Areva half-year report june 30, 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

This document is the half-year financial report of the Areva group for 2006. It presents: 1 - Highlights of the period; 2 - Key data: Summary data, Segment reporting, Backlog, Income statement, Review by business division, Cash flow, Balance sheet data; 3 - Outlook; 4 - Events subsequent to the half-year end; 5 - Consolidated financial statements: Statutory auditors' report on the interim consolidated financial statements for the period January 1, 2006 to June 30, 2006, Consolidated income statement, Consolidated balance sheet, Consolidated cash flow statement, Consolidated statement of changes in equity, Segment reporting, Notes to the consolidated financial statements

When general practitioners meet new evidence: an exploratory ethnographic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Ole

2017-12-01

To explore how general practitioners (GPs) think and act when presented with new evidence in relation to planned home birth and a proposal to change information practices. Exploratory ethnographic study of GPs. The GPs were encountered one or more times during a two-year period, 2011-2013, while the author tried to set up formal focus group interviews. Dialogues about the evidence, personal experiences, values and other issues unavoidably occurred. Field notes were written concomitantly. Danish GPs, primarily in Copenhagen. Fifty Danish GPs. The GPs reacted very differently, both spontaneously and later. Spontaneous reactions were often emotional involving private and professional experiences whereas later reactions were more influenced by rational deliberations. Approximately half the GPs (n = 18) who were asked whether they would personally hand out the local information leaflet about home birth were prepared to do so. The time lag between presentation of the evidence and the GPs' decision to hand out the leaflets was up to one and a half year. A significant number of GPs were prepared to change their information practices. However, for many GPs, the new evidence challenged previous perceptions, and ample time and resources for dialogue, deliberations and adaptation to local circumstances were required to accommodate change. Changing information practices on a larger scale will require a systematic approach involving key stakeholders. Key Points Current awareness•Patients and pregnant women should receive evidence-based information about possible choices of care - also in relation to place of birth. Most important results•Doctors often find the new evidence supporting planned home birth counterintuitive and spontaneously react emotionally rather than rationally to the evidence.•The new evidence challenging previous views elicits fast, emotional reactions, later deliberate reflections, perhaps cognitive dissonance and, finally, for some, change in

Static deformation of two welded monoclinic elastic half-spaces due ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

M. Senthilkumar (Newgen Imaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

Static deformation of two monoclinic elastic half-spaces in welded contact due to a long inclined strike-slip fault situated in one of the half-spaces is studied analytically and numerically. Closed- form algebraic expressions for the displacement at any point of the medium are obtained. The variation of the displacement at the ...

Areva. 2005 half year report; Areva. Rapport semestriel 2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in over 100, AREVA offers customers technological solutions for nuclear power generation and electricity transmission and distribution. The group also provides interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and automotive markets. This half-year report of Areva group presents the key financial data of the group for the first half of 2005: 1 - Highlights of the period; 2 - Transition to the International Financial Reporting Standards: Group's application of IFRS, Impact of IAS 32 and 39 adoption on the Group's financial statements; 3 - Key data: summary data, summary data by business Division, backlog, income statement, review by business Division, cash flow statement, balance sheet items; 4 - events subsequent to the half-year-end; 5 - consolidated financial statements: statutory Auditors' report on the 2005 half-year financial statements - period from January 1 to June 30, 2005, consolidated income statement, consolidated balance sheet, consolidated cash flow statement, change in consolidated shareholders' equity, data by business Division and region, notes to the consolidated financial statements; 6 - Outlook.

Areva. 2005 half year report; Areva. Rapport semestriel 2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in over 100, AREVA offers customers technological solutions for nuclear power generation and electricity transmission and distribution. The group also provides interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and automotive markets. This half-year report of Areva group presents the key financial data of the group for the first half of 2005: 1 - Highlights of the period; 2 - Transition to the International Financial Reporting Standards: Group's application of IFRS, Impact of IAS 32 and 39 adoption on the Group's financial statements; 3 - Key data: summary data, summary data by business Division, backlog, income statement, review by business Division, cash flow statement, balance sheet items; 4 - events subsequent to the half-year-end; 5 - consolidated financial statements: statutory Auditors' report on the 2005 half-year financial statements - period from January 1 to June 30, 2005, consolidated income statement, consolidated balance sheet, consolidated cash flow statement, change in consolidated shareholders' equity, data by business Division and region, notes to the consolidated financial statements; 6 - Outlook.

The Influences on Teaching Perspectives of Australian Physical Education Teacher Education Students: The First-Year Influences on Teaching Perspectives Exploratory (FIT-PE) Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hyndman, Brendon P.; Pill, Shane

2016-01-01

There has been a paucity of literature investigating the teaching beliefs and intentions of Australian physical education teacher education (PETE) students that enter teacher training. The First-year Influences on Teaching Perspectives Exploratory (FIT-PE) study explores the teaching perspectives of first year PETE students; including teaching…

Psychophysiological and stress responses to competition in team sport coaches: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, J; Davison, G; Robinson, P

2013-10-01

Examinations of stress in coaches have mainly been qualitative and focused on chronic stressors. This exploratory study examined stress responses in coaches during competition, including psychological and physiological indices. Using reversal theory, we examined metamotivational state profiles during competition. Ten male team sport coaches (mean age 39.8 ± 13.12 years) reported levels of subjective stress, pleasant and unpleasant emotions, metamotivational state, and provided saliva samples, on a competition day: 15 min prior to the pre-match team talk; start of the match; end of the first half; start of the second half, and end of the match, then at equivalent times on a noncompetition day. Saliva samples were assayed for alpha-amylase activity. On competition day, alpha-amylase activity was significantly higher, as were subjective stress, arousal, and unpleasant emotions. Prior to and during active play, participants were mainly in the conformist, alloic (other-oriented), and mastery states, and at the end of the match, in the telic and sympathy states. Only 22 metamotivational state reversals were observed, mostly at the start and end of the match. The elevated levels of subjective stress, alpha-amylase activity, and unpleasant emotions suggest that educational programs may be useful for some coaches to manage psychological states during competition. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Role of Conflict Identification and Management in Sustaining Community Collaboration: Report on a Four-Year Exploratory Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanch, Andrea K; Boustead, Robyn; Boothroyd, Roger A; Evans, Mary E; Chen, Huey-Jen

2015-07-01

Community collaboration has become increasingly common in behavioral health services. Conflict is likely to occur in any community coalition bringing together organizations with differing mandates, missions, and histories. However, research on how coalitions identify and handle conflict, and on the impact of conflict on sustainability is scarce. An exploratory study examined conflict in two federally funded children's "systems of care" using site visits and concept mapping to describe differences in how sites conceptualize and respond to conflict. Results suggest that unacknowledged and unaddressed conflict can negatively affect the development and sustainability of sites, and that focusing on cooperation may, paradoxically, make it more difficult to acknowledge conflict and to implement conflict transformation processes. Implications for behavioral health administrators are discussed, including potential interventions that could address these issues.

Summer half-year hailstorms in South Moravia, Czech Republic: a long-term chronology

Science.gov (United States)

Chromá, Kateřina; Brázdil, Rudolf; Valášek, Hubert; Dolák, Lukáš; Řezníčková, Ladislava; Zahradníček, Pavel; Dobrovolný, Petr

2017-04-01

Hailstorms are natural phenomena of local or regional significance causing great material damage in present time, similarly as it was in the past. In Moravia (eastern part of the Czech Republic), systematic meteorological observations started generally in the latter half of the 19th century. Therefore, it is necessary to search for other sources of information in order to create long-term series of hailstorms. Documentary evidence is used in this study to extend the hailstorm information before the period of systematic observations and to complement existing systematic data. It allowed to compile a long-term series of summer half-year hailstorms in South Moravia using various types of documentary evidence (out of them taxation records, family archives, chronicles and newspapers are the most important) and systematic meteorological observations in the station network. Although available hailstorm data cover the 1435-2015 period, incomplete documentary evidence allows reasonable analysis of fluctuations in hailstorm frequency only since the 18th century (the frequency of hailstorms increases with the number of surviving documents). The long-term series compiled from documentary data and systematic meteorological observations is used to identify periods of lower and higher hailstorm frequency. The best temporal coverage of summer half-year hailstorm days in South Moravia starts in 1925 with a general decreasing trend of -0.05 days per 10 years up to 2015, more evident after 1961 (-1.4 days per 10 years). Existing data may also be used for the study of spatial hailstorm variability which is demonstrated on four particularly damaging hailstorms (on 20 June 1848, 1 July 1902, 10 July 1902 and 19 July 1903). Finally, uncertainties in the hailstorm chronology are discussed and differences related to various aspects of hailstorms detected from documentary and meteorological data in three 40 year periods are analysed. Despite some bias in hailstorm data, South

Strategic planning in hospitals in two Australian states: an exploratory study of its practice using planning documentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jayasuriya, R; Sim, A B

1998-01-01

Hospitals are under pressure to respond to new challenges and competition. Many hospitals have used strategic planning to respond to these environmental changes. This exploratory study examines the extent of strategic planning in hospitals in two Australian States, New South Wales and Victoria, using a sample survey. Based on planning documentation, the study indicated that 47% of the hospitals surveyed did not have a strategic or business plan. A significant difference was found in the comprehensiveness of the plans between the two States. Plans from Victorian hospitals had more documented evidence of external/internal analysis, competitor orientation and customer orientation compared with plans from New South Wales hospitals. The paper discusses the limitations of the study and directions for future research.

Epidemiological study of sleep habits among four-and-a-half-year-old children in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeda, Maki; Kaneita, Yoshitaka; Kondo, Shuji; Itani, Osamu; Ohida, Takashi

2012-08-01

To date, only limited epidemiological data on the sleep habits of young children in Japan have been available. This study used representative samples to examine the sleep habits of four-and-a-half-year-old children in Japan. We used data from a nationwide cross-sectional survey. A member of each subject's family was asked to complete the questionnaire. The questionnaire included personal characteristics, sleep habits, and lifestyle. The data for 39,813 subject children (collection rate: 74.3%) were analyzed. The mean value of total sleep duration, night-time sleep duration, and daytime napping duration was 10 h 40 min 30 s, 9 h 53 min 0 s, and 46 min 24 s, respectively. The prevalence of daytime napping was 45.8%. Those whose total sleep duration was less than 10h accounted for 13.7% of the sample. The factors associated with high odds ratios for shorter total sleep duration were: living in a less populated area, long hours spent watching television, longer maternal work hours, and attending preschool. In attempting to devise ways of improving the sleep habits of young children, the lifestyles of both the children and their parents must be considered. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Second half work to boost 1991 drilling in the U.S

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petzet, G.A.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that U.S. well completions in 1991 will increase about 8% compared with 1990 if operators stick with present spending plans during the second half. Operators are expected to realize $76.4 billion in wellhead revenues this year, 10.7% less than the 1990 estimate. However, they are expected to invest a larger share of those revenues in drilling this year than they did in 1990. With less than half the year remaining, here is Oil and Gas Journal's updated look at 1991 U.S. drilling: The rotary rig count will average 1,050, up from last year's average of 1,010. Operators will drill about 31,654 oil wells, gas wells, and dry holes compared with an estimated 29,170 drilled in 1990. Exploratory drilling will decline to 5,711 wildcats. Total footage drilled will exceed 152 million ft of hole; average well depth is expected to be about 4,805 ft. Major oil companies drilled 2,602 wells in the U.S. during first half 1991 and plan to drill 2,569 the rest of this year. Meanwhile, drilling in western Canada will likely total 5,900 wells this year

Evaluating measures of exploratory behaviour in sows around farrowing and during lactation—A pilot study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valros, Anna; Pedersen, Lene Juul; Pöytäkangas, Merja

2017-01-01

There are very few studies on the need to perform exploratory behaviour of sows around farrowing and during lactation, except for during the nest-building period. Exploratory behaviour in pigs may reflect appetitive foraging motivated by hunger, or appetitive behaviour related to other motivations...... in conventional crates from day 8 before expected farrowing until weaning, on day 28 after farrowing. Motivation to perform exploratory behaviour was evaluated by measuring the use of a manipulable and chewable object (a wooden device, MCO) and responses during a novel object test (NO). In addition, we studied...... if exploratory motivation is related to the energy status of the sow, measured as sow weight change during lactation, piglet weight gain, and leptin level in saliva. The exploratory motivation of sows appeared to change during the period of study. Although all sows used the MCO, the use was very low throughout...

W. Canada boom to outshine second half U.S. drilling rise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petzet, G.A.; Beck, R.J.

1994-01-01

Drilling in the US will pick up slightly during second half 1994, but the first half to second half increase proportionally will not be as large as in Canada. Operators appear likely to drill nearly half as many wells this year in western Canada as they will drill in the US. Oil and Gas Journal estimates that drilling and completion spending will total $9.511 billion in the US this year, up about one third of 1% from spending in 1993. This steady investment is forecast despite a 2.3% drop in expected wellhead revenue to $72.53 billion. Highlights to OGJ's midyear drilling forecast for 1994 include: operators will drill 24,705 wells, compared with the 26,840 OGJ estimated in its early year forecast before the slump in crude oil prices; the active rotary rig count will average 810 rigs, 7% higher than in 1993; operators will drill about 3,684 wildcats, down from the 4,170 that OGJ predicted in January; the surveyed group of major operators will drill 3,091 wells in the US, including 246 exploratory wells; and drilling in western Canada will total a year record 11,531 wells, dwarfing the 4,654 wells drilled in 1992

Dividing the Force Concept Inventory into two equivalent half-length tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Han

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The Force Concept Inventory (FCI is a 30-question multiple-choice assessment that has been a building block for much of the physics education research done today. In practice, there are often concerns regarding the length of the test and possible test-retest effects. Since many studies in the literature use the mean score of the FCI as the primary variable, it would be useful then to have different shorter tests that can produce FCI-equivalent scores while providing the benefits of being quicker to administer and overcoming the test-retest effects. In this study, we divide the 1995 version of the FCI into two half-length tests; each contains a different subset of the original FCI questions. The two new tests are shorter, still cover the same set of concepts, and produce mean scores equivalent to those of the FCI. Using a large quantitative data set collected at a large midwestern university, we statistically compare the assessment features of the two half-length tests and the full-length FCI. The results show that the mean error of equivalent scores between any two of the three tests is within 3%. Scores from all tests are well correlated. Based on the analysis, it appears that the two half-length tests can be a viable option for score based assessment that need to administer tests quickly or need to measure short-term gains where using identical pre- and post-test questions is a concern.

The elimination half-life of benzodiazepines and fall risk: two prospective observational studies.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vries, Oscar J; Peeters, Geeske; Elders, Petra; Sonnenberg, Caroline; Muller, Majon; Deeg, Dorly J H; Lips, Paul

2013-11-01

the STOPP criteria advise against the use of long-acting benzodiazepines (LBs). to study whether LBs are associated with a higher fall risk than short-acting benzodiazepines (SBs) (elimination half-life ≤ 10 h). we used base-line data and prospective fall follow-up from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, a longitudinal cohort study including 1,509 community-dwelling older persons (Study 1) and from a separate fall prevention study with 564 older persons after a fall (Study 2). Time to the first fall after inclusion and number of falls in the first year after inclusion were the primary endpoints. both in Study 1 and Study 2 the use of SBs was associated with time to the first fall, hazard ratio (HR) 1.62 (95% CI: 1.03-2.56) and HR 1.64 (95% CI: 1.19-2.26),respectively. LBs were not significantly associated with time to first fall, HR 1.40 (0.85-2.31) and HR 1.08 (0.72-1.62). In both studies, the use of SBs was also associated with number of falls, odds ratio (OR) 1.28 (95% CI: 1.01-1.61) and OR 1.37 (95% CI: 1.10-1.70). LBs were not significantly associated with number of falls, OR 1.23 (0.96-1.57) and 1.10 (0.82-1.48). the use of SBs is not associated with a lower fall risk compared with LBs. The use of both SBs and LBs by old persons should be strongly discouraged.

A new determination of the 209Po half-life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collé, R; Fitzgerald, R P; Laureano–Perez, L

2014-01-01

A substantial 25% error in the then-known and accepted (102 ± 5) year half-life of 209 Po was reported on in 2007. This error was detected from decay data from two separate primary standardizations of a 209 Po solution standard, which were performed approximately 12 years apart. Despite author claims that this observation was not a new half-life determination, it was nevertheless included in subsequent nuclear data evaluations and compilations to obtain a currently tabulated value of (115 ± 13) a, computed from the median and range of the two half-life reports. A third primary standardization on the identical 209 Po solution has since been performed to derive a new half-life value of (125.2 ± 3.3) a. This half-life determination was obtained from 30 distinct data sets over a period of 20.7 years, encompassing over 700 liquid scintillation measurements with nearly 50 counting sources all prepared from the same solution, and as obtained over a very broad range of measurement conditions (composition of cocktails, characteristics of counters, time sequencing) during five periods in 1993, 1994, 2005, and 2013. (paper)

Study of the two-dimensional Hubbard model at half-filling through constructive methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afchain, St.

2005-02-01

The Hubbard model is the simplest model to describe the behaviour of fermions on a network, it takes into account only fermion scattering and only interactions with other fermions located on the same site. Half-filling means that the total number of fermions is equal to half the number of sites. In the first chapter we show how we can pass trough successive approximations from a very general Hamiltonian to the Hubbard Hamiltonian. The second chapter is dedicated to the passage from the Hamiltonian formalism to the Grassmanian functional formalism. The main idea is to show that the correlation functions of the Hamiltonian approach can be described through fermionic functional integrals which implies the possibility of speaking of the model in terms of field theory. The chapter 3 deals with the main constructive techniques that allow the strict and consistent construction of models inside the frame of field theory. We show by proving the violation of a condition concerning self-energy, that the two-dimensional Hubbard model at half-filling has not the behaviour of a Fermi liquid in the Landau's interpretation. (A.C.)

Measurement of the two-neutrino double-beta decay half-life of {sup 130}Te with the CUORE-0 experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alduino, C.; Avignone, F.T.; Chott, N.; Creswick, R.J.; Rosenfeld, C.; Wilson, J. [University of South Carolina, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Columbia, SC (United States); Alfonso, K.; Hickerson, K.P.; Huang, H.Z.; Liu, X.; Trentalange, S.; Zhu, B.X. [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Artusa, D.R. [University of South Carolina, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Columbia, SC (United States); INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, L' Aquila (Italy); Azzolini, O.; Camacho, A.; Keppel, G.; Palmieri, V.; Pira, C. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Legnaro, Padova (Italy); Banks, T.I.; Drobizhev, A.; Freedman, S.J.; Hennings-Yeomans, R.; O' Donnell, T.; Wagaarachchi, S.L. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Nuclear Science Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Bari, G.; Deninno, M.M. [INFN-Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Beeman, J.W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Materials Science Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Bellini, F.; Cardani, L.; Casali, N.; Cosmelli, C.; Ferroni, F. [Sapienza Universita di Roma, Dipartimento di Fisica, Rome (Italy); INFN-Sezione di Roma, Rome (Italy); Bersani, A.; Caminata, A. [INFN-Sezione di Genova, Genova (Italy); Biassoni, M.; Carbone, L.; Cremonesi, O.; Ferri, E.; Giachero, A.; Pessina, G.; Previtali, E.; Rusconi, C. [INFN-Sezione di Milano Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Brofferio, C.; Capelli, S.; Carniti, P.; Cassina, L.; Chiesa, D.; Clemenza, M.; Faverzani, M.; Fiorini, E.; Gironi, L.; Gotti, C.; Maino, M.; Nucciotti, A.; Pavan, M.; Pozzi, S.; Sisti, M.; Terranova, F.; Zanotti, L. [Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipartimento di Fisica, Milan (Italy); INFN-Sezione di Milano Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Bucci, C.; Cappelli, L.; D' Addabbo, A.; Di Vacri, M.L.; Gorla, P.; Pattavina, L.; Pirro, S. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, L' Aquila (Italy); Canonica, L. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, L' Aquila (Italy); Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Cao, X.G.; Fang, D.Q.; Ma, Y.G.; Wang, H.W.; Zhang, G.Q. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Shanghai (China); Copello, S.; Di Domizio, S.; Fernandes, G.; Marini, L.; Pallavicini, M. [INFN-Sezione di Genova, Genova (Italy); Universita di Genova, Dipartimento di Fisica, Genova (Italy); Cushman, J.S.; Davis, C.J.; Heeger, K.M.; Lim, K.E.; Maruyama, R.H. [Yale University, Department of Physics, New Haven, CT (United States); Dafinei, I.; Morganti, S.; Mosteiro, P.J.; Orio, F.; Pettinacci, V.; Tomei, C.; Vignati, M. [INFN-Sezione di Roma, Rome (Italy); Dell' Oro, S. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, L' Aquila (Italy); INFN-Gran Sasso Science Institute, L' Aquila (Italy); Feintzeig, J.; Fujikawa, B.K.; Mei, Y.; Smith, A.R. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Nuclear Science Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Franceschi, M.A.; Ligi, C.; Napolitano, T.; Piperno, G. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Frascati, Rome (Italy); Giuliani, A.; Tenconi, M. [Universite Paris-Saclay, CSNSM, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS/IN2P3, Orsay (France); Gladstone, L.; Leder, A.; Winslow, L.A. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Gutierrez, T.D. [California Polytechnic State University, Physics Department, San Luis Obispo, CA (United States); Haller, E.E. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Materials Science Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); University of California, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Berkeley, CA (United States); Han, K. [Yale University, Department of Physics, New Haven, CT (United States); Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai (China); Hansen, E. [University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Kadel, R. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Physics Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Kolomensky, Yu.G. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Nuclear Science Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Physics Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Martinez, M. [Sapienza Universita di Roma, Dipartimento di Fisica, Rome (Italy); INFN-Sezione di Roma, Rome (Italy); Universidad de Zaragoza, Laboratorio de Fisica Nuclear y Astroparticulas, Zaragoza (Spain); Moggi, N. [INFN-Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Alma Mater Studiorum-Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze per la Qualita della Vita, Bologna (Italy); Nones, C. [Service de Physique des Particules, CEA/Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Norman, E.B.; Wang, B.S. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); University of California, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Berkeley, CA (United States); Ouellet, J.L. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Nuclear Science Division, Berkeley, CA (United States); Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Pagliarone, C.E. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, L' Aquila (Italy); Universita degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Meccanica, Cassino (Italy); Sangiorgio, S.; Scielzo, N.D. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Santone, D. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, L' Aquila (Italy); Universita dell' Aquila, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche e Chimiche, L' Aquila (Italy); Singh, V. [University of California, Department of Physics, Berkeley, CA (US); Taffarello, L. [INFN-Sezione di Padova, Padova (IT); Wise, T. [Yale University, Department of Physics, New Haven, CT (US); University of Wisconsin, Department of Physics, Madison, WI (US); Woodcraft, A. [University of Edinburgh, SUPA, Institute for Astronomy, Edinburgh (GB); Zimmermann, S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Engineering Division, Berkeley, CA (US); Zucchelli, S. [INFN-Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (IT); Alma Mater Studiorum-Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Bologna (IT)

2017-01-15

We report on the measurement of the two-neutrino double-beta decay half-life of {sup 130}Te with the CUORE-0 detector. From an exposure of 33.4 kg year of TeO{sub 2}, the half-life is determined to be T{sub 1/2}{sup 2ν} = [8.2 ± 0.2 (stat.) ± 0.6 (syst.)] x 10{sup 20} year. This result is obtained after a detailed reconstruction of the sources responsible for the CUORE-0 counting rate, with a specific study of those contributing to the {sup 130}Te neutrinoless double-beta decay region of interest. (orig.)

Honey characteristics after extraction and half-year storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimíra Kňazovická

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to analyze the fresh honey after extracting and after half-year storage at room temperature. Overall, we analyzed 10 samples of rape (Brassica napus honey coming from district Vranov nad Toplou located in the eastern Slovakia. The analysis consisted of the evaluation of the physico-chemical parameters (water content, free acidity and electrical conductivity and microbiological evaluation (total plate count (TPC, counts of coliform bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, sporulating microorganisms and microscopic fungi. Water content, free acidity and electrical conductivity were measured according to IHC (2009, namely these parameters were detected by refractometer, titration and conductometer, respectively. We used dilution plating method for microbiological analysis. Fresh rape honey contained 18.3 ±1.0% of water. Free acidity of fresh rape honey was 12.7 ±2.0 meq.kg-1 and electrical conductivity was 0.14 mS.cm-1. After half a year of storage, water content and electrical conductivity decreased nonsignificantly and free acidity increased nonsignificantly. Stored honey samples meet the requirements of Decree 41/2012 and 106/2012. From microbiological point of view, fresh rape honey showed relatively high microbial counts. Mean values of TPC, sporulating microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts exceeded 2.00 log cfu/g. All spotted microbial groups decreased in the stored honey comparing with the fresh honey. We found significant (p ˂0.01 differences of TPC, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts comparing the fresh and stored honey samples. Evaluating microbiological parameters, one sample of stored honey did not meet the requirements of Codex Alimentarius SR (2014. TPC exceeded the limit value. Based on the results we can conclude that all samples meet the requirements for good quality honey. Microbial counts in the honey decreased gradually. Probably, various microorganisms have important role in creation of the honey from

A two dimensional fibre reinforced micropolar thermoelastic problem for a half-space subjected to mechanical force

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ailawalia Praveen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to study the two dimensional deformation of fibre reinforced micropolar thermoelastic medium in the context of Green-Lindsay theory of thermoelasticity. A mechanical force is applied along the interface of fluid half space and fibre reinforced micropolar thermoelastic half space. The normal mode analysis has been applied to obtain the exact expressions for displacement component, force stress, temperature distribution and tangential couple stress. The effect of anisotropy and micropolarity on the displacement component, force stress, temperature distribution and tangential couple stress has been depicted graphically.

The English in Public Elementary Schools Program of a Mexican State: A Critical, Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Perales Escudero, Moises Damian; Reyes Cruz, Maria del Rosario; Loyo, Griselda Murrieta

2012-01-01

The quality of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) instruction in elementary schools worldwide is an issue of concern for language policy and planning (LPP) scholars, as are examinations of power and ideologies operating in policy creation and implementation. This critical, exploratory study blends these two strands of inquiry by examining…

Areva half-year report june 30, 2007; Areva rapport semestriel 30 juin 2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-07-01

Information provided in this document concerns the AREVA group as a whole. It presents the highlights and Key data of the first half of 2007, the outlook, the events subsequent to half-year closing, and the Consolidated financial statements. Contents: 1 - Highlights of the period; 2 - Key data: Summary data, Segment reporting, Backlog, Income statement, Review by division, Cash flow, Balance sheet data; 3 - Outlook; 4 - Events subsequent to half-year closing; 5 - Consolidated financial statements: Statutory Auditors' report on half-year information for the period January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007, Consolidated income statement, Consolidated balance sheet, Consolidated cash flow statement, Consolidated statement of change in equity, Segment reporting, Notes to the consolidated financial statements for the period ending June 30, 2007.

Evaluation of a modified 16-item Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS): Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Tzu-Chieh; Jowsey, Tanisha; Henning, Marcus

2018-04-18

The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was developed to assess undergraduate readiness for engaging in interprofessional education (IPE). It has become an accepted and commonly used instrument. To determine utility of a modified 16-item RIPLS instrument, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Data used were collected from a pre- and post-intervention study involving 360 New Zealand undergraduate students from one university. Just over half of the participants were enrolled in medicine (51%) while the remainder were in pharmacy (27%) and nursing (22%). The intervention was a two-day simulation-based IPE course focused on managing unplanned acute medical problems in hospital wards ("ward calls"). Immediately prior to the course, 288 RIPLS were collected and immediately afterwards, 322 (response rates 80% and 89%, respectively). Exploratory factor analysis involving principal axis factoring with an oblique rotation method was conducted using pre-course data. The scree plot suggested a three-factor solution over two- and four-factor solutions. Subsequent confirmatory factor analysis performed using post-course data demonstrated partial goodness-of-fit for this suggested three-factor model. Based on these findings, further robust psychometric testing of the RIPLS or modified versions of it is recommended before embarking on its use in evaluative research in various healthcare education settings.

Report of an exploratory study on vacuum drying of flower bulbs; Verslag orienterend onderzoek vacuumdrogen bloembollen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dijkema, M.; Van der Klugt, J.W.

2010-03-15

In an exploratory practical study, several questions were answered with regard to vacuum drying. What are the effects on growing and flowering of flower bulbs: (1) of vacuum drying; (2) of half an hour of zero oxygen immediately after harvesting; and (3) of strong temperature shift immediately after harvesting? In addition, the following questions were answered: (4) do flower bulbs dry sufficiently in half an hour of vacuum?; (5) how do fungi and bacteria respond to half an hour in vacuum?; (6) how do animal pests (e.g. bulb mite)react to vacuum? [Dutch] In een orienterende praktijkproef is een aantal vragen beantwoord met betrekking tot vacuumdrogen. Wat zijn de effecten op de groei en de bloei van bloembollen: (1) van vacuumdrogen; (2)van een half uur zuurstofloosheid direct na de oogst?; en (3) van een sterke temperatuurwisseling direct na de oogst?. Daarnaast werden de volgende vragen beantwoord: (4) drogen bloembollen voldoende in een half uur vacuum?; (5) hoe reageren schimmels en bacterien op het vacuum?; (6) hoe reageren dierlijke aantasters (o.a. bollenmijt) op het vacuum?.

Trenching as a exploratory method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatheway, A.W.; Leighton, F.B.

1979-01-01

The critical nature of siting nuclear power plants has led to increased emphasis on exploratory methods; it permits inspection of a continuous geologic section by both geologists and regulatory authorities and makes possible the preparation of a graphic log that delineates both obvious and subtle geologic features. About one of every two nuclear plant licensing efforts utilizes exploratory trenching. Many geologic hazards, such as ''capable'' faults, can be detected from trench exposures; they may otherwise remain undetected. Trenches must be judiciously located, survey-controlled, excavated safetly and adequately shored, logged in detail, and properly diagnosed. Useful techniques of trench logging include thorough cleaning of the trench walls, teamwork between geologist and recorder, logging against a carefully surveyed baseline and vertical reference grid, and panoramic photography. Soils, including paleosols, and glacial and glaciofluvial deposits present some of the most difficult media to log. Trench logs must be thoroughly interpreted and correlated so that they document the geologic conditions governing suitability of the site. Age-determination techniques utilized in exploratory trenching include petrographic analyses, quartz inclusion studies, clay mineralogic analyses, and radiometric methods

Situated Analysis of Team Handball Players' Decisions: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Lenzen, Benoit; Theunissen, Catherine; Cloes, Marc

2009-01-01

This exploratory study aimed to investigate elements involved in decision making in team handball live situations and to provide coaches and educators with teaching recommendations. The study was positioned within the framework of the situated-action paradigm of which two aspects were of particular interest for this project: (a) the relationship…

A Case: Eight-and-A-Half Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cennet Nalan Kuş

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Scientific BACKGROUND: The combination of clinical one-and-a-half syndrome together with cranial nerve VII palsy is known to as eight-and-a-half syndrome. It localized the pathology to the pons. OBJECTIVE: To report a case having clinical and radiologic findings typical of eight-and-a-half syndrome. CASE: 65 year old man with hypertension presented with sudden onset of binocular diplopia left facial weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging demostrated a small lesion in the left paramedian pontine tegmentum. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of eight-and-a-half syndrome in Turkish literature

Empowered to Play: A Case Study Describing the Impact of Powered Mobility on the Exploratory Play of Disabled Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonday, Amshuda; Gretschel, Pam

2016-03-01

Exploratory play is one of the most vital ways in which children learn about their environment and develop. It is well documented that limited mobility restricts a child's ability to engage in their environment through exploratory play. In this study, a qualitative, collective case study design explored the impact of powered mobility on the exploratory play of two children with physical disabilities. Data were collected from the children, their parents and their siblings through participant observation and in-depth, informal interviews. This paper focuses on two themes: Opportunity to Play revealed how powered mobility increased opportunities for the children to become more actively engaged in exploratory play with others across a wider array of contexts, and My Child was Transformed highlighted significant changes in the affect and motivation of each child, which seemed to be linked to their increased internal control over their play choices. The findings suggest that the provision of powered mobility is a key contributor promoting the participation of physically disabled children in exploratory play. Because of undergraduate curricular constraints, a limitation of this study was that data were only confined to 2 months; affecting the depth of data gained that prolonged engagement would have offered. The study recommends for occupational therapy practice that occupational therapists advocate for easier access to powered mobility through governmental and policy means. The study also recommends further research be conducted on the experiences of the caregivers on how these powered mobility devices have influenced their day-to-day occupations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Accessing powerful knowledge: a comparative study of two first year ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper presents a case study of two first year sociology courses run at an elite South African university in order to speak to student perspectives on the sociology curriculum. The paper provides a comparative analysis of the academic experiences of extended degree (ED) students registered on two first year courses, ...

Poweo half-year 2006 earnings. Positive net income, implementation of the 1. steps of the industrial plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-09-01

POWEO, the leading independent energy operator in France, presents in this document its key financial data and highlights for the first half of 2006: - Half-year revenue amounts to euro 119.4 m, multiplied by 3.4 compared to the same period last year; - The Energy Management activity has achieved a net margin of euro 34.3 m; - EBIT amounts to euro 6.2 m, compared to euro -2.9 m in the first half of 2005; - Net income amounts to euro 8.9 m, compared to euro -2.9 m in the first half of 2005; - Completion of the preliminary steps to the building of a first thermal power plant (CCGT) is close at hand, two other projects launched; - Strengthening of internal structures in view of the residential market opening up; - Outlook for 2006: total sales expected to reach euro 220 m and positive EBITDA; - LNG terminal building project in Le Havre

The strategic value of e-HRM: results from an exploratory study in a governmental organization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bondarouk, Tatiana; Ruel, Hubertus Johannes Maria

2013-01-01

This paper presents results from an exploratory study in a governmental organization on the strategic value of electronic human resource management (e-HRM). By applying the organizational capabilities approach, and by means of mixed research methods, data were collected on two generally acclaimed

Diffraction of love waves by two staggered perfectly weak half-planes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asghar, S.; Zaman, F.D.; Sajida Asghar

1989-01-01

Love wave travelling in a layer of uniform thickness overlying a half-space is assumed to be incident on two parallel but staggered perfectly weak half-planes lying in the upper layer. The diffracted fields is calculated using the modified Wiener-Hopf technique and contour integration method. The diffracted waves satisfy the dispersion relations appropriate to different regions formed by the perfectly weak half-planes

Improving skill development: an exploratory study comparing a philosophical and an applied ethical analysis technique

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Saggaf, Yeslam; Burmeister, Oliver K.

2012-09-01

This exploratory study compares and contrasts two types of critical thinking techniques; one is a philosophical and the other an applied ethical analysis technique. The two techniques analyse an ethically challenging situation involving ICT that a recent media article raised to demonstrate their ability to develop the ethical analysis skills of ICT students and professionals. In particular the skill development focused on includes: being able to recognise ethical challenges and formulate coherent responses; distancing oneself from subjective judgements; developing ethical literacy; identifying stakeholders; and communicating ethical decisions made, to name a few.

Synthesis, structure, spectral properties and theoretical studies of two half-sandwich titanium-complexes with adamantoxy ligands

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Varga, Vojtěch; Mach, Karel; Pinkas, Jiří; Kubišta, Jiří; Szarka, K.; Gyepes, R.

2017-01-01

Roč. 1142, AUG 2017 (2017), s. 248-254 ISSN 0022-2860 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP207/12/2368; GA ČR(CZ) GA14-08531S Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : half-sandwich complex * ionic complex * solid-state structure Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry OBOR OECD: Inorganic and nuclear chemistry Impact factor: 1.753, year: 2016

Sub-half-wavelength atom localization via two standing-wave fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Luling; Sun Hui; Niu Yueping; Gong Shangqing

2008-01-01

We propose a scheme for sub-half-wavelength atom localization in a four-level ladder-type atomic system, which is coupled by two classical standing-wave fields. We find that one of the standing-wave fields can help in enhancing the localization precision, and the other is of crucial importance in increasing the detecting probability and leading sub-half-wavelength localization

The extended teamwork 2004/2005 exploratory study. Study plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skjerve, Ann Britt; Strand, Stine; Skraaning, Gyrd Jr.; Nihlwing, Christer; Helgar, Stein; Olsen, Asle; Kvilesjoe, Hans Oeyvind; Meyer, Geir; Droeivoldsmo, Asgeir; Svengren, Haakan

2005-09-01

The report documents the study plan for the Extended Teamwork 2004/2005 exploratory study, which is performed within the Extended Teamwork HRP research program. The purpose of the research program is to generate ideas on how teamwork in nuclear power plants may be affected by the introduction of new operational concepts. The Extended Teamwork 2004/2005 exploratory study contributes with empirical knowledge on the effect of a new operational concept, implying increased automation levels, changed operator roles, redefined competence requirements to the operators, and new technologies to support co-operation, on teamwork. The Extended Teamwork 2004/2005 exploratory study covered occurrences during the early transition phase, i.e., from the time the operators are introduced to the possible future operational environment, to the time they have completed the twelve scenarios comprised by the study. The study assessed how familiarity with operation in the possible future operational environment may affect the extent and quality of co-operation. The report accounts for the motivation for performing the exploratory study, and explains the research question. It describes the theoretical approach, which is based on Co-operation Theory, the human-centered automation approach, and theories on co-operation across distances, and introduces the concept extended teamwork. It also describes the method applied: it provides a detailed description of the possible future operational environment, including requirements with respect to autonomy and authority - both for humans and for automatic agents, and describes the technology applied to support co-operation in the control-room team. In addition, all measurement techniques applied in the study are accounted for (system logs, questionnaires, interviews, etc.). (Author)

Two half-sandwiched ruthenium (II compounds containing 5-fluorouracil derivatives: synthesis and study of DNA intercalation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao-Jun Li

Full Text Available Two novel coordination compounds of half-sandwiched ruthenium(II containing 2-(5-fluorouracil-yl-N-(pyridyl-acetamide were synthesized, and their intercalation binding modes with calf thymus DNA were revealed by hyperchromism of ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy; the binding constants were determined according to a Langmuir adsorption equation that was deduced on the base of careful cyclic voltammetry measurements. The two compounds exhibited DNA intercalation binding activities with the binding constants of 1.13×106 M-1 and 5.35 ×105 M-1, respectively.

Research Paper An exploratory study of psychological and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Research Paper An exploratory study of psychological and developmental issues facing HIV and AIDS affected adolescents living in a residential care facility. Myrthe Van Vilsteren, Sadiyya Haffejee, Rabia Patel, Brett Bowman ...

Diffraction of love waves by two parallel perfectly weak half planes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asghar, S.; Zaman, F.D.; Ayub, M.

1986-04-01

We consider the diffraction of Love waves by two parallel perfectly weak half planes in a layer overlying a half space. The problem is formulated in terms of the Wiener-Hopf equations in the transformed plane. The transmitted waves are then calculated using the Wiener-Hopf procedure and inverse transforms. (author)

Areva half-year report June 30, 2008; Areva rapport semestriel 30 juin 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-07-01

This document is the half-year financial report of the Areva group for 2008. It presents: 1 - the highlights of the period: key data (Summary data, Segment reporting, Backlog, Income statement, Review by division, Cash flow, Balance sheet data); Outlook; 2 - the events subsequent to half-year closing; 3 - the consolidated financial statements: Statutory Auditors' report on half-year 2008 information for the period January 1, 2008 to June 30, 2008, Consolidated income statement, Consolidated balance sheet, Consolidated cash flow statement, Consolidated statement of change in equity, Segment reporting, Notes to the consolidated financial statements for the period ending June 30, 2008.

[5-year experience from an anorexia and bulimia clinic. Half of the younger patients recovered after nine months].

Science.gov (United States)

Hjalmers, N; Broberg, A; Nevonen, L

2000-05-31

We present patient data including diagnosis, follow-up and number of sessions. Data for patients 18-25 years of age with anorexia nervosa are also presented. Treatment methods for the various eating disorders are presented. Two projects are presented, one for patients 13-18 years of age and another one for bulimic patients over 18 years. Half of patients 13-18 years of age did not fulfill criteria for an eating disorder at follow-up nine months after the initial session.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) During the Two Last Years of Life – A Retrospective Study of Decedents

Science.gov (United States)

Sundblad, Britt-Marie; Jansson, Sven-Arne; Nyström, Lennarth; Arvidsson, Peter; Lundbäck, Bo; Larsson, Kjell

2013-01-01

Background Little is known about the management of patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during the last years of life. The aim of the study was to describe how management of COPD is performed in Sweden during the last two years of life. Methods From the nationwide Cause of Death register all individuals with COPD as the underlying cause of death during two years were identified in one sparsely and one densely populated area of Sweden. Data were collected from medical records using a pre-defined protocol, especially developed for this purpose. Results Of 822 individuals with COPD as underlying cause of death, medical records from 729 were available. The COPD diagnosis was based on lung function measurements in approximately half of the patients and median age at COPD diagnosis was 74 years (range 34-95). Women died at younger age, median 78 years (range 52-96) than did men (80 years (51-99)). The median survival time from diagnosis to death was 6 years in men and women in both areas. Among women and men 8.3% and 4.3% were never smokers, respectively. The structure of COPD management differed between the two areas, with utilization of physiotherapists, dieticians and working therapists being more used in the northern area, likely because of differences in accessibility to care institutions. Conclusions In Sweden COPD is mostly diagnosed late in life and often not verified by lung function measurements. Opposite to the general population, women with COPD die at a lower age than men. PMID:24367631

Deformation of two welded elastic half-spaces due to a long inclined ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2Department of Mathematics, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi 110 021, India. ∗e-mail: ... Airy stress function for a tensile line source in two welded half-spaces are first obtained. These expressions ... computing the displacement and stress fields around a long inclined tensile fault near an internal boundary. 1.

Instructional Design, Facilitation, and Perceived Learning Outcomes: An Exploratory Case Study of a Human Trafficking MOOC for Attitudinal Change

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Sunnie Lee; Loizzo, Jamie; Watson, William R.; Mueller, Chad; Lim, Jieun; Ertmer, Peggy A.

2016-01-01

This exploratory case study describes the design and facilitation of a massive open online course (MOOC) for attitudinal change regarding human trafficking. It examines the course from the learners', instructor's, and instructional designer's perspectives. Two interviews with the instructor and instructional designer were conducted, and data from…

LibHalfSpace: A C++ object-oriented library to study deformation and stress in elastic half-spaces

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrari, Claudio; Bonafede, Maurizio; Belardinelli, Maria Elina

2016-11-01

The study of deformation processes in elastic half-spaces is widely employed for many purposes (e.g. didactic, scientific investigation of real processes, inversion of geodetic data, etc.). We present a coherent programming interface containing a set of tools designed to make easier and faster the study of processes in an elastic half-space. LibHalfSpace is presented in the form of an object-oriented library. A set of well known and frequently used source models (Mogi source, penny shaped horizontal crack, inflating spheroid, Okada rectangular dislocation, etc.) are implemented to describe the potential usage and the versatility of the library. The common interface given to library tools enables us to switch easily among the effects produced by different deformation sources that can be monitored at the free surface. Furthermore, the library also offers an interface which simplifies the creation of new source models exploiting the features of object-oriented programming (OOP). These source models can be built as distributions of rectangular boundary elements. In order to better explain how new models can be deployed some examples are included in the library.

Social inclusion for children with hearing loss in listening and spoken Language early intervention: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Constantinescu-Sharpe, Gabriella; Phillips, Rebecca L; Davis, Aleisha; Dornan, Dimity; Hogan, Anthony

2017-03-14

Social inclusion is a common focus of listening and spoken language (LSL) early intervention for children with hearing loss. This exploratory study compared the social inclusion of young children with hearing loss educated using a listening and spoken language approach with population data. A framework for understanding the scope of social inclusion is presented in the Background. This framework guided the use of a shortened, modified version of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to measure two of the five facets of social inclusion ('education' and 'interacting with society and fulfilling social goals'). The survey was completed by parents of children with hearing loss aged 4-5 years who were educated using a LSL approach (n = 78; 37% who responded). These responses were compared to those obtained for typical hearing children in the LSAC dataset (n = 3265). Analyses revealed that most children with hearing loss had comparable outcomes to those with typical hearing on the 'education' and 'interacting with society and fulfilling social roles' facets of social inclusion. These exploratory findings are positive and warrant further investigation across all five facets of the framework to identify which factors influence social inclusion.

Exploratory Analysis in Learning Analytics

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, David; de Freitas, Sara

2016-01-01

This article summarizes the methods, observations, challenges and implications for exploratory analysis drawn from two learning analytics research projects. The cases include an analysis of a games-based virtual performance assessment and an analysis of data from 52,000 students over a 5-year period at a large Australian university. The complex…

Comparing Fathers' Physical and Toy Play and Links to Child Behaviour: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

St George, Jennifer; Fletcher, Richard; Palazzi, Kerrin

2017-01-01

Increasing amounts of research show that fathers' involvement in children's lives contributes to the child's social, emotional and cognitive development; however, much of the evidence comes from fathers' caregiving and object play. This exploratory study compared the characteristics of 24 Australian fathers' play in two contexts--toy play and…

#Vapelife: An Exploratory Study of Electronic Cigarette Use and Promotion on Instagram.

Science.gov (United States)

Laestadius, Linnea I; Wahl, Megan M; Cho, Young I

2016-10-14

The growth of social networking services has enabled the sharing of electronic cigarette opinions and experiences via user-generated content. This exploratory study analyzed electronic cigarette content found on the visual social networking service, Instagram, in order to highlight public health challenges created by this content and support understanding of electronic cigarette promotion and usage. A qualitative content analysis was performed on Instagram posts made with the hashtags #ecig or #vape in October 2014. Images, text, and hashtags from 85 posts (43 #ecig, 42 #vape) were analyzed. In addition, the total number of posts made with eight key electronic cigarette hashtags was recorded at four points between March 2014 and October 2015. The total number of #vape posts on Instagram grew by 4,163,274 during the study period, while #ecig posts increased by 741,916. Of the posts examined in-depth, corporate users made up over half of posts. No posts were critical of electronic cigarettes. Few mentioned electronic cigarettes in the context of health benefits. No posts included major brands, and mod style electronic cigarettes were mentioned or depicted in over half of posts. A majority of posts included hashtags expressing vaping identity and community. In addition, users mentioned novel practices such as sub-ohming. Conclusions/Importance: Instagram users in our sample characterized electronic cigarettes primarily as novel devices rather than equivalents to cigarettes. Further, hashtag communities and identities appear to be forming around vaping. Future research should consider the public health implications of these hashtags, as well as novel electronic cigarette practices.

Mode-field half-widths of Gaussian approximation for the fundamental mode of two kinds of optical waveguides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lian-Huang, Li; Fu-Yuan, Guo

2009-01-01

This paper analyzes the characteristic of matching efficiency between the fundamental mode of two kinds of optical waveguides and its Gaussian approximate field. Then, it presents a new method where the mode-field half-width of Gaussian approximation for the fundamental mode should be defined according to the maximal matching efficiency method. The relationship between the mode-field half-width of the Gaussian approximate field obtained from the maximal matching efficiency and normalized frequency is studied; furthermore, two formulas of mode-field half-widths as a function of normalized frequency are proposed

Thirty years after Chernobyl: Long-term determination of 137Cs effective half-life in the lichen Stereocaulon vesuvianum.

Science.gov (United States)

Savino, F; Pugliese, M; Quarto, M; Adamo, P; Loffredo, F; De Cicco, F; Roca, V

2017-06-01

It has been widely shown that nuclear fallout includes substances, which accumulate in organisms such as crustaceans, fish, mushrooms and lichens, helping to evaluate the activity concentration of contaminants accumulated on a long time. In this context, radiocaesium deposited in soil following the Chernobyl accident on 26 April 1986 is known to have remained persistently available for plant uptake in many areas of Europe. Studies on the lichen Stereocaulon vesuvianum show the plant's high capacity to retain radionuclides from the substrate and the air. After the Chernobyl accident, starting from September 1986, at the Radioactivity Laboratory (LaRa) of the University of Naples Federico II, four monitoring campaigns to evaluate the activity concentration of four isotopes of the two elements caesium and ruthenium ( 134 Cs, 137 Cs, 103 Ru and 106 Ru) were carried out until 1999. This study allowed the effective half-life of 134 Cs and 137 Cs to be estimated. Twenty-eight years after the accident, in December 2014, a further sampling was carried out; only 137 Cs was revealed beyond the detection limits, measuring activity concentrations ranging from 20 to 40 Bq/kg, while the other radionuclides were no longer observed due to their shorter half-life. The last sampling allowed more precise determination of the effective half-life of 137 Cs (6.2 ± 0.1 year), due to the larger dataset on a large time period. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Between myth and reality:an Exploratory Study of Secondary School Pupils' Infomation Behavior

OpenAIRE

Hyldegård, Jette

2010-01-01

Many myths exist about the Google Generation which tend to overestimate the positive impact of ICT’s on young people. This paper presents and discusses the results of an exploratory case study of 43 Danish secondary school pupils’ information behaviour. Four research questions guided the study: 1) What characterises the information behaviour of Danish secondary school pupils? 2) Does the information behaviour differ across year of study? If so, in which way does it differ? 3) How is infor...

Fabrication of a Lateral Polarity GaN MESFET: An Exploratory Study

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Sitar, Zlatko; Collazo, Ramon

2007-01-01

This report describes exploratory studies in the fabrication of the GaN LPH structures and their application in the fabrication of a depletion-mode metal semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFETs...

Crowdsourcing for quantifying transcripts: An exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Azzam, Tarek; Harman, Elena

2016-02-01

This exploratory study attempts to demonstrate the potential utility of crowdsourcing as a supplemental technique for quantifying transcribed interviews. Crowdsourcing is the harnessing of the abilities of many people to complete a specific task or a set of tasks. In this study multiple samples of crowdsourced individuals were asked to rate and select supporting quotes from two different transcripts. The findings indicate that the different crowdsourced samples produced nearly identical ratings of the transcripts, and were able to consistently select the same supporting text from the transcripts. These findings suggest that crowdsourcing, with further development, can potentially be used as a mixed method tool to offer a supplemental perspective on transcribed interviews. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The energy transition: new dialogues between cities and local stakeholders. Exploratory study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saxer, Olivia; Lacassagne, Sylvie; Guerin, Laura; Dupas, Stephane

2016-01-01

Energy Cities has carried out an exploratory study for cities and diverse project leaders desiring to start a sustainable energy transition in collaboration with all stakeholders in their territory. Local authorities have a key role to play in climate and energy policies and in the energy transition towards a low carbon, energy efficient and sustainable society. However, they cannot act alone. They often control only a small percentage of the emissions of local greenhouse gases directly, and this percentage rarely exceeds a quarter. It is therefore necessary to rely on the involvement of local stakeholders, which in turn will provide an opportunity for these stakeholders to be ambitious through innovative actions. How to stimulate stakeholders' involvement? In the past several years, a number of citizens', economic actors' or other local actors' initiatives have contributed to the energy transition of territories. These initiatives are based on empowerment. For instance, stakeholders can get access and the power to act on innovative tools and approaches, such as social economy, stakeholders' participation, crowd-funding, renewable energy citizen cooperatives and fab labs. Two primary questions to explore: As coordinators and pilots of local strategies for energy transition, how can local authorities foster, identify, support and replicate local energy transition initiatives? What dialogue should local authorities and leaders of local initiatives engage in? How can they drive new modes of governance, where stakeholders share responsibility to co-develop public policies, manage their city, and encourage the energy transition at the local level? We selected more than ten European energy transition initiatives, as diverse as they are innovative, anticipating new forms of governance and new ways to act and collaborate. The exploratory study does not only describe their process but it also analyses the synergies between the different stakeholders and the role the

Exploratory behaviour modulates the relationship between colony familiarity and helping in a cooperative bird.

Science.gov (United States)

Expósito-Granados, Mónica; De La Cruz, Carlos; Parejo, Deseada; Valencia, Juliana; Alarcos, Susana; Avilés, Jesús M

2016-10-01

Individuals within animal groups may differ in personality and degree of familiarity raising the question of how this influences their social interactions. In Iberian magpies Cyanopica cooki, a portion of first-year males engage in cooperative behaviours and dispersal, allowing addressing this question. In this study, we first investigate the relationship between colony familiarity (native versus foreign) and reproductive status (breeding versus helping) of males during 21 years. Secondly, we measure the exploratory behaviour and monitor reproductive status of a sample of individuals with different colony familiarity during 2 years. Long-term monitoring revealed that foreign individuals were more likely breeders. The analysis on the subset of individuals in which exploratory behaviour was measured revealed a mediatory effect of exploratory behaviour in the association between colony familiarity and helping behaviour. Specifically, among foreign individuals, higher explorative males were more frequently involved in helping behaviour than lower explorative ones. Conversely, among native males, breeders were more explorative than helpers. Our results suggest that aspects of personality may mediate the value of familiarity in reproductive tasks in social species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of Brazilian Offenders and Victims of Interpersonal Violence: An Exploratory Study.

Science.gov (United States)

d'Avila, Sérgio; Campos, Ana Cristina; Bernardino, Ítalo de Macedo; Cavalcante, Gigliana Maria Sobral; Nóbrega, Lorena Marques da; Ferreira, Efigênia Ferreira E

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to characterize the profile of Brazilian offenders and victims of interpersonal violence, following a medicolegal and forensic perspective. A cross-sectional and exploratory study was performed in a Center of Forensic Medicine and Dentistry. The sample was made up of 1,704 victims of nonlethal interpersonal violence with some type of trauma. The victims were subject to forensic examinations by a criminal investigative team that identified and recorded the extent of the injuries. For data collection, a specific form was designed consisting of four parts according to the information provided in the medicolegal and social records: sociodemographic data of the victims, offender's characteristics, aggression characteristics, and types of injuries. Descriptive and multivariate statistics using cluster analysis (CA) were performed. The two-step cluster method was used to characterize the profile of the victims and offenders. Most of the events occurred during the nighttime (50.9%) and on weekdays (66.3%). Soft tissue injuries were the most prevalent type (94.6%). Based on the CA results, two clusters for the victims and two for the offenders were identified. Victims: Cluster 1 was formed typically by women, aged 30 to 59 years, and married; Cluster 2 was composed of men, aged 20 to 29 years, and unmarried. Offenders: Cluster 1 was characterized by men, who perpetrated violence in a community environment. Cluster 2 was formed by men, who perpetrated violence in the familiar environment. These findings revealed different risk groups with distinct characteristics for both victims and offenders, allowing the planning of targeted measures of care, prevention, and health promotion. This study assesses the profile of violence through morbidity data and significantly contributes to building an integrated system of health surveillance in Brazil, as well as linking police stations, forensic services, and emergency hospitals.

Fibromyalgia family and relationship impact exploratory survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcus, Dawn A; Richards, Karen Lee; Chambers, Janet F; Bhowmick, Amrita

2013-09-01

Fibromyalgia is frequently associated with impairments in activities of daily living and work disability. Limited data have investigated the impact of fibromyalgia on relationships with family and friends. This exploratory study was designed to survey a large community sample of adults with fibromyalgia about the impact on the spouse/partner, children and close friends. A 40-question, multiple-choice survey was made available online for a two-month period, with potential participants recruited through fibromyalgia and migraine community websites. Items included questions about demographics, fibromyalgia symptoms, comorbid mood disturbance and relationship impact, including the Relationship Assessment Scale. The survey was completed by 6,126 adults who had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Using updated diagnostic criteria from the American College of Rheumatology, 91% satisfied the criteria for fibromyalgia (Fibromyalgia Severity score ≥13 and pain ≥3 months). Half of participants endorsed that fibromyalgia had mildly to moderately damaged relationship(s) with their spouse(s)/partner(s) or contributed to a break-up with a spouse or partner. Half of participants scored as not being satisfied with their current spouse/partner relationship, with satisfaction negatively affected by the presence of mood disturbance symptoms and higher fibromyalgia severity. Relationships with children and close friends were also negatively impacted for a substantial minority of participants. In addition to physical impairments that are well documented among individuals with fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia can result in a substantial negative impact on important relationships with family and close friends. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Views of child sexual abuse in two cultural communities: an exploratory study among African Americans and Latinos.

Science.gov (United States)

Fontes, L A; Cruz, M; Tabachnick, J

2001-05-01

This exploratory study investigates knowledge and ideas about child sexual abuse among African Americans and Latinos through focus group discussions. Participants defined and described child sexual abuse, acknowledged that it occurred in their communities, and expressed their sense that family risk factors, risky institutions, and offender propensities were its root causes. Latino participants identified cultural transitions as another contributor. Responses and conversational style differed somewhat by gender and cultural identity. The authors discuss implications for child sexual abuse prevention, intervention, and research.

Health status, resource consumption, and costs of dysthymia. A multi-center two-year longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbui, Corrado; Motterlini, Nicola; Garattini, Livio

2006-02-01

In this study we estimated the health status, resource consumption and costs of a large cohort of patients with early and late-onset dysthymia. The DYSCO (DYSthymia COsts) project is a multi-center observational study which prospectively followed for two years a randomly chosen sample of patients with dysthymia in the Italian primary health care system. A total of 501 patients were followed for two years; 81% had early-onset dysthymic disorder. During the study, improvement was seen in most domains of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. Comparison of the SF-36 scores for the two groups showed that only the physical health index significantly differed during the two years. The use of outpatient consultations, laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures was similar in the two groups, but patients with early-onset dysthymia were admitted significantly more than late-onset cases. Hospital admissions were almost entirely responsible for the higher total cost per patient per year of early-onset dysthymia. A first limitation of this study is that general practitioners were selected on the basis of their willingness to participate, not at random; secondly, no information was collected on concomitant psychiatric comorbidities. The present study provides the first prospective, long-term data on service use and costs in patients with dysthymia. Differently from patients with early-onset dysthymia, patients with late-onset dysthymia were admitted less and cost less.

Uranium half-lives: a critical review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holden, N.E.

1981-01-01

The experimental data are evaluated and values for the spontaneous fission half-life of 238 U and the total half-lives for 232 U, 233 U, 234 U, 235 U, 236 U, and 238 U are recommended. Also the variation of the isotopic abundance of 234 U in nature and the error involved in the assumption of secular equilibrium between 234 U and 238 U in the determination of the specific activity of natural uranium samples are discussed. The recommended half-life values and 95% confidence limits are: 238 U spontaneous fission: 8.09 +- 0.26 x 10 15 years; 232 U total: 69.8 +- 1.0 years; 233 U total: 1.592 +- 0.002 x 10 5 years; 234 U total: 2.454 +- 0.006 x 10 5 years; 235 U total: 7.037 +- 0.011 x 10 8 years; 236 U total: 2.342 +- 0.003 x 10 7 years 238 U total: 4.468 +- 0.005 x 10 9 years

Gender-Related Quality of Parent-Child Interactions and Early Adolescent Problem Behaviors: Exploratory Study with Midwestern Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Spoth, Richard; Neppl, Tricia; Goldberg-Lillehoj, Catherine; Jung, Tony; Ramisetty-Mikler, Suhasini

2006-01-01

This article reports two exploratory studies testing a model guided by a social interactional perspective, positing an inverse relation between the quality of parent-child interactions and adolescent problem behaviors. It addresses mixed findings in the literature related to gender differences. Study 1 uses cross-sectional survey data from…

Two-Year Community: Tools for Success--A Study of the Resources and Study Habits of General Chemistry I Students at Two Community Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Bruck, Laura B.; Bruck, Aaron D.

2018-01-01

Recruitment and retention in the sciences is both difficult and crucial, especially in the community college setting. In this study, the resources used by General Chemistry I students at two different public, predominantly two-year colleges in two states were studied via surveys for a semester. Data were analyzed with respect to student attitudes…

Exploratory laparotomy for acute intestinal conditions in children: A review of 10 years of experience with 334 cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghritlaharey Rajendra

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: The aim of this study was to review 10 years of experience in the management of children with acute intestinal conditions requiring exploratory laparotomy. Patients and Methods : This retrospective study included 334 children (244 boys and 90 girls who underwent laparotomy for acute intestinal conditions between Jan 1, 2000 to Dec 31, 2009. Patients were grouped into two categories: group A (n = 44 included patients who needed laparotomy with terminal ileostomy and group B (n = 290 included patients who needed laparotomy without terminal ileostomy. We excluded neonates and patients with jejunoileal and colonic atresias, anorectal malformations, congenital pouch colon, neonatal necrotising enterocolitis, Hirschsprung′s disease, appendicitis, abdominal trauma and gastrointestinal tumours. Results : During the last 10 years, 334 laparotomies were performed in children under 12 years: 59.88% for intestinal obstruction and 40.11% for perforation peritonitis. Causes in order of frequency were: ileal perforations 34.13%; intussusceptions 26.34%; Meckel′s obstruction 10.17%; congenital bands and malrotation 6.88%; postoperative adhesions 5.98%; miscellaneous peritonitis 5.68%; miscellaneous intestinal obstructions 4.79%; abdominal tuberculosis 4.19% and roundworm intestinal obstruction 1.79%. Ileostomy closures (n = 39 was tolerated well by all except one. The mortalities were 28 (8.38% in group B and 6 (1.79% in group A. Conclusions: The need for re-exploration not only increases the morbidity but also increases mortality as well. Diverting temporary ileostomy adds little cumulative morbidity to the primary operation and is a safe option for diversion in selected cases. The best way to further reduce the mortality is to create ileostomy at first operation.

An Exploratory Study on K-12 Teachers' Use of Technology and Multimedia in the Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Florence; Carr, Marsha L.

2015-01-01

21st century has seen new technology and multimedia made available for integration in K-12 classrooms. This exploratory study examines K-12 teachers' use of technology and multimedia in the classroom in two southern counties in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of the study was to answer the following five research questions: 1) What…

Half-and-Half Palatoplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Hyun Ho; Kang, In Sook; Rhie, Jong Won

2014-08-01

A 14-month-old child was diagnosed with a Veau Class II cleft palate. Von Langenbeck palatoplasty was performed for the right palate, and V-Y pushback palatoplasty was performed for the left palate. The child did not have a special problem during the surgery, and the authors were able to elongate the cleft by 10 mm. Contrary to preoperative concerns regarding the hybrid use of palatoplasties, the uvula and midline incisions remained balanced in the middle. The authors named this combination method "half-and-half palatoplasty" and plan to conduct a long-term follow up study as a potential solution that minimizes the complications of palatoplasty.

Microcap M&A: An Exploratory Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keith Turpie

2014-06-01

Full Text Available A substantial body of accounting and finance literature has been devoted to the study of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As dominated by discussions relating to the gains and losses that accrue from transactions involving large public companies. This paper makes a unique contribution to the literature by investigating the M&A experience of microcap businesses. Transactions involving microcap M&A are substantially different to those involving large companies on a number of dimensions. This paper explores the determinants of microcap M&A success and pitfalls and problems from an integration perspective. Due to the paucity of research in the area an exploratory research design is employed, conducting interviews with five CEOs of companies that had each managed multiple transactions. We find microcap M&As are successful when measured against identified goals but generally take longer and cost more than expected. Further, culture and communication are key issues in determining success/failure. We also find the in-house management of integration aspects is problematic for these businesses and suggest this warrants further study.

Bioengineered Temporomandibular Joint Disk Implants: Study Protocol for a Two-Phase Exploratory Randomized Preclinical Pilot Trial in 18 Black Merino Sheep (TEMPOJIMS)

Science.gov (United States)

Monje, Florencio Gil; González-García, Raúl; Little, Christopher B; Mónico, Lisete; Pinho, Mário; Santos, Fábio Abade; Carrapiço, Belmira; Gonçalves, Sandra Cavaco; Morouço, Pedro; Alves, Nuno; Moura, Carla; Wang, Yadong; Jeffries, Eric; Gao, Jin; Sousa, Rita; Neto, Lia Lucas; Caldeira, Daniel; Salvado, Francisco

2017-01-01

Background Preclinical trials are essential to test efficacious options to substitute the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disk. The contemporary absence of an ideal treatment for patients with severe TMJ disorders can be related to difficulties concerning the appropriate study design to conduct preclinical trials in the TMJ field. These difficulties can be associated with the use of heterogeneous animal models, the use of the contralateral TMJ as control, the absence of rigorous randomized controlled preclinical trials with blinded outcomes assessors, and difficulties involving multidisciplinary teams. Objective This study aims to develop a new, reproducible, and effective study design for preclinical research in the TMJ domain, obtaining rigorous data related to (1) identify the impact of bilateral discectomy in black Merino sheep, (2) identify the impact of bilateral discopexy in black Merino sheep, and (3) identify the impact of three different bioengineering TMJ discs in black Merino sheep. Methods A two-phase exploratory randomized controlled preclinical trial with blinded outcomes is proposed. In the first phase, nine sheep are randomized into three different surgical bilateral procedures: bilateral discectomy, bilateral discopexy, and sham surgery. In the second phase, nine sheep are randomized to bilaterally test three different TMJ bioengineering disk implants. The primary outcome is the histological gradation of TMJ. Secondary outcomes are imaging changes, absolute masticatory time, ruminant time per cycle, ruminant kinetics, ruminant area, and sheep weight. Results Previous preclinical studies in this field have used the contralateral unoperated side as a control, different animal models ranging from mice to a canine model, with nonrandomized, nonblinded and uncontrolled study designs and limited outcomes measures. The main goal of this exploratory preclinical protocol is to set a new standard for future preclinical trials in oromaxillofacial surgery

An exploratory study of early letter-sound knowledge in a low socio-economic context in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shelley O'Carroll

2011-05-01

Full Text Available This paper explores one aspect of early literacy development in a low socio-economic context in South Africa. Assessments conducted with a sample of children from two disadvantaged communities in Cape Town indicated that in this context, almost half of the learners entering Grade One were unable to recognise any letters. A Grade R intervention conducted by volunteers showed that children from this context were able to learn letter-sounds in Grade R through a programme that focused on teaching letter-sounds in the context of building language skills, emergent writing and concepts about print. In order to strengthen the effectiveness of the intervention, the volunteer programme was supplemented by support for the Grade R teacher and teaching assistant. Follow-up assessments of one of the intervention groups at the end of Grade One revealed significant correlations between early Grade One letter knowledge and end of Grade One word reading and spelling skills. The findings of this exploratory study are in line with research that shows the importance of letter-sound knowledge in the earliest stages of learning to read. This raises concerns about the historical lack of emphasis in the Grade R curriculum on this aspect of early literacy development. Although the study has a narrow focus and conclusions cannot be drawn about other aspects of early literacy learning in this context, the results suggest an urgent need for quality Grade R teacher training programmes with a specific focus on emergent literacy.

An Exploratory Study of Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in a Design Project by Students in Grades 9-12

Science.gov (United States)

Lawanto, Oenardi; Butler, Deborah; Cartier, Sylvie; Santoso, Harry; Lawanto, Kevin; Clark, David

2013-01-01

This exploratory study evaluated self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies of 27 students in grades 9-12 during an engineering design project. The specific focus of the study was on student task interpretation and its relation to planning and cognitive strategies in design activities. Two research questions guided the study: (1) To what degree was…

Experimental study of half-life determinations using 60Co

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rutledge, A.R.; Smith, L.V.; Merritt, J.S.

1983-01-01

The half-life of 60 Co was determined by two methods, (i) the 4π#betta# ionization chamber method and (ii) the 4π #betta#-#betta# coincidence method. The first is a relative counting method in which the only rate-dependent correction is for background, whereas the second is an 'absolute' counting method which involves several rate-dependent corrections. In addition, various methods of calculation of the results were tested. The half-life values for the two counting systems were in good agreement and the weighted mean value for the half-life of 60 Co was found to be 1925.02+-0.47 d. (orig.)

A momentum-space formulation without partial wave decomposition for scattering of two spin-half particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fachruddin, Imam, E-mail: imam.fachruddin@sci.ui.ac.id; Salam, Agus [Departemen Fisika, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424 (Indonesia)

2016-03-11

A new momentum-space formulation for scattering of two spin-half particles, both either identical or unidentical, is formulated. As basis states the free linear-momentum states are not expanded into the angular-momentum states, the system’s spin states are described by the product of the spin states of the two particles, and the system’s isospin states by the total isospin states of the two particles. We evaluate the Lippmann-Schwinger equations for the T-matrix elements in these basis states. The azimuthal behavior of the potential and of the T-matrix elements leads to a set of coupled integral equations for the T-matrix elements in two variables only, which are the magnitude of the relative momentum and the scattering angle. Some symmetry relations for the potential and the T-matrix elements reduce the number of the integral equations to be solved. A set of six spin operators to express any interaction of two spin-half particles is introduced. We show the spin-averaged differential cross section as being calculated in terms of the solution of the set of the integral equations.

Pendimethalin and oxyfluorfen degradation under two irrigation conditions over four years application.

Science.gov (United States)

Alister, Claudio A; Gomez, Patricio A; Rojas, Sandra; Kogan, Marcelo

2009-05-01

A four-year field study was conducted to determine the effect of pluviometric conditions on pendimethalin and oxyfluorfen soil dynamics. Adsorption, dissipation and soil movement were studied in a sandy loam soil from 2003 to 2007. Pendimethalin and oxyfluorfen were applied every year on August at 1.33 and 0.75 kg ha(-1), respectively. Herbicide soil concentrations were determined at 0, 10, 20, 40, 90 and 340 days after application (DAA), under two pluviometric regimens, natural rainfall and irrigated (30 mm every 15 days during the first 90 DAA). More than 74% of the herbicide applied was detected at the top 2.5 cm layer for both herbicides, and none was detected at 10 cm or deeper. Pendimethalin soil half-life ranged from 10.5 to 31.5 days, and was affected mainly by the time interval between application and the first rain event. Pendimethalin soil residues at 90 DAA fluctuated from 2.5 to 13.8% of the initial amount applied, and it decreased to 2.4 and 8.6% at 340 DAA. Oxyfluorfen was more persistent than pendimethalin as indicated by its soil half-life which ranged from 34.3 to 52.3 days, affected primarily by the rain amount at the first rainfall after application. Oxyfluorfen soil residues at 90 DAA ranged from 16.7 to 34.8% and it decreased to 3.3 and 17.9% at 340 DAA. Based on half-life values, herbicide soil residues after one year, and soil depth reached by the herbicides, we conclude that both herbicides should be considered as low risk to contaminate groundwater. However, herbicide concentration at the top 2.5 cm layer should be considered in cases where runoff or soil erosion could occur, because of the potential for surface water contamination.

Diffusion of single Au, Ag and Cu atoms inside Si(111)-(7 × 7) half unit cells: A comparative study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Qin [Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055 (China); Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territory, Hong Kong (China); Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, Mianyang, Sichuan 621908 (China); Fu, Qiang [Institut für Physik and IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Zum Großen Windkanal 6, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Shao, Xiji; Ma, Xuhang; Wu, Xuefeng [Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055 (China); Wang, Kedong, E-mail: wangkd@sustc.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055 (China); Xiao, Xudong, E-mail: xdxiao@phy.cuhk.edu.hk [Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territory, Hong Kong (China)

2017-04-15

Highlights: • Diffusions of Au, Ag and Cu atoms in the half unit cells of Si(111)-(7×7) have been studied by using a STM-based I-t method. • Despite their similar absorption sites, the diffusion dynamics show obvious differences between Ag and the other two. • Theoretical calculations suggest that different potential energy profiles are responsible for the observed differences. - Abstract: The diffusion behaviors of single Au, Ag and Cu atoms on Si(111)-(7 × 7) half unit cells have been investigated via combining scanning tunneling microscopy and first-principles calculations. Despite the similar adsorption sites between both half unit cells among these elements, the diffusion dynamics show obvious differences between Ag and the other two. Although obvious asymmetry has been found in the diffusion behaviors of Au and Cu atoms in two half unit cells of Si(111)-(7 × 7), the asymmetry behaves in a way different from that of Ag atoms and no dual-time character has been observed for the diffusions of Au and Cu in both half unit cells. Theoretical calculations suggest a different potential energy profile caused by the stronger hybridization between d states of Au (Cu) and Si states make the concept of basin useless for the diffusion of Au and Cu atoms inside the half unit cells of Si(111)-(7 × 7).

An Exploratory Study of Reading Comprehension in College Students After Acquired Brain Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Sohlberg, McKay Moore; Griffiths, Gina G; Fickas, Stephen

2015-08-01

This exploratory study builds on the small body of existing research investigating reading comprehension deficits in college students with acquired brain injury (ABI). Twenty-four community college students with ABI completed a battery of questionnaires and standardized tests to characterize self-perceptions of academic reading ability, performance on a standardized reading comprehension measure, and a variety of cognitive functions of this population. Half of the participants in the sample reported traumatic brain injury (n = 12) and half reported nontraumatic ABI (n = 12). College students with both traumatic and nontraumatic ABI cite problems with reading comprehension and academic performance postinjury. Mean performance on a standardized reading measure, the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (Brown, Fischo, & Hanna, 1993), was low to below average and was significantly correlated with performance on the Speed and Capacity of Language Processing Test (Baddeley, Emslie, & Nimmo-Smith, 1992). Injury status of traumatic versus nontraumatic ABI did not differentiate results. Regression analysis showed that measures of verbal attention and suppression obtained from the California Verbal Language Test-II (Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 2000) predicted total scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. College students with ABI are vulnerable to reading comprehension problems. Results align with other research suggesting that verbal attention and suppression problems may be contributing factors.

A therapeutic exploratory study to determine the efficacy and safety of calcineurin-inhibitor-free de-novo immunosuppression after liver transplantation: CILT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorf Thomas

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Immunosuppression with calcineurin inhibitors (CNI increases the risk of renal dysfunction after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT. Controlled trials have shown improvement of renal function in patients that received delayed and/or reduced-dose CNI after OLT. Delaying immunosuppression with CNI in combination with induction therapy does not increase the risk of acute rejection but reduces the incidence of acute renal dysfunction. Based on this clinical data this study protocol was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of calcineurin-inhibitor-free de-novo immunosuppression after liver transplantation. Methods/Design A prospective therapeutic exploratory, non-placebo controlled, two stage monocenter trial in a total of 29 liver transplant patients was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of de-novo CNI-free immunosuppression with basiliximab, mycophenolate sodium, prednisolone and everolimus. The primary endpoint is the rate of steroid resistant rejections. Secondary endpoints are the incidence of acute rejection, kidney function (assessed by incidence and duration of renal replacement therapy, incidence of chronic renal failure, and measurement glomerular filtration rate, liver allograft function (assessed by measurement of AST, ALT, total bilirubin, AP, GGT, treatment failure, (i. e., re-introduction of CNI, incidence of adverse events, and mortality up to one year after OLT. Discussion This prospective, two-stage, single-group pilot study represents an intermediate element of the research chain. If the data of the phase II study corroborates safety of de-novo CNI-free immunosuppressive regimen this should be confirmed in a randomized, prospective, controlled double-blinded clinical trial. The exploratory data from this trial may then also facilitate the design (e. g. sample size calculation of this phase III trial. Trial registration number NCT00890253 (clinicaltrials.gov

Areva - Half year financial report June 30, 2009; Areva - Rapport financier semestriel 30 juin 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

This half-year financial report contains statements on the objectives, prospects and growth areas for the AREVA group. It gives a view of the net worth, the financial position and the income of the company and all the companies included in consolidation. It presents the major events that occurred during the first six months of the fiscal year, of their effect on the financial statements and of the main transactions between related parties. It gives a description of the main risks and main uncertainties for the remaining six months of the financial year. Content: 1 - Half-year business report: Significant events, Summary data, Segment reporting, Backlog, Income statement, Review by division, Cash flow, Balance sheet items, Events subsequent to closing, Outlook; 2 - Statutory auditors' report on the financial information for the 2009 half-year - period January 1 to June 30, 2009: Condensed consolidated financial statements at June 30, 2009, Consolidated income statement, Consolidated comprehensive income, Consolidated balance sheet, Consolidated cash flow statement, Consolidated statement of changes in equity, Segment reporting, Notes to the consolidated financial statements for the period ending June 30, 2009.

An Exploratory Study of Presenteeism in Turkish Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Çetin

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Presenteeism has been an emerging research era, where many exploratory questions may be produced. Literature is not very definitive for the conceptualization of the construct in many aspects. There are few studies about the reasons, measurement approaches and positive outcomes of the concept. Studies conducted in Turkish context are even fewer. Paper combines two studies; first study aims to investigate different conceptualizations, possible reasons, negative and positive outcomes of presenteeism. The purpose of the second study is to find out how those concepts structure and relate to each other. Findings provide useful insights for reasons, outcomes and criteria of presenteeism. They also indicate different conceptualization of the concept and there are significant relationships between variables according to the research.    

Effects of Type of Exploratory Strategy and Prior Knowledge on Middle School Students' Learning of Chemical Formulas from a 3D Role-Playing Game

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming-Puu; Wong, Yu-Ting; Wang, Li-Chun

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the type of exploratory strategy and level of prior knowledge on middle school students' performance and motivation in learning chemical formulas via a 3D role-playing game (RPG). Two types of exploratory strategies-RPG exploratory with worked-example and RPG exploratory without…

Areva half-year report june 30, 2006; Areva rapport semestriel 30 juin 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

This document is the half-year financial report of the Areva group for 2006. It presents: 1 - Highlights of the period; 2 - Key data: Summary data, Segment reporting, Backlog, Income statement, Review by business division, Cash flow, Balance sheet data; 3 - Outlook; 4 - Events subsequent to the half-year end; 5 - Consolidated financial statements: Statutory auditors' report on the interim consolidated financial statements for the period January 1, 2006 to June 30, 2006, Consolidated income statement, Consolidated balance sheet, Consolidated cash flow statement, Consolidated statement of changes in equity, Segment reporting, Notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Areva half-year report june 30, 2006; Areva rapport semestriel 30 juin 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

This document is the half-year financial report of the Areva group for 2006. It presents: 1 - Highlights of the period; 2 - Key data: Summary data, Segment reporting, Backlog, Income statement, Review by business division, Cash flow, Balance sheet data; 3 - Outlook; 4 - Events subsequent to the half-year end; 5 - Consolidated financial statements: Statutory auditors' report on the interim consolidated financial statements for the period January 1, 2006 to June 30, 2006, Consolidated income statement, Consolidated balance sheet, Consolidated cash flow statement, Consolidated statement of changes in equity, Segment reporting, Notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Goiania radiation accident: 30 years - a half-life for a whole life..

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reis, R.G.; Lucena, E.A.; Arantes, R.R.; Silva, A.A.; Reis, A.A.

2017-01-01

The radiological accident in Goiânia, Brazil, considered the largest urban radiological accident in the world, generated several publications in the technical area that are widely disseminated in the scientific literature, given the importance of the lessons learned. However, in a simple conversation with people who worked on that accident, it is noted that many reports have not been recorded. In this year in which 30 years of the event is completed, it will be of great value to record personal testimonies that are not in technical or scientific books. And what can we tell after a half-life that lasted for a lifetime? The lived stories, the situations, the improvisations, the way to solve, the overcoming, the human side, the emotions, happy or sad, short or long, funny or not. The objective of this work is to preserve, maintain and divulge reports and situations experienced by people who worked on the radiological accident with Cs-137 in Goiânia. Audio or video recordings about experiences lived in Goiânia by people who worked in that emergency situation were carried out. The reports are free and the form of registration is always at the discretion of the narrator. Storing records allows to preserve, maintain, and disclose the accident to other generations

2-D deformation of two welded half-spaces due to a blind dip-slip fault

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The solution of two-dimensional problem of an interface breaking long inclined dip-slip fault in two welded half-spaces is well known.The purpose of this note is to obtain the corresponding solution for a blind fault.The solution is valid for arbitrary values of the fault-depth and the dip angle.Graphs showing the variation of the ...

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Annual Statistics: an exploratory twenty-five-year trend analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Byrd, Gary D; Shedlock, James

2003-04-01

This paper presents an exploratory trend analysis of the statistics published over the past twenty-four editions of the Annual Statistics of Medical School Libraries in the United States and Canada. The analysis focuses on the small subset of nineteen consistently collected data variables (out of 656 variables collected during the history of the survey) to provide a general picture of the growth and changing dimensions of services and resources provided by academic health sciences libraries over those two and one-half decades. The paper also analyzes survey response patterns for U.S. and Canadian medical school libraries, as well as osteopathic medical school libraries surveyed since 1987. The trends show steady, but not dramatic, increases in annual means for total volumes collected, expenditures for staff, collections and other operating costs, personnel numbers and salaries, interlibrary lending and borrowing, reference questions, and service hours. However, when controlled for inflation, most categories of expenditure have just managed to stay level. The exceptions have been expenditures for staff development and travel and for collections, which have both outpaced inflation. The fill rate for interlibrary lending requests has remained steady at about 75%, but the mean ratio of items lent to items borrowed has decreased by nearly 50%.

A decision analysis of an exploratory studies facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merkhofer, M.W.; Gnirk, P.

1991-01-01

An Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) is planned to support the characterization of a potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, NV. The selection of a design for the ESF is a critical decision, because the ESF design may affect the accuracy of characterization testing and subsequent repository design. The assist the design process, a comparative evaluation was conducted to rank 34 alternative relied on techniques from formal decision analysis, including decision trees and multiattribute utility analysis (MUA). The results helped to identify favorable design features and convinced the Department of Energy to adopt the top-ranked option as the preferred ESF design

The local embeddedness of lifestyle entrepreneur: an exploratory study

OpenAIRE

Saleilles , Séverine; Gomez-Velasco , Marie

2007-01-01

The aim of this paper is to conduct an exploratory study, based on four exploratory cases, of lifestyle entrepreneurship. Our inquiry is focused on the topic of local embeddedness: Does the location chosen for self satisfaction comply with the local embeddedness theory or does it have a specific relationship with the territory concept? It appears that the cases are integrated in a context that is not manifested in territorial but functional terms. This mixed embeddedness can be explained by a...

Promoting positive states: the effect of early human handling on play and exploratory behaviour in pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zupan, M; Rehn, T; de Oliveira, D; Keeling, L J

2016-01-01

It is known that tactile stimulation (TS) during ontogeny modifies brain plasticity and enhances the motor and cognitive skills. Our hypothesis was that early handling including TS would increase play and exploratory behaviour in commercial pigs under standardized test conditions. Piglets from 13 litters were subjected to three handling treatments from 5 to 35 days of age: all the piglets were handled (H), none of the piglets were handled (NH) or half of the piglets in the litter were handled (50/50). At 42 days of age, the pigs' behaviour was observed in pairs in a novel pen with a 'toy' (tug rope). The main results were that more locomotor play was performed by pigs from litters where all or half of them had been handled, whereas social exploratory behaviour was more pronounced in pigs from litters where half of them had been handled. Although behaviour was affected by the interaction of treatment with sex or with weight category, we propose that the handling procedure does seem to have acted to increase locomotor skills and that handling half of the piglets in the litter may have triggered a series of socio-emotional interactions that were beneficial for the whole group.

SMOS after 2 YEARS and a half in orbit

Science.gov (United States)

Kerr, Y.; Richaume, P.; Wigneron, J.-P.; Waldteufel, P.; Mecklenburg, S.; Cabot, F.; Boutin, J.; Font, J.; Reul, N.

2012-04-01

The SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) satellite was successfully launched in November 2009. This ESA led mission for Earth Observation is dedicated to provide soil moisture over continental surface (with an accuracy goal of 0.04 m3/m3) and ocean salinity. These two geophysical features are important as they control the energy balance between the surface and the atmosphere. Their knowledge at a global scale is of interest for climatic and weather researches in particular in improving models forecasts. The purpose of this communication is to present the mission results after more than two years in orbit as well as some outstanding results already obtained. A special attention will be devoted to level 2 products. Modeling multi-angular brightness temperatures is not straightforward. The radiative model transfer model L-MEB (L-band Microwave Emission) is used over land while different models with different approaches as to the modeling of sea surface roughness are used over ocean surfaces. Over land the approach is based on semi-empirical relationships, adapted to different type of surface. The model computes a dielectric constant leading to surface emissivity. Surface features (roughness, vegetation) are also considered in the models. However, considering SMOS spatial resolution a wide area is seen by the instrument with strong heterogeneity. The L2 soil moisture retrieval scheme takes this into account. Brightness temperatures are computed for every classes composing a working area. A weighted function is applied for the incidence angle and the antenna beam. Once the brightness temperature is computed for the entire working area, the minimizing process starts. If no soil moisture is derived (not attempted or process failed) a dielectric constant is still derived from an simplified modeled (the cardioid model). SMOS data enabled very quickly to infer Sea surface salinity fields. As salinity retrieval is quite challenging, retrieving it enable to assess very

Propagation of waves at the loosely bonded interface of two porous elastic half-spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tajuddin, M.

1993-10-01

Employing Biot's theory for wave propagation in porous solids, the propagation of waves at the loosely bonded interface between two poroelastic half-spaces is examined theoretically. The analogous study of Stoneley waves for smooth interface and bonded interface form a limiting case. The results due to classical theory are shown as a special case. (author). 13 refs

Consistent codling moth population decline by two years of mating disruption in apple: a Flemish case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bangels, E; Beliën, T

2012-01-01

Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is one of the most important pests in apple and pear. In 2010 mating disruption became a key pest management tactic in Flemish pip fruit orchards, largely due to a government subsidy and demonstrating projects aiming to widen the area treated by pheromones as large as possible. As a consequence, the mating disruption strategy was applied at approximately 7.500 ha, or half of the pip fruit area, in 2010 and 2011. The sudden large-scale implementation of this technique changed the codling moth management landscape. Here we present a case study of a commercially managed orchard that suffered from high codling moth pressures for many years, as did the surrounding area. The RAK3 mating disruption system was introduced at this location in 2010, and was continued in 2011. Systematic detailed codling moth flight data for this location are available for many years. In addition, comprehensive data on damage levels of chemically untreated windows spread all over the test orchard in a randomized block design were obtained in successive years, enabling us to thoroughly evaluate the effect of the changed codling moth management strategy. Data from 2011 included damage levels in chemically treated windows when the entire orchard was applied once at the flight peak of Cydia pomonella. In 2009, before introduction of mating disruption, a mean of 8.25 +/- 5.54% of the fruits were infested at harvest when assessed in completely untreated windows. After two years of mating disruption, supported with a full chemical support in 2010, except for the untreated assessment windows, and only one application on the flight peak of 2011, damage was reduced to less than 0.03% at harvest. This is a valuable case study to demonstrate the benefits of the mating disruption approach.

Half-time strategies to enhance second-half performance in team-sports players: a review and recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Mark; West, Daniel J; Harper, Liam D; Cook, Christian J; Kilduff, Liam P

2015-03-01

A number of intermittent team sports require that two consecutive periods of play (lasting for ~30-45 min) are separated by a 10-20 min half-time break. The half-time practices employed by team-sports players generally include returning to the changing rooms, temporarily relaxing from the cognitive and physical demands of the first half, rehydration and re-fuelling strategies, addressing injury or equipment concerns, and receiving tactical instruction and coach feedback. However, the typically passive nature of these actions has been associated with physiological changes that impair performance during the second half. Both physical and cognitive performances have been found to decline in the initial stages of subsequent exercise that follows half-time. An increased risk of injury has also been observed during this period. Therefore, half-time provides sports scientists and strength and conditioning coaches with an opportunity to optimise second-half performance. An overview of strategies thought to benefit team-sports athletes is presented; specifically, the efficacy of heat maintenance strategies (including passive and active methods), post-activation potentiation, hormonal priming, and modified hydro-nutritional practices are discussed. A theoretical model of applying these strategies in a manner that compliments current practice is also offered.

Systematic study of α half-lives of superheavy nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

Budaca, A. I.; Silisteanu, I.

2014-03-01

Two different descriptions of the α-decay process, namely, the shell model rate theory and phenomenological description are emphasized to investigate the α-decay properties of SHN. These descriptions are shortly presented and illustrated by their results. Special attention is given to the shell structure and resonance scattering effects due to which they exist and decay. A first systematics of α-decay properties of SHN was performed by studying the half-life vs. energy correlations in terms of atomic number and mass number. Such a systematics shows that the transitions between even-even nuclei are favored, while all other transitions with odd nucleons are prohibited. The accuracy of experimental and calculated α-half-lives is illustrated by the systematics of these results.

An exploratory study of the relationship between learning styles and academic performance among students in different nursing programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuh-Shiow; Yu, Wen-Pin; Liu, Chin-Fang; Shieh, Sue-Heui; Yang, Bao-Huan

2014-10-27

Abstract Background: Learning style is a major consideration in planning for effective and efficient instruction and learning. Learning style has been shown to influence academic performance in the previous research. Little is known about Taiwanese students' learning styles, particularly in the field of nursing education. Aim: This purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between learning styles and academic performance among nursing students in a five-year associate degree of nursing (ADN) program and a two-year bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program in Taiwan. Methods/Design: This study employed a descriptive and exploratory design. The Chinese version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Form M was an instrument. Data such as grade point average (GPA) were obtained from the Office of Academic Affairs and the Registrar computerized records. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance ANOVA) and chi-square statistical analysis were used to explore the relationship between academic performance and learning style in Taiwanese nursing students. Results/Findings: The study sample included 285 nursing students: 96 students in a two-year BSN program, and 189 students in a five-year ADN program. Two common learning styles were found: introversion, sensing, thinking, and judging (ISTJ); and introversion, sensing, feeling, and judging (ISFJ). A sensing-judging pair was identified in 43.3% of the participants. Academic performance was significantly related to learning style (p academic performance and enhance student success. A large sample is recommended for further research. Understanding the learning style preferences of students can enhance learning for those who are under performing in their academic studies, thereby enhancing nursing education.

Adaptation of the ORTHO-15 test to Polish women and men.

Science.gov (United States)

Brytek-Matera, Anna; Krupa, Magdalena; Poggiogalle, Eleonora; Donini, Lorenzo Maria

2014-03-01

There is a lack of Polish tools to measure behaviour related to orthorexia nervosa. The purpose of the present study was to validate the Polish version of the ORTHO-15 test. 341 women and 59 men (N = 400) were recruited, whose age ranged from 18 to 35 years. Mean age was 23.09 years (SD = 3.14) in women and 24.02 years (SD = 3.87) in men. The ORTHO-15 test and the EAT-26 test were used in the present study. Factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory analysis) was used in the present study. Exploratory factor analysis performed on the initial 15 items from a random split half of the study group suggested a nine-item two-factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis performed on the second randomly selected half of the study group supported this two-factor structure of the ORTHO-15 test. The Polish version of the ORTHO-15 test demonstrated an internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) equal to 0.644. The Polish version of the ORTHO-15 test is a reliable and valuable instrument to assess obsessive attitudes related to healthy and proper nutrition in Polish female and male population.

Two-dimensional sub-half-wavelength atom localization via controlled spontaneous emission.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Ren-Gang; Zhang, Tong-Yi

2011-12-05

We propose a scheme for two-dimensional (2D) atom localization based on the controlled spontaneous emission, in which the atom interacts with two orthogonal standing-wave fields. Due to the spatially dependent atom-field interaction, the position probability distribution of the atom can be directly determined by measuring the resulting spontaneously emission spectrum. The phase sensitive property of the atomic system leads to quenching of the spontaneous emission in some regions of the standing-waves, which significantly reduces the uncertainty in the position measurement of the atom. We find that the frequency measurement of the emitted light localizes the atom in half-wavelength domain. Especially the probability of finding the atom at a particular position can reach 100% when a photon with certain frequency is detected. By increasing the Rabi frequencies of the driving fields, such 2D sub-half-wavelength atom localization can acquire high spatial resolution.

Developing a framework of service convenience in health care: An exploratory study for a primary care provider.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuzovic, Sven; Kuppelwieser, Volker

2016-01-01

From retail health clinics and online appointment scheduling to (mobile) kiosks that enable patient check-in and automate the collection of copays and open balances, convenience has become an important topic in the health care sector over the last few years. While service convenience has also gained much interest in academia, one common limitation is that authors have adopted a "goods-centered" perspective focusing primarily on retail settings. Results of this exploratory study reveal that health care service convenience encompasses seven different dimensions: decision, access, scheduling, registration and check-in, transaction, care delivery, and postconsultation convenience. Implications and future research suggestions are discussed.

Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project exploratory studies facilities construction status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allan, J.N.; Leonard, T.M.

1993-01-01

This paper discusses the progress to date on the construction planning and development of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) Exploratory Studies Facilities (ESF). The purpose of the ESF is to determine early site suitability and to characterize the subsurface of the Yucca Mountain site to assess its suitability for a potential high level nuclear waste repository. The present ESF configuration concept is for two main ramps to be excavated by tunnel boring machines (TBM) from the surface to the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff Formation. From the main ramps, slightly above Topopah Spring level, supplemental ramps will be penetrated to the Calico Hills formation below the potential repository. There will be exploratory development drifts driven on both levels with the Main Test Area being located on the Topopah Spring level, which is the level of the proposed repository. The Calico Hills formation lies below the Topopah Spring member and is expected to provide the main geo-hydrologic barrier between the potential repository and the underlying saturated zones in the Crater Flat Tuff

Two-proton emission half-lives in the effective liquid drop model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Gonçalves

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Half-life for two-proton radioactivity of emitter nuclides of mass number A<70 has been calculated by using a phenomenological, effective liquid drop model (eldm which has been applied successfully to one-proton radioactivity, alpha decay, cluster radioactivity and cold fission processes. Following this approach, we estimate half-life values for several 2p-emitted nuclides and compare our results with predictions from other models, as well as the existing data in the literature, specifically the cases for 16Ne, 19Mg, 45Fe, 48Ni, 54Zn and 67Kr parent nuclei. It is seen that the eldm version adapted to deal with 2p-decay process reproduces the available experimental data quite satisfactorily, asserting that shell corrections and pairing effects for the ground state nucleus have been well incorporated into the model via the experimental mass excess values. The present estimates for half-lives show a number of nuclei with detectable 2p-emission mode, which predictions may serve as indicators for further experimental investigations.

Cognitive dimensions of recreational user experiences in wilderness: an exploratory study in Adirondack wilderness areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Chad P. Dawson; Peter Newman; Alan Watson

1998-01-01

This exploratory study involved identifying the dimensions of a wilderness experience sought by users based on the available literature and on input from wilderness users. Input was collected using focus group interviews with members of four groups that were primarily involved in wilderness use and preservation in recent years. Positive and negative dimensions are...

The posture of adolescent male handball players: A two-year study.

Science.gov (United States)

Grabara, Małgorzata

2018-02-06

Young athletes at the stage of growth acceleration tend to exhibit increased susceptibility to postural abnormalities, especially in the trunk region. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the posture in male adolescent handball players over two years of regular training sessions. The study group comprised 21 handball players. At the start of the study 15 participants were aged 14 and 6 participants were aged 15 (mean 14.25 ± 0.58). The measurements were repeated three times. Posture was assessed with a photogrammetric method based on the moiré phenomenon. The analysis of posture relative to symmetry in the frontal and transverse planes did not reveal any significant differences between posture indicators obtained during the successive measurements. Sagittal plane posture indicators revealed significant changes in torso forward inclination angle and the shape of anteroposterior spinal curvatures. The latter consisted of significant deepening of the upper thoracic curve (angle α) and flattening of the lumbosacral curve (angle γ). A two-year period of handball training did not result in posture asymmetries in young male handball players. The observed changes in the shape of anteroposterior spinal curvatures might be related both to sports training and somatic parameters.

Establishing contact and gaining trust : an exploratory study of care avoidance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schout, Gert; de Jong, Gideon; Zeelen, Jacques

Title. Establishing contact and gaining trust: an exploratory study of care avoidance. Aim. This paper is a report of a study conducted to explore the competencies especially deep-rooted personal qualities - of care providers who succeed in making contact and gaining trust with clients who are

A decision analysis of an exploratory studies facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merkhofer, M.W.; Gnirk, P.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that an Exploratory Studied Facility (ESF) is planned to support the characterization of a potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, NV. The selection of a design for the ESF is a critical characterization decision because the ESF design may affect the accuracy of characterization testing an constrains subsequent repository design. To assist the design process, a comparative evaluation was conducted to rank 34 alternative ESF-repository designs. The evaluation relied on techniques from formal decision analysis, including decision trees and multiattribute utility analysis (MUA). The results helped to identify favorable design features and enabled the Department of Energy to adopt an improved ESF design

Trenching as an exploratory method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatheway, A.W.; Leighton, F.B.

1979-01-01

The critical nature of siting nuclear power plants has led to increased emphasis on exploratory trenching. Trenching is the most definitive of all subsurface exploratory methods; it permits inspection of a continuous geologic section by both geologists and regulatory authorities and makes possible the preparation of a graphic log that delineates both obvious and subtle geologic features. About one of every two nuclear plant licensing efforts utilizes exploratory trenching. Many geologic hazards, such as ''capable'' faults, can be detected from trench exposures; they may otherwise remain undetected. Trenches must be judiciously located, survey-controlled, excavated safely and adequately shored, logged in detail, and properly diagnosed. Useful techniques of trench logging include thorough cleaning of the trench walls, teamwork between geologist and recorder, logging against a carefully surveyed baseline and vertical reference grid, and panoramic photography.Soils, including paleosols, and glacial and glaciofluvial deposits present some of the most difficult media to log. Trench logs must be thoroughly interpreted and correlated so that they document the geologic conditions governing suitability of the site. Age-determination techniques utilized in exploratory trenching include petrographic analyses, quartz inclusion studies, clay mineralogic analyses, and radiometric methods

Good year, bad year: changing strategies, changing networks? A two-year study on seed acquisition in northern Cameroon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chloé Violon

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Analysis of seed exchange networks at a single point in time may reify sporadic relations into apparently fixed and long-lasting ones. In northern Cameroon, where environment is not only strongly seasonal but also shows unpredictable interannual variation, farmers' social networks are flexible from year to year. When adjusting their strategies, Tupuri farmers do not systematically solicit the same partners to acquire the desired propagules. Seed acquisitions documented during a single cropping season may thus not accurately reflect the underlying larger social network that can be mobilized at the local level. To test this hypothesis, we documented, at the outset of two cropping seasons (2010 and 2011, the relationships through which seeds were acquired by the members of 16 households in a Tupuri community. In 2011, farmers faced sudden failure of the rains and had to solicit distant relatives, highlighting their ability to quickly trigger specific social relations to acquire necessary seeding material. Observing the same set of individuals during two successive years and the seed sources they solicited in each year enabled us to discriminate repeated relations from sporadic ones. Although farmers did not acquire seeds from the same individuals from one year to the next, they relied on quite similar relational categories of people. However, the worse weather conditions during the second year led to (1 a shift from red sorghum seeds to pearl millet seeds, (2 a geographical extension of the network, and (3 an increased participation of women in seed acquisitions. In critical situations, women mobilized their own kin almost exclusively. We suggest that studying the seed acquisition network over a single year provides a misrepresentation of the underlying social network. Depending on the difficulties farmers face, they may occasionally call on relationships that transcend the local relationships used each year.

The Case For Corporate Responsibility: An Exploratory Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucy da Piedade

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Stakeholder demands and the introduction of the ‘triple bottom line’ as a means of reporting corporate performance, make it critical that South African companies assess why they should undertake corporate responsibility initiatives. This exploratory study (part two of a two-part study investigated the issues that are being or should be addressed by companies under the banner of corporate responsibility and the reasons for this. The views of a convenience snowball sample of consultants, academics and practitioners of corporate responsibility, was gained by means of a Delphi technique. Content analysis was employed to categorise the views into themes. The findings indicate the need for corporate responsibility action in the areas of ecology, the environment, health and well-being, building human capital and in the encouragement of economic development. Cost benefit and defensive arguments dominate the case for corporate responsibility. There is little indication that organisations have identified the opportunity of corporate responsibility initiatives to increase innovation and organisational learning and its contribution to risk management. Recommendations are made regarding the assessment of investment in this area.

Exploratory metabolomics study of the experimental opisthorchiasis in a laboratory animal model (golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daria A Kokova

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Opisthorchiasis is a parasitic infection caused by the liver flukes of the Opisthorchiidae family. Both experimental and epidemiological data strongly support a role of these parasites in the etiology of the hepatobiliary pathologies and an increased risk of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Understanding a functional link between the infection and hepatobiliary pathologies requires a detailed description a host-parasite interaction on different levels of biological regulation including the metabolic response on the infection. The last one, however, remains practically undocumented. Here we are describing a host response on Opisthorchiidae infection using a metabolomics approach and present the first exploratory metabolomics study of an experimental model of O. felineus infection.We conducted a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR based longitudinal metabolomics study involving a cohort of 30 animals with two degrees of infection and a control group. An exploratory analysis shows that the most noticeable trend (30% of total variance in the data was related to the gender differences. Therefore further analysis was done of each gender group separately applying a multivariate extension of the ANOVA-ASCA (ANOVA simultaneous component analysis. We show that in the males the infection specific time trends are present in the main component (43.5% variance, while in the females it is presented only in the second component and covers 24% of the variance. We have selected and annotated 24 metabolites associated with the observed effects and provided a physiological interpretation of the findings.The first exploratory metabolomics study an experimental model of O. felineus infection is presented. Our data show that at early stage of infection a response of an organism unfolds in a gender specific manner. Also main physiological mechanisms affected appear rather nonspecific (a status of the metabolic stress the data provides a set of the hypothesis for a search

The characterization of wind anomalies over ukraine in warm half-year

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Галина Петрівна Івус

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Features of formation conditions of low-level jet streams over the territory of Ukraine in a warm half (from April to September of 2001-2007 years on the example of eight radio-sounding points in different regions of the state are characterized. The basic structural parameters of the low jets are analyzed and their differences relative to previous periods considering the quality of the modern initial information are discovered

Excavationless Exterior Foundation Insulation Exploratory Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mosiman, G.; Wagner, R.; Schirber, T.

2013-02-01

The key objective of this exploratory study was to investigate the feasibility of the development or adoption of technologies that would enable a large percentage of existing homes in cold climates to apply a combination 'excavationless' soil removal process with appropriate insulation and water management on the exterior of existing foundations at a low cost. Our approach was to explore existing excavation and material technologies and systems to discover whether potential successful combinations existed.

A New View at the Planning Marketing Popular Products: Exploratory Study Electronics Sector with Companies in Brazil.

OpenAIRE

Evange Elias Assis; Francisco Antonio Serralvo; Karen Perrotta Lopes de Almeida Prado

2015-01-01

The increased consumption of appliance and electronic products by lower-income population represented a growth opportunity for companies in the sector. The overall objective of this paper is to investigate how appliance and electronic product manufacturers draw up their marketing planning for low-end products. An exploratory approach was taken in this study, comprising the literature review and the empirical research which was conducted in two stages by combining the qualitative and quantitat...

The half-metallic ferromagnet NiMnSb; a positron-annihilation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanssen, K.

1988-04-01

The electronic structure of NiMnSb is investigated by means of spin-polarized measurements of the angular correlation of annihilation radiation. NiMnSb is predicted to be a half-metallic ferromagnet. The experimental set-up and the application of the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) method to the calculation of the two-photon momentum density are discussed. To interpret the experimental data, the electronic structure, the Fermi surface and the two-photon momentum density have been calculated according to the KKR method. The calculations, based on self-consistent potentials evaluated according to the augmented-spherical-wave method, were performed scalar-relativistically. From the measured distribution the sum and difference of the spin-dependent momentum densities are obtained once integrated along three different directions in p(over→) space, namely , and . The distributions show a clear impression of the majority-spin Fermi-surface. A good quantitative agreement between theory and experiment is established. From this analysis a value for the 'three-photon-difference effect' in NiMnSb is established of (8.4±0.1).10 -3 . To test in particular the half-metallic nature of the band structure the experimental distributions are compared with theoretical ones obtained from modelled band structures in which small numbers of electrons near the Fermi level are transferred from one spin population to the other. The best agreement is obtained for a band occupation in which no electrons are transferred, i.e. for the half-metallic state

Half-marathoners are younger and slower than marathoners.

Science.gov (United States)

Knechtle, Beat; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T; Zingg, Matthias A; Rosemann, Thomas; Rüst, Christoph A

2016-01-01

Age and performance trends of elite and recreational marathoners are well investigated, but not for half-marathoners. We analysed age and performance trends in 508,108 age group runners (125,894 female and 328,430 male half-marathoners and 10,205 female and 43,489 male marathoners) competing between 1999 and 2014 in all flat half-marathons and marathons held in Switzerland using single linear regression analyses, mixed-effects regression analyses and analyses of variance. The number of women and men increased across years in both half-marathons and marathons. There were 12.3 times more female half-marathoners than female marathoners and 7.5 times more male half-marathoners than male marathoners. For both half-marathons and marathons, most of the female and male finishers were recorded in age group 40-44 years. In half-marathons, women (10.29 ± 3.03 km/h) were running 0.07 ± 0.06 km/h faster (p marathon, women (14.77 ± 4.13 km/h) were running 0.28 ± 0.16 km/h faster (p marathon, women (42.18 ± 10.63 years) were at the same age than men (42.06 ± 10.45 years) (p > 0.05). Also in half-marathon, women (41.40 ± 10.63 years) were at the same age than men (41.31 ± 10.30 years) (p > 0.05). However, women and men marathon runners were older than their counterpart half-marathon runners (p marathons than in marathons, (2) women were running faster than men, (3) half-marathoners were running slower than marathoners, and (4) half-marathoners were younger than marathoners.

[Two years clinical observation of a kind of castable ceramic--IPS Empress].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Y; Li, Y; Nie, Y

1999-03-01

We used this material in clinic since 1995. Discussion on the prosthetic effects of the above-mentioned material to spreat it clinically. Through half to two years clinical observations to evaluate the effect of IPS Empress crowns in anterior teeth and inlays in posteriors. and Prosthesis made of this kind of material IPS Empress is one kind of excellent all-ceramic prosthetic material. IPS Empress also could be used in post crowns and the clinical effect was satisfactory.

Two preliminary studies on sleep and psychotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Karle, W; Hopper, M; Corriere, R; Hart, J; Switzer, A

1977-09-01

Two preliminary studies were conducted to assess the effects of an intensive outpatient psychotherapy, Feeling Therapy, on sleep. This therapy was chosen because of its demonstrated ability to affect its patients' dreams. In the first study a newly entering female patient was recorded across the first three weeks of intensive daily therapy. In contrast to two control subjects recorded across a similar time period, she demonstrated low REM times and short REM latencies on the average, and considerably greater variability in nearly every parameter. In the second study, two patients were recorded across three days (the middle of which was the day of a therapy session) first when new in therapy and then again after two and one-half years of therapy. It was found that when new in therapy both subjects spent nights of significantly altered sleep the day of the therapy session. One subject showed no REM sleep whatsoever while the other showed a 10 min REM latency and low REM time. The significance of these findings and the direction of future research is discussed.

Current status of a decommissioning project in the Enrichment Engineering Facility. Results in the second-half of the fiscal year of 2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Takashi; Hayashibara, Kenichi; Ishimori, Yuu; Mita, Yutaka; Kakiya, Hideyoshi; Takahashi, Nobuo

2016-11-01

The Enrichment Engineering Facility of the Ningyo-toge Environmental Engineering Center was constructed in order to establish the technological basis of plant engineering for uranium enrichment in Japan. Uranium enrichment tests, using natural and reprocessed uranium, were carried out from 1979 to 1989 with two operation units in the facility. According to the decommissioning plan of the facility, UF 6 handling equipment and supplemental equipment in these plants are intended to be dismantled by 2019 in order to make vacant spaces for future projects use, for example, inventory investigation, precipitation treatment, etc. This report shows the current state of the decommissioning project in the second-half of the fiscal year of 2014, with indicating its schedule, procedure, situation, results, and so on. The dismantled materials generated amounted to 69 mesh containers and 191 drums, and the secondary waste generated amounted to 1,585.7 kg during the half year. In the fiscal year of 2014, the project was carried out according to the plan. The dismantled materials generated amounted to 153,938.1 kg as the whole of this period, and 36,343 kg from among them was treated as non-radioactive materials. (author)

A Restorative Justice Approach to Empathy Development in Sex Offenders: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Roseman, Christopher P.; Ritchie, Martin; Laux, John M.

2009-01-01

The authors describe an exploratory study in sex offender treatment using a restorative justice approach to examine the shame, guilt, and empathy development of convicted sexual offenders. Implications for clinical practice and future research are highlighted. (Contains 3 tables.)

Tunable two-phase coexistence in half-doped manganites

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Our recent work on half-doped manganites builds on those ideas to explain our data showing continuously tunable phase coexistence of FM and AFM states. Macroscopic hysteresis across transitions is often used to assert their first-order nature, and this has also been done in the case of half-doped manganites [6]. Kuwa-.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of Delirium Symptoms in a Sample of Nursing Home Residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Moyo, Patience; Huang, Ting-Ying; Simoni-Wastila, Linda; Harrington, Donna

2018-02-01

This study examined the latent constructs of delirium symptoms among nursing home (NH) residents in the United States. Cross-sectional NH assessment data (Minimum Data Set 2.0) from the 2009 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey were used. Data from two independent, randomly selected subsamples of residents ≥65 years were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). There were 367 and 366 individuals in the EFA and CFA, respectively. Assessment of multiple model fit statistics in CFA indicated that the two-factor structure provided better fit for the data than a one-factor solution. The two factors represented cognitive and behavioral latent constructs as suggested by the related literature. A correlation of .72 between these constructs suggested moderate discriminant validity. This finding emphasizes the importance of health care providers to be attentive to both cognitive and behavioral symptoms when diagnosing, treating, and managing delirium.

Present status of refining and conversion facility dismantling. Progress in 2008 first half of the fiscal year

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kado, Kazumi; Sugitsue, Noritake; Morimoto, Yasuyuki; Ikegami, Sohei; Takahashi, Nobuo; Tokuyasu, Takashi

2009-06-01

The Refining and Conversion Facility located in the Ningyo-toge Environmental Engineering Center. Process of natural uranium conversion facility (PNC Process) and reprocessed uranium conversion facility (two-stage dry fluorination system) is in a Refining and Conversion Facility. This building started construction in 1979 and was completed in October 1981. The PNC process operated from March 1982 to March 1991. As a result, uranium hexafluoride of about 385 tonU was manufactured. Also, the reprocessed uranium conversion process operated from December 1982 to July 1999. As a result, uranium hexafluoride of about 338 tonU was manufactured. The demonstration of the demolition method was done using the PNC process after the end of operation. The schedule which will finish dismantling of all equipment in a radiation controlled area is by the 2011 fiscal year. This report summarized the present situation by the first half of the 2008 fiscal year of a Refining and Conversion Facility decommissioning. (author)

Observational infant exploratory [14C]-paracetamol pharmacokinetic microdose/therapeutic dose study with accelerator mass spectrometry bioanalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Garner, Colin R; Park, Kevin B; French, Neil S; Earnshaw, Caroline; Schipani, Alessandro; Selby, Andrew M; Byrne, Lindsay; Siner, Sarah; Crawley, Francis P; Vaes, Wouter H J; van Duijn, Esther; deLigt, Rianne; Varendi, Heili; Lass, Jane; Grynkiewicz, Grzegorz; Maruszak, Wioletta; Turner, Mark A

2015-01-01

Aims The aims of the study were to compare [14C]-paracetamol ([14C]-PARA) paediatric pharmacokinetics (PK) after administration mixed in a therapeutic dose or an isolated microdose and to develop further and validate accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) bioanalysis in the 0–2 year old age group. Methods [14C]-PARA concentrations in 10–15 µl plasma samples were measured after enteral or i.v. administration of a single [14C]-PARA microdose or mixed in with therapeutic dose in infants receiving PARA as part of their therapeutic regimen. Results Thirty-four infants were included in the PARA PK analysis for this study: oral microdose (n = 4), i.v. microdose (n = 6), oral therapeutic (n = 6) and i.v. therapeutic (n = 18). The respective mean clearance (CL) values (SDs in parentheses) for these dosed groups were 1.46 (1.00) l h–1, 1.76 (1.07) l h–1, 2.93 (2.08) l h–1 and 2.72 (3.10) l h–1, t1/2 values 2.65 h, 2.55 h, 8.36 h and 7.16 h and dose normalized AUC(0-t) (mg l–1 h) values were 0.90 (0.43), 0.84 (0.57), 0.7 (0.79) and 0.54 (0.26). Conclusions All necessary ethical, scientific, clinical and regulatory procedures were put in place to conduct PK studies using enteral and systemic microdosing in two European centres. The pharmacokinetics of a therapeutic dose (mg kg–1) and a microdose (ng kg–1) in babies between 35 to 127 weeks post-menstrual age. [14C]-PARA pharmacokinetic parameters were within a two-fold range after a therapeutic dose or a microdose. Exploratory studies using doses significantly less than therapeutic doses may offer ethical and safety advantages with increased bionalytical sensitivity in selected exploratory paediatric pharmacokinetic studies. PMID:25619398

Observational infant exploratory [(14)C]-paracetamol pharmacokinetic microdose/therapeutic dose study with accelerator mass spectrometry bioanalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Garner, Colin R; Park, Kevin B; French, Neil S; Earnshaw, Caroline; Schipani, Alessandro; Selby, Andrew M; Byrne, Lindsay; Siner, Sarah; Crawley, Francis P; Vaes, Wouter H J; van Duijn, Esther; deLigt, Rianne; Varendi, Heili; Lass, Jane; Grynkiewicz, Grzegorz; Maruszak, Wioletta; Turner, Mark A

2015-07-01

The aims of the study were to compare [(14)C]-paracetamol ([(14)C]-PARA) paediatric pharmacokinetics (PK) after administration mixed in a therapeutic dose or an isolated microdose and to develop further and validate accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) bioanalysis in the 0-2 year old age group. [(14)C]-PARA concentrations in 10-15 µl plasma samples were measured after enteral or i.v. administration of a single [(14)C]-PARA microdose or mixed in with therapeutic dose in infants receiving PARA as part of their therapeutic regimen. Thirty-four infants were included in the PARA PK analysis for this study: oral microdose (n = 4), i.v. microdose (n = 6), oral therapeutic (n = 6) and i.v. therapeutic (n = 18). The respective mean clearance (CL) values (SDs in parentheses) for these dosed groups were 1.46 (1.00) l h(-1), 1.76 (1.07) l h(-1), 2.93 (2.08) l h(-1) and 2.72 (3.10) l h(-1), t(1/2) values 2.65 h, 2.55 h, 8.36 h and 7.16 h and dose normalized AUC(0-t) (mg l(-1) h) values were 0.90 (0.43), 0.84 (0.57), 0.7 (0.79) and 0.54 (0.26). All necessary ethical, scientific, clinical and regulatory procedures were put in place to conduct PK studies using enteral and systemic microdosing in two European centres. The pharmacokinetics of a therapeutic dose (mg kg(-1)) and a microdose (ng kg(-1)) in babies between 35 to 127 weeks post-menstrual age. [(14)C]-PARA pharmacokinetic parameters were within a two-fold range after a therapeutic dose or a microdose. Exploratory studies using doses significantly less than therapeutic doses may offer ethical and safety advantages with increased bionalytical sensitivity in selected exploratory paediatric pharmacokinetic studies. © 2015 The British Pharmacological Society.

An Exploratory Study of Gender and Changes in Alcohol Consumption: A Qualitative Approach

OpenAIRE

Susan Bullers

2012-01-01

Consistent research shows that men drink more, and more often than women, although recent findings suggest that this gender difference may be diminishing. This exploratory qualitative analysis offers a “micro” perspective on the possible attitudes, beliefs, and social interactions that underlie these aggregate findings. Using semi-structured qualitative interviews with 18 men and women from three age and ethnic groups, this study explores changes in behaviors and attitudes regarding gender an...

Effect of relevant umklapp process on the two-leg Hubbard ladder with a half-filled band under pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haddad, S.; Bennaceur, R.

1999-01-01

By means of perturbative renormalization approach we study the effect of relevant umklapp process on dimensional crossover caused by interladder one particle hopping t bot in weakly coupled two-leg Hubbard ladders with a half filled-band. We found that a crossover takes place at a finite value t botc which increases as the amplitude of umklapp process increases. For t bot botc the system undergoes a phase transition to the spin density wave phase (SDW) via the two particle hopping process, while for t bot >t botc the system undergoes a crossover to the two dimensional Fermi liquid phase via one particle hopping process. (orig.)

Site study plan for exploratory shaft monitoring wells, Deaf Smith County Site, Texas: Preliminary Draft

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

As part of site characterization studies, two exploratory shafts will be constructed at the Deaf Smith County site, Texas. Twelve wells at five locations have been proposed to monitor potential impacts of shaft construction on water-bearing zones in the Ogallala Formation and the Dockum Group. In addition, tests have been proposed to determine the hydraulic properties of the water-bearing zones for use in design and construction of the shafts. Samples of the Blackwater Draw Formation, Ogallala Formation, and Dockum Group will be obtained during construction of these wells. Visual indentification, laboratory testing, and in situ testing will yield data necessary for Exploratory Shaft Facility design and construction. This activity provides the earliest data on the Blackwater Drew Formation, Ogallala Formation, and Dockum Group near the exploratory shaft locations. Drilling and hydrologic testing are scheduled prior to other subsurface activity at the Exploratory Shaft Facility to establish ground-water baseline conditions. The Technical Field Services Contractor is responsible for conducting the field program of drilling and testing. Samples and data will be handled and reported in accordance with established Salt Repository Project procedures. A quality assurance program will be utilized to assure that activities affecting quality are performed correctly and that the appropriate documentation is maintained. 45 refs., 11 figs., 4 tabs

Mandibular Overdentures Retained by Two Mini-Implants: A Seven-Year Retention and Satisfaction Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Catalán, Alfonso; Martínez, Alejandra; Marchesani, Francisco; González, Urcesino

2016-07-01

Patients with atrophic edentulous ridges generally have problems with retention, therapeutic satisfaction, and comfort with their complete dentures. An alternative treatment to assist in improving retention and stability involves the use of mini-implants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the retention of mandibular overdentures connected to two mini-implants and overall patient satisfaction with them. Seven patients with atrophic mandibular ridges (Type 4D Misch classification), aged 62 to 74 years old were rehabilitated with complete dentures. In each patient, two mini-implants measuring 15 or 13 mm in length and 1.8 mm in diameter were placed. After 15 days, overdentures were connected to the mini-implants with O-ring attachments. In each patient, retention of the overdentures was measured, and a survey of therapeutic satisfaction before and after connection to the mini-implants was administered. Prosthesis retention was measured with a digital dynamometer at 1 month, 6 months, and 2, 3, 5, and 7 years after mini-implant placement. Patient satisfaction was assessed with a survey. Data were analyzed with Student's t-test (satisfaction survey) and the Friedman test (retention measurements and satisfaction survey). The initial retention values (0.34 to 0.63 N without mini-implants) varied significantly (p ≤ 0.050). These values were less than the subsequent measurements of 3.92 to 9.64 N, taken after placement of the mini-implants and connecting them to the dentures. Satisfaction was good to very good over the 7-year observation period. Mucosa and peri-implant bone showed no pathological changes. In this limited sample size clinical study the results indicated that after connecting mandibular overdentures to two mini-implants, patient satisfaction significantly increased and retention significantly improved during the 7-year observation period. © 2015 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Working at the Nexus of Generic and Content-Specific Teaching Practices: An Exploratory Study Based on TIMSS Secondary Analyses

Science.gov (United States)

Charalambous, Charalambos Y.; Kyriakides, Ermis

2017-01-01

For years scholars have attended to either generic or content-specific teaching practices attempting to understand instructional quality and its effects on student learning. Drawing on the TIMSS 2007 and 2011 databases, this exploratory study empirically tests the hypothesis that attending to both types of practices can help better explain student…

Technical Objects between Categorisation and Learning: An Exploratory Case Study in French Middle School

Science.gov (United States)

Impedovo, M. A.; Andreucci, C.; Delserieys-Pedregosa, A.; Coiffard, C.; Ginestié, J.

2015-01-01

In this article we present exploratory research carried out in order to understand how students (from 12 to 14 years old) relate to technical objects. It uses technical objects that are part of everyday life and mediated reality. A questionnaire was administered to 57 students in French classes. The questionnaire was composed of three parts: 1)…

Municipalities' opinions about decontamination in special decontamination area. Records from three and a half years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawasaki, Kota

2015-01-01

This study discusses opinions of 11 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture designated as Special Decontamination Area as of the end of September 2014, about three and a half years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. This study shows that (1) more than half of the municipalities recognize that decontamination activities of the national government which is responsible for decontamination in Special Decontamination Area are inadequate, (2) more than half of the municipalities recognize that residents cannot live their lives with a sense of safety and security unless air radiation dose is reduced to the level before the accident or less than 0.23 μSv/h, and (3) many municipalities recognize that residents will not be able to live their lives with a sense of safety and security even if the national government implements decontamination, (4) many municipalities points out 'Inability to secure enough temporary storage sites' and 'Inappropriateness of the decontamination policy and methods for forests or reservoir' as problems for the promotion of decontamination, and (5) almost all the municipalities recognize the necessity of the installation of interim storage facilities to accelerate the reconstruction of towns. (author)

Nuclear technology and chronic diseases: an exploratory study evolving the clinical physician perception

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Renato Cesar

2010-01-01

This research is an exploratory cross-sectional study about the relationship of chronic disease and the use of nuclear technology. There is a concern over the increase of the prevalence of chronic disease in developing countries and it should hence be carefully evaluated in the context of societies, organizations and individuals. The technological advances experienced in the last decades especially in the nuclear technology area have created expectations to deal more efficiently with the challenge of chronic diseases. However little has been explored in this area under the point-of-view of medical doctors as agents who make this system of relations between disease and technology. The necessity for public and private planning to deal with this set of problems can benefit through an initial evaluation about the forthcoming theme, but should incorporate the agenda of health and technology planning for the following years. Using mixed methodology, made up of qualitative and quantitative approach, this research sought to reveal and configure important dimensions around the theme of this study. The field research was made up of interviews analyzed using techniques of fundamental theory and also of questionnaires sent by web analyzed statistically using exploratory factor analysis. These ventures allowed dimensions to be revealed that make up the perception of chronic disease and the use of nuclear technology. These dimensions presented in a form of a theoretical construct that were then discussed under the point of view of social theory and technological innovation. (author)

A Strategic Enrollment Management Approach to Studying High School Student Transition to a Two-Year College

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Ye, Feifei; Pilarzyk, Tom

2014-01-01

This study used a strategic enrollment management (SEM) approach to studying high school students' transition to a two-year college and their initial college success. Path analyses suggested two important findings: (a) clear career choices among students, family influence, academic preparedness, and college recruitment efforts predicted earlier…

Modeling and Optimization of Optical Half Adder in Two Dimensional Photonic Crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Sonth, Mahesh V.; Soma, Savita; Gowre, Sanjaykumar C.; Biradar, Nagashettappa

2018-05-01

The output of photonic integrated devices is enhanced using crystal waveguides and cavities but optimization of these devices is a topic of research. In this paper, optimization of the optical half adder in two-dimensional (2-D) linear photonic crystals using four symmetric T-shaped waveguides with 180° phase shift inputs is proposed. The input section of a T-waveguide acts as a beam splitter, and the output section acts as a power combiner. The constructive and destructive interference phenomenon will provide an output optical power. Output port Cout will receive in-phase power through the 180° phase shifter cavity designed near the junction. The optical half adder is modeled in a 2-D photonic crystal using the finite difference time domain method (FDTD). It consists of a cubic lattice with an array of 39 × 43 silicon rods of radius r 0.12 μm and 0.6 μm lattice constant a. The extinction ratio r e of 11.67 dB and 12.51 dB are achieved at output ports using the RSoft FullWAVE-6.1 software package.

International survey on attitudes toward ethics in health technology assessment: An exploratory study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arellano, L.E.; Willett, J.M.; Borry, P.

2011-01-01

Objectives: The objective of this exploratory study was to survey international health technology assessment (HTA) professionals to determine attitudes toward ethics in HTA. Methods: An exploratory, quantitative, cross-sectional study design was developed. The sample population (n = 636) was

Testicular Cancer Awareness and Knowledge: Is It the Same? Exploratory Study in a Mixed-Gender Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Braga, Isaac Campos; Cabral, João; Louro, Nuno; de Carvalho, José LaFuente

2017-03-01

Testicular cancer (TC) is among the most common malignancies in the young male. Awareness plays an important role, because delay in diagnosis affects outcome. Testicular self-examination (TSE) is controversial, but recent evidence shows some cost benefits in performing this exam versus a late-stage diagnosis. The aims of this study are to determine and compare awareness for TC and TSE in males and females with the actual knowledge to this disease in an academic population. An exploratory study using an online questionnaire about TC and TSE was performed in a public university. Answers were collected and submitted to statistical analysis. A total of 815 participants-507 males (62.2 %) and 308 females (37.7 %)-answered the survey. The participants that responded that they were aware of TC were 399/507 (78.7 %) males and 275/308 (89.3 %) females. About half (48.9 %) of male and 42.2 % of female respondents did not answered correctly to most common symptom, and only 15 % of males and 25 % of females answered to the question on age at diagnosis. Both gender subjects rated TSE as very important, and the majority of females were motivated to advise male partners or friends to perform TSE. This study reported a good awareness on TC and TSE, but comparing to the correct knowledge about this disease, results are disappointing. The actual knowledge about TC is low and comparable in men and women. Women revealed a better understanding of this disease and importance of TSE, suggesting that they can assume an important role in promoting health behaviors in men.

Mathematics Anxiety in Young Children: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Harari, Rachel R.; Vukovic, Rose K.; Bailey, Sean P.

2013-01-01

This study explored the nature of mathematics anxiety in a sample of 106 ethnically and linguistically diverse first-grade students. Although much is known about mathematics anxiety in older children and adults, little is known about when mathematics anxiety first emerges or its characteristics in young children. Results from exploratory factor…

Time perception among the youth and its implication for industry: An exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GG Rousseau

2004-04-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this exploratory study was to investigate perceived cultural differences in the perception of time among the youth and its implications for time management and productivity regarding future employment in industry. The study further sought to develop a reliable instrument for measuring time perception across cultures.  A non-probability convenience sample (N=467 was drawn from English, Afrikaans and Xhosa speaking respondents, aged 13 to 18 years.  Results confirmed four factors: time allocation, time economy, time attitudes and scheduling of tasks.  Significant differences between age, language and gender groups on time perception were observed.  These findings have implications for time management training among the youth as well as for industry seeking employees who can perform tasks with speed and efficiency.  Further refinement of the instrument in follow-up studies is essential.

Exploratory Research and Development Fund, FY 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-05-01

The Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Exploratory R D Fund FY 1990 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the projects supported and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of an Exploratory R D Fund (ERF) planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The research areas covered in this report are: Accelerator and fusion research; applied science; cell and molecular biology; chemical biodynamics; chemical sciences; earth sciences; engineering; information and computing sciences; materials sciences; nuclear science; physics and research medicine and radiation biophysics.

Levy flights and self-similar exploratory behaviour of termite workers: beyond model fitting.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Octavio Miramontes

Full Text Available Animal movements have been related to optimal foraging strategies where self-similar trajectories are central. Most of the experimental studies done so far have focused mainly on fitting statistical models to data in order to test for movement patterns described by power-laws. Here we show by analyzing over half a million movement displacements that isolated termite workers actually exhibit a range of very interesting dynamical properties--including Lévy flights--in their exploratory behaviour. Going beyond the current trend of statistical model fitting alone, our study analyses anomalous diffusion and structure functions to estimate values of the scaling exponents describing displacement statistics. We evince the fractal nature of the movement patterns and show how the scaling exponents describing termite space exploration intriguingly comply with mathematical relations found in the physics of transport phenomena. By doing this, we rescue a rich variety of physical and biological phenomenology that can be potentially important and meaningful for the study of complex animal behavior and, in particular, for the study of how patterns of exploratory behaviour of individual social insects may impact not only their feeding demands but also nestmate encounter patterns and, hence, their dynamics at the social scale.

Premorbid Personality Characteristics in Alzheimer’s Disease: An Exploratory Case–Control Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Malinchoc

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Linking data from a case–control study of Alzheimer’s disease with data from a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI outpatient study, we identified 13 Alzheimer's disease cases and 16 controls for case–control comparison. The mean time between personality testing and onset of Alzheimer's disease (or corresponding age for controls was 13 years in cases and 14 years in controls. Alzheimer's disease cases, but not the controls, had scores significantly greater than the normative reference on MMPI scales measuring Social Introversion (p = 0.05, and Pessimism (p = 0.01. When compared to controls, Alzheimer's disease cases had significantly greater scores on the Social Introversion scale (p = 0.03. Despite the small sample size and some design limitations of this exploratory study, our findings may suggest that subjects who score higher on these personality scales have a greater risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Evaluation of a novel Conjunctive Exploratory Navigation Interface for consumer health information: a crowdsourced comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Licong; Carter, Rebecca; Zhang, Guo-Qiang

2014-02-10

Numerous consumer health information websites have been developed to provide consumers access to health information. However, lookup search is insufficient for consumers to take full advantage of these rich public information resources. Exploratory search is considered a promising complementary mechanism, but its efficacy has never before been rigorously evaluated for consumer health information retrieval interfaces. This study aims to (1) introduce a novel Conjunctive Exploratory Navigation Interface (CENI) for supporting effective consumer health information retrieval and navigation, and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of CENI through a search-interface comparative evaluation using crowdsourcing with Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). We collected over 60,000 consumer health questions from NetWellness, one of the first consumer health websites to provide high-quality health information. We designed and developed a novel conjunctive exploratory navigation interface to explore NetWellness health questions with health topics as dynamic and searchable menus. To investigate the effectiveness of CENI, we developed a second interface with keyword-based search only. A crowdsourcing comparative study was carefully designed to compare three search modes of interest: (A) the topic-navigation-based CENI, (B) the keyword-based lookup interface, and (C) either the most commonly available lookup search interface with Google, or the resident advanced search offered by NetWellness. To compare the effectiveness of the three search modes, 9 search tasks were designed with relevant health questions from NetWellness. Each task included a rating of difficulty level and questions for validating the quality of answers. Ninety anonymous and unique AMT workers were recruited as participants. Repeated-measures ANOVA analysis of the data showed the search modes A, B, and C had statistically significant differences among their levels of difficulty (Pconsumer health information retrieval and

Wave propagation through a flexoelectric piezoelectric slab sandwiched by two piezoelectric half-spaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Fengyu; Wei, Peijun; Li, Yueqiu

2018-01-01

Reflection and transmission of plane waves through a flexoelectric piezoelectric slab sandwiched by two piezoelectric half-spaces are studied in this paper. The secular equations in the flexoelectric piezoelectric material are first derived from the general governing equation. Different from the classical piezoelectric medium, there are five kinds of coupled elastic waves in the piezoelectric material with the microstructure effects taken into consideration. The state vectors are obtained by the summation of contributions from all possible partial waves. The state transfer equation of flexoelectric piezoelectric slab is derived from the motion equation by the reduction of order, and the transfer matrix of flexoelectric piezoelectric slab is obtained by solving the state transfer equation. By using the continuous conditions at the interface and the approach of partition matrix, we get the resultant algebraic equations in term of the transfer matrix from which the reflection and transmission coefficients can be calculated. The amplitude ratios and further the energy flux ratios of various waves are evaluated numerically. The numerical results are shown graphically and are validated by the energy conservation law. Based on these numerical results, the influences of two characteristic lengths of microstructure and the flexoelectric coefficients on the wave propagation are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heavy ion fusion half-year report, April 1-September 30, 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staff, H.I.F.

1980-11-01

Major accomplisments in the second half of Fiscal Year 1980 include: the large aperture Cs +1 contact ionization source has been operational through most of this period. The full system comprised of source plus three drift tubes was brought into operation early in April 1980. Beam profiles and current measurements indicate that the system performs close to design specifications. System studies have been expanded to include multiple beam systems, in addition to the single beam systems studied heretofore. Work has continued on the development of beam diagnostic devices. Most of the effort has been directed toward the development of the electron beam probe and scintillator systems. Zeolite source development is continuing, with major emphasis on source stability and lifetime. A model for the longitudinal resistive wall instability has been developed which indicates the induction linac beam should be stable to first order in the resistance. Considerable theory effort has also been concentrated upon the transport of space charge dominated beams through periodic focussing structures. A multiple electrostatic quadrupole array capable of handling forty nine parallel beamlets has been designed and constructed

Campground marketing: the heavy-half strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Wilbur F. LaPage

1969-01-01

When we arrayed camping frequencies in order from the lowest to the highest number of days spent camping per year we found that half of the campers do much more than half of the camping. Campers in this heavy half consistently camp more, year after year, and are increasing their annual participation as well. Heavy-half campers have larger investments in camping...

Radon concentration and working level in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stiver, J.H.; Tung, Chao-Hsiung.

1995-01-01

Radon-222 ( 222 Rn) and 222 Rn progeny WL monitoring in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) was initiated to support regulatory compliance. Measurements were taken over two periods, in Test Alcove No. 1 of the ESF, about 60 m from the tunnel entrance. For both periods, 222 Rn concentration was less than 10% of the Derived Air Concentration (DAC) set forth in DOE Order 5480.11. Thus, these assessments were sufficient to demonstrate regulatory compliance. Based on these findings, quarterly 222 Rn and 222 Rn progeny monitoring was initiated. Two systems each were employed for 222 Rn and 222 Rn progeny measurement. No significant differences were observed between the respective systems. An interesting finding was that at the time the measurements were taken, barometric pressure appeared to be the predominant factor controlling 222 Rn concentration in the ESF. This was true even during periods of ventilation shutdown

Relapse from remission at two- to four-year follow-up in two treatments for adolescent anorexia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Grange, Daniel; Lock, James; Accurso, Erin C; Agras, W Stewart; Darcy, Alison; Forsberg, Sarah; Bryson, Susan W

2014-11-01

Long-term follow-up studies documenting maintenance of treatment effects are few in adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN). This exploratory study reports relapse from full remission and attainment of remission during a 4-year open follow-up period using a convenience sample of a subgroup of 65% (n = 79) from an original cohort of 121 participants who completed a randomized clinical trial comparing family-based therapy (FBT) and adolescent-focused individual therapy (AFT). Follow-up assessments were completed up to 4 years posttreatment (average, 3.26 years). Available participants completed the Eating Disorder Examination as well as self-report measures of self-esteem and depression at 2 to 4 years posttreatment. Two participants (6.1%) relapsed (FBT: n = 1, 4.5%; AFT: n = 1, 9.1%), on average 1.98 years (SD = 0.14 years) after remission was achieved at 1-year follow-up. Ten new participants (22.7%) achieved remission (FBT: n = 1, 5.9%; AFT: n = 9, 33.3%). Mean time to remission for this group was 2.01 years (SD = 0.82 years) from 1-year follow-up. There were no differences based on treatment group assignment in either relapse from full remission or new remission during long-term follow-up. Other psychopathology was stable over time. There were few changes in the clinical presentation of participants who were assessed at long-term follow-up. These data suggest that outcomes are generally stable posttreatment regardless of treatment type once remission is achieved. Clinical trial registration information-Effectiveness of Family-Based Versus Individual Psychotherapy in Treating Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa; http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00149786. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prenatal control of Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis: a two-year experience at a mainland Chinese hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Can; Pan, Min; Han, Jin; Yang, Xin; Zhen, Li; Li, Jian; Li, Ru; Li, Dong-Zhi

2015-03-01

α-Thalassemia is a common inherited disease in southern China. The severest form is Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis, in which the affected fetuses almost always die in utero or shortly after birth, and the mothers are at high risk for severe morbidity. Therefore, this condition should be controlled, especially prenatally. In this study, we reported on a two-year experience in prenatal control of Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis at a mainland Chinese hospital. Totally, 573 pregnancies at risk for Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis were referred and different prenatal procedures were offered depending on the gestational age at presentation. One hundred fifty-two affected fetuses were diagnosed prenatally; among these, only half presented in early gestation, and were terminated in time. Although our prenatal program has successfully prevented the birth of children with severe thalassemia, it does not show a satisfactory outcome, considering the gestational age when an affected pregnancy is terminated.

Exploratory Talk in the Early Years: Analysing Exploratory Talk in Collaborative Group Activities Involving Younger Learners

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Eira Wyn

2018-01-01

Collaborative group work has the potential for providing rich opportunities for children to learn through talk with peers; however, in practice, little effective engagement in learning is observed within authentic learning contexts. Exploratory talk is associated with high levels of cognitive challenge within collaborative group work. Detailed…

Individual- and County-Level Religious Participation, Corporal Punishment, and Physical Abuse of Children: An Exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Jennifer Price; Kepple, Nancy Jo

2016-10-01

Parental religiosity has been associated with corporal punishment. However, most of this research has focused exclusively on Christians and has not examined physical abuse. In addition, little is known about how the larger religious environment might be associated with discipline behaviors. In this exploratory study, we examine how individual- and county-level religious attendance are related to corporal punishment and physical abuse. We sampled and surveyed 3,023 parents of children aged 12 and younger from 50 mid-sized California cities. We used weighted Poisson models to calculate the frequency of corporal punishment and physical abuse in the past year. Parents who attend religious groups used corporal punishment more frequently than parents who did not attend religious groups. However, those who lived in counties with greater rates of religious participation used corporal punishment less frequently than those living in counties with lower rates of religious participation. There were no effects for religious participation on physical abuse at the individual or county level. This exploratory study suggests that parents who attend religious groups may be more likely to use some types of physical discipline with children. Religious groups could be imparting parenting norms supporting corporal punishment at the individual level. More research examining specific doctrines and faiths is needed to validate the study findings.

Blended learning in K-12 mathematics and science instruction -- An exploratory study

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Jason

Blended learning has developed into a hot topic in education over the past several years. Flipped classrooms, online learning environments, and the use of technology to deliver educational content using rich media continue to garner national attention. While generally well accepted and researched in post-secondary education, not much research has focused on blended learning in elementary, middle, and high schools. This thesis is an exploratory study to begin to determine if students and teachers like blended learning and whether or not it affects the amount of time they spend in math and science. Standardized achievement test data were also analyzed to determine if blended learning had any effect on test scores. Based on student and teacher surveys, this population seems to like blended learning and to work more efficiently in this environment. There is no evidence from this study to support any effect on student achievement.

Internet Consumer Catalog Shopping: Findings from an Exploratory Study and Directions for Future Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Joseph M.; Vijayasarathy, Leo R.

1998-01-01

Presents findings from an exploratory, empirical investigation of perceptions of Internet catalog shopping compared to more traditional print catalog shopping. Two factors that might influence perceptions, personality, and important other people are examined, and directions for further research are suggested. (Author/LRW)

An Exploratory Study: Assessment of Modeled Dioxin ...

Science.gov (United States)

EPA has released an external review draft entitled, An Exploratory Study: Assessment of Modeled Dioxin Exposure in Ceramic Art Studios(External Review Draft). The public comment period and the external peer-review workshop are separate processes that provide opportunities for all interested parties to comment on the document. In addition to consideration by EPA, all public comments submitted in accordance with this notice will also be forwarded to EPA’s contractor for the external peer-review panel prior to the workshop. EPA has realeased this draft document solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. This document has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency policy or determination. The purpose of this report is to describe an exploratory investigation of potential dioxin exposures to artists/hobbyists who use ball clay to make pottery and related products.

Exploratory research and development FY90

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Struble, G.L.; Middleton, C.; Baldwin, G.; Cherniak, J.; Clements, W.; Donohue, M.L.; Francke, A.; Kirvel, R.D.; MacGregor, P.; Shaw, G.

1990-01-01

In general, the Exploratory Research and Development (ER ampersand D) Program supports research projects considered too basic or long-range to be funded by other Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) programs. This Program is managed for the Laboratory Director by a special assistant who chairs the LLNL's IR ampersand D Review Committee. Membership in the Review Committee comprises senior LLNL scientists, engineers, and managers whose areas of expertise span the range of scientific disciplines pursued at the Laboratory. The research supported by the Program falls into three categories: Exploratory Research in the Disciplines, Director's Initiatives, and Laboratory-Wide Competition. The first two, Exploratory Research and Director's Initiatives, promote pioneering work in the various scientific disciplines and programmatic areas. Laboratory departments and divisions propose and manage projects in the Exploratory Research category. The Laboratory Director, with the advice of the Review Committee, selects several larger projects to fund as Director's Initiative. These projects, which are proposed and managed by the responsible associate director, are intended to enhance the scope of existing programs or establish new technical directions and programs for the Laboratory. All FY90 projects are described in detail in this report. Other publications on ER ampersand D projects are included in the Publications List at the back of this report

Immediate effects of plantar inputs on the upper half muscles and upright posture: a preliminary study.

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Ciuffolo, Fabio; Ferritto, Anna L; Muratore, Filippo; Tecco, Simona; Testa, Mauro; D'Attilio, Michele; Festa, Felice

2006-01-01

This purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of plantar inputs on both the upper half muscle activity (anterior temporal, masseter, digastric, sternocleidomastoid, upper and lower trapezius, cervical) and the body posture, by means of electromyography (EMG) and vertical force platform, respectively. Twenty four (24) healthy adults, between the ages of 24 and 31 years (25.3 +/- 1.9), with no history of craniomandibular disorder or systemic musculoskeletal dysfunction, were randomly divided into two groups: test group (fourteen subjects) and control group (ten subjects). A first recording session (TO) measured the baseline EMG and postural patterns of both groups. After this session, the test group wore test shoes with insoles that stimulated the plantar surfaces, while the control group wore placebo shoes. After one hour, a second set of measurements (T1) were performed. Significant differences between the groups at baseline were observed in the left anterior temporal, left cervical, and left upper trapezius, as well as at T1 in the left anterior temporal and right upper trapezius (p postural blindness in the test group compared to the control group was observed. Further studies are warranted to investigate the short and long-term effects of this type of insole, in patients with both craniomandibular-cervical and lower extremity disorders.

Matching Vocabulary Learning Process with Learning Outcome in L2 Academic Writing: An Exploratory Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qing

2013-01-01

This exploratory case study of two undergraduates links vocabulary learning approaches with lexical quality measured in academic writing. Employing an array of qualitative data, it is shown that in a "semi-language-rich" learning context, Chinese learners may dispense with rote learning and engage in a more natural learning approach in which…

Effects of two-temperature parameter and thermal nonlocal parameter on transient responses of a half-space subjected to ramp-type heating

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Zhang-Na; Yu, Ya-Jun; Tian, Xiao-Geng

2017-07-01

Based upon the coupled thermoelasticity and Green and Lindsay theory, the new governing equations of two-temperature thermoelastic theory with thermal nonlocal parameter is formulated. To more realistically model thermal loading of a half-space surface, a linear temperature ramping function is adopted. Laplace transform techniques are used to get the general analytical solutions in Laplace domain, and the inverse Laplace transforms based on Fourier expansion techniques are numerically implemented to obtain the numerical solutions in time domain. Specific attention is paid to study the effect of thermal nonlocal parameter, ramping time, and two-temperature parameter on the distributions of temperature, displacement and stress distribution.

A Bibliographic Study of Drug Abuse Research during last 30 years in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afarin Rahimi Movaghar

2009-05-01

Full Text Available In the last decades, the produced science has been significantly increased in the field of drug abuse, globally. The objective of this study was to assess the bibliographic aspects of the science produced in Iran on drug abuse in the last 30 years. All scientific papers published from Iran in a 30-year period (1973-2002 in national as well as international scientific journals were assessed for this study. These papers are indexed in the database for Iranian Mental Health Researches, called IranPsych. The total number of 218 papers on drug and drug abuse were found and assessed by six psychiatrists and psychologists with good inter-rater reliability. About half of these papers were published in the last two years. About half of the papers have been published in the Persian medical journals. One-third have been published in international journals. Overall, 449 authors contributed to the 218 published papers from whom 80 percent had only one paper. Half of the papers were written by only 15 authors (3.3 percent. Most of the authors were Medical Doctors and from Medical Universities. None of the researches was received financial support from pharmacologic industries. This study shows that in recent years, the increase in the publication of the researches conducted on drug abuse has been significant. Nevertheless, according to the high prevalence of drug abuse problem in Iran and improvements in the scientific, as well as executive structures, the whole scientific output is insignificant. The findings guide us to a more systematic approach toward training of researchers and promotion of resaerch in this area. Moreover, more active involvement of social scientists and publication of their research findings are recommended.

The Power of a Question: A Case Study of Two Organizational Knowledge Capture Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Lynn P.

2003-01-01

This document represents a presentation regarding organizational knowledge capture systems which was delivered at the HICSS-36 conference held from January 6-9, 2003. An exploratory case study of two knowledge resources is offered. Then, two organizational knowledge capture systems are briefly described: knowledge transfer from practitioner and the use of questions to represent knowledge. Finally, the creation of a database of peer review questions is suggested as a method of promoting organizational discussions and knowledge representation and exchange.

Exploratory Shaft Facility design basis study report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langstaff, A.L.

1987-01-01

The Design Basis Study is a scoping/sizing study that evaluated the items concerning the Exploratory Shaft Facility Design including design basis values for water and methane inflow; flexibility of the design to support potential changes in program direction; cost and schedule impacts that could result if the design were changed to comply with gassy mine regulations; and cost, schedule, advantages and disadvantages of a larger second shaft. Recommendations are proposed concerning water and methane inflow values, facility layout, second shaft size, ventilation, and gassy mine requirements. 75 refs., 3 figs., 7 tabs

Empirical Study of Consumer Ethics: A Comparative Study of Two Firms of Faisalabad, Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Cheema, Khaliq Ur Rehman; Imtiaz, Nasir; Shafiq, Yasir

2013-01-01

Ethics are very important factor in today business. We have conducted this study to identify consumer ethics and their buying behavior in Particular two Organizations of Faisalabad, to study the consumer ethics we used four different dimensions. The purpose of this paper to find the situation in which consumer behaves unethically in Pakistan. And the result compares with previous consumer ethics researches. It is an exploratory research for the purpose of seeing the consumer ethics. The study...

Evaluating effectiveness of project start-ups: an exploratory study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Halman, Johannes I.M.; Burger, G.T.N.

In this paper an exploratory study is reported about the effectiveness of project start-up (PSU) practices within a world-scale operating, high technology innovating and manufacturing company. The emphasis is on the focal position of both project owner and project manager. To uncover potential

Exploratory Research and Development Fund, FY 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-05-01

The Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Exploratory R ampersand D Fund FY 1990 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the projects supported and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of an Exploratory R ampersand D Fund (ERF) planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The research areas covered in this report are: Accelerator and fusion research; applied science; cell and molecular biology; chemical biodynamics; chemical sciences; earth sciences; engineering; information and computing sciences; materials sciences; nuclear science; physics and research medicine and radiation biophysics

Sustaining Latina Student Organizations: An Exploratory Instrumental Case Study

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Castellanos, Michelle

2016-01-01

Utilizing the exploratory case study methodology, the author examines the conditions that support and limit a Latina-based student organization at a predominately White institution of higher education. Seven organizational structures were found to influence the organization's ability to advance its aims, from interviews, documents, observations,…

Which preferences associate with school performance?-Lessons from an exploratory study with university students.

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Horn, Daniel; Kiss, Hubert Janos

2018-01-01

Success in life is determined to a large extent by school performance so it is important to understand the effect of the factors that influence it. In this exploratory study, in addition to cognitive abilities, we attempt to link measures of preferences with outcomes of school performance. We measured in an incentivized way risk, time, social and competitive preferences and cognitive abilities of university students to look for associations between these measures and two important academic outcome measures: exam results and GPA. We find consistently that cognitive abilities (proxied by the Cognitive Reflection Test) are very well correlated with school performance. Regarding non-cognitive skills, we report suggestive evidence for many of our measured preferences. We used two alternative measures of time preference: patience and present bias. Present bias explains exam grades better, while patience explains GPA relatively better. Both measures of time preferences have a non-linear relation to school performance. Competitiveness matters, as students, who opt for a more competitive payment scheme in our experimental task have a higher average GPA. We observe also that risk-averse students perform a little better than more risk-tolerant students. That makes sense in case of multiple choice exams, because more risk-tolerant students may want to try to pass the exam less prepared, as the possibility of passing an exam just by chance is not zero. Finally, we have also detected that cooperative preferences-the amount of money offered in a public good game-associates strongly with GPA in a non-linear way. Students who offered around half of their possible amounts had significantly higher GPAs than those, who offered none or all their money.

Skin Protection Behaviors among Young Male Latino Day Laborers: An Exploratory Study Using a Social Cognitive Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier F. Boyas

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Latino Day Laborers (LDLs are employed in occupations where multiple work hazards exist. One such hazard is the overexposure to solar ultraviolet radiation for continuous periods of time. Regular sun exposure can put individuals at increased risk of developing skin cancers, especially without adequate protection. The purpose of this cross-sectional exploratory study was to use a social cognitive framework to assess skin protective behaviors among LDLs. A community-based nonrandom and purposive sample of LDLs was recruited in two states: Mississippi and Illinois. The study sample consisted of 137 male participants, of which the majority were of Mexican ancestry (72%. The average age was 35.40 (SD=9.89 years. Results demonstrated that a substantial number of LDLs do not adequately practice sun protection behaviors on a regular basis. The skin cancer knowledge scores were very modest. The most frequently indicated barriers towards sun protection were “inconvenient,” “forget to use,” and “not being able to reapply sunscreen.” Overall, LDLs had moderate confidence in their abilities to adopt successful sun protection strategies. This study underscores the need for intervention programs aimed at LDLs to reduce extended time in the sun and increase use of sun protective measures when working outdoors.

Is there a digital divide among school students? an exploratory study from Puducherry.

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Ramalingam, Archana; Kar, Sitanshu Sekhar

2014-01-01

The advent of internet has triggered a growth in provision of more interactive health promotion messages, which are likely to enhance the potential for behavior change especially among children. We intended to find out the determinants and prevalence of use of internet among school students of Puducherry. An exploratory study was carried out among all the students belonging to the standards VI to IX (n = 421) in three schools from urban areas and two schools from rural areas of Puducherry. A pretested, self-administered questionnaire which sought information on sociodemographic details (age, gender, standard of education, occupation of father, and type of school), use of internet, and place of accessing internet, hours of use, and reasons for use was utilized. The statistical significance between the categorical variables was done using chi-square test. All significance tests were two-tailed and statistical significance was defined as a value of P divide observed among the school children in the use of internet. Taking the steps to bridging the digital divide will help utilize internet as a media for health promotion.

Radiocesium concentrations in the bark, sapwood and heartwood of three tree species collected at Fukushima forests half a year after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, Katsushi; Kagawa, Akira; Tonosaki, Mario

2013-08-01

Radiocesium ((134)Cs and (137)Cs) distribution in tree stems of Japanese cedar (aged 40-56 y), red pine (42 y), and oak (42 y) grown in Fukushima Prefecture were investigated approximately half a year after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident. Japanese cedar, red pine, and oak were selected from five sites, one site, and one site, respectively. Three trees at each site were felled, and bark, sapwood (the outer layer of wood in the stem), and heartwood (the inner layer of wood in the stem) separately collected to study radiocesium concentrations measured by gamma-ray spectrometry. The radiocesium deposition densities at the five sites were within the range of 16-1020 kBq m(-2). The radiocesium was distributed in bark, sapwood, and heartwood in three tree species, indicating that very rapid translocation of radiocesium into the wood. The concentration of radiocesium in oak (deciduous angiosperm) bark was higher than that in the bark of Japanese cedar and red pine (evergreen gymnosperms). Both sapwood and heartwood contained radiocesium, and the values were much lower than that in the bark samples. The results suggest that radiocesium contamination half a year after the accident was mainly attributable to the direct radioactive deposition. The radiocesium concentrations in the Japanese cedar samples taken from five sites rose with the density of radiocesium accumulation on the ground surface. To predict the future dynamics of radiocesium in tree stems, the present results taken half a year after the accident are important, and continuous study of radiocesium in tree stems is necessary. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Followership Styles at a Two-Year Higher Education Institution

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Ellie, Bethine J.

2017-01-01

This study examined relationships among reported followership styles and employee demographics at one Midwestern two-year college. It replicated a study by Ghislieri, Gatti, and Cortese (2015), and provided a baseline measure of followership styles at one Midwestern two-year college. It found that conformist follower styles showed the highest…

Trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy versus treatment as usual for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in young children aged 3 to 8 years: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

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Dalgleish, Tim; Goodall, Benjamin; Chadwick, Isobel; Werner-Seidler, Aliza; McKinnon, Anna; Morant, Nicola; Schweizer, Susanne; Panesar, Inderpal; Humphrey, Ayla; Watson, Peter; Lafortune, Louise; Smith, Patrick; Meiser-Stedman, Richard

2015-03-25

Following horrific or life-threatening events approximately 10 to 15% of young children develop post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The symptoms of this disorder are distressing - nightmares, flashbacks, anger outbursts and disturbed play. These symptoms cause major disruption to a child's functioning and, if left untreated, can persist for many years. As yet, there are no established empirically-validated treatments for PTSD in young children. Trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TF-CBT) is a psychological intervention that is effective in treating the disorder in older children (8 to 12 years), adolescents and adults. This study examines TF-CBT adapted for children aged between 3 and 8 years. This protocol describes a two-arm exploratory randomised controlled trial comparing TF-CBT to treatment as usual (TAU) in children aged 3 to 8 years with a principal diagnosis of PTSD following a single-event discrete trauma. Using a half-crossover design, 44 participants will be randomly allocated to receive the intervention or to receive TAU. Those allocated to TAU will be offered TF-CBT at the end of the 'treatment' period (approximately 12 weeks) if still indicated. The primary outcome is PTSD diagnosis according to DSM-5 criteria for children 6 years and younger at post-treatment. Secondary outcomes include effects on co-morbid diagnoses and changes in emotion and trauma symptoms at each of the follow-up points (post-treatment, 3-months, 12-months). Additionally, broader efficacy will be considered with regard to treatment feasibility, acceptability and service utilisation. The key targets of the intervention are trauma memory, the interpretation of the meaning of the event, and the management of symptoms. This is the first European trial to examine the efficacy of TF-CBT in alleviating PTSD in very young children. As well as providing much-needed data on the utility of the intervention, this exploratory trial will also allow us to gather important information

An exploratory study of the influence of load and practice on segmental and articulatory variability in children with speech sound disorders.

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Vuolo, Janet; Goffman, Lisa

2017-01-01

This exploratory treatment study used phonetic transcription and speech kinematics to examine changes in segmental and articulatory variability. Nine children, ages 4 to 8 years old, served as participants, including two with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), five with speech sound disorder (SSD) and two who were typically developing. Children practised producing agent + action phrases in an imitation task (low linguistic load) and a retrieval task (high linguistic load) over five sessions. In the imitation task in session one, both participants with CAS showed high degrees of segmental and articulatory variability. After five sessions, imitation practice resulted in increased articulatory variability for five participants. Retrieval practice resulted in decreased articulatory variability in three participants with SSD. These results suggest that short-term speech production practice in rote imitation disrupts articulatory control in children with and without CAS. In contrast, tasks that require linguistic processing may scaffold learning for children with SSD but not CAS.

An exploratory survey of male and female learner opinions on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An exploratory survey was undertaken to determine whether secondary school learners have certain preferences regarding the biology they study at school and whether learners from co-educational and single-sex schools hold the same opinions. A survey schedule comprising two components was developed. The first ...

High performance p-type half-Heusler thermoelectric materials

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Yu, Junjie; Xia, Kaiyang; Zhao, Xinbing; Zhu, Tiejun

2018-03-01

Half-Heusler compounds, which possess robust mechanical strength, good high temperature thermal stability and multifaceted physical properties, have been verified as a class of promising thermoelectric materials. During the last two decades, great progress has been made in half-Heusler thermoelectrics. In this review, we summarize some representative work of p-type half-Heusler materials, the thermoelectric performance of which has been remarkably enhanced in recent years. We introduce the features of the crystal and electronic structures of half-Heusler compounds, and successful strategies for optimizing electrical and thermal transport in the p-type RFeSb (R  =  V, Nb, Ta) and MCoSb (M  =  Ti, Zr, Hf) based systems, including band engineering, the formation of solid solutions and hierarchical phonon scattering. The outlook for future research directions of half-Heusler thermoelectrics is also presented.

An Exploratory Study on Retaining Talents in Malaysia : A Case Study of Selected Malaysian Talents

OpenAIRE

Kok, Phui Fun

2011-01-01

This research is intended as an exploratory case study to convey a qualitative feel on the issue of retention of Malaysian talents still in Malaysia. It fills a gap not covered by the World Bank’s “Malaysia Economic Monitor: Brain Drain” report, in order to give some insights to individual companies in Malaysia concerning the retention of their existing talents, provide some food for thought for other stakeholders, and spur ideas for more in-depth study in the future.It examines how salary an...

Exploratory research and development FY90

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Struble, G.L.; Middleton, C.; Baldwin, G.; Cherniak, J.; Clements, W.; Donohue, M.L.; Francke, A.; Kirvel, R.D.; MacGregor, P.; Shaw, G. (eds.)

1990-01-01

In general, the Exploratory Research and Development (ER D) Program supports research projects considered too basic or long-range to be funded by other Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) programs. This Program is managed for the Laboratory Director by a special assistant who chairs the LLNL's IR D Review Committee. Membership in the Review Committee comprises senior LLNL scientists, engineers, and managers whose areas of expertise span the range of scientific disciplines pursued at the Laboratory. The research supported by the Program falls into three categories: Exploratory Research in the Disciplines, Director's Initiatives, and Laboratory-Wide Competition. The first two, Exploratory Research and Director's Initiatives, promote pioneering work in the various scientific disciplines and programmatic areas. Laboratory departments and divisions propose and manage projects in the Exploratory Research category. The Laboratory Director, with the advice of the Review Committee, selects several larger projects to fund as Director's Initiative. These projects, which are proposed and managed by the responsible associate director, are intended to enhance the scope of existing programs or establish new technical directions and programs for the Laboratory. All FY90 projects are described in detail in this report. Other publications on ER D projects are included in the Publications List at the back of this report.

Reduction in salivary α-amylase levels following a mind-body intervention in cancer survivors--an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipschitz, David L; Kuhn, Renee; Kinney, Anita Y; Donaldson, Gary W; Nakamura, Yoshio

2013-09-01

The main aim of this exploratory study was to assess whether salivary α-amylase (sAA) and salivary cortisol levels would be positively modulated by sleep-focused mind-body interventions in female and male cancer survivors. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which 57 cancer survivors with self-reported sleep disturbance received either a Sleep Hygiene Education (SHE; n=18) control, or one of two experimental mind-body interventions, namely, Mind-Body Bridging (MBB; n=19) or Mindfulness Meditation (MM; n=20). Interventions were three sessions each conducted once per week for three consecutive weeks. Saliva cortisol and sAA were measured at baseline and 1 week after the last session. Participants also completed a sleep scale at the same time points when saliva was collected for biomarker measurement. Our study revealed that at post-intervention assessment, mean sAA levels upon awakening ("Waking" sample) declined in MBB compared with that of SHE. Mean Waking cortisol levels did not differ among treatment groups but declined slightly in SHE. Self-reported sleep improved across the three interventions at Post-assessment, with largest improvements in the MBB intervention. In this exploratory study, sleep focused mind-body intervention (MBB) attenuated Waking sAA levels, suggesting positive influences of a mind-body intervention on sympathetic activity in cancer survivors with sleep disturbance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Results of a Two-Year Longitudinal Study of Beverage-Specific Alcohol Use among Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Michele Johnson; Werch, Chudley

2007-01-01

This study explored beverage-specific alcohol consumption patterns among a sample of high school students over a two-year period. Four hundred fifty-five students completed the validated questionnaire at all three time points (2002, 2003, 2004). Variables of interest included five use measures (past year use, 30-day frequency, quantity, heavy use,…

The effect of eight half-yearly single-dose treatments with DEC on Wuchereria bancrofti circulating antigenaemia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Paul E; Magesa, Stephen M; Meyrowitsch, Dan W

2005-01-01

The effect of eight half-yearly treatment rounds with diethylcarbamazine (DEC; 6mg/kg bodyweight) on Wuchereria bancrofti-specific circulating filarial antigen (CFA), a marker of adult worm infection, was followed in 79 individuals who were CFA-positive before start of treatment. Half of these we...... values. Repeated DEC therapy thus appears to have a slow but profound and persistent macrofilaricidal effect, which in the long run may be beneficial to populations undergoing DEC-based control interventions by reducing the probability of future morbidity development....

The impact of ERP on supply chain management: exploratory findings from a European Delphi study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Akkermans, H.A.; Bogerd, P.; Yücesan, E.; Wassenhove, van L.N.

2003-01-01

This article presents results from a Delphi study on the future impact of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems on supply chain management (SCM). The Delphi study was conducted with 23 Dutch supply chain executives of European multi-nationals. Findings from this exploratory study were

Individual and county-level religious participation, corporal punishment, and physical abuse of children: An exploratory study

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Jennifer Price; Kepple, Nancy J.

2016-01-01

Background Parental religiosity has been associated with corporal punishment. However, most of this research has focused exclusively on Christians and has not examined physical abuse. Additionally, little is known about how the larger religious environment might be associated with discipline behaviors. In this exploratory study, we examine how individual and county-level religious attendance are related to corporal punishment and physical abuse. Method We sampled and surveyed 3,023 parents of children aged 12 and younger from 50 mid-sized California cities. We used weighted Poisson models to calculate the frequency of corporal punishment and physical abuse in the past year. Results Parents who attend religious groups used corporal punishment more frequently than parents who did not attend religious groups. However, those who lived in counties with greater rates of religious participation used corporal punishment less frequently than those living in counties with lower rates of religious participation. There were no effects for religious participation on physical abuse at the individual or county level. Discussion This exploratory study suggests that parents who attend religious groups may be more likely to use some types of physical discipline with children. Religious groups could be imparting parenting norms supporting corporal punishment at the individual level. More research examining specific doctrines and faiths is needed to validate the study findings. PMID:29294609

Consumer Rights and Accountability in Postsecondary Vocational-Technical Education: An Exploratory Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzgerald, Brian; Harmon, Lisa

Beginning in October 1987, Pelavin Associates conducted an exploratory study of consumer rights and accountability in postsecondary vocational-technical (PVT) programs for the U.S. Department of Education. The study focused on how effectively the governance structure--accreditation and federal and state regulation--ensures that consumer rights are…

Self-Regulatory Efficacy and Mindset of At-Risk Students: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Matheson, Ian A.

2015-01-01

There is a limited body of research examining how students' beliefs about intelligence and about their abilities relate to different learning environments. As reported here, I examined secondary school students' beliefs, goals, and expectations guided by Zimmerman's (2000) model of self-regulated learning. In this exploratory study, 230 secondary…

The spot prices evolution for the coal at the second half-year 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-04-01

This document proposes an analysis of the prices increase on the coal world market since the beginning of the second half-year 2003. Many phenomena can explain this increase: supply problems in China, a poor availability of cargoes, an increase of the european importations for the electric power production, a high demand of the japanese power plants, social movements at the Kaltim Prima mine and uncertainties on the coal availability in Poland. (A.L.B.)

Retention of fissure sealants using two different methods of application in teeth with hypomineralised molars (MIH): a 4 year clinical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lygidakis, N A; Dimou, G; Stamataki, E

2009-12-01

This was to evaluate the retention rate of fissure sealants applied to MIH molars with occlusal enamel opacities, using two different application methods after 4 years. 54 children exhibiting molars with MIH aged 6-7 years, participated in the study. presence of at least 2 fully erupted caries-free maxillary or mandibular first permanent molars in the opposite sides of the mouth, both with occlusal enamel opacities without breakdown. Following parental consent, sealants were applied using a half-mouth experimental design. Group A: On a randomly assigned first molar on one side of the mouth sealants Fissurit were placed using a single bottle adhesive system (One-step prior to sealant application. Group B: Sealants were applied on the contra-lateral molar using the conventional etch and seal technique. Children were seen biannually when a preventive program was applied, without replacing any lost sealant. After 4 years, 47 sets of molars (94 teeth) were available for blind evaluation. Teeth in Group A presented a better retention rate; 70.2% were fully sealed, 29.7% partly sealed and none unsealed (lost sealant). Group B revealed 25.5% fully sealed, 44.6% partly sealed and 29.7% unsealed teeth. Differences between groups A and B were statistically significant (p0.01). In hypomineralised molars with occlusal opacities sealants appear to have greater retention when applied using 5th generation adhesive systems prior to sealant.

Exploratory behaviour, emotional wellbeing and childcare quality in preschool education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Barandiaran

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between children exploratory behaviour and the quality of structural childcare and process in preschools. The study also examined how childcare quality affects the relationship between emotional wellbeing and exploratory behaviour. The sample comprised 206 children from 40 classrooms in 20 preschools, together with their teachers. The children's age ranged between 37 and 64 months (M = 50.96, SD = 6.54. The results indicated that children cared for by more sensitive teachers engaged in more exploratory behavior. However, no moderating effect was found of teacher sensitivity on the positive relationship between exploratory behavior and wellbeing. Finally, some factors linked to the quality of structural childcare also influenced exploratory behavior, although to a lesser extent.

Areva. Half-year 2015 results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Repaire, Philippine du

2015-01-01

This document presents the financial statements of Areva Group for the period ended June 30, 2015. During the first half, AREVA made determining decisions in refocusing on its core business, the nuclear fuel cycle direction. The group has announced an ambitious competitiveness plan, is engaged in strong social dialogue with its social partners, and has worked to improve the management of its large projects, which up to now have weighed heavily on its financial trajectory. It pursued its strategic roadmap for its refocusing and the redefinition of the partnership with EDF. The agreements found with EDF represent very significant progress. The group also worked on its financing plan whose aim is to allow AREVA to refinance its mid-term needs on the markets. Content: Key figures, Highlights of the period, Transformation plan (Performance plan, Strategic roadmap, Financing plan, Financial outlook)

What Factors Affect Nursing Students' Decisions of Whether to Take Rural Jobs: An Exploratory Interview Study in China

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Yuexian; Haycock-Stuart, Elaine; Rodgers, Sheila E.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore factors that effect nursing students' decisions of whether to take rural jobs in China. Methods: An exploratory interview study was conducted in China during May and June 2011. Eleven final year nursing students were purposively recruited from four nursing schools in one eastern area in China. The…

Potential Role of the Last Half Repeat in TAL Effectors Revealed by a Molecular Simulation Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hua Wan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available TAL effectors (TALEs contain a modular DNA-binding domain that is composed of tandem repeats. In all naturally occurring TALEs, the end of tandem repeats is invariantly a truncated half repeat. To investigate the potential role of the last half repeat in TALEs, we performed comparative molecular dynamics simulations for the crystal structure of DNA-bound TALE AvrBs3 lacking the last half repeat and its modeled structure having the last half repeat. The structural stability analysis indicates that the modeled system is more stable than the nonmodeled system. Based on the principle component analysis, it is found that the AvrBs3 increases its structural compactness in the presence of the last half repeat. The comparison of DNA groove parameters of the two systems implies that the last half repeat also causes the change of DNA major groove binding efficiency. The following calculation of hydrogen bond reveals that, by stabilizing the phosphate binding with DNA at the C-terminus, the last half repeat helps to adopt a compact conformation at the protein-DNA interface. It further mediates more contacts between TAL repeats and DNA nucleotide bases. Finally, we suggest that the last half repeat is required for the high-efficient recognition of DNA by TALE.

Factors defining the mentoring competencies of clinical midwives: An exploratory quantitative research study in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Hishinuma, Yuri; Horiuchi, Shigeko; Yanai, Haruo

2016-01-01

Clinical education is an extremely important process in cultivating healthcare professionals, and the quality of educators has a major impact on the quality of future practitioners. Although practicing clinical midwives contribute to the education of pre-registered midwives and those qualified within the past year (new midwives), the factors defining the educational competencies of clinical midwives have not been clarified. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that define the mentoring competencies of clinical midwives involved in educating new midwives. An exploratory quantitative research study. Questionnaires were distributed to 694 midwives who had previously conducted educational activities with new midwives at the 63 facilities whose administrator or nurse manager in charge of all staff, including midwives, consented to participate. Of the 694 midwives, 464 (66.9%) returned the questionnaire and 451 (65.1%) valid responses were analyzed. Exploratory factor analyses were performed on the following three concepts: [competency as a professional], [competency as an educator], and [personal characteristics]. [Competency as a professional] consisted of two factors: and ; [competency as an educator] consisted of four factors: , , and ; and [personal characteristics consisted of three factors: exercising leadership> , and . These three concepts were defined by a total of nine sub-concepts (factors), and 41 items were extracted with a reliability coefficient (Cronbach's α) of 0.944 CONCLUSIONS: "Mentoring competencies of clinical midwives (MCCM)" are defined by three concepts and nine sub-concepts, which can be evaluated by 41 items regarding the behavior, thoughts, and characteristics that clinical midwives exhibit when they educate new midwives in clinical settings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultivating Innovative Entrepreneurs for the Twenty-First Century: A Study of U.S. and German Students

Science.gov (United States)

Mayhew, Matthew J.; Simonoff, Jeffrey S.; Baumol, William J.; Selznick, Benjamin S.; Vassallo, Stephen J.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the cultivation of innovative entrepreneurial intentions among students in three distinctive educational settings: a U.S. undergraduate four-year environment, a U.S. M.B.A. two-year environment, and a German five-year business and technology environment. Results suggested that innovative…

Report of researches by joint use of Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute in the second half of the fiscal year 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-03-01

This is the biannual report of 69 research items by the joint use of the reactor, each item being written in a page. The number of items increased by 14 as compared with that in the first half of the fiscal year of 1979, and became equal to that in the second half of the fiscal year of 1978. According to the rough classification based on the fields, 24 items are related to chemistry, 11 items to physics, 13 items to biology and medicine, 10 items to metallurgy, 6 items to geology and 5 other items. Many items were continued of course from the first half of 1979 and the second half of 1978. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

African-American Fathers' Perspectives on Their Children's Health Education: A Qualitative, Exploratory Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Odum, Mary; Smith, Matthew Lee; McKyer, E Lisako J

2014-01-01

To investigate African-American fathers' (AAF) perceptions regarding the applicability and need for their involvement as a health connection for their children and describe how participating fathers' behavior was affected by their attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of their influence on their children's health. This exploratory study gathered data via semi-structured focus groups (n = 3) and thematically analyzed it utilizing a grounded theory approach. Participants included AAF (n = 20) with a mean age of 37 years (SD 11.79), with at least one child between 6 and 18 years old. Four major themes were revealed: (1) appropriate health education for participants' children (should first and foremost be delivered by parents); (2) participants' paternal health-related guidance approach (reactive, rather than proactive); (3) participants' perceived influences on health-related communication with their children (gender roles, efficacy constraints); and (4) paternal definitions of health (most often associated with diet). Understanding AAFs' perceived and desired role in their children's health edification can inform initiatives that actively engage these men, and nurture their level of involvement, to promote positive health behaviors among their children; this is necessary to realize their potential to actively improve the health of their children, families, and communities.

The half-metallic ferromagnet NiMnSb a positron-annihilation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanssen, K.E.H.M.

1988-01-01

The electronic structure of NiMnSb is investigated by means of spin-polarized measurements of the angular correlation of annihilation radiation. NiMnSb is predicted to be a half metallic ferromagnet: the electrons of one spin direction are metallic, whereas the electrons of the opposite spin direction are semiconducting. The key question underlying this thesis was whether this is indeed true. After a general introduction the angular correlation set-up is described. The measurements are performed in a two-dimensional geometry, so that both angles in the angular correlation could be resolved. The measured distributions correspond to once-integrated two-photon momentum densities. By making use of the inherent partial polarization of the position beam and by aligning the electron-spin populations in the sample by means of an external magnetic field spin-polarized results can be obtained. After a short summary of the treatment of the (raw) angular-correlation data. The application of the Knorringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) formalism to the calculation of the two-photon momentum density is discussed. To interpret the NiMnSb data, the electronic structure, the Fermi surface and the two-photon momentum densities have been obtained once integrated along three different directions inimpulse space. The difference distributions show a clear impression of the majority-spin Fermi surface. A good quantitative overall agreement between theory and experiment is established. From this analysis a value for the three-photon difference effect in NiMnSb has been obtained. To test the half-metallic nature of the band structure the experimental distributions are compared with theoretical ones obtained from modelled band structures in which small numbers of electrons near the Fermi level are transported from one spin population to the other. 167 refs.; 27 figs.; 7 tabs

Exploratory Studies on Biomarkers: An Example Study on Brown Adipose Tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Masahiro; Yamazaki, Naoshi; Kataoka, Masatoshi; Shinohara, Yasuo

In mammals, two kinds of adipose tissue are known to exist, i.e., white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissue. The physiological role of WAT is storage of excess energy as fat, whereas that of BAT is the expenditure of excess energy as heat. The uncoupling protein UCP1, which is specifically expressed in brown fat mitochondria, dissipates the proton electrochemical potential across the inner mitochondrial membrane, known as a driving force of ATP synthesis, and thus it dissipates excess energy in a form of heat. Because deficiency in effective expenditure of excess energy causes accumulation of this energy in the form of fat (i.e., obesity), it is very important to understand the energy metabolism in this tissue for the development of anti-obesity drugs. In this article, in addition to providing a brief introduction to the functional properties of BAT and UCP1, the results of our exploratory studies on protein components involved in the energy-dissipating function in BAT.

Theoretical studies on the α decay half-lives of hyper and normal ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The α decay half-lives of hyper and normal isotopes of Po nuclei are studied in the present work. The inclusion of Λ – N interaction changes the half-life for α decay. The theoretical predictions on the α decay half-lives of normal Po isotopes are compared with experimental results and are seen to be matching well with each ...

Two-Year Institution Part-Time Nurse Faculty Experiences During Role Transition and Identity Development: A Phenomenological Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Rhoda A

This study explored two-year institution part-time nurse faculty's perceptions of their experiences during their role transitions from nurses in clinical practice to part-time clinical instructors. Part-time nurse faculty enter academia as expert clinicians, but most have little or no training in the pedagogy of effective student learning. A phenomenological study was used to explore the faculty role transition experiences. Findings support the proposition that six participants transitioned from their expert clinician to instructor identities; however, two continue in the process. Critical to this process are relationships with individuals in their environments, past and present experiences, the incentive to learn to be better instructors, and the importance of support and training. A model emerged, Process of Role Transition and Professional Identity Formation for Part-Time Clinical Instructors at Two-Year Institutions, that is potentially useful for administrators in developing individualized orientation and professional development programs.

Falling and fall risk factors in adults with haemophilia: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sammels, M; Vandesande, J; Vlaeyen, E; Peerlinck, K; Milisen, K

2014-11-01

Falls are a particular risk in persons with haemophilia (PWH) because of damaged joints, high risk of bleeding, possible impact on the musculoskeletal system and functioning and costs associated with treatment for these fall-related injuries. In addition, fall risk increases with age and PWH are increasingly entering the over 65 age group. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of falls during the past year and to explore which fall risk factors are present in community-dwelling PWH. Dutch speaking community-dwelling adults were included from the age of 40 years with severe or moderate haemophilia A or B, independent in their mobility and registered at the University Hospitals Leuven. They were asked to come to the haemophilia centre; otherwise a telephone survey was conducted. Demographic and social variables, medical variables, fall evaluation and clinical variables were queried. From the 89 PWH, 74 (83.1%) participated in the study. Twenty-four (32.4%) fell in the past year, and 10 of them (41.7%) more than once with an average of four falls. Living conditions, physical activity, avoidance of winter sports due to fear of falling, orthopaedic status, urinary incontinence and mobility impairments are potential fall risk factors in adult PWH. This exploratory study indicates that PWH are attentive to falling since they are at higher risk for falls and because of the serious consequences it might have. Screening and fall prevention should be stimulated in the daily practice of haemophilia care. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Decay Curves and Half-Lives of Gamma-Emitting States from a Study of Prompt Fission Gamma Radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albinsson, H [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (SE)

1971-04-15

Measurements were made on the time distributions of the prompt gamma radiation emitted from fragments in the thermal-neutron induced fission of 235U. The gamma radiation emitted during different time intervals after the fission event was studied with the help of a collimator, the position of which was changed along the path of the fragments. In this way decay curves were obtained from which half-lives could be estimated. Time components with half-lives of 7.5, 18 and 60 ps were found and their relative intensities were calculated. Half-lives and associated intensities are in good agreement with earlier data from uranium and californium fission. Problems involved in this type of study are discussed. The collimator technique has proved to be effective for determination of half lives down to less than 10 ps

Study on Growth Rhythm of Juveniles Cistolemmys Flavomarginata for One and Two Years Old

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Bin

Growth of one and two year old Cistolemmys flavomarginata is studied. In natural temperature and under artificial feeding condition, juvenile turtles grow for 180 days in Xinyang, one year old turtle average body weight increased from 18.1 g to 54.5 g, the relative growth rate is 204.1%, the absolute growth rate is 0.21. two year old turtle average body weight increased from 46.8 g to 101.1 g, the relative growth rate is 115.98%, the absolute growth rate is 0.30. But two year old turtle growth rate is slower than that of one year old turtle. The body weight, carapace length, carapace width, plastron length, plastron width and carapace high are correlated positively to daily age. The body weight growth equations of one and two year old turtles are deduced. Compared with other reptiles, whole growth cycle is grasped systemically by the growth patterns.

A Two-pronged Binding Mechanism of IgG to the Neonatal Fc Receptor Controls Complex Stability and IgG Serum Half-life

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Pernille Foged; Schoch, Angela; Larraillet, Vincent

2017-01-01

The success of recombinant monoclonal immunoglobulins (IgG) is rooted in their ability to target distinct antigens with high affinity combined with an extraordinarily long serum half-life, typically around 3 weeks. The pharmacokinetics of IgGs is intimately linked to the recycling mechanism...... half-life of ∼8 days. Here we dissect the molecular origins of excessive FcRn binding in therapeutic IgGs using a combination of hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and FcRn affinity chromatography. We provide experimental evidence for a two-pronged IgG-FcRn binding mechanism involving direct...

Kinetic instabilities of thin current sheets: Results of two-and-one-half-dimensional Vlasov code simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silin, I.; Buechner, J.

2003-01-01

Nonlinear triggering of the instability of thin current sheets is investigated by two-and-one-half- dimensional Vlasov code simulations. A global drift-resonant instability (DRI) is found, which results from the lower-hybrid-drift waves penetrating from the current sheet edges to the center where they resonantly interact with unmagnetized ions. This resonant nonlinear instability grows faster than a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability obtained in previous studies. The DRI is either asymmetric or symmetric mode or a combination of the two, depending on the relative phase of the lower-hybrid-drift waves at the edges of the current sheet. With increasing particle mass ratio the wavenumber of the fastest-growing mode increases as kL z ∼(m i /m e ) 1/2 /2 and the growth rate of the DRI saturates at a finite level

Electromagnetic diffraction by an impedance cylinder buried halfway between two half-spaces

KAUST Repository

Salem, Mohamed; Kamel, Aladin Hassan

2011-01-01

We consider the problem of electromagnetic diffraction from a cylinder with impedance surface and half-buried between two dielectric media. An arbitrary located electric dipole provides the excitation. The harmonic solution is presented as a series sum over a spectrum of a discrete-index Hankel transform, and the spectral amplitudes are determined by solving an infinite linear system of equations, which is constructed by applying the orthogonality relation of the 1D Green's function. © 2011 IEEE.

Electromagnetic diffraction by an impedance cylinder buried halfway between two half-spaces

KAUST Repository

Salem, Mohamed

2011-08-01

We consider the problem of electromagnetic diffraction from a cylinder with impedance surface and half-buried between two dielectric media. An arbitrary located electric dipole provides the excitation. The harmonic solution is presented as a series sum over a spectrum of a discrete-index Hankel transform, and the spectral amplitudes are determined by solving an infinite linear system of equations, which is constructed by applying the orthogonality relation of the 1D Green\\'s function. © 2011 IEEE.

Nursing Administrators' Views on Oral Health in Long-Term Care Facilities: An exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Urata, Janelle Y; Couch, Elizabeth T; Walsh, Margaret M; Rowe, Dorothy J

2018-04-01

Purpose: To explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of supervising nurse administrators (SNAs) regarding the oral care provided to long-term care facility (LTCF) residents and the role of dental professionals in those facilities. Methods: The investigators of this study partnered with the National Association of Nursing Administrators to send this cross-sectional study consisting of a 35-item electronic survey to its members whose email addresses were in their database. Online software tabulated responses and calculated frequencies (percentages) of responses for each survey item. Results: Of the 2,359 potential participants, 171 (n=171) completed the survey for a 7% response rate. Only 25% of the respondents were familiar with the expertise of dental hygienists (DHs), however once informed, the majority were interested in having DHs perform oral health staff trainings, oral screenings, and dental referrals and initiate fluoride varnish programs. Most respondents correctly answered the oral health-related knowledge items, understood that oral health is important to general health, but reported that the LTCF residents' oral health was only "good" or "fair." Fewer than half, (48%) of the SNAs were "very satisfied" with the quality of oral care provided to the residents. While more than half reported that they had no dentist on staff or on-site dental equipment, 77% reported that they would consider on-site mobile oral care services. Oral health training for staff was provided primarily by registered nurses, however only 32% reported including identification of dental caries as part of the in-service training. Conclusion: This exploratory study lays the foundation for more extensive research investigating various strategies to improve the oral health of LTCF residents, including increased collaboration between DHs and SNAs. Copyright © 2018 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Mining concepts of health responsibility using text mining and exploratory graph analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kjellström, Sofia; Golino, Hudson

2018-05-24

Occupational therapists need to know about people's beliefs about personal responsibility for health to help them pursue everyday activities. The study aims to employ state-of-the-art quantitative approaches to understand people's views of health and responsibility at different ages. A mixed method approach was adopted, using text mining to extract information from 233 interviews with participants aged 5 to 96 years, and then exploratory graph analysis to estimate the number of latent variables. The fit of the structure estimated via the exploratory graph analysis was verified using confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory graph analysis estimated three dimensions of health responsibility: (1) creating good health habits and feeling good; (2) thinking about one's own health and wanting to improve it; and 3) adopting explicitly normative attitudes to take care of one's health. The comparison between the three dimensions among age groups showed, in general, that children and adolescents, as well as the old elderly (>73 years old) expressed ideas about personal responsibility for health less than young adults, adults and young elderly. Occupational therapists' knowledge of the concepts of health responsibility is of value when working with a patient's health, but an identified challenge is how to engage children and older persons.

College Students and Yik Yak: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cathlin V. Clark-Gordon

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This study, employing an exploratory mixed-methods approach, explores college students’ use of Yik Yak, a pseudo-anonymous social media platform that allows users to post short messages and engage primarily with other nearby users. Study 1 qualitatively examined student uses and perceptions of the app through 12 in-depth interviews with Yik Yak users. Study 2 conducted a content analysis of yaks ( N = 3,905 from 24 colleges and universities to gain a better understanding of the content that students post and engage with inside the app. The combination of qualitative and quantitative findings offers insight into the complex phenomena of Yik Yak in a university setting. Limitations and future directions of research are discussed.

A systems relations model for Tier 2 early intervention child mental health services with schools: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Roosmalen, Marc; Gardner-Elahi, Catherine; Day, Crispin

2013-01-01

Over the last 15 years, policy initiatives have aimed at the provision of more comprehensive Child and Adolescent Mental Health care. These presented a series of new challenges in organising and delivering Tier 2 child mental health services, particularly in schools. This exploratory study aimed to examine and clarify the service model underpinning a Tier 2 child mental health service offering school-based mental health work. Using semi-structured interviews, clinician descriptions of operational experiences were gathered. These were analysed using grounded theory methods. Analysis was validated by respondents at two stages. A pathway for casework emerged that included a systemic consultative function, as part of an overall three-function service model, which required: (1) activity as a member of the multi-agency system; (2) activity to improve the system working around a particular child; and (3) activity to universally develop a Tier 1 workforce confident in supporting children at risk of or experiencing mental health problems. The study challenged the perception of such a service serving solely a Tier 2 function, the requisite workforce to deliver the service model, and could give service providers a rationale for negotiating service models that include an explicit focus on improving the children's environments.

Breast-feeding perceptions, beliefs and experiences of Marshallese migrants: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Allison; Shreve, Marilou; Ayers, Britni; McElfish, Pearl Anna

2016-11-01

To determine perceptions, beliefs and experiences affecting breast-feeding in Marshallese mothers residing in Northwest Arkansas, USA. A qualitative, exploratory study using a brief survey and focus groups. Marshallese women, 18 years or older who had a child under 7 years of age, were included in the study. Community-based organization in Northwest Arkansas. The majority of mothers viewed breast milk as superior to formula, but had concerns about adequate milk supply and the nutritional value of their milk. The primary barriers to exclusive breast-feeding in the USA included public shaming (both verbal and non-verbal), perceived milk production and quality, and maternal employment. These barriers are not reported in the Marshall Islands and are encountered only after moving to the USA. Breast-feeding mothers rely heavily on familial support, especially the eldest female, who may not reside in the USA. The influence of institutions, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, is strong and may negatively affect breast-feeding. Despite the belief that breast milk is the healthiest option, breast-feeding among Marshallese mothers is challenged by numerous barriers they encounter as they assimilate to US cultural norms. The barriers and challenges, along with the strong desire to assimilate to US culture, impact Marshallese mothers' perceptions, beliefs and experiences with breast-feeding.

The patient’s voice: an exploratory study of the impact of a group self-management support program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johnston Sharon

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Given the potential value of self-management support programs for people with chronic diseases, it is vital to understand how they influence participants’ health attitudes and behaviours. The Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP, the most well-known and widely studied such program, is funded in many provinces and jurisdictions throughout Canada. However, there is little published evidence on its impact in the Canadian health-care system. We studied participants’ reactions and perceived impacts of attending the Stanford program in one Ontario health region so we could assess its value to the health region. The study asked: What are participants’ reactions and perceived impacts of attending the Stanford CDSMP? Methods This mixed methods exploratory study held four focus groups approximately one year after participants attended a Stanford program workshop. At the beginning of each session, participants filled out a survey on the type and frequency of community and health resources used for their self-management. During the sessions, a moderator guided the discussion, asking about such things as long-term impact of the program on their lives and barriers to self-management of their chronic conditions. Results Participants perceived diverse effects of the workshop: from having a profound impact on one area to affecting all aspects of their lives. A change in physical activity patterns was the most prominent behaviour change, noted by over half the participants. Other recurrent effects included an improved sense of social connection and better coping skills. Barriers to self-management were experienced by almost all participants with several dominant themes emerging including problems with the health system and patient-physician interaction. Participants reported a wide variety of resources used in their self-management, and in some cases, an increase in use was noted for some resources. Conclusions Self

Organic Chemistry Educators' Perspectives on Fundamental Concepts and Misconceptions: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Duis, Jennifer M.

2011-01-01

An exploratory study was conducted with 23 organic chemistry educators to discover what general chemistry concepts they typically review, the concepts they believe are fundamental to introductory organic chemistry, the topics students find most difficult in the subject, and the misconceptions they observe in undergraduate organic chemistry…

An Exploratory Study of Group Therapy for Sexually Abused Adolescents and Nonoffending Guardians

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Amanda P.; Kelly, Adrian B.

2008-01-01

Adolescent survivors of sexual abuse frequently report severe trauma, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. While cognitive-behavioral group interventions show promise, interpreting efficacy is problematic due to commonly high attrition. This article reports promising exploratory study findings relating to a 12-week multimodal abuse-specific…

Functional analysis of the exploratory studies facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffy, M.A.; Mozhi, T.A.; Kumar, P.N.; Senderling, M.S.; Lemeshewsky, W.A.

1993-01-01

The 'Physical System Requirements - Exploratory Studies Facility' (PSR-ESF) was developed as part of an improved management structure and procedure initiative by the OCRWM for managing the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes. This paper discusses the development of the PSR-EF document. Based on a functional analysis approach, this document includes results in the form of boundary diagrams, function hierarchy trees, function description tables containing a compilation of requirements, architecture tree and tables, and functional flow diagrams. The approach used ensures the flowdown and traceability of relevant requirements for the ESF design process

Sex- and age-related differences in half-marathon performance and competitiveness in the world's largest half-marathon - the GöteborgsVarvet.

Science.gov (United States)

Knechtle, B; Nikolaidis, P T

2018-01-01

In road runners, the age-related performance decline has been well investigated for marathoners, but little is known for half-marathoners. We analysed data from 138,616 runners (48,148 women and 90,469 men) competing between 2014 and 2016 in GöteborgsVarvet, the world's largest half-marathon. The men-to-women ratio in participants increased with age, the fastest race times were observed in age groups ˂35 and 35-39 years in women and in age group 35-39 years in men, the main effect of sex and the sex × age group interaction on race time were trivial, and the competitiveness was denser in men and in the younger age groups. In summary, in half-marathon running in the largest half-marathon in the world, the GöteborgsVarvet, women achieved the fastest race time at an earlier age compared to men where the fastest race times were observed in women in age groups ˂35 and 35-39 years and in men in age group 35-39 years.

Study of the two-dimensional Hubbard model at half-filling through constructive methods; Etude du modele de Hubbard bidimensionnel a demi remplissage par des methodes constructives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Afchain, St

2005-02-15

The Hubbard model is the simplest model to describe the behaviour of fermions on a network, it takes into account only fermion scattering and only interactions with other fermions located on the same site. Half-filling means that the total number of fermions is equal to half the number of sites. In the first chapter we show how we can pass trough successive approximations from a very general Hamiltonian to the Hubbard Hamiltonian. The second chapter is dedicated to the passage from the Hamiltonian formalism to the Grassmanian functional formalism. The main idea is to show that the correlation functions of the Hamiltonian approach can be described through fermionic functional integrals which implies the possibility of speaking of the model in terms of field theory. The chapter 3 deals with the main constructive techniques that allow the strict and consistent construction of models inside the frame of field theory. We show by proving the violation of a condition concerning self-energy, that the two-dimensional Hubbard model at half-filling has not the behaviour of a Fermi liquid in the Landau's interpretation. (A.C.)

Coal mining in Spain: first half year 1986

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1986-01-01

Statistical data from the first half of 1986 on coal mining in Spain. These figures cover anthracite, bituminous coal and lignite both nationally and for the coal-producing regions of Leon, Asturias, Palencia, Teruel and La Coruna. Special attention is paid to absenteeism and its causes.

A Rare Pontine Neuro-ophthalmic Syndrome: Eight-and-a-Half Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esra Eruyar

2017-06-01

Full Text Available One-and-a half syndrome is seen in paramedian pontine lesions, and may also co-exist with cranial nerve paralysis. This clinical situation is called eight-and-a-half syndrome when facial nerve paralysis also accompanies this manifestation. A man aged 38 years was admitted with symptoms of sudden-onset binocular diplopia and dizziness. The patient had no known co-morbidities. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed a small-sized infarct in the left paramedian pontine tegmentum posterior area. In his neuro-ophthalmologic examination, total paresis of left eye horizontal movements, mild lateral deviation, and monocular nystagmus during abduction of the right eye were observed. The patient also had peripheral facial paralysis on the left side; therefore, no signs of motor deficit of his extremities were examined. Eight-and-a-half syndrome is a rare disorder that is seen in localized-small pons lesions, mostly accompanied by infarcts. This clinical manifestation is called eight-and-a-half syndrome and arises within lesions in both the parapontine reticular formation and the medial longitudinal fasciculus in the inferior pons tegmentum where horizontal eye movements are controlled, and facial axons adjacent to the nucleus of the sixth nerve. We wanted to present this case to emphasize this rare situation

Music Educators' Self-Perceptions of Interpersonal Skills: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Sandra A.; Seaver, Karen J.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to measure music educators' ("N" = 9) self-perceptions of their use of interpersonal skills. Participants rated themselves on 32 statements included on the "My Use of Interpersonal Skills Inventory" in pre- and posttest formats. Participants participated in a 4-week period of weekly…

Oscillations in a half-empty bottle

Science.gov (United States)

Bourges, Andréane; Chardac, Amélie; Caussarieu, Aude; Plihon, Nicolas; Taberlet, Nicolas

2018-02-01

When a half-empty bottle of water is pushed to roll on a flat surface, the oscillations of the fluid inside the bottle induce an overall jerky motion. These velocity fluctuations of the bottle are studied through simple laboratory experiments accessible to undergraduate students and can help them to grasp fundamental concepts in mechanics and hydrodynamics. We first demonstrate through an astute experiment that the rotation of the fluid and the bottle is decoupled. The equations of motion are then derived using a mechanical approach, while the hydrodynamics of the fluid motion is explained. Finally, the theory is tested against two benchmark experiments.

Exploratory studies, 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-03-01

The Exploratory Studies Group is dedicated to advanced investigation of accelerators and radiation, primarily in the area of charged-particle beams and photon beams. Its primary mission is to explore the next steps in the development of particle accelerators and storage rings, which are important both for high-energy physics and for the wide range of disciplines now turning to synchrotron-radiation sources and free-electron lasers. Our research is therefore deeply committed to LBL's institutional goal of becoming a center for the generation and use of coherent and incoherent electromagnetic radiation of exceptional brightness, as well as for generic research on the future development of accelerators. A significant fraction of our effort is dedicated to general accelerator-physics research for facilities on the immediate horizon, but a vital part of our activities comprises research into exotic possibilities for charged-particle production, accumulation, acceleration, and storage. During this report period, we were proncipally involved in four general areas of study: Accelerator-physics research for the Advanced Light Source, the 1-2 GeV synchrotron radiation source now under construction at LBL. In collaboration with the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, both the conceptual and the detailed design of PEP-II, an energy-asymmetric electron-positron collider, based on the PEP ring at SLAC and designed to serve as a B-meson factory. Studies of ultraviolet and infrared free-electron lasers based on linear accelerators and storage rings, in particular the conceptual design of an infrared free-electron laser for the proposed Chemical Dynamics Research Laboratory at LBL. Generic high-energy accelerator-physics and photon-beam research directed far into the future to envision facilities that would employ new techniques of particle-beam acceleration and storage and photon-beam generation

African-American Fathers’ Perspectives on Their Children’s Health Education: A Qualitative, Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Odum, Mary; Smith, Matthew Lee; McKyer, E. Lisako J.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To investigate African-American fathers’ (AAF) perceptions regarding the applicability and need for their involvement as a health connection for their children and describe how participating fathers’ behavior was affected by their attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of their influence on their children’s health. Methods: This exploratory study gathered data via semi-structured focus groups (n = 3) and thematically analyzed it utilizing a grounded theory approach. Participants included AAF (n = 20) with a mean age of 37 years (SD 11.79), with at least one child between 6 and 18 years old. Results: Four major themes were revealed: (1) appropriate health education for participants’ children (should first and foremost be delivered by parents); (2) participants’ paternal health-related guidance approach (reactive, rather than proactive); (3) participants’ perceived influences on health-related communication with their children (gender roles, efficacy constraints); and (4) paternal definitions of health (most often associated with diet). Conclusion: Understanding AAFs’ perceived and desired role in their children’s health edification can inform initiatives that actively engage these men, and nurture their level of involvement, to promote positive health behaviors among their children; this is necessary to realize their potential to actively improve the health of their children, families, and communities. PMID:25538938

African American fathers’ perspectives on their children’s health education: A qualitative, exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary eOdum

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To investigate African American fathers’ perceptions regarding the applicability and need for their involvement as a health connection for their children and describe how participating fathers’ behavior was affected by their attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of their influence on their children’s health.Methods: This exploratory study gathered data via semi-structured focus groups (n=3 and thematically analyzed it utilizing a grounded theory approach. Participants included African American fathers (n=20 with a mean age of 37 years (SD 11.79, with at least one child between 6-18 years old.Results: Four major themes were revealed: (1 appropriate health education for participants’ children (should first and foremost be delivered by parents; (2 participants’ paternal health-related guidance approach (reactive, rather than proactive; (3 participants’ perceived influences on health-related communication with their children (gender roles, efficacy constraints; and (4 paternal definitions of health (most often associated with diet.Conclusion: Understanding African American fathers’ perceived and desired role in their children’s health edification can inform initiatives that actively engage these men, and nurture their level of involvement, to promote positive health behaviors among their children; this is necessary to realize their potential to actively improve the health of their children, families, and communities.

FFTF operations - 1980 - a year of achievement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newland, D.J.; Bliss, R.J.

1981-01-01

The year 1980 saw FFTF achieve initial criticality, proceed through an intense maintenance and system testing period, and achieve a remarkably successful two-day full power (400 MW) demonstration run. These achievements were preceded by two and one-half years of plant startup activity

Exploratory case-control study of brain tumors in adults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burch, J.D.; Craib, K.J.; Choi, B.C.; Miller, A.B.; Risch, H.A.; Howe, G.R.

1987-01-01

An exploratory study of brain tumors in adults was carried out using 215 cases diagnosed in Southern Ontario between 1979 and 1982, with an individually matched, hospital control series. Significantly elevated risks were observed for reported use of spring water, drinking of wine, and consumption of pickled fish, together with a significant protective effect for the regular consumption of any of several types of fruit. While these factors are consistent with a role for N-nitroso compounds in the etiology of these tumors, for several other factors related to this hypothesis, no association was observed. Occupation in the rubber industry was associated with a significant relative risk of 9.0, though no other occupational associations were seen. Two previously unreported associations were with smoking nonfilter cigarettes with a significant trend and with the use of hair dyes or sprays. The data do not support an association between physical head trauma requiring medical attention and risk of brain tumors and indicate that exposure to ionizing radiation and vinyl chloride monomer does not contribute any appreciable fraction of attributable risk in the population studied. The findings warrant further detailed investigation in future epidemiologic studies

How much might additional half a degree from a global warming of 1.5°C affects the extreme precipitation change in China?

Science.gov (United States)

Li, W.; Jiang, Z.

2017-12-01

In order to strengthen the global respond to the dangerous of global warming, Paris Agreement sets out two long-term warming goals: limiting global warming to well below 2˚C and purse effort to below 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels. However, future climate change risks in those two warming targets show significant regional differences. This article aims to study the intensity and frequency of extreme precipitation change over China under those two global warming targets by using CMIP5 models under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenario. Focus is put on the effects of the additional half degree in changing the extreme precipitation. Results show that the changes of extreme precipitation are independent of the RCP scenarios when global warming reaches the same threshold. Intensity of extreme precipitation averaged over China increase by around 6% and 11% when global warming reaches 1.5˚C and 2˚C, respectively. The additional half a degree increase makes the intensity of extreme precipitation averaged over China to increase by 4.5%, which translates to an increase close to the Clausius-Clapeyron scaling. Return period decreases by 5 years for the extra half degree warming when the 20-year return values are considered at the reference level.

Simultaneous optical digital half-subtraction and -addition using SOAs and a PPLN waveguide.

Science.gov (United States)

McGeehan, John E; Kumar, Saurabh; Willner, Alan E

2007-04-30

We demonstrate an optical half-subtracter and half-adder module that performs simultaneous bit-wise subtraction and addition of two 5 Gbit/s RZ data streams. We generate Borrow (/X*Y) and Difference/Sum (X plus sign in circleY, or XOR) outputs using cross-gain modulation (XGM) in two parallel SOAs. Taking advantage of the gain saturation inherent to SOAs, we generate two signals, /X*Y, and X*/Y, and combine them using a passive optical coupler to generate the XOR Difference/Sum output. We use difference-frequency-generation-based lambda-conversion in a PPLN waveguide to generate the Carry (X*Y) output. The PPLN waveguide allows bit-synchronous wavelength shifting, is wide-bandwidth, and offers no intrinsic chirp. Our module uses three active elements to perform simultaneous half-subtraction and addition, and carries a maximum power penalty of 1.0 dB.

Vacancy induced half-metallicity in half-Heusler semiconductors

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Zhiyong

2011-09-28

First-principles calculations are performed to investigate the effect of vacancies on the electronic structure and magnetic properties of the two prototypical half-Heusler semiconductors NiTiSn and CoTiSb. The spin degeneracy of the host materials is broken for all types of isolated vacancies under consideration, except for Ni-deficient NiTiSn. A half-metallic character is identified in Sn-deficient NiTiSn and Co/Ti/Sb-deficient CoTiSb. We can explain our findings by introducing an extending Slater-Pauling rule for systems with defects. A ferromagnetic ordering of the local moments due to double exchange appears to be likely.

Does Self-Image Matter? Client's Self-Image, Behaviour and Evaluation of a Career Counselling Session: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Schedin, Gunnar; Armelius, Kerstin

2008-01-01

This exploratory study addresses differences in self-image as a client characteristic in career counselling by using the Structural Analysis of Social Behaviour (Benjamin, L., "Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology," 64(6), 1203-1212, 1996; Benjamin, L., "Journal of Personality Assessment," 66(2), 248-266, 1996) and an adaptation…

An exploratory digital analysis of the early years of G. Stanley Hall's American Journal of Psychology and Pedagogical Seminary.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Jacy L; Green, Christopher D

2013-11-01

In this article, we present the results of an exploratory digital analysis of the contents of the two journals founded in the late 19th century by American psychologist G. Stanley Hall. Using the methods of the increasingly popular digital humanities, some key attributes of the American Journal of Psychology (AJP) and the Pedagogical Seminary (PS) are identified. Our analysis reaffirms some of Hall's explicit aims for the two periodicals, while also revealing a number of other features of the journals, as well as of the people who published within their pages, the methodologies they employed, and the institutions at which they worked. Notably, despite Hall's intent that his psychological journal be strictly an outlet for scientific research, the journal-like its sister pedagogically focused publication-included an array of methodologically diverse research. The multiplicity of research styles that characterize the content of Hall's journals in their initial years is, in part, a consequence of individual researchers at times crossing methodological lines and producing a diverse body of research. Along with such variety within each periodical, it is evident that the line between content appropriate to one periodical rather than the other was fluid rather than absolute. The full results of this digitally informed analysis of Hall's two journals suggest a number of novel avenues for future research and demonstrate the utility of digital methods as applied to the history of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

Work-related experiences of head and neck cancer survivors: an exploratory and descriptive qualitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dewa, Carolyn S.; Trojanowski, Lucy; Tamminga, Sietske J.; Ringash, Jolie; McQuestion, Maurene; Hoch, Jeffrey S.

2017-01-01

This exploratory and descriptive study contributes to the growing knowledge about the return-to-work (RTW) experience of head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. Viewing RTW as a process, participants were asked to consider the work-related experience with HNC at different phases: (1) at

TWITTER AS A TOOL OF PARA-DIPLOMACY: AN EXPLORATORY COHORT STUDY BASED ON CATALONIA (2013-2017

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias Erlandsen

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This exploratory cohort study investigated the phenomenon of Digital Diplomacy by sub-state actors within the field of para-diplomacy, specifically the use of social media platforms by Catalonian Secretaries and Delegates of the Generalitat, and in particular how they use Twitter for the international promotion of its independence and/or its nation branding. A stratified significant sample of each year between 2013 and 2017 was collected using R software, and then analyzed using Nvivo. The methodology was based on Abela (2001, Krippendorff (2004, and Neuendorf (2002. The data shows that both Catalan public servants as well as its Delegates Abroad, use Twitter mostly for personal use. However, when analyzing only the contents about international or intermestic topics, it is observed that there is a tendency to publish topics related to independence rather than national brand.

Social sustainability in developing country suppliers : an exploratory study in the readymade garments industry of Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Huq, Fahian; Stevenson, Mark; Zorzini, Marta

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate why developing country suppliers are adopting socially sustainable practices and how the implementation process is both impeded and enabled. Design/methodology/approach: A multi-case study approach is adopted based on four ready made garment (RMG) industry suppliers in Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi buying houses of two large UK retailers. The primary mode of data collection is exploratory face-to-face interviews with 14 senior representati...

An Exploratory Study of Student Satisfaction with University Web Page Design

Science.gov (United States)

Gundersen, David E.; Ballenger, Joe K.; Crocker, Robert M.; Scifres, Elton L.; Strader, Robert

2013-01-01

This exploratory study evaluates the satisfaction of students with a web-based information system at a medium-sized regional university. The analysis provides a process for simplifying data interpretation in captured student user feedback. Findings indicate that student classifications, as measured by demographic and other factors, determine…

Trilingual Code-Switching Using Quantitative Lenses: An Exploratory Study on Hokaglish

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzales, Wilkinson Daniel Wong

2016-01-01

Adopting a quantitative approach, this paper highlights findings of an exploratory study on Hokaglish, initially describing it as a trilingual code-switching phenomenon involving Hokkien, Tagalog, and English in a Filipino-Chinese enclave in Binondo, Manila, the Philippines. Departing from the (socio)linguistic landscape of the archipelagic…

Schools, Air Pollution, and Active Transportation: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Calgary, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertazzon, Stefania; Shahid, Rizwan

2017-07-25

An exploratory spatial analysis investigates the location of schools in Calgary (Canada) in relation to air pollution and active transportation options. Air pollution exhibits marked spatial variation throughout the city, along with distinct spatial patterns in summer and winter; however, all school locations lie within low to moderate pollution levels. Conversely, the study shows that almost half of the schools lie in low walkability locations; likewise, transitability is low for 60% of schools, and only bikability is widespread, with 93% of schools in very bikable locations. School locations are subsequently categorized by pollution exposure and active transportation options. This analysis identifies and maps schools according to two levels of concern: schools in car-dependent locations and relatively high pollution; and schools in locations conducive of active transportation, yet exposed to relatively high pollution. The findings can be mapped and effectively communicated to the public, health practitioners, and school boards. The study contributes with an explicitly spatial approach to the intra-urban public health literature. Developed for a moderately polluted city, the methods can be extended to more severely polluted environments, to assist in developing spatial public health policies to improve respiratory outcomes, neurodevelopment, and metabolic and attention disorders in school-aged children.

Schools, Air Pollution, and Active Transportation: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Calgary, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Bertazzon, Stefania; Shahid, Rizwan

2017-01-01

An exploratory spatial analysis investigates the location of schools in Calgary (Canada) in relation to air pollution and active transportation options. Air pollution exhibits marked spatial variation throughout the city, along with distinct spatial patterns in summer and winter; however, all school locations lie within low to moderate pollution levels. Conversely, the study shows that almost half of the schools lie in low walkability locations; likewise, transitability is low for 60% of schools, and only bikability is widespread, with 93% of schools in very bikable locations. School locations are subsequently categorized by pollution exposure and active transportation options. This analysis identifies and maps schools according to two levels of concern: schools in car-dependent locations and relatively high pollution; and schools in locations conducive of active transportation, yet exposed to relatively high pollution. The findings can be mapped and effectively communicated to the public, health practitioners, and school boards. The study contributes with an explicitly spatial approach to the intra-urban public health literature. Developed for a moderately polluted city, the methods can be extended to more severely polluted environments, to assist in developing spatial public health policies to improve respiratory outcomes, neurodevelopment, and metabolic and attention disorders in school-aged children. PMID:28757577

Influence of Age on Clinical Performance of Mandibular Two-Implant Overdentures : A 10-Year Prospective Comparative Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoeksema, Arie R.; Visser, Anita; Raghoebar, Gerry M.; Vissink, Arjan; Meijer, Henny J. A.

Purpose: The aim of this prospective comparative study was to assess whether age has influence on peri-implant health in patients treated with mandibular two-implant overdentures during a 10-year evaluation period. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was carried out with two groups of

Learning, Memory, and Executive Function in New MDMA Users: A Two-Year Follow-up Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel eWagner

2015-12-01

Full Text Available 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA is associated with changes in neurocognitive performance. Recent studies in laboratory animals have provided additional support for the neurodegeneration hypothesis. However, results from animal research need to be applied to humans with caution. Moreover, several of the studies that examine MDMA users suffer from methodological shortcomings. Therefore, a prospective cohort study was designed in order to overcome these previous methodological shortcomings and to assess the relationship between the continuing use of MDMA and cognitive performance in incipient MDMA users. It was hypothesized that, depending on the amount of MDMA taken, the continued use of MDMA over a two-year period would lead to further decreases in cognitive performance, especially in visual paired association learning tasks. 96 subjects were assessed at the second follow-up assessment: 31 of these were non-users, 55 moderate-users and 10 heavy-users. Separate repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted for each cognitive domain, including attention and information processing speed, episodic memory and executive functioning. Furthermore, possible confounders including age, general intelligence, cannabis use, alcohol use, use of other concomitant substances, recent medical treatment, participation in sports, level of nutrition, sleep patterns and subjective well-being were assessed.The Repeated measures analysis of variance (rANOVA revealed that a marginally significant change in immediate and delayed recall test performances of visual paired associates learning had taken place within the follow-up period of two years. No significant differences with the other neuropsychological tests were noted. It seems that MDMA use can impair visual paired associates learning in new users. However, in the recent study, further deterioration in continuing MDMA-users was not observed.

Characteristics and variability of half-sib progeny as the base for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The analysis of several morphological traits and phenotypic characteristics of ginkgo seedlings in juvenile tests with half-sib lines in two successive years provide the bases for further planting stock breeding and production for the purposes of urban coenoses and for the establishment of target plantations of this species.

Does power mobility training impact a child's mastery motivation and spectrum of EEG activity? An exploratory project.

Science.gov (United States)

Kenyon, Lisa K; Farris, John P; Aldrich, Naomi J; Rhodes, Samhita

2017-08-30

The purposes of this exploratory project were: (1) to evaluate the impact of power mobility training with a child who has multiple, severe impairments and (2) to determine if the child's spectrum of electroencephalography (EEG) activity changed during power mobility training. A single-subject A-B-A-B research design was conducted with a four-week duration for each phase. Two target behaviours were explored: (1) mastery motivation assessed via the dimensions of mastery questionnaire (DMQ) and (2) EEG data collected under various conditions. Power mobility skills were also assessed. The participant was a three-year, two-month-old girl with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, gross motor function classification system level V. Each target behaviour was measured weekly. During intervention phases, power mobility training was provided. Improvements were noted in subscale scores of the DMQ. Short-term and long-term EEG changes were also noted. Improvements were noted in power mobility skills. The participant in this exploratory project demonstrated improvements in power mobility skill and function. EEG data collection procedures and variability in an individual's EEG activity make it difficult to determine if the participant's spectrum of EEG activity actually changed in response to power mobility training. Additional studies are needed to investigate the impact of power mobility training on the spectrum of EEG activity in children who have multiple, severe impairments. Implications for Rehabilitation Power mobility training appeared to be beneficial for a child with multiple, severe impairments though the child may never become an independent, community-based power wheelchair user. Electroencephalography may be a valuable addition to the study of power mobility use in children with multiple, severe impairments. Power mobility training appeared to impact mastery motivation (the internal drive to solve complex problems and master new skills) in a child who has multiple

Half term report

CERN Multimedia

2011-01-01

This week marks the mid-point of my mandate as Director General, so what better time to take stock of the last two and a half years and look forward to the next?    On the surface, the report is good. The LHC is performing well, Council has just approved our medium term plan, and the there seem to be few clouds on CERN’s long-term horizon. It’s precisely at times like this, however, that complacency would be most dangerous. The world is still in the grip of an economic crisis, and recovery in our Member States is slow. CERN is still in debt, as are our social security systems. We are working on this, but these factors need constant and careful attention. While we need to remain vigilant, I’d like to focus on the positives for my mid term message. Let’s start with the LHC. The machine’s performance this year has been fantastic. We achieved our target luminosity for the year in June, which augurs well for the summer conferences. I don&r...

An exploratory mixed-methods crossover study comparing DVD- vs. Web-based patient decision support in three conditions: The importance of patient perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Halley, Meghan C; Rendle, Katharine A S; Gillespie, Katherine A; Stanley, Katherine M; Frosch, Dominick L

2015-12-01

The last 15 years have witnessed considerable progress in the development of decision support interventions (DESIs). However, fundamental questions about design and format of delivery remain. An exploratory, randomized mixed-method crossover study was conducted to compare a DVD- and Web-based DESI. Randomized participants used either the Web or the DVD first, followed by the alternative format. Participants completed a questionnaire to assess decision-specific knowledge at baseline and a questionnaire and structured qualitative interview after viewing each format. Tracking software was used to capture Web utilization. Transcripts were analyzed using integrated inductive and deductive approaches. Quantitative data were analyzed using exploratory bivariate and multivariate analyses. Exploratory knowledge analyses suggest that both formats increased knowledge, with limited evidence that the DVD increased knowledge more than the Web. Format preference varied across participants: 44% preferred the Web, 32% preferred the DVD and 24% preferred 'both'. Patient discussions of preferences for DESI information structure and the importance of a patients' stage of a given decision suggest these characteristics may be important factors underlying variation in utilization, format preferences and knowledge outcomes. Our results suggest that both DESI formats effectively increase knowledge. Patients' perceptions of these two formats further suggest that there may be no single 'best' format for all patients. These results have important implications for understanding why different DESI formats might be preferable to and more effective for different patients. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between these factors and DESI utilization outcomes across diverse patient populations. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Municipalities' opinions about decontamination in special decontamination area. Records from four and a half years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawasaki, Kota

2016-01-01

This study discusses opinions of 11 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture designated as Special Decontamination Area as of the end of September 2015, about four and a half years afters the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. This study shows that (1) more than half of the municipalities recognize that decontamination activities of the national government which is responsible for decontamination in Special Decontamination Area are inadequate, (2) most municipalities recognize that residents cannot live their lives with a sense of safety and security unless air radiation dose is reduced to the level before the accident or less than 0.23 μSv/h, (3) many municipalities recognize that residents will not be able to live their lives with a sense of safety and security even if the national government implements decontamination, (4) municipalities points out 'decontamination of forests or rivers and reconsideration of decontamination methods of forests or rivers', 'securement and maintenance of temporary storage site' and 'setting forth a numeric target concerning decontamination and implementation of additional decontamination after the first decontamination' as issues for the promotion of decontamination, and (5) all the municipalities recognize that that there are a lot of problems concerning the installation of interim storage facilities by the national government. (author)

Outcomes assessment of science & engineering doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) programs: An exploratory study of prospective influencers in distinguished graduate placement

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Louise M.

This exploratory study was an investigation of the mission and emphases of twenty-two science & engineering doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) programs in ten fields of study at nine public research universities in the United States and the corresponding influence those factors impose on placement of Ph.D. graduates of those programs into academic program settings. Ph.D. program chairs participated via protocol to provide descriptive, statistical, and experiential details of their Ph.D. programs and offered insight on current conditions for academic placement opportunities. The quantitative analysis served as the basis of examination of influencers in graduate placement for those Ph.D. programs that are informed about placement activity of their graduates. Among the nine tested hypotheses there were no statistically significant findings. The qualitative expressions of this study---those found in the confounding variables, the limitations of the study, those questions that elicited opinions and further discussion and follow-up queries with program chairs---added most meaningfully, however, to the study in that they served as a gauge of the implications of neglect for those Ph.D. programs that remain uninformed about their graduate placement activity. Central to the findings of this study was that one compelling fact remains the same. Denecke, Director of Best Practice at the Council of Graduate Schools, pointed out years ago that just as "we know very little about why those who finish and why those who leave do so, we also know surprisingly little about where students go after their degrees...we therefore have little information about how effective doctoral programs are in preparing doctorates for short- and long-term career success." The fact remains that the effectiveness of doctoral programs in the context of career success is just as uncertain today. A serious admonition is that one-half of those programs that participated in this study remain uninformed about the

Systematic study of α-decay half-lives using Royer and related formula

Science.gov (United States)

Akrawy, Dashty T.; Hassanabadi, H.; Hosseini, S. S.; Santhosh, K. P.

2018-03-01

The alpha decay half-lives of 356 isotopes were studied using the Royer and related Formula and are compared with experimental data. The study shows that the predicted half-lives match well with experimental data over a wide range for each (Z , N) parity of the parent nuclei. We have calculated the standard deviation of log10 ⁡Tα (s), for each formula and our study indicate that, for alpha decay studies, generally, analytical ℓ-dependent formula proposed by Royer, with σRB = 0.4373, is the best model followed by the formula proposed by Denisov and Khudenko (DK), σDK = 0.4743 for all 356 nuclei. We hope the present study is a clear indicator of the predictive power of Royer and related formula.

Hidden multiplicity in exploratory multiway ANOVA: Prevalence and remedies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cramer, A.O.J.; van Ravenzwaaij, D.; Matzke, D.; Steingroever, H.; Wetzels, R.; Grasman, R.P.P.P.; Waldorp, L.J.; Wagenmakers, E.-J.

2016-01-01

Many psychologists do not realize that exploratory use of the popular multiway analysis of variance harbors a multiple-comparison problem. In the case of two factors, three separate null hypotheses are subject to test (i.e., two main effects and one interaction). Consequently, the probability of at

Exploratory wine consumer behavior in a transitional market: The case of Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Schaefer

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates exploratory behavior among wine consumers in Poland where the country's wine culture is in a state of rapid change. This study investigates the extent to which demographics, values, and wine preferences relate to exploratory behavior.Data obtained from 198 Polish wine consumers was used in the analysis. Exploratory behavior was measured using the VARSEEK scale adapted to wine. Other measures included the Schwartz Value Inventory, wine knowledge and involvement, and measures relevant for wine purchasing behavior. Demographic variables were also used to profile consumers.The findings show that Polish wine consumers’ level of exploratory behavior is not related to demographics, but is influenced by personal values. The consumers who were most likely to engage in exploratory behavior valued creativity, fun, and risk taking and were less concerned about behaving properly. They also had more global outlook as they were more likely to purchase wine in other countries and desired more wines from regions outside Poland.The findings are useful for wine marketers when developing strategies for wine consumers in transitional markets based on their unique needs and expectations.This is the first known research conducted in Poland focusing on wine consumers’ exploratory behavior and subsequent wine preferences. Keywords: Polish wine market, Consumer behavior, Exploratory behavior, Consumer segmentation

An Exploratory Study to Measure Excessive Involvement in Multitasking Interaction with Smart Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yubo; Rau, Pei-Luen Patrick

2016-06-01

This study developed a scale measuring excessive involvement in multitasking interaction with smart devices. An online questionnaire was designed and surveyed in a sample of 380 respondents. The sample was split into two groups for exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. A four-factor structure was identified with an acceptable goodness of fit. The first two factors, "Obsession and neglect" and "Problematic control," described the obsessive feelings, neglect behaviors, and behavior control problems accompanied by excessive multitasking interaction with smart devices. The latter two factors, "Multitasking preference" and "Polychronic orientation," referred to multitaskers' preference of engaging in multiple media use or interaction tasks rather than a single task from the time orientation perspective. The four-factor structure indicates that excessive involvement in multitasking interaction with smart devices shares some similarities with other behavioral addiction types, but demonstrates uniqueness compared with excessive engagement in single media use.

An Exploratory Study of Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivators and Student Performance in an Auditing Course

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Songtao

2011-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the association of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and student performance. This study performs an exploratory analysis and presents evidence to demonstrate that intrinsic motivators affect the connection between external motivators and student performance. The empirical tests follow the framework…

An exploratory study to identify critical factors of innovation culture in organizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamed Asgari

2013-07-01

Full Text Available During the past two decades, there has been a growing trend on knowledge-based organizations. Innovation, on the other hand, plays essential role on building competitive business units. In this paper, we present an exploratory study to identify critical factors of innovation culture in organizations. We detect important factors influencing innovation culture in construction industry based on the implementation of factor analysis. The proposed study designs a questionnaire and distributes it among 400 experts who are involved in construction industry. Cronbach alpha has been calculated as 0.779, which validates the overall questionnaire. The results of factor analysis have indicated that six factors of building cultural infrastructures, education, organizational vision, established culture, strategic culture and flexible culture are the most important items influencing innovation culture.

Validation of effective half-life of tritium and computation of dose at Madras Atomic Power Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moolya, L.L.; Kannan, R.K.; Sreekumaran Nair, B.; Mohandas, P.G.; Rajan, R.

2001-01-01

In Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) tritium is produced by the activation of deuterium present in the moderator and coolant system. Hence, the inventory of tritium in PHWR is high and it contributes about 20 percent of the Station Dose. Tritium enters body by inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption. Dose received by an individual depends on its elimination rate from the body and hence the effective half-life. It is found that the effective half-life varies from person to person. The effective half-life also depends on the weather condition. The variation of effective half-life is taken care of in dose estimation by average method. However, in case of dose calculation for single uptake cases, there is a need to take fixed effective half-life. ICRP has taken the effective half-life as 10 days. The effective half-life is taken as 6 days in Indian conditions based on the studies conducted earlier in MAPS and elsewhere. Now with available data for about 16 years a fresh study was conducted to validate the effective half-life. This paper gives the study of effective half-life of tritium and its variation during different seasons of the year in MAPS. This paper also gives methods used for computing dose due to tritium. (author)

A STUDY OF MORPHOLOGICAL TYPES OF ANAEMIA IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL - A TWO-YEAR STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiran Kumar Epari

2016-08-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND In this tertiary care hospital, one of the common condition of all the patients attending the hospital is Anaemia, which is a decrease in haemoglobin content or decrease in haematocrit below the lower limit of the 95% reference range for the individual’s age and sex. The patient presents with varied symptoms of different grades, depending on the severity of anaemia, in different clinical settings. Common presenting symptoms of anaemia are generalised weakness, malaise, loss of appetite and muscular pains. METHODS All the patient samples received at the central laboratory for haemogram, complete blood counts and peripheral smear examination over the period of two years between June 2014 to May 2016 were included in the study. Anaemia cases were diagnosed depending on the criteria of the definition of anaemia, and morphological typing of anaemia was done based on the peripheral smear examination of all the cases with decreased haemoglobin level. Standard cell counter was used to estimate the Hb and other red cell indices, and corroborated with peripheral blood smear examination by standard Romanowsky stains. RESULTS A total of 810 cases of anaemia were diagnosed over the period of two years, of which morphological typing yielded 685 cases of Microcytic and hypochromic anaemia, 15 cases of Dimorphic anaemia, 22 cases of Macrocytic anaemia and 88 cases of Normocytic and normochromic anaemia. CONCLUSION Anaemia is one of the most common problems of patients attending this tertiary care hospital, and detection and morphological typing of anaemia is very helping in guiding the clinicians in diagnosis and further management of anaemias for better patient care.

Gaz de France: first half 2007 results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-07-01

Paris, 29 August 2007, Gaz de France Group presents its first half 2007 results (billion euros): Sales revenue 13.78 (-11% with respect to 2006), EBITDA 3.11 (-4.9%), Operating income 2.33 ( -8.7%), Net income Group share 1.51 (-11%), Net income Group share per share 1.53 euro (-11%). The half-year results are attributable primarily to three factors: - A very difficult environment with exceptionally mild climate conditions in the first half, impacting nearly all of the businesses, and unfavourable market conditions, reflected in particular in the low gas prices on the markets; - A tariff context which did not negatively impact the sales margins following a very difficult year 2006; - Good performance in international activities. Despite the environment, the Group is maintaining its financial target for 2007, as announced in March this year: 2007 will be a year of consolidation. EBITDA is expected to be in line with that of 2006. This target assumes average climate conditions during the second half 2007.

Gaz de France: first half 2007 results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

Paris, 29 August 2007, Gaz de France Group presents its first half 2007 results (billion euros): Sales revenue 13.78 (-11% with respect to 2006), EBITDA 3.11 (-4.9%), Operating income 2.33 ( -8.7%), Net income Group share 1.51 (-11%), Net income Group share per share 1.53 euro (-11%). The half-year results are attributable primarily to three factors: - A very difficult environment with exceptionally mild climate conditions in the first half, impacting nearly all of the businesses, and unfavourable market conditions, reflected in particular in the low gas prices on the markets; - A tariff context which did not negatively impact the sales margins following a very difficult year 2006; - Good performance in international activities. Despite the environment, the Group is maintaining its financial target for 2007, as announced in March this year: 2007 will be a year of consolidation. EBITDA is expected to be in line with that of 2006. This target assumes average climate conditions during the second half 2007

The Half-Half Plot

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Einmahl, J.H.J.; Gantner, M.

2009-01-01

The Half-Half (HH) plot is a new graphical method to investigate qualitatively the shape of a regression curve. The empirical HH-plot counts observations in the lower and upper quarter of a strip that moves horizontally over the scatter plot. The plot displays jumps clearly and reveals further

The half-half plot

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Einmahl, J.H.J.; Gantner, M.

2012-01-01

The Half-Half (HH) plot is a new graphical method to investigate qualitatively the shape of a regression curve. The empirical HH-plot counts observations in the lower and upper quarter of a strip that moves horizontally over the scatterplot. The plot displays jumps clearly and reveals further

‘CAIXA’ 150 YEARS: SAVINGS AND FREEDOM OF SLAVES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE CENTURY XIX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neuza Benedita Silva ZATTAR

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In this work, we propose to examine, in theoretical perspectiveof Semantics of the Event (2002, 2005, the relations between the senses of “savings”, “freedom”, “alforria” and “slave” in the socio-historical processes of its meaning, during the second half of the 19th century, as long as the way these senses are constituted in the relationship between the advertisement “Caixa 150 anos” and lusitanian and brazilian dictionaries in two moments: in the second half of the 19th century, by the time that the Caixa’s advertisement transports us, and the beginning of the 21st century, by the time the advertisement was created.

An Exploratory Case Study of Olympiad Students' Attitudes towards and Passion for Science

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, Mary; Venville, Grady

2011-01-01

Much is known about high school students' attitudes towards science but there is almost no research on what passion for science might look like and how it might be manifested. This exploratory case study took advantage of a unique group of highly gifted science students participating in the Australian Science Olympiad (N = 69) to explore their…

Studying Disabling Occupational Accidents in the Construction Industry During Two Years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Soltanzadeh

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background & Objectives : Idnetifying causes of occupational accidents is a key issue to prevent these accidents. The present study aimed to identify and analyze debilitating accidents in the construction industry during a two-year period ( 2010 - 2011 years . Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study. The study data included information about all debilitating accidents occurred within two years. Data collection was performed according to the accident report forms in construction sites. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 16. The level of significance was considered as P=0.05. Results: The mean age and job experience of injured people were 27.95±6.95 and 2.34±2.00 years, respectively. Most injuries to people were reported in hand (35.4%, legs (28.3% and back (20.4%. Most of accident types were respectively related to slipping and falling (26.1%, throwing objects (21.7%, falls (18.6%, abrasion (16.8% and clash (16.4%. Moreover, the main causes of accidents were related to lack of housekeeping (97.3%, lack of proper training (85.8%, lack of PPE (73.0%, unsafe acts (63.3%, unsafe conditions (32.3% and equipment (22.6%. Conclusion: Analyzing causes of disabling accidents in the construction industry showed that important factors in these accidents included lack of housekeeping, failure to provide proper training, lack of suitable PPE, unsafe acts, unsafe conditions and equipment for the construction jobs

Areva - Updated Reference Document 2015 Including the 2016 half-year financial report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

Areva supplies high added-value products and services to support the operation of the global nuclear fleet. The company is present throughout the entire nuclear cycle, from uranium mining to used fuel recycling, including nuclear reactor design and operating services. Areva is recognized by utilities around the world for its expertise, its skills in cutting-edge technologies and its dedication to the highest level of safety. Areva's 40,000 employees are helping build tomorrow's energy model: supplying ever safer, cleaner and more economical energy to the greatest number of people. This Reference Document contains information on Areva's objectives, prospects and development strategies. It contains estimates of the markets, market shares and competitive position of Areva. Contents: 1 - Persons responsible; 2 - Information on operations and recent events (Overview of the Group's operations, Simplified organization chart of the Group, Implementation of the Group's strategic roadmap and Restructuring Plan, Deployment of the performance plan, Other significant transactions since the filing of the Reference Document, Review of third quarter 2016 operations, Press releases); 3 - Financial information (2016 Half-year financial report, Statutory auditors' report on the half-year financial information for the period January 1 to June 30, 2016, Unaudited consolidated pro-forma financial information, Statutory auditors' report on the pro-forma financial information); 4 - Risk factors (Risks related to the Restructuring Plan, Legal risks, Industrial and environmental risks, Operational risks, Liquidity and market risks); 5 - Cash and capital resources (Financial outlook, 12-month liquidity); 6 - Governance; 7 - Workforce - jobs (Voluntary departure plan and change in the Group's workforce, Signature of a memorandum of understanding ensuring the stability of labor agreements, Reorganization and refinancing of the Group); 8 - Share

The Search Performance Evaluation and Prediction in Exploratory Search

OpenAIRE

LIU, FEI

2016-01-01

The exploratory search for complex search tasks requires an effective search behavior model to evaluate and predict user search performance. Few studies have investigated the relationship between user search behavior and search performance in exploratory search. This research adopts a mixed approach combining search system development, user search experiment, search query log analysis, and multivariate regression analysis to resolve the knowledge gap. Through this study, it is shown that expl...

The development and exploratory analysis of the Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ).

Science.gov (United States)

Darlow, Ben; Perry, Meredith; Mathieson, Fiona; Stanley, James; Melloh, Markus; Marsh, Reginald; Baxter, G David; Dowell, Anthony

2014-05-23

To develop an instrument to assess attitudes and underlying beliefs about back pain, and subsequently investigate its internal consistency and underlying structures. The instrument was developed by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers based on analysis of qualitative interviews with people experiencing acute and chronic back pain. Exploratory analysis was conducted using data from a population-based cross-sectional survey. Qualitative interviews with community-based participants and subsequent postal survey. Instrument development informed by interviews with 12 participants with acute back pain and 11 participants with chronic back pain. Data for exploratory analysis collected from New Zealand residents and citizens aged 18 years and above. 1000 participants were randomly selected from the New Zealand Electoral Roll. 602 valid responses were received. The 34-item Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ) was developed. Internal consistency was evaluated by the Cronbach α coefficient. Exploratory analysis investigated the structure of the data using Principal Component Analysis. The 34-item long form of the scale had acceptable internal consistency (α=0.70; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.73). Exploratory analysis identified five two-item principal components which accounted for 74% of the variance in the reduced data set: 'vulnerability of the back'; 'relationship between back pain and injury'; 'activity participation while experiencing back pain'; 'prognosis of back pain' and 'psychological influences on recovery'. Internal consistency was acceptable for the reduced 10-item scale (α=0.61; 95% CI 0.56 to 0.66) and the identified components (α between 0.50 and 0.78). The 34-item long form of the scale may be appropriate for use in future cross-sectional studies. The 10-item short form may be appropriate for use as a screening tool, or an outcome assessment instrument. Further testing of the 10-item Back-PAQ's construct validity, reliability

Associations between Reoperations and Psychological Factors after Contralateral Risk-Reducing Mastectomy: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmytro Unukovych

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The aim of the study was to investigate associations between reoperations after contralateral risk-reducing mastectomies (CRRM and emotional problems, body image, sexuality, and health related quality of life (HRQoL in women with breast cancer and hereditary high risk. Patients and Methods. Patients scheduled for CRRM with breast reconstruction between 1998 and 2010 completed questionnaires, comprised of SF-36, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Body Image Scale, and the Sexual Activity Questionnaire, preoperatively and two years after CRRM. Data on reoperations was collected from medical charts. Results. A total of 80 women participated, with a response rate of 61 (76% preoperatively and 57 (71% at the two-year follow-up. At the two-year assessment, 44 (55% patients had undergone ≥1 reoperation (reoperation group, whereas 36 (45% had not (no reoperation group. No statistically significant differences between the groups were found for HRQoL, sexuality, anxiety, or depression. A higher proportion of patients in the “reoperation group” reported being dissatisfied with their bodies (81% versus 48%, p=0.01. Conclusion. The results suggest associations between reoperation following CRRM with breast reconstruction and body image problems. Special attention should be paid to body image problems among women who are subject to reoperations after CRRM.

Virtual Exploratories

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Sisse Siggaard

2006-01-01

-systems, the paper introduces the designing strategy referred to as virtual exploratories. Some of the advanced virtual worlds may inspire the design of such provoking and challenging virtual exploratories, and especially the Massively Multi-User Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGS). However, if we have to learn from...... the design and activity of the advanced virtual worlds and role-playing games, then the empirical research on the actors’ activity, while they are acting, is an important precondition to it. A step towards the conception of such a designing strategy for virtual exploratories is currently pursued....... [1] The research project: Actors and Avatars Communicating in Virtual Worlds – an Empirical Analysis of Actors’ Sense-making Strategies When Based on a Communication Theoretical Approach’ (2006-2007) is supported...

Abusive supervision - a form of workplace harassment: an exploratory study in the ecuadorian hospitality industry

OpenAIRE

Hoof, Hubert B. Van; Serrano, Ana-Lucia; Torres, Leonardo

2015-01-01

In light of the conspicuous absence of workplace harassment (“acoso laboral”) in the Ecuadorian Constitution and the country’s Labor and Penal Codes, this article reports on an exploratory study about abusive supervision, a form of workplace harassment, in the country’s hospitality industry. Based on a review of the literature on various forms of workplace harassment, the study investigated employee opinions about their supervisors’ behaviors and found that abusive supervision ...

Understanding customer switching behavior in a liberalizing Service market : An exploratory study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wieringa, Jaap E.; Verhoef, Peter C.

In recent decades, many service markets have been liberalized, which means incumbent service firms face new competitors and must address customer switching-which from a public policy perspective, is necessary to ensure that liberalization succeeds. In this article, the authors conduct an exploratory

Understanding customer switching behavior in a liberalizing Service market : An exploratory study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wieringa, Jaap E.; Verhoef, Peter C.

2007-01-01

In recent decades, many service markets have been liberalized, which means incumbent service firms face new competitors and must address customer switching-which from a public policy perspective, is necessary to ensure that liberalization succeeds. In this article, the authors conduct an exploratory

Current status and problems of decontamination by municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture. Records from four and a half years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawasaki, Kota

2016-01-01

This study discusses the current status and problems of decontamination by 52 municipalities out of 59 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture, four and a half years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, mainly based on the results of a questionnaire survey. The area corresponds to in all municipalities except for the 7 whose entire administrative area has been designated as Special Decontamination Area. This study reveals that (1) the number of municipalities which planned, ordered and implemented decontamination work has peaked although decontamination work of public facilities, housing, roads, farmland and forests has been still carried out in many municipalities, (2) about half of the municipalities have not secured enough temporary storage sites for contaminated soil and waste, (3) many municipalities recognize that construction of interim storage facilities, transfer of contaminated soil and waste from each municipality to interim storage facilities, and maintenance of temporary storage sites are major challenges concerning decontamination work, (4) about half of the municipalities regard efforts concerning decontamination work by the national government and the Fukushima prefectural government office as inadequate, (5) not a few municipalities recognize that residents cannot live their lives with a sense of safety and security unless air radiation dose is reduced to the level before the accident, and (6) most municipalities recognize that safe living environments can be recovered by decontamination work. Finally, based on these results, this study points out early completion of interim storage facilities and development of conditions to maintain and manage temporary storage sites, the end of decontamination work based on the air radiation dose rate, and establishment of decontamination policies concerning forests, rivers and waterways, as main future challenges concerning decontamination work by municipalities. (author)

Reciprocal Learning in Partnership Practice: An Exploratory Study of a Home Visiting Program for Mothers with Depression

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Cathrine; Dunston, Roger; Lee, Alison; Rossiter, Chris; McKenzie, Jo

2012-01-01

This paper reports on a small exploratory study that investigates the place and role of reciprocal learning within a partnership-based home visiting program for mothers experiencing depression. The study is one important example of an increased focus on reciprocal learning within practice that has significant implications for the development of…

Faculty perspectives on rewards and incentives for community-engaged work: A multinational exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trang Vuong

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Universities around the world are grappling with the challenge of how to best recognise and support community-engaged teaching, research and scholarship. The status quo reveals two major problems: many faculty members express the sentiment that such work is often discounted, and there is a dearth of available information on faculty perspectives at non-US, especially non-Western, institutions. Understanding faculty needs and perceptions may help institutions improve reward systems and community research and engagement. Also, filling the information gap between the Global North and Global South may help policy-makers and educators make higher education more civically engaged and socially responsible. As a global coalition of universities moving beyond the ivory tower, the Talloires Network (TN is uniquely positioned to provide support for and conduct research on community-engaged work. To better understand engaged faculty attitudes about rewards and incentives, TN launched a pilot survey involving 14 institutions in 11 countries. All of these institutions are members of TN, an international association of 368 institutions in 77 countries committed to strengthening civic engagement. Thirty-eight respondents were chosen based on diverse recruiting requirements. This exploratory study highlights some common opinions about what kind of faculty work is encouraged; whether institutional policies regarding engaged work exist; and how community-engaged work is perceived by colleagues. More importantly, this study contributes to the design and administration of larger surveys on community-engaged work.

Vacancy induced half-metallicity in half-Heusler semiconductors

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Zhiyong; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2011-01-01

First-principles calculations are performed to investigate the effect of vacancies on the electronic structure and magnetic properties of the two prototypical half-Heusler semiconductors NiTiSn and CoTiSb. The spin degeneracy of the host materials

A comparison between nailfold capillaroscopy patterns in adulthood in juvenile and adult-onset systemic sclerosis: A EUSTAR exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingegnoli, Francesca; Boracchi, Patrizia; Gualtierotti, Roberta; Smith, Vanessa; Cutolo, Maurizio; Foeldvari, Ivan

2015-11-01

Qualitative capillaroscopy patterns in juvenile- and adult-onset systemic sclerosis (SSc) were studied in adulthood using data from the EULAR Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) database. Data collected between June 2004 and April 2013 were examined with focus on capillaroscopy. In this retrospective exploratory study, series of patients with juvenile-onset SSc were matched with series of adult-onset SSc having the same gender and autoantibody profile. 30 of 123 patients with juvenile-onset and 2108 of 7133 with adult-onset SSc had data on capillaroscopy. Juvenile-onset SSc showed scleroderma pattern more frequently than adult-onset SSc (93.3% and 88%). The OR was 2.44 and 95% CI 0.57-10.41. An active scleroderma pattern was present in 58% of juvenile- and 61% of adult-onset SSc. The OR was 0.91 and 95% CI 0.28-2.93. The late scleroderma pattern was present in 61% of juvenile- and 55.5% of adult-onset SSc. The OR was 1.06 and 95% CI 0.34-3.56. This is the first exploratory study on the comparison of capillaroscopy between juvenile- and adult-onset SSc in adulthood. Juvenile-onset SSc had an increase prevalence of scleroderma pattern, but a similar distribution of the three patterns was suggested. Further studies are needed to define this issue. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamic half-rate connections in GSM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winands, E.M.M.; Wieland, J.; Sanders, B.

2006-01-01

Dynamic half-rate is an optional feature that allows a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) cell to switch new incoming half-rate capable calls to half-rate speech coding, when the cell is nearly congested. Since two half-rate speech calls can be put together in one single-time slot, dynamic

An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Collaboration and Mathematics and Game Outcomes. CRESST Report 797

Science.gov (United States)

Buschang, Rebecca E.; Chung, Gregory K. W. K.; Kim, Jinok

2011-01-01

This study is an exploratory study of the relationship between collaboration and mathematics and game outcomes in a video game aimed at teaching concepts related to rational numbers. The sample included 243 middle school students who played the video game either with one partner or individually for 40 minutes. Results suggest that participants…

Exploratory Studies Facility Subsurface Fire Hazards Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Logan, Richard C.

2002-01-01

The primary objective of this Fire Hazard Analysis (FHA) is to confirm the requirements for a comprehensive fire and related hazards protection program for the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) are sufficient to minimize the potential for: The occurrence of a fire or related event; A fire that causes an unacceptable on-site or off-site release of hazardous or radiological material that will threaten the health and safety of employees, the public or the environment; Vital U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs suffering unacceptable interruptions as a result of fire and related hazards; Property losses from a fire and related events exceeding limits established by DOE; and Critical process controls and safety class systems being damaged as a result of a fire and related events

Involving the users remotely: an exploratory study using asynchronous usability testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beth Filar Williams

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Open Educational Resources (OER are increasingly used in the higher education landscape as a solution for a variety of copyright, publishing and cost-prohibiting issues. While OERs are becoming more common, reports of usability tests that evaluate how well learners can use them to accomplish their learning tasks have lagged behind. Because both the researchers and the learners in this study use resources and tools remotely, asynchronous usability testing of a prototype OER and MOOC online guide was conducted with an exploratory group of users to determine the guide’s ease of use for two distinct groups of users: Educators and Learners. In this article, we share the background and context of this usability project, suggest best methods for asynchronous remote usability testing, and share challenges and insights of the process and results of the testing

Career exploration in Mozambique : exploratory study with secondary students

OpenAIRE

Ussene, Camilo; Taveira, Maria do Céu

2009-01-01

This article is part of a larger research project on the evaluation of career intervention needs in Mozambique. It consists of an exploratory study of the career exploration process of Mozambican students attending the 12th grade. The results of the construct validity and clustering analyses of the responses to the Career Exploration Survey (CES; Stumpf, Colarelli, & Hartman, 1983) are discussed, in the light of the career exploration theory and empirical research, namely the cognitive-motiva...

The social ecology of girls' bullying practices: exploratory research in two London schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Jamal, Farah; Bonell, Chris; Harden, Angela; Lorenc, Theo

2015-06-01

This exploratory study adopts a socio-ecological approach to examine the context of school bullying. It asks: (1) what are students' accounts of bullying practices?; (2) how are these enabled and constrained by the school-environment?; (3) how is gender implicated? Qualitative data were collected from girls in two schools in London via focus groups (one in each school; students aged 12-15) and seven semi-structured interviews (in one school; students aged 16-18); and from school policy documents. Our interpretation of girls' accounts, informed by Giddens' structuration theory, suggests that bullying practices were spatially patterned in the schools and often characterised by the regulation of girls' sexuality and sexual-harassment. Repeated acts of aggression were fluid with regard to the bully and victim role, challenging the dominant view of bullying as characterised by consistent disparities in power between individuals. Schools structured bullying behaviour via policies and practices that ignored these forms of abuse and which focused on and may have been complicit in the making of stable 'bully' and 'victim' roles, thus indirectly contributing to the reproduction of unhealthy relationships between students. In terms of gender, traditional gendered and sexual discourses appear to structure the identities of the schools and girls in our study. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

Customer Integration in Service Innovation: An Exploratory Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim Straub

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Prominent industry projects, as well as an extensive literature suggest the importance of customer integration for companies’ innovation success. This appears to be especially true for service firms, which inherently build on customer interaction. Despite this appreciation of the approach, there are comparably few empirical analyses of the positive and negative effects of customer integration. In this exploratory study, we build on established customer role concepts to study the status quo of customer integration in industry, as well as reservations against the roles and negative experiences from customer integration projects. The study reveals a gap between reservations and actual negative experiences in losing know-how, as well as a positive effect of experience in customer integration on perceived benefits for the company.

HIV infection returning to Mexico with migrant workers: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sowell, Richard L; Holtz, Carol S; Velasquez, Gabriela

2008-01-01

Men migrating to the United States are at high risk of acquiring HIV and spreading it to their wives and children in Mexico. Yet there is limited understanding of this phenomenon from the perspective of these men and their wives. This exploratory study used face-to-face interviews to gain insight into factors influencing the increased risk of Mexican men migrating to the United States for contracting HIV as well as the consequences of their infections on returning to Mexico. Transcripts from audiotaped interviews provided the data for analysis. Thematic analysis revealed two overall categories and six interrelated themes. Categories were HIV Risk and Living with HIV. Study themes included social isolation, lack of knowledge/denial, machismo, powerlessness, and making the best of it. Results provide new insight into the spread of HIV in rural Mexico.

Bureaucracy and Culture: Toward Two-Factor Theory of Organizational Control

OpenAIRE

Tomasz Olejniczak; Kishi Yasuyuki

2014-01-01

Purpose: In this article we focus on the issue of organizational control in its bureaucratic and cultural forms. Methodology: This research uses exploratory case study analysis of Matsushita Konosuke’s management style of in the early years of the Panasonic Corporation. Findings: First of all, we fi nd that despite the impressive body of knowledge accumulated over the years, some questions concerning the relationship between two modes of control and their changes over time still remain ...

Separate tools or tool kits: an exploratory study of engineers' preferences

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vliegen, Ingrid; Kleingeld, P.A.M.; van Houtum, Geert-Jan

2010-01-01

This paper describes an exploratory study of aspects that should be taken into consideration when optimizing tool kits, i.e. cases containing sets of tools that are used by service engineers for corrective maintenance. The study was carried out among service engineers of an Original Equipment

A PROFILE OF THE EMPLOYEES OF “SUCCESS” WITHIN THE DISTRIBUTION FIRMS – AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihalea NICOLAU

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this exploratory study is even the delineation of a profile of a employee of success, mentioning that in this context the term “success” will have the meaning of performant/of producer of positive results (financial. The delineation of such a profile will begin with the recruitment process (general criteria, with the selection process (specific criteria, correlated with the responsibilities of the specific post, and continues with the perfectioning process, as well as with the evaluation process. The subjects of the present exploratory study were selected in an aleatory manner within the distribution firm - Sc Moldways Srl Iaşi. For obtaining a representative pattern it was used a number of 20 subjects (employees, and a sampling in „layers”, namely the method of gathering data (in the present case – the questionnaire was applied to employees from different departments and to employees situeted on all the hierarchical levels; as it fallows: - 5 perssons (the general manager, and the three departments managers; - inferior/ intermediate level: 15 persons (2 delivering agents, 10 sales agents, etc..

Year-to-year variability in haemoglobin mass response to two altitude training camps.

Science.gov (United States)

McLean, Blake D; Buttifant, David; Gore, Christopher J; White, Kevin; Kemp, Justin

2013-12-01

To quantify the year-to-year variability of altitude-induced changes in haemoglobin mass (Hb(mass)) in elite team-sport athletes. 12 Australian-Footballers completed a 19-day (ALT1) and 18-day (ALT2) moderate altitude (∼2100 m), training camp separated by 12 months. An additional 20 participants completed only one of the two training camps (ALT1 additional n=9, ALT2 additional n=11). Total Hb(mass) was assessed using carbon monoxide rebreathing before (PRE), after (POST₁) and 4 weeks after each camp. The typical error of Hb(mass) for the pooled data of all 32 participants was 2.6%. A contemporary statistics analysis was used with the smallest worthwhile change set to 2% for Hb(mass). POST₁ Hb(mass) was very likely increased in ALT1 (3.6 ± 1.6%, n=19; mean ± ∼90 CL) as well as ALT2 (4.4 ± 1.3%, n=23) with an individual responsiveness of 1.3% and 2.2%, respectively. There was a small correlation between ALT1 and ALT2 (R=0.21, p=0.59) for a change in Hb(mass), but a moderately inverse relationship between the change in Hb(mass) and initial relative Hb(mass) (g/kg (R=-0.51, p=0.04)). Two preseason moderate altitude camps 1 year apart yielded a similar (4%) mean increase in Hb(mass) of elite footballers, with an individual responsiveness of approximately half the group mean effect, indicating that most players gained benefit. Nevertheless, the same individuals generally did not change their Hb(mass) consistently from year to year. Thus, a 'responder' or 'non-responder' to altitude for Hb(mass) does not appear to be a fixed trait.

Influencers on quality of life as reported by people living with dementia in long-term care: a descriptive exploratory approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Moyle, Wendy; Fetherstonhaugh, Deirdre; Greben, Melissa; Beattie, Elizabeth

2015-04-23

Over half of the residents in long-term care have a diagnosis of dementia. Maintaining quality of life is important, as there is no cure for dementia. Quality of life may be used as a benchmark for caregiving, and can help to enhance respect for the person with dementia and to improve care provision. The purpose of this study was to describe quality of life as reported by people living with dementia in long-term care in terms of the influencers of, as well as the strategies needed, to improve quality of life. A descriptive exploratory approach. A subsample of twelve residents across two Australian states from a national quantitative study on quality of life was interviewed. Data were analysed thematically from a realist perspective. The approach to the thematic analysis was inductive and data-driven. Three themes emerged in relation to influencers and strategies related to quality of life: (a) maintaining independence, (b) having something to do, and (c) the importance of social interaction. The findings highlight the importance of understanding individual resident needs and consideration of the complexity of living in large group living situations, in particular in regard to resident decision-making.

An Exploratory Study Investigating the Non-Clinical Benefits of Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Jackson

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: As little prior research exists about the non-clinical benefits of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM, this exploratory study was conducted to identify non-clinical benefits of EBVM to veterinary practices, as well as highlighting the barriers to further implementation, and ways to overcome them.Background: A PICO-based literature review (Hauser and Jackson, 2016 was conducted to establish current knowledge about the non-clinical benefits of EBVM. It found that while there are some papers suggesting a link between the practice of EBVM and better non-clinical benefits such as client satisfaction and client retention, a single study, focusing on the non-clinical benefits of EBVM, had yet to be conducted.Evidentiary value: This exploratory study provides a solid basis for the further development of a confirmatory study of the themes identified in the interviews. The impact on practice from our findings is significant as it details the key areas where the use of EBVM can yield commercial benefits from the perspective of a group of EBVM experts via interview. It is entirely possible that international veterinary environments which mirror that of the UK will find this research beneficial.Methods: Due to the paucity of data about the non-clinical benefits of EBVM, an exploratory, qualitative approach was taken to this research in order to build a platform for further confirmatory, quantitative investigation (Zikmund, 2003. In February and March 2016 interviews with 16 RCVS Knowledge Group chairs[1] were conducted. The interview guide contained broad, open-ended questions to explore existing tacit knowledge about the non-commercial benefits of EBVM. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim and subsequently analysed using NVivo 11 software.Results: This qualitative enquiry showed that the key areas where the use of EBVM can yield non-clinical benefits are through increased client satisfaction and retention, improved

Course, risk factors, and prognostic factors in elderly primary care patients with mild depression: a two-year observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnil, Maria; Janmarker, Lena; Gunnarsson, Ronny; Björkelund, Cecilia

2013-03-01

The aim of this study was to observe course, risk factors, and prognostic factors in a primary care cohort aged > 60 with mild to moderate depression during two-year follow-up. Observational study. Primary care. During an 11-month period all (n = 302) consecutive patients aged 60 and above attending a primary care centre in Gothenburg, Sweden were screened by a nurse for depressive symptoms with the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders, Patient Questionnaire (PRIME-MD PQ) and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, self-rated version (MADRS-S) and by a GP with a patient-centred consultation model. In the second step, the GPs diagnosed depression in screen-positives by use of the PRIME-MD Clinical Evaluation Guide (PRIME-MD CEG). All patients with mild to moderate depression were followed up for two years to assess course with several MADRS-S score assessments. Main outcome measures. Risk factors, prognostic factors, and symptoms at baseline and after two years were tested with logistic regression, using the DSM-IV and MADRS-S (cut-off > 13) respectively. Course patterns were observed and described. A total of 54 patients were diagnosed with depression. Follow-up revealed declining median MADRS-S scores and three course patterns: remitting, stable, and fluctuating. History of depression, significant life events, lacking leisure activities, and use of sedatives were risk factors for depression, all previously known. An important finding was that lacking leisure activities also increased the risk of depressive symptoms after two years (odds ratio 12, confidence interval 1.1-136). It is desirable to identify elderly individuals with less severe depression. Three course patterns were observed; this finding requires further study of the clinical characteristics related to the different patterns. Awareness of risk factors may facilitate identification of those at highest risk of poor prognosis.