Does Taking One Step Back Get You Two Steps Forward? Grade Retention and School Performance in Poor Areas in Rural China

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xinxin; Liu, Chengfang; Zhang, Linxiu; Shi, Yaojiang; Rozelle, Scott

2010-01-01

Despite the rise in grade retention in poor areas in rural China recently, little work has been done to understand the impact of grade retention on the educational performance of students in these areas in rural China. This paper seeks to redress this shortcoming and examines the effect of grade retention on educational performance on 1649…

The Effect of Internet-Based Education on Student Success in Teaching of 8th Grade Triangles Subject

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Deniz; Kesan, Cenk; Izgiol, Dilek

2013-01-01

In the study, it was researched the effect of internet-based application on student success. Internet-based application was used at the teaching of triangles subject which is included in 8th grade units of triangles and algebra. The study was carried out over the internet with a computer software program: Vitamin Program. The study was carried out…

Effect of Graded Unilateral Sanding Exercise on Metabolic and Cardiopulmonary Function in the Healthy and the Hemiparetic Elderly Subjects

OpenAIRE

Muraki, Toshiaki

1997-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how 18 elderly subjects with cerebral vascular accident (CVA) (14 men and 4 women) and 19 healthy elderly subjects (6 men and 13 women) would respond to a five-step graded unilateral sanding activity. Three indicators of pulmonary function such as expiratory tidal volume, respiratory rate, and expiratory volume and four indicators of cardiometabolic function such as metabolic equivalents (METS), systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and pressure rat...

44 CFR 65.13 - Mapping and map revisions for areas subject to alluvial fan flooding.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... areas subject to alluvial fan flooding. 65.13 Section 65.13 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL... areas subject to alluvial fan flooding. This section describes the procedures to be followed and the... provides protection from the base flood in an area subject to alluvial fan flooding. This information must...

Acquisition in different and special subject areas

CERN Document Server

Katz, Linda S

2013-01-01

Learn how acquisitions librarians successfully serve specialized users! In this book, you'll find profiles, methods, and processes for acquisitions in specialized subject areas, such as local and regional poetry, oceanography, educational information in electronic formats, popular fiction, regional and ethnic materials, and more. Seasoned acquisitions librarians share their experiences in gathering the hard-to-find materials their libraries' highly specialized clients need to access. You'll also examine issues surrounding the acquisition of new reference tools that are vital in today's emergi

Performance Evaluation of Waterproofing Membrane Systems Subject to the Concrete Joint Load Behavior of Below-Grade Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaeyoung Song

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Below-grade structures such as parking lots, underground subway tunnels, and basements are growing in scale and reaching deeper below-ground levels. In this type of environment, they become subject to higher water pressure. The concrete material of the structures is exposed to wet conditions for longer periods of time, which makes the proper adhesion of waterproofing membranes difficult. Joint movements from increased structural settlement, thermal expansion/shrinkage, and physical loads from external sources (e.g., vehicles make securing durable waterproofing challenging. While ASTM Guides, Korean Codes, and BS Practice Codes on below-grade waterproofing stress the importance of manufacturer specification for quality control, ensuring high quality waterproofing for the ever-changing scale of construction remains a challenge. This study proposes a new evaluation method and criteria which allow for the selection of waterproofing membranes based on specific performance attributes and workmanship. It subjects six different waterproofing membrane systems (installed on dry and wet surface conditioned mortar slab specimens with an artificial joint to different cyclic movement widths to 300 cycles in water to demonstrate that inadequate material properties and workmanship are key causes for leakages.

Gender, Previous Knowledge, Personality Traits and Subject-Specific Motivation as Predictors of Students' Math Grade in Upper-Secondary School

Science.gov (United States)

Peklaj, Cirila; Podlesek, Anja; Pecjak, Sonja

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between gender, previous knowledge, different personality traits, subject-specific motivational dimensions and students' math grade in secondary school. A total of 386 first-year students (142 boys and 244 girls) from secondary schools in Slovenia (mean age was 15.7 years) participated in the…

Grading A-Level Double Subject Mathematicians and the Implications for Selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Newbould, Charles A.

1981-01-01

Test data were used to compare the grading of two forms of double mathematics: pure and applied math, and regular and advanced math. Results confirm expectations that in the former system, the grading is comparable, and in the latter, it is not necessarily comparable. Implications for student admission are discussed. (MSE)

Automatic creation of specialised multilingual dictionaries in new subject areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joaquim Moré

2009-05-01

Full Text Available This article presents a tool to automatically generate specialised dictionaries of multilingual equivalents in new subject areas. The tool uses resources that are available on the web to search for equivalents and verify their reliability. These resources are, on the one hand, the Wikipedias, which can be freely downloaded and processed, and, on the other, the materials that terminological institutions of reference make available. This tool is of use to teachers producing teaching materials and researchers preparing theses, articles or reference manuals. It is also of use to translators and terminologists working on terminological standardisation in a new subject area in a given language, as it helps them in their work to pinpoint concepts that have yet to receive a standardised denomination.

Vibration of functionally graded plate resting on viscoelastic elastic foundation subjected to moving loads

Science.gov (United States)

Duy Hien, Ta; Lam, Nguyen Ngoc

2018-04-01

The dynamics of plates subjected to a moving load must be considered by engineering mechanics and design structures. This paper deals with the dynamic responses of functionally graded (FG) rectangular plates resting on a viscoelastic foundation under moving loads. It is assumed that material properties of the plate vary continuously in the thickness direction according to the power-law. The governing equations are derived by using Hamilton’s principle, which considers the effect of the higher-order shear deformation in the plate. Transient responses of simply supported FG rectangular plates are employed by using state-space methods. Several examples are given for displacement and stresses in the plates with various structural parameters, and the effects of these parameters are discussed.

Interest of Grade Ten Students toward Physics among Other Science Subjects, Case of Wolaita Soddo Town Governmental Secondary Schools, Ethiopia

Science.gov (United States)

Hamelo, Shewangzaw

2016-01-01

This paper has proposed to investigate the interest in students towards physics among other science subjects. The investigation was carried out with 490 samples of grade ten students in Wolaita Soddo town governmental schools. Thus, overall result indicates that the interest in students towards physics is low and students hate to learn physics in…

Drilling in areas subject to environmental protection; A perfuracao em area de protecao ambiental

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendonca, Ricardo Teixeira; Guimaraes, Antimio Santos [PETROBRAS, XX (Brazil). Distrito de Perfuracao do Nordeste. Div. Tecnica; Santana, Manoel Messias de [PETROBRAS, XX (Brazil). Regiao de Producao do Nordeste. Setor de Seguranca Industrial

1990-12-31

This paper presents the practices developed for pollution control in areas subject to environmental protection. This well drilling operation was carried out in the Municipality of Marechal Deodoro, in the State of Alagoas, in locality named Massagueira. We stress the preventive methods for liquid and solid effluent generation and the use of Closed Fluid System or Anti-Dike System. (author) 3 figs.

An investigation on impacts of scheduling configurations on Mississippi biology subject area testing

Science.gov (United States)

Marchette, Frances Lenora

The purpose of this mixed modal study was to compare the results of Biology Subject Area mean scores of students on a 4 x 4 block schedule, A/B block schedule, and traditional year-long schedule for 1A to 5A size schools. This study also reviewed the data to determine if minority or gender issues might influence the test results. Interviews with administrators and teachers were conducted about the type of schedule configuration they use and the influence that the schedule has on student academic performance on the Biology Subject Area Test. Additionally, this research further explored whether schedule configurations allow sufficient time for students to construct knowledge. This study is important to schools, teachers, and administrators because it can assist them in considering the impacts that different types of class schedules have on student performance and if ethnic or gender issues are influencing testing results. This study used the causal-comparative method for the quantitative portion of the study and constant comparative method for the qualitative portion to explore the relationship of school schedules on student academic achievement on the Mississippi Biology Subject Area Test. The aggregate means of selected student scores indicate that the Mississippi Biology Subject Area Test as a measure of student performance reveals no significant difference on student achievement for the three school schedule configurations. The data were adjusted for initial differences of gender, minority, and school size on the three schedule configurations. The results suggest that schools may employ various schedule configurations and expect student performance on the Mississippi Biology Subject Area Test to be unaffected. However, many areas of concern were identified in the interviews that might impact on school learning environments. These concerns relate to effective classroom management, the active involvement of students in learning, the adequacy of teacher education

Estimation of serum ferritin for normal subject living in Khartoum area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eltayeb, E.A; Khangi, F.A.; Satti, G.M.; Abu Salab, A.

2003-01-01

This study was conducted with a main objective; the estimation of serum ferritin level in normal subjects in Khartoum area.To fulfil this objective, two hundred and sixty symptoms-free subjects were included in the study, 103 males with 15 to 45 years. serum ferritin was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). It was found that the mean concentration of males' serum ferritin was much higher than that of the females' (p<0.001). (Author)

Computer-Aided Grading of Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) using HRCT

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Jianhua; Avila, Nilo; Dwyer, Andrew; Taveira-DaSilva, Angelo M.; Hathaway, Olanda M.; Moss, Joel

2010-01-01

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a multisystem disorder associated with proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells, which leads to destruction of lung parenchyma. Subjective grading of LAM on HRCT is imprecise and can be arduous especially in cases with severe involvement. We propose a computer-aided evaluation system that grades LAM involvement based on analysis of lung texture patterns. A committee of support vector machines is employed for classification. The system was tested on 36 patients. The computer grade demonstrates good correlation with subjective radiologist grade (R=0.91, p<0.0001) and pulmonary functional tests (R=0.85, p<0.0001). The grade also provides precise progression assessment of disease over time. PMID:21625320

Serum IL-12 Is Increased in Mexican Obese Subjects and Associated with Low-Grade Inflammation and Obesity-Related Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Suárez-Álvarez

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Interleukin-(IL- 12 has been recently suggested to participate during development of insulin resistance in obese mice. Nevertheless, serum IL-12 levels have not been accurately determined in overweight and obese humans. We thus studied serum concentrations of IL-12 in Mexican adult individuals, examining their relationship with low-grade inflammation and obesity-related parameters. A total of 147 healthy individuals, 43 normal weight, 61 overweight, and 43 obese subjects participated in the study. Circulating levels of IL-12, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α, leptin, insulin, glucose, total cholesterol, and triglyceride were measured after overnight fasting in all of the study subjects. Waist circumference and body fat percentage were recorded for all the participants. Serum IL-12 was significantly higher in overweight and obese individuals than in normal weight controls. Besides being strongly related with body mass index (r=0.5154, serum IL-12 exhibited a significant relationship with abdominal obesity (r=0.4481, body fat percentage (r=0.5625, serum glucose (r=0.3158, triglyceride (r=0.3714, and TNF-α (r=0.4717. Thus, serum levels of IL-12 are increased in overweight and obese individuals and show a strong relationship with markers of low-grade inflammation and obesity in the Mexican adult population. Further research is needed to understand the role of IL-12 in developing obesity-associated alterations in humans.

Demystify Learning Expectations to Address Grade Inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Hodges, Linda C.

2014-01-01

This article describes the subject of "grade inflation," a reference to educators giving higher grades to student work than their expectations for student achievement warrant. Of the many reasons why this practice happens, Hodges specifically discusses inflating grades as "a natural consequence" when the faculty really…

MRI differentiation of low-grade from high-grade appendicular chondrosarcoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Douis, Hassan; Singh, Leanne; Saifuddin, Asif

2014-01-01

To identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features which differentiate low-grade chondral lesions (atypical cartilaginous tumours/grade 1 chondrosarcoma) from high-grade chondrosarcomas (grade 2, grade 3 and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma) of the major long bones. We identified all patients treated for central atypical cartilaginous tumours and central chondrosarcoma of major long bones (humerus, femur, tibia) over a 13-year period. The MRI studies were assessed for the following features: bone marrow oedema, soft tissue oedema, bone expansion, cortical thickening, cortical destruction, active periostitis, soft tissue mass and tumour length. The MRI-features were compared with the histopathological tumour grading using univariate, multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses. One hundred and seventy-nine tumours were included in this retrospective study. There were 28 atypical cartilaginous tumours, 79 grade 1 chondrosarcomas, 36 grade 2 chondrosarcomas, 13 grade 3 chondrosarcomas and 23 dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that bone expansion (P = 0.001), active periostitis (P = 0.001), soft tissue mass (P < 0.001) and tumour length (P < 0.001) were statistically significant differentiating factors between low-grade and high-grade chondral lesions with an area under the ROC curve of 0.956. On MRI, bone expansion, active periostitis, soft tissue mass and tumour length can reliably differentiate high-grade chondrosarcomas from low-grade chondral lesions of the major long bones. (orig.)

MRI differentiation of low-grade from high-grade appendicular chondrosarcoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Douis, Hassan; Singh, Leanne; Saifuddin, Asif [The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, Department of Radiology, Stanmore, Middlesex (United Kingdom)

2014-01-15

To identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features which differentiate low-grade chondral lesions (atypical cartilaginous tumours/grade 1 chondrosarcoma) from high-grade chondrosarcomas (grade 2, grade 3 and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma) of the major long bones. We identified all patients treated for central atypical cartilaginous tumours and central chondrosarcoma of major long bones (humerus, femur, tibia) over a 13-year period. The MRI studies were assessed for the following features: bone marrow oedema, soft tissue oedema, bone expansion, cortical thickening, cortical destruction, active periostitis, soft tissue mass and tumour length. The MRI-features were compared with the histopathological tumour grading using univariate, multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses. One hundred and seventy-nine tumours were included in this retrospective study. There were 28 atypical cartilaginous tumours, 79 grade 1 chondrosarcomas, 36 grade 2 chondrosarcomas, 13 grade 3 chondrosarcomas and 23 dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that bone expansion (P = 0.001), active periostitis (P = 0.001), soft tissue mass (P < 0.001) and tumour length (P < 0.001) were statistically significant differentiating factors between low-grade and high-grade chondral lesions with an area under the ROC curve of 0.956. On MRI, bone expansion, active periostitis, soft tissue mass and tumour length can reliably differentiate high-grade chondrosarcomas from low-grade chondral lesions of the major long bones. (orig.)

Effect of weight loss on sympatho-vagal balance in subjects with grade-3 obesity: restrictive surgery versus hypocaloric diet.

Science.gov (United States)

Pontiroli, Antonio E; Merlotti, Claudia; Veronelli, Annamaria; Lombardi, Federico

2013-12-01

Few and mostly uncontrolled studies indicate that weight loss improves heart rate variability (HRV) in grade-3 obesity. The aim of this study was to compare in grade-3 obesity surgery and hypocaloric diet on clinical and metabolic variables and on autonomic indices of HRV. Twenty-four subjects (body mass index, BMI 45.5 ± 9.13 kg/m(2)) underwent surgery (n = 12, gastric banding, LAGB) or received hypocaloric diet (n = 12, 1,000-1,200 kg/day). Clinical [BMI, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate] and metabolic variables [glucose, cholesterol, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, AST and ALT transaminases] and 24-h Holter electrocardiographic-derived HRV parameters [R-R interval, standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDNN); low/high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio, and QT interval] were measured at baseline and after 6 months. The two groups were identical at baseline. BMI (-7.5 ± 3.57 kg/m(2), mean ± SD), glucose (-24.1 ± 26.77 mg/dL), SBP (-16.7 ± 22.19 mmHg) and DBP (-6.2 ± 8.56 mmHg) decreased in LAGB subjects (p < 0.05) and remained unchanged in controls. At 6 months, SDNN increased in LAGB subjects (+25.0 ± 37.19 ms, p < 0.05) and LF/HF ratio diminished (2.9 ± 1.84 vs. 4.9 ± 2.78; p = 0.01), with no change in controls; LF (daytime) and HF (24 h and daytime) increased in LAGB subjects, with no change in controls. Decrease in BMI correlated with SBP and DBP decrease (p < 0.05), and DBP decrease correlated with HR decrease (p < 0.05) and QT shortening (p < 0.05). Weight loss is associated with improvement of glucose metabolism, of blood pressure, and with changes in time and frequency domain parameters of HRV; all these changes indicate recovery of a more physiological autonomic control, with increase in parasympathetic and reduction in sympathetic indices of HRV.

47 CFR 22.960 - Cellular unserved area radiotelephone licenses subject to competitive bidding.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cellular unserved area radiotelephone licenses... (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.960 Cellular... applications for cellular unserved area Phase I and Phase II licenses filed after July 26, 1993 are subject to...

Early Local Activity in Temporal Areas Reflects Graded Content of Visual Perception

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiara Francesca Tagliabue

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In visual cognitive neuroscience the debate on consciousness is focused on two major topics: the search for the neural correlates of the different properties of visual awareness and the controversy on the graded versus dichotomous nature of visual conscious experience. The aim of this study is to search for the possible neural correlates of different grades of visual awareness investigating the Event Related Potentials (ERPs to reduced contrast visual stimuli whose perceptual clarity was rated on the four-point Perceptual Awareness Scale (PAS. Results revealed a left centro-parietal negative deflection (Visual Awareness Negativity; VAN peaking at 280-320 ms from stimulus onset, related to the perceptual content of the stimulus, followed by a bilateral positive deflection (Late Positivity; LP peaking at 510-550 ms over almost all electrodes, reflecting post-perceptual processes performed on such content. Interestingly, the amplitude of both deflections gradually increased as a function of visual awareness. Moreover, the intracranial generators of the phenomenal content (VAN were found to be located in the left temporal lobe. The present data thus seem to suggest 1 that visual conscious experience is characterized by a gradual increase of perceived clarity at both behavioral and neural level and 2 that the actual content of perceptual experiences emerges from early local activation in temporal areas, without the need of later widespread frontal engagement.

Influence of Elastic Bandage and Neoprene Ankle Support on Ankle Position Sense and Pain in Subjects with Ankle Sprain (Grade I & II

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Basir Majdoleslami

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: to investigate whether a neoprene ankle support and elastic bandage around the ankle joint of subjects with ankle sprain (grade I&II would , in short term (a reduce pain (b improve ankle joint position sense and comparison of their effect with each other if they have. Materials & Methods: In a semi-experimental study, 30 subjects (16men, 14 women, age between 16-52 with ankle sprain grade I&II. Subjects had to have at least 2cm from 10cm visual analogue scale (VAS of ankle pain for study entry. All patients were randomly assigned to either an elastic bandage or a neoprene ankle support. One week later they were assigned to the opposite selection. Joint position sense was assessed in the sitting position using an electrogoniometer and pain by VAS where 0cm equals no pain and 10 cm equals worst pain. ankle pain and JPS were assessed for each selection one week apart. During each visit assessment were performed at baseline and after 20 min of bandage/neoprene ankle support application. Results: the mean of scores for ankle variables JPS and VAS was taken and paired-t test and Wilcoxon signed rank test was employed to calculate the different between two trails. Neoprene ankle support had significant effect on ankle JPS (P=0.034. But elastic bandage had no effect (P=0.539. Both of them had significantly reduced ankle pain. (P=0.000  Conclusion: In subjects with both neoprene ankle support and elastic bandage reduced ankle pain with more effect of neoprene ankle support. Only the neoprene ankle support had effect on knee JPS.

Environmental literacy in agriculture and coastal areas

Science.gov (United States)

Pujianti, N.; Munandar, A.; Surakusumah, W.

2018-05-01

This research aim to investigate the environmental literacy of junior high school students in agricultural and coastal areas in Subang based on knowledge, cognitive skill and attitudes toward to environment. This research used descriptive method. The subjects of the research were 7 grade students of junior high school and involved 62 participants in agriculture area and 64 participants in coastal area. The instrument of environment literacy adapted from Middle School Environment Literacy Survey (MSELS) and adapted to the context of agricultural and coastal area. The results showed that: environmental literacy in agricultural areas is 169.30 with moderate category and environmental literacy in the coastal area is 152.61 in the moderate category.

DIFFERENT LEVEL OF LEARNED-HELPLESSNESS AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LOWER GRADE AND HIGHER GRADE IN SALATIGA INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Berta Esti Ari Prasetya

2013-06-01

consisted of 190 of higher grade students and 127 of lower grade students. Mann-Whitney U was used to analyse the data, considering that the data were not normally distributed. This test result showed that there was a significant difference between high school students with higher grade and lower grade (the Mann-Whitney U coefficient of 10,644, with z value of -1795, p <0.05 (p = 0036, 1-tailed, with students of lower grade tend to be more prone to experience learned-helplessness. Additional results from their subjective perception on their achievement were also discussed and so were the implications of the study.

Las Matematicas: Lenguaje Universal. Grados Intermedios, Nivel 5b: Medida Lineal, Perimetro y Area (Mathematics: A Universal Language. Intermediate Grades, Level 5b: Linear Measure, Perimeter and Area).

Science.gov (United States)

Dissemination and Assessment Center for Bilingual Education, Austin, TX.

This is one of a series of student booklets designed for use in a bilingual mathematics program in grades 6-8. The general format is to present each page in both Spanish and English. The mathematical topics in this booklet include measurement, perimeter, and area. (MK)

Hanford Environmental Information System (HEIS). Volume 7: Sample and Data Tracking subject area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-06-01

The Hanford Environmental Information System (HEIS) Sample and Data Tracking subject area allows insertion of tracking information into a central repository where the data is immediately available for viewing. For example, a technical coordinator is able to view the current status of a particular sampling effort, from sample collection to data package validation dates. Four major types of data comprise the Sample and Data Tracking subject area: data about the mechanisms that groups a set of samples for a particular sampling effort; data about how constituents are grouped and assigned to a sample; data about when, where, and how samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis; and data bout the status of a sample's constituent analysis requirements, i.e., whether the analysis results have been returned from the laboratory

Classifying low-grade and high-grade bladder cancer using label-free serum surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and support vector machine

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yanjiao; Lai, Xiaoping; Zeng, Qiuyao; Li, Linfang; Lin, Lin; Li, Shaoxin; Liu, Zhiming; Su, Chengkang; Qi, Minni; Guo, Zhouyi

2018-03-01

This study aims to classify low-grade and high-grade bladder cancer (BC) patients using serum surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. Serum SERS spectra are acquired from 88 serum samples with silver nanoparticles as the SERS-active substrate. Diagnostic accuracies of 96.4% and 95.4% are obtained when differentiating the serum SERS spectra of all BC patients versus normal subjects and low-grade versus high-grade BC patients, respectively, with optimal SVM classifier models. This study demonstrates that the serum SERS technique combined with SVM has great potential to noninvasively detect and classify high-grade and low-grade BC patients.

Comparative studies of industrial grade carbon black powders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chawla, Komal, E-mail: komalchawla.rs@gmail.com; Chauhan, Alok P. S., E-mail: chauhan.alok@gmail.com, E-mail: alok.chauhan@alumni.stonybrook.edu [Department of Physics and Material Science and Engineering, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, A-10, Sector-62, Noida-201307, UP, India. (India)

2016-05-06

Comparative studies of two dissimilar industrial grade Carbon Black (CB) powders (N375 and N405) were conducted. The structure, surface area and particle size are the three important characteristics of CB powder that determine their processability and application as filler in preparing rubber compounds. The powders were characterized for their structure using dibutyl phthalate absorption (DBPA), particle size via laser particle size analyzer and surface area by nitrogen adsorption method. The structural characterization showed that N405 had lower DBPA in comparison to N375, confirming low structure of N405 grade CB powder. It was observed from the particle size analysis that N375 was coarser than N405 grade CB. The total surface area values were determined by the BET method based on the cross sectional area of the nitrogen molecule. N375, a coarse grade CB powder with high structure, depicted less surface area as compared to N405.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade-7 Public Secondary Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emil C. Alcantara

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The study aimed to assess the academic performance, critical thinking skills, and problem solving skills in mathematics of Grade-7 students in the five central public secondary schools of Area 2, Division of Batangas, Philippines. This study utilized descriptive method of research. Three hundred forty one (341 students of the public secondary schools out of the total of 2,324 Grade-7 students were selected through systematic random sampling as the subjects of the study. It was found out that the level of performance in Mathematics of the Grade-7 students is proficient. The level of critical thinking skills of students from the different schools is above average as well as their level of problem solving skills. The mathematics performance of the students is positively correlated to their level of critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. Students considered the following learning competencies in the different content areas of Grade-7 Mathematics as difficult to master: solving problems involving sets, describing the development of measurement from the primitive to the present international system of units, finding a solution of an equation or inequality involving one variable, using compass and straightedge to bisect line segments and angles, and analyzing, interpreting accurately and drawing conclusions from graphic and tabular presentations of statistical data.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors containing areas of iso- or hypoattenuation in dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography: Spectrum of imaging findings and pathological grading.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyodo, Ryota; Suzuki, Kojiro; Ogawa, Hiroshi; Komada, Tomohiro; Naganawa, Shinji

2015-11-01

To evaluate dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) features of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) containing areas of iso- or hypoattenuation and the relationship with pathological grading. Between June 2006 and March 2014, 61 PNETs in 58 consecutive patients (29 male, 29 female; median-age 55 years), which were surgically diagnosed, underwent preoperative dynamic contrast-enhanced CT. PNETs were classified based on contrast enhancement patterns in the pancreatic phase: iso/hypo-PNETs were defined as tumors containing areas of iso- or hypoattenuation except for cystic components, and hyper-PNETs were tumors showing hyperattenuation over the whole area. CT findings and contrast-enhancement patterns of the tumors were evaluated retrospectively by two radiologists and compared with the pathological grading. Iso/hypo-PNETs comprised 26 tumors, and hyper-PNETs comprised 35 tumors. Not only hyper-PNETs but also most iso/hypo-PNETs showed peak enhancement in the pancreatic phase and a washout from the portal venous phase to the delayed phase. Iso/hypo-PNETs showed larger tumor size than the hyper-PNETs (mean, 3.7 cm vs. 1.6 cm; PIso/hypo-PNETs also showed significantly higher pathological grading (WHO 2010 classification; iso/hypo, G1=14, G2=11, G3=1; hyper, G1=34, G2=1; Piso/hypo-areas showed a rapid enhancement pattern as well as hyper-PNETs, various radiological features and higher malignant potential. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Within-Subject Correlation Analysis to Detect Functional Areas Associated With Response Inhibition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomoko Yamasaki

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Functional areas in fMRI studies are often detected by brain-behavior correlation, calculating across-subject correlation between the behavioral index and the brain activity related to a function of interest. Within-subject correlation analysis is also employed in a single subject level, which utilizes cognitive fluctuations in a shorter time period by correlating the behavioral index with the brain activity across trials. In the present study, the within-subject analysis was applied to the stop-signal task, a standard task to probe response inhibition, where efficiency of response inhibition can be evaluated by the stop-signal reaction time (SSRT. Since the SSRT is estimated, by definition, not in a trial basis but from pooled trials, the correlation across runs was calculated between the SSRT and the brain activity related to response inhibition. The within-subject correlation revealed negative correlations in the anterior cingulate cortex and the cerebellum. Moreover, the dissociation pattern was observed in the within-subject analysis when earlier vs. later parts of the runs were analyzed: negative correlation was dominant in earlier runs, whereas positive correlation was dominant in later runs. Regions of interest analyses revealed that the negative correlation in the anterior cingulate cortex, but not in the cerebellum, was dominant in earlier runs, suggesting multiple mechanisms associated with inhibitory processes that fluctuate on a run-by-run basis. These results indicate that the within-subject analysis compliments the across-subject analysis by highlighting different aspects of cognitive/affective processes related to response inhibition.

Grade Inflation: An Issue for Higher Education?

Science.gov (United States)

Caruth, Donald L.; Caruth, Gail D.

2013-01-01

Grade inflation impacts university credibility, student courses of study, choices of institution, and other areas. There has been an upward shift in grades without a corresponding upward shift in knowledge gained. Some of the most frequently mentioned causes of grade inflation are: (1) student evaluations of professors; (2) student teacher…

Size-dependent thermal stability analysis of graded piezomagnetic nanoplates on elastic medium subjected to various thermal environments

Science.gov (United States)

Ebrahimi, Farzad; Barati, Mohammad Reza

2016-10-01

This paper investigates the thermal stability of magneto-electro-thermo-elastic functionally graded (METE-FG) nanoplates based on the nonlocal theory and a refined plate model. The METE-FG nanoplate is subjected to the external electric potential, magnetic potential and different temperature rises. Interaction of elastic medium with the METE-FG nanoplate is modeled via Winkler-Pasternak foundation model. The governing equations are derived by using the Hamilton principle and solved by using an analytical method to determine the critical buckling temperatures. To verify the validity of the developed model, the results of the present work are compared with those available in the literature. A detailed parametric study is conducted to study the influences of the nonlocal parameter, foundation parameters, temperature rise, external electric and magnetic potentials on the size-dependent thermal buckling characteristics of METE-FG nanoplates.

Low-grade salivary duct carcinoma or low-grade intraductal carcinoma? Review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Ying-Ju; Weinreb, Ilan; Perez-Ordonez, Bayardo

2013-07-01

Low-grade salivary duct carcinoma (LG-SDC) is a rare neoplasm characterized by predominant intraductal growth, luminal ductal phenotype, bland microscopic features, and favorable clinical behavior with an appearance reminiscent of florid to atypical ductal hyperplasia to low grade intraductal breast carcinoma. LG-SDC is composed of multiple cysts, cribriform architecture with "Roman Bridges", "pseudocribriform" proliferations with floppy fenestrations or irregular slits, micropapillae with epithelial tufts, fibrovascular cores, and solid areas. Most of the tumor cells are small to medium sized with pale eosinophilic cytoplasm, and round to oval nuclei, which may contain finely dispersed or dark condensed chromatin. Foci of intermediate to high grade atypia, and invasive carcinoma or micro-invasion have been reported in up to 23 % of cases. The neoplastic cells have a ductal phenotype with coexpression of keratins and S100 protein and are surrounded by a layer of myoepithelial cells in non-invasive cases. The main differential diagnosis of LG-SDC includes cystadenoma, cystadenocarcinoma, sclerosing polycystic adenosis, salivary duct carcinoma in situ/high-grade intraductal carcinoma, and papillary-cystic variant of acinic cell carcinoma. There is no published data supporting the continuous classification of LG-SDC as a variant of cystadenocarcinoma. Given that most LG-SDC are non-invasive neoplasms; the terms "cribriform cystadenocarcinoma" and LG-SDC should be replaced by "low-grade intraductal carcinoma" (LG-IDC) of salivary gland or "low-grade intraductal carcinoma with areas of invasive carcinoma" in those cases with evidence of invasive carcinoma.

CRIMINAL-POLITICAL FUTUROLOGY IN THE FIELD OF FIGHTING CRIME (CONCEPTUAL AND SUBJECT AREA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valery Novichkov

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article considers the subject area of the new direction of pre-vision — criminal-political futurology (forecasting in the field of combating crime, absorbing in itself the main types of legal prediction: criminological, criminal, criminal Executive, criminal procedural, operational search and other.

Grade 6 Science Curriculum Specifications.

Science.gov (United States)

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

This material describes curriculum specifications for grade 6 science in Alberta. Emphases recommended are: (1) process skills (50%); (2) psychomotor skills (10%); (3) attitudes (10%); and (4) subject matter (30%). Priorities within each category are identified. (YP)

Frequent EGFR Positivity and Overexpression in High-Grade Areas of Human MPNSTs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Séverine Tabone-Eglinger

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs are highly malignant and resistant. Transformation might implicate up regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR. Fifty-two MPNST samples were studied for EGFR, Ki-67, p53, and survivin expression by immunohistochemistry and for EGFR amplification by in situ hybridization. Results were correlated with clinical data. EGFR RNA was also quantified by RT-PCR in 20 other MPNSTs and 14 dermal neurofibromas. Half of the patients had a neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1. EGFR expression, detected in 86% of MPNSTs, was more frequent in NF1 specimens and closely associated with high-grade and p53-positive areas. MPNSTs expressed more EGFR transcripts than neurofibromas. No amplification of EGFR locus was observed. NF1 status was the only prognostic factor in multivariate analysis, with median survivals of 18 and 43 months for patients with or without NF1. Finally, EGFR might become a new target for MPNSTs treatment, especially in NF1-associated MPNSTs.

The impact of new technology on the economics of uranium production from low-grade ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simonsen, H.A.; Boydell, D.W.; James, H.E.

1981-01-01

The subject is discussed under the following headings: influence of a depressed market on uranium supply from low-grade ores; potential areas for a reduction in uranium ore processing costs; in-situ leaching (solution mining; heap leaching; resin-in-pulp; solvent-in-pulp; belt filtration; continuous ion exchange; solvent extraction); preconcentration (upgrading of coarse rock; upgrading in the mill; wet high-intensity magnetic separation; flotation); summary and conclusions. (U.K.)

Integrated Curriculum and Subject-based Curriculum: Achievement and Attitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Casady, Victoria

The research conducted for this mixed-method study, qualitative and quantitative, analyzed the results of an academic year-long study to determine whether the use of an integrated fourth grade curriculum would benefit student achievement in the areas of English language arts, social studies, and science more than a subject-based traditional curriculum. The research was conducted based on the international, national, and state test scores, which show a slowing or lack of growth. Through pre- and post-assessments, student questionnaires, and administrative interviews, the researcher analyzed the phenomenological experiences of the students to determine if the integrated curriculum was a beneficial restructuring of the curriculum. The research questions for this study focused on the achievement and attitudes of the students in the study and whether the curriculum they were taught impacted their achievement and attitudes over the course of one school year. The curricula for the study were organized to cover the current standards, where the integrated curriculum focused on connections between subject areas to help students make connections to what they are learning and the world beyond the classroom. The findings of this study indicated that utilizing the integrated curriculum could increase achievement as well as students' attitudes toward specific content areas. The ANOVA analysis for English language arts was not determined to be significant; although, greater growth in the students from the integrated curriculum setting was recorded. The ANOVA for social studies (0.05) and the paired t-tests (0.001) for science both determined significant positive differences. The qualitative analysis led to the discovery that the experiences of the students from the integrated curriculum setting were more positive. The evaluation of the data from this study led the researcher to determine that the integrated curriculum was a worthwhile endeavor to increase achievement and attitudes

A CURRICULUM FOR ENGLISH, TEACHER PACKET, GRADE 9.

Science.gov (United States)

Nebraska Univ., Lincoln. Curriculum Development Center.

THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM FOR GRADE NINE FOCUSES ON THE CONCEPT OF GENRE AND ACCOMPANYING LITERARY ATTITUDES AND DEVICES. SATIRE, COMEDY, AND THE EPIC ARE THE SUBJECTS OF THE LITERARY PROGRAM. LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION STUDIES, BUILDING UPON EIGHTH-GRADE LANGUAGE HISTORY AND SYNTAX UNITS, CENTER ON GEOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL DIALECTS, PHONOLOGY,…

Diet and exercise reduce low-grade inflammation and macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue but not in skeletal muscle in severely obese subjects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruun, Jens M; Helge, Jørn W; Richelsen, Bjørn

2006-01-01

Obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the effect of a 15-wk lifestyle intervention (hypocaloric diet and daily exercise) on inflammatory markers in plasma, adipose tissue (AT), and skeletal muscle...... (SM) in 27 severely obese subjects (mean body mass index: 45.8 kg/m2). Plasma samples, subcutaneous abdominal AT biopsies, and vastus lateralis SM biopsies were obtained before and after the intervention and analyzed by ELISA and RT-PCR. The intervention reduced body weight (P

Teaching dilemmas and solutions in content-area literacy, grades 6-12

CERN Document Server

Smagorinsky, Peter

2014-01-01

Because literacy is not just the English teacher's job Think literacy is just for English teachers? Not anymore. Nor should it be when you consider  that each discipline has its own unique values and means of expression. These days, it's up to all teachers to communicate what it means to be literate in their disciplines. Here, finally, is a book ambitious enough to tackle the topic across all major subject areas.  Smagorinsky and his colleagues provide an insider's lens on both the states of their fields and their specific literacy requirements, including:  Reviews of the latest issues and res

Literacy as Self-Expression: Interpreting the Subject Areas through the Arts. Research into Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Karen D.; Finke, Janet; Douville, Patricia

1999-01-01

Examines self-expression in art, drama, and gesture, offering practical strategies that can be used across subject areas to enhance students' literacy performance. Discusses the way creative projects can motivate student language use and participation in history and science projects. (JPB)

The Cultural Exchange, A Cross-Cultural and Interdisciplinary Multicultural Education Curriculum for Grades 4-8. Probe Cards [and] Probe Booklets.

Science.gov (United States)

Nethery, Mary; And Others

These student probe cards for grades 4-8 provide a variety of values-oriented activities to help students explore, understand, and appreciate culturally diverse values. Activities are matched to one of seven objectives and are cross-referenced to the subject areas of social science, mathematics, fine arts, drama, physical education, language arts,…

Grade Inflation: Too Much Talk, Too Little Action

Science.gov (United States)

Faurer, Judson C.; Lopez, Larry

2009-01-01

Grade inflation in academic institutions. Is it a subject so complex and pervasive in education that it defies resolution? The issue of grade inflation is of concern to college students, faculty, administrators and future employers. There is much gnashing of teeth, some veiled threats, wringing of hands, and both written and oral discussion of the…

Beneficiation studies on low-grade complex polymetallic lead-zinc ore of duddar (lasbela) Balochistan, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatti, M.R.; Kazim, K.R.; Mehmood, R.; Akram, A.

2016-01-01

A bench-scale beneficiation study was performed on low-grade complex lead-zinc ore of Duddar area, District Lasbela, Balochistan Province, Pakistan. The polymetallic ore under investigation contains galena and sphalerite as valuable minerals of lead and zinc. The low-grade ore was upgraded by selective sequential froth flotation technology to recover both minerals. An effort was made to investigate the effect of important variables on grade and recovery of concentrates and to design the process flow sheet. Different parameters of flotation process such as particle size of the feed, pH and % solids of the pulp, speed of impeller, type of reagents (collectors, frothers, regulators and modifiers) and their quantities, conditioning time and flotation time were optimized to attain maximum grade and recovery of respective concentrates. The rougher concentrates obtained were subjected to one regrinding and two cleaning operations to achieve higher-grade concentrates of both metals. Bench-scale flotation tests show that it is possible to obtain a lead concentrate assaying 65.24% Pb with recovery rate of 81.32% and a zinc concentrate containing 55.63% Zn content with recovery rate of 80.28%. Both the concentrates meet the specifications required for metallurgical and chemical grades. (author)

Tabla de Especificaciones e Instructivo sobre Elaboracion de Pruebas Objetivas en la Ensenanza Primaria, para las asignaturas de Estudios Sociales, Idioma Espanol, Matematicas y Ciencias Naturales (Specification Tables and Instructions for the Construction of Objective Tests in the Primary Grades in Social Studies, Spanish, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences).

Science.gov (United States)

Ministerio de Educacion, Guatemala City (Guatemala). Direccion de Bienestar Estudiantil y Educacion Especial.

This booklet presents specification tables illustrating the relative importance given to topics on tests within a particular subject area. The general subject areas are social studies, Spanish, mathematics, and natural sciences. Tables are provided for final exams in each of these areas for several primary grades, illustrating the importance of…

Investigating the factors that contribute to the academic underachievement of grade 9 learners / Uys R.M.

OpenAIRE

Uys, Riza Mari

2011-01-01

Academic underachievement potentially redirects the future of adolescents. The specific sample for this research was Grade nine learners. Grade nine is when subject choices are made and the last year of compulsory education. Academic underachievement during Grade nine becomes a barrier to career enhancing subject choices. Subject choice is a first step to greater specialisation of skills and a future career path. This study focused on the investigation of factors that could possibly contribut...

Chewing side, bite force symmetry, and occlusal contact area of subjects with different facial vertical patterns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Guimarães Farias Gomes

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Craniofacial dimensions influence oral functions; however, it is not known whether they are associated with function asymmetry. The objective of this study was to evaluate chewing side preference and lateral asymmetry of occlusal contact area and bite force of individuals with different craniofacial patterns. Seventy-eight dentate subjects were divided into 3 groups according to the VERT index as follows: (1 mesofacial, (2 brachyfacial and (3 dolichofacial. Chewing side preference was evaluated using jaw tracking equipment, occlusal contact area was measured by silicon registration of posterior teeth, and bite force was measured unilaterally on molar regions using 2.25 mm-thick sensors. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA on Ranks, Student's t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests at a 5% significance level. Mesofacial, brachyfacial, and dolichofacial subjects presented more occlusal contact area on the left side. Only dolichofacial subjects showed lateral asymmetry for bite force, presenting higher force on the left side. No statistically significant differences were found for chewing side preference among all groups. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that craniofacial dimensions play a role in asymmetry of bite force. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01286363.

Commercial-grade motors in safety-related applications: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holzman, P.M.

1988-04-01

The objective of this project was to discuss the process necessary to utilize commercial grade equipment in safety related applications and to provide utilities with guidance for accepting commercial grade motors for safety-related applications. The generic commercial-grade concepts presented in this report can be successfully applied to motors. Commercial grade item utilization has the greatest applicability to motors in ''mild'' environments, because these motors are essentially similar to commercial grade motors in materials, construction methods, and capabilities. The acceptance process is less applicable to motors that are subject to ''harsh'' environments during postulated accidents, because of the unique design features and testing required to qualify these motors

WHAT ARE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS PH.D. STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT AGRIBUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS AND SUBJECT AREAS?

OpenAIRE

House, Lisa; Sterns, James A.

2002-01-01

This document contains the PowerPoint presentation given by the authors at the 2002 WCC-72 meetings, regarding what agricultural economics Ph.D students are learning about agribusiness research methods and subject areas.

Estimation of intermediate-grade uranium resources II. Proposed method for estimating intermediate-grade uranium resources in roll-front deposits. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambie, F.W.; Yee, S.N.

1981-09-01

The purpose of this and a previous project was to examine the feasibility of estimating intermediate grade uranium (0.01 to 0.05% U 3 O 8 ) on the basis of existing, sparsely drilled holes. All data are from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. DOE makes preliminary estimates of endowment by calculating an Average Area of Influence (AAI) based on densely drilled areas, multiplying that by the thickness of the mineralization and then dividing by a tonnage factor. The resulting tonnage of ore is then multiplied by the average grade of the interval to obtain the estimate of U 3 O 8 tonnage. Total endowment is the sum of these values over all mineralized intervals in all wells in the area. In regions where wells are densely drilled and approximately regularly spaced this technique approaches the classical polygonal estimation technique used to estimate ore reserves and should be fairly reliable. The method is conservative because: (1) in sparsely drilled regions a large fraction of the area is not considered to contribute to endowment; (2) there is a bias created by the different distributions of point grades and mining block grades. A conservative approach may be justified for purposes of ore reserve estimation, where large investments may hinge on local forecasts. But for estimates of endowment over areas as large as 1 0 by 2 0 quadrangles, or the nation as a whole, errors in local predictions are not critical as long as they tend to cancel and a less conservative estimation approach may be justified.One candidate, developed for this study and described is called the contoured thickness technique. A comparison of estimates based on the contoured thickness approach with DOE calculations for five areas of Wyoming roll-fronts in the Powder River Basin is presented. The sensitivity of the technique to well density is examined and the question of predicting intermediate grade endowment from data on higher grades is discussed

The Measurement of Relevance Amount of Documents That By Using of Google cross-language retrieval About Agriculture Subject Area are Retrieved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Jamshidi Ghahfarokhi

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In this study, the relevance amount of documents has been investigated by using google cross-language retrieval tools about a agriculture subject area in cross-language retrieval form, are retrieved. For this purpose, by using Persian journals articles that have had English abstracts, Persian phrases and subject terms with their English equivalent were extracted. In three class us, thirty number of phrases and subject terms of agriculture area were extracted: First class, subject phrases that only in agriculture are used; Secondary, agriculture subject terms that in other fields are used too; Third class, agriculture subject terms that out of this field are considered as public term. Then by these phrases and terms, documents were searched, and relevance amount of search results are investigated. Results of study showed that google cross-language retrieval tools for two classes of phrases and terms, in cross-language retrieval of relevance document about agriculture subject area, aren`t succeed: one class, agriculture subject terms that in other fields are used too. other class, agriculture subject terms that out of agriculture field are considered as public term. Google cross-language retrieval tools about subject phrase and terms that only in agriculture field are used, are performance rather desirable than other two class of phrase and terms

7 CFR 958.9 - Grade and size.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... thereon. The term size also includes any of the sizes recognized by the onion trade in the production area. ... and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ONIONS GROWN IN CERTAIN DESIGNATED.... Grade means any of the officially established grades of onions, and size means any of the officially...

Cross-Modal Recruitment of Auditory and Orofacial Areas During Sign Language in a Deaf Subject.

Science.gov (United States)

Martino, Juan; Velasquez, Carlos; Vázquez-Bourgon, Javier; de Lucas, Enrique Marco; Gomez, Elsa

2017-09-01

Modern sign languages used by deaf people are fully expressive, natural human languages that are perceived visually and produced manually. The literature contains little data concerning human brain organization in conditions of deficient sensory information such as deafness. A deaf-mute patient underwent surgery of a left temporoinsular low-grade glioma. The patient underwent awake surgery with intraoperative electrical stimulation mapping, allowing direct study of the cortical and subcortical organization of sign language. We found a similar distribution of language sites to what has been reported in mapping studies of patients with oral language, including 1) speech perception areas inducing anomias and alexias close to the auditory cortex (at the posterior portion of the superior temporal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus); 2) speech production areas inducing speech arrest (anarthria) at the ventral premotor cortex, close to the lip motor area and away from the hand motor area; and 3) subcortical stimulation-induced semantic paraphasias at the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus at the temporal isthmus. The intraoperative setup for sign language mapping with intraoperative electrical stimulation in deaf-mute patients is similar to the setup described in patients with oral language. To elucidate the type of language errors, a sign language interpreter in close interaction with the neuropsychologist is necessary. Sign language is perceived visually and produced manually; however, this case revealed a cross-modal recruitment of auditory and orofacial motor areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Examining school effectiveness at the fourth grade: A hierarchical analysis of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

Science.gov (United States)

Stemler, Steven Edward

This study explored school effectiveness in mathematics and science at the fourth grade using data from IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Fourteen of the 26 countries participating in TIMSS at the fourth grade possessed sufficient between-school variability in mathematics achievement to justify the creation of explanatory models of school effectiveness while 13 countries possessed sufficient between-school variability in science achievement. Exploratory models were developed using variables drawn from student, teacher, and school questionnaires. The variables were chosen to represent the domains of student involvement, instructional methods, classroom organization, school climate, and school structure. Six explanatory models for each subject were analyzed using two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and were compared to models using only school mean SES as an explanatory variable. The amount of variability in student achievement in mathematics attributable to differences between schools ranged from 16% in Cyprus to 56% in Latvia, while the amount of between-school variance in science achievement ranged from 12% in Korea to 59% in Latvia. In general, about one-quarter of the variability in mathematics and science achievement was found to lie between schools. The research findings revealed that after adjusting for differences in student backgrounds across schools, the most effective schools in mathematics and science had students who reported seeing a positive relationship between hard work, belief in their own abilities, and achievement. In addition, more effective schools had students who reported less frequent use of computers and calculators in the classroom. These relationships were found to be stable across explanatory models, cultural contexts, and subject areas. This study has contributed a unique element to the literature by examining school effectiveness at the fourth grade across two subject areas and across 14

What is current practice in soft tissue sarcoma grading?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golouh, R.; Bracko, M.

2001-01-01

Purpose. Most published grading systems of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are somewhat subjective and it seems that there is no definite consensus among experts which of them is the most effective. The aim of this study was to collect data from practicing pathologists and to get some insight in the practice of STS grading. Subjects. A questionnaire was sent to 135 pathologists chosen randomly. Results. There were 88 responders from 30 countries from 5 continents. Most responders (85%) grade STS, more frequently in Europe than in non-European countries. Three-grade system is preferred by both European and non-European pathologists, who use it in almost 77% and 67%, respectively. They apply the criteria set by FNCLCC in 37.3%, by NCI in 24%, by Broders in 12% and by Markhede in 1.4%. In Europe, FNCLCC system is the most widely used. Beside classical histological criteria, other modern methods are applied by more than one half of the responders. Immunohistochemical evaluation of proliferation markers is the method most widely used, followed by molecular markers and DNA flow cytometry. Conclusion. The results of our study indicate that most pathologists consider histologic grade of STS as a valuable, however not completely satisfactory predictor of a patient's survival. (author)

MRI features can predict EGFR expression in lower grade gliomas. A voxel-based radiomic analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yiming; Liu, Xing; Qian, Zenghui; Fan, Xing; Li, Shaowu; Jiang, Tao [Capital Medical University, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Beijing (China); Xu, Kaibin [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Automation, Beijing (China); Wang, Kai [Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Department of Neuroradiology, Beijing (China); Wang, Yinyan [Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Department of Neuroradiology, Beijing (China); Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing (China)

2018-01-15

To identify the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features associated with epidermal growth factor (EGFR) expression level in lower grade gliomas using radiomic analysis. 270 lower grade glioma patients with known EGFR expression status were randomly assigned into training (n=200) and validation (n=70) sets, and were subjected to feature extraction. Using a logistic regression model, a signature of MRI features was identified to be predictive of the EGFR expression level in lower grade gliomas in the training set, and the accuracy of prediction was assessed in the validation set. A signature of 41 MRI features achieved accuracies of 82.5% (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.90) in the training set and 90.0% (AUC = 0.95) in the validation set. This radiomic signature consisted of 25 first-order statistics or related wavelet features (including range, standard deviation, uniformity, variance), one shape and size-based feature (spherical disproportion), and 15 textural features or related wavelet features (including sum variance, sum entropy, run percentage). A radiomic signature allowing for the prediction of the EGFR expression level in patients with lower grade glioma was identified, suggesting that using tumour-derived radiological features for predicting genomic information is feasible. (orig.)

GRADE INFLATION: An Issue for Higher Education?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donald L. CARUTH,

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Grade inflation impacts university credibility, student courses of study, choices of institution, and other areas. There has been an upward shift in grades without a corresponding upward shift in knowledge gained. Some of the most frequently mentioned causes of grade inflation are: Ø student evaluations of professors, Ø student teacher dynamics, Ø merit-based financial aid, and Ø student expectations. Ø Among the reasons for higher student grades on the part of professors are: Ø fear of student evaluations, Ø avoidance of bad relations with students, Ø below average teaching skills,Ø lack of experience, Ø a lack of clearly stated objectives, and Ø job security. While grades are not a perfect answer to assessing student performance in a course they are still the best answer we have for evaluating students. In order to evaluate students more accurately, universities must identify the problems in grading and grading practices. Once this is accomplished new practices can be designed and policies implemented.

Graded activity: legacy of the sanatorium.

Science.gov (United States)

Creighton, C

1993-08-01

Occupational therapists in all areas of practice grade therapeutic activities to help patients progress toward their goals. It is proposed in this paper that the concept of graded activity originated in German tuberculosis sanatoria in the late 1800s, when patients were required to walk on graded (sloped) land for exercise. British physician Marcus Paterson included work, as well as walking, in his graduated exercise program for tuberculosis patients and was honored for this innovation at the founding meeting of the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy (NSPOT). George Barton, Susan Tracy, and Herbert Hall were among the NSPOT members who contributed to the development of graded activity as a principle in occupational therapy intervention. The military rehabilitation programs established during World War I provided additional impetus, and by the mid-1920s, graded activity was recognized as central to the profession.

Bioavailability of elemental iron powders to rats is less than bakery-grade ferrous sulfate and predicted by iron solubility and particle surface area.

Science.gov (United States)

Swain, James H; Newman, Samuel M; Hunt, Janet R

2003-11-01

Foods are fortified with elemental forms of iron to reduce iron deficiency. However, the nutritional efficacy of current, commercially produced elemental iron powders has not been verified. We determined the bioavailability of six commercial elemental iron powders and examined how physicochemistry influences bioavailability. Relative biological value (RBV) of the iron powders was determined using a hemoglobin repletion/slope ratio method, treating iron-deficient rats with repletion diets fortified with graded quantities of iron powders, bakery-grade ferrous sulfate or no added iron. Iron powders were assessed physicochemically by measuring iron solubility in hydrochloric acid at pH 1.0 and 1.7, surface area by nitrogen gas adsorption and surface microstructure by electron microscopy. Bioavailability from the iron powders, based on absolute iron intake, was significantly less than from FeSO4 (100%; P Electrolytic (54%; A-131, U.S.) > Electrolytic (46%; Electrolytic Iron, India) > H-Reduced (42%; AC-325, U.S.) > Reduced (24%; ATOMET 95SP, Canada) > CO-Reduced (21%; RSI-325, Sweden). Solubility testing of the iron powders resulted in different relative rankings and better RBV predictability with increasing time at pH 1.7 (R2 = 0.65 at 150 min). The prediction was improved with less time and lower pH (R2 = 0.82, pH 1.0 at 30 min). Surface area, ranging from 90 to 370 m2/kg, was also highly predictive of RBV (R2 = 0.80). Bioavailability of iron powders is less than bakery-grade ferrous sulfate and varies up to three times among different commercial forms. Solubility at pH 1.0 and surface area were predictive of iron bioavailability in rats.

Awake surgery for WHO Grade II gliomas within "noneloquent" areas in the left dominant hemisphere: toward a "supratotal" resection. Clinical article.

Science.gov (United States)

Yordanova, Yordanka N; Moritz-Gasser, Sylvie; Duffau, Hugues

2011-08-01

It has been demonstrated that an extensive resection (total or subtotal) may significantly increase the overall survival in patients with WHO Grade II gliomas (low-grade gliomas [LGGs]). Yet, recent data have shown that conventional MR imaging underestimates the spatial extent of LGG, since tumor cells were found up to 20 mm around MR imaging abnormalities. Thus, it was hypothesized that an extended resection with a margin beyond MR imaging-defined abnormalities-a "supratotal" resection-might improve the outcome of LGG. However, because of the frequent location of LGG within "eloquent" brain areas, it is often difficult to achieve such a supratotal resection. This could nevertheless be possible when LGGs involve "noneloquent" areas, even in the left dominant hemisphere. The authors report on their use of awake electrical mapping to tailor the resection according to functional boundaries, that is, to pursue the resection beyond MR imaging-defined abnormalities, until corticosubcortical eloquent structures are encountered. Their aim was to apply this reliable surgical technique to LGGs located not within eloquent areas but distant from eloquent areas, to take a margin around the LGG visible on MR imaging while preserving brain function. Fifteen right-handed patients with a total of 17 tumors underwent resection of WHO Grade II gliomas involving nonfunctional areas within the left dominant hemisphere. In all patients, seizures were the initial manifestation of the tumors. Awake surgery with intraoperative electrostimulation was performed in all cases. The resection was continued until the surgeon reached cortical and subcortical areas crucial for brain function, especially language, as defined by the intrasurgical electrical mapping. The extent of resection was evaluated on postoperative FLAIR-weighted MR images. Despite transient neurological worsening in 60% of cases, all patients recovered and returned to a normal life. Seizure control was obtained in all patients

Laser-controlled land grading for farmland drainage in the Red River Valley: an economic evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwardson, S.; Watt, D.; Disrud, L.

1988-01-01

A study was conducted in the Red River Valley to evaluate the benefits of laser land grading for drainage. Graded fields were compared with ungraded fields to measure changes in crop yields due to better drainage on the graded fields. Cut-and-fill areas were studied in graded fields to evaluate the effect of grading on nutrient levels and crop uniformity. Potential cut-and-fill areas on an ungraded field were also studied for yield uniformity and nutrient levels and compared with the graded field. Crop maturity and yield were more uniform on graded fields (0.05 level of significance) than on ungraded fields. Aerial photographs indicated graded fields had more uniform drainage and, consequently, more uniform crop maturity at harvest. A method is presented for determining the economic feasibility of land grading based upon the percentage of land lost to drown out, the value of the crop, and the cost of grading. The economic analysis indicates that land grading on the areas studied resulted in an 8-year payback and a positive investment return for a longer period of time. (author)

Comparative thermal cyclic test of different beryllium grades previously subjected to simulated disruption loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gervash, A.; Giniyatulin, R.; Mazul, I.

1999-01-01

Considering beryllium as plasma facing armour this paper presents recent results obtained in Russia. A special process of joining beryllium to a Cu-alloy material structure is described and recent results of thermal cycling tests of such joints are presented. Summarizing the results, the authors show that a Cu-alloy heat sink structure armoured with beryllium can survive high heat fluxes (≥10 MW/m 2 ) during 1000 heating/cooling cycles without serious damage to the armour material and its joint. The principal feasibility of thermal cycling of beryllium grades and their joints directly in the core of a nuclear reactor is demonstrated and the main results of this test are presented. The paper also describes the thermal cycling of different beryllium grades having cracks initiated by previously applied high heat loads simulating plasma disruptions. (orig.)

Preventing halo bias in grading the work of university students

OpenAIRE

John M. Malouff; Sarah J. Stein; Lodewicka N. Bothma; Kimberley Coulter; Ashley J. Emmerton

2014-01-01

Experts have advocated anonymous marking as a means of minimizing bias in subjective student assessment. In the present study, 159 faculty members or teaching assistants across disciplines were randomly assigned (1) to grade a poor oral presentation of a university student, (2) to grade a good oral presentation of the same student, or (3) not to grade any oral presentation of the student. All graders then assessed the same written work by the student. A linear-contrasts analysis showed that, ...

Evaluation of thyroid function in female subjects living in the high natural background radiation area of Karunagappally, Kerala

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sreekumar, A.; Nair, Raghu Ram K.; Jayalakshmi, P.; Sebastian, P.; Akiba, S.

2010-01-01

Radiation exposure has been reported to cause non cancer thyroid abnormalities like diffuse goiter and thyroid nodules. The present study was undertaken to see if there are any morphological and functional changes taking place in the thyroid due to chronic low level radiation exposure. 257 female subjects living in the four high background radiation panchayats of Chavara, Neendakara, Alappad and Panmana were selected for the study after getting informed consent. 5 ml of blood was drawn from these subjects for assessing thyroid function. The subjects were all staying in the same area since their birth and had not moved out for more than one year at a stretch. The average age of the subjects was 40.5y with a range of 17-66y. The cumulative dose had a mean of 226.3 mGy and a range of 20.6-937.8 mGy. 95 subjects from the low background area of Oachira and Thevalakkara were selected as controls in the age group of 18-63y with a mean age of 47.1y. The mean cumulative dose of this group was 35.9 mGy with a minimum of 5.3 mGy and a maximum of 106.8 mGy. 5 ml blood was collected from these subjects for thyroid function studies. All the subjects underwent ultrasound examination of the thyroid using a 10 MHz frequency linear probe. The following parameters were studied to assess thyroid function: Free T4, TSH, Antithyroglobulin antibody (ATG), Parathyroid hormone. Ultrasound images showed the following common features: Normal - 171, Suggestive of Thyroiditis - 106, Multinodular Goitre - 63, Diffuse Goitre - 5, Solitary Nodule - 31. 73 subjects had elevated TSH and 190 subjects had raised ATG. A significant numbers of subjects had features of thyroiditis. A comparative evaluation with control subjects will be done to assess its significance with reference to cumulative dose

Validity and Reliability of Preschool, First and Second Grade Versions of Berkeley Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahrbanoo Tajeri

2009-02-01

Full Text Available "nObjective: The purpose of this study is to examine the factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of preschool, first and second grade versions of Berkeley Parenting self-efficacy scale. "nMethod:  The subjects were 317 mothers: (102 mothers of preschool children, 111 mothers of first grade children and 104 mothers of second grade children who were randomly selected from schools in Tehran. They completed Berkeley parenting self-efficacy and Rotter `s locus of control scales. Factor analysis using the principle component method was used to identify the factor structure of parenting self-efficacy scale. Cronbach`s alpha coefficient was used to identify the reliability of parenting self efficacy scale. "nResults: Results of this study indicated that the cronbach`s alpha coefficient was 0.84, 0.87, 0.64 for preschool, first grade and second grade versions respectively. Based on the scree test ,,factor analysis produced two factors of maternal strategy and child outcome, and it also produced the highest level of total variance explained by these 2 factors. The Parenting self-efficacy scale was negatively associated with measure of locus of control(r=-0.54 for the preschool version, -0.64 for the first grade version and -0.54 for the second grade version. "nConclusion: Due to relatively high reliability and validity of preschool, first and second grade versions of Berkeley Parenting Self-Efficacy scale, this scale could be used as a reliable and valid scale in other research areas

A Multidisciplinary Process Curriculum in Environmental Education, Grade 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Edmonds School District 15, Lynnwood, WA.

This second grade curriculum guide is based on a multidisciplinary approach to environmental education. The guide includes activities, guidelines for field trip planning, and a resource section. The guide deals with the subjects of plants, soil, and litter. Each subject section includes activities based on the physical characteristics, man's use,…

Seventh Grade Social Studies. A Program in Sociology and American History.

Science.gov (United States)

Clancy, Patricia; And Others

GRADES OR AGES: Seventh grade. SUBJECT MATTER: Sociology and American history. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide covers five units: "Biological Basis of Human Behavior,""How We Become Human,""The Family and Other Socializing Institutions,""Man's Behavior in Groups and Crowds," and "Minority Group Problems." The presentation of the…

Eighth Grade Social Studies. An Experimental Program in Geography and Anthropology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanson, James; And Others

GRADES OR AGES: Grade 8. SUBJECT MATTER: Geography and Anthropology. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The introductory material includes descriptions of geography and anthropology as disciplines, the basic course objectives, techniques for evaluating objectives and a student self-evaluation form. The guide covers six units: 1) "What Kind of…

Analysis of DTI-Derived Tensor Metrics in Differential Diagnosis between Low-grade and High-grade Gliomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Liang; Xiao, Chao-Yong; Xu, Quan; Sun, Jun; Chen, Huiyou; Chen, Yu-Chen; Yin, Xindao

2017-01-01

Purpose: It is critical and difficult to accurately discriminate between high- and low-grade gliomas preoperatively. This study aimed to ascertain the role of several scalar measures in distinguishing high-grade from low-grade gliomas, especially the axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), planar tensor (Cp), spherical tensor (Cs), and linear tensor (Cl) derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Materials and Methods: Fifty-three patients with pathologically confirmed brain gliomas (21 low-grade and 32 high-grade) were included. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images and DTI were performed in all patients. The AD, RD, Cp, Cs, and Cl values in the tumor zone, peritumoral edema zone, white matter (WM) adjacent to edema and contralateral normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) were calculated. The DTI parameters and tumor grades were statistically analyzed, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was also performed. Results: The DTI metrics in the affected hemisphere showed significant differences from those in the NAWM, except for the AD values in the tumor zone and the RD values in WM adjacent to edema in the low-grade groups, as well as the Cp values in WM adjacent to edema in the high-grade groups. AD in the tumor zone as well as Cs and Cl in WM adjacent to edema revealed significant differences between the low- and high-grade gliomas. The areas under the curve (Az) of all three metrics were greater than 0.5 in distinguishing low-grade from high-grade gliomas by ROC curve analysis, and the best DTI metric was Cs in WM adjacent to edema (Az: 0.692). Conclusion: AD in the tumor zone as well as Cs and Cl in WM adjacent to edema will provide additional information to better classify gliomas and can be used as non-invasive reliable biomarkers in glioma grading.

Model of external exposure of population living in the areas subjected to radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golikov, V.Yu.; Balonov, M.I.

2002-01-01

In the paper, we formulated the general approach to assessment of external doses to population living in contaminated areas (the model equation and the set of parameters). The model parameters were assessed on the basis of results of monitoring in the environment, phantom experiments, and social and demographic information obtained on the contaminated areas. Verification of model assessments performed by comparison with measurement results of individual external doses in inhabitants within the thermoluminescent dosimetry method have shown that differences in dose assessments within both methods does not exceed 1.5 times at a confidence level of 95%. In the paper, we present the results illustrating specific features of external dose formation in population living in the areas of Russia subjected to radioactive contamination due to nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site, radioactive releases from the Mayak enterprise, and the Chernobyl accident. (author)

Blood biomonitoring of metals in subjects living near abandoned mining and active industrial areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Madeddu, Roberto; Tolu, Paola; Asara, Yolande; Farace, Cristiano; Forte, Giovanni; Bocca, Beatrice

2013-07-01

A human blood biomonitoring campaign to detect the environmental exposure to metals (Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Pb and Zn) in 265 subjects was performed in the South-Western part of Sardinia (an Italian island) that is a particular area with a great history of coal and metal mining (Pb/Zn mainly) activities and large industrial structures (as metallurgy). Subjects living near the industrial plant area had geometric means (GM) of blood Cd (0.79 μg/l), Cu (971 μg/l), Mn (12.2 μg/l), and Pb (55.7 μg/l) significantly higher than controls (Cd, 0.47 μg/l; Cu, 900 μg/l; Mn 9.98 μg/l; Pb, 26.5 μg/l) and than people living nearby the past mining sites. Subjects living next to one dismissed mine were statistically higher in blood Cu (GM, 1,022 μg/l) and Pb (GM, 41.4 μg/l) concentrations than controls. No differences were observed in people living in the different mining sites, and this might be related to the decennial disclosure of mines and the adoption of environmental remediation programmes. Some interindividual variables influenced blood biomonitoring data, as smoke and age for Cd, gender for Cu, age, sex and alcohol for Pb, and age for Zn. Moreover, blood metal levels of the whole population were similar to reference values representative of the Sardinian population and acceptably safe according to currently available health guidelines.

Lens subluxation grading system: predictive value for ectopia lentis surgical outcomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauro Waiswol

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To present a classification system to grade ectopia lentis and to assess its usefulness as a predictor for surgical outcomes. Methods: Fifty-one eyes of 28 patients with either simple (19 patients or Marfan syndrome-associated ectopia lentis (nine patients with variable degrees of subluxation were operated on. Lens subluxation intensity was graded according to the lens subluxation grading system (LSGS from grade 1 (lens on the whole pupillary area up to grade 4 (lens absent from the pupillary area. Thirty eyes underwent cataract extraction (“dry” aspiration with endocapsular ring and in-the-bag intraocular lens (IOL implantation. Twenty-one eyes underwent cataract extraction (“dry” aspiration with scleral fixation of the IOL. The predictive value of the LSGS was assessed by analyzing the post-operative outcomes, including visual acuity (VA, endothelial cell loss, and complications for each grade on the grading system. Rresults: Patients were classified into grade 1 (19.6%, grade 2 (51% and grade 3 (29.4%. Post-operative VA was lower for eyes with larger degrees of subluxation. The higher the subluxation grade, the higher the endothelial cell loss, as well as, the frequency of vitreous loss and surgical time. Higher subluxation grades prevented optimal surgical outcomes with endocapsular ring and in-the-bag IOL implantation. Cconclusions: The LSGS provides an estimate of the surgical success of ectopia lentis. Adequate standardization of lens subluxation is crucial for understanding studies dealing with the surgical correction of this disorder.

Lens subluxation grading system: predictive value for ectopia lentis surgical outcomes

OpenAIRE

Mauro Waiswol; Niro Kasahara

2009-01-01

Objective: To present a classification system to grade ectopia lentis and to assess its usefulness as a predictor for surgical outcomes. Methods: Fifty-one eyes of 28 patients with either simple (19 patients) or Marfan syndrome-associated ectopia lentis (nine patients) with variable degrees of subluxation were operated on. Lens subluxation intensity was graded according to the lens subluxation grading system (LSGS) from grade 1 (lens on the whole pupillary area) up to grade 4 (lens absent fro...

30 CFR 816.105 - Backfilling and grading: Thick overburden.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Backfilling and grading: Thick overburden. 816...-SURFACE MINING ACTIVITIES § 816.105 Backfilling and grading: Thick overburden. (a) Definition. Thick... surrounding terrain. (b) Performance standards. Where thick overburden occurs within the permit area, the...

Developmental Dynamics of General and School-Subject-Specific Components of Academic Self-Concept, Academic Interest, and Academic Anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Gogol, Katarzyna; Brunner, Martin; Preckel, Franzis; Goetz, Thomas; Martin, Romain

2016-01-01

The present study investigated the developmental dynamics of general and subject-specific (i.e., mathematics, French, and German) components of students' academic self-concept, anxiety, and interest. To this end, the authors integrated three lines of research: (a) hierarchical and multidimensional approaches to the conceptualization of each construct, (b) longitudinal analyses of bottom-up and top-down developmental processes across hierarchical levels, and (c) developmental processes across subjects. The data stemmed from two longitudinal large-scale samples (N = 3498 and N = 3863) of students attending Grades 7 and 9 in Luxembourgish schools. Nested-factor models were applied to represent each construct at each grade level. The analyses demonstrated that several characteristics were shared across constructs. All constructs were multidimensional in nature with respect to the different subjects, showed a hierarchical organization with a general component at the apex of the hierarchy, and had a strong separation between the subject-specific components at both grade levels. Further, all constructs showed moderate differential stabilities at both the general (0.42 < r < 0.55) and subject-specific levels (0.45 < r < 0.73). Further, little evidence was found for top-down or bottom-up developmental processes. Rather, general and subject-specific components in Grade 9 proved to be primarily a function of the corresponding components in Grade 7. Finally, change in several subject-specific components could be explained by negative effects across subjects.

Pharmacokinetic MRI of the prostate. Parameters for differentiating low-grade and high-grade prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franiel, T.; Taupitz, M.; Asbach, P.; Beyersdorff, D.; Luedemann, L.; Rost, J.

2009-01-01

Purpose: to investigate whether pharmacokinetic MRI parameters ''perfusion, blood volume, mean transit time (MTT), interstitial volume, permeability, extraction coefficient, delay, and dispersion'' allow the differentiation of low-grade (Gleason score ≤ 6) and high-grade (Gleason score ≥ 7) prostate cancer. Materials and method: forty-two patients with prostate cancer verified by biopsy (PSA 2.7 to 31.4ng/ml) and scheduled for prostatectomy underwent MRI at 1.5 Tesla using the dynamic contrast-enhanced inversion-prepared dual-contrast gradient echo sequence (temporal resolution, 1.65 s) and a combined endorectal body phased array coil. Parametric maps were computed using a sequential 3-compartment model and the corresponding post-processing algorithms. A total of 41 areas of prostate cancer (15 low-grade, 26 high-grade cancers) in 32 patients were able to be correlated with the prostatectomy specimens and were included in the analysis. Results: low-grade prostate cancers had a higher mean blood volume (1.76% vs. 1.64%, p = 0.039), longer MTT (6.39 s vs. 3.25 s, p -1 vs. 3.86 min -1 , p = 0.011) than high-grade cancers. No statistically significant difference was found for perfusion (p = 0.069), interstitial volume (p = 0.849), extraction coefficient (p = 0.615), delay (p = 0.489), and dispersion (p = 0.306). (orig.)

Home Economics Education. Course of Study for Occupationally Oriented Classes. Grades 8, 9, 10.

Science.gov (United States)

Fairfax County Schools, VA.

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 8-10. SUBJECT MATTER: Vocational home economics. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into three sections, one for each grade. Sections are further subdivided into units, each of which is laid out in three columns. Column headings are goals and concepts, activities and resources and notes. The guide is…

EFFECTS OF THE SCHOOL SUBJECT – SPORT FOR ATHLETES ON MOTORIC ABILITIES OF 8TH GRADE BOYS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milovan Ljubojević

2011-09-01

Full Text Available School curriculums in physical education are conceptualised that students are expected to overcome many motoric assignments and vast area of disciplines (athletics, gymnastics, sports games, rhythmic gymnastics, ethnic dances, etc. Drawbacks of this kind of curriculum are: students superficially adopt only basic elements of motions; there is no automatization and complete control of motoric motions. Teaching practice is mainly focused on development of technical elements in contrast to development of motoric and functional abilities of students. Physical education efficiency can be improved by realistic, expertly and economical planning and monitoring of the effects of the teaching, as well as by increase in weekly number of classes. Sports games are, among others, by nature of comprising motions, important factors and tools in teaching of physical education of students. It seems that all of this has been considered when school reform has been done in Montenegro. By this very kind of work the effects of the increment in weekly class number are meant to be checked out. Our sample consisted of 73 8th grade boys, 42 in experimental group involved in additional basketball programme, and 31 boys in control group without additional classes of physical education. Level of motoric abilities has been followed by 14 test battery which measured levels of speed, coordination, precision, balance, flexibility and explosive strength. We concluded that subjects in experimental group had shown improved levels of abilities in each test at final measurement, except at the test of vertical aiming – darts. However, keep in mind that boys in control group had also show certain improvements in results of the t test for dependent samples at initial and final measurement of the horizontal wall bouncing for 15 seconds test and hand and foot tapping test, by using ANOVA we compared measured results at final measurement of the each group. We concluded that there are

Content and Grade Trends in State Assessments and NAEP.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William D. Schafer

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Each state is required by the No Child Left Behind Act to report the percents of its students who have reached a score level called - proficient- or above for certain grades in the content areas of reading (or a similar construct and math. Using 2005 data from public web sites of states and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, state-to-state differences in percents were analyzed, both unconditionally and conditionally on NAEP, for (1 trend across content areas (horizontal moderation, (2 trend across grade levels (vertical moderation, and (3 consistency with NAEP. While there was considerable variation from state to state, especially on an idealistic-realistic dimension, the results generally show that states are relatively consistent in trends across grades and contents.

Power calculation of grading device in desintegrator

Science.gov (United States)

Bogdanov, V. S.; Semikopenko, I. A.; Vavilov, D. V.

2018-03-01

This article describes the analytical method of measuring the secondary power consumption, necessitated by the installation of a grading device in the peripheral part of the grinding chamber in the desintegrator. There is a calculation model for defining the power input of the disintegrator increased by the extra power demand, required to rotate the grading device and to grind the material in the area between the external row of hammers and the grading device. The work has determined the inertia moments of a cylindrical section of the grading device with armour plates. The processing capacity of the grading device is adjusted to the conveying capacity of the auger feeder. The grading device enables one to increase the concentration of particles in the peripheral part of the grinding chamber and the amount of interaction between particles and armour plates as well as the number of colliding particles. The perforated sections provide the output of the ground material with the proper size granules, which together with the effects of armour plates, improves the efficiency of grinding. The power demand to rotate the grading device does not exceed the admissible value.

PENGEMBANGAN SUBJECT SPESIFIC PEDAGOGY TEMATIK UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEJUJURAN DAN KEDISIPLINAN SISWA KELAS I SD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paimun Paimun

2014-07-01

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DEVELOPING THEMATIC SUBJECT-SPECIFIC PEDAGOGY TO IMPROVE GRADE I STUDENTS’ HONESTY AND DISCIPLINE ABSTRACT This study aims to produce integrated learning kits in the form of thematic Subject-Specific Pedagogy (SSP capable of improving the characters of Grade I students of the elementary school, especially those of honesty and discipline. This was a research and development (R & D study consisting of nine stages, namely: (1 preliminary study and data collection, (2 planning, (3 product draft development, (4 preliminary field tryout, (5 revision of the tryout result, (6 field tryout, (7 product finalization based the field tryout result, (8 field implementation testing, and (9 final product finalization. The tryout subjects were Grade I students of SDN Wonosari I Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. The one-to-one tryout subjects consisted of three students. The small-group tryout subjects consisted of ten students who were not involved in the one-to-one tryout. The field tryout subjects consisted of 47 students from Grade I B and Grade I C.The result of the study is in the form of SSP consisting of a syllabus, lesson plans, student worksheets, and assessment instruments. The results of the evaluation show that the developed syllabus is good. The developed lesson plans are very good, the developed student worksheets are very good, the developed assessment instruments are very good, and the developed learning media are good. Therefore, it can be concluded that the developed SSP is in the good and very good categories to improve students’ characters. The students’ average affective learning outcomes are 99.50 for honesty and 98.66 for discipline. Keywords: development, SSP, thematic, characters

Strand I: Physical Health Nutrition. Health Curriculum Materials. Grades 4-6.

Science.gov (United States)

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Elementary Curriculum Development.

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 4-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Physical health and nutrition. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into five sections: factors determining what people eat, the role of food in growth and development, the uses of nutrients in food, selection of foods to meet bodily needs, and food in the history of man. The…

A Comparison of Graded Response and Rasch Partial Credit Models with Subjective Well-Being.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, John G.; Rounds, James B.; Zevon, Michael A.

2000-01-01

Compared two multiple category item response theory models using a data set of 52 mood terms with 713 undergraduate psychology students. Comparative model fit for the Samejima (F. Samejima, 1966) logistic model for graded responses and the Masters (G. Masters, 1982) partial credit model favored the former model for this data set. (SLD)

EFFECTS OF THE SCHOOL SUBJECT – SPORT FOR ATHLETES ON MOTORIC ABILITIES OF 8TH GRADE GIRLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milovan Ljubojević

2011-08-01

Full Text Available The place and importance of physical education in educational system is well known. Many researches have been done with the goal to determine influence of physical education on students. However, keep in mind that many of those researches had shown that women are generally not so interested in sports and that they are less included in physical activities (especially some forms of it, we have focused our work at possibilities of improvement of motoric abilities of girls inside chosen subject – sport for athletes, which is being conveyed in 8th grade with two classes per week, and chosen sport was basketball. Our sample consisted of 67 girls (37 in experimental and 30 in control group. Level of motoric abilities has been tracked by 14 test battery which measured levels of speed, coordination, precision, balance, flexibility and explosive strength. We concluded that subjects in experimental group improved levels of abilities in each test at final measuring. However, keep in mind that girls in control group had also show certain improvements in results of the t test for dependent samples at initial and final measurement of the following tests: horizontal wall bouncing for 15 seconds, hand and foot tapping, horizontal aiming and standing on one leg with eyes closed, we have compared by ANOVA measured results at final measurement of the each group. We concluded that there are statistically significant differences between groups in left hand basketball dribbling test, pull-through and jump-over tests, horizontal wall bouncing for 15 seconds, hand and foot tapping, standing on one leg with eyes closed, vertical jump – Sargent test, basketball throwing from chest from sitting position. Therefore, we can finally conclude that conveyed basketball programme had completely positive impact at motoric abilities of girls, as we expected

Differences in Activation Area Within Brodmann Area 2 Caused by Pressure Stimuli on Fingers and Joints: In Case of Male Subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Mi-Hyun; Kim, Hyung-Sik; Baek, Ji-Hye; Lee, Jung-Chul; Park, Sung-Jun; Jeong, Ul-Ho; Gim, Seon-Young; Kim, Sung-Phil; Lim, Dae-Woon; Chung, Soon-Cheol

2015-09-01

In this study, a constant pressure stimulus was applied on the 3 joints (first [p1], second [p2], and third [p3] joints) of 4 fingers (index, middle, ring, and little fingers), and the activation areas within Brodmann area 2 (BA 2) were compared for these different fingers and joints by using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eight healthy male college students (25.4 ± 1.32 years) participated in the study. Each session was composed of 3 blocks, and each block was composed of a Control phase (30 seconds) and a Pressure phase (30 seconds). No pressure stimulus was applied in the Control phase, during which the subjects would simply lay comfortably with their eyes closed. In the Pressure phase, a pressure stimulus was applied onto one of the joints of the selected finger. For each finger and joint, BA 2 areas activated by the pressure stimulus were extracted by the region of interest method. There was a significant difference in the activation areas for the different fingers (P = .042) as well as for the different joints (P = .050). The activation area decreased in the order of the little, index, and middle fingers, as well as in the order of p1, p3, and p2.

Developmental Dynamics of General and School-Subject-Specific Components of Academic Self-Concept, Academic Interest, and Academic Anxiety

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna eGogol

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The present study investigated the developmental dynamics of general and subject-specific (i.e., mathematics, French, and German components of students’ academic self-concept, anxiety, and interest. To this end, the authors integrated three lines of research: (a hierarchical and multidimensional approaches to the conceptualization of each construct, (b longitudinal analyses of bottom-up and top-down developmental processes across hierarchical levels, and (c ipsative developmental processes across subjects. The data stemmed from two longitudinal large-scale samples (N = 3,498 and N = 3,863 of students attending Grades 7 and 9 in Luxembourgish schools. Nested-factor models were applied to represent each construct at each grade level. The analyses demonstrated that several characteristics were shared across constructs. All constructs were multidimensional in nature with respect to the different subjects, showed a hierarchical organization with a general component at the apex of the hierarchy, and had a strong separation between the subject-specific components at both grade levels. Further, all constructs showed moderate differential stabilities at both the general (.42 < r < .55 and subject-specific levels (.45 < r < .73. Further, little evidence was found for top-down or bottom-up developmental processes. Rather, general and subject-specific components in Grade 9 proved to be primarily a function of the corresponding components in Grade 7. Finally, change in several subject-specific components could be explained by negative, ipsative effects across subjects.

Developmental Dynamics of General and School-Subject-Specific Components of Academic Self-Concept, Academic Interest, and Academic Anxiety

Science.gov (United States)

Gogol, Katarzyna; Brunner, Martin; Preckel, Franzis; Goetz, Thomas; Martin, Romain

2016-01-01

The present study investigated the developmental dynamics of general and subject-specific (i.e., mathematics, French, and German) components of students' academic self-concept, anxiety, and interest. To this end, the authors integrated three lines of research: (a) hierarchical and multidimensional approaches to the conceptualization of each construct, (b) longitudinal analyses of bottom-up and top-down developmental processes across hierarchical levels, and (c) developmental processes across subjects. The data stemmed from two longitudinal large-scale samples (N = 3498 and N = 3863) of students attending Grades 7 and 9 in Luxembourgish schools. Nested-factor models were applied to represent each construct at each grade level. The analyses demonstrated that several characteristics were shared across constructs. All constructs were multidimensional in nature with respect to the different subjects, showed a hierarchical organization with a general component at the apex of the hierarchy, and had a strong separation between the subject-specific components at both grade levels. Further, all constructs showed moderate differential stabilities at both the general (0.42 < r < 0.55) and subject-specific levels (0.45 < r < 0.73). Further, little evidence was found for top-down or bottom-up developmental processes. Rather, general and subject-specific components in Grade 9 proved to be primarily a function of the corresponding components in Grade 7. Finally, change in several subject-specific components could be explained by negative effects across subjects. PMID:27014162

Emerging role of functional brain MRI in low-grade glioma surgery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friismose, Ancuta; Traise, Peter; Markovic, Ljubo

Learning objectives 1. To describe the use of functional MRI (fMRI) in cranial surgery planning for patients with low-grade gliomas (LGG). 2. To show the increasing importance of fMRI in the clinical setting. Background LGG include brain tumors classified by the World Health Organization as grade I...... be used to map eloquent cortex areas, thus minimizing postoperative deficits and improving surgical performance. Findings and procedure details Patients diagnosed with low-grade gliomas located in eloquent brain areas undergo fMRI prior to surgery. The exams are performed on a 3T MR system (Achieva TX....... Language comprehension and visual tasks can be added to visualize Wernicke’s area or the visual cortex. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is used to map nerve tract course relative to the tumour. Conclusion FMRI has proven its clinical utility in locating eloquent brain areas with relation to tumor site...

Practices in the Teaching of Listening in Grade 9 EFL Classrooms of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was designed to examine the practices in the teaching of listening in Grade 9 EFL classrooms of Mote Secondary School. The study employed a descriptive survey design to attain the objective. The research used 108 Grade 9 students and 6 English language teachers who were teaching English as subjects of ...

Renal Parenchyma to Hydronephrosis Area Ratio (PHAR) as a Predictor of Future Surgical Intervention for Infants With High-grade Prenatal Hydronephrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rickard, Mandy; Lorenzo, Armando J; Braga, Luis H

2017-03-01

To explore the potential value of an objective assessment, renal parenchyma to hydronephrosis area ratio (PHAR), as an early predictor of surgery. Initial sagittal renal ultrasound (US) images of patients prospectively entered into a prenatal hydronephrosis database from January 2008 to January 2016 with baseline Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) grades III and IV prenatal hydronephrosis, without vesicoureteral reflux, were evaluated using the National Institutes of Health-sponsored image processing software. PHAR, anteroposterior diameter, SFU grade, and urinary tract dilation risk categories were contrasted with nuclear scan data (differential renal function and drainage time [t 1/2 ]) and analyzed for predictive value in determining the decision to proceed with surgery by drawing receiver operating characteristic curves. Out of 196 infants (162 male; 138 left sided hydronephrosis), 58 (30%) underwent surgery to address obstruction. Surgical patients compared with those managed conservatively had longer t 1/2 (60 vs 18 min; P hydronephrosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Instructional quality of lower grades natural science classes: the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... classes: the case of primary schools linked to Kemise College of Teacher Education. ... the quality of natural science education classroom instruction in lower grade ... on pedagogical and subject matter issue, closer support and supervision.

78 FR 66655 - Consumer Information; Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-06

... information indicating the relative performance of passenger car tires in the areas of treadwear, traction... [Docket No. NHTSA-2013-0120] RIN 2127-AL49 Consumer Information; Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards...). ACTION: Interim final rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: The Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards...

Using food as a tool to teach science to 3 grade students in Appalachian Ohio.

Science.gov (United States)

Duffrin, Melani W; Hovland, Jana; Carraway-Stage, Virginia; McLeod, Sara; Duffrin, Christopher; Phillips, Sharon; Rivera, David; Saum, Diana; Johanson, George; Graham, Annette; Lee, Tammy; Bosse, Michael; Berryman, Darlene

2010-04-01

The Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource (FoodMASTER) Initiative is a compilation of programs aimed at using food as a tool to teach mathematics and science. In 2007-2008, a foods curriculum developed by professionals in nutrition and education was implemented in 10 3(rd)-grade classrooms in Appalachian Ohio; teachers in these classrooms implemented 45 hands-on foods activities that covered 10 food topics. Subjects included measurement; food safety; vegetables; fruits; milk and cheese; meat, poultry, and fish; eggs; fats; grains; and meal management. Students in four other classrooms served as the control group. Mainstream 3(rd)-grade students were targeted because of their receptiveness to the subject matter, science standards for upper elementary grades, and testing that the students would undergo in 4(th) grade. Teachers and students alike reported that the hands-on FoodMASTER curriculum experience was worthwhile and enjoyable. Our initial classroom observation indicated that the majority of students, girls and boys included, were very excited about the activities, became increasingly interested in the subject matter of food, and were able to conduct scientific observations.

Correlation of DNA content and nucleomorphometric features with World Health Organization grading of meningiomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Grunewald, J P; Röhl, F W; Kirches, E; Dietzmann, K

1998-02-01

Many studies dealing with extracranial cancer showed a strong correlation of DNA ploidy to a poor clinical outcome, recurrence, or malignancy. In brain tumors, analysis of DNA content did not always provided significant diagnostic information. In this study, DNA density and karyometric parameters of 50 meningiomas (26 Grade I, 10 Grade II, 14 Grade III) were quantitatively evaluated by digital cell image analyses of Feulgen-stained nuclei. In particular, the densitometric parameter SEXT, which describes nuclear DNA content, as well as the morphometric values LENG (a computer-assisted measurement of nuclear circumference), AREA (a computer-assisted measurement of nuclear area), FCON (a parameter that describes nuclear roundness), and CONC (a describing nuclear contour), evaluated with the software IMAGE C, were correlated to World Health Organization (WHO) grading using univariate and multivariate methods. AREA and LENG values showed significant differences between tumors of Grades I and III. FCON values were unable to distinguish WHO Grade III from Grade I/II but were useful in clearly separating Grade II from Grade I tumors. CONC values detected differences between WHO Grades II and I/III tumors but not between the latter. SEXT values clearly distinguished Grade III from Grade I/II tumors. The 1c, 2c, 2.5c, and 5c exceeding rates showed no predictive values. Only the 6c exceeding rate showed a significant difference between Grades I and III. These results outline the characteristic features of the atypical (Grade II) meningiomas, which make them a recognizable tumor entity distinct from benign and anaplastic meningiomas. The combination of DNA densitometric and morphometric findings seems to be a powerful addition to the histopathologic classification of meningiomas, as suggested by the WHO.

Man's Basic Needs. Resource Units, Grade 1. Providence Social Studies Curriculum Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Providence Public Schools, RI.

GRADES OR AGES: Grade 1. SUBJECT MATTER: Social studies; man's basic needs. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into 11 chapters, five of which outline the basic curriculum subunits. These five chapters are laid out in three columns, one each for topics, activities, and materials. Other chapters are in list form. The guide…

Profile formation of academic self-concept in elementary school students in grades 1 to 4.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabelle Schmidt

Full Text Available Academic self-concept (ASC is comprised of individual perceptions of one's own academic ability. In a cross-sectional quasi-representative sample of 3,779 German elementary school children in grades 1 to 4, we investigated (a the structure of ASC, (b ASC profile formation, an aspect of differentiation that is reflected in lower correlations between domain-specific ASCs with increasing grade level, (c the impact of (internal dimensional comparisons of one's own ability in different school subjects for profile formation of ASC, and (d the role played by differences in school grades between subjects for these dimensional comparisons. The nested Marsh/Shavelson model, with general ASC at the apex and math, writing, and reading ASC as specific factors nested under general ASC fitted the data at all grade levels. A first-order factor model with math, writing, reading, and general ASCs as correlated factors provided a good fit, too. ASC profile formation became apparent during the first two to three years of school. Dimensional comparisons across subjects contributed to ASC profile formation. School grades enhanced these comparisons, especially when achievement profiles were uneven. In part, findings depended on the assumed structural model of ASCs. Implications for further research are discussed with special regard to factors influencing and moderating dimensional comparisons.

The research reported in this article was conducted from a socio-environmental perspective on learners’ school readiness when entering Grade 1, as well as their school performance in Grade 1 and again in Grade 4. The relation between school readiness and

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erna van Zyl

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The research reported in this article was conducted from a socio-environmental perspective on learners’ school readiness when entering Grade 1, as well as their school performance in Grade 1 and again in Grade 4. The relation between school readiness and performance in Home Language and Numeracy in Grade 1, and performance in the same learning areas in Grade 4 were investigated by means of a longitudinal quantitative study. One school in the Free State province was purposefully selected. The Aptitude Test for School Beginners (ASB was implemented to capture school readiness, including school maturity and levels of development in physical, cognitive, emotional, social and normative domains. Results confirm that school readiness significantly correlated with academic performance of the respondents in Grade 1 as well as with their school performance in Grade 4.

Grading of quality assurance requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The present Manual provides guidance and illustrative examples for applying a method by which graded quality assurance requirements may be determined and adapted to the items and services of a nuclear power plant in conformance with the requirements of the IAEA Nuclear Safety Standards (NUSS) Code and Safety Guides on quality assurance. The Manual replaces the previous publication IAEA-TECDOC-303 on the same subject. Various methods of grading quality assurance are available in a number of Member States. During the development of the present Manual it was not considered practical to attempt to resolve the differences between those methods and it was preferred to identify and benefit from the good practices available in all the methods. The method presented in this Manual deals with the aspects of management, documentation, control, verification and administration which affect quality. 1 fig., 4 tabs

Cohesive cracked-hinge model for simulation of fracture in one-way slabs on grade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skar, Asmus; Poulsen, Peter Noe; Olesen, John Forbes

2017-01-01

Numerical analysis of slab on grade structures subjected to mechanical loads is a complex matter often requiring computationally expensive models. In order to develop a simplified and general concept for non-linear analysis of slab on grade structures, this paper presents a cohesive cracked-hinge...

The effects of grade, self-efficacy, learned-helpnessness, and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

helplessness, and cognitive engagement on liking mathematics, and b) assessing the developmental trends of these variables across grade levels. The subjects of the study are 159 primary school students. The results showed that the effect of the ...

Classifcation of volcanic structure in mesozoic era in the Fuzhou-Shaoxing area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Fengqi.

1989-01-01

The volcanic structure in the Fuzhou-Shaoxing area can be classified into IV grades: the grade I be the zone of volcanic activity; the grade II be the second zone of volcanic activity; the grade III be the positive, negative volcanic structure; the grade IV be volcanic conduit, volcanic crater, concealed eruption breccia pipe. Based on the geological situation in this area, the different types of volcanic structure are also dealt with. In the mean time, both the embossed type in the depression area and the depressed type in the embossed area in the volcanic basin are pointed out. It is of great advantage to Uranium mineralization

MEG reveals a fast pathway from somatosensory cortex to occipital areas via posterior parietal cortex in a blind subject.

Science.gov (United States)

Ioannides, Andreas A; Liu, Lichan; Poghosyan, Vahe; Saridis, George A; Gjedde, Albert; Ptito, Maurice; Kupers, Ron

2013-01-01

Cross-modal activity in visual cortex of blind subjects has been reported during performance of variety of non-visual tasks. A key unanswered question is through which pathways non-visual inputs are funneled to the visual cortex. Here we used tomographic analysis of single trial magnetoencephalography (MEG) data recorded from one congenitally blind and two sighted subjects after stimulation of the left and right median nerves at three intensities: below sensory threshold, above sensory threshold and above motor threshold; the last sufficient to produce thumb twitching. We identified reproducible brain responses in the primary somatosensory (S1) and motor (M1) cortices at around 20 ms post-stimulus, which were very similar in sighted and blind subjects. Time-frequency analysis revealed strong 45-70 Hz activity at latencies of 20-50 ms in S1 and M1, and posterior parietal cortex Brodmann areas (BA) 7 and 40, which compared to lower frequencies, were substantially more pronounced in the blind than the sighted subjects. Critically, at frequencies from α-band up to 100 Hz we found clear, strong, and widespread responses in the visual cortex of the blind subject, which increased with the intensity of the somatosensory stimuli. Time-delayed mutual information (MI) revealed that in blind subject the stimulus information is funneled from the early somatosensory to visual cortex through posterior parietal BA 7 and 40, projecting first to visual areas V5 and V3, and eventually V1. The flow of information through this pathway occurred in stages characterized by convergence of activations into specific cortical regions. In sighted subjects, no linked activity was found that led from the somatosensory to the visual cortex through any of the studied brain regions. These results provide the first evidence from MEG that in blind subjects, tactile information is routed from primary somatosensory to occipital cortex via the posterior parietal cortex.

Territorial ordering in Toay area and surroundings, La Pampa province, Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carballo, O.; Sbrocco; J; Calmels, A.; Sotorres, E.; Miglianelli, C.

2004-01-01

This present work aims to provide a territorial ordering in an area limited by the 36 grades 39 minutes and 36 grades 43 minutes Southern Parallels and the 64 grades 20 minutes and 64 grades 27 minutes. Meridians from the same hemisphere; within such area, the population from Toay and surroundings are held/contained. The empiric method employed was taken from Gomez Orea (1993). The area was divided into environmental synthesis units and through the use of different proposed tasks it was possible to reach an objective description of the area with the distribution of its varied units [es

Teacher Grading Decisions: Influences, Rationale, and Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Kunnath, Joshua P.

2017-01-01

This mixed-methods study applied a decision-making theoretical framework to an investigation of teacher grading in a large urban school district in California. A sample of 251 high school teachers of core subjects were surveyed, and 15 teachers participated in four focus group interviews in order provide data on the influences, rationale, and…

Reorganization of Language Areas in Patient with a Frontal Lobe Low Grade Glioma – fMRI Case Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kośla, Katarzyna; Bryszewski, Bartosz; Jaskólski, Dariusz; Błasiak-Kołacińska, Nina; Stefańczyk, Ludomir; Majos, Agata

2015-01-01

Functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) studies results in case of an adult patient with low grade glioma (LGG) in dominant hemisphere suggest brain plasticity process with acquisition of language functions by the non-dominant hemisphere speech regions. A 36-years old right-handed woman was admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery for surgical treatment of brain tumor. An MRI examination revealed a pathological mass in the left frontal lobe, in close topographical relationship to the Broca’s area. A left fronto-parietal craniotomy was performed, with an intraoperative awake language mapping procedure. A total resection of the pathological mass was achieved. The tumor was examined histologically as LGG. In the follow-up MRI exam 32 months after the operation a tumor recurrence was suggested. The fMRI exams performed preoperative and 3, 32 and 41 months after the operation showed changes in language regions activation patterns, with a progressive right-sided activation of Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. Pre- and postoperative cognitive evaluation by a neuropsychologist did not detect any language impairment. We present a running process of reorganization of language areas in a patient after brain tumor resection, from strong left-sided to symmetrical lateralization. 1. FMRI results in comparison with the psychological status of the patient proved contribution of functional reorganization to the preservation of language performance. 2. A slow growing LGG as well as the recurrence of the tumor near the left Broca’s area might be the factors leading to reorganization of language-related areas by recruiting the right hemisphe

Distributed Road Grade Estimation for Heavy Duty Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sahlholm, Per

2011-07-01

torque are combined with observations of the road altitude from a GPS receiver, using vehicle and road models. The operation of the estimators is adjusted during gearshifts, braking, and poor satellite coverage, to account for variations in sensor and model reliability. The estimated error covariances of the road grade estimates are used together with their absolute positions to update a stored road grade map. Highway driving trials show that the proposed estimators produce accurate road grade data. The estimation performance improves as the number of road segment traces increases. A vehicle equipped with the proposed system will rapidly develop a road grade map for its area of operation. Simulations show that collaborative generation of the third dimension for a pre-existing large area two-dimensional map is feasible. The experimental results indicate that road grade estimates from the proposed methods are accurate enough to be used in predictive vehicle control systems to enhance safety, efficiency, and driver comfort in heavy duty vehicles. The grade estimators may also be used for on-line validation of road grade information from other sources. This is important in on-board applications, since the envisioned control applications can degrade vehicle performance if inaccurate data are used

Actinide recovery from waste and low-grade sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navratil, J.D.; Schulz, W.W.

1982-01-01

Actinide and nuclear fuel cycle operations generate a variety of process waste streams. New methods are needed to remove and recover actinides. More interest is also being expressed in recovering uranium from oceans, phosphoric acid, and other low grade sources. To meet the need for an up-to-date status report in the area of actinide recovery from waste and low grade sources, these papers were brought together. The papers provide an authoritative, in-depth coverage of an important area of nuclear and industrial and engineering chemistry which cover the following topics: uranium recovery from oceans and phosphoric acid; recovery of actinides from solids and liquid wastes; plutonium scrap recovery technology; and other new developments in actinide recovery processes

SYSTEM-COGNITIVE MODEL OF FORECASTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIVERSIFIED AGRO-INDUSTRIAL CORPORATIONS. PART I. COGNITIVE STRUCTURING AND FORMALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AREA

OpenAIRE

Lutsenko Y. V.; Loyko V. I.; Baranovskaya T. P.; Makarevich O. A.

2015-01-01

In this article, in accordance with the methodology of the Automated system-cognitive analysis (ASCanalysis), we examine the implementation of the 1st and 2nd stages of ASC-analysis: cognitive structuring and formalization of the subject area. At the stage of cognitive structurization of subject area, researchers decide what to consider as the object of modeling, the factors affecting it and the results of their actions. In accordance with the results of the cognitive structurization, we prep...

Development of digital phantoms based on a finite element model to simulate low-attenuation areas in CT imaging for pulmonary emphysema quantification.

Science.gov (United States)

Diciotti, Stefano; Nobis, Alessandro; Ciulli, Stefano; Landini, Nicholas; Mascalchi, Mario; Sverzellati, Nicola; Innocenti, Bernardo

2017-09-01

To develop an innovative finite element (FE) model of lung parenchyma which simulates pulmonary emphysema on CT imaging. The model is aimed to generate a set of digital phantoms of low-attenuation areas (LAA) images with different grades of emphysema severity. Four individual parameter configurations simulating different grades of emphysema severity were utilized to generate 40 FE models using ten randomizations for each setting. We compared two measures of emphysema severity (relative area (RA) and the exponent D of the cumulative distribution function of LAA clusters size) between the simulated LAA images and those computed directly on the models output (considered as reference). The LAA images obtained from our model output can simulate CT-LAA images in subjects with different grades of emphysema severity. Both RA and D computed on simulated LAA images were underestimated as compared to those calculated on the models output, suggesting that measurements in CT imaging may not be accurate in the assessment of real emphysema extent. Our model is able to mimic the cluster size distribution of LAA on CT imaging of subjects with pulmonary emphysema. The model could be useful to generate standard test images and to design physical phantoms of LAA images for the assessment of the accuracy of indexes for the radiologic quantitation of emphysema.

7 CFR 810.2204 - Grades and grade requirements for wheat.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Grades and grade requirements for wheat. 810.2204... OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Wheat Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.2204 Grades and grade requirements for wheat. (a) Grades and grade requirements...

Mapping Weathering and Alteration Minerals in the Comstock and Geiger Grade Areas using Visible to Thermal Infrared Airborne Remote Sensing Data

Science.gov (United States)

Vaughan, Greg R.; Calvin, Wendy M.

2005-01-01

To support research into both precious metal exploration and environmental site characterization a combination of high spatial/spectral resolution airborne visible, near infrared, short wave infrared (VNIR/SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) image data were acquired to remotely map hydrothermal alteration minerals around the Geiger Grade and Comstock alteration regions, and map the mineral by-products of weathered mine dumps in Virginia City. Remote sensing data from the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), SpecTIR Corporation's airborne hyperspectral imager (HyperSpecTIR), the MODIS-ASTER airborne simulator (MASTER), and the Spatially Enhanced Broadband Array Spectrograph System (SEBASS) were acquired and processed into mineral maps based on the unique spectral signatures of image pixels. VNIR/SWIR and TIR field spectrometer data were collected for both calibration and validation of the remote data sets, and field sampling, laboratory spectral analyses and XRD analyses were made to corroborate the surface mineralogy identified by spectroscopy. The resulting mineral maps show the spatial distribution of several important alteration minerals around each study area including alunite, quartz, pyrophyllite, kaolinite, montmorillonite/muscovite, and chlorite. In the Comstock region the mineral maps show acid-sulfate alteration, widespread propylitic alteration and extensive faulting that offsets the acid-sulfate areas, in contrast to the larger, dominantly acid-sulfate alteration exposed along Geiger Grade. Also, different mineral zones within the intense acid-sulfate areas were mapped. In the Virginia City historic mining district the important weathering minerals mapped include hematite, goethite, jarosite and hydrous sulfate minerals (hexahydrite, alunogen and gypsum) located on mine dumps. Sulfate minerals indicate acidic water forming in the mine dump environment. While there is not an immediate threat to the community, there are clearly sources of

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THREE READING APPROACHES AND AN ORAL LANGUAGE STIMULATION PROGRAM WITH DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN IN THE PRIMARY GRADES--AN INTERIM REPORT AFTER ONE YEAR OF THE COOPERATIVE READING PROJECT.

Science.gov (United States)

DUNN, LLOYD M.; AND OTHERS

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THREE APPROACHES TO TEACHING BEGINNING READING AND THE INFLUENCE OF AN ORAL LANGUAGE STIMULATION PROGRAM ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN IS REPORTED IN THE FIRST-YEAR REPORT OF A 2-YEAR INTERVENTION STUDY. SUBJECTS WERE 608 FIRST-GRADE PUPILS FROM 12 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN AN INNER-CITY AREA. THE THREE EXPERIMENTAL…

Objectively measured sedentary behaviour and moderate and vigorous physical activity in different school subjects: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerli Mooses

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Evidence shows the positive influence of moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA and negative influence of sedentary time on health and academic achievement. Although schools can significantly contribute to overall physical activity, little is known about MVPA and sedentary behaviour in different school subjects in different grades. Methods Physical activity of 646 students from 18 schools (94 classes and from three school stages (grades 1–9, aged 7–16 was measured with accelerometry for 5 school days. Time and proportion of MVPA and sedentary time, also average sedentary bout length was calculated for native language (Estonian, mathematics, science, foreign language, music and crafts lessons. Results A total of 6363 lessons were measured, with lesson duration of 45 min. The average lesson time MVPA remained below 2.2 min in all school stages and in all subjects. Students in grades 4–6 had greatest decline in the proportion of lesson time MVPA in science (β = −1.9, 95%CI −3.1– -0.6 and music (−1.2, −2.1– -0.4 and in grades 7–9 in music (−1.7, −3.1– -0.3 lessons compared to grades 1–3. In grades 1–3 students spent on average 76% of lesson time (34.0 ± 7.0 min as sedentary, whereas in grades 7–9 the average proportion of sedentary time was 87% (38.9 ± 5.7 min. An average sedentary bout length increased from 13 min in grades 1–3 to 20 min in grades 7–9. An increase in sedentary bout length from grades 1–3 compared to grades 7–9 was present in most subjects, except crafts, with smallest increase in foreign language (6 min, 3.5–8.9 and greatest in music lessons (16.6 min, 11.9–21.3. Lessons with prolonged sedentary bouts formed a maximum 36% of all lessons in grades 1–3 and 73% in grades 7–9. Conclusion The long sedentary time, bout length and low MVPA in most subjects were unfavourable in respect of both health and academic achievement. Significantly

Use of subjective and objective criteria to categorise visual disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Kajla, Garima; Rohatgi, Jolly; Dhaliwal, Upreet

2014-04-01

Visual disability is categorised using objective criteria. Subjective measures are not considered. To use subjective criteria along with objective ones to categorise visual disability. Ophthalmology out-patient department; teaching hospital; observational study. Consecutive persons aged >25 years, with vision disability; group-zero: normal range of vision, to group-X: no perception of light, bilaterally. Snellen's vision; binocular contrast sensitivity (Pelli-Robson chart); automated binocular visual field (Humphrey; Esterman test); and vision-related quality of life (Indian Visual Function Questionnaire-33; IND-VFQ33) were recorded. SPSS version-17; Kruskal-wallis test was used to compare contrast sensitivity and visual fields across groups, and Mann-Whitney U test for pair-wise comparison (Bonferroni adjustment; P visual fields were comparable for differing disability grades except when disability was severe (P disability grades but comparable for groups III (78.51 ± 6.86) and IV (82.64 ± 5.80), and groups IV and V (77.23 ± 3.22); these were merged to generate group 345; similarly, global scores were comparable for adjacent groups V and VI (72.53 ± 6.77), VI and VII (74.46 ± 4.32), and VII and VIII (69.12 ± 5.97); these were merged to generate group 5678; thereafter, contrast sensitivity and global and individual IND-VFQ33 scores could differentiate between different grades of disability in the five new groups. Subjective criteria made it possible to objectively reclassify visual disability. Visual disability grades could be redefined to accommodate all from zero-100%.

Rate of Speech and Reading in Second and Fifth Grade Primary Students in Tehran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hourieh Ahadi

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: The purpose of this research is to study the standardization of speaking and reading rates in a group of normal speaker of female students, and to compare them. As the rate of speech is an important variable in the evaluation and treatment of stuttering, cluttering, dysarthria and apraxia. Materials and Method: One hundred of second grade students of primary school and an equal number of fifth grade students participated in this study. All subjects were native speakers of Farsi, who passed an informal, screening test of articulation and speech. None of the subjects had a history of speech, hearing, or neurological disorders. The subjects were asked to read from the 180 words portion of their Farsi book and tell story. Their speech was recorded by using a tape recorder. Then the data were analyzed for word and syllable rate. In transcribing the samples, single morpheme was counted as single word and compound words were counted as two words if they had two free morphemes. Non-word interjections were excluded from word and syllable counts while word interjections and repeated words were included in the count. Independent t-test and paired t-test were used for analyzing. Results: In the second grade students the reading rate is, on the average, 189.4 syllable per minute (SPM(94.9 word per minute(WPM, 3.1 syllable per second(SPS and the talking rate is 189.8 SPM (99.1 WPM, 3.1 SPS and in the fifth grade student the reading rate is 223.9 SPM (119.0 WPM, 3.7SPS and the talking rate is 210.26 SPM (109.5 WPM , 3.4 SPS. Conclusion: The result highlight that in the fifth grade students, reading rates are higher than talking rates while in the second grade they are not, because they do not have enough skills for whole word reading. A remarkable finding in this research is that, reading and talking rates in the fifth grade students are higher than the second grade students.

Environmental protection foliar fertilization in areas subject to limitation of fertilizers use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavriluta, I.; Alexandrescu, A; Budoi, G.; Bireescu, L.; Bireescu, G.

1999-01-01

Significant increases of plant productivity have been recorded in field experiments conducted between 1991 - 1994 using general purpose complex foliar fertilizers as well as aminoacid containing complex foliar fertilizers. These increases at the same time had positive environmental effects against chemical pollution, especially with nitrates. As a rule, the greater the degree of nutrient efficiency, especially of nitrate, the lower are the losses, which are subject to transfer to the environment. So in the light of environmental protection against chemical pollution using foliar fertilization is certainly beneficial for crops and for all other components of the agricultural environment giving rise to its significant improvement. Both, foliar and soil fertilization in areas with limitation of fertilizer use should be carried out under a continuous and strict analytical check of plant, soil and water. Refs. 14 (author)

Setting standards to determine core clerkship grades in pediatrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Dudas, Robert A; Barone, Michael A

2014-01-01

One of the greatest challenges for clerkship directors is assigning a final grade and determining the precise point at which a student either passes or fails a clinical clerkship. The process of incorporating both subjective and objective assessment data to provide a final summative grade can be challenging. We describe our experience conducting a standard-setting exercise to set defensible cut points in a 4-tiered grading system in our pediatric clerkship. Using the Hofstee standard-setting approach, 8 faculty members participated in an exercise to establish grade cut points. These faculty members were subsequently surveyed to assess their attitudes toward the standard-setting process as well as their reactions to these newly proposed standards. We applied the new cut points to a historic cohort of 116 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine students from the academic year 2012-2013 to assess the potential impact on grade distributions. The resultant grading schema would lead to a significant increase in the number of students receiving a failing grade and a decrease in the number of students receiving a grade of honors in a historical cohort. Faculty reported that the Hofstee method was easy to understand and fair. All faculty members thought that grade inflation presently exists within the pediatric clerkship. This study demonstrates that practical standards using the Hofstee method can be set for medical students in a pediatric clerkship in which multiple performance measures are used. Copyright © 2014 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of two grading systems on the performance of medical students during oral examinations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ba-Ali, Shakoor; Jemec, Gregor B E; Sander, Birgit

2017-01-01

group (p = 0.45). Moreover, the average mark was higher among the international students (mean = 10.3, on the seven-point grading scale) than in the Danish speaking classes (mean = 9.1). CONCLUSION: The seven-point grading scale seems to motivate students to yield a better performance; hence tiered......INTRODUCTION: Either a pass/fail approach or a seven-point grading scale are used to evaluate students at the Danish universities. The aim of this study was to explore any effect of the assessment methods on student performances during oral exams. METHODS: In a prospective study including 1......,037 examinations in three medical subjects, we investigated the difference in the test scores between the spring- and autumn semester. In the spring semester, the students could either pass or fail the subject (pass/fail) while in the following autumn semester, the students were assessed by tiered grading (seven...

Refractive error study in young subjects: results from a rural area in Paraguay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel Signes-Soler

2017-03-01

Full Text Available AIM: To evaluate the distribution of refractive error in young subjects in a rural area of Paraguay in the context of an international cooperation campaign for the prevention of blindness. METHODS: A sample of 1466 young subjects (ranging from 3 to 22 years old, with a mean age of 11.21±3.63 years old, were examined to assess their distance visual acuity (VA and refractive error. The first screening examination performed by trained volunteers, included visual acuity testing, autokeratometry and non-cycloplegic autorefraction. Inclusion criteria for a second complete cycloplegic eye examination by an optometrist were VA <20/25 (0.10 logMAR or 0.8 decimal and/or corneal astigmatism ≥1.50 D. RESULTS: An uncorrected distance VA of 0 logMAR (1.0 decimal was found in 89.2% of children. VA <20/25 and/or corneal astigmatism ≥1.50 D was found in 3.9% of children (n=57, with a prevalence of hyperopia of 5.2% (0.2% of the total in this specific group. Furthermore, myopia (spherical equivalent ≤-0.5 D was found in 37.7% of the refracted children (0.5% of the total. The prevalence of refractive astigmatism (cylinder ≤-1.50 D was 15.8% (0.6% of the total. Visual impairment (VI (0.05≤VA≤0.3 was found in 12/114 (0.4% of the refracted eyes. Main causes for VI were refractive error (58%, retinal problems (17%, 2/12, albinism (17%, 2/12 and unknown (8%, 1/12. CONCLUSION: A low prevalence of refractive error has been found in this rural area of Paraguay, with higher prevalence of myopia than of hyperopia.

Evaluation of a Topical Anti-inflammatory/Antifungal Combination Cream in Mild-to-moderate Facial Seborrheic Dermatitis: An Intra-subject Controlled Trial Examining Treated vs. Untreated Skin Utilizing Clinical Features and Erythema-directed Digital Photography.

Science.gov (United States)

Dall'Oglio, Federica; Tedeschi, Aurora; Guardabasso, Vincenzo; Micali, Giuseppe

2015-09-01

To evaluate if nonprescription topical agents may provide positive outcomes in the management of mild-to-moderate facial seborrheic dermatitis by reducing inflammation and scale production through clinical evaluation and erythema-directed digital photography. Open-label, prospective, not-blinded, intra-patient, controlled, clinical trial (target area). Twenty adult subjects affected by mild-to-moderate facial seborrheic dermatitis were enrolled and instructed to apply the study cream two times daily, initially on a selected target area only for seven days. If the subject developed visible improvement, it was advised to extend the application to all facial affected area for 21 additional days. Efficacy was evaluated by measuring the grade of erythema (by clinical examination and by erythema-directed digital photography), desquamation (by clinical examination), and pruritus (by subject-completed visual analog scale). Additionally, at the end of the protocol, a Physician Global Assessment was carried out. Eighteen subjects completed the study, whereas two subjects were lost to follow-up for nonadherence and personal reasons, respectively. Day 7 data from target areas showed a significant reduction in erythema. At the end of study, a significant improvement was recorded for erythema, desquamation, and pruritus compared to baseline. Physician Global Assessment showed improvement in 89 percent of patients, with a complete response in 56 percent of cases. These preliminary results indicate that the study cream may be a viable nonprescription therapeutic option for patients affected by facial seborrheic dermatitis able to determine early and significant improvement. This study also emphasizes the advantages of using an erythema-directed digital photography system for assisting in a simple, more accurate erythema severity grading and therapeutic monitoring in patients affected by seborrheic dermatitis.

WHAT INFLUENCES STUDENTS' EXPECTATIONS IN WHAT REGARDS GRADES?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mare Codruta

2013-07-01

Full Text Available After a period of studying a certain subject, students form an opinion about it and begin having certain expectations. These expectations and the degree in which, in the end, they fulfil, contribute to the reputation of the university. Consequently, a continuous evaluation of the quality of the educational process is needed. The present research presents a part of a more complex study made on a sample of master students in Audit and Financial Management in Romania. The goal was to evidence the main factors that affect students' expectations in what regards the grades they will obtain at the end of the semester. For this, a questionnaire of 20 questions was applied to 250 such students. After factor reduction procedures were applied, six most significant variables were kept in the analysis: the proportion of knowledge acquired, the perceived level of utility of the discipline in the professional career of the student, the proportion in which the subject could contribute to getting employed in the field it belongs to, the evaluation method and two variables evaluating through grades the didactic performance during the course and the overall performance of the tenure professor. The influence of these variables upon the grade expected by the student was assessed with the help of the OLS regression, both in the simple and multiple forms. Out of the six hypotheses formulated, only one proved to be false based on the simple regression analysis. When individually assessed, the evaluation method announced by the teacher at the beginning of the semester turned out to have no statistically significant influence upon students' expectations. For the rest of the variables, results were according to the assumptions made, i.e. all determine in a significant positive manner the students' opinion about the grade they will get. We have also constructed the multiple regression models. When putting all variables together, the significance changes. The level of

The effect of various grading scales on student grade point averages.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Kelli D; Buring, Shauna M

2012-04-10

To investigate changes in and the impact of grading scales from 2005 to 2010 and explore pharmacy faculty and student perceptions of whole-letter and plus/minus grading scales on cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) in required courses. Grading scales used in 2010 at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy were retrospectively identified and compared to those used in 2005. Mean GPA was calculated using a whole-letter grading scale and a plus/minus grading scale to determine the impact of scales on GPA. Faculty members and students were surveyed regarding their perceptions of plus/minus grading. Nine unique grading scales were used throughout the curriculum, including plus/minus (64%) and whole-letter (21%) grading scales. From 2005 to 2010 there was transition from use of predominantly whole-letter scales to plus/minus grading scales. The type of grading scale used did not affect the mean cumulative GPA. Students preferred use of a plus-only grading scale while faculty members preferred use of a plus/minus grading scale. The transition from whole-letter grading to plus/minus grading in courses from 2005 to 2010 reflects pharmacy faculty members' perception that plus/minus grading allows for better differentiation between students' performances.

The Relationship between Home Literary Environments and Attitudes toward Reading in Ninth-Grade Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubis, Mary Ellen

A study determined what variables in the home literary environments of ninth-grade students influenced their attitudes toward reading. Subjects, 316 students from 2 ninth-grade classes at 2 metropolitan high schools, were given the Estes Reading Attitude Scale and a researcher-developed, 30-question inventory of their home literary environment.…

You and Man in the Western World. A Cultural Approach. Eighth Grade Social Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Parsippany - Troy Hills Board of Education, Parsippany, NJ.

GRADES OR AGES: Grade 8. SUBJECT MATTER: Social Studies--You and Man in the Western World. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide contains five units: 1) cultural orientation; 2) social studies dimensions in Western Europe; 3) social studies dimensions in Eastern Europe and Soviet Union; 4) social studies dimensions in Latin America; and…

7 CFR 810.404 - Grades and grade requirements for corn.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Grades and grade requirements for corn. 810.404... OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Corn Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.404 Grades and grade requirements for corn. Grade Minimum test weight per...

MEG reveals a fast pathway from somatosensory cortex to occipital areas via posterior parietal cortex in a blind subject

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas A Ioannides

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Cross-modal activity in visual cortex of blind subjects has been reported during performance of variety of non-visual tasks. A key unanswered question is through which pathways non-visual inputs are funneled to the visual cortex. Here we used tomographic analysis of single trial magnetoencephalography (MEG data recorded from one congenitally blind and two sighted subjects after stimulation of the left and right median nerves at three intensities: below sensory threshold, above sensory threshold and above motor threshold; the last sufficient to produce thumb twitching. We identified reproducible brain responses in the primary somatosensory (S1 and motor (M1 cortices at around 20 ms post-stimulus, which were very similar in sighted and blind subjects. Time-frequency analysis revealed strong 45 to 70 Hz activity at latencies of 20 to 50 ms in S1 and M1, and posterior parietal cortex Brodmann areas (BA 7 and 40, which compared to lower frequencies, were substantially more pronounced in the blind than the sighted subjects. Critically, at frequencies from α-band up to 100 Hz we found clear, strong and widespread responses in the visual cortex of the blind subject, which increased with the intensity of the somatosensory stimuli. Time-delayed mutual information (MI revealed that in blind subject the stimulus information is funneled from the early somatosensory to visual cortex through posterior parietal BA 7 and 40, projecting first to visual areas V5 and V3, and eventually V1. The flow of information through this pathway occured in stages characterized by convergence of activations into specific cortical regions. In sighted subjects, no linked activity was found that led from the somatosensory to the visual cortex through any of the studied brain regions. These results provide the first evidence from MEG that in blind subjects, tactile information is routed from primary somatosensory to occipital cortex via the posterior parietal cortex.

Physiotherapy Student Clinical Examinations: The Influence of Subjective Judgments on Observational Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Helen A.

1996-01-01

A study investigated the role of subjective assessment in the evaluation of physiotherapy students in clinical programs. Clinical teachers, visiting lecturers, and students recorded perceptions of daily events and interactions in journals. Analysis suggests that assessors make subjective judgments about students that influence grades, and…

Preventing halo bias in grading the work of university students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John M. Malouff

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Experts have advocated anonymous marking as a means of minimizing bias in subjective student assessment. In the present study, 159 faculty members or teaching assistants across disciplines were randomly assigned (1 to grade a poor oral presentation of a university student, (2 to grade a good oral presentation of the same student, or (3 not to grade any oral presentation of the student. All graders then assessed the same written work by the student. A linear-contrasts analysis showed that, as hypothesized, the graders assigned significantly higher scores to written work following the better oral presentation than following the poor oral presentation, with intermediate scores for the written work of the student whose oral presentation was not seen by the graders. The results provide evidence of a halo effect in that prior experience with a student biased the grading of written work completed by the student. The findings suggest that keeping students anonymous, as in the condition with no knowledge of the student’s performance in the oral presentation, helps prevent bias in grading.

Intraosseous polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma of mandible: A rare entity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gayathri Ramesh

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma is a rare type of minor salivary gland malignancy. The characteristic features of these tumors are the varied histomorphology and the malignant, albeit indolent behavior. It occurs commonly in the minor salivary glands, with the palate (58.5% being the most common intra oral site. Maxillary area (2%, mandibular mucosal area (1.5% and posterior trigone region (0.5% are the least affected areas. An occasional case has been reported arising from an intraosseous location i.e the maxilla, and only two cases have been reported in the English literature originating from the mandible. One such very rare case of polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma of the mandible, which radiographically has a soap bubble appearance, is reported here.

The Effects of Handwriting Instruction on Reading for Students in Grades 1 and 2

Science.gov (United States)

Stroik, Linda R.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental group comparison study using a repeated measures comparison group design with random assignment of subjects to groups was to investigate the effects of handwriting instruction on reading progress for learners in grade 1 and grade 2. At three points in time, the number of words each student read…

Functionally graded biomimetic energy absorption concept development for transportation systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

Mechanics of a functionally graded cylinder subject to static or dynamic axial loading is considered, including a potential application as energy absorber. The mass density and stiffness are power functions of the radial coordinate as may be the case...

The Prevalence of Mathematical Anxiety in a Business School: A Comparative Study across Subject Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Howard

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Mathematical anxiety is a phenomenon linked to poor attainment in mathematics and restricted development of mathematical skills among those who are afflicted by it. Unfortunately most undergraduate courses in business related areas require the further study of mathematics to enable effective business decision making and students who suffer from mathematical anxiety are placed at risk of underperformance or failure in such quantitative modules. This paper summarizes the results of a survey (n = 330 of students joining a university business school with a view to ascertaining the degree of mathematical anxiety exhibited by incoming students. Results of the survey show no significant differences in anxiety attributable to age or gender but significant differences attributable to level of study and subject area. Implications of the findings for a redesigned teaching approach are discussed drawing on suggestions from the literature surrounding mathematical anxiety.

Feasibility Studies for Production of Pellet Grade Concentrate from Sub Grade Iron Ore Using Multi Gravity Separator

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Gottumukkala Venkateswara; Markandeya, R.; Kumar, Rajan

2018-04-01

An attempt has been made to utilise Sub Grade Iron Ore by producing pellet grade concentrate from Deposit 5, Bacheli Complex, Bailadila, Chhattisgarh, India. The `as received' Run of Mine (ROM) sample assayed 40.80% Fe, 40.90% SiO2. Mineralogical studies indicated that the main ore mineral is Hematite and lone gangue mineral is Quartz. Mineral liberation studies indicated that, the ore mineral Hematite and gangue mineral Quartz are getting liberated below 100 microns. The stage crushed and ground sample was subjected to concentration by using a Multi Gravity Separator (MGS). Rougher Multi Gravity Separation (MGS) experimental results were optimised to recover highest possible iron values. A concentrate of 55.80% Fe with a yield of 61.73% by weight with a recovery of 84.42% Iron values was obtained in rougher MGS concentrate. Further experiments were carried out with rougher MGS concentrate to produce a concentrate suitable for commercial grade pellet concentrate. It was proved that a concentrate assaying 66.67% Fe, 3.12% SiO2 with an yield of 45.08% by weight and with a recovery of 73.67% iron values in the concentrate.

Typing and grading of cytological category C5 breast lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zafar, N.; Jamal, S.; Mamoon, N.; Luqman, M.; Anwar, M.

2005-01-01

Objective: To determine the tumour type, cytological grade and nuclear grade on fine-needle aspiration smears in cytological category C5 breast lesions and compare them with histopathological findings. Subjects and Methods: Out of all patients referred to AFIP, Rawalpindi for fine-needle aspiration of breast masses, those adjudged C5 (malignant) were chosen for this study. History, clinical details and mammographic findings were noted. Aspirated smears were examined and an attempt was made to ascertain tumour type, cytological grade and nuclear grade. On excision of these lesions, the cytological findings were compared with those on paraffin-embedded histological sections. Results: A total of 71 patients were included in this study. Of these, 64 (90.14%) were cytologically diagnosed as ductal carcinoma, 4 (5.63%) lobular carcinoma, 2 (2.82%) mucinous carcinoma and 1 (1.41%) as medullary carcinoma. Seventy (98.60%) tumours were correctly typed on aspiration smears. Sixty-eight (95.77%) cases were cytologically graded with accuracy. Nuclear grading was even better on cytology and, excluding one malignant lymphoma, all 70 (100%) smears were assessed correctly. Conclusion: Overall efficiency of the tumour typing, cytological grading and nuclear grading on aspirated material turned out to be quite accurate. In expert hands, cytological examination can be of great help in pre-operative planning and in cases where tumour morphology in paraffin-embedded material has been distorted by neo-adjuvant therapy prior to excision. (author)

Hardwood log grades and lumber grade yields for factory lumber logs

Science.gov (United States)

Leland F. Hanks; Glenn L. Gammon; Robert L. Brisbin; Everette D. Rast

1980-01-01

The USDA Forest Service Standard Grades for Hardwood Factory Lumber Logs are described, and lumber grade yields for 16 species and 2 species groups are presented by log grade and log diameter. The grades enable foresters, log buyers, and log sellers to select and grade those log suitable for conversion into standard factory grade lumber. By using the apropriate lumber...

Application of gis on determination of flood prone areas and critical arterial road network by using chaid method in bandung area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darwin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Floods in Bandung area often occur when the rainfall is high then the water volume exceed the capacity of Citarum watershed. Floods cause economic and social losses. The purpose of this research is to get the GIS application model in the estimation of puddle area and road network in Bandung Metropolitan Area has disturbed.Geospatial map preparation methodology used statistical data from 11041 flood points, which divided into two groups, 7729 flood points to estimate the decision tree model and 3312 flood points to validate the model. The process of making flood vulnerability maps is approached by Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID method, and validation using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC method. Validation results in the area under the curve with a value of 93.1% for success rate and 92.7% for the prediction level.Chaid result is class 0 - 0,047 covering 76,68% area; Grades of 0.047-0.307 include 5.37%; Grades 0.307 - 0.599 (Low covering 5.36%; Grades 0.599 to 0.4444 include 5.31% and grade 0.844-1 (high covering 7.27% of the research area. Flood-prone road network is Link from Rancaekek (Area of PT Kahatex, link from Solokan Jeruk (Cicalengka-Majalaya, Link Baleendah, and linkDayeuhkolot (M.Toha - Andir

EDF specifications on nuclear grade resins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mascarenhas, Darren; Gressier, Frederic; Taunier, Stephane; Le-Calvar, Marc; Ranchoux, Gilles; Marteau, Herve; Labed, Veronique

2012-09-01

Ion exchange resins are widely used across EDF, especially within the nuclear division for the purification of water. Important applications include primary circuit, secondary circuit and effluent treatment, which require high quality nuclear grade resins to retain the dissolved species, some of which may be radioactive. There is a need for more and more efficient purification in order to decrease worker dose during maintenance but also to decrease volumes of radioactive resin waste. Resin performance is subject to several forms of degradation, including physical, chemical, thermal and radioactive, therefore appropriate resin properties have to be selected to reduce such effects. Work has been done with research institutes, manufacturers and on EDF sites to select these properties, create specifications and to continuously improve on these specifications. An interesting example of research regarding resin performance is the resin degradation under irradiation. Resins used in the CVCS circuit of EDF nuclear power plants are subject to irradiation over their lifetime. A study was carried out on the effects of total integrated doses of 0.1, 1 and 10 MGy on typically used EDF mixed bed resins in a 'mini-CVCS' apparatus to simultaneously test actual primary circuit fluid. The tests confirmed that the resins still perform efficiently after a typical CVCS radiation dose. Certain resins also need additional specifications in order to maintain the integrity of the particular circuits they are used in. Recently, EDF has updated its requirements on these high purity nuclear grade resins, produced generic doctrines for all products and materials used on site which include resins of all grades, and as a result have also updated a guide on recommended resin usage for the French fleet of reactors. An overview of the evolutions will be presented. (authors)

Strand V: Education for Survival. First Aid and Survival Education. Health Curriculum Materials Grades 10-12.

Science.gov (United States)

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Secondary Curriculum Development.

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 10-12. SUBJECT MATTER: First aid and survival education. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into six sections: transportation of the injured, automobile accidents, conditions resulting from nuclear explosion, chemical warfare, natural catastrophes, and psychological first aid. The publication format…

Comparison of optic area measurement using fundus photography and optical coherence tomography between optic nerve head drusen and control subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Flores-Rodríguez, Patricia; Gili, Pablo; Martín-Ríos, María Dolores; Grifol-Clar, Eulalia

2013-03-01

To compare optic disc area measurement between optic nerve head drusen (ONHD) and control subjects using fundus photography, time-domain optical coherence tomography (TD-OCT) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). We also made a comparison between each of the three techniques. We performed our study on 66 eyes (66 patients) with ONHD and 70 healthy control subjects (70 controls) with colour ocular fundus photography at 20º (Zeiss FF 450 IR plus), TD-OCT (Stratus OCT) with the Fast Optic Disc protocol and SD-OCT (Cirrus OCT) with the Optic Disc Cube 200 × 200 protocol for measurement of the optic disc area. The measurements were made by two observers and in each measurement a correction of the image magnification factor was performed. Measurement comparison using the Student's t-test/Mann-Whitney U test, the intraclass correlation coefficient, Pearson/Spearman rank correlation coefficient and the Bland-Altman plot was performed in the statistical analysis. Mean and standard deviation (SD) of the optic disc area in ONHD and in controls was 2.38 (0.54) mm(2) and 2.54 (0.42) mm(2), respectively with fundus photography; 2.01 (0.56) mm(2) and 1.66 (0.37) mm(2), respectively with TD-OCT, and 2.03 (0.49) mm(2) and 1.75 (0.38) mm(2), respectively with SD-OCT. In ONHD and controls, repeatability of optic disc area measurement was excellent with fundus photography and optical coherence tomography (TD-OCT and SD-OCT), but with a low degree of agreement between both techniques. Optic disc area measurement is smaller in ONHD compared to healthy subjects with fundus photography, unlike time-domain and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in which the reverse is true. Both techniques offer good repeatability, but a low degree of correlation and agreement, which means that optic disc area measurement is not interchangeable or comparable between techniques. Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2013 The College of Optometrists.

Noninvasive Characterisation of Foot Reflexology Areas by Swept Source-Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients with Low Back Pain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krishna Dalal

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. When exploring the scientific basis of reflexology techniques, elucidation of the surface and subsurface features of reflexology areas (RAs is crucial. In this study, the subcutaneous features of RAs related to the lumbar vertebrae were evaluated by swept source-optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT in subjects with and without low back pain (LBP. Methods. Volunteers without LBP (n=6 (male : female = 1 : 1 and subjects with LBP (n=15 (male : female = 2 : 3 were clinically examined in terms of skin colour (visual perception, localised tenderness (visual analogue scale and structural as well as optical attributes as per SS-OCT. From each subject, 6 optical tomograms were recorded from equidistant transverse planes along the longitudinal axis of the RAs, and from each tomogram, 25 different spatial locations were considered for recording SS-OCT image attributes. The images were analysed with respect to the optical intensity distributions and thicknesses of different skin layers by using AxioVision Rel. 4.8.2 software. The SS-OCT images could be categorised into 4 pathological grades (i.e., 0, 1, 2, and 3 according to distinctness in the visible skin layers. Results. Three specific grades for abnormalities in SS-OCT images were identified considering gradual loss of distinctness and increase in luminosity of skin layers. Almost 90.05% subjects were of mixed type having predominance in certain grades. Conclusion. The skin SS-OCT system demonstrated a definite association of the surface features of healthy/unhealthy RAs with cutaneous features and the clinical status of the lumbar vertebrae.

Noninvasive characterisation of foot reflexology areas by swept source-optical coherence tomography in patients with low back pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalal, Krishna; Elanchezhiyan, D; Das, Raunak; Dalal, Devjyoti; Pandey, Ravindra Mohan; Chatterjee, Subhamoy; Upadhyay, Ashish Datt; Maran, V Bharathi; Chatterjee, Jyotirmoy

2013-01-01

Objective. When exploring the scientific basis of reflexology techniques, elucidation of the surface and subsurface features of reflexology areas (RAs) is crucial. In this study, the subcutaneous features of RAs related to the lumbar vertebrae were evaluated by swept source-optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) in subjects with and without low back pain (LBP). Methods. Volunteers without LBP (n = 6 (male : female = 1 : 1)) and subjects with LBP (n = 15 (male : female = 2 : 3)) were clinically examined in terms of skin colour (visual perception), localised tenderness (visual analogue scale) and structural as well as optical attributes as per SS-OCT. From each subject, 6 optical tomograms were recorded from equidistant transverse planes along the longitudinal axis of the RAs, and from each tomogram, 25 different spatial locations were considered for recording SS-OCT image attributes. The images were analysed with respect to the optical intensity distributions and thicknesses of different skin layers by using AxioVision Rel. 4.8.2 software. The SS-OCT images could be categorised into 4 pathological grades (i.e., 0, 1, 2, and 3) according to distinctness in the visible skin layers. Results. Three specific grades for abnormalities in SS-OCT images were identified considering gradual loss of distinctness and increase in luminosity of skin layers. Almost 90.05% subjects were of mixed type having predominance in certain grades. Conclusion. The skin SS-OCT system demonstrated a definite association of the surface features of healthy/unhealthy RAs with cutaneous features and the clinical status of the lumbar vertebrae.

On-Demand Grades: The Effect of Online Grade Book Access on Student Mastery and Performance Goal Orientations, Grade Orientation, Academic Self Efficacy, and Grades

Science.gov (United States)

Seldow, Adam Lowell

2010-01-01

With the widespread growth of broadband Internet access, teachers, and in many cases, schools and school districts are transitioning from traditional paper-based grade books to student accessible online (Web-based) grade books. Online grade books offer students 24/7, on demand access to grades and various other student data, and have the potential…

Low grade uranium deposits of India - a bane or boon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaki, Anjan

2010-01-01

Uranium resources of the world is estimated to be 5.5 million tonnes and the proven resources in India forms 3% of the world resources. The biggest uranium deposit is the Olympic dam deposit in Australia, which contains nearly one million tonnes of 0.04% U 3 O 8 , while the highest grade of nearly 20% is established in the McArthur river deposit, Canada. Another very high grade deposit, the Cigar lake deposit, is established in Canada with an average grade of nearly 18%. Most of the uranium deposits established in India so far falls under the category of low grade. These low grade uranium deposits are distributed mainly in Singhbhum Shear Zone, eastern India; in parts of Chhattisgarh; Southern parts of Meghalaya; Cuddapah Basin, Andhra Pradesh; in parts of Karnataka and Aravalli- and Delhi Supergroups, Rajasthan and Haryana. These deposits are mainly hydrothermal vein type, stratabound type and unconformity related. The Singhbhum Shear Zone, Jharkhand hosts a seventeen low grade uranium deposits, aggregating about 30% of Indian uranium resources. The uranium mineralisation hosted by Vempalle dolostone extends over 160 km belt along southwestern margin of Cuddapah Basin in Andhra Pradesh and accounts 23% of the Indian resources. Though the dolostone hosted Tummalapalle uranium deposit was established in the early nineties, because of techno-economic constraints, the deposit remained dormant. As a consequence of the development of an innovative pressure alkali beneficiation process, the deposit became economically viable and a mine and mill are being constructed here. Recent exploration inputs are leading to prove a number of low grade uranium deposits in the extension areas of Tummalapalle. Nearly 10 blocks have been identified within a 30 km belt which are being actively explored and a large uranium deposit has already been proved in this province. The deposit at Tummalapalle and adjoining areas is likely to become the second biggest deposit in the world. The

Fatigue Characterization of Functionally Graded Metallic Alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, F. S.

2008-01-01

Functionally graded components exhibit spatial variations of mechanical properties in contrast with, and as an alternative to, purely homogeneous components. A large class of graded materials, however, are in fact mostly homogeneous materials with property variations (chemical or mechanical) restricted to a specific area or layer produced by applying for example a coating or by introducing sub-surface residual stresses. However, it is also possible to obtain graded materials with a smooth transition of mechanical properties along the entire component, for example in a 40 mm component. This is possible, for example, by using centrifugal casting technique or incremental melting and solidification technique. In this paper we will study fully metallic functionally graded components with a smooth gradient, focusing on fatigue crack propagation. Fatigue propagation will be assessed in the direction parallel to the gradation (in different homogeneous layers of the functionally graded component) to assess what would be fatigue crack propagation on the direction perpendicular to the gradation. Fatigue crack growth rate (standard mode I fatigue crack growth) will be correlated to the mode I stress intensity factor range. Other mechanical properties of different layers of the component (Young's modulus) will also be considered in this analysis. The effect of residual stresses along the component gradation on crack propagation will also be taken into account. A qualitative analysis of the effects of some important features, present in functionally graded materials, will be made based on the obtained results

Teaching the Classics in the Middle Grades: Connecting with the Roots of Western Civilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Robin H.

1998-01-01

At a New Jersey school, students spend one year studying each of three time periods: ancient Egypt in fourth grade; Greece in fifth grade; and Rome and the Middle Ages in sixth grade. The history curriculum becomes the focal point for other areas (art, music, drama, language arts, science, geography, and math). Teachers use primary sources and…

7 CFR 810.1804 - Grades and grade requirements for sunflower seed.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Grades and grade requirements for sunflower seed. 810... AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR GRAIN United States Standards for Sunflower Seed Principles Governing the Application of Standards § 810.1804 Grades and grade requirements for sunflower seed. Grade...

GRADE: Assessing the quality of evidence in environmental and occupational health.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Rebecca L; Thayer, Kristina A; Bero, Lisa; Bruce, Nigel; Falck-Ytter, Yngve; Ghersi, Davina; Guyatt, Gordon; Hooijmans, Carlijn; Langendam, Miranda; Mandrioli, Daniele; Mustafa, Reem A; Rehfuess, Eva A; Rooney, Andrew A; Shea, Beverley; Silbergeld, Ellen K; Sutton, Patrice; Wolfe, Mary S; Woodruff, Tracey J; Verbeek, Jos H; Holloway, Alison C; Santesso, Nancy; Schünemann, Holger J

2016-01-01

There is high demand in environmental health for adoption of a structured process that evaluates and integrates evidence while making decisions and recommendations transparent. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework holds promise to address this demand. For over a decade, GRADE has been applied successfully to areas of clinical medicine, public health, and health policy, but experience with GRADE in environmental and occupational health is just beginning. Environmental and occupational health questions focus on understanding whether an exposure is a potential health hazard or risk, assessing the exposure to understand the extent and magnitude of risk, and exploring interventions to mitigate exposure or risk. Although GRADE offers many advantages, including its flexibility and methodological rigor, there are features of the different sources of evidence used in environmental and occupational health that will require further consideration to assess the need for method refinement. An issue that requires particular attention is the evaluation and integration of evidence from human, animal, in vitro, and in silico (computer modeling) studies when determining whether an environmental factor represents a potential health hazard or risk. Assessment of the hazard of exposures can produce analyses for use in the GRADE evidence-to-decision (EtD) framework to inform risk-management decisions about removing harmful exposures or mitigating risks. The EtD framework allows for grading the strength of the recommendations based on judgments of the certainty in the evidence (also known as quality of the evidence), as well as other factors that inform recommendations such as social values and preferences, resource implications, and benefits. GRADE represents an untapped opportunity for environmental and occupational health to make evidence-based recommendations in a systematic and transparent manner. The objectives of this article are

Students attitude towards calculus subject: Bumiputera case-study

Science.gov (United States)

Awang, Noorehan; Ilias, Mohd Rijal; Che Hussain, Wan Siti Esah; Mokhtar, Siti Fairus

2013-04-01

Mathematics has always become the most dislike subject among other subjects in school. Study showed that attitudes of students in science subjects such as mathematics were closely related to how they solve problems, accessing ideas and making a right decision. According to another study on mathematics achievement of eighth grade students in Malaysia, mathematics grades among bumiputera students was lower when compared to other races such as Chinese and Indians. The poor performance was due to their attitude and pre-conceived ideas towards the subject. Therefore, this study was designed todetermine the criteria and subcriteria that were considered important in measuring students' attitude toward mathematics among the bumiputeras. Factor analysis was carried out to identify the groups among criterion. Instrument used to measure mathematics attitude was Test of Mathematics Related Attitude (TOMRA) which measured student attitudes in four criteria: normality of mathematics, attitudes towards mathematics inquiry, adoption of mathematics attitude and enjoyment of mathematics lessons. The target population of this study was all computer science and quantitative science students who enrolled Calculus subject in UiTM Kedah. Findings shows that there are two criteria that influenced students attitude toward mathematics namely normality of mathematics with eleven subcriteria and enjoyment of mathematics with eight subcriteria. From the analysis it shows that the total percentage of variation explained is 35.071% with 0.837 Cronbach's alpha reliability test. The findings will help the lecturers, parents and society to consider what action should be taken to install interest and positive attitude of bumiputera students towards mathematics and thus improve their achievement.

Training Grade R teachers to impart visual perceptual skills for early reading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christelle Andrich

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Visual Perception is the mind’s ability to interpret or give meaning to what is seen with the eyes (WCED 2006. Grade Reception Phase (R teachers, of five and six year-old learners, need to impart Visual Perceptual Skills (VPS during visual training for pre-reading. These prereading activities in Grade R support early reading progress in Grade 1, which is critical for improving basic literacy and numeracy education in South Africa. A quality Grade R programme which can deliver these visual training outcomes depends on a progressive model for effective pre- and in-service professional development of teachers. A model implemented via academic-governmental collaboration. This article seeks to describe and recommend best practices of such professional development. The recommendations are based on an overview of the current Grade R professional development landscape, a brief exposition of the Subject Content Knowledge (SCK of VPS, a document analysis of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS curriculum and, finally, a case study with a discourse analysis involving four Grade R teachers.

The Construction of a Muscular Strength Test Battery for Girls in the Primary Grades.

Science.gov (United States)

DiNucci, James M.; Pelton, Elois B.

This study was designed to construct a gross muscular strength test battery for girls 6-9 years of age in grades 1-3. The subjects for this investigation were a random sample of 183 girls in grades 1-3 of the public schools of Natchitoches, Louisiana. The variables selected were 22 cable tension strength tests developed by Clarke and associates.…

Problem Solving and Creativity and Design: What Influence Do They Have on Girls' Interest in STEM Subject Areas?

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Robyn; Heaverlo, Carol

2013-01-01

For girls there is a distinct loss in interest, lack of confidence, and decline in positive attitudes toward STEM subject areas that begins early on in their academic experience and increases with age. According to the National Academy of Engineering, students need to begin associating the possibilities in STEM fields with the need for creativity…

Student Attitudes Toward Grades and Grading Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Stallings, William M.; Leslie, Elwood K.

The result of a study designed to assess student attitudes toward grading practices are discussed. Questionnaire responses of 3439 students in three institutions were tabulated. Responses were generally negative toward conventional grading systems. (MS)

A Nonimmunosuppressant Approach on Asia Psoriasis Subjects: 5-Year Followup and 11-Year Data Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tony Yuqi Tang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Mono- or combine immunosuppressants are commonly used for psoriasis; however the side effect caused by potent systemic immunosuppressants frequently incurred; moreover the inflammation flares up shortly after immunosuppressants are discontinued. An alternative nonimmunosuppressive therapy was introduced to psoriasis subjects. A retrospective observational study consisted of 1583 psoriasis patients who were treated with Herose Psoria capsule 1440 mg three times daily at two clinical centres, one in China, the other in Singapore, from 1 January 2000 to 1 January 2011. Psoriasis lesion evolution was photographed at monthly visit, and efficacy and safety were assessed using psoriasis area severity index PASI score grading, renal and liver function testing, and adverse event reporting and supplemented by information obtained during targeted telephone interviews. The effectiveness of Herose on psoriasis was inversely associated to prior immunosuppressants exposure (r=0.9154, significant improvements occurred in non-immunosuppressants subjects, and complete clearance was achieved in 8 months (87.5%, 14 of 16; the wavelike evolution of psoriatic lesion appeared in prior immunosuppressants subjects.

75 FR 26967 - Guidance for Industry: Use of Water by Food Manufacturers in Areas Subject to a Boil-Water...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-13

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2010-D-0236] Guidance for Industry: Use of Water by Food Manufacturers in Areas Subject to a Boil-Water Advisory; Availability AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Food and Drug...

Gradings on simple Lie algebras

CERN Document Server

Elduque, Alberto

2013-01-01

Gradings are ubiquitous in the theory of Lie algebras, from the root space decomposition of a complex semisimple Lie algebra relative to a Cartan subalgebra to the beautiful Dempwolff decomposition of E_8 as a direct sum of thirty-one Cartan subalgebras. This monograph is a self-contained exposition of the classification of gradings by arbitrary groups on classical simple Lie algebras over algebraically closed fields of characteristic not equal to 2 as well as on some nonclassical simple Lie algebras in positive characteristic. Other important algebras also enter the stage: matrix algebras, the octonions, and the Albert algebra. Most of the presented results are recent and have not yet appeared in book form. This work can be used as a textbook for graduate students or as a reference for researchers in Lie theory and neighboring areas.

Development of functionally graded anti-oxidation coatings for carbon/carbon composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeon, J.H. [Dept. of Materials Technology, Korea Inst. of Machinery and Materials, Changwon (Korea); Fang Hai-Tao; Lai Zhong-Hong; Yin Zhong-Da [Materials Science and Engineering School, Harbin Inst. of Tech., Harbin (China)

2005-07-01

The concept of functionally graded materials (FGMs) was originated in the research field of thermal barrier coatings. Continuous changes in the composition, grain size, porosity, etc., of these materials result in gradients in such properties as mechanical strength and thermal conductivity. In recent years, functionally graded structural composite materials have received increased attention as promising candidate materials to exhibit better mechanical and functional properties than homogeneous materials or simple composite materials. Therefore the research area of FGMs has been expending in the development of various structural and functional materials, such as cutting tools, photonic crystals, dielectric and piezoelectric ceramics, thermoelectric semiconductors, and biomaterials. We have developed functionally graded structural ceramic/metal composite materials for relaxation of thermal stress, functionally graded anti-oxidation coatings for carbon/carbon composites, and functionally graded dielectric ceramic composites to develop advanced dielectric ceramics with flat characteristics of dielectric constant in a wide temperature range. This paper introduces functionally graded coatings for C/C composites with superior oxidation resistance at high temperatures. (orig.)

Experimental Study on Subjective Evaluation for Visual Information by Event-Related Potential: Evaluation of Food and its Appearance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Motoshi Tanaka

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Evaluating subjective judgment for visual information by event-related potential (ERP quantitatively was studied. Pictures of food were displayed as visual information. And P300 component of the ERP was focused. The P300 is related to cognition and/or judgment, and has the latency in the range from 250 to 500 ms. As a fundamental study, the ERP was measured when subjectively judging food and its appearance by three-grade scale with the opinion “like”, “favorite” and “more favorite”. Sushi and cooked rice were selected as typical foods. And bottles which had almost the same shape without labels, but the colors were different, were used for an opinion test of the food appearance. Five pictures for each food were chosen by subjects before measurements. And no food which the subjects disliked was chosen because almost the same P300 amplitude appeared in both cases where the subjects judged as “like” and “dislike”. In results, the P300 amplitude by each subject's opinion was different, and the P300 area (surrounded by ERP waveform from the latency 250 to 500 ms became larger when the subjects judged as “more favorite”. These results indicate the feasibility of quantitative evaluation of subjective judgment by the ERP.

Investigation of optimize graded concrete for Oklahoma : phase 1 : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-01

Optimized Graded Concrete has been a subject widely discussed through the history of concrete. Since aggregates make up over 70% of the volume in a mixture, gradation is critical to the strength, workability, and durability of concrete. In practice o...

Review of therapeutic agents for burns pruritus and protocols for management in adult and paediatric patients using the GRADE classification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goutos Ioannis

2010-10-01

Full Text Available To review the current evidence on therapeutic agents for burns pruritus and use the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE classification to propose therapeutic protocols for adult and paediatric patients. All published interventions for burns pruritus were analysed by a multidisciplinary panel of burns specialists following the GRADE classification to rate individual agents. Following the collation of results and panel discussion, consensus protocols are presented. Twenty-three studies appraising therapeutic agents in the burns literature were identified. The majority of these studies (16 out of 23 are of an observational nature, making an evidence-based approach to defining optimal therapy not feasible. Our multidisciplinary approach employing the GRADE classification recommends the use of antihistamines (cetirizine and cimetidine and gabapentin as the first-line pharmacological agents for both adult and paediatric patients. Ondansetron and loratadine are the second-line medications in our protocols. We additionally recommend a variety of non-pharmacological adjuncts for the perusal of clinicians in order to maximise symptomatic relief in patients troubled with postburn itch. Most studies in the subject area lack sufficient statistical power to dictate a ′gold standard′ treatment agent for burns itch. We encourage clinicians to employ the GRADE system in order to delineate the most appropriate therapeutic approach for burns pruritus until further research elucidates the most efficacious interventions. This widely adopted classification empowers burns clinicians to tailor therapeutic regimens according to current evidence, patient values, risks and resource considerations in different medical environments.

Is the Sky Falling? Grade Inflation and the Signaling Power of Grades.

Science.gov (United States)

Pattison, Evangeleen; Grodsky, Eric; Muller, Chandra

2013-06-01

Grades are the fundamental currency of our educational system; they signal academic achievement and non-cognitive skills to parents, employers, postsecondary gatekeepers, and students themselves. Grade inflation compromises the signaling value of grades, undermining their capacity to achieve the functions for which they are intended. We challenge the 'increases in grade point average' definition of grade inflation and argue that grade inflation must be understood in terms of the signaling power of grades. Analyzing data from four nationally representative samples, we find that in the decades following 1972: (a) grades have risen at high schools and dropped at four-year colleges, in general, and selective four-year institutions, in particular; and (b) the signaling power of grades has attenuated little, if at all.

Economics of Scholarly Publishing: Exploring the Causes of Subscription Price Variations of Scholarly Journals in Business Subject-Specific Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lewis G.

2011-01-01

This empirical research investigates subscription price variations of scholarly journals in five business subject-specific areas using the semilogarithmic regression model. It has two main purposes. The first is to address the unsettled debate over whether or not and to what extent commercial publishers reap monopoly profits by overcharging…

The Effects of Oral Planning on Fifth-Grade Composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Beeker, Ruth Ann

In this study, three grade 5 classes were tested during a 3 week period to determine the effect that classroom discussion has on certain quantitative aspects of composition. Each week, 78 subjects viewed a short film with no narration and--after either no discussion, class discussion, or paired-student discussion--were required to write…

Arsenic methylation capability and hypertension risk in subjects living in arseniasis-hyperendemic areas in southwestern Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Y.-K.; Tseng, C.-H.; Huang, Y.-L.; Yang, M.-H.; Chen, C.-J.; Hsueh, Y.-M.

2007-01-01

Background: Cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE) from drinking water has been shown to be associated with hypertension in a dose-response pattern. This study further explored the association between arsenic methylation capability and hypertension risk among residents of arseniasis-hyperendemic areas in Taiwan considering the effect of CAE and other potential confounders. Method: There were 871 subjects (488 women and 383 men) and among them 372 were diagnosed as having hypertension based on a positive history or measured systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mm Hg. Urinary arsenic species were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. Primary arsenic methylation index [PMI, defined as monomethylarsonic acid (MMA V ) divided by (As III + As V )] and secondary arsenic methylation index (SMI, defined as dimethylarsinic acid divided by MMA V ) were used as indicators for arsenic methylation capability. Results: The level of urinary arsenic was still significantly correlated with cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE) calculated from a questionnaire interview (p = 0.02) even after the residents stopped drinking the artesian well water for 2-3 decades. Hypertensive subjects had higher percentages of MMA V and lower SMI than subjects without hypertension. However, subjects having CAE > 0 mg/L-year had higher hypertension risk than those who had CAE = 0 mg/L-year disregard a high or low methylation index. Conclusion: Inefficient arsenic methylation ability may be related with hypertension risk

High grade glioma: Imaging combined with pathological grade defines management and predicts prognosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnet, Neil G.; Lynch, Andrew G.; Jefferies, Sarah J.; Price, Stephen J.; Jones, Phil H.; Antoun, Nagui M.; Xuereb, John H.; Pohl, Ute

2007-01-01

Introduction: There is ambiguity in pathological grading of high grade gliomas within the WHO 2000 classification, especially those with predominant oligodendroglial differentiation. Patients and methods: All adult high grade gliomas treated radically, 1996-2005, were assessed. Cases in which pathology was grade III but radiology suggested glioblastoma (GBM) were classified as 'grade III/IV'; their pathology was reviewed. Results: Data from 245 patients (52 grade III, 18 grade III/IV, 175 GBM) were analysed using a Cox Proportional Hazards model. On pathology review, features suggestive of more aggressive behaviour were found in all 18 grade III/IV tumours. Oligodendroglial components with both necrosis and microvascular proliferation were present in 7. MIB-1 counts for the last 8 were all above 14%, mean 27%. Median survivals were: grade III 34 months, grade III/IV 10 months, GBM 11 months. Survival was not significantly different between grade III/IV and GBM. Patients with grade III/IV tumours had significantly worse outcome than grade III, with a hazard of death 3.7 times higher. Conclusions: The results highlight the current inconsistency in pathological grading of high grade tumours, especially those with oligodendroglial elements. Patients with histological grade III tumours but radiological appearances suggestive of GBM should be managed as glioblastoma

Buckling Response of Thick Functionally Graded Plates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BOUAZZA MOKHTAR

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the buckling of a functionally graded plate is studied by using first order shear deformation theory (FSDT. The material properties of the plate are assumed to be graded continuously in the direction of thickness. The variation of the material properties follows a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of constituents. The von Karman strains are used to construct the equilibrium equations of the plates subjected to two types of thermal loading, linear temperature rise and gradient through the thickness are considered. The governing equations are reduced to linear differential equation with boundary conditions yielding a simple solution procedure. In addition, the effects of temperature field, volume fraction distributions, and system geometric parameters are investigated. The results are compared with the results of the no shear deformation theory (classic plate theory, CPT.

QUALITY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES IN URBAN AREA OF ORADEA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silaghi Simona

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Intensification of public transport in urban areas due to increased mobility at regional and national levels, discrepancies among urban areas with same population and lack of statistical data related to performance and quality of public transport services are the main determinants of this paper. A separation line must be drawn between quality of services and performance indicators of public transport system. Service quality is a multi subjective outcome of an array of intangible variables. Service quality can be approached from four directions: consumer, vehicle performance (including the human operator, specialized company in passenger transport, and the Government (local Councils. Availability, comfort and convenience are the two main indicators that must be evaluated by citizens as being with high grades for a good quality of urban transport services. The instrument used to gather data is the preference survey.

Grade Inflation: Faculty Lived-Experiences and Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Nan

2016-01-01

The research area of this study is the phenomenon of grade inflation in higher educational organizations. Using a qualitative phenomenological research design, seven faculty members from a higher educational organization were purposefully selected to participate in a semi-structured, face-to-face interview. The participants were of various ages,…

2006 Toronto smog report card : final grade C-

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

This annual report card evaluated the progress made by the City of Toronto toward reducing the environmental and health impacts of smog. The final grade for 2006 was a C-, the same as for 2005. The highest grade of B+ was issued in 2004. The report card evaluated City Council actions based on their clean air commitments. Although the summer of 2006 was one of the best on record, with only 11 smog days, the grade of C- was issued because the performance of the City's Air Quality Improvement record was poor. Toronto Environmental Alliance strongly recommended that important changes be made to improve air quality, transit and waste disposal. It recommended that the City should address the real causes of unclean air, which are motor vehicle exhaust and toxic pollution. This report card graded the performance on initiatives in the following six major areas: energy; transit; air quality plan; walking and biking; fleets and fuels; and, intergovernmental action. The report recommended that efforts should be made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming. refs., tabs., figs.

P2-7: Encoding of Graded Changes in Validity of Spatial Priors in Human Visual Cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuko Hara

2012-10-01

Full Text Available If the spatial validity of prior information is varied systematically, does human behavioral performance improve in a graded fashion, and if so, does visual cortex represent the probability directly? Cortical activity was measured with fMRI while subjects performed a contrast-discrimination task in which the spatial validity of a prior cue for target location was systematically varied. Subjects viewed four sinusoidal gratings (randomized contrasts of 12.5, 25, and 50% shown in discrete visual quadrants presented twice. The contrast in one location (target was incremented in one of the two presentations. Subjects reported with a button press which presentation contained the greater contrast. The target grating was signaled in advance by a cue which varied in spatial validity; at trial onset, small lines pointed to four, two, or one of the possible target locations, thus indicating the target with 25, 50, or 100% probability. Behavioral performance was 2.1 and 3.3 times better in the 100% probability condition than the 50% and 25%, respectively (p < .001, ANOVA. Unlike behavioral performance, cortical activity in early visual areas showed the same increase in response amplitude for cued versus uncued stimuli for both 100% and 50% probability (V1-V4, V3A all p < .18, Student's t-test, 25% had no uncued condition. How could behavioral performance improve in a graded fashion if cortical activity showed the same effect for different probabilities? A model of efficient selection in which V1 responses were pooled according to their magnitude rather than as a simple average explained the observations (AIC difference = −15.

Numerical Simulation for Mechanical Behavior of Asphalt Pavement with Graded Aggregate Base

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongliang He

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The performance of asphalt pavement is determined by the combination of its material properties, road structure, and loading configurations. A DEM numerical simulation study was conducted to determine stress distribution and deformation behavior of asphalt pavement with graded aggregate base under standard traffic loading. Stress contour and displacement contour were presented via a self-made program. Compressive stress concentrated area located in both sides of wheel, while tensile stress concentrated area appeared in lower part of the asphalt layer. The traffic loading transferred downward by graded aggregate base and to both sides at the same time, and has a trend to expand gradually with increasing depth within graded aggregate base. Therefore, stress was well distributed in the subgrade soil layer with a great action scope, and the value decreased obviously because of the stress dispersion of graded aggregate base. Vertical displacement was the main displacement of the asphalt layer, and on the both sides of traffic loading, displacement was downward and inclined slightly to the central of loading. Vertical and horizontal deformations included in both graded aggregate base layers, and displacement extended to both sides gradually with increasing depth corresponding to stress-distribution trends. Vertical displacement was dominated in the subgrade soil layer which was relatively small.

Comparison of examination grades using item response theory : a case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Korobko, O.B.

2007-01-01

In item response theory (IRT), mathematical models are applied to analyze data from tests and questionnaires used to measure abilities, proficiency, personality traits and attitudes. This thesis is concerned with comparison of subjects, students and schools based on average examination grades using

Resource Handbook--Space Beyond the Earth. A Supplement to Basic Curriculum Guide--Science, Grades K-6.

Science.gov (United States)

Starr, John W., 3rd., Ed.

GRADES OR AGES: Grades K-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Science; space. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into four units: 1) the sun, earth, and moon; 2) stars and planets; 3) exploring space; 4) man's existence in space. Each unit includes initiatory and developmental activities. There are also sections on evaluation, vocabulary,…

Presence, location, type and size of denuded areas of subchondral bone in the knee as a function of radiographic stage of OA - data from the OA initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Frobell, R B; Wirth, W; Nevitt, M; Wyman, B T; Benichou, O; Dreher, D; Davies, R Y; Lee, J H; Baribaud, F; Gimona, A; Hudelmaier, M; Cotofana, S; Eckstein, F

2010-05-01

To assess the presence, location, type and size of denuded areas of subchondral bone (dAB) in the femorotibial joint, measured quantitatively with 3T MRI, in a large subset of OAI participants. One knee of 633 subjects (250 men, 383 women, aged 61.7+/-9.6 y) were studied, spanning all radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) stages. dABs were determined quantitatively using segmentations of coronal FLASHwe images, representing areas where the subchondral bone was not covered by cartilage. Post hoc visual examination of segmented images determined whether dABs represented full thickness cartilage loss or internal osteophyte. 7% Of the knees were Kellgren & Lawrence (KL) grade 0, 6% grade 1, 41% grade 2, 41% grade 3, and 5% grade 4. 39% Of the participants (48% of the men and 33% of the women) displayed dABs; 61% of the dABs represented internal osteophytes. 1/47 Participants with KL grade 0 displayed 'any' dAB whereas 29/32 of the KL grade 4 knees were affected. Even as early as KL grade 1, 29% of the participants showed dABs. There were significant relationships of dAB with increasing KL grades (Posteophytes were more frequent laterally (mainly posterior tibia and internal femur) whereas full thickness cartilage loss was more frequent medially (mainly external tibia and femur). dABs occur already at earliest stages of radiographic OA (KL grades 1 and 2) and become more common (and larger) with increasing disease severity. Almost all KL grade 4 knees exhibited dABs, with cartilage loss being more frequent than internal osteophytes. Copyright 2010 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Course Syllabi and Their Effects on Students' Final Grade Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Serafin, Ana Gil

This study examined the relationship between the changes introduced in a course syllabus for a course titled "Instructional Strategies" and the final grades obtained by freshman and sophomore students in three successive academic periods. A sample of 150 subjects was randomly selected from students enrolled in the course at the…

MRI of Residual Red Bone Marrow in the Distal Femur of Healthy Subjects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arslan, Gozde; Ozmen, Evrim; Soyturk, Mehmet

2015-01-01

The purpose of our study is to examine the correlation of the residual red bone marrow areas of distal femoral metaphysis with the age, gender, weight and hemoglobin (hgb) values; evaluate the results, and comprehend the importance of these residual areas in the light of the results. 140 nonsmoking patients between the ages of 26 and 72 (92 women, 48 men) who had knee MR examinations were included in the study. The residual red bone marrow areas in the distal femoral metaphysis in MR images were examined by a radiologist. The areas were separated into grades according to their sizes. The hemoglobin values of the cases were measured. The size of the residual red bone marrow area and the age, gender, weight and hemoglobin values of the cases were compared by using the Tukey and Chi-Square Tests. Although no significant differences were observed between the mean ages, weights and hemoglobin values of the grades, a significant difference was detected between the gender distribution The male group had less residual red bone marrow in the distal femoral metaphysis than the female group (p=0.003). We observed that the hypointensities due to residual red bone marrow observed in the T1WS of the distal femoral metaphysis are not related with the age, weight and hemoglobin values. No grade 2 and grade 3 patient was detected in male group. We observed that these hypointense areas showed difference according to the gender variable; however, were not affected by the hemoglobin values over certain levels

Effects of multisensory resources on the achievement and science attitudes of seventh-grade suburban students taught science concepts on and above grade level

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Patrice Helen

This research was designed to determine the relationships among students' achievement scores on grade-level science content, on science content that was three years above-grade level, on attitudes toward instructional approaches, and learning-styles perceptual preferences when instructional approaches were multisensory versus traditional. The dependent variables for this investigation were scores on achievement posttests and scores on the attitude survey. The independent variables were the instructional strategy and students' perceptual preferences. The sample consisted of 74 educationally oriented seventh-grade students. The Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) (Dunn, Dunn, & Price, 1990) was administered to determine perceptual preferences. The control group was taught seventh-grade and tenth-grade science units using a traditional approach and the experimental group was instructed on the same units using multisensory instructional resources. The Semantic Differential Scale (SDS) (Pizzo, 1981) was administered to reveal attitudinal differences. The traditional unit included oral reading from the textbook, completing outlines, labeling diagrams, and correcting the outlines and diagrams as a class. The multisensory unit included five instructional stations established in different sections of the classroom to allow students to learn by: (a) manipulating Flip Chutes, (b) using Electroboards, (c) assembling Task Cards, (d) playing a kinesthetic Floor Game, and (e) reading an individual Programmed Learning Sequence. Audio tapes and scripts were provided at each location. Students circulated in groups of four from station to station. The data subjected to statistical analyses supported the use of a multisensory, rather than a traditional approach, for teaching science content that is above-grade level. T-tests revealed a positive and significant impact on achievement scores (p < 0.0007). No significance was detected on grade-level achievement nor on the perceptual

Incidence of lumbar spondylolysis in the general population in Japan based on multidetector computed tomography scans from two thousand subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Toshinori; Sairyo, Koichi; Takao, Shoichiro; Nishitani, Hiromu; Yasui, Natsuo

2009-10-01

Epidemiological analysis using CTs. To investigate the true incidence of lumbar spondylolysis in the general population in Japan. Although there have been several reports on the incidence of lumbar spondylolysis, they had some weakness. One of them concerns the subjects investigated, because the incidence of lumbar spondylolysis varies considerably, and some patients are asymptomatic. In addition, most of the past studies used plain radiograph films or skeletal investigation. Therefore, the past reported incidence may not correspond to that of the general population. We reviewed the computed tomography (CT) scans of 2000 subjects (age: 20-92 years) who had undergone abdominal and pelvic CT on a single multidetector CT scanner for reasons unrelated to low back pain. We reviewed them for spondylolysis, spondylolytic spondylolisthesis, and spina bifida occulta (SBO) in the lumbosacral region. The grade (I-IV) of spondylolisthesis was measured using midsagittal reconstructions. Lumbar spondylolysis was found in 117 subjects (5.9%). Their male-female ratio was 2:1. Multiple-level spondylolysis was found in 5 subjects (0.3%). Among these 117 subjects, there were 124 vertebrae with spondylolysis. Of them, 112 (90.3%) corresponded to L5, and 26 (21.0%) had unilateral spondylolysis.SBO was found in 154 subjects. Of them, 25 had spondylolysis (16.2%), whereas, in 1846 subjects without SBO, 92 had spondylolysis (5.0%). The incidence of spondylolysis among the patients with SBO was significantly higher than that in subjects without SBO (Odd ratio was 3.7-fold).Of 124 vertebrae with spondylolysis, 75 (60.5%) showed low-grade (Meyerding grade I or II) spondylolisthesis, and no subject presented high-grade spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis was found in 74.5% of the subjects with bilateral spondylolysis, and in 7.7% of those with unilateral spondylolysis. The incidence of lumbar spondylolysis in the Japanese general population was 5.9% (males: 7.9%, females: 3.9%).

Graded gauge theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerner, R.

1983-01-01

The mathematical background for a graded extension of gauge theories is investigated. After discussing the general properties of graded Lie algebras and what may serve as a model for a graded Lie group, the graded fiber bundle is constructed. Its basis manifold is supposed to be the so-called superspace, i.e. the product of the Minkowskian space-time with the Grassmann algebra spanned by the anticommuting Lorentz spinors; the vertical subspaces tangent to the fibers are isomorphic with the graded extension of the SU(N) Lie algebra. The connection and curvature are defined then on this bundle; the two different gradings are either independent of each other, or may be unified in one common grading, which is equivalent to the choice of the spin-statistics dependence. The Yang-Mills lagrangian is investigated in the simplified case. The conformal symmetry breaking is discussed, as well as some other physical consequences of the model. (orig.)

Muscle metabolism during graded quadriceps exercise in man

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helge, Jørn W; Stallknecht, Bente; Galbo, Henrik

2007-01-01

, oxidation of plasma free fatty acids increases and accordingly oxidation of other fat sources decreases. These findings are in contrast to whole body measurements performed during graded exercise involving a large muscle mass during which fat oxidation peaks at around 60% of .......The aim of the study was to examine local muscle metabolism in response to graded exercise when the involved muscle mass is too small to elicit marked hormonal changes and local blood flow restriction. Nine healthy overnight fasted male subjects performed knee extension exercise with both thighs...... intensity. In conclusion, in the presence of a high blood flow and oxygen supply and only small hormonal changes, total fat oxidation in muscle increases from rest to light exercise, but then remains constant with exercise intensity up to heavy exercise. However, with increasing exercise intensity...

Visual application of the American Board of Orthodontics Grading System.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Steven A; Freer, Terry J

2005-05-01

Assessment of treatment outcomes has traditionally been accomplished using the subjective opinion of experienced clinicians. Reduced subjectivity in the assessment of orthodontic treatment can be achieved with the use of an occlusal index. To implement an index for quality assurance purposes is time-consuming and subject to the inherent error of the index. Quality assessment of orthodontic treatment on a routine basis has been difficult to implement in private practice. To investigate whether a clinician can accurately apply the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System by direct visual inspection instead of measuring individual traits. A random sample of 30 cases was selected, including pretreatment and post-treatment upper and lower study casts and panoramic radiographs. The cases were examined and scored with the standardized measuring gauge according to the protocol provided by the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO). The records were re-examined 6 weeks later and the individual traits scored by visual inspection (VI). There were no significant differences between the pre- and post-treatment ABO gauge and VI scores. This study suggests that occlusal traits defined by the ABO Objective Grading System can be accurately assessed by visual inspection. The VI score provides a simple and convenient method for critical evaluation of treatment outcome by a clinician.

[Association between occupational stress and presenteeism among medical staff at grade A tertiary hospitals in Shanghai, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Junming; Hua, Yujie; Zhang, Hao; Huang, Li; Fu, Hua

2015-10-01

To investigate the current status of occupational stress and presenteeism among medical staff at grade A tertiary hospitals in Shanghai, China, and to analyze the association between occupational stress and presenteeism. A total of 2356 healthcare workers from eight grade A tertiary hospitals in Shanghai were investigated by stratified random sampling. All the subjects were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires with informed consent. The occupational stress was assessed by the occupational stress core questionnaire. The presenteeism was evaluated by the Stanford Presenteeism Scale. In all subjects, the average score of presenteeism was 15.23 ± 3.89, and 72.5% felt occupational stress in self-evaluation. There were significant differences in the score of presenteeism between subjects with different ages, education levels, occupations, lengths of service, job titles, and shifts (all Poccupational stress, including job demand, control, social support, and demand-control ratio (Poccupational stress in medical staff from grade A tertiary hospitals is positively correlated with the level of presenteeism. It is important to promote social support to reduce the loss of work efficiency due to presenteeism.

The Effect of Using Flipped Classroom Strategy on the Academic Achievement of Fourth Grade Students in Jordan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shereen Mazen Elian

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at investigating the effect of flipped classroom strategy on the academic achievement in the subject of science among fourth grade students in Jordan. The study population consists of all fourth grade students in the Directorate of Private Education in Amman area, totaling 2134 students during the second semester of the academic year 2015-2016. The study sample consists of 44 male and female students who were chosen purposely from the study population. The study sample was distributed into two groups: the experimental group that consisted of 22 students, who has studied according to flipped classroom strategy, and the control group that consisted of 22 students, who has studied in the ordinary method. To achieve the objectives of the study, an achievement test was prepared and its validity and reliability were checked. ANCOVA, Means, and Standard Deviations were used to analyze the collected research data. The study deduced the following results: 1 There are statistically significant differences in the Means on the educational achievement test attributed to the teaching strategy, in favor of the members of the experimental group, and 2 there are no statistically significant differences in the Means on the academic achievement test attributed to gender. In light of the findings, the study recommended encouraging science teachers to teach students using teaching strategies emanated from the use of modern technologies, particularly the flipped classroom strategy. In addition, the study suggested that colleges of education should train prospective teachers on the use of teaching strategies stemming from modern educational theories and strategies such as the flipped classroom strategy during the period of preparing them to teach. Furthermore, the study recommended re-applying this experience and identifying its effectiveness at other schools stages and other subjects in other content areas.

Differentiation of low- and high-grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma: Tumor size versus CT perfusion parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chao; Kang, Qinqin; Xu, Bing; Guo, Hairuo; Wei, Qiang; Wang, Tiegong; Ye, Hui; Wu, Xinhuai

To compare the utility of tumor size and CT perfusion parameters for differentiation of low- and high-grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Tumor size, Equivalent blood volume (Equiv BV), permeability surface-area product (PS), blood flow (BF), and Fuhrman pathological grading of clear cell RCC were retrospectively analyzed. High-grade clear cell RCC had significantly higher tumor size and lower PS than low grade. Tumor size positively correlated with Fuhrman grade, but PS negatively did. Tumor size and PS were significantly independent indexes for differentiating high-grade from low-grade clear cell RCC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reliability of didactic grades to predict practical skills in an undergraduate dental college in Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zawawi, Khalid H; Afify, Ahmed R; Yousef, Mohammed K; Othman, Hisham I; Al-Dharrab, Ayman A

2015-01-01

This longitudinal study was aimed to investigate the association between didactic grades and practical skills for dental students and whether didactic grades can reliability predict the dental students' practical performance. Didactic and practical grades for graduates from the Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, between the years 2009 and 2011 were collected. Four courses were selected: Dental Anatomy, Operative Dentistry, Prosthodontics, and Orthodontics. Pearson product-moment correlation analyses between didactic and practical scores were conducted. There was only a significant correlation between didactic and practical scores for the Dental Anatomy course (Pdidactic scores (Pdidactic and practical scores for all subjects. Based on the findings of this study, the relationship between didactic grades and practical performance is course specific. Didactic grades do not reliably predict the students' practical skills. Measuring practical performances should be independent from didactic grading.

Teachers' Grading Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Isnawati, Ida; Saukah, Ali

2017-01-01

This study investigated teachers' grading decision making, focusing on their beliefs underlying their grading decision making, their grading practices and assessment types, and factors they considered in grading decision making. Two teachers from two junior high schools applying different curriculum policies in grade reporting in Indonesian…

Self-Oriented Perfectionism and Self-Assessment as Predictors of Adolescents? Subjective Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

Çelik, Eyüp

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study is to examine whether subjective well-being is predicted by self-oriented perfectionism and self-assessment. The self-oriented perfectionism scale, self-assessment scale and subjective well-being scale (SWB) were administrated to a sample of voluntary 272 eight-grade students from three secondary schools in Sultangazi,…

Cortical surface area reduction in identification of subjects at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Hao; Sun, Yawen; Su, Shanshan; Wang, Yao; Qiu, Yongming; Yang, Xi; Zhou, Yan; Xiao, Zeping; Wang, Zhen

2018-01-01

Victims of motor vehicle accidents often develop post-traumatic stress disorder, which causes significant social function loss. For the difficulty in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, identification of subjects at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder is essential for providing possible intervention. This paper aims to examine the cortical structural traits related to susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder. To address this issue, we performed structural magnetic resonance imaging study in motor vehicle accident victims within 48 hours from the accidents. A total of 70 victims, available for both clinical and magnetic resonance imaging data, enrolled in our study. Upon completion of 6-month follow-up, 29 of them developed post-traumatic stress disorder, while 41 of them didn't. At baseline, voxelwise comparisons of cortical thickness, cortical area and cortical volume were conducted between post-traumatic stress disorder group and trauma control group. As expected, several reduced cortical volume within frontal-temporal loop were observed in post-traumatic stress disorder. For cortical thickness, no between-group differences were observed. There were three clusters in left hemisphere and one cluster in right hemisphere showing decreased cortical area in post-traumatic stress disorder patients, compared with trauma controls. Peak voxels of the three clusters in left hemisphere were separately located in superior parietal cortex, insula and rostral anterior cingulate cortex. The finding of reduced surface area of left insula and left rostral anterior cingulate cortex suggests that shrinked surface area in motor vehicle accident victims could act as potential biomarker of subjects at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.

[Investigation on Main Cultivation of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus and Commercial Specifications Grades].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, He-ting; Wang, Jian; Cheng, Ming-en; Duan, Hai-yan; Peng, Hua-sheng

2015-12-01

To investigate the main cultivation areas of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus, and to clarify its present cultivation status and commercial specification grades. Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus cultivated in Hunyuan and Ying County of Shanxi, Longxi, Weiyuan and Min County of Gansu and Wuchuan, Guyang and Chifeng of Inner Mongolia were investigated, including their ecological environment, cultivation history and present situation, harvesting and processing as well as commercial specification grades. The cultivation methods of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus changed greatly in the main cultivation areas. In Gansu and Inner Mongolia, the current major cultivation method was 2 - 3 years of seedling transplantation method, while the 3 - 5 years of seed-directly-sowed method in Inner Mongolia had been almost abandoned, and the 6 - 8 years of mountain direct seeding method was still in application in Hunyuan county of Shanxi province. On the other hand, the harvest method of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus had been gradually changed from manual harvesting in ancient times to the current mechanical harvesting although the latter method did more damage to environment of cultivation areas and the resource of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus in regions Hunyuan county of Shanxi. Through investigating the processing methods of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus in different cultivation areas, it was found that processing method varied from area to area, and no unified specifications had been formulated on processing methods in market. In addition, the current processing method was too complicated in processing the slices of prepared Astragali Radix and most were self processing by farmers themselves, creating market disorders. Moreover, the Astragali Radix products were basically without grading classification but sold as bulk cargo. It is urgent to unify the specifications and grades of Astragali Radix product, and standardize

Development of nuclear grade stainless steels at KCSSL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balachandran, G.; Dhere, M.; Mahadik, A.; Hinge, N.M.; Balasubramanian, V.

2011-01-01

Kalyani Carpenter Special Steels Ltd is an alloy steel plant, where a variety of alloy steel grades are produced for automotive, defence, nuclear and aerospace applications. The plant has developed expertise in processing of several alloy steel grades of superior quality that meets stringent specifications. Primary steel is processed through a combination of electric arc furnace, ladle furnace and vacuum degassing where stringent control over dephosphorisation, desulphurization, deoxidation is effected to get a refined high quality steel. The molten steel is cast through continuous casting of slabs or ingot casting. In grades specific to nuclear application, the primary cast products are further subjected to electroslag remelting to achieve further freedom from inclusions and to achieve a favourable solidification grain structure, which ultimately improve the hot workability of the alloy steel. Appropriate choice of slag and operating parameters are needed for realising the required ingot quality. The present study would examine the processing and quality aspects of some important grades of steels used in nuclear industry namely ferritic 9Cr-1Mo steel, martensitic stainless steels 403, 410, precipitation hardenable 17-4 PH stainless steel and austenitic 321, 316LN stainless steel, which were made and supplied for applications to Indian nuclear industry. The expertise developed in processing the steels in terms of melting, heat treatment and their relationship to structural features and mechanical properties would be highlighted. (author)

Ultrasonographic findings of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma of the uterus with a focus on cystic degeneration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Ga Eun; Rha, Sung Eun; Oh, Soon Nam; Lee, Ah Won; Lee, Keun Ho; Kim, Mee Ran [Seoul St. Mary' s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-03-15

The goal of this study was to perform a retrospective analysis of the ultrasonographic findings associated with low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. Ten pathologically confirmed cases of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma at our institution from January 2007 to April 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent a preoperative transvaginal ultrasound. Two radiologists came to a consensus regarding the location, size, margin, and echogenicity of the tumor, as well as the presence of intratumoral cystic degeneration and its extent and configuration. Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma manifested as an intramural mass protruding into the endometrial cavity (n=6) or as a purely intramural mass (n=4). The maximal diameter of the lesion ranged from 4 to 9.1 cm (mean, 6.2 cm). The imaging features of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma were variable: six cases involved predominantly solid masses containing cystic degeneration, one was a predominantly unilocular cystic mass, two were ill-defined infiltrative solid masses, and one was a well-defined solid mass. Among the seven cases with internal cystic degeneration, five patients showed a multiseptated cystic area or a cystic area with multiple small clusters, while a unilocular cystic area within the tumor was found in two patients. Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma is associated with variable ultrasonographic findings with regard to the location, margin, and configuration of the lesion. Multiseptated cystic areas and multiple small areas of cystic degeneration are common.

The Effects of Using Concept Cartoons in Astronomy Subjects on Critical Thinking Skills among Seventh Grade Student

Science.gov (United States)

Demirci, Filiz; Özyürek, Cengiz

2017-01-01

The objective of this study is to research the effects of using concept cartoons in the "Solar System and Beyond" unit, which is included in seventh grade science lessons, on students' critical thinking skills. The study group consisted of 58 students, selected using an appropriate sampling method, who were students in a state secondary…

Will bottle-grade PET demand lure fiber-grade capacity?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coeyman, M.

1993-01-01

As demand for bottle-grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) continues strong and new capacity hastens to meet it, some industry observers wonder if conversions to bottle-grade from fiber-grade capacity will become an industry trend. Taiwan's Nan Ya Plastics was recently said to be considering such a switch, but company sources say it has no such plans. Peter Driscoll, senior partner at PCI Fibres ampersand Raw Materials (Crawley, UK), says that while it is true that demand for the bottle-grade material remains unsatisfied, he doubts that many conversions will take place. You must remember, says Driscoll, that it is not always possible to switch, and that even where it is possible there are limitations

Computer Science Education in Secondary Schools--The Introduction of a New Compulsory Subject

Science.gov (United States)

Hubwieser, Peter

2012-01-01

In 2004 the German state of Bavaria introduced a new compulsory subject of computer science (CS) in its grammar schools ("Gymnasium"). The subject is based on a comprehensive teaching concept that was developed by the author and his colleagues during the years 1995-2000. It comprises mandatory courses in grades 6/7 for all students of…

Study of Subjective Life Quality in Young People with Disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kurtanova Yu.E.,

2014-08-01

Full Text Available We present a study of subjective life quality in young people with disabilities compared with their healthy peers. The study sample comprised 62 women aged 14 to 18 years. The experimental study group consisted of 30 students of grades VIII-XI of Secondary School of home-based learning № 1673 "Support". The control group included 32 student of grades VIII-XI of School № 1222 with in-depth study of the German language. The methods used were: Medical Outcomes Study 36 Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36, M. Kuhn test "Who am I" (M. Kuhn, T. McPartland; modification by T.V. Rumjantseva, Method and diagnosis of health, activity and mood, projective technique "Picture of the actual self" and "Picture of the desired self" with questions. We formulated conclusions about the features of the subjective assessment of the quality of life in young people with disabilities compared with their healthy peers.

An instrument for rapid delineation of grade boundaries in selective mining of uranium ore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, G.J.; Dickson, B.L.; Meakins, R.L.; Kenny, D.; Talaska, A.

1982-01-01

A vehicle-mounted radiation detector interfaced to a microprocessor called PRAM (programmable radioactive analyser mobile) has been developed to provide grade control for selective mining of a soft rock uranium ore. The grade of ore over which the vehicle passes is determined and indicated by several coloured lights to a pegman who walks behind the vehicle. Coloured pegs are then laid out to mark the uranium grade ranges on the floor of the mine pit. Comparison between grade ranges determined by the PRAM and by prior drilling and downhole logging at the Yeelirrie deposit, Western Australia indicate good agreement. Use of the PRAM decreases the cost, manpower and time required to grade extensive areas of a mine pit floor

Human papillomavirus (HPV) type distribution in cervical carcinoma, low-grade, and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in Venezuelan women.

Science.gov (United States)

Correnti, Maria; Medina, Francisco; Cavazza, María Eugenia; Rennola, Antonieta; Avila, Maira; Fernándes, Andreína

2011-06-01

Cervical cancer is an important cause of mortality among women in developing countries, especially in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. Infection with high-risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV) has been identified as the primary cause of cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of HR-HPV genotypes in low-grade and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL, HSIL) and cervical carcinoma (CC) among Venezuelan women. Subjects with histopathological diagnosis of LSIL, HSIL, and CC (LSIL=200; HSIL=100; CC=150) were enrolled in the study after obtaining informed consent. Biopsy samples of these subjects were analyzed to determine the lesion type. HPV detection and typing was done using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse hybridization. HPV type specific prevalence was determined in subjects with single and multiple infections. HPV DNA was detected in 68%, 95%, and 98.7% of LSIL, HSIL, and CC cases, respectively. HR-HPV and low-risk oncogenic HPV (LR-HPV) was observed in 66.9%/11.8% of LSIL cases, 87.3%/3.2% of HSIL cases, and 91.2%/0.7% of CC cases. HPV types -16/-18 (65%) were the most common high-risk HPV types observed, followed by types -52, -33, -45, and -31. Cervical cancer burden in Venezuelan women is substantial. HPV types -16/-18 were the most common types prevalent among Venezuelan women followed by types -52, -33, -45, and -31 (prevalence, ~90.1%). The results of this study provide baseline information on the HPV type distribution, which may facilitate the development of a cervical cancer prevention and control program in Venezuela. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Orofacial myofunctional disorder in subjects with temporomandibular disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Cláudia Lúcia Pimenta; Da Silva, Marco Antônio M Rodrigues; de Felício, Cláudia Maria

2009-10-01

To determine the frequency and degree of orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD) in a sample of patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD), the dental records of 240 patients with a diagnosis of TMD were reviewed. Mean patient age and mean TMD duration, gender frequency, complaints, and signs and symptoms were calculated. The results showed that the sample studied was quite characteristic of a TMD group. The presence of the following signs/symptoms was significant: muscular pain, TMJ pain, joint noise, at least one otologic symptom, headache, and neck and shoulder pain. Most subjects presented some degree of OMD, with grade high prevailing over grade low. The importance of evaluating the stomatognathic structures and functions during the clinical examination of patients with TMD is emphasized.

Secondary Schools Curriculum Guide, Mathematics, Grades 10-12, Levels 87-112.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Arnold R., Ed.; And Others

Behavioral objectives for geometry, algebra, computer mathematics, trigonometry, analytic geometry, calculus, and probability are specified for grades 10 through 12. General objectives are stated for major areas under each topic and are followed by a list of specific objectives for that area. This work was prepared under an ESEA Title III…

Enhancing Argumentative Essay Writing of Fourth-Grade Students with Learning Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Deatline-Buchman, Andria; Jitendra, Asha K.

2006-01-01

A within-subject pretest-posttest comparison design was used to explore the effectiveness of a planning and writing intervention in improving the argumentative writing performance of five fourth-grade students with learning disabilities. Students were taught to collaboratively plan and revise their essays and independently write their essays using…

[Inadequacy of the paradigms of special education to subjects with severe and profound grade intellectual disability - the need for pragmatic realism in psychiatry and special pedagogy].

Science.gov (United States)

Sipowicz, Kasper; Żuraw, Hanna; Witusik, Andrzej; Mokros, Łukasz; Najbert, Edyta; Pietras, Tadeusz

2018-05-25

People with severe and profound grade disabilities are the subject of interest in psychiatry, clinical psychology and special pedagogy. Unfortunately, the paradigmatic approach to special education based on postmodern philosophy is in contrast to the biomedical approach that is based on the positivist and Cartesian models. The paper is an attempt to systematize the similarities and differences between the humanistic approach and the modern biomedical model, which, despite the apparent differences, do not differ so much from each other. Work with a person disabled intellectually in the severe or profound degree is governed by the principles of methodical realism, taking into account to an equal extent the principal deficits, the concomitant diseases, limitations and the social context. The deeper the impairment and disability is, the smaller is the role of the humanistic paradigm in work with the client in the medical management and educational process. Changing the paradigms of special pedagogy has drawn attention to the social context of disability, separating, however, special pedagogy from modern medicine and psychology, cognitive-oriented and psychometry-based. The postmodern paradigm has become an ideology, which makes it difficult to work with deeply disabled people. Only the multidirectional approach including a variety of paradigms makes it possible to provide integrational aid to people with severe and profound grade intellectual disabilities. Working with such a disabled person should take into account equally the biomedical and humanistic aspects. © 2018 MEDPRESS.

Influence of grade on the reliability of corroding pipelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maes, M.A.; Dann, M.; Salama, M.M.

2008-01-01

This paper focuses on a comparative analysis of the reliability associated with the evolution of corrosion between normal and high-strength pipe material. The use of high strength steel grades such as X100 and X120 for high pressure gas pipeline in the arctic is currently being considered. To achieve this objective, a time-dependent reliability analysis using variable Y/T ratios in a multiaxial finite strain analysis of thin-walled pipeline is performed. This analysis allows for the consideration of longitudinal grooves and the presence of companion axial tension and bending loads. Limit states models are developed based on suitable strain hardening models for the ultimate behavior of corroded medium and high strength pipeline material. In an application, the evolution of corrosion is modeled in pipelines of different grades that have been subjected to an internal corrosion inspection after a specified time which allows for a Bayesian updating of long-term corrosion estimates and, hence, the derivation of annual probabilities of failure as a function of time. The effect of grade and Y/T is clearly demonstrated

The effects of departmentalized and self-contained classrooms on fifth-grade students' achievement in science on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Lisa S.

Elementary instruction of fifth grade classrooms was found to be primarily in two organizational models in a school district northwest of Atlanta, Georgia. The self-contained classroom provided a generalist teacher responsible for the instruction of all academic subjects to one group of students throughout the day, while departmentalized classrooms were structured utilizing one teacher for the instruction of one or two content areas, and students rotated throughout the day for each of the academic subjects. The majority of studies looking at the effect of instructional organization were concentrated in the content areas of mathematics and reading. This quantitative study, utilized an ex post facto methodology to determine whether fifth grade students attending departmentalized schools or self-contained classrooms had higher student achievement in science as measured by the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The statistical data was collected through the Georgia Department of Education and included raw mean scores of over 500 students attending departmentalized schools and 500 students attending self-contained classrooms, along with the various subgroups such as gender, ethnicity status, English language learners (ELL), and students with disability (SWD) placement. This data was analyzed to show if a significant statistical difference emerged from either instructional organization. The overall results that emerged from the archival data suggested no significant difference in student achievement existed for almost all subgroups tested of the total 1000+ participant scores used in the study. The results also did however, showed the departmentalization model of instruction had a slight advantage over self-contained classrooms for male students with disabilities.

Diagnostic Appraisal of Grade 12 Students' Understanding of Reaction Kinetics

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yaw Kai; Subramaniam, R.

2016-01-01

The study explored grade 12 students' understanding of reaction kinetics, a topic which has not been extensively explored in the chemistry education literature at this level. A 3-tier diagnostic instrument with 11 questions was developed--this format is of very recent origin and has been the subject of only a handful of studies. The findings…

Connecting with the Arts: A Workshop for Middle Grades Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Annenberg Media, 2005

2005-01-01

"Connecting with the Arts: A Workshop for Middle Grades Teachers" is a video workshop for middle school teachers of the arts and other subjects. The workshop includes eight hour-long video programs and a companion workshop guide and Web site. The workshop shows middle school teachers why and how to integrate the arts (dance, music, theatre, and…

Enhancing Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking Skills of First Grade ESOL Students through the Use of Semantic Webbing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufman, Madeline

In response to low reading scores among first grade students of English as a Second Language (ESL) in one inner-city school, the teaching techniques of semantic webbing and brainstorming were used to improve student reading skills. Subjects were eight first grade ESL students. Pretests were administered to assess student levels of reading…

A new grading system for analyzing pediatric cholesteatoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodama, Akira; Ashimori, Naoki; Tsurita, Minako; Ban, Akihiro

2007-01-01

We developed a new grading system to understand the complicated pathological changes of cholesteatoma in comparison to those of chronic otitis media. This grading system, based on the extent of the cholesteatoma and the surrounding pathlogical changes, is able to simply express the entire pathological condition of the ear with cholesteatoma. Using this grading system, we analyzed the ears of 48 children with cholesteatoma, who underwent tympanoplasty over the past ten years. Their ages ranged from 2 to 15 years with an average age of 8.5 years. The attic and mesotympanic cholesteatomas were associated with greater pathological changes than those observed in postero-superior quadrant cholesteatomas. The degree of the pathological change in the area surrounding the cholesteatoma appears to correlate with the degree of extention of the cholesteatoma. This system is thus considered to be useful for evaluating the improvement in the pathological conditions before and after surgery in patients with cholesteatoma. (author)

Hydrostatic Extrusion and Nano-Hardness of Nanocrystalline Grade 2 Titanium.

Science.gov (United States)

Sitek, Ryszard; Kaminski, Janusz; Spychalski, Maciej; Garbacz, Halina; Pachla, Waclaw; Kurzydlowski, Krzysztof Jan

2015-07-01

The structure and corrosion resistance of Grade 2 titanium subjected to the hydroextrusion processes were examined. The microstructure was characterized using optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The corrosion resistance was determined using the impedance and potentiodynamic methods, in 0.1 M H2SO4 solutions and an acidified 0.1 M NaCl solution with a pH of 4.2, at ambient temperature. Nanohardness tests were performed under a load of 100 mN. It has been demonstrated that the hydroextrusion method makes it possible to obtain relatively homogeneous nanocrystalline titanium Grade 2 with an increased hardness, the elastic modulus almost unchanged with respect to that of the initial structure and a lower corrosion resistance.

Genetic structure and genetic diversity of Swietenia macrophylla in areas subjected to selective logging in Quintana Roo, Mexico

OpenAIRE

Alcalá, Raúl Ernesto; Cruz, Silvia De la; Gutiérrez-Granados, Gabriel

2015-01-01

The hypothesis that selective logging has a negative effect by altering the genetic parameters of tropical tree species was evaluated. The genetic diversity and genetic structure between adult trees (N = 47) and saplings (N = 50) of Swietenia macrophylla were contrasted within an area subjected to selective logging in the Mayan zone. Although differences in the number of alleles and in their frequencies were detected between both groups, the observed and expected heterozygosity and the coeffi...

The pathologist's mean grade is constant and individualizes the prognostic value of bladder cancer grading.

Science.gov (United States)

van Rhijn, Bas W G; van Leenders, Geert J L H; Ooms, Bert C M; Kirkels, Wim J; Zlotta, Alexandre R; Boevé, Egbert R; Jöbsis, Adriaan C; van der Kwast, Theo H

2010-06-01

A new grading system for bladder cancer (BCa) was adopted in 2004 to reduce observer variability and provide better prognostic information. We compared the World Health Organization (WHO) 1973 and 2004 systems for observer variability and prognosis. Slides of 173 primary non-muscle-invasive BCa were reviewed two times by four pathologists. Intra- and interobserver variability were assessed using κ statistics. We determined the mean grade (eg, G1/low malignant potential is 1 grade point, G2/low grade is 2 grade points) of the pathologists per grading cycle. Kaplan-Meier analyses were applied for prediction of recurrence and progression. For WHO 2004 and 1973 grading, the agreement between the pathologists was 39-74% (κ: 0.14-0.58) and 39-64% (κ: 0.15-0.41), respectively. The intraobserver agreement varied from 71% to 88% (κ: 0.55-0.81). The mean grade of a pathologist was constant (difference below 0.1 grade point) irrespective of the grading system. Conversely, mean-grade differences among the pathologists were high, up to 0.7 grade point. The mean grades for the WHO 2004 system were 0.3-0.5 grade point higher than those of WHO 1973. Mean grade distinguished low and high graders among the pathologists and was strongly linked with risk of progression in each grade category. The variation in mean grade among individual pathologists exceeded the grade shift caused by WHO 2004 grading. Knowledge of the pathologist's mean grade allows a better assessment of the prognostic value of grading. Mean grade has the potential to become a tool for quality assurance in pathology. Copyright © 2009 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diabetic Retinopathy Grading by Digital Curvelet Transform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirin Hajeb Mohammad Alipour

2012-01-01

Full Text Available One of the major complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. As manual analysis and diagnosis of large amount of images are time consuming, automatic detection and grading of diabetic retinopathy are desired. In this paper, we use fundus fluorescein angiography and color fundus images simultaneously, extract 6 features employing curvelet transform, and feed them to support vector machine in order to determine diabetic retinopathy severity stages. These features are area of blood vessels, area, regularity of foveal avascular zone, and the number of micro-aneurisms therein, total number of micro-aneurisms, and area of exudates. In order to extract exudates and vessels, we respectively modify curvelet coefficients of color fundus images and angiograms. The end points of extracted vessels in predefined region of interest based on optic disk are connected together to segment foveal avascular zone region. To extract micro-aneurisms from angiogram, first extracted vessels are subtracted from original image, and after removing detected background by morphological operators and enhancing bright small pixels, micro-aneurisms are detected. 70 patients were involved in this study to classify diabetic retinopathy into 3 groups, that is, (1 no diabetic retinopathy, (2 mild/moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, (3 severe nonproliferative/proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and our simulations show that the proposed system has sensitivity and specificity of 100% for grading.

New examples of continuum graded Lie algebras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savel'ev, M.V.

1989-01-01

Several new examples of continuum graded Lie algebras which provide an additional elucidation of these algebras are given. Here, in particular, the Kac-Moody algebras, the algebra S 0 Diff T 2 of infinitesimal area-preserving diffeomorphisms of the torus T 2 , the Fairlie, Fletcher and Zachos sine-algebras, etc., are described as special cases of the cross product Lie algebras. 8 refs

Low-grade central osteosarcoma in proximal humerus: a rare entity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tang F

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Fan Tang,1,2 Li Min,1,2 Yong Zhou,1 Yi Luo,1 Chongqi Tu1 1Department of Orthopedics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Center for Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Abstract: Low-grade central osteosarcoma is a rare subtype of tumor with low-grade malignancy. Currently, wide resection with negative resection margin is the standard treatment for this disease. The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in low-grade central osteosarcoma was controversial and was mostly considered for tumors containing high-grade focal areas. Local tumor recurrences often exhibited a tumor with higher histologic grade or differentiation with the potential for metastases. In low-grade central osteosarcoma, timely wide resection after definite diagnosis can result in 5-year survival for almost 90%. However, the relatively nonspecific radiological and pathological findings make diagnosis very difficult. MDM2 and CDK4 are specific and provide sensitive markers for the diagnosis of low-grade central osteosarcoma, helping to differentiate low-grade central osteosarcoma from some benign lesions, including fibrous dysplasia, bone giant cell tumor, and chondrosarcoma. Here, we report the case of a 19-year-old woman with low-grade central osteosarcoma located at the proximal humerus. The affected site was rare, but the sensitive biomarkers CDK4 and MDM2 were positive. The patient recovered well after wide tumor resection following a proximal humerus endoprosthesis replacement. Our case highlighted the management strategies in low-grade central osteosarcoma. Being familiar with radiographic features, understanding the biological characteristics, and mastering diagnostic biomarkers can help oncologists avoid embarrassing situations in treatment when this rare tumor is highly suspected, even when located at an uncommon site. The discussion in this report

Grading Dysphagia as a Toxicity of Head and Neck Cancer: Differences in Severity Classification Based on MBS DIGEST and Clinical CTCAE Grades.

Science.gov (United States)

Goepfert, Ryan P; Lewin, Jan S; Barrow, Martha P; Warneke, Carla L; Fuller, Clifton D; Lai, Stephen Y; Weber, Randal S; Hutcheson, Katherine A

2018-04-01

Clinician-reported toxicity grading through common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) stages dysphagia based on symptoms, diet, and tube dependence. The new dynamic imaging grade of swallowing toxicity (DIGEST) tool offers a similarly scaled five-point ordinal summary grade of pharyngeal swallowing as determined through results of a modified barium swallow (MBS) study. This study aims to inform clinicians on the similarities and differences between dysphagia severity according to clinical CTCAE and MBS-derived DIGEST grading. A cross-sectional sample of 95 MBS studies was randomly selected from a prospectively-acquired MBS database among patients treated with organ preservation strategies for head and neck cancer. MBS DIGEST and clinical CTCAE dysphagia grades were compared. DIGEST and CTCAE dysphagia grades had "fair" agreement per weighted κ of 0.358 (95% CI .231-.485). Using a threshold of DIGEST ≥ 3 as reference, CTCAE had an overall sensitivity of 0.50, specificity of 0.84, and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.67 to identify severe MBS-detected dysphagia. At less than 6 months, sensitivity was 0.72, specificity was 0.76, and AUC was 0.75 while at greater than 6 months, sensitivity was 0.22, specificity was 0.90, and AUC was 0.56 for CTCAE to detect dysphagia as determined by DIGEST. Classification of pharyngeal dysphagia on MBS using DIGEST augments our understanding of dysphagia severity according to the clinically-derived CTCAE while maintaining the simplicity of an ordinal scale. DIGEST likely complements CTCAE toxicity grading through improved specificity for physiologic dysphagia in the acute phase and improved sensitivity for dysphagia in the late-phase.

The effects of school policies and practices on eighth-grade science achievement: A multilevel analysis of TIMSS

Science.gov (United States)

Smyth, Carol Ann Mary

Identifying the relative importance of both alterable school policies and fairly stable contextual factors as they relate to middle level science achievement, a domain of identified national concern, requires simultaneous investigation of multilevel predictors (i.e., student level and school level) specific to the grade level and academic subject area. The school level factors are predictors associated with both the school (e.g., average socioeconomic status, tracking, and instructional time) and the classroom (e.g., average academic press of peers, teacher collaboration, and instructional strategies). The current study assessed the effects of school policies, practices, and contextual factors on the science achievement of eighth grade students. These influences were considered to be both additive (i.e., influencing the mean achievement in a school after controlling for student characteristics) and interactive (i.e., affecting the relationships between student background characteristics and individual achievement). To account for the nested structure of predictors and cross level interactions among predictors, a multilevel model for middle level science achievement was estimated using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) with data collected from eighth grade students, science teachers, and administrators in 1995 as part of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The major findings of this research suggest that although average eighth grade science achievement in a school was primarily associated with the contextual characteristics of the classroom and the school (e.g., average socioeconomic status and average academic press), both the academic differentiating influence of prior achievement and the social differentiating influence of parental education on the science achievement of eighth grade students were related not only to contextual characteristics of the classroom and the school, but also to the instructional policies of the classroom

ERBB2 mutations associated with solid variant of high-grade invasive lobular breast carcinomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Deniziaut, Gabrielle; Tille, Jean Christophe; Bidard, François-Clément; Vacher, Sophie; Schnitzler, Anne; Chemlali, Walid; Trémoulet, Laurence; Fuhrmann, Laetitia; Cottu, Paul; Rouzier, Roman; Bièche, Ivan; Vincent-Salomon, Anne

2016-11-08

ERBB2 and ERBB3 somatic gain-of-function mutations, which may be targeted by anti-ERBB2 therapies, were reported by high-throughput sequencing studies in 1% and 2% of invasive breast cancers respectively. Our study aims to determine ERBB2 and ERBB3 mutations frequencies in grade 3 and/or ERBB2-positive invasive lobular breast carcinomas (ILC). All the 529 ILC surgically-excised registered at Institut Curie in the years 2005 to 2008 were reviewed. Thirty-nine grade 3 ERBB2-negative ILC and 16 ERBB2-positive ILC were retrieved and subjected to Sanger sequencing of the ERBB2 and ERBB3 activation mutation hotspots (ERBB2: exons 8, 17, 19, 20, 21; ERBB3: exons 3, 6, 7, 8). Among the 39 grade 3 ERBB2-negative ILC, six tumors were found to have at least one detectable ERBB2 activating mutation (incidence rate: 15%, 95%CI [4%-27%]). No ERBB2 mutation was found among the 16 ERBB2-positive ILC. No ERBB3 mutation was found in any of the 55 ILC. ERBB2 mutations were statistically associated with solid ILC features (p=0.01). Survival analyses showed no significant prognostic impact of ERBB2 mutations. Our study demonstrates that high grade ERBB2-negative ILC display a high frequency of ERBB2 mutations, and should be subjected to systematic genetic screening.

Comparison of the reliability of two hydronephrosis grading systems: The Society for Foetal Urology grading system vs. the Onen grading system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S.-Y.; Kim, M.-J.; Yoon, C.S.; Lee, M.S.; Han, K.H.; Lee, M.-J.

2013-01-01

Aim: To compare the reliability of the conventional ultrasonography grading system for hydronephrosis as suggested by the Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) in 1993 and that developed by Onen in 2007. Materials and methods: One hundred and eighty kidneys in 90 paediatric patients were assessed by four radiologists using each of the two grading systems twice. The SFU system was graded 0–4 (0 = no hydronephrosis; 1 = visualized only renal pelvis; 2 = plus a few caliceal dilatation; 3 = all calyceal dilatation; 4 = plus parenchymal thinning). The Onen system was graded 0–4 (0 = no hydronephrosis; 1 = only renal pelvic dilatation; 2 = plus caliceal dilatation; 3 = plus 50% renal parenchymal loss). Cohen's kappa statistic was used to estimate intra- and interobserver agreement. The weighted least-squares approach was used to compare the intra-observer agreement, and bootstrapping was used to compare the interobserver agreement between the two systems. Results: Intra-observer agreement was substantial to almost perfect in both the SFU (κ 0.79–0.95) and the Onen (κ 0.66–0.97) grading system without difference. The overall interobserver agreement was substantial in both the SFU (κ 0.61–0.68) and the Onen (κ 0.66–0.76) grading system. However, interobserver agreement was fair to moderate for SFU grades 1 and 2 and Onen grades 2 and 3. Conclusion: Both the SFU and Onen grading system are reliable with good intra- and interobserver agreement. However, decreased interobserver agreement was demonstrated for SFU grades 1 and 2 and Onen grades 2 and 3

Illinois Ratings of Teacher Effectiveness Manual. Grades 9-12.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanchard, B. Everard

The Illinois Ratings of Teacher Effectiveness (IRTE) is an instrument for recording senior high school student perceptions of teacher performance in ten trait areas: teacher appearance, ability to explain, friendliness, grading fairness, discipline, outside classroom assignments, enjoyment of teaching, voice, mannerisms, and command of subject…

Correlation of grading of pulmonary emphysema by computed tomography to pulmonary function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamagishi, Masahiko; Mori, Masaki; Hirai, Hideyuki; Mori, Yuji; Koba, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Akira

1988-01-01

We studied the CT findings of 17 emphysema patients with special reference to the extent of emphysematous changes. Characteristic CT findings were low-attenuation area (LAA) and vascular abnormality and the appearance of various images on CT. To assess the extent of emphysematous changes, we classified the CT images into 4 grades based on the distribution and size of LAAs. As the grades progressed, the distribution and size of LAAs became wider and larger and vascular abnormalities were clearly evident. Although this CT-grading is a semiquantitative method, it is simple to use and gives information on the approximate extent of disease. This CT-grading was also used to show pulmonary function. The RV/TLC and expiratory flow showed a tendency to be impaired in Grade IV and the diffusion capacity was impaired parallel to CT-grading. CT is able to demonstrate the presence and distribution of LAAs noninvasively. Therefore it is considered that CT is useful for clinical diagnosis and the assessment of the extent of pulmonary emphysema. (author)

Cervical Muscle Dysfunction in the Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorder Grade II (WAD-II)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nederhand, Marcus Johannes; IJzerman, Maarten Joost; Hermens, Hermanus J.; Baten, Christian T.M.; Zilvold, Gerrit

2000-01-01

Study Design: In a cross-sectional study, surface electromyography measurements of the upper trapezius muscles were obtained during different functional tasks in patients with a chronic whiplash associated disorder Grade II and healthy control subjects. - Objectives: To investigate whether muscle

Facial nerve grading instruments: systematic review of the literature and suggestion for uniformity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fattah, A.Y.; Gurusinghe, A.D.; Gavilan, J.; Hadlock, T.A.; Marcus, J.R.; Marres, H.A.; Nduka, C.C.; Slattery, W.H.; Snyder-Warwick, A.K.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: A variety of facial nerve grading scales have been developed over the years with the intended goals of objectively documenting facial nerve function,tracking recovery, and facilitating communication between practitioners. Numerous scales have been proposed; however, all are subject to

A vision of graded hemispheric specialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Behrmann, Marlene; Plaut, David C

2015-11-01

Understanding the process by which the cerebral hemispheres reach their mature functional organization remains challenging. We propose a theoretical account in which, in the domain of vision, faces and words come to be represented adjacent to retinotopic cortex by virtue of the need to discriminate among homogeneous exemplars. Orthographic representations are further constrained to be proximal to typically left-lateralized language-related information to minimize connectivity length between visual and language areas. As reading is acquired, orthography comes to rely more heavily (albeit not exclusively) on the left fusiform region to bridge vision and language. Consequently, due to competition from emerging word representations, face representations that were initially bilateral become lateralized to the right fusiform region (albeit, again, not exclusively). We review recent research that describes constraints that give rise to this graded hemispheric arrangement. We then summarize empirical evidence from a variety of studies (behavioral, evoked response potential, functional imaging) across different populations (children, adolescents, and adults; left handers and individuals with developmental dyslexia) that supports the claims that hemispheric lateralization is graded rather than binary and that this graded organization emerges dynamically over the course of development. Perturbations of this system either during development or in adulthood provide further insights into the principles governing hemispheric organization. © 2015 New York Academy of Sciences.

A screening on Specific Learning Disorders in an Italian speaking high genetic homogeneity area.

Science.gov (United States)

Cappa, Claudia; Giulivi, Sara; Schilirò, Antonino; Bastiani, Luca; Muzio, Carlo; Meloni, Fabrizio

2015-01-01

The aim of the present research is to investigate the prevalence of Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) in Ogliastra, an area of the island of Sardinia, Italy. Having experienced centuries of isolation, Ogliastra has become a high genetic homogeneity area, and is considered particularly interesting for studies on different kinds of pathologies. Here we are going to describe the results of a screening carried out throughout 2 consecutive years in 49 second grade classes (24 considered in the first year and 25 in the second year of the study) of the Ogliastra region. A total of 610 pupils (average age 7.54 years; 293 female, 317 male) corresponding to 68.69% of all pupils who were attending second grade in the area, took part in the study. The tool used for the screening was "RSR-DSA. Questionnaire for the detection of learning difficulties and disorders", which allowed the identification of 83 subjects at risk (13.61% of the whole sample involved in the study). These subjects took part in an enhancement training program of about 6 months. After the program, pupils underwent assessment for reading, writing and calculation abilities, as well as cognitive assessment. According to the results of the assessment, the prevalence of SLDs is 6.06%. For what concerns dyslexia, 4.75% of the total sample manifested this disorder either in isolation or in comorbidity with other disorders. According to the first national epidemiological investigation carried out in Italy, the prevalence of dyslexia is 3.1-3.2%, which is lower than the prevalence obtained in the present study. Given the genetic basis of SLDs, this result, together with the presence of several cases of SLD in isolation (17.14%) and with a 3:1 ratio of males to females diagnosed with a SLD, was to be expected in a sample coming from a high genetic homogeneity area. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching Measurement to Children: Grades K-6. Revised Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Borelli, Michael L.; Morelli, Sandra Z.

Objectives are listed describing the progression which students follow in learning to measure. These objectives follow a sequence that corresponds closely with the intellectual sequence found in students' learning. Grade-level recommendation charts follow the objectives. Topics dealt with are length, distance, area, volume, capacity, mass, and…

Non-hodgkin lymphoma containing low attenuation area at enhanced CT : correlation with histopathologic typing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kyung Hoon; Kim, Hyung Jin; Ahn, In Oak; Chung, Sung Hoon [College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju (Korea, Republic of); Park, Ji Hyun [Masan Koryo General Hospital, Masan (Korea, Republic of)

1994-12-15

To evaluate the frequently of low attenuation area in enhanced CT scans of non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL) and to find out if there is any pertinent relationship between this and the histopathologic classification. The authors reviewed CT scans in the newly-diagnosed 53 patients with NHL. We defined the low attenuation area as the one with CT attenuation value lower than that of the muscle, surrounding lesion, or other lymph nodes after contrast enhancement. NHL with the low attenuation areas were correlated with the histopathologic findings according to the classification based on the Working Formulation and the frequency of the lesion was evaluated. Of the 53 patients, the low attenuation area was found in 13 patients (25%) at CT. The histopathologic classification could be made in 12 patients, among whom one patient was classified as low-grade, six as intermediate-grade, and five as high-grade. Concerning the specific cell typing, the diffuse large cell type was most common in intermediate-grade NHL seen in five patients and the large cell, immunoblastic type was most common in high-grade NHL seen in three patients. The authors concluded that the low attenuation area within lymphoma is not an infrequent finding at CT, and there was no statistically significant correlation between this finding and the prognostic grading of the Working Formulation.

Effect of size grading on the essential oil yield and composition of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The essential oil of freshly harvested 12 months mature ginger rhizomes graded based on their thickness, according to three commonly occuring sizes (big, medium and small) were extracted and subjected to GC-MS evaluation, in order to establish likely variation in yield and identify possible compositional differences ...

Physical Education and Health Education for Wyoming Elementary Schools, Grades Kindergarten-Six.

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, John B., Ed.

GRADES OR AGES: K-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Physical education and health education. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: There are 10 main sections--1) the elementary school program--organization and administration; 2) movement exploration and education; 3) rhythmic activities; 4) games; 5) stunts, tumbling, trampoline, and apparatus; 6) individual,…

The measurement and inclusion of a stochastic ore-grade uncertainty in mine valuations using PDEs

OpenAIRE

Evatt, G. W.; Johnson, P. V.; Duck, P. W.; Howell, S. D.

2010-01-01

Mining companies world-wide are faced with the problem of how to accurately value and plan extraction projects subject to uncertainty in both future price and ore grade. Whilst the methodology of modelling price uncertainty is reasonably well understood, modelling ore-grade uncertainty is a much harder problem to formulate, and when attempts have been made the solutions have taken unfeasibly long times to compute. This paper provides a new partial differential equations approach to the proble...

Assessment of tissue heterogeneity using diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis imaging for grading gliomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raja, Rajikha; Sinha, Neelam [International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore, Bangalore (India); Saini, Jitender; Mahadevan, Anita; Rao, K.V.L. Narasinga; Swaminathan, Aarthi [National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore (India)

2016-12-15

In this work, we aim to assess the significance of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) parameters in grading gliomas. Retrospective studies were performed on 53 subjects with gliomas belonging to WHO grade II (n = 19), grade III (n = 20) and grade IV (n = 14). Expert marked regions of interest (ROIs) covering the tumour on T2-weighted images. Statistical texture measures such as entropy and busyness calculated over ROIs on diffusion parametric maps were used to assess the tumour heterogeneity. Additionally, we propose a volume heterogeneity index derived from cross correlation (CC) analysis as a tool for grading gliomas. The texture measures were compared between grades by performing the Mann-Whitney test followed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for evaluating diagnostic accuracy. Entropy, busyness and volume heterogeneity index for all diffusion parameters except fractional anisotropy and anisotropy of kurtosis showed significant differences between grades. The Mann-Whitney test on mean diffusivity (MD), among DTI parameters, resulted in the highest discriminability with values of P = 0.029 (0.0421) for grade II vs. III and P = 0.0312 (0.0415) for III vs. IV for entropy (busyness). In DKI, mean kurtosis (MK) showed the highest discriminability, P = 0.018 (0.038) for grade II vs. III and P = 0.022 (0.04) for III vs. IV for entropy (busyness). Results of CC analysis illustrate the existence of homogeneity in volume (uniformity across slices) for lower grades, as compared to higher grades. Hypothesis testing performed on volume heterogeneity index showed P values of 0.0002 (0.0001) and 0.0003 (0.0003) between grades II vs. III and III vs. IV, respectively, for MD (MK). In summary, the studies demonstrated great potential towards automating grading gliomas by employing tumour heterogeneity measures on DTI and DKI parameters. (orig.)

Assessment of tissue heterogeneity using diffusion tensor and diffusion kurtosis imaging for grading gliomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raja, Rajikha; Sinha, Neelam; Saini, Jitender; Mahadevan, Anita; Rao, K.V.L. Narasinga; Swaminathan, Aarthi

2016-01-01

In this work, we aim to assess the significance of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) parameters in grading gliomas. Retrospective studies were performed on 53 subjects with gliomas belonging to WHO grade II (n = 19), grade III (n = 20) and grade IV (n = 14). Expert marked regions of interest (ROIs) covering the tumour on T2-weighted images. Statistical texture measures such as entropy and busyness calculated over ROIs on diffusion parametric maps were used to assess the tumour heterogeneity. Additionally, we propose a volume heterogeneity index derived from cross correlation (CC) analysis as a tool for grading gliomas. The texture measures were compared between grades by performing the Mann-Whitney test followed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for evaluating diagnostic accuracy. Entropy, busyness and volume heterogeneity index for all diffusion parameters except fractional anisotropy and anisotropy of kurtosis showed significant differences between grades. The Mann-Whitney test on mean diffusivity (MD), among DTI parameters, resulted in the highest discriminability with values of P = 0.029 (0.0421) for grade II vs. III and P = 0.0312 (0.0415) for III vs. IV for entropy (busyness). In DKI, mean kurtosis (MK) showed the highest discriminability, P = 0.018 (0.038) for grade II vs. III and P = 0.022 (0.04) for III vs. IV for entropy (busyness). Results of CC analysis illustrate the existence of homogeneity in volume (uniformity across slices) for lower grades, as compared to higher grades. Hypothesis testing performed on volume heterogeneity index showed P values of 0.0002 (0.0001) and 0.0003 (0.0003) between grades II vs. III and III vs. IV, respectively, for MD (MK). In summary, the studies demonstrated great potential towards automating grading gliomas by employing tumour heterogeneity measures on DTI and DKI parameters. (orig.)

Differentiating high-grade from low-grade chondrosarcoma with MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Hye Jin; Hong, Sung Hwan; Choi, Ja-Young; Choi, Jung-Ah; Kang, Heung Sik [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea); Moon, Kyung Chul [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Seoul (Korea); Kim, Han-Soo [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul (Korea)

2009-12-15

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the MR imaging features that differentiate between low-grade chondrosarcoma (LGCS) and high-grade chondrosarcoma (HGCS) and to determine the most reliable predictors for differentiation. MR images of 42 pathologically proven chondrosarcomas (28 LGCS and 14 HGCS) were retrospectively reviewed. There were 13 male and 29 female patients with an age range of 23-72 years (average age 51 years). On MR images, signal intensity, specific morphological characteristics including entrapped fat, internal lobular architecture, and outer lobular margin, soft tissue mass formation and contrast enhancement pattern were analysed. MR imaging features used to identify LGCS and HGCS were compared using univariate analysis and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. On T1-weighted images, a central area of high signal intensity, which was not seen in LGCS, was frequently observed in HGCS (n = 5, 36%) (p < 0.01). Entrapped fat within the tumour was commonly seen in LGCS (n = 26, 93%), but not in HGCS (n = 1, 4%) (p < 0.01). LGCS more commonly (n = 24, 86%) preserved the characteristic internal lobular structures within the tumour than HGCSs (n = 4, 29%) (p < 0.01). Soft tissue formation was more frequently observed in HGCS (n = 11, 79%) than in LGCS (n = 1, 4%) (p < 0.01). On gadolinium-enhanced images, large central nonenhancing areas were exhibited in only two (7.1%) of LGCS, while HGCS frequently (n = 9, 64%) had a central nonenhancing portion (p < 0.01). Results of multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that soft tissue formation and entrapped fat within the tumour were the variables that could be used to independently differentiate LGCS from HGCS. There were several MR imaging features of chondrosarcoma that could be helpful in distinguishing HGCS from LGCS. Among them, soft tissue mass formation favoured the diagnosis of HGCS, and entrapped fat within the tumour was highly indicative of LGCS. (orig.)

Differentiating high-grade from low-grade chondrosarcoma with MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Hye Jin; Hong, Sung Hwan; Choi, Ja-Young; Choi, Jung-Ah; Kang, Heung Sik; Moon, Kyung Chul; Kim, Han-Soo

2009-01-01

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the MR imaging features that differentiate between low-grade chondrosarcoma (LGCS) and high-grade chondrosarcoma (HGCS) and to determine the most reliable predictors for differentiation. MR images of 42 pathologically proven chondrosarcomas (28 LGCS and 14 HGCS) were retrospectively reviewed. There were 13 male and 29 female patients with an age range of 23-72 years (average age 51 years). On MR images, signal intensity, specific morphological characteristics including entrapped fat, internal lobular architecture, and outer lobular margin, soft tissue mass formation and contrast enhancement pattern were analysed. MR imaging features used to identify LGCS and HGCS were compared using univariate analysis and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. On T1-weighted images, a central area of high signal intensity, which was not seen in LGCS, was frequently observed in HGCS (n = 5, 36%) (p < 0.01). Entrapped fat within the tumour was commonly seen in LGCS (n = 26, 93%), but not in HGCS (n = 1, 4%) (p < 0.01). LGCS more commonly (n = 24, 86%) preserved the characteristic internal lobular structures within the tumour than HGCSs (n = 4, 29%) (p < 0.01). Soft tissue formation was more frequently observed in HGCS (n = 11, 79%) than in LGCS (n = 1, 4%) (p < 0.01). On gadolinium-enhanced images, large central nonenhancing areas were exhibited in only two (7.1%) of LGCS, while HGCS frequently (n = 9, 64%) had a central nonenhancing portion (p < 0.01). Results of multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that soft tissue formation and entrapped fat within the tumour were the variables that could be used to independently differentiate LGCS from HGCS. There were several MR imaging features of chondrosarcoma that could be helpful in distinguishing HGCS from LGCS. Among them, soft tissue mass formation favoured the diagnosis of HGCS, and entrapped fat within the tumour was highly indicative of LGCS. (orig.)

Fire Hazards Analysis for the 200 Area Interim Storage Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

JOHNSON, D.M.

2000-01-01

This documents the Fire Hazards Analysis (FHA) for the 200 Area Interim Storage Area. The Interim Storage Cask, Rad-Vault, and NAC-1 Cask are analyzed for fire hazards and the 200 Area Interim Storage Area is assessed according to HNF-PRO-350 and the objectives of DOE Order 5480 7A. This FHA addresses the potential fire hazards associated with the Interim Storage Area (ISA) facility in accordance with the requirements of DOE Order 5480 7A. It is intended to assess the risk from fire to ensure there are no undue fire hazards to site personnel and the public and to ensure property damage potential from fire is within acceptable limits. This FHA will be in the form of a graded approach commensurate with the complexity of the structure or area and the associated fire hazards

A proposed grading system for standardizing tumor consistency of intracranial meningiomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Zada, Gabriel; Yashar, Parham; Robison, Aaron; Winer, Jesse; Khalessi, Alexander; Mack, William J; Giannotta, Steven L

2013-12-01

Tumor consistency plays an important and underrecognized role in the surgeon's ability to resect meningiomas, especially with evolving trends toward minimally invasive and keyhole surgical approaches. Aside from descriptors such as "hard" or "soft," no objective criteria exist for grading, studying, and conveying the consistency of meningiomas. The authors designed a practical 5-point scale for intraoperative grading of meningiomas based on the surgeon's ability to internally debulk the tumor and on the subsequent resistance to folding of the tumor capsule. Tumor consistency grades and features are as follows: 1) extremely soft tumor, internal debulking with suction only; 2) soft tumor, internal debulking mostly with suction, and remaining fibrous strands resected with easily folded capsule; 3) average consistency, tumor cannot be freely suctioned and requires mechanical debulking, and the capsule then folds with relative ease; 4) firm tumor, high degree of mechanical debulking required, and capsule remains difficult to fold; and 5) extremely firm, calcified tumor, approaches density of bone, and capsule does not fold. Additional grading categories included tumor heterogeneity (with minimum and maximum consistency scores) and a 3-point vascularity score. This grading system was prospectively assessed in 50 consecutive patients undergoing craniotomy for meningioma resection by 2 surgeons in an independent fashion. Grading scores were subjected to a linear weighted kappa analysis for interuser reliability. Fifty patients (100 scores) were included in the analysis. The mean maximal tumor diameter was 4.3 cm. The distribution of overall tumor consistency scores was as follows: Grade 1, 4%; Grade 2, 9%; Grade 3, 43%; Grade 4, 44%; and Grade 5, 0%. Regions of Grade 5 consistency were reported only focally in 14% of heterogeneous tumors. Tumors were designated as homogeneous in 68% and heterogeneous in 32% of grades. The kappa analysis score for overall tumor consistency

Grade Inflation Marches On: Grade Increases from the 1990s to 2000s

Science.gov (United States)

Kostal, Jack W.; Kuncel, Nathan R.; Sackett, Paul R.

2016-01-01

Grade inflation threatens the integrity of college grades as indicators of academic achievement. In this study, we contribute to the literature on grade inflation by providing the first estimate of the size of grade increases at the student level between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s. By controlling for student characteristics and course-taking…

De-Inventory Plan for Transuranic Waste Stored at Area G

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hargis, Kenneth Marshall [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Christensen, Davis V. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Shepard, Mark D. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-06-21

This report describes the strategy and detailed work plan developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to disposition transuranic (TRU) waste stored at its Area G radioactive waste storage site. The focus at this time is on disposition of 3,706 m³ of TRU waste stored above grade by June 30, 2014, which is one of the commitments within the Framework Agreement: Realignment of Environmental Priorities between the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the State of New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), Reference 1. A detailed project management schedule has been developed to manage this work and better ensure that all required activities are aligned and integrated. The schedule was developed in conjunction with personnel from the NNSA Los Alamos Site Office (LASO), the DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO), the Central Characterization Project (CCP), and Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). A detailed project management schedule for the remainder of the above grade inventory and the below grade inventory will be developed and incorporated into the De-Inventory Plan by December 31, 2012. This schedule will also include all newly-generated TRU waste received at Area G in FYs 2012 and 2013, which must be removed by no later than December 31, 2014, under the Framework Agreement. The TRU waste stored above grade at Area G is considered to be one of the highest nuclear safety risks at LANL, and the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board has expressed concern for the radioactive material at risk (MAR) contained within the above grade TRU waste inventory and has formally requested that DOE reduce the MAR. A large wildfire called the Las Conchas Fire burned extensive areas west of LANL in late June and July 2011. Although there was minimal to no impact by the fire to LANL, the fire heightened public concern and news media attention on TRU waste storage at Area G. After the fire, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez also

Performance Analysis of Functionally Graded Coatings in Contact with Cylindrical Rollers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Jahedi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This work presents finite element analysis (FEA and results for rolling contact of a cylindrical roller on an elastic substrate coated by functionally graded material (FGM. The rolling process and the graded coating material property and layers arrangement are modeled using finite element codes which lead to a new methodology. This novel methodology provides a trend in determining surface contact stresses, deformations, contact zones, and energy dissipation through the contact area. Effects of stiffness ratio, friction, and exponentially variation of material property on the contact stresses and deformations are studied. Some of the results are verified with analytical solutions. The study results may be beneficial in graded coated cylindrical components analysis against rolling contact failure and wear.

Assessing the Implementation Fidelity of a School-Based Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Program in Physical Education and Other Subject Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Escartí, Amparo; Liops-Goig, Ramon; Wright, Paul M.

2018-01-01

Purpose: The Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model was developed to foster responsibility and teach life skills that transfer to various settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the implementation fidelity of a school-based TPSR program in physical education and other subject areas. Method: Systematic observation was…

The Effect of Conceptual Change Approach to Eliminate 9th Grade High School Students' Misconceptions about Air Pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Akbas, Yavuz; Gencturk, Ebru

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of teaching based on conceptual change overcome misconceptions of 9th grade high school students about the subject of air pressure. The sampling of the study was formed with two classes of 9th grade students from a general high school in the city-center of Trabzon. A quasi-experimental…

78 FR 43758 - Kiwifruit Grown in California and Imported Kiwifruit; Relaxation of Minimum Grade Requirement

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-22

... that export fruit to the United States and known kiwifruit importers will be notified of this interim... Subjects 7 CFR Part 920 Kiwifruit, Marketing agreements. 7 CFR Part 944 Avocados, Food grades and standards...

Influencing factors on CPAP adherence and anatomic characteristics of upper airway in OSA subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Pona; Kim, Jinil; Song, Yoon Jae; Lim, Jae Hyun; Cho, Sung Woo; Won, Tae-Bin; Han, Doo Hee; Kim, Dong-Young; Rhee, Chae Seo; Kim, Hyun Jik

2017-12-01

Although continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most effective treatment modality, poor adherence still remains a problem for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment and there is little evidence regarding how this might be improved. This study aims to analyze the anatomic and clinical factors of OSA subjects who failed to comply with CPAP therapy.The medical records of 47 OSA subjects who received CPAP therapy as a first-line treatment modality were retrospectively reviewed. The medical records were reviewed for demographic and polysomnographic data and anatomic findings of the nasal cavity and oropharynx.24 patients who adhered to CPAP therapy and 23 patients who were nonadherent were enrolled in the study. There were no statistically significant differences in sleep parameters between CPAP-adherent patients and CPAP nonadherent subjects. Mean body mass index of CPAP nonadherent group was significantly higher than CPAP adherent group. Higher grades of septal deviation and hypertrophic change of the inferior turbinate were observed more in the CPAP nonadherent group. In addition, CPAP nonadherent subjects showed considerably bigger tonsils and higher grade palatal position comparing with the CPAP adherent subjects. Subjective discomfort including inconvenience, mouth dryness, and chest discomfort were the main problems for OSA subjects who did not comply with CPAP therapy.Excessive upper airway blockage in the nasal cavity and oropharynx was predominant in CPAP nonadherent subjects, which might cause the reported subjective discomfort that reduces CPAP compliance. Therefore, resolution of these issues is needed to enhance CPAP compliance for control of OSA. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intrinsic, identified, and controlled types of motivation for school subjects in young elementary school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Guay, Frédéric; Chanal, Julien; Ratelle, Catherine F; Marsh, Herbert W; Larose, Simon; Boivin, Michel

2010-12-01

There are two approaches to the differential examination of school motivation. The first is to examine motivation towards specific school subjects (between school subject differentiation). The second is to examine school motivation as a multidimensional concept that varies in terms of not only intensity but also quality (within school subject differentiation). These two differential approaches have led to important discoveries and provided a better understanding of student motivational dynamics. However, little research has combined these two approaches. This study examines young elementary students' motivations across school subjects (writing, reading, and maths) from the stance of self-determination theory. First, we tested whether children self-report different levels of intrinsic, identified, and controlled motivation towards specific school subjects. Second, we verified whether children self-report differentiated types of motivation across school subjects. Participants were 425 French-Canadian children (225 girls, 200 boys) from three elementary schools. Children were in Grades 1 (N=121), 2 (N=126), and 3 (N=178). Results show that, for a given school subject, young elementary students self-report different levels of intrinsic, identified, and controlled motivation. Results also indicate that children self-report different levels of motivation types across school subjects. Our findings also show that most differentiation effects increase across grades. Some gender effects were also observed. These results highlight the importance of distinguishing among types of school motivation towards specific school subjects in the early elementary years.

An Experimental Analysis of the Relation between Assigned Grades and Instructor Evaluations

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Dale L.; Cook, Patrick; Buskist, William

2011-01-01

The perceived relation between assigned student grades and instructor evaluations of teaching has been the subject of much debate, though few laboratory studies have been conducted with adequate controls. Marsh and Roche suggested that experimental field studies may be a particularly promising avenue for further analyses of this relation. The…

Science, Technology, and Society: Some Philosophical Reflections on a Grade 11 Course.

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Paul L.

1993-01-01

Speculates on factors that may influence the lack of status of a "Science and Technology" course for grade 11 in British Columbia. Suggests that Aristotelian conceptions of the superiority of pure science over practical knowledge affect the status of school subjects. Questions the course's portrayal of the nature of technology and…

A Novel Actinic Keratosis Field Assessment Scale for Grading Actinic Keratosis Disease Severity.

Science.gov (United States)

Dréno, Brigitte; Cerio, Rino; Dirschka, Thomas; Nart, Ignasi Figueras; Lear, John T; Peris, Ketty; de Casas, Andrés Ruiz; Kaleci, Shaniko; Pellacani, Giovanni

2017-10-02

Actinic keratosis (AK) lesions are surrounded by field cancerization (areas of subclinical, non-visible sun damage). Existing AK grading tools rely on AK counts, which are not reproducible. An Actinic Keratosis Field Assessment Scale (AK-FAS) for grading the severity of AK/field was developed. Standardized photographs of patients representing the full range of AK severity were collected. Six investigators independently rated each photograph according to 3 criteria: AK area (total skin area affected by AK lesions), hyperkeratosis and sun damage. Inter-rater reproducibility was good for all 3 criteria. Validation of the AK-FAS showed good reproducibility for AK area and hyperkeratosis, even for dermatologists untrained on use of the scale. In conclusion, the AK-FAS is objective, easy to use and implement, and reproducible. It incorporates assessment of the entire field affected by AK instead of relying on lesion counts. Use of the AK-FAS may standardize AK diagnosis, making it relevant to routine clinical practice.

Increased variability of watershed areas in patients with high-grade carotid stenosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaczmarz, Stephan; Griese, Vanessa; Preibisch, Christine

2018-01-01

. Despite of high relevance for both clinical diagnostics and research, individual in vivo WSA definition is fairly limited to date. Thus, this study proposes a standardized segmentation approach to delineate individual WSAs by use of time-to-peak (TTP) maps and investigates spatial variability...... of individual WSAs. Methods: We defined individual watershed masks based on relative TTP increases in 30 healthy elderly persons and 28 patients with unilateral, high-grade carotid stenosis, being at risk for watershed-related hemodynamic impairment. Determined WSA location was confirmed by an arterial transit...... time atlas and individual super-selective arterial spin labeling. We compared spatial variability of WSA probability maps between groups and assessed TTP differences between hemispheres in individual and group-average watershed locations. Results: Patients showed significantly higher spatial...

Colorado Student Assessment Program: 2001 Released Passages, Items, and Prompts. Grade 4 Reading and Writing, Grade 4 Lectura y Escritura, Grade 5 Mathematics and Reading, Grade 6 Reading, Grade 7 Reading and Writing, Grade 8 Mathematics, Reading and Science, Grade 9 Reading, and Grade 10 Mathematics and Reading and Writing.

Science.gov (United States)

Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.

This document contains released reading comprehension passages, test items, and writing prompts from the Colorado Student Assessment Program for 2001. The sample questions and prompts are included without answers or examples of student responses. Test materials are included for: (1) Grade 4 Reading and Writing; (2) Grade 4 Lectura y Escritura…

The Effect of Friendship Skills Training on Friendship Quality and Subjective Well-Being of Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Çekiç, Ali; Kul, Aykut; Çetin, Aysenur; Cihangiroglu, Ümmügülsüm

2017-01-01

This study aims to examine the effects of friendship skills training on the quality of friendship and subjective well-being of adolescents. In order to determine the experimental and control groups, the Friendship Quality Scale and the Adolescent Subjective Well-Being Scale were administered to 311 students in 9th, 10th and 11th grade classes from…

Relationship between red wine grade and phenolics. 2. Tannin composition and size.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassara, Stella; Kennedy, James A

2011-08-10

Commercial red wines ( Vitis vinifera L. cv. Shiraz) produced during the 2009 vintage underwent winemaker assessment for allocation grade soon after production. The wines were then subjected to phenolic analysis to measure wine color (total anthocyanin, SO(2) nonbleachable pigment, and wine color density) and tannins (concentration, composition, and average degree of polymerization). A positive relationship was found between wine phenolic concentration and projected bottle price. Tannin compositional analysis suggested that there was specifically a relationship between wine grade and skin-derived tannins. These results suggest that maximization of skin tannin concentration and/or proportion is related to an increase in projected wine bottle price.

14 CFR 139.309 - Safety areas.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... construction, reconstruction, or expansion began if construction, reconstruction, or significant expansion of... grading or storm sewers to prevent water accumulation. (3) Each safety area must be capable under dry...

Gold grade of epithermal gold ore at Lamuntet, Brang Rea, West Sumbawa District, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Ernawati, Rika; Idrus, Arifudin; TBMP, Himawan

2017-06-01

Lamuntet is one of gold ore mining area carried out by the Artisanal Small scale Gold Mining (ASGM) located in West Sumbawa, Indonesia. Most of the miners at this area are not the local miners but also those from other regions. Mineralization of this area is strong identified as low sulfidation epithermal system. There are two blocks of this mining location, namely, Ngelampar block with an area of 0.164 km2 and Song block with an area of 0.067 km2. This study was focused on Ngelampar block. The characteristic of epithermal system is the existence of quartz vein with comb, vuggy, and sugary texture. The aim of this research was to analyze the gold grade and other metals, such as Cu, Ag, Pb, As, Zn, and Hg. The research methods included literature study from previous researches, field work, laboratory work, and interpretation. The literature study was performed on previous researches with similar study area. The field work comprised of direct observation and sampling. Fieldwork was done for a week to obtain gold ore/vein. Sixteen samples were analyzed to obtain the grade of ore/metal. The Hg laboratory analysis was then performed on the six samples with the highest gold grade. Laboratory works were conducted at Intertek Jakarta by using Fire Assay (FA) for gold grade and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) for Cu, Ag, Pb, As, Zn, and Hg. Results of the analysis showed the range of Au was grade (0.1 ppm - 27.8 ppm), Cu was 26 ppm -1740 ppm, Pb was 101 ppm- >4000 ppm, Zn of 73 ppm- >10,000 ppm, Ag of 3 ppm -185 ppm, As was 150 ppm-6530 ppm, and Hg of 0.08 ppm - 1.89 ppm. L1 and L15 had high grade for all values (Au, Ag, Zn, Cu, As, and Hg). Gold mineralization was formed as electrum because of Ag content is higher than 20%. Associated minerals of the samples in the study area were galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite which showed the characteristic of rich base metal of Pb, Zn, and Cu at LS epithermal.

What's in a Grade? Grading Policies and Practices in Principles of Economics

Science.gov (United States)

Walstad, William B.; Miller, Laurie A.

2016-01-01

Survey results from a national sample of economics instructors describe the grading policies and practices in principles of economics courses. The survey results provide insights about absolute and relative grading systems used by instructors, the course components and their weights that determine grades, and the type of assessment items used for…

High-grade and low-grade gliomas: differentiation by using perfusion MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakyemez, B.; Erdogan, C.; Ercan, I.; Ergin, N.; Uysal, S.; Atahan, S.

2005-01-01

AIM: Relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) is a commonly used perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique for the evaluation of tumour grade. Relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) has been less studied. The goal of our study was to determine the usefulness of these parameters in evaluating the histopathological grade of the cerebral gliomas. METHODS: This study involved 33 patients (22 high-grade and 11 low-grade glioma cases). MRI was performed for all tumours by using a first-passage gadopentetate dimeglumine T2*-weighted gradient-echo single-shot echo-planar sequence followed by conventional MRI. The rCBV and rCBF were calculated by deconvolution of an arterial input function. The rCBV and rCBF ratios of the lesions were obtained by dividing the values obtained from the normal white matter of the contralateral hemisphere. For statistical analysis Mann-Whitney testing was carried out. A p value of less than 0.05 indicated a statistically significant difference. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the relationship between the rCBV and rCBF ratios and grade of gliomas. Their cut-off value permitting discrimination was calculated. The correlation between rCBV and CBF ratios and glioma grade was assessed using Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: In high-grade gliomas, rCBV and rCBF ratios were measured as 6.50±4.29 and 3.32±1.87 (mean±SD), respectively. In low-grade gliomas, rCBV and rCBF ratios were 1.69±0.51 and 1.16±0.38, respectively. The rCBV and rCBF ratios for high-grade gliomas were statistically different from those of low-grade gliomas (p 0.05). The cut-off value was taken as 1.98 in the rCBV ratio and 1.25 in the rCBF ratio. There was a strong correlation between the rCBV and CBF ratios (Pearson correlation = 0.830, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Perfusion MRI is useful in the preoperative assessment of the histopathologicalal grade of gliomas; the rCBF ratio in addition to the rCBV ratio can be incorporated

Spatial variability of soil potassium in sugarcane areas subjected to the application of vinasse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LAÉRCIO A. DE CARVALHO

2014-12-01

Full Text Available When deposited on land the vinasse can promote improvement in fertility, however, often fertilizer application occurs in areas considered homogeneous, without taking into account the variability of the soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of vinasse application on potassium content in two classes of soils cultivated with sugarcane, and characterize the spatial variability of soil using geostatistical techniques. In the 2010 and 2011 crop year, soil samples were collected from an experimental grid at 0-0.2 and 0.2-0.4 m depth in three soils cultivated with sugarcane, totaling 90 samplings in each grid, for the determination of pH, calcium (Ca, magnesium (Mg, potassium (K, phosphorus (P, aluminum (Al and potential acidity (H + Al. The data have been submitted to analysis of descriptive statistics and the K attribute was subjected to geostatistical analysis. The coefficient of variation indicated medium and high variability of K for the three soils. The results showed that the spatial dependence of K increased in depth to FRce and decreased to PHlv, indicating that the attribute could have followed the pattern of distribution of clay in depth. The investigation of the spatial variability of K on the surface and subsurface soils provided the definition of management zones with different levels of fertility, which can be organized into sub-areas for a more efficient management of the resources and the environment.

Diagnostic Values of DCE-MRI and DSC-MRI for Differentiation Between High-grade and Low-grade Gliomas: A Comprehensive Meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Jianye; Liu, Dexiang; Gao, Peng; Zhang, Dong; Chen, Hanwei; Shi, Changzheng; Luo, Liangping

2018-03-01

This study aimed to collect the studies on the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) in differentiating the grades of gliomas, and evaluate the diagnostic performances of relevant quantitative parameters in glioma grading. We systematically searched studies on the diagnosis of gliomas with DCE-MRI or DSC-MRI in Medline, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, Cochrane Library, and Embase published between January 2005 and December 2016. Standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for volume transfer coefficient (K trans ), volume fraction of extravascular extracellular space (V e ), rate constant of backflux (K ep ), relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV), and relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using Review Manager 5.2 software. Sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC), and Begg test were calculated by Stata 12.0. Twenty-two studies with available outcome data were included in the analysis. The standardized mean difference of K trans values between high-grade glioma and low-grade glioma were 1.18 (0.91, 1.45); V e values were 1.43 (1.06, 1.80); K ep values were 0.65 (-0.05, 1.36); rCBV values were 1.44 (1.08, 1.81); and rCBF values were 1.17 (0.68, 1.67), respectively. The results were all significant statistically (P values (P = .07), and high-grade glioma had higher K trans , V e , rCBV, and rCBF values than low-grade glioma. AUC values of K trans , V e , rCBV, and rCBF were 0.90, 0.88, 0.93, and 0.73, respectively; rCBV had the largest AUC among the four parameters (P < .05). Both DCE-MRI and DSC-MRI are reliable techniques in differentiating the grades of gliomas, and rCBV was found to be the most sensitive one. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Podcasting in an Eighth-Grade American History Class

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Patrick D.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to see how students used podcasts in an eighth-grade American history unit and the value they placed on them as an educational tool. The 6-week study was conducted in a suburban middle school in a district that is part of a large metropolitan area in Texas. Participants included 29 students and 2 eighth-grade…

Classification of prostate cancer grade using temporal ultrasound: in vivo feasibility study

Science.gov (United States)

Ghavidel, Sahar; Imani, Farhad; Khallaghi, Siavash; Gibson, Eli; Khojaste, Amir; Gaed, Mena; Moussa, Madeleine; Gomez, Jose A.; Siemens, D. Robert; Leveridge, Michael; Chang, Silvia; Fenster, Aaron; Ward, Aaron D.; Abolmaesumi, Purang; Mousavi, Parvin

2016-03-01

Temporal ultrasound has been shown to have high classification accuracy in differentiating cancer from benign tissue. In this paper, we extend the temporal ultrasound method to classify lower grade Prostate Cancer (PCa) from all other grades. We use a group of nine patients with mostly lower grade PCa, where cancerous regions are also limited. A critical challenge is to train a classifier with limited aggressive cancerous tissue compared to low grade cancerous tissue. To resolve the problem of imbalanced data, we use Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) to generate synthetic samples for the minority class. We calculate spectral features of temporal ultrasound data and perform feature selection using Random Forests. In leave-one-patient-out cross-validation strategy, an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.74 is achieved with overall sensitivity and specificity of 70%. Using an unsupervised learning approach prior to proposed method improves sensitivity and AUC to 80% and 0.79. This work represents promising results to classify lower and higher grade PCa with limited cancerous training samples, using temporal ultrasound.

Is there a relationship between the grade of maternal hydronephrosis and birth weight of the babies?

Science.gov (United States)

Coban, Soner; Biyik, Ismail; Ustunyurt, Emin; Keles, Ibrahim; Guzelsoy, Muhammed; Demirci, Hakan

2015-06-01

Mild hydronephrosis may be present in upto 90% of pregnancies. The degree of hydronephrosis was determined by maximal calyceal diameter (MCD). The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is a relationship between grade of maternal hydronephrosis and birth weight of the babies. Subjects were examined in three groups: group 1 MCD of 5-10 mm (grade I), group 2 10-15 mm (grade II) and group 3 patients >15 mm (grade III). There were 45, 30, 13 patients in the groups, respectively. Estimated fetal weight (EFW) at the time that hydronephrosis was diagnosed, birth weight and duration of pregnancy were compared. The average birth weight of the babies was not statistically different in the three groups (p > 0.05), but there was a statistically significant difference in fetal weights at the time of diagnosis (p = 0.02). The grade of maternal hydronephrosis does not affect the duration of pregnancy.

Guided Reading in First-Fourth Grade: Theory to Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Gaffner, Jacqueline; Johnson, Kary; Torres-Elias, Annette; Dryden, Lisa

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of collaborative efforts between a large metropolitan school district and the school of education at an area urban university. A reading clinic, in which university students conducted small guided reading group lessons with elementary students reading below grade level, was established through…

GRADE Equity Guidelines 3

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Welch, Vivian A; Akl, Elie A; Pottie, Kevin

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to describe a conceptual framework for how to consider health equity in the GRADE (Grading Recommendations Assessment and Development Evidence) guideline development process. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Consensus-based guidance developed by the GRADE working grou...

The Role of Personality in Relation to Gender Differences in School Subject Choices in Pre-University Education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Korpershoek, H.; Kuyper, H.; Van der Werf, M.P.C.

2012-01-01

Boys and girls to some extent differ in personality characteristics while they also prefer different school subjects in secondary education. This study has attempted to unravel the relations among gender, personality, and students' subject choices. The study was based on a sample of 1,740 9th grade

Distinguishing medication-free subjects with unipolar disorder from subjects with bipolar disorder: state matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Rive, Maria M; Redlich, Ronny; Schmaal, Lianne; Marquand, André F; Dannlowski, Udo; Grotegerd, Dominik; Veltman, Dick J; Schene, Aart H; Ruhé, Henricus G

2016-11-01

Recent studies have indicated that pattern recognition techniques of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data for individual classification may be valuable for distinguishing between major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Importantly, medication may have affected previous classification results as subjects with MDD and BD use different classes of medication. Furthermore, almost all studies have investigated only depressed subjects. Therefore, we focused on medication-free subjects. We additionally investigated whether classification would be mood state independent by including depressed and remitted subjects alike. We applied Gaussian process classifiers to investigate the discriminatory power of structural MRI (gray matter volumes of emotion regulation areas) and resting-state fMRI (resting-state networks implicated in mood disorders: default mode network [DMN], salience network [SN], and lateralized frontoparietal networks [FPNs]) in depressed (n=42) and remitted (n=49) medication-free subjects with MDD and BD. Depressed subjects with MDD and BD could be classified based on the gray matter volumes of emotion regulation areas as well as DMN functional connectivity with 69.1% prediction accuracy. Prediction accuracy using the FPNs and SN did not exceed chance level. It was not possible to discriminate between remitted subjects with MDD and BD. For the first time, we showed that medication-free subjects with MDD and BD can be differentiated based on structural MRI as well as resting-state functional connectivity. Importantly, the results indicated that research concerning diagnostic neuroimaging tools distinguishing between MDD and BD should consider mood state as only depressed subjects with MDD and BD could be correctly classified. Future studies, in larger samples are needed to investigate whether the results can be generalized to medication-naïve or first-episode subjects. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley

Virtual Acoustic Displays for Teleconferencing: Intelligibility Advantage for "Telephone Grade" Audio

Science.gov (United States)

Begault, Durand R.; Null, Cynthia H. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

Speech intelligibility was evaluated using a virtual acoustic ("3-D audio") display using the method specified by ANSI. Ten subjects were evaluated with stimuli either unfiltered or low-pass filtered at 4 kHz. Results show virtual acoustic techniques are advantageous for both full-bandwidth (44.1 kHz srate) and low (8 kHz srate) bandwidth "telephone-grade" teleconferencing systems.

Impact of physical inactivity on adipose tissue low-grade inflammation in first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Højbjerre, Lise; Sonne, Mette Paulli; Alibegovic, Amra Ciric

2011-01-01

First-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with type 2 diabetes may exhibit a disproportionately elevated risk of developing insulin resistance, obesity, and type 2 diabetes when exposed to physical inactivity, which to some unknown extent may involve low-grade inflammation. We investigated whether...... subjects who are nonobese FDRs show signs of low-grade inflammation before or after exposure to short-term physical inactivity....

Graded tensor calculus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheunert, M.

1982-10-01

We develop a graded tensor calculus corresponding to arbitrary Abelian groups of degrees and arbitrary commutation factors. The standard basic constructions and definitions like tensor products, spaces of multilinear mappings, contractions, symmetrization, symmetric algebra, as well as the transpose, adjoint, and trace of a linear mapping, are generalized to the graded case and a multitude of canonical isomorphisms is presented. Moreover, the graded versions of the classical Lie algebras are introduced and some of their basic properties are described. (orig.)

The Essence, Classification and Quality of the Different Grades of Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun Wu

2012-09-01

Full Text Available I define information from a philosophical perspective as a category that indicates the presence of indirect existence, which is a self-display by material entities (with direct existence of the status and trajectory of that existence. In this paper, based in part on articles published only in Chinese over the last 30 years, information is shown to include three basic forms: In-itself, for-itself and regenerated information, which is constituted by the first two. Information in these three basic forms establishes the essence of information which is further developed in a fourth form—social information. Information is further characterized by the qualities of its three different grades, corresponding to these forms: The quality of first-grade information demonstrates direct objective existence and indirect objective existence; the quality of second-grade information demonstrates multiple levels of direct objective and indirect objective existence; the quality of third-grade information is that of the subjective relationships in human understanding that are encoded as information. The grounding of information in the ontological structure of the world gives it a central role in the approach to knowledge, constituting a new and necessary critique of the classical separation of the academic disciplines and the bases of modern philosophy.

The Effects of Animation Supported 5E Model on Teaching "Indicative and Subjunctive Moods" in 7th Grade Turkish Lesson

Science.gov (United States)

Özcan, Mehmet Fatih; Kiliç, Latife Kirbasoglu

2017-01-01

This study is to investigate the effects of animated 5E method on the success, attitude and opinions towards the course in teaching of "subjunctive and indicative moods" subject of 7th grade Turkish course. The study was conducted with 60 seventh grade students of a state-run secondary school in Palandöken district of Erzurum during the…

Comparison of 18F-FET PET and perfusion-weighted MRI for glioma grading. A hybrid PET/MR study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verger, Antoine; Filss, Christian P.; Lohmann, Philipp; Stoffels, Gabriele; Rota Kops, Elena; Sabel, Michael; Wittsack, Hans J.; Galldiks, Norbert; Fink, Gereon R.; Shah, Nadim J.; Langen, Karl-Josef

2017-01-01

Both perfusion-weighted MR imaging (PWI) and O-(2- 18 F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine PET ( 18 F-FET) provide grading information in cerebral gliomas. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of 18 F-FET PET and PWI for tumor grading in a series of patients with newly diagnosed, untreated gliomas using an integrated PET/MR scanner. Seventy-two patients with untreated gliomas [22 low-grade gliomas (LGG), and 50 high-grade gliomas (HGG)] were investigated with 18 F-FET PET and PWI using a hybrid PET/MR scanner. After visual inspection of PET and PWI maps (rCBV, rCBF, MTT), volumes of interest (VOIs) with a diameter of 16 mm were centered upon the maximum of abnormality in the tumor area in each modality and the contralateral unaffected hemisphere. Mean and maximum tumor-to-brain ratios (TBR mean , TBR max ) were calculated. In addition, Time-to-Peak (TTP) and slopes of time-activity curves were calculated for 18 F-FET PET. Diagnostic accuracies of 18 F-FET PET and PWI for differentiating low-grade glioma (LGG) from high-grade glioma (HGG) were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analyses (area under the curve; AUC). The diagnostic accuracy of 18 F-FET PET and PWI to discriminate LGG from HGG was similar with highest AUC values for TBR mean and TBR max of 18 F-FET PET uptake (0.80, 0.83) and for TBR mean and TBR max of rCBV (0.80, 0.81). In case of increased signal in the tumor area with both methods (n = 32), local hot-spots were incongruent in 25 patients (78%) with a mean distance of 10.6 ± 9.5 mm. Dynamic FET PET and combination of different parameters did not further improve diagnostic accuracy. Both 18 F-FET PET and PWI discriminate LGG from HGG with similar diagnostic performance. Regional abnormalities in the tumor area are usually not congruent indicating that tumor grading by 18 F-FET PET and PWI is based on different pathophysiological phenomena. (orig.)

Evaluation of Risk Factors Affecting Substance Use among Tenth-Grade Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dilek Öztaş

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. The aim of this study is to detect the prevalence of substance use among tenth-grade students; their thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, and tendencies towards substance use; and risk factors of substance use in tenth-grade students in general. Methods. This study is descriptive and cross-sectional conducted between April and May 2016. Research population consists of tenth-grade students in 2015-2016 school year in the city of Ordu. Since the study involved all tenth-grade students, no sampling was done. Questions on substance use were prepared by Ordu Public Health Directorate and the authors by making use of European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD study questions, AMATEM’s “Drugs and Addiction Youth Survey” study conducted on May 1996, and scientific studies conducted previously on similar subjects. Results. 9825 tenth-grade students in 88 schools from 19 counties in the city of Ordu were included in the study. 8714 of the students participated in the survey. Being male, being over the age of 15, mother and father being separated, living with relatives, being in low income, negative feelings about school, perception of being unsuccessful in school, failing a year, absenteeism, and not being content with life are the risk factors for substance use. Conclusions. The tendency of illegal substance use becoming more and more prevalent especially among youth requires the development of new treatment strategies.

Ore grade manganese nodules from the central Indian basin: an evaluation

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sudhakar, M.

Comparative studies on manganese nodules from two different areas (S and R) in the Central Indian Basin show distinct variations in their composition, grade (percent Ni + Cu), and abundance (kg/m2), which are explained in terms of various genetic...

Improvement of Low-Grade Silica Sand Deposits in Um Bogma Area-West Central Sinai, Egypt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Rahman, I.F.; El Shennawy, A.A.

2012-01-01

There are several silica sand deposits in Sinai, but they require upgrading to provide a raw materials acceptable for the glass manufacture. This study records beneficiation of low-grade silica sand deposits near Um Bogma at west central Sinai. The improvement techniques of ore dressing involving wet sieving, attrition scrubbing, decantation, gravimetric and magnetic separations have been applied depending on the physical properties of the constituents.

Rapid grading of fundus photographs for diabetic retinopathy using crowdsourcing.

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, Christopher J; Villanti, Andrea C; Pearson, Jennifer L; Kirchner, Thomas R; Gupta, Omesh P; Shah, Chirag P

2014-10-30

Screening for diabetic retinopathy is both effective and cost-effective, but rates of screening compliance remain suboptimal. As screening improves, new methods to deal with screening data may help reduce the human resource needs. Crowdsourcing has been used in many contexts to harness distributed human intelligence for the completion of small tasks including image categorization. Our goal was to develop and validate a novel method for fundus photograph grading. An interface for fundus photo classification was developed for the Amazon Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform. We posted 19 expert-graded images for grading by Turkers, with 10 repetitions per photo for an initial proof-of-concept (Phase I). Turkers were paid US $0.10 per image. In Phase II, one prototypical image from each of the four grading categories received 500 unique Turker interpretations. Fifty draws of 1-50 Turkers were then used to estimate the variance in accuracy derived from randomly drawn samples of increasing crowd size to determine the minimum number of Turkers needed to produce valid results. In Phase III, the interface was modified to attempt to improve Turker grading. Across 230 grading instances in the normal versus abnormal arm of Phase I, 187 images (81.3%) were correctly classified by Turkers. Average time to grade each image was 25 seconds, including time to review training images. With the addition of grading categories, time to grade each image increased and percentage of images graded correctly decreased. In Phase II, area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) indicated that sensitivity and specificity were maximized after 7 graders for ratings of normal versus abnormal (AUC=0.98) but was significantly reduced (AUC=0.63) when Turkers were asked to specify the level of severity. With improvements to the interface in Phase III, correctly classified images by the mean Turker grade in four-category grading increased to a maximum of 52.6% (10/19 images

[Low grade renal trauma (Part II): diagnostic validity of ultrasonography].

Science.gov (United States)

Grill, R; Báca, V; Otcenásek, M; Zátura, F

2010-04-01

hypoechogenic areas of varying sizes in the renal cortex. A negative ultrasonographic finding is no proof of the absence of renal trauma. As low-grade renal injury is difficult to detect by mere clinical examination or by a single imaging method, the authors regard as necessary to actively look for them, taking into consideration the mechanism of injury, haematuria findings and evaluation of ultrasonographic and CT scans.

CONNECTION BETWEEN SOME MOTORIC ABILITIES WITH SUCCESS IN REALIZATION OF PROGRAMMED CONTENTS FROM THE AREA OF GYMNASTICS OF THE FOURTH GRADE OF HIGH SCHOOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jovica Petković

2007-05-01

Full Text Available This research is undertaken for the purpose of defi ning and determinating of the le vel of connection between some motoric abilities with effi ciency in realization of some pro gramme issnes in the area of gymnastic (stretched – legged jump and folded – legged jump. On the sample of fi fty students from the fourth grade of High school, examined stu dents have been tested on ten motoric tests and on two specifi c motoric assignmentsstre tched – legged jump and folded – legged jump. The results of this research clearly point that there exist the multitude of statistically important coeffi cients of correlation between treated motoric abilities and applied assignments

Information Literacy Skills Are Positively Correlated with Writing Grade and Overall Course Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel Elizabeth Scott

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A Review of: Shao, X., & Purpur, G. (2016. Effects of information literacy skills on student writing and course performance. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 42(6, 670-678. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2016.08.006 Abstract Objective – To measure the correlation of tested information literacy skills with individual writing scores and overall course grade. Design – Online, multiple-choice survey. Setting – Public research university in North Carolina, United States of America. Subjects – Freshmen students enrolled in either first-year seminar (UCO1200 or basic English writing course (ENG1000. Methods – A 25-question, forced-choice test was piloted with 30 students and measured for internal consistency using Cronbach’s Alphas. The survey instrument was slightly revised before being administered online via SelectSurvey, to 398 students in 19 different sections of either UCO1200 or ENG1000, during class sessions. The test measured students’ information literacy skills in four areas: research strategies, resource types, scholarly vs. popular, and evaluating websites. The preliminary questions asked for each student’s name, major (by category, number of library instruction sessions attended, and the names of library services utilized. The students’ information literacy scores were compared to their writing scores and overall course grades, both of which were obtained from course instructors. The information literacy scores were also analyzed for correlation to the number of library instruction sessions attended or the types of library services utilized. Main Results – Information literacy skills positively correlated with writing scores (n=344, r=-.153, p=0.004 and final course grades (n=345, r=0.112, p=0.037. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficients results demonstrated relationships between writing scores and the information literacy test section “Scholarly versus Popular Sources” (n=344, r=0.145, p=0.007, and final

Strategies for Estimating Teacher Supply and Demand Using Student and Teacher Data. REL 2017-197

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsay, Jim; Wan, Yinmei; Berg-Jacobson, Alexander; Walston, Jill; Redford, Jeremy

2016-01-01

Every year the U.S. Department of Education reports for each state in the country the grade levels, subject areas, and geographic areas that have experienced teacher shortages (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, 2015). A teacher shortage occurs when the number of teachers available in a specific grade, subject matter…

Studying Gender Bias in Physics Grading: The Role of Teaching Experience and Country

Science.gov (United States)

Hofer, Sarah I.

2015-01-01

The existence of gender-STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) stereotypes has been repeatedly documented. This article examines physics teachers' gender bias in grading and the influence of teaching experience in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. In a 2?×?2 between-subjects design, with years of teaching experience included as…

"All White Americans in the County" and Other Loaded Subjects: Race, Community, and Morality in a Second Grade Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Schaenen, Inda L.

2010-01-01

This teacher research inquiry is a critical discourse analysis of second grade classroom talk about racial identity and dialect difference within the theoretical framework of moral philosophy. Participants in the study, which took place in an urban public district in a Midwestern United States city, included ten African American students and a…

Long-term occlusal changes assessed by the American Board of Orthodontics' model grading system.

Science.gov (United States)

Aszkler, Robert M; Preston, Charles B; Saltaji, Humam; Tabbaa, Sawsan

2014-02-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term posttreatment changes in all criteria of the American Board of Orthodontics' (ABO) model grading system. We used plaster models from patients' final and posttreatment records. Thirty patients treated by 1 orthodontist using 1 bracket prescription were selected. An initial discrepancy index for each subject was performed to determine the complexity of each case. The final models were then graded using the ABO's model grading system immediately at posttreatment and postretention. Statistical analysis was performed on the 8 criteria of the model grading system, including paired t tests and Pearson correlations. An alpha of 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The average length of time between the posttreatment and postretention records was 12.7 ± 4.4 years. It was shown that alignment and rotations worsened by postretention (P = 0.014), and a weak statistically significant correlation at posttreatment and postretention was found (0.44; P = 0.016). Both marginal ridges and occlusal contacts scored less well at posttreatment. These criteria showed a significant decrease in scores between posttreatment and postretention (P <0.001), but the correlations were not statistically significant. The average total score showed a significant decrease between posttreatment and postretention (P <0.001), partly because of the large decrease in the previous 2 criteria. Higher scores for occlusal contacts and marginal ridges were found at the end of treatment; however, those scores and the overall scores for the 30 subjects improved in the postretention phase. Copyright © 2014. Published by Mosby, Inc.

Amphiboles and their host rocks in the high-grade metamorphic Precambrin of Rogaland/Vest-Agder, Sw. Norway

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekker, A.G.C.

1978-01-01

In the high-grade metamorphic Precambrian of the Sirdal-¢rsdal area, Rogaland/Vest-Agder,south-west Norway, the Ca-amphiboles show a change in pleochroic colours, not only with changes in metamorphic grade, but also to some extend in bulk composition. A regional study was performed on the

The Compatibility of Developed Mathematics Textbooks' Content in Saudi Arabia (Grades 6-8) with NCTM Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Alshehri, Mohammed Ali; Ali, Hassan Shawki

2016-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the compatibility of developed mathematics textbooks' content (grades 6-8) in Saudi Arabia with NCTM standards in the areas of: number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability. To achieve that goal, a list of (NCTM) standards for grades (6-8) were translated to Arabic language,…

Effect of toe-spread-out exercise on hallux valgus angle and cross-sectional area of abductor hallucis muscle in subjects with hallux valgus.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Moon-Hwan; Yi, Chung-Hwi; Weon, Jong-Hyuck; Cynn, Heon-Seock; Jung, Do-Young; Kwon, Oh-Yun

2015-04-01

[Purpose] This study investigated whether the toe-spread-out exercise affects the hallux valgus angle, the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle, and the hallux valgus angle during active abduction. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-four subjects with hallux valgus were randomly assigned to orthosis and orthosis plus toe-spread-out exercise groups. The orthosis group wore the orthosis for 8 weeks, while the orthosis plus toe-spread-out group also performed the toe-spread-out exercise. The hallux valgus angle, the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle, and the hallux valgus angle during active abduction were measured initially and after 8 weeks by radiography and ultrasonography. [Results] While there were no significant changes in the three parameters in the orthosis group, there were significant differences in the orthosis plus toe-spread-out exercise group after 8 weeks. In addition there were significant differences in the three measures between the two groups. [Conclusion] The toe-spread-out exercise reduces the hallux valgus angle and hallux valgus angle during active abduction, and increases the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle. The toe-spread-out exercise is recommended for patients with mild to moderate hallux valgus.

Correlation of areca habit, clinical grading, anorexia, and fatique in oral submucous fibrosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rashmi S Sathe

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: The aim was to correlate the habit index (HI, clinical grading with anorexia, and fatigue in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF. Settings and Design: Hospital-based study including a total of 60 individuals, out of which 30 patients were with OSMF, (27 males and 3 females. A group of 30 individuals, with areca chewing habit but without any oral lesions were selected as a control group. Subjects and Methods: Detailed case history was recorded. Height and weight measurements were made to assess body mass index (BMI. Fatigue and anorexia scores were calculated using structured questionnaires. Clinical staging of OSMF was done according to Khanna JN and Andrade NN (1995 classification. The information related to the type of habit, site of placement of areca nut, and duration was recorded using HI. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done using Pearson's correlation and Student's t-test. Results: A statistically significant difference was found between anorexia in both the groups (P = 0.01 and a highly significant difference was seen in HI (P = 0.001. However, the comparison between other parameters was found to be statistically not significant. The correlation of HI, anorexia, and fatigue score in Grade I, Grade II, Grade III, and Grade IV OSMF within each group was not significant statistically. However, in Grade IV a strong correlation was found between BMI and anorexia score (P = 0.0188. Conclusion: The merits of this study include a positive correlation between anorexia and fatigue with disease progression and a congruent relation of HI with the grades of OSMF.

Consumer-grade EEG devices: are they usable for control tasks?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rytis Maskeliunas

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We present the evaluation of two well-known, low-cost consumer-grade EEG devices: the Emotiv EPOC and the Neurosky MindWave. Problems with using the consumer-grade EEG devices (BCI illiteracy, poor technical characteristics, and adverse EEG artefacts are discussed. The experimental evaluation of the devices, performed with 10 subjects asked to perform concentration/relaxation and blinking recognition tasks, is given. The results of statistical analysis show that both devices exhibit high variability and non-normality of attention and meditation data, which makes each of them difficult to use as an input to control tasks. BCI illiteracy may be a significant problem, as well as setting up of the proper environment of the experiment. The results of blinking recognition show that using the Neurosky device means recognition accuracy is less than 50%, while the Emotiv device has achieved a recognition accuracy of more than 75%; for tasks that require concentration and relaxation of subjects, the Emotiv EPOC device has performed better (as measured by the recognition accuracy by ∼9%. Therefore, the Emotiv EPOC device may be more suitable for control tasks using the attention/meditation level or eye blinking than the Neurosky MindWave device.

Validation of the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System for assessing the treatment outcomes of Chinese patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Guang-Ying; Baumrind, Sheldon; Zhao, Zhi-He; Ding, Yin; Bai, Yu-Xing; Wang, Lin; He, Hong; Shen, Gang; Li, Wei-Ran; Wu, Wei-Zi; Ren, Chong; Weng, Xuan-Rong; Geng, Zhi; Xu, Tian-Min

2013-09-01

Orthodontics in China has developed rapidly, but there is no standard index of treatment outcomes. We assessed the validity of the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System (ABO-OGS) for the classification of treatment outcomes in Chinese patients. We randomly selected 108 patients who completed treatment between July 2005 and September 2008 in 6 orthodontic treatment centers across China. Sixty-nine experienced Chinese orthodontists made subjective assessments of the end-of-treatment casts for each patient. Three examiners then used the ABO-OGS to measure the casts. Pearson correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were conducted to evaluate the correspondence between the ABO-OGS cast measurements and the orthodontists' subjective assessments. The average subjective grading scores were highly correlated with the ABO-OGS scores (r = 0.7042). Four of the 7 study cast components of the ABO-OGS score-occlusal relationship, overjet, interproximal contact, and alignment-were statistically significantly correlated with the judges' subjective assessments. Together, these 4 accounted for 58% of the variability in the average subjective grading scores. The ABO-OGS cutoff score for cases that the judges deemed satisfactory was 16 points; the corresponding cutoff score for cases that the judges considered acceptable was 21 points. The ABO-OGS is a valid index for the assessment of treatment outcomes in Chinese patients. By comparing the objective scores on this modification of the ABO-OGS with the mean subjective assessment of a panel of highly qualified Chinese orthodontists, a cutoff point for satisfactory treatment outcome was defined as 16 points or fewer, with scores of 16 to 21 points denoting less than satisfactory but still acceptable treatment. Cases that scored greater than 21 points were considered unacceptable. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental changes and gender effects on motivational constructs based on the expectancy-value model in Czech and United States students regarding learning of science, mathematics, and other subjects

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Eun-Mi

This study employed American and Czech student samples to investigate the motivational constructs used in Eccles and Wigfield's (1983) expectancy-value model. To predict achievement behavior, the model specifies relationships among expectancy for-success and task value, task-specific self-concept, perception of task-difficulty, perceptions of social environment, and interpretations and attributions for past events in relation to the social world. Czech and American students (n = 1,145) in grades 4--12 were the participants in this study. The causal relationships among the constructs were tested to investigate structural similarities and differences in the models for both countries. This study also explored developmental changes, gender, and national differences in the students' motivational beliefs for these motivational constructs: Expectancy for Success, Intrinsic Interest Value, Task-specific Self-concept, Perception of Task-difficulty, and Perceived Vocational Gender Dominance for science, mathematics, and other school subjects. The findings indicated that, for both countries, with respect to changes over grade level, compared to the younger students, the older students showed lower motivational beliefs for most subject areas except reading. However, the Czech students in grades 6--8 showed more positive motivational beliefs in life science and social studies than did the Czech students in other grade levels. In comparing genders, the male students exhibited more positive motivational beliefs in physical science than did the female students, and female students showed more positive motivational beliefs in reading than did the male students. For life science, the Czech female students rated Intrinsic Interest Value and Task-specific Self-concept higher than did their peer male students. The American students' motivational beliefs in reading were more positive than were Czech students', and the Czech students held more positive motivational beliefs in life

Quantification of inhomogeneities in malignancy grading of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehn, S.; Sperber, G.O.; Nyman, R.; Glimelius, B.; Hagberg, H.; Hemmingsson, A.

1993-01-01

In a previous study of 50 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) it was shown that the inhomogeneous appearance of a tumor at MR imaging strongly indicated a high malignancy grade. In this study of 33 patients with NHL, the administration of an i.v. contrast medium, Gadolinium-DTPA, improved the subjective detectability of the inhomogeneities. A method of quantifying the degree of inhomogeneity in the tumors (inhomogeneity index, IH-index) was developed and tested. The mean value of IH-index in the T2-weighted image before contrast medium administration, and of the T1-weighted image after contrast medium administration, as well as the IH-index value in the T2-weighted image before contrast medium administration alone, was able to discriminate well between low- and high-grade NHL. This method of quantifiying the degree of inhomogeneity in tumors improved sensitivity in detecting high-grade NHL. (orig.)

Amphiboles and their host rocks in the high-grade metamorphic Precambrin of Rogaland/Vest-Agder, Sw. Norway

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekker, A.G.C.

1978-01-01

In the high-grade metamorphic Precambrian of the Sirdal-¢rsdal area, Rogaland/Vest-Agder,south-west Norway, the Ca-amphiboles show a change in pleochroic colours, not only with changes in metamorphic grade, but also to some extend in bulk composition. A regional study was performed on the amphiboles

Disentangling the Predictive Validity of High School Grades for Academic Success in University

Science.gov (United States)

Vulperhorst, Jonne; Lutz, Christel; de Kleijn, Renske; van Tartwijk, Jan

2018-01-01

To refine selective admission models, we investigate which measure of prior achievement has the best predictive validity for academic success in university. We compare the predictive validity of three core high school subjects to the predictive validity of high school grade point average (GPA) for academic achievement in a liberal arts university…

Defining the Relationship of Student Achievement Between STEM Subjects Through Canonical Correlation Analysis of 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Data

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neal, Melissa Jean

Canonical correlation analysis was used to analyze data from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 achievement databases encompassing information from fourth/eighth grades. Student achievement in life science/biology was correlated with achievement in mathematics and other sciences across three analytical areas: mathematics and science student performance, achievement in cognitive domains, and achievement in content domains. Strong correlations between student achievement in life science/biology with achievement in mathematics and overall science occurred for both high- and low-performing education systems. Hence, partial emphases on the inter-subject connections did not always lead to a better student learning outcome in STEM education. In addition, student achievement in life science/biology was positively correlated with achievement in mathematics and science cognitive domains; these patterns held true for correlations of life science/biology with mathematics as well as other sciences. The importance of linking student learning experiences between and within STEM domains to support high performance on TIMSS assessments was indicated by correlations of moderate strength (57 TIMSS assessments was indicated by correlations of moderate strength (57 mathematics, and other sciences. At the eighth grade level, students who built increasing levels of cognitive complexity upon firm foundations were prepared for successful learning throughout their educational careers. The results from this investigation promote a holistic design of school learning opportunities to improve student achievement in life science/biology and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects at the elementary and middle school levels. While the curriculum can vary from combined STEM subjects to separated mathematics or science courses, both professional learning communities (PLC) for teachers and problem-based learning (PBL) for learners can be

Ability Of Mathematical Reasoning in SMK 10th Grade with LAPS- Heuristic using Performance Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aulia Nur Arivina

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The purposes of this research are: (1 Test the learning with LAPS-Heuristic model using performance assessment on 10th grade of Trigonometry material is complete, (2 to test the difference of students' mathematical reasoning ability on 10th grade of Trigonometry material between the learning model of LAPS-Heuristic using performance assessment, LAPS-Heuristic learning model with Expository learning model, (3 test the ability of mathematical reasoning with learning model of LAPS-Heuristik on Trigonometry material of SMK on 10th grade using performance assessment is increase. This is a quantitative research. The population is students of 10th grade of SMK 10 Semarang academic year 2016/2017 and the subject of research is selected by clustering random sampling. The results show that (1 Learning by model LAPS-Heuristic using performance assessment on 10th grade of Trigonometry material is complete (2 there are differences in students' mathematical reasoning ability on 10th grade of Trigonometry materials between LAPS-Heuristic learning model using performance assessment, LAPS-Heuristic learning model, and Expository learning model, (3 The ability of mathematical reasoning with learning model of LAPS-Heuristic on Trigonometry material of SMK class X using performance assessment increased.

Non-operative management versus operative management in high-grade blunt hepatic injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Cirocchi, Roberto; Trastulli, Stefano; Pressi, Eleonora; Farinella, Eriberto; Avenia, Stefano; Morales Uribe, Carlos Hernando; Botero, Ana Maria; Barrera, Luis M

2015-08-24

Surgery used to be the treatment of choice in cases of blunt hepatic injury, but this approach gradually changed over the last two decades as increasing non-operative management (NOM) of splenic injury led to its use for hepatic injury. The improvement in critical care monitoring and computed tomographic scanning, as well as the more frequent use of interventional radiology techniques, has helped to bring about this change to non-operative management. Liver trauma ranges from a small capsular tear, without parenchymal laceration, to massive parenchymal injury with major hepatic vein/retrohepatic vena cava lesions. In 1994, the Organ Injury Scaling Committee of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) revised the Hepatic Injury Scale to have a range from grade I to VI. Minor injuries (grade I or II) are the most frequent liver injuries (80% to 90% of all cases); severe injuries are grade III-V lesions; grade VI lesions are frequently incompatible with survival. In the medical literature, the majority of patients who have undergone NOM have low-grade liver injuries. The safety of NOM in high-grade liver lesions, AAST grade IV and V, remains a subject of debate as a high incidence of liver and collateral extra-abdominal complications are still described. To assess the effects of non-operative management compared to operative management in high-grade (grade III-V) blunt hepatic injury. The search for studies was run on 14 April 2014. We searched the Cochrane Injuries Group's Specialised Register, The Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE(R), Ovid MEDLINE(R) In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE(R) Daily and Ovid OLDMEDLINE(R), Embase Classic+Embase (Ovid), PubMed, ISI WOS (SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI, CPCI-S & CPSI-SSH), clinical trials registries, conference proceedings, and we screened reference lists. All randomised trials that compare non-operative management versus operative management in high-grade blunt hepatic injury. Two authors independently

Should mathematics be a creative subject? How is this realized in practice in Denmark?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ejersbo, Lisser Rye

as a creative subject. How do they understand creativity and how do they realize it in practice? And what makes mathematics a creative subject? Is it the task, the way it is performed or the relationship between teacher and students? The crucial difference between different classrooms seems to be the ways......The ministerial objectives for mathematics education in the Danish Folkeskole (grades K-ten) state that students will learn that mathematics is both a tool for problem-solving and a creative subject. In this article, I explore how teachers in Denmark meet the challenge of teaching mathematics....... The discussion will focus on how to make mathematics a creative subject....

A Replication of the Technical Adequacy of the Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Renshaw, Tyler L.

2015-01-01

The present study reports on a replication of the technical adequacy of the Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (SSWQ), which is a 16-item self-report instrument for assessing youth's academic efficacy, educational purpose, joy of learning, and school connectedness, with a sample of adolescents in Grades 6 to 7 (N = 438). Findings confirmed…

Assessment of the elicitation response in subjects weakly sensitized to p-phenylenediamine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pot, L. M.; Coenraads, P. J.; Goebel, C.; Bloemeke, B.

BackgroundA 30-min application of a hair dye product containing 2% p-phenylenediamine (PPD) to subjects diagnostically graded +, showed that 12 of 18 reacted; eight of 18 with a true + and four of 18 with a doubtful (?+) response, whereas six of 18 did not react at all. In vitro skin-binding

The Relationship of Grade Span in 9th Grade to Math Achievement in High School

Science.gov (United States)

West, John; Miller, Mary Lou; Myers, Jim; Norton, Timothy

2015-01-01

Purpose, Scope, and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between grade span for ninth grade and gains in math achievement test scores in 10th grade and 12th grade. A quantitative, longitudinal, correlational research design was employed to investigate the research questions. The population was high…

Comparing Dropout Predictors for Two State-Level Panels Using Grade 6 and Grade 8 Data

Science.gov (United States)

Franklin, Bobby J.; Trouard, Stephen B.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of dropout predictors across time. Two state-level high school graduation panels were selected to begin with the seventh and ninth grades but end at the same time. The first panel (seventh grade) contained 29,554 students and used sixth grade predictors. The second panel (ninth grade)…

Inhalation of road dust by human subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Takishima, T; Nakamura, M; Sasaki, M; Miyano, M; Yamaya, M; Sasaki, H

1987-11-01

We measured pneumomagnetic field strength (PMFS) in 42 healthy control subjects living in districts of Northern Japan with low levels of road dust pollution and in 39 healthy subjects living in areas with high levels of road dust pollution. Suspended road dust produced by studded tires increases from 30 micrograms/m3 during the summer season to levels as high as 400 micrograms/m3 during the snow season in the downtown areas of Sendai, Japan. Road dust retained in the lungs, containing 3% iron, was magnetized from the surface of the chest wall, and PMFS was measured. Three to 5 sequential PMFS measurements were made in each subject in March and October of 1984 and 1985, and in March 1986. The PMFS in control subjects in March 1984 was 37 +/- 14 pico-Tesla (mean +/- SD) and did not significantly differ from the PMFS in October 1984 or that in March 1985. In March 1984, the PMFS of the subjects in highly polluted areas was 95 +/- 100 pico-Tesla (mean +/- SD) and was significantly higher than that of control subjects (p less than 0.01) and subsequently decreased in March 1985 and in March 1986, corresponding to a decrease in suspended road dust brought about by a campaign to eliminate the use of studded tires. Our findings suggest that some road dust caused by studded tires is retained in the lungs.

7 CFR 810.804 - Grades and grade requirements for mixed grain.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Grades and grade requirements for mixed grain. 810.804 Section 810.804 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) GRAIN INSPECTION, PACKERS AND STOCKYARD ADMINISTRATION (FEDERAL GRAIN INSPECTION SERVICE), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...

Evaluation of novel scoring system named 5-5-5 exacerbation grading scale for allergic conjunctivitis disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Shoji, Jun; Inada, Noriko; Sawa, Mitsuru

2009-12-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate the practical usefulness of a scoring system using the 5-5-5 exacerbation grading scale for allergic conjunctivitis disease (ACD). Subjects were 103 patients with ACD including 40 patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), 20 patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC), and 43 patients with allergic conjunctivitis (AC). The 5-5-5 exacerbation grading scale consists of the following 3 graded groups of clinical observations: the 100-point-grade group (100 points for each observation) includes active giant papillae, gelatinous infiltrates of the limbus, exfoliative epithelial keratopathy, shield ulcer and papillary proliferation at lower palpebral conjunctiva; the 10-point-grade group (10 points for each observation) includes blepharitis, papillary proliferation with velvety appearance, Horner-Trantas spots, edema of bulbal conjunctiva, and superficial punctate keratopathy; and the 1-point-grade group (1 point for each observation) includes papillae at upper palpebral conjunctiva, follicular lesion at lower palpebral conjunctiva, hyperemia of palpebral conjunctiva, hyperemia of bulbal conjunctiva, and lacrimal effusion. The total points in each grade group were determined as the severity score of the 5-5-5 exacerbation grading scale. The median severity scores of the 5-5-5 exacerbation grading scale in VKC, AKC and AC were 243 (range: 12-444), 32.5 (11-344), and 13 (2-33), respectively. The severity score of each ACD disease type was significantly different (P Kruskal-Wallis test). The severity of each type of ACD was classified as severe, moderate, or mild according to the severity score. The 5-5-5 exacerbation grading scale is a useful clinical tool for grading the severity of each type of ACD.

Graded representations of emotional expressions in the left superior temporal sulcus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher P Said

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Perceptual categorization is a fundamental cognitive process that gives meaning to an often graded sensory environment. Previous research has subdivided the visual pathway into posterior regions that processes the physical properties of a stimulus, and frontal regions that process more abstract properties such as category information. The superior temporal sulcus (STS is known to be involved in face and emotion perception, but the nature of its processing remains unknown. Here, we used targeted fMRI measurements of the STS to investigate whether its representations of facial expressions are categorical or noncategorical. Multivoxel pattern analysis showed that even though subjects were performing a categorization task, the left STS contained graded, noncategorical representations. In the right STS, representations showed evidence for both stimulus-related gradations and a categorical boundary.

A fractional motion diffusion model for grading pediatric brain tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Karaman, M Muge; Wang, He; Sui, Yi; Engelhard, Herbert H; Li, Yuhua; Zhou, Xiaohong Joe

2016-01-01

To demonstrate the feasibility of a novel fractional motion (FM) diffusion model for distinguishing low- versus high-grade pediatric brain tumors; and to investigate its possible advantage over apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and/or a previously reported continuous-time random-walk (CTRW) diffusion model. With approval from the institutional review board and written informed consents from the legal guardians of all participating patients, this study involved 70 children with histopathologically-proven brain tumors (30 low-grade and 40 high-grade). Multi- b -value diffusion images were acquired and analyzed using the FM, CTRW, and mono-exponential diffusion models. The FM parameters, D fm , φ , ψ (non-Gaussian diffusion statistical measures), and the CTRW parameters, D m , α , β (non-Gaussian temporal and spatial diffusion heterogeneity measures) were compared between the low- and high-grade tumor groups by using a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon U test. The performance of the FM model for differentiating between low- and high-grade tumors was evaluated and compared with that of the CTRW and the mono-exponential models using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The FM parameters were significantly lower ( p  < 0.0001) in the high-grade ( D fm : 0.81 ± 0.26, φ : 1.40 ± 0.10, ψ : 0.42 ± 0.11) than in the low-grade ( D fm : 1.52 ± 0.52, φ : 1.64 ± 0.13, ψ : 0.67 ± 0.13) tumor groups. The ROC analysis showed that the FM parameters offered better specificity (88% versus 73%), sensitivity (90% versus 82%), accuracy (88% versus 78%), and area under the curve (AUC, 93% versus 80%) in discriminating tumor malignancy compared to the conventional ADC. The performance of the FM model was similar to that of the CTRW model. Similar to the CTRW model, the FM model can improve differentiation between low- and high-grade pediatric brain tumors over ADC.

The Utility of Phosphohistone H3 in Breast Cancer Grading.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xiaoyan; Harada, Shuko; Shen, Dejun; Siegal, Gene P; Wei, Shi

2015-01-01

The commonly used Nottingham Grading System in breast cancer takes into consideration the presence of tubular formation, nuclear pleomorphism, and the mitotic index (MI), among which the latter has been shown to be the most powerful prognostic factor. In practice, histologic grading is highly subjective, with only moderate interobserver reproducibility. Phosphorylation of histone H3 has been demonstrated to be a specific event in the mitotic phase, and is negligible during interphase. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of Phosphohistone H3 (PHH3) in the breast cancer grading of 97 consecutive biopsy specimens. PHH3 antibodies clearly revealed discrete, strong nuclear immunoreactivity in mitotically active cells even under low magnification. The PHH3 MI showed a significant correlation with that derived by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining as well as the Ki-67 proliferation index. Further, the pairwise κ-value of the MI was significantly increased, and the pairwise agreement was also markedly improved by PHH3 immunostaining, although a significant proportion of breast cancer cases were upgraded by use of the PHH3 MI. Our data showed that PHH3 provided a more sensitive and accurate MI with less interobserver variability when compared with conventional H&E staining, thus emphasizing its potentially increased value in practice. Reconsideration of breast cancer grading with integration of PHH3 should be considered if it continues to demonstrate superiorly to traditional H&E staining.

Non-invasive mapping of bilateral motor speech areas using navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Könönen, Mervi; Tamsi, Niko; Säisänen, Laura; Kemppainen, Samuli; Määttä, Sara; Julkunen, Petro; Jutila, Leena; Äikiä, Marja; Kälviäinen, Reetta; Niskanen, Eini; Vanninen, Ritva; Karjalainen, Pasi; Mervaala, Esa

2015-06-15

Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) is a modern precise method to activate and study cortical functions noninvasively. We hypothesized that a combination of nTMS and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) could clarify the localization of functional areas involved with motor control and production of speech. Navigated repetitive TMS (rTMS) with short bursts was used to map speech areas on both hemispheres by inducing speech disruption during number recitation tasks in healthy volunteers. Two experienced video reviewers, blinded to the stimulated area, graded each trial offline according to possible speech disruption. The locations of speech disrupting nTMS trials were overlaid with fMRI activations of word generation task. Speech disruptions were produced on both hemispheres by nTMS, though there were more disruptive stimulation sites on the left hemisphere. Grade of the disruptions varied from subjective sensation to mild objectively recognizable disruption up to total speech arrest. The distribution of locations in which speech disruptions could be elicited varied among individuals. On the left hemisphere the locations of disturbing rTMS bursts with reviewers' verification followed the areas of fMRI activation. Similar pattern was not observed on the right hemisphere. The reviewer-verified speech disruptions induced by nTMS provided clinically relevant information, and fMRI might explain further the function of the cortical area. nTMS and fMRI complement each other, and their combination should be advocated when assessing individual localization of speech network. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Safety and efficacy of fimasartan in Mexican patients with grade 1-2 essential hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardona-Muñoz, Ernesto G; López-Alvarado, Agustín; Conde-Carmona, Ignacio; Sánchez-Mejorada, Gerardo; Pascoe-González, Sara; Banda-Elizondo, Ramiro G; García-Castillo, Armando; González-Gálvez, Guillermo; Velasco-Sánchez, Raúl G; Vidrio-Velázquez, Maricela; Leiva-Pons, José L; Villeda-Espinosa, Efraín; Guerra-López, Arturo; Esturau-Santalo, Ramón M

To evaluate efficacy and safety of 60mg and 120mg Fimasartan (FMS) alone or combined with 12.5mg hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in a Mexican population. A six month, treat-to-target, open study was conducted on subjects with grade 1-2 hypertension. The subjects were initially treated with 60mg FMS once daily. In week 8, those with Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) <90mmHg continued on the same FMS dose during the rest of the study, while those with DBP ≥90mmHg were randomised to either 120mg FMS or 60mg FMS + 12.5mg HCTZ once daily. In week 12, randomised subjects with DBP ≥90mmHg received 120mg FMS+12.5mg HCTZ, while those achieving target continued with their assigned treatment until the end of the study. FMS 60mg (n=272) decreased both DBP and Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) by 11.3±8.9 (p<.0001) and 16.0±14.1 (p<.0001)mmHg, respectively, with 75.4% of subjects reaching the treatment target. Subjects assigned to FMS 120mg, FMS 60mg+HCTZ 12.5mg, or FMS 120mg+HCTZ 12.5mg once daily, showed significant reductions in DBP and SBP with their assigned treatment. At the end of the study, 237/272 subjects (87.1%) achieved a DBP<90mmHg and an SBP<140mmHg. The most frequently reported adverse reactions included headache (3.7%), dry mouth (1.1%), transient liver enzyme increase (1.1%), and dizziness (0.7%). Fimasartan is safe and effective in Mexican subjects with grade 1-2 essential hypertension. Copyright © 2017 Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Association of Grade Configuration with School Climate for 7th and 8th Grade Students

Science.gov (United States)

Malone, Marisa; Cornell, Dewey; Shukla, Kathan

2017-01-01

Educational authorities have questioned whether middle schools provide the best school climate for 7th and 8th grade students, and proposed that other grade configurations such as K-8th grade schools may provide a better learning environment. The purpose of this study was to compare 7th and 8th grade students' perceptions of 4 key features of…

Smartphone-based grading of apple quality

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xianglin; Li, Ting

2018-02-01

Apple quality grading is a critical issue in apple industry which is one economical pillar of many countries. Artificial grading is inefficient and of poor accuracy. Here we proposed to develop a portable, convenient, real-time, and low cost method aimed at grading apple. Color images of the apples were collected with a smartphone and the grade of sampled apple was assessed by a customized smartphone app, which offered the functions translating RGB color values of the apple to color grade and translating the edge of apple image to weight grade. The algorithms are based on modeling with a large number of apple image at different grades. The apple grade data evaluated by the smartphone are in accordance with the actual data. This study demonstrated the potential of smart phone in apple quality grading/online monitoring at gathering and transportation stage for apple industry.

Screening colonoscopy for the detection of neoplastic lesions in asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Bini, E J; Green, B; Poles, M A

2009-08-01

Although non-AIDS defining malignancies are rapidly increasing as HIV-infected subjects live longer, little is know about the results of screening for colonic neoplasms (adenomatous polyps and adenocarcinomas) in this population. We conducted a screening colonoscopy study to determine the prevalence of colonic neoplasms in 136 asymptomatic HIV-infected subjects >or=50 years of age and 272 asymptomatic uninfected control subjects matched for age, sex, and family history of colorectal cancer. Advanced neoplasms were defined as adenomas >or=10 mm or any adenoma, regardless of size, with villous histology, high-grade dysplasia, or adenocarcinoma. The prevalence of neoplastic lesions was significantly higher in HIV-infected subjects than in control subjects (62.5% vs 41.2%, pscreening colonoscopy should be offered to HIV-infected subjects, but the age of initiation and the optimal frequency of screening require further study.

Histogram analysis of diffusion kurtosis imaging derived maps may distinguish between low and high grade gliomas before surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Xi-Xun; Shi, Da-Fa; Ren, Si-Xie; Zhang, Su-Ya; Li, Long; Li, Qing-Chang; Guan, Li-Ming

2018-04-01

To investigate the value of histogram analysis of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) maps in the evaluation of glioma grading. A total of 39 glioma patients who underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were classified into low-grade (13 cases) and high-grade (26 cases) glioma groups. Parametric DKI maps were derived, and histogram metrics between low- and high-grade gliomas were analysed. The optimum diagnostic thresholds of the parameters, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were achieved using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Significant differences were observed not only in 12 metrics of histogram DKI parameters (PHistogram analysis of DKI may be more effective in glioma grading.

Incorporating Ninth-Grade PSAT/NMSQT® Scores into AP Potential™ Predictions for AP® European History and AP World History. Statistical Report 2014-1

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiuyuan; Patel, Priyank; Ewing, Maureen

2015-01-01

Historically, AP Potential™ correlations and expectancy tables have been based on 10th-and 11th-grade PSAT/NMSQT® examinees and 11th-and 12th-grade AP® examinees for all subjects (Zhang, Patel, & Ewing,2014; Ewing, Camara, & Millsap, 2006; Camara & Millsap, 1998). However, a large number of students take AP European History and AP…

Cognitive impairments in patients with low grade gliomas and high grade gliomas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliane C. Miotto

2011-08-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The relationship between brain tumors and cognitive deficits is well established in the literature. However, studies investigating the cognitive status in low and high-grade gliomas patients are scarce, particularly in patients with average or lower educational level. This study aimed at investigating the cognitive functioning in a sample of patients with low and high-grade gliomas before surgical intervention. METHOD: The low-grade (G1, n=19 and high-grade glioma (G2, n=8 patients underwent a detailed neuropsychological assessment of memory, executive functions, visuo-perceptive and visuo-spatial abilities, intellectual level and language. RESULTS: There was a significant impairment on verbal and visual episodic memory, executive functions including mental flexibility, nominal and categorical verbal fluency and speed of information processing in G2. G1 showed only specific deficits on verbal and visual memory recall, mental flexibility and processing speed. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated different levels of impairments in the executive and memory domains in patients with low and high grade gliomas.

Energy Data Base: subject categories and scope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bost, D.E.

1985-03-01

The subject scope of the Energy Data Base (EDB) encompasses all DOE-sponsored research. Broadly defined, EDB subject scope includes all technological aspects of energy production, conversion, and efficient utilization, and the economic, social, and political aspects as well. Scope notes are provided to define the extent of interest in certain subject areas, particularly areas of basic research. Cross references between categories are provided to aid both the categorization of information and its retrieval. Citations entered into DOE's computerized bibliographic information system are assigned six-digit subject category numbers to broadly group information for storage, retrieval, and manipulation. These numbers are used in the preparation of printed documents, such as bibliographies and abstract journals, to arrange the citations and to aid searching on the DOE/RECON on-line system

Improving Eighth Grade Students' Reading Comprehension through the Use of the Collision Plus Arts-Integrated Program

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Taneka L.

2016-01-01

African American and Latino students attending Title I schools in the metropolitan Atlanta area were not reading on grade level. The majority of students are low performing readers and minimally met the reading comprehension requirements. The 2015 average 8th grade reading score for these students was 246 out of 500. This applied dissertation was…

Analysis Critical Thinking Stage of Eighth Grade in PBL-Scaffolding Setting To Solve Mathematical Problems

OpenAIRE

Nur Aisyah Isti; Arief Agoestanto; Ary Woro Kurniasih

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was described critical thinking stage of students grade VIII in setting PBL and scaffolding to solve mathematics problems. Critical thinking stage consists of clarification, assesment, inference, and strategy/tactics. The subject were teo students in the level of capacity to think critical (uncritical, less critical, quite critical, and critical). So that this research subject was 8 students in VIII A One State Junior High School of Temanggung. The result showed a...

Pilot study of a graded exercise program for the treatment of anorexia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Thien, V; Thomas, A; Markin, D; Birmingham, C L

2000-07-01

To determine whether a graded exercise program used in the treatment of anorexia nervosa improves quality of life and does not decrease the rate of gain of body fat. A randomized controlled trial with outcome measures: change in percent body fat, body mass index (BMI), and Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form 36-item Quality of Life questionnaire. Fifteen females and one male meeting the DSM-IV criteria for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa were randomized. There was no difference in change in BMI or percent body fat at 3 months. Quality of life outcomes improved from baseline in the experimental group compared with the control group. However, this difference was not statistically significant. Incorporation of a graded exercise program may increase compliance with treatment, but it did not reduce the short-term rate of gain of body fat or BMI. Longer studies with more subjects are necessary to determine the usefulness of a graded exercise program in anorexia nervosa. Copyright 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Automated egg grading system using computer vision: Investigation on weight measure versus shape parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Nasir, Ahmad Fakhri Ab; Suhaila Sabarudin, Siti; Majeed, Anwar P. P. Abdul; Ghani, Ahmad Shahrizan Abdul

2018-04-01

Chicken egg is a source of food of high demand by humans. Human operators cannot work perfectly and continuously when conducting egg grading. Instead of an egg grading system using weight measure, an automatic system for egg grading using computer vision (using egg shape parameter) can be used to improve the productivity of egg grading. However, early hypothesis has indicated that more number of egg classes will change when using egg shape parameter compared with using weight measure. This paper presents the comparison of egg classification by the two above-mentioned methods. Firstly, 120 images of chicken eggs of various grades (A–D) produced in Malaysia are captured. Then, the egg images are processed using image pre-processing techniques, such as image cropping, smoothing and segmentation. Thereafter, eight egg shape features, including area, major axis length, minor axis length, volume, diameter and perimeter, are extracted. Lastly, feature selection (information gain ratio) and feature extraction (principal component analysis) are performed using k-nearest neighbour classifier in the classification process. Two methods, namely, supervised learning (using weight measure as graded by egg supplier) and unsupervised learning (using egg shape parameters as graded by ourselves), are conducted to execute the experiment. Clustering results reveal many changes in egg classes after performing shape-based grading. On average, the best recognition results using shape-based grading label is 94.16% while using weight-based label is 44.17%. As conclusion, automated egg grading system using computer vision is better by implementing shape-based features since it uses image meanwhile the weight parameter is more suitable by using weight grading system.

Classroom: Efficient Grading

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, David D.; Pease, Leonard F., III.

2014-01-01

Grading can be accelerated to make time for more effective instruction. This article presents specific time management strategies selected to decrease administrative time required of faculty and teaching assistants, including a multiple answer multiple choice interface for exams, a three-tier grading system for open ended problem solving, and a…

COMPARISON OF ABILITY OF OPPOSITION WORDS PROCESSING BETWEEN HEARING AND HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENT IN FIFTH GRADE IN TEHRAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B SHAFIEI

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Hearing impaired Persons have disorders in Communication. Theu are not able to learning many aspects of language Structures in Paroper time; quantity and quality. They can not Process these factors as same as Partners. In this research we going to assess and comparison opposite word in hearing and hearing impaired Student in fifth grade. This is a semantic research.
Methods: Subjects of this research were hearing impaired students in fifth grade in tehramwohad + 70dbheaing loss in Best Binaural Average and in order to comparison with them, we selected hearing students in fifth grade. In this research four non linguistic factors were investigated (age, sex, words of Farsi language. The subjects must read these words and write an opposite Word in front of it. In this examination the quantity of types: right, false and without answers.
Findings: The sequence of right answers had significant different in two group. The Sequence of learned words had significant different two groups. The time of processing in hearing students was shorter than hearing impaired students. The female subjects gave right answers more than male subjects. Discussion: The differences between bearing and hearing impaired students were in the quantity of answers specially in right answers and time of doing the test. probably these differences were due to lack of proper lexicon words and/or poor of it. The hearing students had more right answers and were shorter in time of processing.

Evaluating the outcomes of a hearing screening service for grade one learners in urban areas at Durban, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha Govender

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Early intervention through hearing screening can reduce the negative impact of hearing loss for children. Optimal outcomes are achieved when an appropriate screening protocol is selected, a pathway for follow up care is established, and when a hearing conservation component is included. This study aimed to describe the outcomes of a hearing screening service provided to grade one learners in urban areas at Durban. A cross-sectional design was employed. Learners (n=241 were conveniently sampled from six randomly selected schools. They were screened using otoscopy, tympanometry and pure tone audiometry. Fifty eight participants (24% obtained a refer result, with 33% referred for diagnostic assessments, 29% for middle ear pathology and 38% for cerumen management. Findings further revealed that only 33% of referrals were followed up indicating poor compliance. Association between test results and income levels (P=0.38 as well as distance to the nearest health care facility (P=0.22 did not influence test outcomes. School aged children do present with common ear problems. Appropriate protocol selection, ensuring compliance to recommendations and education on hearing conservation are essential components of any health initiative.

Endotoxin levels correlate positively with a sedentary lifestyle and negatively with highly trained subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Lira, Fabio S; Rosa, Jose C; Pimentel, Gustavo D; Souza, Hélio A; Caperuto, Erico C; Carnevali, Luiz C; Seelaender, Marília; Damaso, Ana R; Oyama, Lila M; de Mello, Marco T; Santos, Ronaldo V

2010-08-04

A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. This phenomenon is supported by recent studies suggesting a chronic, low-grade inflammation status. Endotoxin derived from gut flora may be key to the development of inflammation by stimulating the secretion of inflammatory factors. This study aimed to examine plasma inflammatory markers and endotoxin levels in individuals with a sedentary lifestyle and/or in highly trained subjects at rest. Fourteen male subjects (sedentary lifestyle n = 7; highly trained subjects n = 7) were recruited. Blood samples were collected after an overnight fast (approximately 12 h). The plasmatic endotoxin, plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP1), ICAM/CD54, VCAM/CD106 and lipid profile levels were determined. Endotoxinemia was lower in the highly trained subject group relative to the sedentary subjects (p < 0.002). In addition, we observed a positive correlation between endotoxin and PAI-1 (r = 0.85, p < 0.0001), endotoxin and total cholesterol (r = 0.65; p < 0.01), endotoxin and LDL-c (r = 0.55; p < 0.049) and endotoxin and TG levels (r = 0.90; p < 0.0001). The plasma levels of MCP-1, ICAM/CD54 and VCAM/CD106 did not differ. These results indicate that a lifestyle associated with high-intensity and high-volume exercise induces favorable changes in chronic low-grade inflammation markers and may reduce the risk for diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

SPANISH PEAKS PRIMITIVE AREA, MONTANA.

Science.gov (United States)

Calkins, James A.; Pattee, Eldon C.

1984-01-01

A mineral survey of the Spanish Peaks Primitive Area, Montana, disclosed a small low-grade deposit of demonstrated chromite and asbestos resources. The chances for discovery of additional chrome resources are uncertain and the area has little promise for the occurrence of other mineral or energy resources. A reevaluation, sampling at depth, and testing for possible extensions of the Table Mountain asbestos and chromium deposit should be undertaken in the light of recent interpretations regarding its geologic setting.

The perceptions of teachers and principals toward providing additional compensation to teachers in high-need subject areas

Science.gov (United States)

Longing, Jeffrey Lucian

The purpose of this study was to determine possible differences in the perceptions of teachers teaching in high-need areas (i.e., math, science, special education, etc.) and teachers not teaching in high-need areas, (i.e., business education, physical education, etc.) as defined by the states of Arkansas and Louisiana, regarding higher compensation for high-need teachers. In addition, possible perception differences among principals and teachers were determined. The independent variables consisted of gender, position held, years of certified experience, and certification areas. The dependent variable was the perceptions of the participants on providing higher compensation for high-need teachers in order to attract and retain them. The data for all variables were collected using the Teacher Compensation Survey. The sample for this study was limited to teachers, grades 9 through 12, and principals of public high schools in south Arkansas and north Louisiana. Forty-four school districts in south Arkansas (Arkansas Department of Education, 2008a) and north Louisiana (Louisiana Department of Education, 2008a) met the criteria for this study. Twenty-two superintendents gave permission for their districts to participate in the research. A sample of 849 teachers and 38 principals were identified in these districts. Surveys were returned from 350 teachers, creating a 41% response rate. When the 31 principals that returned surveys were added to the total population, the response rate increased to 43% with 381 of the 887 surveyed responding. However, 42 of the teachers and two of the principals skipped some of the questions on the survey and were not included in the study. The researcher used a One-Way ANOVA and independent t-tests to determine the presence of statistical differences at the .05 level. The data showed that most math and science teachers agreed that high-need teachers should be compensated at a higher rate than teachers not teaching in high-need areas. The data

Graded/Gradient Porous Biomaterials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xigeng Miao

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Biomaterials include bioceramics, biometals, biopolymers and biocomposites and they play important roles in the replacement and regeneration of human tissues. However, dense bioceramics and dense biometals pose the problem of stress shielding due to their high Young’s moduli compared to those of bones. On the other hand, porous biomaterials exhibit the potential of bone ingrowth, which will depend on porous parameters such as pore size, pore interconnectivity, and porosity. Unfortunately, a highly porous biomaterial results in poor mechanical properties. To optimise the mechanical and the biological properties, porous biomaterials with graded/gradient porosity, pores size, and/or composition have been developed. Graded/gradient porous biomaterials have many advantages over graded/gradient dense biomaterials and uniform or homogenous porous biomaterials. The internal pore surfaces of graded/gradient porous biomaterials can be modified with organic, inorganic, or biological coatings and the internal pores themselves can also be filled with biocompatible and biodegradable materials or living cells. However, graded/gradient porous biomaterials are generally more difficult to fabricate than uniform or homogenous porous biomaterials. With the development of cost-effective processing techniques, graded/gradient porous biomaterials can find wide applications in bone defect filling, implant fixation, bone replacement, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

Correlation of thrombocytopenia with grading of esophageal varices in chronic liver disease patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbasi, A.; Butt, N.; Bhutto, A.R.; Munir, S.M.

2010-01-01

To determine the severity of thrombocytopenia in different grades of esophageal varices. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Medical Unit-III, Ward-7 from January to December 2008. Methodology: Subjects were eligible if they had a diagnosis of cirrhosis. Patient with advanced cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class C), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, hepatocellular carcinoma, portal vein thrombosis, parenteral drug addiction, current alcohol abuse and previous or current treatment with b-blockers, diuretics and other vasoactive drugs were excluded from the study. All patients under went upper gastrointestinal endoscopy after consent. On the basis of platelet count patients were divided into four groups. Group I with platelets greater or equal to 20000/mm/sup 3/, Group II with values of 21000- 50000/mm/sup 3/, Group III with count of 51000-99000/mm/sup 3/ and Group IV with count of 100000-150000/mm/sup 3/. Correlation of severity of thrombocytopenia with the grading of esophageal varices was assessed using Spearman's correlation with r-values of 0.01 considered significant. Results: One hundred and two patients with thrombocytopenia and esophageal varices were included in the study. There were 62 (60.8%) males and 40 (39.2%) females. The mean age of onset of the disease in these patients was 49.49 +- 14.3 years with range of 11-85 years. Major causes of cirrhosis were hepatitis C (n=79, 77.5%), hepatitis B (n=12, 11.8%), mixed hepatitis B and C infection (n=8, 7.8%) and Wilson's disease (n=3,2.9%). Seven patients had esophageal grade I, 24 had grade II, 35 had grade III, and 36 had grade IV. Gastric varices were detected in 2 patients. Portal hypertensive gastropathy were detected in 87 patients. There was an inverse correlation of platelet count with grading of esophageal varices (r=-0.321, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The severity of thrombocytopenia increased as the grading of

Vision as subjective perception; La vision, une perception subjective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reppas, J.B. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States). Biological Labs.; Dale, A.; Sereno, M.; Tootell, R.

1996-07-01

The human brain is not very different of the monkey`s one: at least, its visual cortex is organized as a similar scheme. Specialized areas in the movement analysis are found and others in the forms perception. In this work, the author tries to answer to the following questions: (1)why so many visual areas? What are exactly their role in vision? Thirteen years of experimentation have not allowed to answer to these questions. The cerebral NMR imaging gives the opportunity of understanding the subjective perception of the visual world. One step which is particularly described in this work is to know how the visual cortex reacts to the optical illusions. (O.M.).

Energy education resources: Kindergarten through 12th grade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-09-01

Energy Education Resources: Kindergarten Through 12th Grade is published by the National Energy Information Center (NEIC) a service of the Energy Information Administration (EIA), to provide students, educators, and other information users, a list of generally available free or low-cost energy-related educational materials. Each entry includes the address, telephone number, and description of the organization and the energy-related materials available. Most of the entries also include Internet (Web) and electronic mail (E-Mail) addresses. Each entry is followed by a number, which is referenced in the subject index in the back of this book.

The Influence of Gender, Grade Level and Favourite Subject on Czech Lower Secondary School Pupils' Perception of Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Kubiatko, Milan; Janko, Tomas; Mrazkova, Katerina

2012-01-01

Geography is an important school subject that brings pupils' description and explanation of social, economic and/or political aspects of the changing world. It has been affirmed that the interest in a subject depends on the attitude to this subject. This study investigates Czech lower secondary school pupils' perception of geography. The research…

Chromosomal aberrations in subjects exposed to ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jovicic, D.; Milacic, S.; Kovacevic, R.; Tanaskovic, I.

2006-01-01

Occupational exposure is particularly delicate because of chronic exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation and its cumulative effect, where it is important to consider the biological response of body to given conditions of exposure. The objective of this study was the observation of the recovery of the DNA damages in subjects working in the radiation area in two different intervals.Group I, consisting of 30 subjects, was exposed to ionizing radiation and unstable chromosomal aberrations were identified. Group II included the same, re-examined subjects (30) 9 months later. It was verified that 5 (16.67%) subjects still had unstable chromosomal aberrations, although they had been excluded from radiation area Controls groups (C) consisted of 64 subjects that were not exposed to mutagenic agents.The comparison of the control group with the two studied groups revealed the reduction of the unstable aberrations (p<0.05). The total effective doses, which increased with the years spent in radiation area, reflected the yield of chromosomal aberrations. The presence of chromosomal aberrations in some subjects, after the exclusion from the ionising radiation exposure, suggests that the time needed for the recovery of the DNA damages is different, which indicates the individual differences in radiosensitivity as well as different of the reparatory cellular response. (author)

Predicting English Word Reading Skills for Spanish-Speaking Students in First Grade.

Science.gov (United States)

Páez, Mariela; Rinaldi, Claudia

2006-10-01

This article describes the word reading skills in English and Spanish for a sample of 244 Spanish-speaking, English-learning (hence, bilingual) students in first grade and presents a predictive model for English word reading skills. The children in the study were assessed at the end of kindergarten and first grade, respectively. Data were gathered with 3 subtests of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery and a researcher-developed phonological awareness task. Results showed that, on average, children's English word reading skills were similar to monolingual norms whereas their Spanish word reading skills averaged 1 SD below the mean. English vocabulary, English phonological awareness, and Spanish word reading skills in kindergarten were found to be significant predictors of English word reading skills in first grade. Educational implications for screening language and reading skills and promising areas for targeted instruction for this population are discussed.

Environmental Studies Center Teacher Books. 4th Grade - Mangrove Communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin County Schools, Jensen Beach, FL. Environmental Studies Center.

This teacher's guide, one of nine teacher packages developed for use in the sequential, hands-on, field-oriented, K-8 environmental education program of the Martin County Schools in Florida, was developed for use with elementary children in grade four prior to and after a visit to an environmental studies center located near an estuarine area. The…

Localization of higher grade tumor foci in potential candidates for active surveillance who opt for radical prostatectomy

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Sung Kyu; Eastham, James A.; Fine, Samson W.

2013-01-01

Purpose: To investigate actual intraprostatic location of higher graded tumor foci undetected via standard transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy amongst patients who would be clinically considered appropriate candidates for active surveillance (AS) but underwent radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods: We reviewed entirely-submitted and whole-mounted RP specimens from 169 men who were deemed appropriate for AS clinically, but opted for RP and were found to have higher grade tumors. For each case, tumor nodules were circled and color-coded in a grade-specific manner and digitally scanned to created tumor maps. The locations of tumor foci with Gleason grade ≥4 were stratified by specific sites: anterior, anterolateral, lateral only (not clearly anterior or posterior), posterior, and posterolateral area. Results: Of 169 patients, 86% had clinical stage T1c and 14% T2a. RP Gleason score 7 in all but two men. Higher-grade tumor foci were localized to: anterior (n=66, 39%), anterolateral (n=4, 2%), lateral only (not clearly anterior or posterior) (n=5, 3%), posterior (n=52, 31%), and posterolateral (n=42, 25%) prostate, respectively. Conclusions: Among patients deemed clinically appropriate for AS, higher-grade tumor foci missed by standard prostate biopsies were localized to both the anterior and posterior prostate, without predominance of a particular area. These findings lend additional support to performing repeat standard prostate biopsy in potential candidates for AS and should be considered in efforts to optimize current biopsy strategies for the selection of AS patients. PMID:24392439

On the union of graded prime ideals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uregen Rabia Nagehan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we investigate graded compactly packed rings, which is defined as; if any graded ideal I of R is contained in the union of a family of graded prime ideals of R, then I is actually contained in one of the graded prime ideals of the family. We give some characterizations of graded compactly packed rings. Further, we examine this property on h – Spec(R. We also define a generalization of graded compactly packed rings, the graded coprimely packed rings. We show that R is a graded compactly packed ring if and only if R is a graded coprimely packed ring whenever R be a graded integral domain and h – dim R = 1.

Comparison of non-electrophoresis grade with electrophoresis grade BIS in NIPAM polymer gel preparation

Science.gov (United States)

Khodadadi, Roghayeh; Khajeali, Azim; Farajollahi, Ali Reza; Hajalioghli, Parisa; Raeisi, Noorallah

2015-01-01

Introduction:The main objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of replacing electrophoresis cross-linker with non-electrophoresis N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) in N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) polymer gel and its possible effect on dose response. Methods: NIPAM polymer gel was prepared from non-electrophoresis grade BIS and the relaxation rate (R2) was measured by MR imaging after exposing the gel to gamma radiation from Co-60 source. To compare the response of this gel with the one that contains electrophoresis grade BIS, two sets of NIPAM gel were prepared using electrophoresis and non-electrophoresis BIS and irradiated to different gamma doses. Results: It was found that the dose–response of NIPAM gel made from the non-electrophoresis grade BIS is coincident with that of electrophoresis grade BIS. Conclusion:Taken all, it can be concluded that the non-electrophoresis grade BIS not only is a suitable alternative for the electrophoresis grade BIS but also reduces the cost of gel due to its lower price. PMID:26457250

TCGA_LowerGradeGliomas

Science.gov (United States)

TCGA researchers analyzed nearly 300 cases of diffuse low- and intermediate-grade gliomas, which together comprise lower-grade gliomas. LGGs occur mainly in adults and include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas.

Selection of the most powerful predictors for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis grade: An experimental study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Zhongzhen; Shan Hong; He Bingjun; Lv Wentian; Meng Xiaochun; Wang Jin; Zhu Kangshun; Yang Yang; Chen Guihua

2009-01-01

Purpose: To select the most powerful predictors for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis grade. Methods and materials: Forty-five healthy New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into one normal control group and three experimental groups. Hepatic steatosis models were established by feeding a high-fat, high-sugar diet and drinking water containing 5% ethanol. Twenty-two variable indexes were measured using general observation, biochemical examination, ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Univariate analysis, correlation analysis, and stepwise regression analysis were used to make the selection of the most powerful predictors. ROC analysis was used to compare the diagnostic efficacy of single index with combined index (Y) expressed by a regression equation. Results: Based on statistical analysis, there were 12 variable indexes with significant differences among groups, which correlated with hepatic steatosis grade: liver weight, hepatic index, liver CT value, liver-to-muscle attenuation ratio, 1 H MRS fat peak value, fat peak area, fat-to-water peak area ratio, fat percentage, ultrasound attenuation coefficient, serum aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides. Among them hepatic index, liver CT value and serum TC were selected as the most powerful predictors for hepatic steatosis grade with correlation coefficients of 0.709, -0.764, and 0.886, respectively. The regression equation was: Y = 1.975 + 3.906 x 10 -2 X 1 + 0.369X 2 - 2.84 x 10 -2 X 3 , where Y = hepatic steatosis grade, X 1 = TC, X 2 = hepatic index, and X 3 = liver CT value. ROC analysis displayed PPV, NPV, curve area of combined index (Y) were superior to simple index (hepatic index, liver CT value and serum TC) in evaluating hepatic steatosis grade, and they were nearly 1.0000, 1.0000 and 1.000, respectively. Conclusions: Combined application of several diagnostic methods is superior to simple diagnostic method, and

Selection of the most powerful predictors for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis grade: An experimental study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su Zhongzhen [Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province (China); Shan Hong [Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province (China)], E-mail: gzshsums@public.guangzhou.gd.cn; He Bingjun; Lv Wentian; Meng Xiaochun; Wang Jin; Zhu Kangshun [Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province (China); Yang Yang; Chen Guihua [Department of Liver Transplantation, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province (China)

2009-10-15

Purpose: To select the most powerful predictors for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis grade. Methods and materials: Forty-five healthy New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into one normal control group and three experimental groups. Hepatic steatosis models were established by feeding a high-fat, high-sugar diet and drinking water containing 5% ethanol. Twenty-two variable indexes were measured using general observation, biochemical examination, ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Univariate analysis, correlation analysis, and stepwise regression analysis were used to make the selection of the most powerful predictors. ROC analysis was used to compare the diagnostic efficacy of single index with combined index (Y) expressed by a regression equation. Results: Based on statistical analysis, there were 12 variable indexes with significant differences among groups, which correlated with hepatic steatosis grade: liver weight, hepatic index, liver CT value, liver-to-muscle attenuation ratio, {sup 1}H MRS fat peak value, fat peak area, fat-to-water peak area ratio, fat percentage, ultrasound attenuation coefficient, serum aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides. Among them hepatic index, liver CT value and serum TC were selected as the most powerful predictors for hepatic steatosis grade with correlation coefficients of 0.709, -0.764, and 0.886, respectively. The regression equation was: Y = 1.975 + 3.906 x 10{sup -2}X{sub 1} + 0.369X{sub 2} - 2.84 x 10{sup -2}X{sub 3}, where Y = hepatic steatosis grade, X{sub 1} = TC, X{sub 2} = hepatic index, and X{sub 3} = liver CT value. ROC analysis displayed PPV, NPV, curve area of combined index (Y) were superior to simple index (hepatic index, liver CT value and serum TC) in evaluating hepatic steatosis grade, and they were nearly 1.0000, 1.0000 and 1.000, respectively. Conclusions: Combined application of several diagnostic methods is

Surgical resection of low-grade gliomas in eloquent areas with the guidance of the preoperative functional magnetic resonance imaging and craniometric points

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Abdullah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Surgical resection of low-grade gliomas (LGGs in eloquent areas is one of the challenges in neurosurgery, using assistant tools to facilitate effective excision with minimal postoperative neurological deficits has been previously discussed (awake craniotomy and intraoperative cortical stimulation; however, these tools could have their own limitations thus implementation of a simple and effective technique that can guide to safe excision is needed in many situations. Materials and Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected data of 76 consecutive surgical cases of LGGs of these 21 cases were situated in eloquent areas. Preoperative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI, pre- and post-operative MRI with volumetric analysis of the tumor size was conducted, and intraoperative determination of the craniometric points related to the tumor (navigation guided in 10 cases were studied to evaluate the effectiveness of the aforementioned tools in safe excision of the aforementioned tumors. Results: Total-near total excision in 14 (66.67% subtotal in 6 (28.57%, and biopsy in 1 case (4.57%. In long-term follow–up, only one case experienced persistent dysphasia. Conclusion: In spite of its simplicity, the identification of the safe anatomical landmarks guided by the preoperative fMRI is a useful technique that serves in safe excision of LGGs in eloquent areas. Such technique can replace intraoperative evoked potentials or the awake craniotomy in most of the cases. However, navigation-guided excision might be crucial in deeply seated and large tumors to allow safe and radical excision.

7 CFR 51.304 - Combination grades.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946... Standards for Grades of Apples Grades § 51.304 Combination grades. (a) Combinations of the above grades may...

Obesity increases the prevalence and severity of focal knee abnormalities diagnosed using 3T MRI in middle-aged subjects - data from the osteoarthritis initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laberge, Marc A.; Baum, Thomas; Virayavanich, Warapat; Nardo, Lorenzo; Link, Thomas M.; Nevitt, M.C.; Lynch, J.; McCulloch, C.E.

2012-01-01

To study the effect of BMI on the prevalence, severity, and 36-month progression of early degenerative changes in the knee by using 3T MRI in middle-aged subjects without radiographic osteoarthritis (OA). We examined baseline and 36-month follow-up MR studies from 137 middle-aged individuals (45-55 years old) with risk factors for knee OA but no radiographic OA from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Subjects were grouped into three categories: normal BMI (BMI 2 , n = 38), overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m 2 , n = 37), and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 , n = 62). Using 3T MRI, cartilage, meniscus, and bone marrow abnormalities were graded using the OA Whole-organ MR Imaging Score (WORMS). The statistical analysis was corrected as necessary for differences in age, sex, and OA risk factors other than BMI. The overall prevalence of lesions was 64% for meniscus and 79% for cartilage (including low grade lesions). At baseline, the prevalence and severity of knee lesions was positively associated with BMI, with a nearly fourfold increase in meniscal tears and more than twofold increase in high-grade cartilage defects in obese individuals relative to normal-weight subjects. Over the 36-month follow-up period, the number of new or worsening cartilage lesions of any grade was significantly higher in obese subjects (p = 0.039), while there was no significant difference in meniscal lesion progression. Obesity was associated with both higher prevalence and severity of early degenerative changes in the knee in middle-aged individuals without radiographic OA and with significantly increased cartilage lesion progression (of any grade) over 36 months. (orig.)

Obesity increases the prevalence and severity of focal knee abnormalities diagnosed using 3T MRI in middle-aged subjects - data from the osteoarthritis initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laberge, Marc A.; Baum, Thomas; Virayavanich, Warapat; Nardo, Lorenzo; Link, Thomas M. [University of California San Francisco, Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Research, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, San Francisco, CA (United States); Nevitt, M.C.; Lynch, J.; McCulloch, C.E. [University of California San Francisco, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, San Francisco, CA (United States)

2012-06-15

To study the effect of BMI on the prevalence, severity, and 36-month progression of early degenerative changes in the knee by using 3T MRI in middle-aged subjects without radiographic osteoarthritis (OA). We examined baseline and 36-month follow-up MR studies from 137 middle-aged individuals (45-55 years old) with risk factors for knee OA but no radiographic OA from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Subjects were grouped into three categories: normal BMI (BMI < 25 kg/m{sup 2}, n = 38), overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m{sup 2}, n = 37), and obese (BMI {>=} 30 kg/m{sup 2}, n = 62). Using 3T MRI, cartilage, meniscus, and bone marrow abnormalities were graded using the OA Whole-organ MR Imaging Score (WORMS). The statistical analysis was corrected as necessary for differences in age, sex, and OA risk factors other than BMI. The overall prevalence of lesions was 64% for meniscus and 79% for cartilage (including low grade lesions). At baseline, the prevalence and severity of knee lesions was positively associated with BMI, with a nearly fourfold increase in meniscal tears and more than twofold increase in high-grade cartilage defects in obese individuals relative to normal-weight subjects. Over the 36-month follow-up period, the number of new or worsening cartilage lesions of any grade was significantly higher in obese subjects (p = 0.039), while there was no significant difference in meniscal lesion progression. Obesity was associated with both higher prevalence and severity of early degenerative changes in the knee in middle-aged individuals without radiographic OA and with significantly increased cartilage lesion progression (of any grade) over 36 months. (orig.)

Compliance and safety of a novel home exercise program for patients with high-grade brain tumors, a prospective observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Baima, Jennifer; Omer, Zehra B; Varlotto, John; Yunus, Shakeeb

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate compliance with and safety of a novel independent home exercise program for patients with high-grade brain tumors. We designed this program around the preferences and individual capabilities of this population as well as the potential barriers to exercise in cancer patients. Demographics were collected to better understand those that persisted with exercise. Subjects with high-grade brain tumor received one-time training that included watching an exercise video and live demonstration of resistance band exercises, a balance exercise, and recommendations for walking. Subjects were instructed to do the exercises every day for 1 month. Main outcome measures were percentage of subjects who exercised throughout the month, frequency of exercising, demographic factors, quality of life scores (assessed by FACT-BR), and self report of adverse events. Fourteen of the 15 (93%) subjects started the exercises during the course of the month. Nine of the fifteen (60%) continued the exercises throughout the month. Three additional subjects would have continued to exercise if formal or supervised rehabilitation had been offered. Among the subjects who continued the exercises regularly, higher frequency of exercising was significantly associated with living as married (p = 0.033), annual income >$50,000 (p = 0.047), scores of physical well-being (p = 0.047), and brain cancer specific well-being (p = 0.054) subscales. Among those who exercised frequently, there was also a trend towards increase in total FACT-BR scores (p = 0.059). The subjects who scored higher on the social well-being subscale of the FACT-BR at baseline self-reported a higher likelihood to continue the exercises after 1 month of participation in the study (p = 0.018). No adverse events were reported. Our small group of subjects with high-grade brain tumors demonstrated compliance with and safety of a novel independent strength and balance exercise program in the

Walking economy is predictably determined by speed, grade, and gravitational load.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludlow, Lindsay W; Weyand, Peter G

2017-11-01

The metabolic energy that human walking requires can vary by more than 10-fold, depending on the speed, surface gradient, and load carried. Although the mechanical factors determining economy are generally considered to be numerous and complex, we tested a minimum mechanics hypothesis that only three variables are needed for broad, accurate prediction: speed, surface grade, and total gravitational load. We first measured steady-state rates of oxygen uptake in 20 healthy adult subjects during unloaded treadmill trials from 0.4 to 1.6 m/s on six gradients: -6, -3, 0, 3, 6, and 9°. Next, we tested a second set of 20 subjects under three torso-loading conditions (no-load, +18, and +31% body weight) at speeds from 0.6 to 1.4 m/s on the same six gradients. Metabolic rates spanned a 14-fold range from supine rest to the greatest single-trial walking mean (3.1 ± 0.1 to 43.3 ± 0.5 ml O 2 ·kg -body -1 ·min -1 , respectively). As theorized, the walking portion (V̇o 2-walk  =  V̇o 2-gross - V̇o 2-supine-rest ) of the body's gross metabolic rate increased in direct proportion to load and largely in accordance with support force requirements across both speed and grade. Consequently, a single minimum-mechanics equation was derived from the data of 10 unloaded-condition subjects to predict the pooled mass-specific economy (V̇o 2-gross , ml O 2 ·kg -body + load -1 ·min -1 ) of all the remaining loaded and unloaded trials combined ( n = 1,412 trials from 90 speed/grade/load conditions). The accuracy of prediction achieved ( r 2  = 0.99, SEE = 1.06 ml O 2 ·kg -1 ·min -1 ) leads us to conclude that human walking economy is predictably determined by the minimum mechanical requirements present across a broad range of conditions. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Introduced is a "minimum mechanics" model that predicts human walking economy across a broad range of conditions from only three variables: speed, surface grade, and body-plus-load mass. The derivation

Teachers grading practices : an analysis of the reliability of teacher-assigned grade point average (GPA)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Lans, R. M.; van de Grift, W. J. C. M.; van Veen, K.

2015-01-01

In previous research, teachers report that they use a hodgepodge of factors when grading students. This has led researchers to suspect that teacher-assigned grades are inflated by teacher-student interactions; the hodgepodge hypothesis. Teachers also are reported to differ in grading leniency; the

Evaluation of uranium anomalies in the Goodman-Dunbar area, northeastern Wisconsin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathews, G.W.; Blackburn, W.H.

1982-01-01

Based on this investigation, the Goodman-Dunbar area is considered not to be favorable for the occurrence of uranium deposits of economic potential. Whether one adopts an anatectic or igneous intrusive model for the pegmatites, the area does not meet NURE favorability criteria guidelines because: (1) The apparent average grade of the alaskites will not meet or exceed the 100-ppM minimum cutoff grade; (2) Even if the grade requirements were met, the alaskite is not extensive enough to provide a sufficient volume of endowed rock. It is reasonable to assume that similar alaskites may exist west of this study area, beneath the glacial drift. If the uranium is located in interstitial sites and (or) along fractures, as postulated in this investigation, then it would be readily available for leaching into local surface- and ground-water regimes. This alaskite and other possible alaskites are probably the cause of local stream-water anomalies. The contrasting uranium contents of the alaskites and Dunbar Gneiss also are probable causes for anomalous airborne measurements. The area near Dunbar, Wisconsin, warrents no further study in terms of uranium potential. 4 figures, 2 tables

Correction of differential renal function for asymmetric renal area ratio in unilateral hydronephrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Aktaş, Gul Ege; Sarıkaya, Ali

2015-11-01

Children with unilateral hydronephrosis are followed up with anteroposterior pelvic diameter (APD), hydronephrosis grade, mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG-3) drainage pattern and differential renal function (DRF). Indeterminate drainage preserved DRF in higher grades of hydronephrosis, in some situations, complicating the decision-making process. Due to an asymmetric renal area ratio, falsely negative DRF estimations can result in missed optimal surgery times. This study was designed to assess whether correcting the DRF estimation according to kidney area could reflect the clinical situation of a hydronephrotic kidney better than a classical DRF calculation, concurrently with the hydronephrosis grade, APD and MAG-3 drainage pattern. We reviewed the MAG-3, dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scans and ultrasonography (US) of 23 children (6 girls, 17 boys, mean age: 29 ± 50 months) with unilateral hydronephrosis. MAG-3 and DMSA scans were performed within 3 months (mean 25.4 ± 30.7 days). The closest US findings (mean 41.5 ± 28.2 days) were used. DMSA DRF estimations were obtained using the geometric mean method. Secondary calculations were performed to correct the counts (the total counts divided by the number of pixels in ROI) according to kidney area. The renogram patterns of patients were evaluated and separated into subgroups. The visual assessment of DMSA scans was noted and the hydronephrotic kidney was classified in comparison to the normal contralateral kidney's uptake. The correlations of the DRF values of classical and area-corrected methods with MAG-3 renogram patterns, the visual classification of DMSA scan, the hydronephrosis grade and the APD were assessed. DRF estimations of two methods were statistically different (p: 0.001). The categories of 12 hydronephrotic kidneys were changed. There were no correlations between classical DRF estimations and the hydronephrosis grade, APD, visual classification of the DMSA scan and uptake evaluation. The DRF

Structural analysis south of the malakand and adjoining areas, northern pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, I.; Jehan, N.

2005-01-01

Two major faults the Kishora thrust and a back thrust. dominate the structure of the study area. The Kishora thrust divide the study area into two tectonic terranes, the Indus melanges including Dargai ultramafic complex, and the Indian shelf terrane, whereas the back thrust brings higher grade almandine zone rocks in contact with low grade chlorite zone rocks near Bar Bazdara and Zormandai village. An important aspect of this study is the relationship of the structures of Swat with the Peshawar basin. The structures and stratigraphy in Swat extends into the Peshawar basin. (author)

Graded manifolds and supermanifolds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batchelor, M.

1984-01-01

In this paper, a review is presented on graded manifolds and supermanifolds. Many theorems, propositions, corrollaries, etc. are given with proofs or sketch proofs. Graded manifolds, supereuclidian space, Lie supergroups, etc. are dealt with

Transport and solubility of Hetero-disperse dry deposition particulate matter subject to urban source area rainfall-runoff processes

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, G.; Sansalone, J.

2010-03-01

SummaryWith respect to hydrologic processes, the impervious pavement interface significantly alters relationships between rainfall and runoff. Commensurate with alteration of hydrologic processes the pavement also facilitates transport and solubility of dry deposition particulate matter (PM) in runoff. This study examines dry depositional flux rates, granulometric modification by runoff transport, as well as generation of total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity and conductivity in source area runoff resulting from PM solubility. PM is collected from a paved source area transportation corridor (I-10) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana encompassing 17 dry deposition and 8 runoff events. The mass-based granulometric particle size distribution (PSD) is measured and modeled through a cumulative gamma function, while PM surface area distributions across the PSD follow a log-normal distribution. Dry deposition flux rates are modeled as separate first-order exponential functions of previous dry hours (PDH) for PM and suspended, settleable and sediment fractions. When trans-located from dry deposition into runoff, PSDs are modified, with a d50m decreasing from 331 to 14 μm after transport and 60 min of settling. Solubility experiments as a function of pH, contact time and particle size using source area rainfall generate constitutive models to reproduce pH, alkalinity, TDS and alkalinity for historical events. Equilibrium pH, alkalinity and TDS are strongly influenced by particle size and contact times. The constitutive leaching models are combined with measured PSDs from a series of rainfall-runoff events to demonstrate that the model results replicate alkalinity and TDS in runoff from the subject watershed. Results illustrate the granulometry of dry deposition PM, modification of PSDs along the drainage pathway, and the role of PM solubility for generation of TDS, alkalinity and conductivity in urban source area rainfall-runoff.

Teaching reading in a multi-grade class: Teachers’ adaptive skills and teacher agency in teaching across grade R and grade 1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Labby Ramrathan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The skill of reading is regarded as the cornerstone of literacy learning in the foundation phase. Although it is the most complex skill to master, it forms part of literacy teaching. Most learners begin schooling without having any kind of exposure to reading. This lack of exposure introduces a number of challenges, which are consequently exacerbated if teachers have to teach in multi-grade classes. This case study was conducted in two primary schools in the Ndwedwe Circuit in KwaZulu-Natal. It is framed within the interpretive epistemology embedded in a qualitative research methodology. Empirical data were generated from two rural schools where multi-grade teaching was undertaken. To produce data, two teachers teaching multi-grade classes (incorporating both grade R and grade 1 were observed during an isiZulu Home Language reading period. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were used to elicit more data for corroboration of findings. The findings show that teacher agency is crucial in making adaptive decisions. These decisions are based on the intersection of formal knowledge, situational knowledge and experiential knowledge that the teachers have acquired over time.

Comparison of {sup 18}F-FET PET and perfusion-weighted MRI for glioma grading. A hybrid PET/MR study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verger, Antoine [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); Lorraine University, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Nancyclotep Imaging Platform, CHRU Nancy, Nancy (France); Lorraine University, IADI, INSERM, UMR 947, Nancy (France); Filss, Christian P. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Aachen (Germany); Lohmann, Philipp; Stoffels, Gabriele; Rota Kops, Elena [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); Sabel, Michael [University of Duesseldorf, Department of Neurosurgery, Duesseldorf (Germany); Wittsack, Hans J. [University Duesseldorf, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Duesseldorf (Germany); Galldiks, Norbert; Fink, Gereon R. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); University of Cologne, Department of Neurology, Cologne (Germany); University of Cologne and Bonn, Center of Integrated Oncology (CIO), Bonn (Germany); Shah, Nadim J. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Aachen (Germany); Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Section JARA-Brain, Juelich (Germany); Langen, Karl-Josef [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3, -4), Juelich (Germany); RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Aachen (Germany); Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Section JARA-Brain, Juelich (Germany)

2017-12-15

Both perfusion-weighted MR imaging (PWI) and O-(2-{sup 18}F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine PET ({sup 18}F-FET) provide grading information in cerebral gliomas. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI for tumor grading in a series of patients with newly diagnosed, untreated gliomas using an integrated PET/MR scanner. Seventy-two patients with untreated gliomas [22 low-grade gliomas (LGG), and 50 high-grade gliomas (HGG)] were investigated with {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI using a hybrid PET/MR scanner. After visual inspection of PET and PWI maps (rCBV, rCBF, MTT), volumes of interest (VOIs) with a diameter of 16 mm were centered upon the maximum of abnormality in the tumor area in each modality and the contralateral unaffected hemisphere. Mean and maximum tumor-to-brain ratios (TBR{sub mean}, TBR{sub max}) were calculated. In addition, Time-to-Peak (TTP) and slopes of time-activity curves were calculated for {sup 18}F-FET PET. Diagnostic accuracies of {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI for differentiating low-grade glioma (LGG) from high-grade glioma (HGG) were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analyses (area under the curve; AUC). The diagnostic accuracy of {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI to discriminate LGG from HGG was similar with highest AUC values for TBR{sub mean} and TBR{sub max} of {sup 18}F-FET PET uptake (0.80, 0.83) and for TBR{sub mean} and TBR{sub max} of rCBV (0.80, 0.81). In case of increased signal in the tumor area with both methods (n = 32), local hot-spots were incongruent in 25 patients (78%) with a mean distance of 10.6 ± 9.5 mm. Dynamic FET PET and combination of different parameters did not further improve diagnostic accuracy. Both {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI discriminate LGG from HGG with similar diagnostic performance. Regional abnormalities in the tumor area are usually not congruent indicating that tumor grading by {sup 18}F-FET PET and PWI is based on different pathophysiological phenomena. (orig.)

Urinary arsenic methylation capability and carotid atherosclerosis risk in subjects living in arsenicosis-hyperendemic areas in southwestern Taiwan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Y.-L. [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hsueh, Y.-M. [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw; Huang, Y.-K. [Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Yip, P.-K. [Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taiwan (China); Yang, M.-H. [Department of Nuclear Science, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Chen, C.-J. [Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University Taipei, Taiwan (China)

2009-04-01

Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic from artesian drinking well water is associated with carotid atherosclerosis in the Blackfoot Disease (BFD)-hyperendemic area in Taiwan. The current study examined the arsenic methylation capacity and its risk on carotid atherosclerosis. A total of 304 adults (158 men and 146 women) residing in the BFD-hyperendemic area were included. The extent of carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by duplex ultrasonography. Chronic arsenic exposure was estimated by an index of cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE) and the duration of artesian well water consumption. Urinary levels of inorganic arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonic acid [MMA(V)] and dimethylarsinic acid [DMA(V)] were determined by high performance liquid chromatography linked on-line to a hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AAS). The percentage of arsenic species, primary methylation index [PMI = MMA(V) / (As(III) + As(V)] and secondary methylation index [SMI = DMA(V) / MMA(V)] were calculated and employed as indicators of arsenic methylation capacity. Results showed that women and younger subjects had a more efficient arsenic methylation capacity than did men and the elderly. Carotid atherosclerosis cases had a significantly greater percentage of MMA(V) [%MMA(V)] and a lower percentage of DMA [%DMA (V)] compared to controls. Subjects in the highest two tertiles of PMI with a median of CAE > 0 mg/L-year had an odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of carotid atherosclerosis of 2.61 and 0.98-6.90 compared to those in the highest two tertiles of PMI with a CAE = 0 mg/L-year. We conclude that individuals with greater exposure to arsenic and lower capacity to methylate inorganic arsenic may be at a higher risk to carotid atherosclerosis.

Urinary arsenic methylation capability and carotid atherosclerosis risk in subjects living in arsenicosis-hyperendemic areas in southwestern Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Y.-L.; Hsueh, Y.-M.; Huang, Y.-K.; Yip, P.-K.; Yang, M.-H.; Chen, C.-J.

2009-01-01

Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic from artesian drinking well water is associated with carotid atherosclerosis in the Blackfoot Disease (BFD)-hyperendemic area in Taiwan. The current study examined the arsenic methylation capacity and its risk on carotid atherosclerosis. A total of 304 adults (158 men and 146 women) residing in the BFD-hyperendemic area were included. The extent of carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by duplex ultrasonography. Chronic arsenic exposure was estimated by an index of cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE) and the duration of artesian well water consumption. Urinary levels of inorganic arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonic acid [MMA(V)] and dimethylarsinic acid [DMA(V)] were determined by high performance liquid chromatography linked on-line to a hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AAS). The percentage of arsenic species, primary methylation index [PMI = MMA(V) / (As(III) + As(V)] and secondary methylation index [SMI = DMA(V) / MMA(V)] were calculated and employed as indicators of arsenic methylation capacity. Results showed that women and younger subjects had a more efficient arsenic methylation capacity than did men and the elderly. Carotid atherosclerosis cases had a significantly greater percentage of MMA(V) [%MMA(V)] and a lower percentage of DMA [%DMA (V)] compared to controls. Subjects in the highest two tertiles of PMI with a median of CAE > 0 mg/L-year had an odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of carotid atherosclerosis of 2.61 and 0.98-6.90 compared to those in the highest two tertiles of PMI with a CAE = 0 mg/L-year. We conclude that individuals with greater exposure to arsenic and lower capacity to methylate inorganic arsenic may be at a higher risk to carotid atherosclerosis

Does the school performance variable used in the International Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Study reflect students' school grades?

Science.gov (United States)

Felder-Puig, Rosemarie; Griebler, Robert; Samdal, Oddrun; King, Matthew A; Freeman, John; Duer, Wolfgang

2012-09-01

Given the pressure that educators and policy makers are under to achieve academic standards for students, understanding the relationship of academic success to various aspects of health is important. The international Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) questionnaire, being used in 41 countries with different school and grading systems, has contained an item assessing perceived school performance (PSP) since 1986. Whereas the test-retest reliability of this item has been reported previously, we determined its convergent and discriminant validity. This cross-sectional study used anonymous self-report data from Austrian (N = 266), Norwegian (N = 240), and Canadian (N = 9,717) samples. Students were between 10 and 17 years old. PSP responses were compared to the self-reported average school grades in 6 subjects (Austria) or 8 subjects (Norway), respectively, or to a general, 5-category-based appraisal of most recent school grades (Canada). Correlations between PSP and self-reported average school grade scores were between 0.51 and 0.65, representing large effect sizes. Differences between the median school grades in the 4 categories of the PSP item were statistically significant in all 3 samples. The PSP item showed predominantly small associations with some randomly selected HBSC items or scales designed to measure different concepts. The PSP item seems to be a valid and useful question that can distinguish groups of respondents that get good grades at school from those that do not. The meaning of PSP may be context-specific and may have different connotations across student populations from different countries with different school systems. © 2012, American School Health Association.

Computer approach to recognition of Fuhrman grade of cells in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kruk, Michal; Osowski, Stanislaw; Markiewicz, Tomasz; Slodkowska, Janina; Koktysz, Robert; Kozlowski, Wojciech; Swiderski, Bartosz

2014-06-01

To present a computerized system for recognition of Fuhrman grade of cells in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma on the basis of microscopic images of the neoplasm cells in application of hematoxylin and eosin staining. The applied methods use combined gradient and mathematical morphology to obtain nuclei and classifiers in the form of support vector machine to estimate their Fuhrman grade. The starting point is a microscopic kidney image, which is subject to the advanced methods of preprocessing, leading finally to estimation of Fuhrman grade of cells and the whole analyzed image. The results of the numerical experiments have shown that the proposed nuclei descriptors based on different principles of generation are well connected with the Fuhrman grade. These descriptors have been used as the diagnostic features forming the inputs to the classifier, which performs the final recognition of the cells. The average discrepancy rate between the score of our system and the human expert results, estimated on the basis of over 3,000 nuclei, is below 10%. The obtained results have shown that the system is able to recognize 4 Fuhrman grades of the cells with high statistical accuracy and agreement with different expert scores. This result gives a good perspective to apply the system for supporting and accelerating the research of kidney cancer.

Four Steps in Grading Reform

Science.gov (United States)

Guskey, Thomas R.; Jung, Lee Ann

2012-01-01

The field of education is moving rapidly toward a standards-based approach to grading. School leaders have become increasingly aware of the tremendous variation that exists in grading practices, even among teachers of the same courses in the same department in the same school. Consequently, students' grades often have little relation to their…

Effect of Grade Retention in First Grade on Psychosocial Outcomes

OpenAIRE

Wu, Wei; West, Stephen G.; Hughes, Jan N.

2010-01-01

In a 4-year longitudinal study, the authors investigated effects of retention in first grade on children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors; social acceptance; and behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement. From a large multiethnic sample (n = 784) of children below the median on literacy at school entrance, 124 retained children were matched with 251 promoted children on the basis of propensity scores (probability of being retained in first grade estimated from 72 baseline var...

The Risk of a Halo Bias as a Reason to Keep Students Anonymous during Grading

Science.gov (United States)

Malouff, John M.; Emmerton, Ashley J.; Schutte, Nicola S.

2013-01-01

Experts have advocated anonymous grading as a means of eliminating actual or perceived evaluator bias in subjective student assessment. The utility of anonymity in assessment rests on whether information derived from student identity can unduly influence evaluation. The halo effect provides a conceptual background for why a bias might occur. In…

Sexuality education in fifth and sixth grades in U.S. public schools, 1999.

Science.gov (United States)

Landry, D J; Singh, S; Darroch, J E

2000-01-01

While policymakers, educators and parents recognize the need for family life and sexuality education during children's formative years and before adolescence, there is little nationally representative information on the timing and content of such instruction in elementary schools. In 1999, data were gathered from 1, 789 fifth- and sixth-grade teachers as part of a nationally representative survey of 5,543 public school teachers in grades 5-12. Based on the responses of 617 fifth- and sixth-grade teachers who said they teach sexuality education, analyses were carried out on the topics and skills sexuality education teachers taught, the grades in which they taught them, their teaching approaches, the pressures they experienced, whether they received support from parents, the community and school administrators, and their needs. Seventy-two percent of fifth- and sixth-grade teachers report that sexuality education is taught in their schools at one or both grades. Fifty-six percent of teachers say that the subject is taught in grade five and 64% in grade six. More than 75% of teachers who teach sexuality education in these grades cover puberty, HIV and AIDS transmission and issues such as how alcohol and drugs affect behavior and how to stick with a decision. However, when schools that do not provide sexuality education are taken into account, even most of these topics are taught in only a little more than half of fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms. All other topics are much less likely to be covered. Teaching of all topics is less prevalent at these grades than teachers think it should be. Gaps between what teachers say they are teaching and teachers' recommendations for what should be taught and by what grade are especially large for such topics as sexual abuse, sexual orientation, abortion, birth control and condom use for STD prevention. A substantial proportion of teachers recommend that these topics be taught at grade six or earlier. More than half (57%) of fifth

Are Flunkers Social Outcasts? A Multilevel Study of Grade Retention Effects on Same-Grade Friendships

Science.gov (United States)

Demanet, Jannick; Van Houtte, Mieke

2016-01-01

We examine the association between grade retention and the number of same-grade friendships. Moreover, we investigate the effect of a school's proportion of retained students on these friendships and the moderating effect of this school characteristic on the relationship between retention and the number of same-grade friendships. Multilevel…

Let's End the Grading Game.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Clifford H.; Edwards, Laurie

1999-01-01

Argues that grades have negative effects on learning and self-concept. States that while grading has a long tradition of sorting children for college entrance, there is limited evidence that grades serve a valid purpose. Argues that this practice should be abolished and an evaluation system established that provides a more valid estimate of…

Cracks in functionally graded materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bahr, H.-A.; Balke, H.; Fett, T.; Hofinger, I.; Kirchhoff, G.; Munz, D.; Neubrand, A.; Semenov, A.S.; Weiss, H.-J.; Yang, Y.Y.

2003-01-01

The weight function method is described to analyze the crack growth behavior in functionally graded materials and in particular materials with a rising crack growth resistance curve. Further, failure of graded thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) under cyclic surface heating by laser irradiation is modeled on the basis of fracture mechanics. The damage of both graded and non-graded TBCs is found to develop in several distinct stages: vertical cracking→delamination→blistering→spalling. This sequence can be understood as an effect of progressive shrinkage due to sintering and high-temperature creep during thermal cycling, which increases the energy-release rate for vertical cracks which subsequently turn into delamination cracks. The results of finite element modeling, taking into account the TBC damage mechanisms, are compatible with experimental data. An increase of interface fracture toughness due to grading and a decrease due to ageing have been measured in a four-point bending test modified by a stiffening layer. Correlation with the damage observed in cyclic heating is discussed. It is explained in which way grading is able to reduce the damage

A case study of full integration of the arts into core subject area instruction in one East Texas secondary school

Science.gov (United States)

Leysath, Maggie

This exploratory phenomenological case study investigated the influence the full integration of the arts into core subject instruction has on classroom environment, student academic achievement, and student engagement as perceived by administrators, teachers, and students in one East Texas secondary school. Participant interviews were analyzed using Creswell's (2012) six-step method for analyzing phenomenological studies. The researcher implemented three learning activities in which ceramics learning objectives were fully integrated with chemistry learning objectives. The first activity combined clay properties and pottery wheel throwing with significant numbers. The second activity combined glaze formulation with moles. The third combined stoichiometry with the increased glaze formula for students to glaze the bowls they made. Findings suggest the full integration of art in core subject area instruction has numerous positive effects. Participants reported improved academic achievement for all students including reluctant learners. Students, teachers, and the administrator reported greater participation in the art integrated activities. Participants perceived a need for further training for teachers and administrators for greater success.

On arbitrarily graded rings

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

58

paper is devoted to the study of arbitrary rings graded through arbitrary sets. .... which recover certain multiplicative relations among the homogeneous components ... instance the case in which the grading set A is an Abelian group, where the ...

HYPERGLYCEMIA IN GRADE III AND GRADE IV MALNUTRITION WITH DEHYDRATING GASTROENTERITIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mallesh

2015-07-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: To study the incidence of hyperglycemia in grade III AND IV malnutrition with no signs and some signs of dehydration. SETTING: Tertiary care center located in north Karnataka. DESIGN: Prospective observational study involving 21 children. METHODS: All the children with grade III and grade IV malnutrition presenting with diarrhea of less than 14 days duration, having no signs to some signs of dehydration. RESULTS: Hyperglycemia was observed in three of 21 children hypoglycemia was observed in six children. CONCLUSION: Although hypoglycemia is common finding in moderate and severely malnourished children with dehydrating gastroenteritis, hyperglycemia should also be suspected and treated. Long term follow up of these children is needed involving larger number of people in multicenter studies.

Selective Oxidation of Soft Grade Carbon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zecevic, N.

2007-12-01

the surface area is essential. Mutual oxidizing agents are ozone, air, mixture of nitric oxide and air, and nitric acid. However, treatment with highly oxidizing agents in a gaseous phase or aqueous medium may highly increase the concentration of acid oxides on the surface area of the carbon black. Acid oxides on the surface area of carbon black decrease the pH value, which is closely connected to the vulcanization of rubber compounds. Furthermore, the afore-mentioned method has other disadvantages. In the case of nitrate acid, the major disadvantage is corrosion of plant equipment. The mixture of nitrite oxide and air demands a very complicated plant, and the same procedure is very time consuming. Ozone increases the oxygen content on the surface area of the carbon black by as much as 15 %, which creates carbon dioxide and reduces utilization. Air creates thermally unstable surface area oxides, since the process demands a temperature range between 450 and 700 °C. Due to all these reasons, an oxidation method was developed of eliminating non-reacted oil from the surface area of oil-furnace carbon black, which cannot be produced with the conventional production method. An aqueous solution of salt ammonium nitrate p.a. proved to be a very good oxidizing agent. Conventional soft grades of oil-furnace carbon blacks with very high contents of non-reacted oil on their surface area, were mixed with the appropriate mass weight of ammonium nitrate p. a. (1.25 to 10.00 g L-1 NH4NO3 p. a.. The obtained homogeneous mixture was dried at temperatures from 180 to 210 °C for a period of 30 to 120 min. Namely, oil-furnace carbon blacks are first produced in a "fluffy" form with exceptionally small mass density, which is why they are very unpractical for manipulation. The "fluffy" oil-furnace carbon black must be transformed to a greater weight density and have a smaller quantity of fines as possible. However, there are many industrial processes of transforming "fluffy" carbon black

The Impact of Early Exposure of Eighth Grade Math Standards on End of Grade Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Tonjai E.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the Cumberland County Schools district-wide issue surrounding the disproportional performance of eighth grade Math I students' proficiency scores on standardized end-of-grade and end-of-course assessments. The study focused on the impact of the school district incorporating eighth grade math standards in…

Technological literacy of fifth and sixth grade pupils of primary school

OpenAIRE

Keše, Jaka

2016-01-01

The first part of this thesis contains a theoretical description of the importance of technology and technological literacy. It introduces the dimensions and standards of technological literacy for pupils aged 9 to 12, followed by a comparative analysis of the Slovenian curriculums of technical subjects (natural science, technical studies, engineering and technology). The thesis has two goals. The first is to evaluate the technological literacy rates among students in the 5th and 6th grade of...

Functionally Graded Ceramics Fabricated with Side-by-Side Tape Casting for Use in Magnetic Refrigeration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bulatova, Regina; Bahl, Christian; Andersen, Kjeld Bøhm

2015-01-01

Functionally graded ceramic tapes have been fabricated by a side-by-side tape casting technique. This study shows the possibility and describes the main principles of adjacent coflow of slurries resulting in formation of thin plates of graded ceramic material. Results showed that the small...... variations of solvent and binder system concentrations have a substantial effect on slurry viscosity. Varying these parameters showed that side-by-side tape casting with a well-defined interface area is possible for slurries with viscosities above 3500 mPa s at a casting shear rate of 3.3 s -1...... of developing this graded ceramic tape casting was applications of these specific magnetocaloric properties within the magnetic refrigeration technology....

Micromechanical models for graded composite materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reiter, T; Dvorak, G.J.; Tvergaard, Viggo

1997-01-01

of piecewise homogeneous layers with equivalent elastic properties estimated by Mori-Tanaka and self-consistent methods are also analysed under similar boundary conditions. Comparisons of the overall and local fields predicted by the discrete and homogenized models are made using a C/SiC composite system...... fields are predicted by Mori-Tanaka estimates. On the other hand, the response of graded materials with a skeletal microstructure in a wide transition zone between clearly defined matrix phases is better approximated by the self-consistent estimates. Certain exceptions are noted for loading by overall...... transverse shear stress; The results suggest that the averaging methods originally developed for statistically homogeneous aggregates may be selectively applied, with a reasonable degree of confidence, to aggregates dth composition gradients, subjected to both uniform and nonuniform overall loads. (C) 1997...

The effect of outdoor environmental education on in-class behaviors of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students

Science.gov (United States)

Cumberbatch, Albert R.

Does the natural environment enhance positive human behaviors, behaviors which meet societal expectations? If that is the case, at what level of our social development does exposure and involvement with nature become a prerequisite? This study sought to discover an answer to the first question through examination of a small public school sample. The second will have to await future study. Public schools, while making some token response to the rising environmental consciousness, have failed or completely ignored environmental education. This study focuses on using the natural environment as a classroom with an environmental education curriculum. The control was academic grades before the environmental education class. The independent variable was academic grades after environmental education. Comparisons of academic conduct grades between classes taken before and after environmental education were made. Three environmental education classes comprising ninety students were evaluated. The mean of all classes was calculated. Results indicate that there is a positive behavioral correlation between environment education and academic classes. However, there were many uncontrolled variables which necessitate further study. One example is the arbitrary standard among teachers for evaluating conduct grades. Conduct grades can also be subjective. In further studies, a standardized tool for evaluating conduct grades would be essential.

7 CFR 51.1578 - Off-Grade potatoes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Off-Grade potatoes. 51.1578 Section 51.1578... STANDARDS) United States Consumer Standards for Potatoes Off-Grade § 51.1578 Off-Grade potatoes. Potatoes which fail to meet the requirements of any of the foregoing grades shall be Off-Grade potatoes...

Uncovering student thinking about mathematics in the common core, grades 6-8 25 formative assessment probes

CERN Document Server

Tobey, Cheryl Rose

2013-01-01

Pinpoint and reverse math misconceptions with laser-like accuracyQuickly and reliably uncover common math misconceptions in Grades 6-8 with these convenient and easy-to-implement diagnostic tools! Bestselling authors Cheryl Tobey and Carolyn Arline provide 25 new assessment probes that pinpoint subconcepts within the new Common Core Standards for Mathematics to promote deep learning and expert math instruction--while learning is already underway.Completely CCSM aligned, these grade-specific probes eliminate the guesswork and help teachers: Systematically address conceptual and procedural mistakes Help students better understand areas of struggle Plan targeted instruction that covers Grades 6-8 CCSM mathematical processes and proficiencies.

The macrophage low-grade inflammation marker sCD163 is modulated by exogenous sex steroids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Henrik Holm; Møller, Holger Jon; Trolle, Christian

2013-01-01

Soluble CD163 (sCD163) is a novel marker linked to states of low grade inflammation such as diabetes, obesity, liver disease and atherosclerosis, all prevalent in subjects with Turner and Klinefelter Syndromes. We aimed to assess the levels of sCD163 and the regulation of sCD163 in regards...

Correlation between the Physical Activity Level and Grade Point Averages of Faculty of Education Students

Science.gov (United States)

Imdat, Yarim

2014-01-01

The aim of the study is to find the correlation that exists between physical activity level and grade point averages of faculty of education students. The subjects consist of 359 (172 females and 187 males) under graduate students To determine the physical activity levels of the students in this research, International Physical Activity…

Mineral resource potential map of the Sugarloaf Roadless Area, San Bernardino County, California

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Robert E.; Matti, Jonathan C.; Cox, Brett F.; Oliver, Howard W.; Wagini, Alexander; Campbell, Harry W.

1983-01-01

Geologic, geochemical, and geophysical investigations and a survey of mines and prospects indicate that the Sugaloaf Roadless Area contains subeconomic graphite and magnesian marble resources. Parts of the area have a low potential for the occurrence of additional low-grade graphite resources, but there is no potential for additional magnesian marble resources within the roadless area. Sand, gravel, and construction stone other than carbonate rocks are found in the roadless area, but similar or better quality materials are abundant and more accessible outside the area. The roadless area has no identified energy mineral resources, but parts of the area have a low to moderate potential for low-grade uranium resources. There are no identified metallic mineral resources within the area, and there is no evidence of a potential for the occurrence of such resources. No previously unknown mineral occurrence was located during this study.

Size-dependent electro-magneto-elastic bending analyses of the shear-deformable axisymmetric functionally graded circular nanoplates

Science.gov (United States)

Arefi, Mohammad; Zenkour, Ashraf M.

2017-10-01

This paper develops nonlocal elasticity equations and magneto-electro-elastic relations to size-dependent electro-magneto-elastic bending analyses of the functionally graded axisymmetric circular nanoplates based on the first-order shear deformation theory. All material properties are graded along the thickness direction based on exponential varying. It is assumed that a circular nanoplate is made from piezo-magnetic materials. The energy method and Ritz approach is employed for the derivation of governing equations of electro-magneto-elastic bending and the solution of the problem, respectively. The nanoplate is subjected to applied electric and magnetic potentials at top and transverse loads while it is rested on Pasternak's foundation. Some important numerical results are presented in various figures to show the influence of applied electric and magnetic potentials, small scale parameter and inhomogeneous index of an exponentially graded nanoplate.

Grades and Incentives: Assessing Competing Grade Point Average Measures and Postgraduate Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Michael A.; Rosenthal, Jeffrey S.; Yoon, Albert H.

2016-01-01

In many educational settings, students may have an incentive to take courses where high grades are easier to achieve, potentially corroding student learning, evaluation of student achievement, and the fairness and efficiency of post-graduation labor outcomes. A grading system that takes into account heterogeneity of teacher standards and student…

Corrosion investigations of high-alloyed steels carried out in different marine area organized by European Federation of Corrosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birn, J.; Skalski, I.

1999-01-01

Research works arranged by EFC Working Party on Marine Corrosion are described. The research was performed in sea areas of Norway, Finland, Sweden, France, Italy, Poland and Netherlands. Subjected to test were three corrosion resistant steel grades; 316, 904 and UNS S 31524. Two corrosion tests were carried out in the years 1993 and 1994 each of min. 6 month duration. The results show that chemical composition of water at salinity level of more than 0.7% has not great effect on corrosion aggressivity in relation to corrosion resistant steels. On the other hand temperature of sea water has great influence on corrosion process. (author)

Energy Data Base: Subject categories and scope: A reference manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grissom, M.C.

1987-04-01

The subject scope of the Energy Data Base (EDB) is defined, encompassing all technological aspects of energy production, conversion, and efficient utilization, and the economic, social, and political aspects as well. Coverage also includes the basic sciences as applicable. The subject areas within the scope of EDB are defined and hierarchically numbered, and scope notes are provided to define the extent of interest in certain areas, particularly areas of basic research

Considerable failure in the subject cost accounting: what are the possible motives?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iasmini Magnes Turci Borges

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The objective in this article is to identify the possible motives for the high failure rate in the subject Cost Accounting, offered to undergraduate Accountancy students at the Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM, representing a mean failure rate of 42% for the period from 2008 till 2013. The data collection technique used were questionnaires with open and closed questions and, regarding the research strategy, the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD was used to process and analyze the data obtained in the open questions. The percentage of students who failed due to their grade and the students who failed due to absence correspond to 16% and 27%, respectively. Thus, for an attempt to partially analyze the students who failed due to their grade, the anxiety variable was used, with a perceived perception of approximately 60% in the student sample, departing from the Cognitive Psychology approach based on the Information Processing Theory. For the partial analysis of the students who failed due to absence, the variable lack of dedication and disinterest was used, perceived by 47% of the student sample, based on the Theory of Procrastination.

Uranium occurrences of the Thunder Bay-Nipigon-Marathon area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, J.F.

1987-01-01

During the 1981, 1982 and 1983 field seasons an inventory of all known uranium occurrences in the North Central Region of Ontario was undertaken. Three major categories of uranium occurrences were identified: uranium associated with the rocks of the Quetico Subprovince; uranium associated with the Proterozoic/Archean unconformity; and uranium associated with alkalic and carbonatite rocks of Late Precambrian age. Occurrences associated with the Quetico Belt are in white, albite-quartz-muscovite pegmatites. Occurrences associated with the Proterozoic/Archean unconformity are usually of high gradee (up to 12% U 3 O 8 ), nearly always hematized and are related to fault or shear zones proximal to the unconformity. Although of high grade, many of the unconformity related occurrences are very narrow (<1 m). Alkalic and carbonatite rocks of Late Precambrian age are an important source of uranium but possible metallurgical problems might downgrade their potential. The Quetico Subprovince is anomalously high in background uranium, and therefore contains important source rocks for uranium. Areas that have the highest potential for uranium deposits in the North Central Region are the Nipigon Basin area, and the areas underlain by the Gunflint and Rove Formations. All the high grade vein-type uranium deposits related to the unconformity are found within the Nipigon Basin. 126 refs

Visual arts and the teaching of the mathematical concepts of shape and space in Grade R classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dianne Wilmot

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This article addresses the need for research in the areas of Grade R curriculum and pedagogy, Grade R teacher professional development, and early years mathematics teaching. More specifically, it responds to the need for teacher professional development in Grade R mathematics teaching of the geometric concepts of space and shape. The article describes a study about teachers’ understanding of how visual arts can be used as pedagogical modality. The study was prompted by the findings of a ‘Maths and Science through Arts and Culture Curriculum’ intervention undertaken with Grade R teachers enrolled for a Bachelor of Education (Foundation Phase degree at a South African university. Post-intervention, teachers’ classroom practices did not change, and they were not using visual arts to teach mathematical concepts. The lessons learned from the research intervention may contribute to the wider debate about Grade R teaching and children’s learning.

Value functions on simple algebras, and associated graded rings

CERN Document Server

Tignol, Jean-Pierre

2015-01-01

This monograph is the first book-length treatment of valuation theory on finite-dimensional division algebras, a subject of active and substantial research over the last forty years. Its development was spurred in the last decades of the twentieth century by important advances such as Amitsur's construction of noncrossed products and Platonov's solution of the Tannaka-Artin problem. This study is particularly timely because it approaches the subject from the perspective of associated graded structures. This new approach has been developed by the authors in the last few years and has significantly clarified the theory. Various constructions of division algebras are obtained as applications of the theory, such as noncrossed products and indecomposable algebras. In addition, the use of valuation theory in reduced Whitehead group calculations (after Hazrat and Wadsworth) and in essential dimension computations (after Baek and Merkurjev) is showcased. The intended audience consists of graduate students and researc...

Girl Scouts and Subject Matter Experts: What’s the Connection?

Science.gov (United States)

Harman, Pamela; Girls Scouts of Northern California, Girl Scouts USA, Astronomical Society of the Pacifica, Univeristy of Arizona, and ARIES Scientific.

2018-01-01

Reaching for the Stars: NASA Science for Girl Scouts (Girl Scout Stars) fosters interaction between Girl Scouts and NASA Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), disseminates NASA STEM education-related resources, and engages Girl Scouts in NASA science and programs through space science badges and summer camps.A space science badge is in development for each of the six levels of Girl Scouts: Daisies, Grades K – 1; Brownies, Grades 2 -3; Juniors, Grades 4 -5; Cadettes, Grades 6 -8; Seniors, Grades 9 -10; and Ambassadors, Grades 11 -12. Indirectly, SMEs will reach tens of thousands of girls through the badges. SETI Institute SMEs Institute and SME Co-Is located at ARIES Scientific, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, University of Arizona, and Girl Scouts of Northern California developed and modified astronomy activities for the Girl Scouts USA badge writers to finesse into the Girl Scout formats. Revisions are reviewed by SMEs for accuracy. Each badge includes a step option that encourages girls to connect with SMEs, and recommendations for volunteers.A total of 127 girls from 31 states and the District of Columbia attendedTotal Eclipse Destination Camps at three locations. SMEs led activities and tours, inspiring girls to consider STEM careers. University of Arizona (U of A) SMEs lead Astronomy Camp for Volunteers, enabling volunteers to lead and inspire Girl Scouts in their respective Girl Scout Councils. A Destination Camp for Girl Scouts was also held at U of A. Girls experience authentic astronomy, learning how to collect and analyze data.Eleven teams comprised of two Girl Scouts, a volunteer or Council Staff, and an amateur astronomer attended Astronomy Club Camp, held at NASA GSFC. SMEs delivered science content. The girls will lead the formation of astronomy clubs in their councils, and will train their successors. SMEs will present and coach the clubs during monthly webinars.This presentation will highlight success and discuss lessons learned that are applicable

Potential of Reinforced Indonesian Glulam Beams Using Grade I (Bengkirai, Grade II (Kamper, Grade III (Nyatoh Woods for Use in Structural Wood Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saptahari Sugiri

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Wood is a natural resource that is renewable and available in various species in tropical countries. Its abundancy in nature makes it easy to obtain, thus making it a nature friendly material for use in construction. Indonesia is the most important source of tropical wood in the world after Brazil, making the use of wood for structural elements very desirable. It is estimated that 4000 different varieties of wood exist in Indonesia. This estimate is based on the herbarium species collected by the Forestry Research Institute, currently counting nearly 4000 types of trees with a diameter of more than 40 cm. In the Indonesian wood structure code, the strength of woods is divided into 3 grades (grade I, II and III. This paper presents an evaluation of the mechanical properties of glulam wood sourced from native Indonesian timber: Bengkirai wood (grade I, Kamper wood (grade II, and Nyatoh wood (grade III, thus proving the potential for Indonesian wood as industrial structural elements in wooden constructions.

Processing of low grade uranium ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michel, P.

1978-10-01

Four types of low-grade ores are studied: (1) Low-grade ores that must be extracted because they are enclosed in a normal-grade deposit. Heap leaching is the processing method which is largely used. (2) Normal-grade ores contained in low-amplitude deposits. They can be processed using in-place leaching as far as the operation does not need any large and expensive equipment. (3) Medium-grade ores in medium-amplitude deposits. A simplified conventional process can be applied using fast heap leaching. (4) Low-grade ores in large deposits. The report explains processing possibilities leading in most cases to the use of in-place leaching. The operating conditions of this method are laid out, especially the selection of the leaching agents and the preparation of the ore deposit

Stresses and Displacements in Functionally Graded Materials of Semi-Infinite Extent Induced by Rectangular Loadings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhong-Qi Yue

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the stress and displacement fields in a functionally graded material (FGM caused by a load. The FGM is a graded material of Si3N4-based ceramics and is assumed to be of semi-infinite extent. The load is a distributed loading over a rectangular area that is parallel to the external surface of the FGM and either on its external surface or within its interior space. The point-load analytical solutions or so-called Yue’s solutions are used for the numerical integration over the distributed loaded area. The loaded area is discretized into 200 small equal-sized rectangular elements. The numerical integration is carried out with the regular Gaussian quadrature. Weak and strong singular integrations encountered when the field points are located on the loaded plane, are resolved with the classical methods in boundary element analysis. The numerical integration results have high accuracy.

Graded Assessment in Vocational Education and Training: An Analysis of National Practice, Drivers and Areas for Policy Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Melanie; Bateman, Andrea

Practices and policies regarding graded assessment in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia were examined. Data were collected through a literature review; focus groups involving approximately 120 stakeholders in 5 states; interviews with 49 representatives of registered training organizations (RTOs); and surveys of RTOs, students,…

fMRI activation in the middle frontal gyrus as an indicator of hemispheric dominance for language in brain tumor patients: a comparison with Broca's area.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Jian W; Brennan, Nicole M Petrovich; Izzo, Giana; Peck, Kyung K; Holodny, Andrei I

2016-05-01

Functional MRI (fMRI) can assess language lateralization in brain tumor patients; however, this can be limited if the primary language area-Broca's area (BA)-is affected by the tumor. We hypothesized that the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) can be used as a clinical indicator of hemispheric dominance for language during presurgical workup. Fifty-two right-handed subjects with solitary left-hemispheric primary brain tumors were retrospectively studied. Subjects performed a verbal fluency task during fMRI. The MFG was compared to BA for fMRI voxel activation, language laterality index (LI), and the effect of tumor grade on the LI. Language fMRI (verbal fluency) activated more voxels in MFG than in BA (MFG = 315, BA = 216, p hemispheric MFG and BA were positively correlated (r = 0.69, p hemispheric dominance for language using a measure of verbal fluency and may be an adjunct measure in the clinical determination of language laterality for presurgical planning.

Combining Diffusion Tensor Metrics and DSC Perfusion Imaging: Can It Improve the Diagnostic Accuracy in Differentiating Tumefactive Demyelination from High-Grade Glioma?

Science.gov (United States)

Hiremath, S B; Muraleedharan, A; Kumar, S; Nagesh, C; Kesavadas, C; Abraham, M; Kapilamoorthy, T R; Thomas, B

2017-04-01

Tumefactive demyelinating lesions with atypical features can mimic high-grade gliomas on conventional imaging sequences. The aim of this study was to assess the role of conventional imaging, DTI metrics ( p:q tensor decomposition), and DSC perfusion in differentiating tumefactive demyelinating lesions and high-grade gliomas. Fourteen patients with tumefactive demyelinating lesions and 21 patients with high-grade gliomas underwent brain MR imaging with conventional, DTI, and DSC perfusion imaging. Imaging sequences were assessed for differentiation of the lesions. DTI metrics in the enhancing areas and perilesional hyperintensity were obtained by ROI analysis, and the relative CBV values in enhancing areas were calculated on DSC perfusion imaging. Conventional imaging sequences had a sensitivity of 80.9% and specificity of 57.1% in differentiating high-grade gliomas ( P = .049) from tumefactive demyelinating lesions. DTI metrics ( p : q tensor decomposition) and DSC perfusion demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the mean values of ADC, the isotropic component of the diffusion tensor, the anisotropic component of the diffusion tensor, the total magnitude of the diffusion tensor, and rCBV among enhancing portions in tumefactive demyelinating lesions and high-grade gliomas ( P ≤ .02), with the highest specificity for ADC, the anisotropic component of the diffusion tensor, and relative CBV (92.9%). Mean fractional anisotropy values showed no significant statistical difference between tumefactive demyelinating lesions and high-grade gliomas. The combination of DTI and DSC parameters improved the diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve = 0.901). Addition of a heterogeneous enhancement pattern to DTI and DSC parameters improved it further (area under the curve = 0.966). The sensitivity increased from 71.4% to 85.7% after the addition of the enhancement pattern. DTI and DSC perfusion add profoundly to conventional imaging in differentiating tumefactive

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN REFRACTIVE ERRORS AND SENILE CATARACT IN RURAL AREA OF WESTERN MAHARASHTRA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chaudhari Sagar V, Shelke Sanjay T, BangalSurekha V, Bhandari Akshay J, Kulkarni Ameya A

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To study the association between refractive errors and senile cataract in rural area of western MaharashtraMaterials & Methods: It is a prospective cross sectional study carried out on 420 eyes of 210 patients with senile cataract was included in the study. The age and sex of the patient, grade and the refractive status of the cataract of the eyes were recorded. The grade of the cataract was recorded by the LOCS III (Lens Opacities Classification System, version III. Refractive status was measured subjectively using retinoscope and refractive error for each eye was converted into spherical equivalent units. Results: The age variation in the study was between 60-85 years.The maximum number of patients was in the age group of 60-65 years.The spherical equivalent ranged between -3.0 D to +4.25D.45.95% of the study population had a spherical equivalent between -2 to -1.73.81 % of the study population had a myopic refraction.20% had a hypermetropic refraction. Percentage of patients with a score of nuclear opalescence and colour between 1.0-2.0 was 41.90%, between 2.1-3.0 was 26.67% and above 3.0 was 31.43%.Percentage of patients with a score of cortical cataract between 0.1-1.0 was 69.76% and with a grade between 2.1-3.0 was 26.91 %. Percentage of patients with a score of posterior subcapsular cataract between 0.1-1.0 was 53.57% and with a grade between 2.1-3.0 was 39.05%. Conclusion: The myopic refraction was associated with nuclear, cortical and posterior subcapsular cataract and this refractive error was stastically significant with nuclear, cortical and posterior subcapsular cataract.

Perceptions of preparedness of LBS I teachers in the state of Illinois and graduates of Illinois State University's LBS I program to collaborate in teaching grade 7--12 math, science, and social science

Science.gov (United States)

Caldwell, Janet E.

The expectations for no child to be left behind are leading to increased emphasis on teaching math, science, and social science effectively to students with disabilities. This study utilized information collected from online surveys to examine how current LBS I teachers and individuals graduating from the Illinois State University teacher certification program in LBS I perceive their preparedness to teach these subjects. Participants provided information about coursework and life experiences, and they made suggestions about teacher preparation and professional development programs. Six key items forming the composite variable focused on level of preparation in (a) best practices, (b) selecting materials, (c) selecting objectives, (d) adapting instructional strategies, (e) planning lessons, and (f) and evaluating outcomes. Only 30 LBS I teachers of the 282 contacted by e-mail completed surveys. Of 115 graduates contacted, 71 participated in the original survey and 23 participated in a follow-up survey. Data were analyzed to learn more about the teachers' self-perceptions regarding preparedness to teach math, science, or social science. There was a correlation between perceived level of knowledge and the composite preparation variable for all subjects, but no correlation with length of teaching. Both groups indicated high school content courses were important in preparation to teach. Teachers also indicated collaboration and graduates indicated grade school learning. The most frequent recommendation for both teacher preparation and professional development was additional methods courses. A survey distributed to math, science, and social science teachers of Grades 7--12 asked about their perceptions of the preparedness of LBS I teachers to teach their area of content. Few surveys were completed for each subject so they were examined qualitatively. There was variability among participants, but generally the content area teachers rated themselves as more prepared than

MR-monitored LITT as a palliative concept in patients with high grade gliomas: preliminary clinical experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Reimer, P; Bremer, C; Horch, C; Morgenroth, C; Allkemper, T; Schuierer, G

1998-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT) as a palliative treatment for patients with high-grade gliomas. Four consenting patients with recurrent high grade III/IV gliomas near the primary language or motor areas were palliatively treated with LITT (2-5 W, 3-13 minutes; Neodym YAG Laser, Dornier, Friedrichshafen, Germany). Temperature monitoring was performed by T1-weighted turbo-fast low-angle shot (FLASH) imaging at 1.5 T (Siemens Magnetom SP 4000, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). MRI studies before LITT included contrast-enhanced conventional scans and functional activation studies to localize the primary motor cortex or language areas using an echo-planar imaging (EPI) spin-echo (SE) sequence. Follow-up studies consisted of contrast-enhanced conventional scans as well as diffusion studies (contrast-enhanced Fourier-acquired steady-state technique and EPI-SE) and perfusion studies (EPI-SE with .2 mmol of gadolinium (Gd)/kg body weight) to differentiate post-therapeutic effects from residual or recurrent tumor growth. Local tumor control was achieved in areas with laser energy deposition with clinically stable conditions > or = 6 months. Conventional contrast-enhanced scans demonstrated strong enhancement surrounding ablated tumor components, which showed a reduction in CBV/CBF. Perfusion studies were useful to discriminate granulomatous tissue enhancement from residual or recurrent tumor growth. Careful application of LITT may evolve as an alternative palliative concept for patients with end-stage high-grade cerebral gliomas reducing clinical symptoms from circumscribed areas of pathology.

Buckling of a stiff thin film on an elastic graded compliant substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhou; Chen, Weiqiu; Song, Jizhou

2017-12-01

The buckling of a stiff film on a compliant substrate has attracted much attention due to its wide applications such as thin-film metrology, surface patterning and stretchable electronics. An analytical model is established for the buckling of a stiff thin film on a semi-infinite elastic graded compliant substrate subjected to in-plane compression. The critical compressive strain and buckling wavelength for the sinusoidal mode are obtained analytically for the case with the substrate modulus decaying exponentially. The rigorous finite element analysis (FEA) is performed to validate the analytical model and investigate the postbuckling behaviour of the system. The critical buckling strain for the period-doubling mode is obtained numerically. The influences of various material parameters on the results are investigated. These results are helpful to provide physical insights on the buckling of elastic graded substrate-supported thin film.

Navigating middle grades: role of social contexts in middle grade school climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ha Yeon; Schwartz, Kate; Cappella, Elise; Seidman, Edward

2014-09-01

During early adolescence, most public school students undergo school transitions, and many students experience declines in academic performance and social-emotional well-being. Theories and empirical research have highlighted the importance of supportive school environments in promoting positive youth development during this period of transition. Despite this, little is known about the proximal social and developmental contexts of the range of middle grade public schools US students attend. Using a cross-sectional dataset from the eighth grade wave of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort 1998-1999, the current study examines the middle grade school social context from the perspectives of administrators and teachers in public schools with typical grade configurations (k-8 schools, middle schools, and junior high schools) and how it relates to students' perceptions of school climate. We find that administrators and teachers in k-8 schools perceive a more positive school social context, controlling for school structural and demographic characteristics. This school social context, in turn, is associated with students' perceptions of their schools' social and academic climate. Implications for educational policy and practice are discussed.

Effects of an Informational Text Reading Comprehension Intervention for Fifth-Grade Students

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchey, Kristen D.; Palombo, Kimberly; Silverman, Rebecca D.; Speece, Deborah L.

2017-01-01

Upper elementary school students who have reading problems may have difficulty in one or more areas of reading, each requiring specific types of interventions. This study evaluated a short-term reading intervention for 46 fifth-grade students with poor reading comprehension. Students were randomly assigned to an intervention or no treatment…

Integrated design and optimization of technologies for utilizing low grade heat in process industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwak, Dong-Hun; Binns, Michael; Kim, Jin-Kuk

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Implementation of a modeling and design framework for the utilization of low grade heat. • Application of process simulator and optimization techniques for the design of technologies for heat recovery. • Systematic and holistic exploitation for the recovery of industrial low grade heat. • Demonstration of the applicability and benefit of integrated design and optimization framework through a case study. - Abstract: The utilization of low grade heat in process industries has significant potential for improving site-wide energy efficiency. This paper focuses on the techno-economic analysis of key technologies for energy recovery and re-use, namely: Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC), boiler feed water heating, heat pumping and absorption refrigeration in the context of process integration. Process modeling and optimization in a holistic manner identifies the optimal integrated configuration of these technologies, with rigorous assessment of costs and technical feasibility of these technologies. For the systematic screening and evaluation of design options, detailed process simulator models are evaluated and optimization proceeds subject to design constraints for the particular economic scenarios where technology using low grade heat is introduced into the process site. Case studies are presented to illustrate how the proposed modeling and optimization framework can be useful and effective in practice, in terms of providing design guidelines and conceptual insights for the application of technologies using low grade heat. From the case study, the best options during winter are the ORC giving a 6.4% cost reduction for the ideal case with low grade heat available at a fixed temperature and boiler feed water heating giving a 2.5% cost reduction for the realistic case with low grade heat available at a range of temperatures. Similarly during summer boiler feed water heating was found to be the best option giving a 3.1% reduction of costs considering a

Functionally graded materials

CERN Document Server

Mahamood, Rasheedat Modupe

2017-01-01

This book presents the concept of functionally graded materials as well as their use and different fabrication processes. The authors describe the use of additive manufacturing technology for the production of very complex parts directly from the three dimension computer aided design of the part by adding material layer after layer. A case study is also presented in the book on the experimental analysis of functionally graded material using laser metal deposition process.

CRA Grade Inflation

OpenAIRE

Kenneth H. Thomas

2000-01-01

Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA) ratings and performance evaluations are the only bank and thrift exam findings disclosed by financial institution regulators. Inflation of CRA ratings has been alleged by community activists for two decades, but there has been no quantification or empirical investigation of grade inflation. Using a unique grade inflation methodology on actual ratings and evaluation data for 1,407 small banks and thrifts under the revised CRA regulations, this paper con...

Marrow pattern in the proximal femoral metaphysis of patients with osteonecrosis of femoral head and normal subjects: comparison on MR images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun, Ho Jong; Park, Jeong Mi; Kim, Jee Young; Lim, Gye Yeon; Yang, Po Song; Kim, Euy Neyong; Kim, Choon Yul; Shinn, Kyung Sub

1996-01-01

To predict early risk of osteonecrosis of the femoral head by comparison of the bone marrow pattern of the proximal femoral metaphysis(PFM) in normal subjects and patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head on T1-weighted magnetic resonance(MR) images. The authors retrospectively reviewed T1(TR 525/TE 25 msec) weighted coronal MR images of 67 hips with osteonecrosis and 65 normal hips in 39 patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head and in 27 normal subjects. On the basis of bright signal intensity of fat, the proportion of remaining hematopoietic marrow in PFM was subdivided into 4 grades (0 to 3) by two radiologists. No evidence of remaining hematopoietic marrow was assigned grade 0, and grades 1, 2 and 3 represented scanty, moderate, and prominent hematopoietic marrow, respectively. Grades 0 and 1 were collectively defined as 'predominantly fatty', grades 2 and 3 as 'predominantly hematopoietic'. The frequency of the predominantly fatty marrow in PFM was analyzed in relation to three age groups (<25, 25-50, 50<) and both sexes. The overall frequency of predominantly fatty marrow in PFM was higher in hips with osteonecrosis than in normal hips (p<0.001). Especially in the male population under the age of 50, the frequency was apparently higher in hips with osteonecrosis, compared with normal hips (p<0.0001). However, the male population aged over 50 or female population showed no statistically significant difference in our series. In proximal femoral metaphysis with osteonecrosis of the femoral head, fatty marrow conversion occurs apparently earlier than in normal subject. T1-weighted MR imaging could therefore be useful in predicting early risk of osteonecrosis of the femoral head because of early fatty marrow conversion of the proximal femoral metaphysis

Improving GRADE evidence tables part 2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langendam, Miranda; Carrasco-Labra, Alonso; Santesso, Nancy

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) working group has developed GRADE evidence profiles (EP) and summary of findings (SoF) tables to present evidence summaries in systematic reviews, clinical guidelines, and health technology assessments. Exp...

Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Discriminating Low-Grade From High-Grade Prostate Cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vos, E.K.; Kobus, T.; Litjens, G.J.S.; Hambrock, T.; Hulsbergen-van de Kaa, C.A.; Barentsz, J.O.; Maas, M.C.; Scheenen, T.W.J.

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine and validate the optimal combination of parameters derived from 3-T diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, and magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging for discriminating low-grade from high-grade prostate cancer (PCa).The study was

Working memory and individual differences in mathematics achievement: A longitudinal study from first grade to second grade

OpenAIRE

De Smedt, Bert; Janssen, Rianne; Bouwens, Kelly; Verschaffel, Lieven; Boets, Bart; Ghesquière, Pol

2009-01-01

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between working memory and individual differences in mathematics. Working memory measures, comprising the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the central executive, were administered at the start of first grade. Mathematics achievement was assessed 4 months later (at the middle of first grade) and 1 year later (at the start of second grade). Working memory was significantly related to mathematics achievement in both grades, show...

Grading Practices and Distributions Across Internal Medicine Clerkships.

Science.gov (United States)

Fazio, Sara B; Torre, Dario M; DeFer, Thomas M

2016-01-01

Clerkship evaluation and grading practices vary widely between U.S. medical schools. Grade inflation continues to exist, and grade distribution is likely to be different among U.S. medical schools. Increasing the number of available grades curtails "grade inflation." A national survey of all Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine members was administered in 2011. The authors assessed key aspects of grading. Response rate was 76%. Among clerkship directors (CDs), 61% of respondents agreed that grade inflation existed in the internal medicine clerkship at their school, and 43% believed that it helped students obtain better residency positions. With respect to grading practices, 79% of CDs define specific behaviors needed to achieve each grade, and 36% specify an ideal grade distribution. In addition, 44% have a trained core faculty responsible for evaluating students, 35% describe formal grading meetings, and 39% use the Reporter-Interpreter-Manager-Educator (RIME) scheme. Grading scales were described as follows: 4% utilize a pass/fail system, 13% a 3-tier (e.g., Honors/Pass/Fail), 45% 4-tier, 35% 5-tier, and 4% 6+-tier system. There was a trend to higher grades with more tiers available. Grade inflation continues in the internal medicine clerkship. Almost half of CDs feel that this practice assists students to obtain better residency positions. A minority of programs have a trained core faculty who are responsible for evaluation. About one third have formal grading meetings and use the RIME system; both have been associated with more robust and balanced grading practices. In particular, there is a wide variation between schools in the percentage of students who are awarded the highest grade, which has implications for residency applications. Downstream users of clinical clerkship grades must be fully aware of these variations in grading in order to appropriately judge medical student performance.

Preliminary study of the favorability for uranium in selected areas in the Basin and Range Province, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cupp, G.M.; Leedom, S.H.; Mitchell, T.P.; Kiloh, K.D.; Horton, R.C.

1977-10-01

Six uranium areas in Nevada were examined in a reconnaissance fashion to determine their favorability for uranium deposits. The favorable areas are: Virgin Valley, Humboldt County; northern Reese River Valley, Lander County; East Walker River, Lyon County; and Coaldale, Esmeralda County. Areas judged to be unfavorable are: Carol ''R'' prospect, Garfield Hills, Mineral County; and Meadow Valley (Panaca), Lincoln County. In the Virgin Valley area, the Canyon Rhyolite Formation contains as much as 27 ppM U 3 O 8 and is an excellent source rock. Uranium deposits in the underlying Virgin Valley Formation are small, but larger deposits may exist. The northern portion of the Reese River Valley contains several small uranium deposits but none of mineable grade or size. Rhyolitic volcanic rocks in the area contain above-average amounts of uranium, and larger deposits may lie beneath these potential source rocks. The East Walker River area may be part of a larger uranium province. Intrusive and extrusive rocks in the area contain above-average amounts of uranium, and low-grade supergene deposits were found. Large areas of potential source rocks and host rocks, and two small uranium deposits, were found in the Coaldale area. Many rhyolite plugs were also found. The Carol ''R'' prospect is an isolated uranium occurrence in Tertiary lacustrine rocks. Uranium deposits in Meadow Valley are in the Panaca Formation, a Pliocene lacustrine formation of varied lithology. The uranium deposits are small and low grade. It is unlikely that large-grade deposits will be found in this area

Experimental Study on Purification of Low Grade Diatomite

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Liguang; Pang, Bo

2017-04-01

This paper presented an innovation for purification of low grade diatomite(DE) by grinding, ultrasonic pretreatment, acid leaching of closed stirring and calcination. The optimum process parameters of DE purification were obtained, the characterizations of original and purified DE were determined by SEM and BET. The results showed that the specific surface area of DE increased from 12.65m2/g to 23.23m2/g, which increased by 45.54%. SEM analysis revealed that the pore structure of purified DE was dredged highly.

Grading sacroiliitis with emphasis on MRI imaging; Grading der Sakroiliitis mit Betonung der MRT-Bildgebung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jurik, A.G.; Egund, N. [The Department of Radiology R, Aarhus Kommunehospital (Denmark)

2004-03-01

Cross-sectional imaging techniques play a decisive role in identification, localization, and characterization of alterations in the sacroiliac joint during the early stage of seronegative spondylarthropathy (SpA). Although several studies showed that the diagnostic capabilities of MRI and CT are superior to those of conventional radiography, they have not yet become established and accepted as methods for evaluating the grade of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in contrast to conventional radiography. The lack of acceptance for MRI and/or CT methods for evaluating and grading changes in the sacroiliac joint makes it difficult to include the results of these procedures in classifying the grade of SpA. Moreover, grading the changes in the sacroiliac joint in SpA with a method more sensitive than conventional radiography will be of prime importance in assessing treatment, e.g., the efficacy of new biological therapeutic agents directed against the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-{alpha}). An overview of the available grading methods is provided and MRI and CT techniques are presented. (orig.) [German] Schnittbildverfahren spielen bei der Identifizierung, Lokalisation und Charakterisierung von Veraenderungen des Sakroiliakalgelenks (SIG) im Fruehstadium der seronegativen Spondylarthropathie (SpA) eine entscheidende Rolle. Obwohl mehrere Studien zeigten, dass der diagnostische Wert der MRT und CT jenem der konventionellen Radiographie ueberlegen ist, hat sich das Schnittbildverfahren als Mittel zur Evaluierung des Grades der ankylosierenden Spondylitis (AS) im Gegensatz zur konventionellen Radiographie noch nicht etabliert und durchgesetzt. Dieses Fehlen eines akzeptierten MRT- und/oder CT-Verfahrens zur Evaluierung und zum Grading der Veraenderungen am SIG macht es schwierig, die Ergebnisse dieser Verfahren bei der Einstufung des Grades der AS-Veraenderungen und Erarbeitung von Diagnosekriterien fuer andere Formen der SpA einzubeziehen. Ausserdem wird das Grading der SIG

Automated Processing of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI: Correlation of Advanced Pharmacokinetic Metrics with Tumor Grade in Pediatric Brain Tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Vajapeyam, S; Stamoulis, C; Ricci, K; Kieran, M; Poussaint, T Young

2017-01-01

Pharmacokinetic parameters from dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging have proved useful for differentiating brain tumor grades in adults. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed dynamic contrast-enhanced perfusion data from children with newly diagnosed brain tumors and analyzed the pharmacokinetic parameters correlating with tumor grade. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging data from 38 patients were analyzed by using commercially available software. Subjects were categorized into 2 groups based on pathologic analyses consisting of low-grade (World Health Organization I and II) and high-grade (World Health Organization III and IV) tumors. Pharmacokinetic parameters were compared between the 2 groups by using linear regression models. For parameters that were statistically distinct between the 2 groups, sensitivity and specificity were also estimated. Eighteen tumors were classified as low-grade, and 20, as high-grade. Transfer constant from the blood plasma into the extracellular extravascular space (K trans ), rate constant from extracellular extravascular space back into blood plasma (K ep ), and extracellular extravascular volume fraction (V e ) were all significantly correlated with tumor grade; high-grade tumors showed higher K trans , higher K ep , and lower V e . Although all 3 parameters had high specificity (range, 82%-100%), K ep had the highest specificity for both grades. Optimal sensitivity was achieved for V e , with a combined sensitivity of 76% (compared with 71% for K trans and K ep ). Pharmacokinetic parameters derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging can effectively discriminate low- and high-grade pediatric brain tumors. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Three-Dimensional Finite Element Modeling of Thermomechanical Problems in Functionally Graded Hydroxyapatite/Titanium Plate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. N. S. Jamaludin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The composition of hydroxyapatite (HA as the ceramic phase and titanium (Ti as the metallic phase in HA/Ti functionally graded materials (FGMs shows an excellent combination of high biocompatibility and high mechanical properties in a structure. Because the gradation of these properties is one of the factors that affects the response of the functionally graded (FG plates, this paper is presented to show the domination of the grading parameter on the displacement and stress distribution of the plates. A three-dimensional (3D thermomechanical model of a 20-node brick quadratic element is used in the simulation of the thermoelastic behaviors of HA/Ti FG plates subjected to constant and functional thermal, mechanical, and thermomechanical loadings. The convergence properties of the present results are examined thoroughly in order to assess the accuracy of the theory applied and to compare them with the established research results. Instead of the grading parameter, this study reveals that the loading field distribution can be another factor that reflects the thermoelastic properties of the HA/Ti FG plates. The FG structure is found to be able to withstand the thermal stresses while preserving the high toughness properties and thus shows its ability to operate at high temperature.

The relation between student motivation and student grades in physical education: A 3-year investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Barkoukis, V; Taylor, I; Chanal, J; Ntoumanis, N

2014-10-01

Enhancing students' academic engagement is the key element of the educational process; hence, research in this area has focused on understanding the mechanisms that can lead to increased academic engagement. The present study investigated the relation between motivation and grades in physical education (PE) employing a 3-year longitudinal design. Three hundred fifty-four Greek high school students participated in the study. Students completed measures of motivation to participate in PE on six occasions; namely, at the start and the end of the school year in the first, second, and third year of junior high school. Students' PE grades were also recorded at these time points. The results of the multilevel growth models indicated that students' PE grades increased over the 3 years and students had better PE grades at the end of each year than at the beginning of the subsequent year. In general, students and classes with higher levels of controlling motivation achieved lower PE grades, whereas higher levels of autonomous motivation were associated with higher PE grades. These findings provide new insight on the associations between class- and individual-level motivation with objectively assessed achievement in PE. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Optimization of a functionally graded circular plate with inner rigid thin obstacles. I. Continuous problems

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hlaváček, Ivan; Lovíšek, J.

2011-01-01

Roč. 91, č. 9 (2011), s. 711-723 ISSN 0044-2267 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA100190803 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : functionally graded plate * optimal design Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.863, year: 2011 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/zamm.201000119/abstract

Processing of low-grade uranium ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michel, P.

1975-01-01

Four types of low grade ores are studied. Low grade ores which must be extracted because they are enclosed in a normal grade deposit. Heap leaching is the processing method which is largely used. It allows to obtain solutions or preconcentrates which may be delivered at the nearest plant. Normal grade ores contained in a low amplitude deposit which can be processed using leaching as far as the operation does not need any large expensive equipment. Medium grade ores in medium amplitude deposits to which a simplified conventional process can be applied using fast heap leaching. Low grade ores in large deposits. The processing possibilities leading to use in place leaching are explained. The operating conditions of the method are studied (leaching agent, preparation of the ore deposit to obtain a good tightness with regard to the hydrological system and to have a good contact between ore and reagent) [fr

Quantitative CT analysis for the preoperative prediction of pathologic grade in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Jayasree; Pulvirenti, Alessandra; Yamashita, Rikiya; Midya, Abhishek; Gönen, Mithat; Klimstra, David S.; Reidy, Diane L.; Allen, Peter J.; Do, Richard K. G.; Simpson, Amber L.

2018-02-01

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) account for approximately 5% of all pancreatic tumors, affecting one individual per million each year.1 PanNETs are difficult to treat due to biological variability from benign to highly malignant, indolent to very aggressive. The World Health Organization classifies PanNETs into three categories based on cell proliferative rate, usually detected using the Ki67 index and cell morphology: low-grade (G1), intermediate-grade (G2) and high-grade (G3) tumors. Knowledge of grade prior to treatment would select patients for optimal therapy: G1/G2 tumors respond well to somatostatin analogs and targeted or cytotoxic drugs whereas G3 tumors would be targeted with platinum or alkylating agents.2, 3 Grade assessment is based on the pathologic examination of the surgical specimen, biopsy or ne-needle aspiration; however, heterogeneity in the proliferative index can lead to sampling errors.4 Based on studies relating qualitatively assessed shape and enhancement characteristics on CT imaging to tumor grade in PanNET,5 we propose objective classification of PanNET grade with quantitative analysis of CT images. Fifty-five patients were included in our retrospective analysis. A pathologist graded the tumors. Texture and shape-based features were extracted from CT. Random forest and naive Bayes classifiers were compared for the classification of G1/G2 and G3 PanNETs. The best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0:74 and accuracy of 71:64% was achieved with texture features. The shape-based features achieved an AUC of 0:70 and accuracy of 78:73%.

Functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 by Laser Metal Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Pulugurtha, Syamala R.

The objective of the current work was to fabricate a crack-free functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 thin wall structure by Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). One potential application for the current material system is the ability to fabricate a functionally graded alloy that can be used in a space heat exchanger. The two alloys, Inconel 625 and Ti6Al4V are currently used for aerospace applications. They were chosen as candidates for grading because functionally grading those combines the properties of high strength/weight ratio of Ti6Al4V and high temperature oxidation resistance of Inconel 625 into one multifunctional material for the end application. However, there were challenges associated with the presence of Ni-Ti intermetallic phases (IMPs). The study focused on several critical areas such as (1) understanding microstructural evolution, (2) reducing macroscopic cracking, and (3) reducing mixing between graded layers. Finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to understand the effect of process conditions on multilayer claddings for simplified material systems such as SS316L and Inconel 625 where complex microstructures did not form. The thermo-mechanical models were developed using Abaqus(TM) (and some of them experimentally verified) to predict temperature-gradients; remelt layer depths and residual stresses. Microstructure evolution along the functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 was studied under different processing and grading conditions. Thermodynamic modeling using Factsage (v 6.1) was used to construct phase diagrams and predict the possible equilibrium major/minor phases (verified experimentally by XRD) that may be present along the functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 thin wall structures.

Subspecialty Exposure in a Psychiatry Clerkship Does Not Improve Student Performance in the Subject Examination

Science.gov (United States)

Retamero, Carolina; Ramchandani, Dilip

2013-01-01

Objective: The authors compared the NBME subject examination scores and subspecialty profiles of 3rd-year medical students who were assigned to psychiatry subspecialties during their clerkship with those who were not. Method: The authors collated and analyzed the shelf examination scores, the clinical grades, and the child psychiatry and emergency…

The Implications of Grade Inflation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, David E.; Fleisher, Steven

2011-01-01

The authors review current and past practices of the grade inflation controversy and present ways to return to each institution’s established grading guidelines. Students are graded based on knowledge gathered. Certain faculty members use thorough evaluative methods, such as written and oral pres...... have been profiled in the news. The model is provided to ensure that degree candidates are academic experts in their field, having earned the credential through rigorous study....

Perceptions of restaurateurs on quality grading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Roberson

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A restaurateur's strategic focus is to maximise wealth for the owner(s. To achieve wealth maximisation, a restaurateur could implement one or more of the following strategies: focus strategy, cost-leadership strategy and/or differentiation strategy. A management intervention a restaurateur could implement to achieve this is quality differentiation. Grading of an establishment will assist a restaurateur in becoming a market leader. Currently there no national restaurant grading system exists in South Africa. As support and participation of restaurateurs in any future quality grading system are essential, it is imperative to test their perceptions of the implementation of a quality grading scale. The aim of this paper is to gather the perceptions of restaurateurs of an envisaged scale that could be used to grade independent full-service restaurants. In this study the researcher tested the perceptions of restaurateurs using nine possible outcomes of implementing quality grading in the independent fullservice restaurant segment. The outcomes to be tested were presented to restaurateurs in a questionnaire uploaded on "survey monkey". This was emailed to 3 286 restaurateurs and 265 responses were received. Respondents who were positive regarding grading indicated that they were enthusiastic about the impact grading would have on international tourism, as well as the fact that it could contribute to an increase in the value of their establishments.

Content, format, gender and grade level differences in elementary students' ability to read science materials as measured by the cloze procedure

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Richard L.; Yore, Larry D.

Present instructional trends in science indicate a need to reexamine a traditional concern in science education: the readability of science textbooks. An area of reading research not well documented is the effect of color, visuals, and page layout on readability of science materials. Using the cloze readability method, the present study explored the relationships between page format, grade level, sex, content, and elementary school students ability to read science material. Significant relationships were found between cloze scores and both grade level and content, and there was a significant interaction effect between grade and sex in favor of older males. No significant relationships could be attributed to page format and sex. In the area of science content, biological materials were most difficult in terms of readability followed by earth science and physical science. Grade level data indicated that grade five materials were more difficult for that level than either grade four or grade six materials were for students at each respective level. In eight of nine cases, the science text materials would be classified at or near the frustration level of readability. The implications for textbook writers and publishers are that science reading materials need to be produced with greater attention to readability and known design principles regarding visual supplements. The implication for teachers is that students need direct instruction in using visual materials to increase their learning from text material. Present visual materials appear to neither help nor hinder the student to gain information from text material.

Resonance wood [Picea abies (L.) Karst.]--evaluation and prediction of violin makers' quality-grading.

Science.gov (United States)

Buksnowitz, Christoph; Teischinger, Alfred; Müller, Ulrich; Pahler, Andreas; Evans, Robert

2007-04-01

The definition of quality in the field of resonance wood for musical instrument making has attracted considerable interest over decades but has remained incomplete. The current work compares the traditional knowledge and practical experience of violin makers with a material-science approach to objectively characterize the properties of resonance wood. Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] has earned a very high reputation for the construction of resonance tops of stringed instruments and resonance boards of keyboard instruments, and was therefore chosen as the focus of the investigation. The samples were obtained from numerous renowned resonance wood regions in the European Alps and cover the whole range of available qualities. A set of acoustical, anatomical, mechanical and optical material properties was measured on each sample. These measurements were compared with subjective quality grading by violin makers, who estimated the acoustical, optical and overall suitability for violin making. Multiple linear regression models were applied to evaluate the predictability of the subjective grading using the measured material characteristics as predictors. The results show that luthiers are able to estimate wood quality related to visible features, but predictions of mechanical and acoustical properties proved to be very poor.

Evaluation of Eco-economy Harmony and Spatial Evolution of the Urban Agglomeration Area in The Great Pearl River Delta

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiuming; Xu, Min; Zhang, Yong; Xu, Naizhong; Zhang, Yuhuan

2018-05-01

Based on the land use data of the study area during 1990 to 2016, the coordination between ecological environment and economy was estimated according to the ESV (ecosystem services value) and EEH (eco-economy harmony) index. The results showed that large amount of farmland and forests were changed to construction land in the study area, due to the rapid urbanization and industrialization. The ESV showed an overall downward trend, the ESV in per hectare was decreased from 1554,000Yuan to 14513,000Yuan. The economic development speed was decreased from 1990 to 2016, the area with high GDP growth rate is changed from the core area of the pearl river delta to the periphery area. The ecology-economy relation in the study area experienced a transformation of “low grade coordination-low grade conflict -further conflict”. Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen, the central city of Foshan and Guangzhou became the most high-grade conflict areas.

Voxel-based clustered imaging by multiparameter diffusion tensor images for glioma grading.

Science.gov (United States)

Inano, Rika; Oishi, Naoya; Kunieda, Takeharu; Arakawa, Yoshiki; Yamao, Yukihiro; Shibata, Sumiya; Kikuchi, Takayuki; Fukuyama, Hidenao; Miyamoto, Susumu

2014-01-01

Gliomas are the most common intra-axial primary brain tumour; therefore, predicting glioma grade would influence therapeutic strategies. Although several methods based on single or multiple parameters from diagnostic images exist, a definitive method for pre-operatively determining glioma grade remains unknown. We aimed to develop an unsupervised method using multiple parameters from pre-operative diffusion tensor images for obtaining a clustered image that could enable visual grading of gliomas. Fourteen patients with low-grade gliomas and 19 with high-grade gliomas underwent diffusion tensor imaging and three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging before tumour resection. Seven features including diffusion-weighted imaging, fractional anisotropy, first eigenvalue, second eigenvalue, third eigenvalue, mean diffusivity and raw T2 signal with no diffusion weighting, were extracted as multiple parameters from diffusion tensor imaging. We developed a two-level clustering approach for a self-organizing map followed by the K-means algorithm to enable unsupervised clustering of a large number of input vectors with the seven features for the whole brain. The vectors were grouped by the self-organizing map as protoclusters, which were classified into the smaller number of clusters by K-means to make a voxel-based diffusion tensor-based clustered image. Furthermore, we also determined if the diffusion tensor-based clustered image was really helpful for predicting pre-operative glioma grade in a supervised manner. The ratio of each class in the diffusion tensor-based clustered images was calculated from the regions of interest manually traced on the diffusion tensor imaging space, and the common logarithmic ratio scales were calculated. We then applied support vector machine as a classifier for distinguishing between low- and high-grade gliomas. Consequently, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic

Multirater agreement for grading the femoral and tibial cartilage surface lesions at CT arthrography and analysis of causes of disagreement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omoumi, Patrick; Michoux, Nicolas; Larbi, Ahmed; Lacoste, Laure; Lecouvet, Frédéric E.; Perlepe, Vasiliki; Vande Berg, Bruno C.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The multirater agreement of the modified Outerbridge system is only fair when readers of varying levels of experience are taken into account. • Inter- and intra-observer agreement increase with readers experience. • Interobserver agreement is substantial for grade 4 lesions. • Knowledge of normal variations of cartilage thickness is required to help avoid pitfalls and improve interobserver agreement in reporting cartilage lesions. - Abstract: Objective: To assess the multirater agreement of the modified Outerbridge system for the grading of predefined areas of femorotibial cartilage at CT arthrography with multiple readers, with varying experience. Design: Five readers with varying experience (two junior radiologists, three musculoskeletal radiologists including two experts in cartilage imaging) separately analyzed 962 cartilage sectors from pre-divided knee CT arthrograms with femorotibial osteoarthritis (Kellgren/Lawrence = 3). Each cartilage area was graded twice by each reader, at a three-month interval, according to the modified 5-grade Outerbridge system. Interobserver and intraobserver agreement were assessed. After the second reading, 121 areas exhibiting the highest interobserver disagreement were reviewed in consensus to determine the sources of disagreement. Results: The global interobserver agreement was fair (k = 0.35), and increased with the grade (from k = 0.14 to k = 0.76 from grade 0–4). The intraobserver agreement varied with the readers’ experience from moderate (k = 0.59) to almost perfect (k = 0.92). The majority of cases of disagreement (44%) was due to difficulties in assessing the normal variations of cartilage thickness, including diffuse cartilage thinning (23%) and normal variants of cartilage thickness (22%). 32% of cases of disagreement were due to retrospectively avoidable interpretation errors. Conclusions: The multirater agreement of the modified Outerbridge system is only fair when readers of different