paper proposes the following explanation for these results. The neurons around the rat's brain and heart form closed electrical circuits and, following Faraday's Law, 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation induces 900 MHz electrical currents in these neural circuits. In turn, these 900 MHz currents...

Rational learning and information sampling: on the "naivety" assumption in sampling explanations of judgment biases.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Mens, Gaël; Denrell, Jerker

2011-04-01

Recent research has argued that several well-known judgment biases may be due to biases in the available information sample rather than to biased information processing. Most of these sample-based explanations assume that decision makers are "naive": They are not aware of the biases in the available information sample and do not correct for them. Here, we show that this "naivety" assumption is not necessary. Systematically biased judgments can emerge even when decision makers process available information perfectly and are also aware of how the information sample has been generated. Specifically, we develop a rational analysis of Denrell's (2005) experience sampling model, and we prove that when information search is interested rather than disinterested, even rational information sampling and processing can give rise to systematic patterns of errors in judgments. Our results illustrate that a tendency to favor alternatives for which outcome information is more accessible can be consistent with rational behavior. The model offers a rational explanation for behaviors that had previously been attributed to cognitive and motivational biases, such as the in-group bias or the tendency to prefer popular alternatives. 2011 APA, all rights reserved

Illness explanations among patients with medically unexplained symptoms: different idioms for different contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Risør, Mette Bech

2009-09-01

Patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are often considered to be strictly confined to thinking about their symptoms as having only a physical etiology. However, several studies have shown, that the patients also apply other explanations for their sufferings. The aim of this study is to analyse the social construction of illness explanations among patients with MUS, and to illustrate the use of explanatory idioms as being dependent on space, time and setting, legitimizing each idiom. The study is based on repeated, semi-structured, qualitative interviews with nine informants during a period of 1.5 years. A thematic content analysis was performed on a pragmatic and phenomenological basis. We found, that patients with MUS employ at least four different explanatory idioms defined as: (1) the symptomatic idiom; (2) the personal idiom; (3) the social idiom; and (4) the moral idiom. All idioms play an important role in the process of creating meaning in the patients' everyday life. The symptomatic idiom is mainly used at clinical consultations in primary care, but it is not the only idiom of significance for the patients. Simultaneously other idioms exist and gradually become important for especially patients with MUS due to the lack of valid diagnoses and treatment opportunities. Clinical settings, however, call for the employment of the symptomatic idiom and a discrepancy is found between the general practitioners' notion of the bio-psycho-social model and the patients' everyday life idioms.

Primary Teachers' Particle Ideas and Explanations of Physical Phenomena: Effect of an In-Service Training Course

Science.gov (United States)

Papageorgiou, George; Stamovlasis, Dimitrios; Johnson, Phil Michael

2010-01-01

This paper presents a study concerning Greek primary school teachers' (n = 162) ideas about the particulate nature of matter and their explanations of physical phenomena. The study took place during an in-service training course where the effectiveness of a specially designed intervention was tested. A key feature was an approach based on the…

Declines in Crime and Teen Childbearing: Identifying Potential Explanations for Contemporaneous Trends

Science.gov (United States)

Colen, Cynthia G.; Ramey, David M.; Browning, Christopher R.

2016-01-01

Objectives The previous 25 years have witnessed remarkable upheavals in the social landscape of the United States. Two of the most notable trends have been dramatic declines in levels of crime as well as teen childbearing. Much remains unknown about the underlying conditions that might be driving these changes. More importantly, we do not know if the same distal factors that are responsible for the drop in the crime rate are similarly implicated in falling rates of teen births. We examine four overarching potential explanations: fluctuations in economic opportunity, shifting population demographics, differences in state-level policies, and changes in expectations regarding health and mortality. Methods We combine state-specific data from existing secondary sources and model trajectories of violent crime, homicides, robberies, and teen fertility over a 20-year period from 1990 to 2010 using simultaneous fixed-effects regression models. Results We find that 4 of the 21 predictors examined - growth in the service sector of the labor market, increasing racial diversity especially among Hispanics, escalating levels of migration, and the expansion of family planning services to low-income women – offer the most convincing explanations for why rates of violent crime and teen births have been steadily decreasing over time. Moreover, we are able to account for almost a quarter of the joint declines in violent crime and teen births. Conclusions Our conclusions underscore the far reaching effects that aggregate level demographic conditions and policies are likely to have on important social trends that might, at first glance, seem unrelated. Furthermore, the effects of policy efforts designed to target outcomes in one area are likely to spill over into other domains. PMID:27695160

Academic Performance Differences among Ethnic Groups: Do the Daily Use and Management of Time Offer Explanations?

Science.gov (United States)

Meeuwisse, Marieke; Born, Marise Ph.; Severiens, Sabine E.

2013-01-01

This explorative study describes time use and time management behaviour of ethnic minority and ethnic majority students as possible explanations for the poorer study results of ethnic minority students compared to those of majority students. We used a diary approach in a small sample to examine students' daily time use in both a lecture week…

Kinetic approach to the explanation of fatigue effect in ferroelectric materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shur, V.Ya.; Rumyantsev, E.L.; Nikolaeva, E.V.; Shishkin, E.I.; Baturin, I.S.

2002-01-01

The new kinetic approach to explanation of the fatigue effect in the ferroelectrics consistent change in the area and geometry of the switched-over part of the sample by the cyclic switch-over, accompanied by the origination and growth of the kinetic frozen domains, is considered. It is supposed, that the fatigue effect is conditioned by the self-organizing formation of the spatially nonuniform internal shift field due to the delay of the voluminous scanning of the depolarizing field. The changes in the value of the switched charge and the switch-over current amplitude, calculated through the computerized simulation of the domains kinetics by the cyclic switch-over are in good agreement with the experimental data, obtained in thin films of the lead zirconate-titanate [ru

Response bias in judging deceptive movements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Canal Bruland, R.; Schmidt, M.

2009-01-01

Two not mutually exclusive explanations, perceptual and motor expertise, account for the finding that experts outperform novices in recognizing deceptive actions from bodily (kinematic) cues. The aim of the present study was twofold: First, we sought to examine the impact of motor and perceptual

17 CFR 41.33 - Applications for exemptive orders.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... consistent with the protection of investors. (b) Each application for exemptive relief must comply with the... may contact to obtain additional information regarding the request; (ii) A certification that the... order sought; an explanation of the need for relief, including all material facts and circumstances...

Evaluation of Radioactivity in the Bladder after Injection of 131I Hippurate into Lateral Ventricles of Hydrocephalic Patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

DIJKSTRA, J.; H.W.M. Baars (Hennie)

1972-01-01

textabstractThis correlative study sought an explanation for the appearance in the bladder of 131I hippurate injected into the lateral ventricle. Part of the excretion seemed to depend upon a ventricular process. High disappearance constants and early onset times were related to small ventricles,

The fractal geometry of nutrient exchange surfaces does not provide an explanation for 3/4-power metabolic scaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Painter Page R

2005-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A prominent theoretical explanation for 3/4-power allometric scaling of metabolism proposes that the nutrient exchange surface of capillaries has properties of a space-filling fractal. The theory assumes that nutrient exchange surface area has a fractal dimension equal to or greater than 2 and less than or equal to 3 and that the volume filled by the exchange surface area has a fractal dimension equal to or greater than 3 and less than or equal to 4. Results It is shown that contradicting predictions can be derived from the assumptions of the model. When errors in the model are corrected, it is shown to predict that metabolic rate is proportional to body mass (proportional scaling. Conclusion The presence of space-filling fractal nutrient exchange surfaces does not provide a satisfactory explanation for 3/4-power metabolic rate scaling.

Explanation of significant differences for the TNX groundwater operable unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, E.R.

1997-01-01

This Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) is being issued by the Department of Energy (DOE), the lead agency for the Savannah River Site (SRS), with concurrence by the Environmental Protection Agency-Region IV (EPA) and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) to announce changes in the interim remediation strategy selected for the TNX Groundwater Operable Unit. The TNX Area is located adjacent to the Savannah River in the southwestern portion of SRS. The remedy selected in the Interim Record of Decision (IROD) to achieve the interim action goals was the Hybrid Groundwater Corrective Action (HGCA). The HGCA consisted of a recirculation well system and an air stripper with a series of groundwater extraction wells. The original remediation strategy needs to be modified because the recirculation well system was determined to be ineffective in this area due to geological factors and the nature of the contamination

Simultaneous explanation of the RK and R (D (*)) puzzles

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Bhubanjyoti; Datta, Alakabha; London, David; Shivashankara, Shanmuka

2015-03-01

At present, there are several hints of lepton flavor non-universality. The LHCb Collaboration has measured RK ≡ B (B+ →K+μ+μ-) / B (B+ →K+e+e-), and the BaBar Collaboration has measured R (D (*)) ≡ B (B bar →D (*) +τ-νbarτ) / B (B bar →D (*) +ℓ-νbarℓ) (ℓ = e , μ). In all cases, the experimental results differ from the standard model predictions by 2- 3 σ. Recently, an explanation of the RK puzzle was proposed in which new physics (NP) generates a neutral-current operator involving only third-generation particles. Now, assuming the scale of NP is much larger than the weak scale, this NP operator must be made invariant under the full SU (3)C × SU (2)L × U(1)Y gauge group. In this Letter, we note that, when this is done, a new charged-current operator can appear, and this can explain the R (D (*)) puzzle. A more precise measurement of the double ratio R (D) / R (D*) can rule out this model.

Initialization and Restart in Stochastic Local Search: Computing a Most Probable Explanation in Bayesian Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Mengshoel, Ole J.; Wilkins, David C.; Roth, Dan

2010-01-01

For hard computational problems, stochastic local search has proven to be a competitive approach to finding optimal or approximately optimal problem solutions. Two key research questions for stochastic local search algorithms are: Which algorithms are effective for initialization? When should the search process be restarted? In the present work we investigate these research questions in the context of approximate computation of most probable explanations (MPEs) in Bayesian networks (BNs). We introduce a novel approach, based on the Viterbi algorithm, to explanation initialization in BNs. While the Viterbi algorithm works on sequences and trees, our approach works on BNs with arbitrary topologies. We also give a novel formalization of stochastic local search, with focus on initialization and restart, using probability theory and mixture models. Experimentally, we apply our methods to the problem of MPE computation, using a stochastic local search algorithm known as Stochastic Greedy Search. By carefully optimizing both initialization and restart, we reduce the MPE search time for application BNs by several orders of magnitude compared to using uniform at random initialization without restart. On several BNs from applications, the performance of Stochastic Greedy Search is competitive with clique tree clustering, a state-of-the-art exact algorithm used for MPE computation in BNs.

Beyond Epistemological Deficits: Dynamic explanations of engineering students' difficulties with mathematical sense-making

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Ayush; Elby, Andrew

2011-12-01

Researchers have argued against deficit-based explanations of students' difficulties with mathematical sense-making, pointing instead to factors such as epistemology. Students' beliefs about knowledge and learning can hinder the activation and integration of productive knowledge they have. Such explanations, however, risk falling into a 'deficit trap'-substituting a concepts/skills deficit with an epistemological one. Our interview-based case study of a freshman engineering major, 'Jim,' explains his difficulty solving a physics problem (on hydrostatic pressure) in terms of his epistemology, but avoids a deficit trap by modeling the dynamics of his epistemological stabilities and shifts in terms of fine-grained cognitive elements that include the seeds of epistemological expertise. Specifically, during a problem-solving episode in the interview, Jim reaches and sticks with an incorrect answer that violates common sense. We show that Jim has all the mathematical skills and physics knowledge he would need to resolve the contradiction. We argue that his difficulty doing so stems in part from his epistemological views that (i) physics equations are much more trustworthy than everyday reasoning, and (ii) physics equations do not express meaning that tractably connects to common sense. For these reasons, he does not view reconciling between common sense and formalism as either necessary or plausible to accomplish. But Jim's in-the-moment shift to a more sophisticated epistemological stance highlights the seeds of epistemological expertise that were present all along: he does see common sense as connected to formalism (though not always tractably so), and in some circumstances, this connection is both salient and valued.

An Explanation for the Arctic Sea Ice Melt Pond Fractal Transition

Science.gov (United States)

Popovic, P.; Abbot, D. S.

2016-12-01

As Arctic sea ice melts during the summer, pools of melt water form on its surface. This decreases the ice's albedo, which signifcantly impacts its subsequent evolution. Understanding this process is essential for buiding accurate sea ice models in GCMs and using them to forecast future changes in sea ice. A feature of melt ponds that helps determine their impact on ice albedo is that they often form complex geometric shapes. One characteristic of their shape, the fractal dimension of the pond boundaries, D, has been shown to transition between the two fundamental limits of D = 1 and D = 2 at some critical pond size. Here, we provide an explanation for this behavior. First, using aerial photographs taken during the SHEBA mission, we show how this fractal transition curve changes with time, and show that there is a qualitative difference in the pond shape as ice transitions from impermeable to permeable. While ice is impermeable, the maximum fractal dimension is less than 2, whereas after it becomes permeable, the maximum fractal dimension becomes very close to 2. We then show how the fractal dimension of the boundary of a collection of overlapping circles placed randomly on a plane also transitions from D = 1 to D = 2 at a size equal to the average size of a single circle. We, therefore, conclude that this transition is a simple geometric consequence of regular shapes connecting. The one physical parameter that can be extracted from the fractal transition curve is the length scale at which transition occurs. Previously, this length scale has been associated with the typical size of snow dunes created on the ice surface during winter. We provide an alternative explanation by noting that the flexural wavelength of the ice poses a fundamental limit on the size of melt ponds on permeable ice. If this is true, melt ponds could be used as a proxy for ice thickness. Finally, we provide some remarks on how to observationally distinguish between the two ideas for what

Simple Explanation for why Parallel-Propagating Photons do not Gravitationally Attract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jensen R.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In this article it is shown that photons of light, when traveling in parallel, do not attract one another gravitationally. This has been shown previously using general relativity, however here it is only assumed a Newtonian approximation to the gravitational attraction between photons. The explanation for the lack of gravitational attraction is simple: as co-moving objects accelerate in parallel, the flow of time is retarded, as observed by a stationary observer, according to special relativity. Hence so is the tendency for the objects to move toward one another. As the velocity of the objects approach c, the time required for the objects to approach one another approaches infinity, and so there is no gravitational attraction between objects which move parallel at the speed of light.

Black on Yellow: Afro-Americans View Chinese-Americans, 1850-1935

Science.gov (United States)

Shankman, Arnold

1978-01-01

Using data collected from black newspapers, an explanation is sought for the unfavorable stereotypes blacks have held about Chinese Americans. Economic competition, cultural and religious differences, and blacks' belief that the Chinese were prejudiced against them are some of the historical factors mentioned which influenced black attitudes…

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African Journals Online (AJOL)

abp

2015-11-19

Nov 19, 2015 ... peritoneal factors are responsible for about 30-40% of cases of female infertility and hence ... structural abnormalities of the uterus, endometriosis and fallopian tube patency were sought for. Tubal .... misinterpreted as tubal patency with peritoneal diffusion of contrast material. Another explanation is that, ...

Cultural Frame Switching and Emotion among Mexican Americans

Science.gov (United States)

Kreitler, Crystal Mata; Dyson, Kara S.

2016-01-01

Recent evidence indicates that bicultural individuals shift between interpretive frames rooted in different cultures in response to cues encountered in a given situation. The explanation for these shifts has been labeled "cultural frame switching." The current research sought to investigate the effect of priming culture among Mexican…

The Tropilaelaps mites threat: Observations of their reproductive success

Science.gov (United States)

Tropilaelaps spp. are more successful parasitic mites of Apis mellifera than Varroa destructor in Asia (Burgett et al., Bee World 64:25-28). We sought explanations to this success by assessing their fecundity on European bees in three short experiments using the mite transfer technique: 1) fecundity...

Taste, Salt Consumption, and Local Explanations around Hypertension in a Rural Population in Northern Peru

OpenAIRE

Pesantes, M. Amalia; Diez-Canseco, Francisco; Bernab?-Ortiz, Antonio; Ponce-Lucero, Vilarmina; Miranda, J. Jaime

2017-01-01

Interventions to promote behaviors to reduce sodium intake require messages tailored to local understandings of the relationship between what we eat and our health. We studied local explanations about hypertension, the relationship between local diet, salt intake, and health status, and participants? opinions about changing food habits. This study provided inputs for a social marketing campaign in Peru promoting the use of a salt substitute containing less sodium than regular salt. Qualitativ...

Respiratory Polysomnographic Findings in Patients Treated Primarily for Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate.

Science.gov (United States)

Sobral, Davi Sandes; Faller, Gustavo Juliane; Collares, Marcus Vinícius Martins

2018-02-01

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common congenital craniofacial abnormality. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a highly prevalent but underdiagnosed disease and is frequently associated with craniofacial anomalies. There are few studies describing the sleep breathing pattern of children with CLP. This study sought to characterize the respiratory profile of 23 children with unilateral cleft lip and palate, aged 7-12 years, who had undergone cleft lip and nasal repair at age 3-4 months and palatoplasty at 12-15 months, with a particular focus on evaluating the presence of OSAS in children with CLP. Polysomnography was performed and findings were analyzed descriptively. We found a mean and median for apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of 1.11/h (SD = 0.78) and 0.9/h, respectively. The mean obstructive apnea index (OAI) was 0.27/h (SD = 0.38) and the median, 0.1/h. Nearly 30% of patients had an AHI above 1.4 events/h. There was no significant oxyhemoglobin desaturation in the study group. In this group, the prevalence of OSAS was higher than in noncleft populations when compared to the normality values adopted. This sample of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate exhibited an increased prevalence of OSAS during the mixed dentition stage. Although the results showed that OSAS was mild, we advise closer observation of these patients. Polysomnography is recommended for the assessment of children with airway abnormalities, to individualize the extent of treatment.

A Cost-based Explanation of Gradual, Regional Internationalization of Multinationals on Social Networking Sites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pogrebnyakov, Nicolai

2017-01-01

This paper examines firm internationalization on social networking sites (SNS). It systematically examines costs faced by an internationalizing firm and how firms react to these costs according to “distance-dependent” (gradual and regional) and “distance-invariant” (born-global) explanations...... of internationalization. Data on 5827 country pages of 240 multinational firms on Facebook, the most popular SNS today, is used. Creating a foreign country-specific Facebook page is considered the SNS equivalent of opening a physical subsidiary in that country. The data show that multinationals exhibit...

Evolutionary history and leaf succulence as explanations for medicinal use in aloes and the global popularity of Aloe vera

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grace, Olwen Megan; Buerki, Sven; Symonds, Matthew RE

2015-01-01

Background: Aloe vera supports a substantial global trade yet its wild origins, and explanations for its popularity over 500 related Aloe species in one of the world’s largest succulent groups, have remained uncertain. We developed an explicit phylogenetic framework to explore links between...... the rich traditions of medicinal use and leaf succulence in aloes. Results: The phylogenetic hypothesis clarifies the origins of Aloe vera to the Arabian Peninsula at the northernmost limits of the range for aloes. The genus Aloe originated in southern Africa ~16 million years ago and underwent two major...... succulence among aloes has yielded new explanations for the extraordinary market dominance of Aloe vera. The industry preference for Aloe vera appears to be due to its proximity to important historic trade routes, and early introduction to trade and cultivation. Well-developed succulent leaf mesophyll tissue...

A Critical Test of Self-Enhancement, Exposure, and Self-Categorization Explanations for First- and Third-Person Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Scott A.; Byrne, Sahara; Brundidge, Jennifer S.; Shoham, Mirit D.; Marlow, Mikaela L.

2007-01-01

The third-person perception is the tendency for people to believe that others are more influenced by media content than themselves (W. P. Davison, 1983). The current study provides a critical test of self-enhancement, exposure, and self-categorization explanations for first- (i.e., self more influenced than others) and third-person perceptions.…

Explanation of the 511 keV line. Cascade annihilating dark matter with the {sup 8}Be anomaly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, Lian-Bao [Southwest University of Science and Technology, School of Science, Mianyang (China)

2018-02-15

A possible dark matter (DM) explanation about the long-standing issue of the Galactic 511 keV line is explored in this paper. For DM cascade annihilations of concern, a DM pair π{sub d}{sup +}π{sub d}{sup -} annihilates into unstable π{sub d}{sup 0}π{sub d}{sup 0}, and π{sub d}{sup 0} decays into e{sup +}e{sup -} with new interactions suggested by the {sup 8}Be anomaly. Considering the constraints from the effective neutrino number N{sub eff} and the 511 keV gamma-ray emission, a range of DM is obtained, 11.6 explanation about the 511 keV line. The MeV scale DM may be searched by the DM-electron scattering, and the upper limit set by the CMB s-wave annihilation is derived in DM direct detections. (orig.)

Why Agencies Budget For Results : Exploring Institutional Explanations for Performance Budgeting: The Case of Forestry and Air Traffic Control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. de Jong (Maarten)

2016-01-01

markdownabstractSummary This PhD research examines institutional explanations for the use of performance information (PI) to learn and improve by government agencies. Despite widespread criticism of and disappointment with New Public Management (NPM) reforms, performance budgeting (PB) is

The development and characterization of a primarily mineral calcium phosphate - poly(epsilon-caprolactone) biocomposite

Science.gov (United States)

Dunkley, Ian Robert

Orthopaedic reconstruction often involves the surgical introduction of structural implants that provide for rigid fixation, skeletal stabilization, and bone integration. The high stresses incurred by these implanted devices have historically limited material choices to metallic and select polymeric formulations. While mechanical requirements are achieved, these non-degradable materials do not participate actively in the remodeling of the skeleton and present the possibility of long-term failure or rejection. This is particularly relevant in cervical fusion, an orthopaedic procedure to treat damaged, degenerative or diseased intervertebral discs. A significant improvement on the available synthetic bone replacement/regeneration options for implants to treat these conditions in the cervical spine may be achieved with the development of primarily mineral biocomposites comprised of a bioactive ceramic matrix reinforced with a biodegradable polymer. Such a biocomposite may be engineered to possess the clinically required mechanical properties of a particular application, while maintaining the ability to be remodeled completely by the body. A biocomposite of Si-doped calcium phosphate (Si-CaP) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) was developed for application as such a synthetic bone material for potential use as a fusion device in the cervical spine. In this thesis, a method by which high mineral content Si-CaP/PCL biocomposites with interpenetrating matrices of mineral and polymer phases may be prepared will be demonstrated, in addition to the effects of the various preparation parameters on the biocomposite density, porosity and mechanical properties. This new technique by which dense, primarily ceramic Si-CaP/PCL biocomposites were prepared, allowed for the incorporation of mineral contents ranging between 45-97vol%. Polymer infiltration, accomplished solely by passive capillary uptake over several days, was found to be capable of fully infiltrating the microporosity

Causal explanation, intentionality, and prediction: Evaluating the Criticism of "Deductivism"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koch, Carsten Allan

2001-01-01

In a number of influential contributions, Tony Lawson has attacked a view of science that he refers to as deductivism, and criticized economists for implicitly using it in their research. Lawson argues that deductivism is simply the covering-law model, also known as the causal model of scientific...... critisizes the use of universal laws in social science, especially in economics. This view cannot be as easily dismissed as his general criticism of causal explanation. We argue that a number of arguments often used against the existence of (correct) universal laws in the social sciences can be put...... into question. First, it is argued that entities need not be identical, or even remotely alike, to be applicable to the same law. What is necessary is that they have common properties, e.g. mass in physics, and that the law relates to that property (section 6). Second, one might take the so-called model...

Theoretical explanations for preschoolers' lowercase alphabet knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Pence Turnbull, Khara L; Bowles, Ryan P; Skibbe, Lori E; Justice, Laura M; Wiggins, Alice K

2010-12-01

Letter knowledge is a key aspect of children's language development, yet relatively little research has aimed to understand the nature of lowercase letter knowledge. We considered 4 hypotheses about children's lowercase letter knowledge simultaneously--uppercase familiarity, uppercase-lowercase similarity, own-name advantage, and frequency in printed English--as well as 3 interactions. Participants were 461 children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years, all of whom attended public preschool programs serving primarily children from low-income homes, who completed a letter naming task. Uppercase familiarity was the strongest predictor of children's lowercase alphabet knowledge; children were more than 16 times more likely to know a lowercase letter if they knew the corresponding uppercase letter. Uppercase-lowercase similarity and frequency in printed English also predicted children's lowercase letter knowledge, as did the interaction between uppercase familiarity and own-name advantage and the interaction between uppercase familiarity and uppercase-lowercase similarity. Findings suggest that transference from uppercase letter knowledge may be a primary mechanism for lowercase letter knowledge and that young children's knowledge of the lowercase alphabet letters is multiply determined.

Supporting Reform-Oriented Secondary Science Teaching through the Use of a Framework to Analyze Construction of Scientific Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Richmond, Gail; Parker, Joyce M.; Kaldaras, Leonora

2016-01-01

The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for a different approach to learning science. They promote three-dimensional (3D) learning that blends disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts and scientific practices. In this study, we examined explanations constructed by secondary science teacher candidates (TCs) as a scientific practice…

The perforamance of genetic algorithms on Walsh polynomials: Some anomalous results and their explanation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forrest, S.

1991-01-01

In this paper we discuss a number of seemingly anomalous results reported by Tanese concerning the performance of the genetic algorithm (GA) on a subclass of Walsh polynomials. Tanese found that the GA optimized these functions poorly and that a partitioning of a single large population into a number of smaller independent populations seemed to improve performance. We reexamine these results experimentally and theoretically, and propose and evaluate some explanations. In addition, we examine the question of what are reasonable and appropriate ways to measure the performance of genetic algorithms. 11 refs., 1 tab

X-ray-induced chromosome aberrations in Down lymphocytes: an explanation of their increased sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preston, R.J.

1981-01-01

Unstimulated lymphocytes from individuals with Down Syndrome (trisomy 21) are more sensitive to the induction of dicentric and ring aberrations by X rays than normal lymphocytes. Several explanations involving the more rapid rejoining of X-ray--induced lesions in Down cells have been offered. It is shown here that the repair of the DNA damage converted into chromosome aberrations is more rapid in Down cells than normal cells. This more rapid repair results in a higher probability of producing chromosomes aberrations, and hence higher aberration frequencies in Down than normal cells

X-ray-induced chromosome aberrations in Down lymphocytes: an explanation of their increased sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preston, R.J.

1981-01-01

Unstimulated lymphocytes from individuals with Down Syndrome (trisomy 21) are more sensitive to the induction of dicentric and ring aberrations by X rays than normal lymphocytes. Several explanations involving the more rapid rejoining of X-ray-induced lesions in Down cells have been offered. It is shown here that the repair of the DNA damage converted into chromosome aberrations is more rapid in Down cells than normal cells. This more rapid repair results in a higher probability of producing chromosome aberrations, and hence higher aberration frequencies in Down than normal cells

Geocachers: Benefits sought and environmental attitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Ingrid E. Schneider; Kenneth E. Silverberg; Deborah Chavez

2011-01-01

Geocaching, an outdoor recreation activity that uses handheld Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to find hidden treasures demarcated on the Internet, emerged in 2000 and has engaged more than 5 million participants in more than 200 countries (www.geocaching.com). Agency responses to geocaching range from collaborative management to...

Negative Social Reactions to Assault Disclosure as a Mediator between Self-Blame and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms among Survivors of Interpersonal Assault

Science.gov (United States)

Hassija, Christina M.; Gray, Matt J.

2012-01-01

The type of causal attributions offered for traumatic life events has been documented as a potential vulnerability factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, few investigations have sought to identify the mechanisms by which such explanations are associated with greater posttraumatic distress. One possible factor that may account…

Low-frequency noise complaints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Møller, Henrik; Persson-Waye, Kerstin

2006-01-01

is only heard by a single person in the household. This raises the fundamental question whether the complainants are annoyed by an external physical sound, or if other explanations such as low-frequency tinnitus must be sought. The main aim of this study is to answer this fundamental question...

Life With and Without Coding: Two Methods for Early-Stage Data Analysis in Qualitative Research Aiming at Causal Explanations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gläser, Jochen; Laudel, Grit

2013-01-01

Qualitative research aimed at "mechanismic" explanations poses specific challenges to qualitative data analysis because it must integrate existing theory with patterns identified in the data. We explore the utilization of two methods—coding and qualitative content analysis—for the first steps in the

A demographic-economic explanation of political stability: Mauritius as a microcosm.

Science.gov (United States)

Lempert, D

1987-06-01

"This paper examines current models of economic and political development--social modernization theory, political and economic characteristics of stable regimes, and cross country analysis of political stability--and tests them on the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius. The analysis continues with a causal explanation for political stability in Mauritius' recent history, derived from an examination of economic policies and demographic patterns. Political change in Mauritius over the past sixty years seems to be explained best by a model for political stability which integrates specific economic and demographic factors. The model, applicable to development in other third world nations, revises Malthus' conclusion that population and economic conditions move in an oscillatory relationship and replaces it with a more comprehensive theory, suggesting that political stability is a function of both economic development and a repeating cyclical relationship between economics and population." excerpt

Nitric oxide circulates in mammalian plasma primarily as an S-nitroso adduct of serum albumin.

Science.gov (United States)

Stamler, J S; Jaraki, O; Osborne, J; Simon, D I; Keaney, J; Vita, J; Singel, D; Valeri, C R; Loscalzo, J

1992-01-01

We have recently shown that nitric oxide or authentic endothelium-derived relaxing factor generated in a biologic system reacts in the presence of specific protein thiols to form S-nitrosoprotein derivatives that have endothelium-derived relaxing factor-like properties. The single free cysteine of serum albumin, Cys-34, is particularly reactive toward nitrogen oxides (most likely nitrosonium ion) under physiologic conditions, primarily because of its anomalously low pK; given its abundance in plasma, where it accounts for approximately 0.5 mM thiol, we hypothesized that this plasma protein serves as a reservoir for nitric oxide produced by the endothelial cell. To test this hypothesis, we developed a methodology, which involves UV photolytic cleavage of the S--NO bond before reaction with ozone for chemiluminescence detection, with which to measure free nitric oxide, S-nitrosothiols, and S-nitrosoproteins in biologic systems. We found that human plasma contains approximately 7 microM S-nitrosothiols, of which 96% are S-nitrosoproteins, 82% of which is accounted for by S-nitroso-serum albumin. By contrast, plasma levels of free nitric oxide are only in the 3-nM range. In rabbits, plasma S-nitrosothiols are present at approximately 1 microM; 60 min after administration of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine at 50 mg/ml, a selective and potent inhibitor of nitric oxide synthetases, S-nitrosothiols decreased by approximately 40% (greater than 95% of which were accounted for by S-nitrosoproteins, and approximately 80% of which was S-nitroso-serum albumin); this decrease was accompanied by a concomitant increase in mean arterial blood pressure of 22%. These data suggest that naturally produced nitric oxide circulates in plasma primarily complexed in S-nitrosothiol species, principal among which is S-nitroso-serum albumin. This abundant, relatively long-lived adduct likely serves as a reservoir with which plasma levels of highly reactive, short-lived free nitric oxide can be

Worked Examples with Errors: When Self-Explanation Prompts Hinder Learning of Teachers Diagnostic Competences on Problem-Based Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Heitzmann, Nicole; Fischer, Frank; Fischer, Martin R.

2018-01-01

To diagnose classroom situations is crucial for teachers' everyday practice. The approach of worked examples with errors seems promising to support the diagnosis of classroom situations in student teachers (Stark et al. in "Learn Instr" 21(1):22-33, 2011). To enhance that approach, error-explanation prompts and an adaptable feedback…

HIV/AIDS stigma among a sample of primarily African American and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) social media users

OpenAIRE

Garett, Renee; Smith, Justin; Chiu, Jason; Young, Sean D.

2016-01-01

The recent increase in social media use allows these technologies to rapidly reach communities with higher HIV prevalence, such as African American and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). However, no studies have looked at HIV/AIDS stigma among social media users from African American and Latino MSM communities, or the association between stigma and social media use among these groups. This study sought to assess the level of HIV/AIDS stigma among a sample of social media-using African Am...

Seeking explanations for high levels of infant mortality in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Sathar, Z A

1987-01-01

Data from the Fertility Module of the 1979 Population, Labour Force and Migration (PLM) Survey of Pakistan were analyzed to determine which of 4 factors were primarily responsible for the high infant mortality rate. The factors examined were poverty, childbearing and childrearing practices, distribution of health care and lack of individual attention given to children due to ignorance. These items were presented in a discussion format. Infant mortality in Pakistan is high at about 125-140/1000, for a country with mid-level per capita income. Income was not a good indicator of child mortality, primarily because it was difficult to determine, particularly in rural areas where non-cash income predominates. Wealth and status were good indicators of child survival. Child-rearing practices were somewhat important, as judged by birth order, breastfeeding duration and gender. Childbearing practices as shown by spacing were important determinants of survival. Health care facilities were somewhat important, indicated by higher mortality in rural areas. Rural neonates die from tetanus due to lack of immunization, or later from diarrheal disease due to lack of potable water or poor weaning practices. Maternal education was a strong indicator of survival, much more so than paternal education. Similarly, female heads of households increased survival, probably because they control financial allocations. The study suggested that rather than attempting to eliminate poverty overall, improvements in maternal education, nutrition, health care facilities and their use, and childbearing and child-rearing methods would do more to improve child survival in Pakistan.

Students' affordance of teleologic explanations and antrhropomorphic language in eliciting concepts in physics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romiro Gordo Bautista

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This study ascertains the students’ affordance of teleologic explanations and anthropomorphic language in eliciting concepts in Physics as influenced by their age and learning exposure and experience. Using Explicative-Reductive Method of Descriptive Research, this study focused on the determinants of students’ affordance of teleologic-anthropomorphic reasoning to select concepts in Physics: Kinematics, Dynamics, Statics and Introduction to Thermodynamics.  It was found out that the respondents had intermittently committed teleologic-anthropomorphic languages across age and nature of their secondary education. Furthermore, teleologic-anthropomorphic languages were found correctible by classroom interventions as indicated by the test results on age and curricular exposure.

An explanation of the irreversibility behavior in the highly- anisotropic high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, K.E.; Kim, D.H.

1991-01-01

The wide temperature range of the reversible, lossy state of the new high-temperature superconductors in a magnetic field was recognized soon after their discovery. This behavior, which had gone virtually undetected in conventional superconductors, has generated considerable interest, both for a fundamental understanding of the HTS and because it degrades the performance of HTS for finite-field applications. We show that recently proposed explanation of this behavior for the highly-anisotropic high-temperature superconductors, as a dimensional crossover of the magnetic vortices, is strongly supported by recent experiments on a Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O x single crystal using the high-Q mechanical oscillator techniques

An explanation for the universal 3.5 power-law observed in currency markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas A. Johnson

Full Text Available We present a mathematical theory to explain a recent empirical finding in the Physics literature (Zhao et al., 2013 in which the distributions of waiting-times between discrete events were found to exhibit power-law tails with an apparent universal exponent: α∼3.5. This new theory provides the first ever qualitative and quantitative explanation of Zhao et al.’s surprising finding. It also provides a mechanistic description of the origin of the observed universality, assigning its cause to the emergence of dynamical feedback processes between evolving clusters of like-minded agents. Keywords: Complex systems, Econophysics, Collective, Power law

The use of theoretical and empirical knowledge in the production of explanations and arguments in an inquiry biology activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maíra Batistoni e Silva

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Agreeing with the scientific literacy as the purpose of science education and with the recent propositions that in order to achieve it we should favor the engagement of students in practices of scientific culture, this study intends to analyze the production of explanations and arguments in an inquiry based teaching activity in order to characterize students' mobilization of theoretical and empirical knowledge by engaging in these practices. Analyzing the scientific reports elaborated by the students (14-15 years old after the inquiry activity on population dynamics, we highlight the importance of empirical knowledge about the experimental context as a repertoire for construction of explanations, especially when students deal with anomalous data. This knowledge was also important for production of valid arguments, since most of the justifications were empirical, regardless of whether or not the data were in accordance with the explanatory model already known. These results reinforce the importance of students' engagement in inquiry activities, as already defended by different authors of this research area, and indicate that the inquiry practice allowed the engagement in epistemic practices, since the knowledge about the experimental conditions and the procedures of data collection provided a repertoire for the production of explanations and arguments. Finally, we discuss the relevance of this research to the field of biology teaching, seeking to defend the promotion of inquiry activities with an experimental approach as an opportunity to integrate conceptual and epistemic objectives and overcome the difficulties generated by the specificities of this area of knowledge in relation to the other disciplines in nature sciences.

The logic of counterfactual analysis in case-study explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, James; Barrenechea, Rodrigo

2017-12-19

In this paper, we develop a set-theoretic and possible worlds approach to counterfactual analysis in case-study explanation. Using this approach, we first consider four kinds of counterfactuals: necessary condition counterfactuals, SUIN condition counterfactuals, sufficient condition counterfactuals, and INUS condition counterfactuals. We explore the distinctive causal claims entailed in each, and conclude that necessary condition and SUIN condition counterfactuals are the most useful types for hypothesis assessment in case-study research. We then turn attention to the development of a rigorous understanding of the 'minimal-rewrite' rule, linking this rule to insights from set theory about the relative importance of necessary conditions. We show why, logically speaking, a comparative analysis of two necessary condition counterfactuals will tend to favour small events and contingent happenings. A third section then presents new tools for specifying the level of generality of the events in a counterfactual. We show why and how the goals of formulating empirically important versus empirically plausible counterfactuals stand in tension with one another. Finally, we use our framework to link counterfactual analysis to causal sequences, which in turn provides advantages for conducting counterfactual projections. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

Method and metaphysics in Clements's and Gleason's ecological explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Eliot, Christopher

2007-03-01

To generate explanatory theory, ecologists must wrestle with how to represent the extremely many, diverse causes behind phenomena in their domain. Early twentieth-century plant ecologists Frederic E. Clements and Henry A. Gleason provide a textbook example of different approaches to explaining vegetation, with Clements allegedly committed, despite abundant exceptions, to a law of vegetation, and Gleason denying the law in favor of less organized phenomena. However, examining Clements's approach to explanation reveals him not to be expressing a law, and instead to be developing an explanatory structure without laws, capable of progressively integrating causal complexity. Moreover, Clements and Gleason largely agree on the causes of vegetation; but, since causal understanding here underdetermines representation, they differ on how to integrate recognized causes into general theory--that is, in their methodologies. Observers of the case may have mistakenly assumed that scientific representation across the disciplines typically aims at laws like Newton's, and that representations always reveal scientists' metaphysical commitments. Ironically, in the present case, this assumption seems to have been made even by observers who regard Clements as nai ve for his alleged commitment to an ecological law.

Nanoparticles affect PCR primarily via surface interactions with PCR components: using amino-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles as a main model

Science.gov (United States)

Nanomaterials have been widely reported to affect the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, many studies in which these effects were observed were not comprehensive, and many of the proposed mechanisms have been primarily speculative. In this work, we used amino-modified silica-coated magnetic n...

When Left Means Right: An Explanation of the Left Cradling Bias in Terms of Right Hemisphere Specializations

Science.gov (United States)

Bourne, Victoria J.; Todd, Brenda K.

2004-01-01

Previous research has indicated that 70-85% of women and girls show a bias to hold infants, or dolls, to the left side of their body. This bias is not matched in males (e.g. deChateau, Holmberg & Winberg, 1978; Todd, 1995). This study tests an explanation of cradling preferences in terms of hemispheric specialization for the perception of facial…

Effectiveness of the use of question-driven levels of inquiry based instruction (QD-LOIBI) assisted visual multimedia supported teaching material on enhancing scientific explanation ability senior high school students

Science.gov (United States)

Suhandi, A.; Muslim; Samsudin, A.; Hermita, N.; Supriyatman

2018-05-01

In this study, the effectiveness of the use of Question-Driven Levels of Inquiry Based Instruction (QD-LOIBI) assisted visual multimedia supported teaching materials on enhancing senior high school students scientific explanation ability has been studied. QD-LOIBI was designed by following five-levels of inquiry proposed by Wenning. Visual multimedia used in teaching materials included image (photo), virtual simulation and video phenomena. QD-LOIBI assisted teaching materials supported by visual multimedia were tried out on senior high school students at one high school in one district in West Java. A quasi-experiment method with design one experiment group (n = 31) and one control group (n = 32) were used. Experimental group were given QD-LOIBI assisted teaching material supported by visual multimedia, whereas the control group were given QD-LOIBI assisted teaching materials not supported visual multimedia. Data on the ability of scientific explanation in both groups were collected by scientific explanation ability test in essay form concerning kinetic gas theory concept. The results showed that the number of students in the experimental class that has increased the category and quality of scientific explanation is greater than in the control class. These results indicate that the use of multimedia supported instructional materials developed for implementation of QD-LOIBI can improve students’ ability to provide explanations supported by scientific evidence gained from practicum activities and applicable concepts, laws, principles or theories.

The Serotonin Transporter Undergoes Constitutive Internalization and Is Primarily Sorted to Late Endosomes and Lysosomal Degradation*

Science.gov (United States)

Rahbek-Clemmensen, Troels; Bay, Tina; Eriksen, Jacob; Gether, Ulrik; Jørgensen, Trine Nygaard

2014-01-01

The serotonin transporter (SERT) plays a critical role in regulating serotonin signaling by mediating reuptake of serotonin from the extracellular space. The molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling SERT levels in the membrane remain poorly understood. To study trafficking of the surface resident SERT, two functional epitope-tagged variants were generated. Fusion of a FLAG-tagged one-transmembrane segment protein Tac to the SERT N terminus generated a transporter with an extracellular epitope suited for trafficking studies (TacSERT). Likewise, a construct with an extracellular antibody epitope was generated by introducing an HA (hemagglutinin) tag in the extracellular loop 2 of SERT (HA-SERT). By using TacSERT and HA-SERT in antibody-based internalization assays, we show that SERT undergoes constitutive internalization in a dynamin-dependent manner. Confocal images of constitutively internalized SERT demonstrated that SERT primarily co-localized with the late endosomal/lysosomal marker Rab7, whereas little co-localization was observed with the Rab11, a marker of the “long loop” recycling pathway. This sorting pattern was distinct from that of a prototypical recycling membrane protein, the β2-adrenergic receptor. Furthermore, internalized SERT co-localized with the lysosomal marker LysoTracker and not with transferrin. The sorting pattern was further confirmed by visualizing internalization of SERT using the fluorescent cocaine analog JHC1-64 and by reversible and pulse-chase biotinylation assays showing evidence for lysosomal degradation of the internalized transporter. Finally, we found that SERT internalized in response to stimulation with 12-myristate 13-acetate co-localized primarily with Rab7- and LysoTracker-positive compartments. We conclude that SERT is constitutively internalized and that the internalized transporter is sorted mainly to degradation. PMID:24973209

A Test of Leading Explanations for the College Racial-Ethnic Achievement Gap: Evidence from a Longitudinal Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Nathan D.; Spenner, Kenneth I; Mustillo, Sarah A.

2017-01-01

In this study, we examined racial/ethnic differences in grade point average (GPA) among students at a highly selective, private university who were surveyed before matriculation and during the first, second and fourth college years, and assessed prominent explanations for the Black-White and Latino-White college achievement gap. We found that…

Efficient transfection of DNA into primarily cultured rat sertoli cells by electroporation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fuping; Yamaguchi, Kohei; Okada, Keisuke; Matsushita, Kei; Enatsu, Noritoshi; Chiba, Koji; Yue, Huanxun; Fujisawa, Masato

2013-03-01

The expression of exogenous DNA in Sertoli cells is essential for studying its functional genomics, pathway analysis, and medical applications. Electroporation is a valuable tool for nucleic acid delivery, even in primarily cultured cells, which are considered difficult to transfect. In this study, we developed an optimized protocol for electroporation-based transfection of Sertoli cells and compared its efficiency with conventional lipofection. Sertoli cells were transfected with pCMV-GFP plasmid by square-wave electroporation under different conditions. After transfection of plasmid into Sertoli cells, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expression could be easily detected by fluorescent microscopy, and cell survival was evaluated by dye exclusion assay using Trypan blue. In terms of both cell survival and the percentage expressing EGFP, 250 V was determined to produce the greatest number of transiently transfected cells. Keeping the voltage constant (250 V), relatively high cell survival (76.5% ± 3.4%) and transfection efficiency (30.6% ± 5.6%) were observed with a pulse length of 20 μm. The number of pulses significantly affected cell survival and EGFP expression (P transfection methods, the transfection efficiency of electroporation (21.5% ± 5.7%) was significantly higher than those of Lipofectamine 2000 (2.9% ± 1.0%) and Effectene (1.9% ± 0.8%) in this experiment (P transfection of Sertoli cells.

The Concept of the Virtual School Library.

Science.gov (United States)

Butterworth, Margaret

A library has the capacity to deliver much more than just its locally stored and owned resources. By using telecommunications, information can be sought from online databases and from other pupils in schools across the world. This paper includes: (1) an explanation of the link between "virtual reality" and the "virtual…

The Virtual Threat Effect: A Test of Competing Explanations for the Effects of Racial Stereotyping in Video Games on Players' Cognitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Behm-Morawitz, Elizabeth; Hoffswell, Joseph; Chen, Szu-Wei

2016-05-01

Past research provides evidence that embodying a racially stereotyped African American video game character triggers stereotyped thinking among White players. However, the mechanisms through which virtual racial embodiment of a negatively stereotyped character in a video game impacts stereotyped thinking are still unknown. This study expands on past research and utilizes a between-subjects experimental design to test two possible theoretical explanations: the virtual threat effect and presence. On the one hand, embodying a negatively stereotyped African American character may elicit stereotyped thinking among White players due to the mere exposure to the threatening stereotype. According to this explanation, negative affective response to the threatening stimulus predicts stereotyping. On the other hand, the process of embodying, not just observing, the stereotyped African American character suggests that presence in the game may determine how impactful the game imagery is on White players' stereotyping of African Americans. In this case, level of presence would predict stereotyping. The findings of this study advance research by providing evidence of a psychological explanation for the negative effects of embodying a racially stereotyped video game character on players' race-related perceptions. We conceptualize the "virtual threat effect," which may be applied in additional contexts to understand how embodying stereotyped representations of outgroups in virtual environments may negatively affect individuals' perceptions and support of these groups.

Promoting Scientific Thinking and Conceptual Change about Alternative Explanations of Climate Change and Other Controversial Socio-scientific Topics

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardi, D.; Sinatra, G. M.

2013-12-01

Critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal of scientific explanations have been underemphasized in many science classrooms (NRC, 2012). Deep science learning demands that students increase their ability to critically evaluate the quality of scientific knowledge, weigh alternative explanations, and explicitly reappraise their plausibility judgments. Therefore, this lack of instruction about critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal has, in part, contributed to diminished understanding about complex and controversial topics, such as global climate change. The Model-Evidence Link (MEL) diagram (originally developed by researchers at Rutgers University under an NSF-supported project; Chinn & Buckland, 2012) is an instructional scaffold that promotes students to critically evaluate alternative explanations. We recently developed a climate change MEL and found that the students who used the MEL experienced a significant shift in their plausibility judgments toward the scientifically accepted model of human-induced climate change. Using the MEL for instruction also resulted in conceptual change about the causes of global warming that reflected greater understanding of fundamental scientific principles. Furthermore, students sustained this conceptual change six months after MEL instruction (Lombardi, Sinatra, & Nussbaum, 2013). This presentation will discuss recent educational research that supports use of the MEL to promote critical evaluation, plausibility reappraisal, and conceptual change, and also, how the MEL may be particularly effective for learning about global climate change and other socio-scientific topics. Such instruction to develop these fundamental thinking skills (e.g., critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal) is demanded by both the Next Generation Science Standards (Achieve, 2013) and the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics (CCSS Initiative-ELA, 2010; CCSS Initiative-Math, 2010), as well as a

Plural Governance and Performance - a review of explanations and a model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mols, Niels Peter

2007-01-01

Plural governance is a strategy where a firm is making and buying the same good or service (Bradach & Eccles 1989; Heide 2003; Parmigiani 2007). This paper reviews and compares explanations to why firms both make and buy, and based on the review it develops a model suggesting how the combination...... of buying and making the same component or service affects performance. The model suggests that both making and buying the same product or service has several effects on performance: (1) it reduces the negative relationships between uncertainty and performance in both the market and the hierarchy, (2......) it reduces the negative relationship between transaction specific assets and performance in the market, (3) it reduces the cost of determining transfer prices in the hierarchy, (4) it enhances the positive effect of strong internal and external capabilities, and (5) finally it adds cost because of increased...

The enactment of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982: A multiple perspectives explanation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clary, B.B.

1991-01-01

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) is generally analyzed from the distinct perspective of any given actor involved in the nuclear waste policymaking process. Yet, these perspectives often rest on totally different models of decisionmaking. This article applies a multiple perspective explanation as developed by Allison (1971) and Linstone (1984) to the NWPA and explains policy outcomes by reference to three models of decisionmaking: rational actor, organizational processes and governmental politics. Commonalities and points of disjointure in the three models are highlighted and prospects for future nuclear waste disposal policy development are assessed using an integrated decisionmaking framework

Defining and Developing "Critical Thinking" Through Devising and Testing Multiple Explanations of the Same Phenomenon

Science.gov (United States)

Etkina, Eugenia; Planinšič, Gorazd

2015-10-01

Most physics teachers would agree that one of the main reasons for her/his students to take physics is to learn to think critically. However, for years we have been assessing our students mostly on the knowledge of physics content (conceptually and quantitatively). Only recently have science educators started moving systematically towards achieving and assessing this critical thinking goal. In this paper we seek to show how guiding students to devise and test multiple explanations of observed phenomena can be used to improve their critical thinking.

Changes in Students' Explanations for Gender Differences after Taking a Psychology of Women Class: More Constructionist and Less Essentialist

Science.gov (United States)

Yoder, Janice D.; Fischer, Ann R.; Kahn, Arnold S.; Groden, Jessica

2007-01-01

We explored how students' endorsements of essential (biological and personality) and constructed (socialization and contextual) explanations for gender differences changed from the start to the end of Psychology of Women (POW) classes along with their feminist attitudes. Results from surveys of 120 POW students from three universities indicated…

Exploring the Effect of Embedded Scaffolding within Curricular Tasks on Third-Grade Students' Model-Based Explanations about Hydrologic Cycling

Science.gov (United States)

Zangori, Laura; Forbes, Cory T.; Schwarz, Christina V.

2015-01-01

Opportunities to generate model-based explanations are crucial for elementary students, yet are rarely foregrounded in elementary science learning environments despite evidence that early learners can reason from models when provided with scaffolding. We used a quasi-experimental research design to investigate the comparative impact of a scaffold…

Rotational explanation of the high-velocity meolecular emission from the Orion Molecular Cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, F.O.; Biretta, J.A.; Martin, H.M.

1979-01-01

The high-velocity molecular emission of the Orion Molecular Cloud has been sampled using the J/sub N/=2 2 --1 1 rotational spectral line of the SO molecule. The resulting profile, including the high-velocity wings, has been reproduced using only known large-scale properties of the gas and applications of the results of published theoretical calculations. No new physical mechanism is required; observed rotation and conservation of angular momentum are sufficient to reproduce the line profile. The resulting physical state appears to be consistent with all known physical properties. This solution is not unique, but indicates the strengths and weaknesses of such a model for interpretation of Orion as well as the similarities of alternative explanations

Possible Explanation for Cancer in Rats due to Cell Phone Radio Frequency Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Bernard J.

Very recently, the National Toxicology Program reported a correlation between exposure to whole body 900 MHz radio frequency radiation and cancer in the brains and hearts of Sprague Dawley male rats. Assuming that the National Toxicology Program is statistically significant, I propose the following explanation for these results. The neurons around the brain and heart form closed electrical circuits and, following Faraday's Law, 900 MHz radio frequency radiation induces 900 MHz electrical currents in these neural circuits. In turn, these 900 MHz currents in the neural circuits generate sufficient localized heat in the neural cells to shift the equilibrium concentration of carcinogenic radicals to higher levels and thus, to higher incidences of cancer.

A process for developing and revising a learning progression on sea level rise using learners' explanations

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Robert Christopher

The purpose of this study was to explore the process of developing a learning progression (LP) on constructing explanations about sea level rise. I used a learning progressions theoretical framework informed by the situated cognition learning theory. During this exploration, I explicitly described my decision-making process as I developed and revised a hypothetical learning progression. Correspondingly, my research question was: What is a process by which a hypothetical learning progression on sea level rise is developed into an empirical learning progression using learners' explanations? To answer this question, I used a qualitative descriptive single case study with multiple embedded cases (Yin, 2014) that employed analytic induction (Denzin, 1970) to analyze data collected on middle school learners (grades 6-8). Data sources included written artifacts, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. Additionally, I kept a researcher journal to track my thinking about the learning progression throughout the research study. Using analytic induction to analyze collected data, I developed eight analytic concepts: participant explanation structures varied widely, global warming and ice melt cause sea level rise, participants held alternative conceptions about sea level rise, participants learned about thermal expansion as a fundamental aspect of sea level rise, participants learned to incorporate authentic scientific data, participants' mental models of the ocean varied widely, sea ice melt contributes to sea level rise, and participants held vague and alternative conceptions about how pollution impacts the ocean. I started with a hypothetical learning progression, gathered empirical data via various sources (especially semi-structured interviews), revised the hypothetical learning progression in response to those data, and ended with an empirical learning progression comprising six levels of learner thinking. As a result of developing an empirically based LP

The contribution of childhood environment to the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in health in adult life: A retrospective study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Mheen, H.; Stronks, K.; van den Bos, J.; Mackenbach, J. P.

1997-01-01

In this study the contribution of childhood environment to the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in health in adulthood is examined. Childhood environment was measured using indicators of social, socio-economic and material aspects. Retrospective data obtained from an oral interview, part

Anorexia nervosa in Kenya | Njenga | East African Medical Journal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Anorexia nervosa is a rare disorder in Africans, inspite of posing a serious public health hazard in the West. Whereas it is possible that African psychiatrists lack the skills to diagnose the disorder, other possible explanations for its apparent rarity must be sought in view of emerging evidence, which suggests a ...

Can monaural temporal masking explain the ongoing precedence effect?

Science.gov (United States)

Freyman, Richard L; Morse-Fortier, Charlotte; Griffin, Amanda M; Zurek, Patrick M

2018-02-01

The precedence effect for transient sounds has been proposed to be based primarily on monaural processes, manifested by asymmetric temporal masking. This study explored the potential for monaural explanations with longer ("ongoing") sounds exhibiting the precedence effect. Transient stimuli were single lead-lag noise burst pairs; ongoing stimuli were trains of 63 burst pairs. Unlike with transients, monaural masking data for ongoing sounds showed no advantage for the lead, and are inconsistent with asymmetric audibility as an explanation for ongoing precedence. This result, along with supplementary measurements of interaural time discrimination, suggests different explanations for transient and ongoing precedence.

Development and Sensitivity Analysis of a Frost Risk model based primarily on freely distributed Earth Observation data

Science.gov (United States)

Louka, Panagiota; Petropoulos, George; Papanikolaou, Ioannis

2015-04-01

The ability to map the spatiotemporal distribution of extreme climatic conditions, such as frost, is a significant tool in successful agricultural management and decision making. Nowadays, with the development of Earth Observation (EO) technology, it is possible to obtain accurately, timely and in a cost-effective way information on the spatiotemporal distribution of frost conditions, particularly over large and otherwise inaccessible areas. The present study aimed at developing and evaluating a frost risk prediction model, exploiting primarily EO data from MODIS and ASTER sensors and ancillary ground observation data. For the evaluation of our model, a region in north-western Greece was selected as test site and a detailed sensitivity analysis was implemented. The agreement between the model predictions and the observed (remotely sensed) frost frequency obtained by MODIS sensor was evaluated thoroughly. Also, detailed comparisons of the model predictions were performed against reference frost ground observations acquired from the Greek Agricultural Insurance Organization (ELGA) over a period of 10-years (2000-2010). Overall, results evidenced the ability of the model to produce reasonably well the frost conditions, following largely explainable patterns in respect to the study site and local weather conditions characteristics. Implementation of our proposed frost risk model is based primarily on satellite imagery analysis provided nowadays globally at no cost. It is also straightforward and computationally inexpensive, requiring much less effort in comparison for example to field surveying. Finally, the method is adjustable to be potentially integrated with other high resolution data available from both commercial and non-commercial vendors. Keywords: Sensitivity analysis, frost risk mapping, GIS, remote sensing, MODIS, Greece

A unified explanation for the diverse structural deviations reported for adult schizophrenics with disrupted speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaika, E

1982-06-01

This paper attempts a unified explanation for the diverse manifestations of deviant speech considered pathognomic for schizophrenia. Examination of the structure of such speech shows that what appear to be diverse errors are really manifestations of two problems: apparently random or erroneous triggering of sounds and words coupled with inappropriate perseverations. These are shown to be different manifestations of the same problem, possibly a schizophrenic dysfunction in neurotransmitters in the brain.. Studies of hemispheric asymetry in schizophrenia, involuntary eyetracking, and the probable action of antipsychotic medication confirm the linguistic data.

Why did Kant reject physiological explanations in his anthropology?

Science.gov (United States)

Sturm, Thomas

2008-12-01

One of Kant's central tenets concerning the human sciences is the claim that one need not, and should not, use a physiological vocabulary if one studies human cognitions, feelings, desires, and actions from the point of view of his 'pragmatic' anthropology. The claim is well known, but the arguments Kant advances for it have not been closely discussed. I argue against misguided interpretations of the claim, and I present his actual reasons in favor of it. Contemporary critics of a 'physiological anthropology' reject physiological explanations of mental states as more or less epistemologically dubious. Kant does not favor such ignorance claims--and this is for the good, since none of these claims was sufficiently justified at that time. Instead, he develops an original irrelevance thesis concerning the empirical knowledge of the physiological basis of the mind. His arguments for this claim derive from his original and, up to now, little understood criticism of a certain conception of pragmatic history, related to his anthropological insights concerning our ability to create new rules of action, the social dynamics of human action, and the relative inconstancy of human nature. The irrelevance thesis also changes his views of the goal and methodology of anthropology. Kant thereby argues for a distinctive approach in quest for a general 'science of man'.

A multi-packer technique for investigating resistance to flow through fractured rock and illustrative results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourke, P.J.; Rae, J.

1981-01-01

A multi-packer technique was used to locate twelve discrete fractures in the lower half of a 200 m deep drill hole in Cornish granite. The resistances to water flows into these fractures both singly and together were measured. Geological explanations of the results obtained were sought by examination of core from the hole. Analysis of the results and the further data needed and now being sought to determine resistance to flow over long distances through the pattern of interconnected fractures are discussed. This information is required for the assessment of the safety of burial of radioactive wastes

Explanation of Relationships between Biographical Characteristics and Entrepreneurship Spirit of Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassanali Aghajani

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Three major causes of the importance of entrepreneurship are making wealth, developing technology and creating productive employment. It is generally believed that a revolution is needed for entrepreneurship to take place in societies nowadays. Thus, the present study aims at investigation of the biographical characteristics and explanation of its relation to entrepreneurial spirit at Mazandaran university students. The data collection instrument was a related questionnaire with the reliability level of 0.90, and the collected data related to the examined variables were analyzed by using T-Student and ANOVA Tests. The results explained and determined that, except age, other biographical characteristics including gender, marital status, employment, birth arrangement, parents‟ education level, did not have any meaningful relationship with the entrepreneurial spirit. Finally, it is the presented summary of implications for managers such as suggestions on how the managers and authorities can improve the entrepreneurial spirit among students, as well as directions for further researches.

Perbandingan Gratification Sought Dan Gratification Obtained Pendengar Terhadap Program Stasiun Radio (Studi Komparatif tentang Motif dan Kepuasan Pendengar terhadap Program Stasiun Radio Kiss FM dan Prambors Medan di Kalangan Mahasiswa FISIP USU

OpenAIRE

Hutapea, Darma Lestari

2011-01-01

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membandingkan kepuasan ynag dicari (gratification sought) dan kepuasan yang diperoleh (gratification obtained) pendengar radio Kiss FM dan Prambors FM Medan dengan menggunakan perspektif Uses and Gratification. Model ini menekankan bahwa khalayak adalah pihak yang aktif terhadap penggunaan media. Khalayak bebas mengkonsumsi media yang disukainya. Sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik. Jumlah sampel y...

FADD Expression as a Prognosticator in Early-Stage Glottic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx Treated Primarily With Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schrijvers, Michiel L.; Pattje, Wouter J.; Slagter-Menkema, Lorian; Mastik, Mirjam F.; Gibcus, Johan H.; Langendijk, Johannes A.; Wal, Jacqueline E. van der; Laan, Bernard F.A.M. vn der; Schuuring, E.

2012-01-01

Purpose: We recently reported on the identification of the Fas-associated death domain (FADD) as a possible driver of the chromosome 11q13 amplicon and the association between increased FADD expression and disease-specific survival in advanced-stage laryngeal carcinoma. The aim of this study was to examine whether expression of FADD and its Ser194-phosphorylated isoform (pFADD) predicts local control in patients with early-stage glottic carcinoma primarily treated with radiotherapy only. Methods and Materials: Immunohistochemical staining for FADD and pFADD was performed on pretreatment biopsy specimens of 92 patients with T1–T2 glottic squamous cell carcinoma primarily treated with radiotherapy between 1996 and 2005. Cox regression analysis was used to correlate expression levels with local control. Results: High levels of pFADD were associated with significantly better local control (hazard ratio, 2.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–5.55; p = 0.040). FADD overexpression showed a trend toward better local control (hazard ratio, 3.656; 95% confidence interval, 0.853–15.663; p = 0.081). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high pFADD expression was the best predictor of local control after radiotherapy. Conclusions: This study showed that expression of phosphorylated FADD is a new prognostic biomarker for better local control after radiotherapy in patients with early-stage glottic carcinomas.

Individuals and the variation needed for high species diversity in forest trees

Science.gov (United States)

James S. Clark

2010-01-01

In the past, explanations for high species diversity have been sought at the species level. Theory shows that coexistence requires substantial differences between species, but species-level data rarely provide evidence for such differences. Using data from forests in the southeastern United States, I show here that variation evident at the individual level provides for...

Revisiting the quantum decoherence scenario as an explanation for the LSND anomaly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bakhti, Pouya; Farzan, Yasaman [Institute for research in fundamental sciences (IPM),PO Box 19395-5531, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Schwetz, Thomas [Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics,Department of Physics, Stockholm University,SE-10691 Stockholm (Sweden)

2015-05-04

We propose an explanation for the LSND anomaly based on quantum decoherence, postulating an exponential behavior for the decoherence parameters as a function of the neutrino energy. Within this ansatz decoherence effects are suppressed for neutrino energies above 200 MeV as well as around and below few MeV, restricting deviations from standard three-flavour oscillations only to the LSND energy range of 20–50 MeV. The scenario is consistent with the global data on neutrino oscillations, alleviates the tension between LSND and KARMEN, and predicts a null-result for MiniBooNE. No sterile neutrinos are introduced, conflict with cosmology is avoided, and no tension between short-baseline appearance and disappearance data arises. The proposal can be tested at planned reactor experiments with baselines of around 50 km, such as JUNO or RENO-50.

Revisiting the quantum decoherence scenario as an explanation for the LSND anomaly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakhti, Pouya; Farzan, Yasaman; Schwetz, Thomas

2015-01-01

We propose an explanation for the LSND anomaly based on quantum decoherence, postulating an exponential behavior for the decoherence parameters as a function of the neutrino energy. Within this ansatz decoherence effects are suppressed for neutrino energies above 200 MeV as well as around and below few MeV, restricting deviations from standard three-flavour oscillations only to the LSND energy range of 20–50 MeV. The scenario is consistent with the global data on neutrino oscillations, alleviates the tension between LSND and KARMEN, and predicts a null-result for MiniBooNE. No sterile neutrinos are introduced, conflict with cosmology is avoided, and no tension between short-baseline appearance and disappearance data arises. The proposal can be tested at planned reactor experiments with baselines of around 50 km, such as JUNO or RENO-50.

Giving what one should: explanations for the knowledge-behavior gap for altruistic giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Peter R

2018-04-01

Several studies have shown that children struggle to give what they believe that they should: the so-called knowledge-behavior gap. Over a dozen recent Dictator Game studies find that, although young children believe that they should give half of a set of resources to a peer, they typically give less and often keep all of the resources for themselves. This article reviews recent evidence for five potential explanations for the gap and how children close it with age: self-regulation, social distance, theory of mind, moral knowledge and social learning. I conclude that self-regulation, social distance, and social learning show the most promising evidence for understanding the mechanisms that can close the gap. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Explanation and Analysis of the Reasons of Occurring Sedition in Kalila and Dimna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Khodadadi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Sedition is one of the political and social disorders in humankind societies. In case of occurring sedition, a society will involve in not only disturbance and chaos, but also it is possible to destroy the political system, so this factor is considered as severe threaten from creation and forming the political systems up to now. Most of the scientists considered the valuable book of Kalila and Dimna as political constitution which was written by Nasrollah Monshi and this important factor was expressed in different dimensions as evidenced by this statement. In this Article, it is attempted to be involved in explanation and analysis of the reasons of occurring the sedition such as jealousy, greed and avidity, aversion, pride and revenge in Kalila and Dimna.

Why chunking should be considered as an explanation for developmental change before short-term memory capacity and processing speed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary eJones

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The chunking hypothesis suggests that during the repeated exposure of stimulus material, information is organized into increasingly larger chunks. Many researchers have not considered the full power of the chunking hypothesis as both a learning mechanism and as an explanation of human behavior. Indeed, in developmental psychology there is relatively little mention of chunking and yet it can be the underlying cause of some of the mechanisms of development that have been proposed. This paper illustrates the chunking hypothesis in the domain of nonword repetition, a task that is a strong predictor of a child’s language learning. A computer simulation of nonword repetition that instantiates the chunking mechanism shows that: (1 chunking causes task behavior to improve over time, consistent with children’s performance; and (2 chunking causes perceived changes in areas such as short-term memory capacity and processing speed that are often cited as mechanisms of child development. Researchers should be cautious when considering explanations of developmental data, since chunking may be able to explain differences in performance without the need for additional mechanisms of development.

Crystal Structure, Conformational Analysis, and Charge Density Distribution for Eng-Epifisetinidol: An Explanation for Regiospecific Aromatic Substitution of 5-Deoxyflavan

Science.gov (United States)

Fred L. Tobiason; Frank R. Fronczek; Jan P. Steynberg; Elizabeth C. Steynberg; Richard W. Hemingway; Wayne L. Mattice

1993-01-01

Molecular modeling and molecular orbital analyses of ent-epifisetinidol gave &ood predictions of the approximate "reverse half-chair" conformation found for the crystal structure. MNDO and AM1 analyses of HOMO electron densities provided an explanation for the stereospecific electrophilic aromatic substitution at C(6) in 5-deoxy-flavans...

Scalar dark matter explanation of the DAMPE data in the minimal left-right symmetric model

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Junjie; Guo, Xiaofei; Shang, Liangliang; Wang, Fei; Wu, Peiwen; Zu, Lei

2018-03-01

The left-right symmetric model (LRSM) is an attractive extension of the Standard Model (SM) that can address the origin of parity violation in the SM electroweak interactions, generate tiny neutrino masses, accommodate dark matter (DM) candidates, and provide a natural framework for baryogenesis through leptogenesis. In this work, we utilize the minimal LRSM to study the recently reported DAMPE results of the cosmic e+e- spectrum, which exhibits a tentative peak around 1.4 TeV, while satisfying the current neutrino data. We propose to explain the DAMPE peak with a complex scalar DM χ in two scenarios: (1) χ χ*→H1++H1-→ℓi+ℓi+ℓj-ℓj- , and (2) χ χ*→Hk++Hk-→ℓi+ℓi+ℓj-ℓj- accompanied by χ χ*→H1+H1-→ℓi+νℓiℓj-νℓj , with ℓi,j=e , μ , τ and k =1 , 2. We fit the theoretical prediction of the e+e- spectrum to relevant experimental data to determine the scalar mass spectrum favored by the DAMPE excess. We also consider various constraints from theoretical principles and collider experiments, as well as DM relic density and direct search experiments. We find that there is ample parameter space to interpret the DAMPE data while also passing the constraints. On the other hand, our explanations usually imply the existence of other new physics at an energy scale ranging from 107 to 1011 GeV . Collider tests of our explanations are also discussed.

Interactive Explanations: The Functional Role of Gestural and Bodily Action for Explaining and Learning Scientific Concepts in Face-to-Face Arrangements

Science.gov (United States)

Scopelitis, Stephanie A.

As human beings, we live in, live with, and live through our bodies. And because of this it is no wonder that our hands and bodies are in motion as we interact with others in our world. Hands and body move as we give directions to another, anticipate which way to turn the screwdriver, and direct our friend to come sit next to us. Gestures, indeed, fill our everyday lives. The purpose of this study is to investigate the functional role of the body in the parts of our lives where we teach and learn with another. This project is an investigation into, what I call, "interactive explanations". I explore how the hands and body work toward the joint achievement of explanation and learning in face-to-face arrangements. The study aims to uncover how the body participates in teaching and learning in and across events as it slides between the multiple, interdependent roles of (1) a communicative entity, (2) a tool for thinking, and (3) a resource to shape interaction. Understanding gestures functional roles as flexible and diverse better explains how the body participates in teaching and learning interactions. The study further aims to show that these roles and functions are dynamic and changeable based on the interests, goals and contingencies of participants' changing roles and aims in interactions, and within and across events. I employed the methodology of comparative microanalysis of pairs of videotaped conversations in which, first, experts in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) explained concepts to non-experts, and second, these non-experts re-explained the concept to other non-experts. The principle finding is that people strategically, creatively and collaboratively employ the hands and body as vital and flexible resources for the joint achievement of explanation and understanding. Findings further show that gestures used to explain complex STEM concepts travel across time with the non-expert into re-explanations of the concept. My

Generalized procedures for determining inspection sample sizes (related to quantitative measurements). Vol. 1: Detailed explanations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaech, J.L.; Lemaire, R.J.

1986-11-01

Generalized procedures have been developed to determine sample sizes in connection with the planning of inspection activities. These procedures are based on different measurement methods. They are applied mainly to Bulk Handling Facilities and Physical Inventory Verifications. The present report attempts (i) to assign to appropriate statistical testers (viz. testers for gross, partial and small defects) the measurement methods to be used, and (ii) to associate the measurement uncertainties with the sample sizes required for verification. Working papers are also provided to assist in the application of the procedures. This volume contains the detailed explanations concerning the above mentioned procedures

Bulletin of Materials Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

An explanation of film properties has been sought in terms of changes in the chemical properties of the films due to the bombardment of the films during film formation with negative oxygen ions. Author Affiliations. A KASSIS1 M SAAD1 F NOUNOU1. Atomic Energy Commission of Syria, P.O. Box 6091, Damascus, Syria ...

Strategy in the 20th Century: Explanations from History

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Silveira Conke

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In this essay, we argue that an historical perspective helps to understand some of the strategic choices made by organizations. More specifically, the purpose here is to describe the great influence of historical events (related to economy, politics, technological advancement etc. on the creation, acceptance, spreading and / or establishment of the strategic theories and tools developed since the beginning of the 20th century. Texts that usually discuss management and history outline only the Industrial Revolution or the transition from feudalism to capitalism, underestimating other historical forces that offer additional explanations to the evolution of strategic thinking. As a result of an extensive bibliographical research, we were able to identify four periods where the strategic theories developed reveal suitable responses to the challenges created by the environment: in the first one (1900-1938, strategy is concerned with organization and control of business activities, resembling the ideas developed by Scientific Administration; in the second period (1939-1964, strategic planning is formalized and the area is broadly recognized; the next decades (1965-1989 are characterized by competition and uncertainty, making strategy focus on problems emerged from the outside; finally, on the turn of the century (1990-2010, the unlimited information availability enhances the need for strategists’ conceptual and practical knowledge. Also, as a final contribution, we suggest two possible trends to the future of strategy.

Vigorous convection as the explanation for Pluto's polygonal terrain.

Science.gov (United States)

Trowbridge, A J; Melosh, H J; Steckloff, J K; Freed, A M

2016-06-02

Pluto's surface is surprisingly young and geologically active. One of its youngest terrains is the near-equatorial region informally named Sputnik Planum, which is a topographic basin filled by nitrogen (N2) ice mixed with minor amounts of CH4 and CO ices. Nearly the entire surface of the region is divided into irregular polygons about 20-30 kilometres in diameter, whose centres rise tens of metres above their sides. The edges of this region exhibit bulk flow features without polygons. Both thermal contraction and convection have been proposed to explain this terrain, but polygons formed from thermal contraction (analogous to ice-wedges or mud-crack networks) of N2 are inconsistent with the observations on Pluto of non-brittle deformation within the N2-ice sheet. Here we report a parameterized convection model to compute the Rayleigh number of the N2 ice and show that it is vigorously convecting, making Rayleigh-Bénard convection the most likely explanation for these polygons. The diameter of Sputnik Planum's polygons and the dimensions of the 'floating mountains' (the hills of of water ice along the edges of the polygons) suggest that its N2 ice is about ten kilometres thick. The estimated convection velocity of 1.5 centimetres a year indicates a surface age of only around a million years.

Perceptions of Mindfulness in a Low-income, Primarily African American Treatment-Seeking Sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Spears, Claire Adams; Houchins, Sean C; Bamatter, Wendy P; Barrueco, Sandra; Hoover, Diana Stewart; Perskaudas, Rokas

2017-12-01

Individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES) and members of racial/ethnic minority groups often experience profound disparities in mental health and physical well-being. Mindfulness-based interventions show promise for improving mood and health behaviors in higher-SES and non-Latino White populations. However, research is needed to explore what types of adaptations, if any, are needed to best support underserved populations. This study used qualitative methods to gain information about a) perceptions of mindfulness, b) experiences with meditation, c) barriers to practicing mindfulness, and d) recommendations for tailoring mindfulness-based interventions in a low-income, primarily African American treatment-seeking sample. Eight focus groups were conducted with 32 adults (16 men and 16 women) currently receiving services at a community mental health center. Most participants (91%) were African American. Focus group data were transcribed and analyzed using NVivo 10. A team of coders reviewed the transcripts to identify salient themes. Relevant themes included beliefs that mindfulness practice might improve mental health (e.g., managing stress and anger more effectively) and physical health (e.g., improving sleep and chronic pain, promoting healthier behaviors). Participants also discussed ways in which mindfulness might be consistent with, and even enhance, their religious and spiritual practices. Results could be helpful in tailoring mindfulness-based treatments to optimize feasibility and effectiveness for low-SES adults receiving mental health services.

Population causes and consequences of leading chronic diseases: a comparative analysis of prevailing explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Stuckler, David

2008-06-01

The mortality numbers and rates of chronic disease are rising faster in developing than in developed countries. This article compares prevailing explanations of population chronic disease trends with theoretical and empirical models of population chronic disease epidemiology and assesses some economic consequences of the growth of chronic diseases in developing countries based on the experiences of developed countries. Four decades of male mortality rates of cardiovascular and chronic noncommunicable diseases were regressed on changes in and levels of country income per capita, market integration, foreign direct investment, urbanization rates, and population aging in fifty-six countries for which comparative data were available. Neoclassical economic growth models were used to estimate the effect of the mortality rates of chronic noncommunicable diseases on economic growth in high-income OECD countries. Processes of economic growth, market integration, foreign direct investment, and urbanization were significant determinants of long-term changes in mortality rates of heart disease and chronic noncommunicable disease, and the observed relationships with these social and economic factors were roughly three times stronger than the relationships with the population's aging. In low-income countries, higher levels of country income per capita, population urbanization, foreign direct investment, and market integration were associated with greater mortality rates of heart disease and chronic noncommunicable disease, less increased or sometimes reduced rates in middle-income countries, and decreased rates in high-income countries. Each 10 percent increase in the working-age mortality rates of chronic noncommunicable disease decreased economic growth rates by close to a half percent. Macrosocial and macroeconomic forces are major determinants of population rises in chronic disease mortality, and some prevailing demographic explanations, such as population aging, are

GOLD HULL AND INTERNODE2 encodes a primarily multifunctional cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase in rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kewei; Qian, Qian; Huang, Zejun; Wang, Yiqin; Li, Ming; Hong, Lilan; Zeng, Dali; Gu, Minghong; Chu, Chengcai; Cheng, Zhukuan

2006-03-01

Lignin content and composition are two important agronomic traits for the utilization of agricultural residues. Rice (Oryza sativa) gold hull and internode phenotype is a classical morphological marker trait that has long been applied to breeding and genetics study. In this study, we have cloned the GOLD HULL AND INTERNODE2 (GH2) gene in rice using a map-based cloning approach. The result shows that the gh2 mutant is a lignin-deficient mutant, and GH2 encodes a cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD). Consistent with this finding, extracts from roots, internodes, hulls, and panicles of the gh2 plants exhibited drastically reduced CAD activity and undetectable sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase activity. When expressed in Escherichia coli, purified recombinant GH2 was found to exhibit strong catalytic ability toward coniferaldehyde and sinapaldehyde, while the mutant protein gh2 completely lost the corresponding CAD and sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase activities. Further phenotypic analysis of the gh2 mutant plants revealed that the p-hydroxyphenyl, guaiacyl, and sinapyl monomers were reduced in almost the same ratio compared to the wild type. Our results suggest GH2 acts as a primarily multifunctional CAD to synthesize coniferyl and sinapyl alcohol precursors in rice lignin biosynthesis.

Declining health disadvantage of non-marital children: Explanation of the trend in the Czech Republic 1990-2010

OpenAIRE

Martina Stipkova

2013-01-01

Background: There has been a rapid spread of non-marital childbearing in the Czech Republic during the last two decades. At the same time, the low birth weight rates of children born to married and unmarried mothers have converged. Objective: The goal is to explain the diminishing gap in low birth weight. Two explanations are assessed: the changing selection of unmarried mothers from disadvantaged socio-demographic groups, and increasing social support for unmarried mothers. Methods: Data fro...

Understanding the generative capacity of analogies as a tool for explanation

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, E. David

1993-12-01

Psychological studies have typically portrayed analogical reasoning as a process of schema transfer from a familiar domain of understanding to a problem situation. These studies have usually examined analogical reasoning in contexts where (a) individuals possess or have been provided with appropriate, problem-specific schema, (b) the nature of the problem and/or solution is fairly well defined, and (c) ideal analogies are provided or suggested by an outside source. This study examines analogical reasoning in contexts where understanding is generated from loosely organized, incomplete prior knowledge rather than transferred from a well-structured domain of understanding. In addition, participants were asked to create, apply, and modify their own analogies - as opposed to applying a given analogy - as a heuristic for constructing, evaluating, and modifying their explanations for a particular scientific phenomena. The results provide empirical support for the generative properties of analogies; that is, analogies can stimulate new inferences and insight. Furthermore, under specific conditions, individuals can productively harness the generative capacity of their own analogies to advance their conceptual understanding of scientific phenomena.

The Clash of Interests: An Explanation of the World [Dis]order

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Ahmet Davutoğlu

1994-12-01

Full Text Available The paper is a critical re-examination of the Post-Cold War theories– especially Fukuyama's "End of History" and Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations"– and aims to provide an alternative explanation for the global political crisis and instabilities during this era. It is argued that the end of the Cold War strategic balance based on bipolarity has created sensitive regions on a large geopolitical and geoeconomic zone, because there is a vacuum of power to control the strategic capabilities of the geopolitical core areas as well as the vast resource-production-trade capabilities of international political economy. The revival of cultural and civilizational identities after the collapse of the ideological identities of the bipolar Cold War era has been exploited to justify the intra-civilizational strategic competition among the systemic power centers in order to control these sensitive geopolitical and geoeconomic zones. The Eurasian component of the Muslim world, which became the intersectional arena of these two phenomena, civilizational revival and strategic competition, appears as the focal point in international relations.

"I No Like Get Caught Using Drugs": Explanations for Refusal as a Drug-Resistance Strategy for Rural Native Hawaiian Youths

Science.gov (United States)

Okamoto, Scott K.; Helm, Susana; Giroux, Danielle; Kaliades, Alexis

2011-01-01

This exploratory study examines the use of explanations for refusal as a drug-resistance strategy for rural Native Hawaiian youths. Fourteen gender-specific focus groups were conducted within seven middle or intermediate schools on the Island of Hawai'i (N = 64). Participants were asked to describe drug-resistance strategies in response to 15…

Global environmental change: local perceptions, understandings, and explanations

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Aili Pyhälä

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Global environmental change (GEC is an increasingly discussed phenomenon in the scientific literature as evidence of its presence and impacts continues to grow. Yet, while the documentation of GEC is becoming more readily available, local perceptions of GEC - particularly in small-scale societies - and preferences about how to deal with it, are still largely overlooked. Local knowledge and perceptions of GEC are important in that agents make decisions (including on natural resource management based on individual perceptions. We carried out a systematic literature review that aims to provide an exhaustive state-of-the-art of the degree to and manner in which the study of local perceptions of change are being addressed in GEC research. We reviewed 126 articles found in peer-reviewed journals (between 1998 and 2014 that address local perceptions of GEC. We used three particular lenses of analysis that are known to influence local perceptions, namely (i cognition, (ii culture and knowledge, and (iii possibilities for adaptation.We present our findings on the geographical distribution of the current research, the most common changes reported, perceived drivers and impacts of change, and local explanations and evaluations of change and impacts. Overall, we found the studies to be geographically biased, lacking methodological reporting, mostly theory based with little primary data, and lacking of indepth analysis of the psychological and ontological influences in perception and implications for adaptation. We provide recommendations for future GEC research and propose the development of a "meta-language" around adaptation, perception, and mediation to encourage a greater appreciation and understanding of the diversity around these phenomena across multiple scales, and improved codesign and facilitation of locally relevant adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Ancient Israelite and African proverbs as advice, reproach, warning, encouragement and explanation

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David T. Adamo

2015-11-01

Full Text Available With few exceptions, the majority of biblical scholars (Euroamericans and Africans concentrate on comparing ancient Israelite proverbs with the so-called ancient Near Eastern proverbs. Despite the importance of proverbs in Sub-Saharan Africa it is doubly unfortunate that the majority of African biblical scholars did not think it wise to compare proverbs from ancient Israel with Sub-Saharan African proverbs. It is also a double tragedy that young people in Sub-Saharan Africa are ignorant of proverbs because they have refused to learn them because they think them archaic. Proverbs in both ancient Israel and in Africa are similar in function and classification. Thus, they serve as advice, reproach, warning, encouragement and further explanation of some facts. They have great value and importance, such as giving a sense of identity, community, culture, respect for authority and elders, sacredness of everything under the sun and a sense of hospitality and others.

From Mill via von Kries to Max Weber: Causality, Explanation, and Understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Heidelberger, Michael

In the second part of his "Critical studies in the logic of the cultural sciences" published in 1906, which carries the title "Objective possibility and adequate causation in historical explanation" (Weber 1906, 164-188/266-290)1 Max Weber (1864-1920) wrote that he feels "almost embarrassed in view of the extent to which here again, as in so much of the preceding argument, I am 'plundering' von Kries' ideas" (Weber 1906, 186/288).2 Weber thus admits a very strong influence on his approach by the physiologist, philosopher, and theoretician of probability, von Kries (1853-1928), who was for sometime his colleague in Freiburg in southwest Germany. Von Kries had suggested a legal criterion for attributing a deed to an agent that exerted a strong influence on German civil law and was also taken up by the legal system of other countries. This earned him the title of an honorary doctor of the law faculty of the University of Erlangen in 1897.

What Differential Weighting of Subsets of Items Does and Does Not Accomplish: Geometric Explanation. Research Report. ETS RR-14-20

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, James E.

2014-01-01

A little-known theorem, a generalization of Pythagoras's theorem, due to Pappus, is used to present a geometric explanation of various definitions of the contribution of component tests to their composite. I show that an unambiguous definition of the unique contribution of a component to the composite score variance is present if and only if the…

Best Minds Sought for Central Office, Startups

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Lesli A.

2009-01-01

The central office isn't being overlooked in the movement to find and develop top talent for school districts. Although ways to recruit, groom, and keep top teachers and strong principals tend to dominate discussions of "human capital" needs in education, a handful of nonprofit organizations and foundations also see providing smart managers as…

A possible explanation of the void discovered in the pyramid of Khufu on the basis of the pyramid texts

OpenAIRE

Magli, Giulio

2017-01-01

A recent exploration has shown the presence of a significant void in the pyramid of Khufu at Giza. A possible explanation of this space, interpreted as a chamber connected to the lower north channel and aimed to contain a specific funerary equipment is tentatively proposed. According to the Pyramid Texts, this equipment might consist of a Iron throne, actually a wooden throne endowed with meteoritic Iron sheets.

Conceptual Explanation for the Algebra in the Noncommutative Approach to the Standard Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chamseddine, Ali H.; Connes, Alain

2007-01-01

The purpose of this Letter is to remove the arbitrariness of the ad hoc choice of the algebra and its representation in the noncommutative approach to the standard model, which was begging for a conceptual explanation. We assume as before that space-time is the product of a four-dimensional manifold by a finite noncommmutative space F. The spectral action is the pure gravitational action for the product space. To remove the above arbitrariness, we classify the irreducible geometries F consistent with imposing reality and chiral conditions on spinors, to avoid the fermion doubling problem, which amounts to have total dimension 10 (in the K-theoretic sense). It gives, almost uniquely, the standard model with all its details, predicting the number of fermions per generation to be 16, their representations and the Higgs breaking mechanism, with very little input

Fostering Student Sense Making in Elementary Science Learning Environments: Elementary Teachers' Use of Science Curriculum Materials to Promote Explanation Construction

Science.gov (United States)

Zangori, Laura; Forbes, Cory T.; Biggers, Mandy

2013-01-01

While research has shown that elementary (K-5) students are capable of engaging in the scientific practice of explanation construction, commonly-used elementary science curriculum materials may not always afford them opportunities to do so. As a result, elementary teachers must often adapt their science curriculum materials to better support…

Comparison of the UDP-N-Acetylmuramate:l-Alanine Ligase Enzymes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae

OpenAIRE

Mahapatra, Sebabrata; Crick, Dean C.; Brennan, Patrick J.

2000-01-01

In the peptidoglycan of Mycobacterium leprae, l-alanine of the side chain is replaced by glycine. When expressed in Escherichia coli, MurC (UDP-N-acetyl-muramate:l-alanine ligase) of M. leprae showed Km and Vmax for l-alanine and glycine similar to those of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MurC, suggesting that another explanation should be sought for the presence of glycine.

Incidence of diseases primarily affecting the skin by age group: population-based epidemiologic study in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and comparison with age-specific incidence rates worldwide.

Science.gov (United States)

Wessman, Laurel L; Andersen, Louise K; Davis, Mark D P

2018-01-29

Understanding the effects of age on the epidemiology of diseases primarily affecting the skin is important to the practice of dermatology, both for proper allocation of resources and for optimal patient-centered care. To fully appreciate the effect that age may have on the population-based calculations of incidence of diseases primarily affecting the skin in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and worldwide, we performed a review of all relevant Rochester Epidemiology Project-published data and compared them to similar reports in the worldwide English literature. Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, population-based epidemiologic studies have been performed to estimate the incidence of specific skin diseases over the past 50 years. In older persons (>65 years), nonmelanoma skin cancer, lentigo maligna, herpes zoster, delusional infestation, venous stasis syndrome, venous ulcer, and burning mouth syndrome were more commonly diagnosed. In those younger than 65 years, atypical nevi, psoriatic arthritis, pityriasis rosea, herpes progenitalis, genital warts, alopecia areata, hidradenitis suppurativa, infantile hemangioma, Behçet's disease, and sarcoidosis (isolated cutaneous, with sarcoidosis-specific cutaneous lesions and with erythema nodosum) had a higher incidence. Many of the incidence rates by age group of diseases primarily affecting the skin derived from the Rochester Epidemiology Project were similar to those reported elsewhere. © 2018 The International Society of Dermatology.

Multi-Province Listeriosis Outbreak Linked to Contaminated Deli Meat Consumed Primarily in Institutional Settings, Canada, 2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Currie, Andrea; Farber, Jeffrey M; Nadon, Céline; Sharma, Davendra; Whitfield, Yvonne; Gaulin, Colette; Galanis, Eleni; Bekal, Sadjia; Flint, James; Tschetter, Lorelee; Pagotto, Franco; Lee, Brenda; Jamieson, Fred; Badiani, Tina; MacDonald, Diane; Ellis, Andrea; May-Hadford, Jennifer; McCormick, Rachel; Savelli, Carmen; Middleton, Dean; Allen, Vanessa; Tremblay, Francois-William; MacDougall, Laura; Hoang, Linda; Shyng, Sion; Everett, Doug; Chui, Linda; Louie, Marie; Bangura, Helen; Levett, Paul N; Wilkinson, Krista; Wylie, John; Reid, Janet; Major, Brian; Engel, Dave; Douey, Donna; Huszczynski, George; Di Lecci, Joe; Strazds, Judy; Rousseau, Josée; Ma, Kenneth; Isaac, Leah; Sierpinska, Urszula

2015-08-01

A multi-province outbreak of listeriosis occurred in Canada from June to November 2008. Fifty-seven persons were infected with 1 of 3 similar outbreak strains defined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and 24 (42%) individuals died. Forty-one (72%) of 57 individuals were residents of long-term care facilities or hospital inpatients during their exposure period. Descriptive epidemiology, product traceback, and detection of the outbreak strains of Listeria monocytogenes in food samples and the plant environment confirmed delicatessen meat manufactured by one establishment and purchased primarily by institutions was the source of the outbreak. The food safety investigation identified a plant environment conducive to the introduction and proliferation of L. monocytogenes and persistently contaminated with Listeria spp. This outbreak demonstrated the need for improved listeriosis surveillance, strict control of L. monocytogenes in establishments producing ready-to-eat foods, and advice to vulnerable populations and institutions serving these populations regarding which high-risk foods to avoid.

Interferences in photolytic NO2 measurements: explanation for an apparent missing oxidant?

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C. Reed

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Measurement of NO2 at low concentrations (tens of ppts is non-trivial. A variety of techniques exist, with the conversion of NO2 into NO followed by chemiluminescent detection of NO being prevalent. Historically this conversion has used a catalytic approach (molybdenum; however, this has been plagued with interferences. More recently, photolytic conversion based on UV-LED irradiation of a reaction cell has been used. Although this appears to be robust there have been a range of observations in low-NOx environments which have measured higher NO2 concentrations than might be expected from steady-state analysis of simultaneously measured NO, O3, jNO2, etc. A range of explanations exist in the literature, most of which focus on an unknown and unmeasured “compound X” that is able to convert NO to NO2 selectively. Here we explore in the laboratory the interference on the photolytic NO2 measurements from the thermal decomposition of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN within the photolysis cell. We find that approximately 5 % of the PAN decomposes within the instrument, providing a potentially significant interference. We parameterize the decomposition in terms of the temperature of the light source, the ambient temperature, and a mixing timescale ( ∼ 0.4 s for our instrument and expand the parametric analysis to other atmospheric compounds that decompose readily to NO2 (HO2NO2, N2O5, CH3O2NO2, IONO2, BrONO2, higher PANs. We apply these parameters to the output of a global atmospheric model (GEOS-Chem to investigate the global impact of this interference on (1 the NO2 measurements and (2 the NO2 : NO ratio, i.e. the Leighton relationship. We find that there are significant interferences in cold regions with low NOx concentrations such as the Antarctic, the remote Southern Hemisphere, and the upper troposphere. Although this interference is likely instrument-specific, the thermal decomposition to NO2 within the instrument's photolysis

Political news, emotions, and opinion formation. Toward a model of emotional framing effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kühne, R.

2014-01-01

Explanations of the impact of news frames have primarily focused on cognitive processes such as acces-sibility and applicability effects. However, several recent studies have found that frames also influence information processing and opinion formation by eliciting emotions. The present paper

Material, behavioural, cultural and psychosocial factors in the explanation of socioeconomic inequalities in oral health.

Science.gov (United States)

Duijster, Denise; Oude Groeniger, Joost; van der Heijden, Geert J M G; van Lenthe, Frank J

2017-12-19

This study aimed to assess the contribution of material, behavioural, cultural and psychosocial factors in the explanation of socioeconomic inequalities (education and income) in oral health of Dutch adults. Cross-sectional data from participants (25-75 years of age) of the fifth wave of the GLOBE cohort were used (n = 2812). Questionnaires were used to obtain data on material factors (e.g. financial difficulties), behavioural factors (e.g. smoking), cultural factors (e.g. cultural activities) and psychosocial factors (e.g. psychological distress). Oral health outcomes were self-reported number of teeth and self-rated oral health (SROH). Mediation analysis, using multivariable negative binomial regression and logistic regression, was performed. Education level and income showed a graded positive relationship with both oral health outcomes. Adding material, behavioural, cultural and psychosocial factors substantially reduced the rate ratio for the number of teeth of the lowest education group from 0.79 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75-0.83) to 0.92 (95% CI: 0.87-0.97) and of the lowest income group from 0.80 (95% CI: 0.73-0.88) to 1.04 (95% CI: 0.96-1.14). Inclusion of all factors also substantially reduced the odds ratio for poor SROH of the lowest education group from 1.61 (95% CI: 1.28-2.03) to 1.12 (95% CI: 0.85-1.48) and of the lowest income groups from 3.18 (95% CI: 2.13-4.74) to 1.48 (95% CI: 0.90-2.45). In general, behavioural factors contributed most to the explanation of socioeconomic inequalities in adult oral health, followed by material factors. The contribution of cultural and psychosocial factors was relatively moderate. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association.

Erzählungen als Handlungsbeschreibungen. Narrative Erklärungen politischer Ordnungen am Beispiel der Vertragstheorie

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Malte Dreyer

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article discusses narrative explanations in philosophy, and turns on the central thesis that narrative explanation in philosophy works primarily by describing human action. The question of how description of this kind succeeds leads us to that of how discrete elements can be integrated to form an understandable and convincing whole story. In accordance with my main thesis, I draw on the theory of narrative research as well as on the theory of action. The latter points to three ways of describing human action: causal, teleological and holistic descriptions. From this typology I deduce a list of narrative explanations and suggest some reasons for why we should prefer the holistic approach. In the final paragraph I illustrate my argument with the example of social contract theory, which shows how the different types of narrative explanation work.

Population Causes and Consequences of Leading Chronic Diseases: A Comparative Analysis of Prevailing Explanations

Science.gov (United States)

Stuckler, David

2008-01-01

Context The mortality numbers and rates of chronic disease are rising faster in developing than in developed countries. This article compares prevailing explanations of population chronic disease trends with theoretical and empirical models of population chronic disease epidemiology and assesses some economic consequences of the growth of chronic diseases in developing countries based on the experiences of developed countries. Methods Four decades of male mortality rates of cardiovascular and chronic noncommunicable diseases were regressed on changes in and levels of country income per capita, market integration, foreign direct investment, urbanization rates, and population aging in fifty-six countries for which comparative data were available. Neoclassical economic growth models were used to estimate the effect of the mortality rates of chronic noncommunicable diseases on economic growth in high-income OECD countries. Findings Processes of economic growth, market integration, foreign direct investment, and urbanization were significant determinants of long-term changes in mortality rates of heart disease and chronic noncommunicable disease, and the observed relationships with these social and economic factors were roughly three times stronger than the relationships with the population's aging. In low-income countries, higher levels of country income per capita, population urbanization, foreign direct investment, and market integration were associated with greater mortality rates of heart disease and chronic noncommunicable disease, less increased or sometimes reduced rates in middle-income countries, and decreased rates in high-income countries. Each 10 percent increase in the working-age mortality rates of chronic noncommunicable disease decreased economic growth rates by close to a half percent. Conclusions Macrosocial and macroeconomic forces are major determinants of population rises in chronic disease mortality, and some prevailing demographic explanations

"Hey! Today I Will Tell You about the Water Cycle!": Variations of Language and Organizational Features in Third-Grade Science Explanation Writing

Science.gov (United States)

Avalos, Mary A.; Secada, Walter G.; Zisselsberger, Margarita Gómez; Gort, Mileidis

2017-01-01

This study investigated third graders' use and variation of linguistic resources when writing a science explanation. Using systemic functional linguistics as a framework, we purposefully selected and analyzed writing samples of students with high and low scores to explore how the students' use of language features (i.e., lexicogrammatical…

Materialistic Desires or Childhood Adversities as Explanations for Girls' Trading Sex for Benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Juyoung; Morash, Merry

2016-01-01

This study investigates whether high school and younger South Korean girls trade sex with middle-aged men for benefits due to cultural emphasis on materialism/consumerism, childhood adversities, or both. This form of prostitution, referred to as "compensated dating," is common in economically developed East Asian Countries, where there is debate about its causes. Purposeful sampling was used to select a diverse group of 25 girls who described involvement in compensated dating, and a life calendar method was used to guide the interview. The rich data were subjected to thematic analysis to show the nature of prostitution involvement, precursors, and motivations. Data analysis revealed that sole reliance on materialistic desire as an explanation of prostitution obscures the influence of peer pressure and family dysfunction. Findings suggest the need for social services rather than punitive responses to girls involved in compensated dating. © The Author(s) 2014.

Identification of a novel CoA synthase isoform, which is primarily expressed in Brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemazanyy, Ivan; Panasyuk, Ganna; Breus, Oksana; Zhyvoloup, Alexander; Filonenko, Valeriy; Gout, Ivan T.

2006-01-01

CoA and its derivatives Acetyl-CoA and Acyl-CoA are important players in cellular metabolism and signal transduction. CoA synthase is a bifunctional enzyme which mediates the final stages of CoA biosynthesis. In previous studies, we have reported molecular cloning, biochemical characterization, and subcellular localization of CoA synthase (CoASy). Here, we describe the existence of a novel CoA synthase isoform, which is the product of alternative splicing and possesses a 29aa extension at the N-terminus. We termed it CoASy β and originally identified CoA synthase, CoASy α. The transcript specific for CoASy β was identified by electronic screening and by RT-PCR analysis of various rat tissues. The existence of this novel isoform was further confirmed by immunoblot analysis with antibodies directed to the N-terminal peptide of CoASy β. In contrast to CoASy α, which shows ubiquitous expression, CoASy β is primarily expressed in Brain. Using confocal microscopy, we demonstrated that both isoforms are localized on mitochondria. The N-terminal extension does not affect the activity of CoA synthase, but possesses a proline-rich sequence which can bring the enzyme into complexes with signalling proteins containing SH3 or WW domains. The role of this novel isoform in CoA biosynthesis, especially in Brain, requires further elucidation

Antimicrobial resistance and biological governance: explanations for policy failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallinga, D; Rayner, G; Lang, T

2015-10-01

The paper reviews the state of policy on antimicrobial use and the growth of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR was anticipated at the time of the first use of antibiotics by their originators. For decades, reports and scientific papers have expressed concern about AMR at global and national policy levels, yet the problem, first exposed a half-century ago, worsened. The paper considers the explanations for this policy failure and the state of arguments about ways forward. These include: a deficit of economic incentivisation; complex interventions in behavioural dynamics; joint and separate shifts in medical and animal health regimes; consumerism; belief in technology; and a narrative that in a 'war on bugs' nature can be beaten by human ingenuity. The paper suggests that these narratives underplay the biological realities of the human-animal-biosphere being in constant flux, an understanding which requires an ecological public health analysis of AMR policy development and failure. The paper suggests that effective policy change requires simultaneous actions across policy levels. No single solution is possible, since AMR is the result of long-term human intervention which has accelerated certain trends in the evolution of a microbial ecosystem shared by humans, animals and other biological organisms inhabiting that ecosystem. Viewing the AMR crisis today through an ecological public health lens has the advantage of reuniting the social-ecological and bio-ecological perspectives which have been separated within public health. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Different biogenetic causal explanations and attitudes towards persons with major depression, schizophrenia and alcohol dependence: is the concept of a chemical imbalance beneficial?

Science.gov (United States)

Speerforck, Sven; Schomerus, Georg; Pruess, Susanne; Angermeyer, Matthias C

2014-10-01

It is unclear whether different biogenetic causal beliefs affect stigmatization of mentally-ill patients differently. It has been argued that in particular believing in a 'chemical imbalance' as a cause of mental disorder might be associated with more tolerant attitudes. In a representative population survey in Germany (n=3642), using unlabelled case vignettes of persons with depression, schizophrenia, or alcohol dependence, we elicited agreement with three different biogenetic explanations of the illness: 'Chemical imbalance of the brain', 'brain disease' and 'heredity'. We further investigated emotional reactions as well as the desire for social distance. For each vignette condition we calculated linear regressions with each biogenetic explanation as independent and emotional reactions as well as social distance as dependent variable controlling for socio-demographic variables. Our cross-sectional study does not allow statements regarding causality and the explanatory power of our statistical models was low. 'Chemical imbalance of the brain' and 'brain disease' were both associated with a stronger desire for social distance in schizophrenia and depression, and with more social acceptance in alcohol dependence, whereas 'heredity' was not significantly associated with social distance in any of the investigated illnesses. All three biogenetic causal beliefs were associated with more fear in all three illnesses. Our study corroborates findings that biogenetic explanations have different effects in different disorders, and seem to be harmful in depression and schizophrenia. A particular de-stigmatizing potential of the causal belief 'chemical imbalance' could not be found. Implications for useful anti-stigma messages are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Explanation can cause Forgetting: Memory Dynamics in the Generation of New Arguments.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Julia S; Storm, Benjamin C

2017-10-01

Retrieval-induced forgetting is observed when the retrieval of target information causes the forgetting of nontarget information. The present study investigated whether similar dynamics occur in the context of generating arguments in the process of explanation. Participants studied arguments associated with several issues before attempting to think of new arguments pertaining to a subset of those issues. When given a later memory test, participants were less likely to recall the studied arguments if they had attempted to think of new arguments than if they had not. This argument-induced forgetting effect was observed regardless of whether participants attempted to generate arguments that either agreed or disagreed with the position of the arguments they studied. The effect was significantly reduced, however, and even numerically reversed, when participants generated arguments that were highly related to the studied arguments. This finding fits well with previous research on retrieval-induced forgetting, which has shown that the retrieval or generation of new information fails to cause the forgetting of old information when the two types of information are well integrated or semantically associated.

Another explanation for the low allergy rate in the rural Alpine foothills

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Wjst Matthias

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract A low allergy rate in coal and wood heated homes has been described in the small villages in the Alpine foothills and subsequently found to be associated with the farming environment. This was interpreted within the framework of the hygiene hypothesis but there are also alternative explanations. Lower air pollution could be one reason, which is, however, unlikely since the differences between the Bavarian countryside and the Munich municipal area were only weak. There could be genetic differences between the urban and rural population by previous isolation or by self-selection. The potential drop-out of allergy genes, however, will also not explain the absent increase of allergies in two generations. More likely, other lifestyle factors are important. Dietary habits are different in farmers and a less frequent vitamin D supplementation of newborns (otherwise expected to be allergy promoting has been shown recently. The underlying cause for the "non-allergic farm child" remains speculative until the transfer of any farm-associated factor is leading to a similar risk reduction in the general population.

Children who speak of past-life experiences: is there a psychological explanation?

Science.gov (United States)

Haraldsson, Erlendur

2003-03-01

Children who claim to remember fragments of a past life are found in some countries. Various explanations have been put forward as to why the alleged memories develop, ranging from reincarnation to 'therapeutic resource'. This study puts to the test the role of some psychological characteristics and the circumstances in which the children live, such as fantasy, suggestibility, social isolation, dissociation, and attention-seeking. Thirty children in Lebanon who had persistently spoken of past-life memories, and 30 comparison children, were administered relevant tests and questionnaires. The target group obtained higher scores for daydreaming, attention-seeking, and dissociation, but not for social isolation and suggestibility. The level of dissociation was much lower than in cases of multiple personality and not clinically relevant. There was some evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder-like symptoms. Eighty per cent of the children spoke of past-life memories of circumstances leading to a violent death (mostly accidents, also war-related deaths and murder). It is discussed if this imagery-when experienced repeatedly-may serve as a stressor.

The rise and fall of nuclear energy in Germany: Processes, Explanations and the Role of Law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, Gerd

2014-01-01

After the disaster of Fukushima in March 2011, some countries, especially Germany, dramatically changed their energy policy in order to end the use of nuclear fission in the energy production. The article retraces the historical and legal background of Germany nuclear policies. Firstly, it lists the different phases in the use of nuclear energy. Then, it tries to find an explanation for why the nuclear exit occurred. Thirdly, it analyses the role of regulatory and constitutional law in the introduction and phasing out of nuclear energy use. Finally, general conclusions are drawn on the advantages and drawbacks of nuclear energy, and also on lessons to be learned for socio-legal theory

Statistics of Electron Avalanches and Streamers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Ficker

2007-01-01

Full Text Available We have studied the severe systematic deviations of populations of electron avalanches from the Furry distribution, which has been held to be the statistical law corresponding to them, and a possible explanation has been sought. A  new theoretical concept based on fractal avalanche multiplication has been proposed and is shown to be a convenient candidate for explaining these deviations from Furry statistics. 

Comparison of the UDP-N-Acetylmuramate:l-Alanine Ligase Enzymes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae

Science.gov (United States)

Mahapatra, Sebabrata; Crick, Dean C.; Brennan, Patrick J.

2000-01-01

In the peptidoglycan of Mycobacterium leprae, l-alanine of the side chain is replaced by glycine. When expressed in Escherichia coli, MurC (UDP-N-acetyl-muramate:l-alanine ligase) of M. leprae showed Km and Vmax for l-alanine and glycine similar to those of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MurC, suggesting that another explanation should be sought for the presence of glycine. PMID:11073931

Declining health disadvantage of non-marital children: Explanation of the trend in the Czech Republic 1990-2010

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Martina Stipkova

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Background: There has been a rapid spread of non-marital childbearing in the Czech Republic during the last two decades. At the same time, the low birth weight rates of children born to married and unmarried mothers have converged. Objective: The goal is to explain the diminishing gap in low birth weight. Two explanations are assessed: the changing selection of unmarried mothers from disadvantaged socio-demographic groups, and increasing social support for unmarried mothers. Methods: Data from birth register are analysed. Marital status (married vs. unmarried disparities in low birth weight are modelled using logistic regression. Further analyses are then performed with a detailed measurement of partnership status. This detailed variable is partially missing and is thus supplemented with multiple imputation. Results: The main explanation for the narrowing gap between the outcomes of children born to married and unmarried mothers is the increasing social support for unmarried mothers. Unmarried motherhood has become less detrimental to a child's birth weight net of maternal demographic characteristics. The decline in selection from disadvantaged socio-demographic groups has also contributed to the convergence. However, the convergence of birth weight trends towards marital children seems to refer mostly to children of partnered mothers, with children of single mothers lagging behind. Conclusions: The positive trends in the health of non-marital children are interpreted as being the result of the increasing institutionalisation of parenthood in non-marital unions. However, this does not apply to unpartnered motherhood, which continues to represent a health disadvantage.

Anxiety sensitivity class membership moderates the effects of pre-quit reduction in anxiety sensitivity on quit-day tobacco craving

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakhshaie, J.; Zvolensky, M.J.; Langdon, K.J.; Leventhal, A.M.; Smits, J.A.J.; Allan, N.; Schmidt, N.B.

2016-01-01

Background: Although anxiety sensitivity has been primarily conceptualized as a dimensional latent construct, empirical evidence suggests that it also maintains a latent class structure, reflecting low-, moderate-, and high-risk underlying classes. The present study sought to explore whether these

Talking About the Non-Literal: Internal States and Explanations in Child-Constructed Narratives

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Veneziano Edy

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Non-literal language most often permeates interesting and informative narratives. These are the non-perceptible, inferential aspects of a story, such as the explanation of events, the attribution of internal, particularly mental, states to the characters of the story, or the evaluation of events by the participants and/or the narrator. The main aim of this paper is to examine whether non-literal uses can be promoted in 7-year-old French-speaking children’s narratives through the use of a short conversational intervention (SCI which focuses the children’s attention on the causes of events. The results show that, after the SCI, the expression of non-literal aspects, even higher-order ones, may make their appearance or significantly increase in children’s stories. The reasons for the effectiveness of the SCI in the promotion of non-literal uses of language and narrative skills in general, as well as the importance of using the SCI as an evaluative instrument, are discussed.

Experience and Explanation: Using Videogames to Prepare Students for Formal Instruction in Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Arena, Dylan A.; Schwartz, Daniel L.

2014-08-01

Well-designed digital games can deliver powerful experiences that are difficult to provide through traditional instruction, while traditional instruction can deliver formal explanations that are not a natural fit for gameplay. Combined, they can accomplish more than either can alone. An experiment tested this claim using the topic of statistics, where people's everyday experiences often conflict with normative statistical theories and a videogame might provide an alternate set of experiences for students to draw upon. The research used a game called Stats Invaders!, a variant of the classic videogame Space Invaders. In Stats Invaders!, the locations of descending alien invaders follow probability distributions, and players need to infer the shape of the distributions to play well. The experiment tested whether the game developed participants' intuitions about the structure of random events and thereby prepared them for future learning from a subsequent written passage on probability distributions. Community-college students who played the game and then read the passage learned more than participants who only read the passage.

When cognitive exertion does not yield cognitive gain: toward an informational explanation of learned helplessness.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedek, G; Kofta, M

1990-04-01

This study tested a new information-processing explanation of learned helplessness that proposes that an uncontrollable situation produces helplessness symptoms because it is a source of inconsistent, self-contradictory task information during problem-solving attempts. The flow of such information makes hypothesis-testing activity futile. Prolonged and inefficient activity of this kind leads in turn to the emergence of a state of cognitive exhaustion, with accompanying performance deficits. In 3 experiments, Ss underwent informational helplessness training (IHT): They were sequentially exposed to inconsistent task information during discrimination problems. As predicted, IHT was associated with subjective symptoms of irreducible uncertainty and resulted in (a) performance deterioration on subsequent avoidance learning, (b) heightened negative mood, and (c) subjective symptoms of cognitive exhaustion.

Healthy younger and older adults control foot placement to avoid small obstacles during gait primarily by modulating step width

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Schulz Brian W

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Falls are a significant problem in the older population. Most falls occur during gait, which is primarily regulated by foot placement. Variability of foot placement has been associated with falls, but these associations are inconsistent and generally for smooth, level flooring. This study investigates the control of foot placement and the associated gait variability in younger and older men and women (N=7/group, total N=28 while walking at three different speeds (slow, preferred, and fast across a control surface with no obstacles and surfaces with multiple (64 small (10cm long ×13mm high visible and hidden obstacles. Results Minimum obstacle distance between the shoe and nearest obstacle during each footfall was greater on the visible obstacles surface for older subjects because some of them chose to actively avoid obstacles. This obstacle avoidance strategy was implemented primarily by modulating step width and to a lesser extent step length as indicated by linear regressions of step width and length variability on minimum obstacle distance. Mean gait speed, step length, step width, and step time did not significantly differ by subject group, flooring surface, or obstacle avoidance strategy. Conclusions Some healthy older subjects choose to actively avoid small obstacles that do not substantially perturb their gait by modulating step width and, to a lesser extent, step length. It is not clear if this obstacle avoidance strategy is appropriate and beneficial or overcautious and maladaptive, as it results in fewer obstacles encountered at a consequence of a less efficient gait pattern that has been shown to indicate increased fall risk. Further research is needed on the appropriateness of strategy selection when the environmental demands and/or task requirements have multiple possible completion strategies with conflicting objectives (i.e. perceived safety vs. efficiency.

Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Rape Myth Acceptance: Preliminary Findings From a Sample of Primarily LGBQ-Identified Survey Respondents.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulze, Corina; Koon-Magnin, Sarah

2017-02-01

This study is among the first to examine the relationship between sexual orientation and rape myth adherence using a nationwide survey of primarily lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) respondents (n = 184). The more established Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale and a modified Male Rape Survey serve as the primary instruments to test both rape myth adherence and instrument-appropriateness. Results suggest that respondents were most likely to support myths that discredit sexual assault allegations or excuse rape as a biological imperative and least likely to support myths related to physical resistance. Consistent with previous work, men exhibited higher levels of rape myth adherence than women. Regarding sexual orientation, respondents who identified as queer consistently exhibited lower levels of rape myth adherence than respondents who identified as gay.

«Qui patrie excidium intulerunt». Hispania 711: Desperate explanations for an unexpected collapse

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Pablo C. Díaz

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The fall of the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo from the Muslim incursion in the year 711 has been generally explained by specialists as an inevitable consequence of a disintegration process in the Visigothic power structures. Historians have associated this situation to a confrontation – either direct or indirect – between Hispanic-Visigothic monarchy and aristocracy, being the standstill of the kingdom (caused by its administrative, military and judicial institutional incapacity also considered. In this paper, as opposed to the fatalistic perspective where the idea of an inevitable end was irrationally imposed, a different explanation is proposed based on the multiple power dynamics, the Kingdom’s defense mechanisms and the last Visigothic monarchs’ legislative activity. All these ideas will be framed into the context of the (unstable normality and the efficacy of the Visigothic institutional machinery.

D'Arcy Thompson and the theory of transformations.

Science.gov (United States)

Arthur, Wallace

2006-05-01

D'Arcy Thompson was a biologist, a mathematician and a classicist. His writing was great literature as well as great science. He is primarily known for a single book--On Growth and Form--and indeed for a single chapter within it, on his 'theory of transformations', which shows how the differences between the forms of related species can be represented geometrically. This theory cries out for causal explanation, which is something the great man eschewed. Perhaps the time is close when comparative developmental genetics will be able to provide such an explanation.

GOLD HULL AND INTERNODE2 Encodes a Primarily Multifunctional Cinnamyl-Alcohol Dehydrogenase in Rice1

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kewei; Qian, Qian; Huang, Zejun; Wang, Yiqin; Li, Ming; Hong, Lilan; Zeng, Dali; Gu, Minghong; Chu, Chengcai; Cheng, Zhukuan

2006-01-01

Lignin content and composition are two important agronomic traits for the utilization of agricultural residues. Rice (Oryza sativa) gold hull and internode phenotype is a classical morphological marker trait that has long been applied to breeding and genetics study. In this study, we have cloned the GOLD HULL AND INTERNODE2 (GH2) gene in rice using a map-based cloning approach. The result shows that the gh2 mutant is a lignin-deficient mutant, and GH2 encodes a cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD). Consistent with this finding, extracts from roots, internodes, hulls, and panicles of the gh2 plants exhibited drastically reduced CAD activity and undetectable sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase activity. When expressed in Escherichia coli, purified recombinant GH2 was found to exhibit strong catalytic ability toward coniferaldehyde and sinapaldehyde, while the mutant protein gh2 completely lost the corresponding CAD and sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase activities. Further phenotypic analysis of the gh2 mutant plants revealed that the p-hydroxyphenyl, guaiacyl, and sinapyl monomers were reduced in almost the same ratio compared to the wild type. Our results suggest GH2 acts as a primarily multifunctional CAD to synthesize coniferyl and sinapyl alcohol precursors in rice lignin biosynthesis. PMID:16443696

EVIDENCE AGAINST AN ECOLOGICAL EXPLANATION OF THE JITTER ADVANTAGE FOR VECTION

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Stephen ePalmisano

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Visual-vestibular conflicts have been traditionally used to explain both perceptions of self-motion and experiences of motion sickness. However, sensory conflict theories have been challenged by findings that adding simulated viewpoint jitter to inducing displays enhances (rather than reduces or destroys visual illusions of self-motion experienced by stationary observers. One possible explanation of this jitter advantage for vection is that jittering optic flows are more ecological than smooth displays. Despite the intuitive appeal of this idea, it has proven difficult to test. Here we compared subjective experiences generated by jittering and smooth radial flows when observers were exposed to either visual-only or multisensory self-motion stimulations. The display jitter (if present was generated in real-time by updating the virtual computer-graphics camera position to match the observer’s tracked head motions when treadmill walking or walking in place, or was a playback of these head motions when standing still. As expected, the (more naturalistic treadmill walking and the (less naturalistic walking in place were found to generate very different physical head jitters. However, contrary to the ecological account of the phenomenon, playbacks of treadmill walking and walking in place display jitter both enhanced visually induced illusions of self-motion to a similar degree (compared to smooth displays.

Young children's impressionable use of teleology: the influence of question wording and questioned topic on teleological explanations for natural phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Halls, Jonathan Grant; Ainsworth, Shaaron Elizabeth; Oliver, Mary Collette

2018-05-01

There is a significant body of research on children's preconceptions concerning scientific concepts and the impact this has upon their science education. One active issue concerns the extent to which young children's explanations for the existence of natural kinds rely on a teleological rationale: for example, rain is for watering the grass, or tigers' stripes are for camouflage. It has been argued that this teleological tendency hampers children's ability to learn about causality in the natural world. This paper investigates two factors (question wording and topic) which it is argued have led to a misestimation of children's teleological tendencies within the area natural phenomena: i.e. those that are time-constrained, natural events or process such as snow, clouds or night. Sixty-six (5-8 years old) children took part in a repeated-measures experiment, answering both open and leading questions across 10 topics of natural phenomena. The findings indicate that children's teleological reasoning may have been overestimated as open-question forms significantly reduced their tendency to answer teleologically. Moreover, the concept of teleology is more nuanced than often suggested. Consequently, young children may be more able to learn about causal explanations for the existence of natural phenomena than the literature implies.

Rule-Based Reasoning Is Fast and Belief-Based Reasoning Can Be Slow: Challenging Current Explanations of Belief-Bias and Base-Rate Neglect

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, Ian R.; Gibb, Maia; Thompson, Valerie A.

2017-01-01

It is commonly assumed that belief-based reasoning is fast and automatic, whereas rule-based reasoning is slower and more effortful. Dual-Process theories of reasoning rely on this speed-asymmetry explanation to account for a number of reasoning phenomena, such as base-rate neglect and belief-bias. The goal of the current study was to test this…

Multivariate analysis of potential risk factors for lymph node metastasis in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haisma, Marjolijn S.; Plaat, Boudewijn E. C.; Bijl, Hendrik P.; Roodenburg, Jan L. N.; Diercks, Gilles F. H.; Romeijn, Tonnis R.; Terra, Jorrit B.

2016-01-01

Background: The current knowledge about potential risk factors for lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (HNcSCC) is primarily based on studies that lack adjustment for confounding variables. Objectives: We sought to identify independent risk

Issues of Exercising the Right to Defence amid the Explanations of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oksana A. Voltornist

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes the explanations of the Plenum of the Supreme Court No. 29 dated June 30, 2015 “On application of laws by the courts ensuring the right to defense in criminal proceedings”. The author details the applied aspects of certain provisions of the aforementioned document within the criminal procedure legislation and estimates their significance for the judicial and investigative practice

Interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha sensitize primarily resistant human endometrial stromal cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fluhr, Herbert; Krenzer, Stefanie; Stein, Gerburg M

2007-01-01

The subtle interaction between the implanting embryo and the maternal endometrium plays a pivotal role during the process of implantation. Human endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) express Fas and the implanting trophoblast cells secrete Fas ligand (FASLG, FasL), suggesting a possible role for Fas......-mediated signaling during early implantation. Here we show that ESCs are primarily resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis independently of their state of hormonal differentiation. Pre-treatment of ESCs with interferon (IFN)-gamma and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha sensitizes them to become apoptotic upon stimulation...... of Fas by an agonistic anti-Fas antibody. Incubation of ESCs with the early embryonic signal human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, CGB) does not influence their reaction to Fas stimulation. The sensitizing effect of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha was accompanied by a significant upregulation of Fas and FLICE...

Quasiparticle explanation of ``weak thermalization'' regime under quench in a non-integrable quantum spin chain

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Cheng-Ju; Motrunich, Olexei

Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis provides one picture of thermalization in a quantum system by looking at individual eigenstates. However, it is also important to consider how local observables reach equilibrium values dynamically. Quench protocol is one of the settings to study such questions. A recent numerical study [Banuls, Cirac, and Hastings, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 050405 (2011)] of a nonintegrable quantum Ising model with longitudinal field under such quench setting found different behaviors under different initial quantum states. One particular case termed ``weak thermalization'' regime showed apparently persistent oscillations of some observables. Here we provide an explanation of such oscillations. We use perturbation theory near the ground state of the model, and identify the oscillation frequency as the quasiparticle mass. With this quasiparticle picture, we can then address the long-time behavior of the oscillations.

Possible explanation for the conductance of a single quantum unit in metallic carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyoung Joon; Ihm, Jisoon; Yoon, Young-Gui; Louie, Steven G.

1999-01-01

The quantum conductance of a metallic carbon nanotube with one end immersed in a jellium metal is studied. We find that the incident π * -band electrons, having a very high angular momentum with respect to the tube axis, go through the tube without being scattered by the free electrons in surrounding metal and contribute a quantum unit (2e 2 /h) to the conductance. On the other hand, the incident π-band electrons, with the p z atomic orbitals in phase along the tube circumference, experience strong resonant back-scattering because the low-angular-momentum states at the Fermi level have a dominantly metallic character in the nanotube-jellium metal coexistence region. These results provide a possible explanation for the experimentally observed conductance of one quantum unit instead of two for nanotubes with one end dipped into liquid metal such as mercury. (c) 1999 The American Physical Society

Possible explanations for the gap between calculated and measured energy consumption of new houses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kragh, Jesper; Rose, Jørgen; Knudsen, Henrik N.

2017-01-01

The overall aim to reduce CO2 emissions has brought the energy requirements for new houses into focus. The question is whether the stepwise tightening of the energy requirements for new houses has had the expected impact on the actual realized energy consumption. In the news media, headlines...... at regular intervals state that new houses do not perform as expected with regard to energy consumption based on a simple comparison to the building class (energy frame). The gap is sometimes explained by a higher indoor temperature than used in the standard calculation or more generally by resident...... data show that a significant share of the houses consumes more energy in a simple comparison with the theoretical energy frame based on standard assumptions. The objective of the study was to find and evaluate possible explanations/reasons for this gap between the theoretical calculated energy demand...

Interactive Universal Design Kiosks: Explanations About Social Inclusion Features in Architectural Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Guimarães, Marcelo Pinto; Picceli, Angélica Fátima Baldin; Sabino, Paulo Roberto

2016-01-01

This paper details a set of self-supporting and illuminated panels that work together but independently in order to emphasize the explanation of building features and activities that are based on Universal Design guidelines. The exhibition is based on two structures that are arranged in semi-circles (A and B). They are integrated to form a carpeted path where the visitor will be gradually exposed to the concepts related to the principles of Universal Design. Following the sequence of three-dimensional objects and swivelling box elements that support the tactile information on the subject, it is expected that visitors become familiar with each of the principles being demonstrated. Operated by a control system consisting of keys with colour signage, textures and high relief, the panel on the control table allows the user to choose information about paired relationships between some of seven principles contained in printed images about the architectural design on the set of panels. The effectiveness of the composition can be verified by the time people remain enough to hear, see and touch the kiosks for all the information, or by successive visits users make to the setting.

The Cartesian doctor, François Bayle (1622-1709), on psychosomatic explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Easton, Patricia

2011-06-01

There are two standing, incompatible accounts of Descartes' contributions to the study of psychosomatic phenomena that pervade histories of medicine, psychology, and psychiatry. The first views Descartes as the father of "rational psychology" a tradition that defines the soul as a thinking, unextended substance. The second account views Descartes as the father of materialism and the machine metaphor. The consensus is that Descartes' studies of optics and motor reflexes and his conception of the body-machine metaphor made early and important contributions to physiology and neuroscience but otherwise his impact was minimal. These predominately negative assessments of Descartes' contributions give a false impression of the role his philosophy played in the development of medicine and psychiatry in seventeenth-century France and beyond. I explore Descartes' influence in the little-known writings of a doctor from Toulouse, François Bayle (1622-1709). A study of Bayle gives us occasion to rethink the nature and role of psychosomatic explanation in Descartes' philosophy. The portrait I present is of a Cartesian science that had an actual and lasting effect on medical science and practice, and may offer something of value to practitioners today. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A complexidade e o construtivismo na economia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arnaldo Mauerberg Junior

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Complexity and constructivism in economics. This paper attempts to show and summarize the concept of rules, order and complexity introduced around the mid-twentieth century by Friedrich August von Hayek. It also attempts to create a current parallel between those concepts and the field of complexity economics. At the time of his writings, the author sought to present arguments against the Cartesian rationality. Nowadays, the concepts presented by him could also serve as arguments against the way of thought used in mainstream microeconomics. A debate can now be seen between the mainstream microeconomics and the authors of the complexity theory applied to the economy, which can be understood as explanations guided by generic assumptions versus natural explanations guided in a computational approach.

Effects of gemfibrozil and ciprofibrate on plasma levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and fibrinogen in hyperlipidaemic patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kockx, M.; de Maat, M. P.; Knipscheer, H. C.; Kastelein, J. J.; Kluft, C.; Princen, H. M.; Kooistra, T.

1997-01-01

Evaluation of fibrate treatment in humans has focused primarily on its anti-lipidaemic effects. A potentially favourable haemostasis-modulating activity of fibrates has also been recognized but the data are not consistent. We sought to learn more about this variability by examining the effects of

32 CFR 1700.2 - Definitions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE... making such determinations; the fee categories include: (1) Commercial use request: A request in which the disclosure sought is primarily in the commercial interest of the requester and which furthers such...

Beyond Punnett Squares: Student Word Association and Explanations of Phenotypic Variation through an Integrative Quantitative Genetics Unit Investigating Anthocyanin Inheritance and Expression in Brassica rapa Fast Plants

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Amber R.; Williams, Paul H.; McGee, Seth A.; Dósa, Katalin; Pfammatter, Jesse

2014-01-01

Genetics instruction in introductory biology is often confined to Mendelian genetics and avoids the complexities of variation in quantitative traits. Given the driving question “What determines variation in phenotype (Pv)? (Pv=Genotypic variation Gv + environmental variation Ev),” we developed a 4-wk unit for an inquiry-based laboratory course focused on the inheritance and expression of a quantitative trait in varying environments. We utilized Brassica rapa Fast Plants as a model organism to study variation in the phenotype anthocyanin pigment intensity. As an initial curriculum assessment, we used free word association to examine students’ cognitive structures before and after the unit and explanations in students’ final research posters with particular focus on variation (Pv = Gv + Ev). Comparison of pre- and postunit word frequency revealed a shift in words and a pattern of co-occurring concepts indicative of change in cognitive structure, with particular focus on “variation” as a proposed threshold concept and primary goal for students’ explanations. Given review of 53 posters, we found ∼50% of students capable of intermediate to high-level explanations combining both Gv and Ev influence on expression of anthocyanin intensity (Pv). While far from “plug and play,” this conceptually rich, inquiry-based unit holds promise for effective integration of quantitative and Mendelian genetics. PMID:25185225

Primary care consultations about medically unexplained symptoms: how do patients indicate what they want?

Science.gov (United States)

Salmon, Peter; Ring, Adele; Humphris, Gerry M; Davies, John C; Dowrick, Christopher F

2009-04-01

Patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUS) are often thought to deny psychological needs when they consult general practitioners (GPs) and to request somatic intervention instead. We tested predictions from the contrasting theory that they are transparent in communicating their psychological and other needs. To test predictions that what patients tell GPs when they consult about MUS is related transparently to their desire for (1) emotional support, (2) symptom explanation and (3) somatic intervention. Prospective naturalistic study. Before consultation, patients indicated what they wanted from it using a self-report questionnaire measuring patients' desire for: emotional support, explanation and reassurance, and physical investigation and treatment. Their speech during consultation was audio-recorded, transcribed and coded utterance-by-utterance. Multilevel regression analysis tested relationships between what patients sought and what they said. Patients (N = 326) consulting 33 GPs about symptoms that the GPs designated as MUS. Patients who wanted emotional support spoke more about psychosocial problems, including psychosocial causes of symptoms and their need for psychosocial help. Patients who wanted explanation and reassurance suggested more physical explanations, including diseases, but did not overtly request explanation. Patients' wish for somatic intervention was associated only with their talk about details of such interventions and not with their requests for them. In general, patients with medically unexplained symptoms provide many cues to their desire for emotional support. They are more indirect or guarded in communicating their desire for explanation and somatic intervention.

Alternative explanations of the cosmic microwave background: A historical and an epistemological perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Ćirković, Milan M.; Perović, Slobodan

2018-05-01

We historically trace various non-conventional explanations for the origin of the cosmic microwave background and discuss their merit, while analyzing the dynamics of their rejection, as well as the relevant physical and methodological reasons for it. It turns out that there have been many such unorthodox interpretations; not only those developed in the context of theories rejecting the relativistic ("Big Bang") paradigm entirely (e.g., by Alfvén, Hoyle and Narlikar) but also those coming from the camp of original thinkers firmly entrenched in the relativistic milieu (e.g., by Rees, Ellis, Rowan-Robinson, Layzer and Hively). In fact, the orthodox interpretation has only incrementally won out against the alternatives over the course of the three decades of its multi-stage development. While on the whole, none of the alternatives to the hot Big Bang scenario is persuasive today, we discuss the epistemic ramifications of establishing orthodoxy and eliminating alternatives in science, an issue recently discussed by philosophers and historians of science for other areas of physics. Finally, we single out some plausible and possibly fruitful ideas offered by the alternatives.

Cost that is Directly Incurred as a Result of Operating the Train Service on the 1520 mm Rail with Primarily Freight Transportation

OpenAIRE

Hudenko, J; Ribakova, N; Počs, R

2016-01-01

Under the Directive 2012/34/EU (21 November 2012) "the charges for … [rail] infrastructure … shall be set at the cost that is directly incurred as a result of operating the train service". This charging rule is new for Baltic States’ railways, where due to the favorable geographic position a full cost application without detalization was possible. Although, a big number of relevant studies on the issue was made in EU, all of them covered only 1435mm railways with primarily passenger transport...

A re-assessment of high elevation treeline positions and their explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Körner, Christian

1998-07-01

In this review I first compile data for the worldwide position of climate-driven alpine treelines. Causes for treeline formation are then discussed with a global perspective. Available evidence suggests a combination of a general thermal boundary for tree growth, with regionally variable "modulatory" forces, including the presence of certain taxa. Much of the explanatory evidence found in the literature relates to these modulatory aspects at regional scales, whereas no good explanations emerged for the more fundamental global pattern related to temperature per se, on which this review is focused. I hypothesize that the life form "tree" is limited at treeline altitudes by the potential investment, rather than production, of assimilates (growth as such, rather than photosynthesis or the carbon balance, being limited). In shoots coupled to a cold atmosphere, meristem activity is suggested to be limited for much of the time, especially at night. By reducing soil heat flux during the growing season the forest canopy negatively affects root zone temperature. The lower threshold temperature for tissue growth and development appears to be higher than 3°C and lower than 10°C, possibly in the 5.5-7.5°C range, most commonly associated with seasonal means of air temperature at treeline positions. The physiological and developmental mechanisms responsible have yet to be analyzed. Root zone temperature, though largely unknown, is likely to be most critical.

[Meanings attributed to management as an explanation for clinician managers' attitudes and professional identity].

Science.gov (United States)

Cascón-Pereira, Rosalía; Valverde, Mireia

2014-01-01

To understand the process by which clinician managers construct their professional identities and develop their attitudes toward managing. A qualitative study was performed, based on grounded theory, through in-depth interviews with 20 clinician managers selected through theoretical sampling in two public hospitals of Catalonia (Spain), participant observation, and documentation. Clinician managers' role meanings are constructed by comparing their roles with those of senior managers and clinicians. In this process, clinician managers seek to differentiate themselves from senior managers through the meanings constructed. In particular, they use proximity with reality and clinical knowledge as the main sources of differentiation. This study sheds light on why clinician managers develop adverse attitudes to managing and why they define themselves as clinicians rather than as managers. The explanation lies in the construction of the meanings they assign to managing as the basis of their attitudes to this role and professional identity. These findings have some practical implications for healthcare management. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Espana.

Repetition Priming Magnitude Depends on Affirmative Prime Responses: A Test of Two Congruity Explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiet, Paula; Sorensen, Linda; Mayne, Zachary; Corgiat, Damon; Woltz, Dan

2016-01-01

We conducted 2 experiments to evaluate the impact of positive prime responses on repetition priming effects while decoupling this impact from content congruity and specific evaluation operations. Our first experiment consisted of word-meaning comparison trials that required participants to evaluate synonyms or antonyms. A crossing of evaluation operation with semantic content allowed us to test the goal-content congruity hypothesis against the semantic congruity explanation for greater facilitation from positive response primes. Results suggested that operation-based priming is affected by goal-content congruity. A second experiment tested the observed effect of positive responses on repetition priming using mental rotation of irregular shapes, affording a test of the impact of congruity in evaluation goals and content in a nonverbal stimulus domain. Both experiments produced a pattern of results inconsistent with Schulman's (1974) semantic congruity account and instead implicated a different form of congruity that affects memory for prior operations rather than memory for semantic and episodic content.

Clusters or the Early Internationalisation of Entrepreneurial Behaviour as Explanations for the Exceptional Success of the Danish Furniture Industry?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Howells, John; Hedemann, Lars

This article contrasts two explanations of the economic success of the Danish furniture industry. The first is that success derives from learning processes within firm clusters and the second is a path dependent 'regional learning' theory, that early, post World War 2 overseas demand created...... for two principal reasons; today there has been a sharp decline in the economic significance of the firms in the West Jutland industrial districts while ten large internationalised firms scattered and not clustered within Denmark account for half of industry turnover. This suggests the primacy...

Explanations for inter-ethnic differences regarding immigrants' preferences for living in ‘ethnic enclaves’ or in multi-ethnic neighbourhoods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Hans Skifter

In European countries there are large differences between the settlements patterns of different ethnic immigrant groups. One explanation is that different groups to a different extent have been successful immigrants. Differences regarding their social and cultural integration and their economic...... network they can rely on, so-called ethnic enclaves, or for preferences for living in so-called multi-ethnic neighbourhoods, where there are few Danes but many other ethnic groups. The results of the study thus supports that the American ‘spatial assimilation theory’ has some importance also in Europe...