EXPERIMENTAL SEMIOTICS: AN ENGINE OF DISCOVERY FOR UNDERSTANDING HUMAN COMMUNICATION

OpenAIRE

BRUNO GALANTUCCI; GARETH ROBERTS

2012-01-01

The recent growth of Experimental Semiotics (ES) offers us a new option to investigate human communication. We briefly introduce ES, presenting results from three themes of research which emerged within it. Then we illustrate the contribution ES can make to the investigation of human communication systems, particularly in comparison with the other existing options. This comparison highlights how ES can provide an engine of discovery for understanding human communication. In fact, in complemen...

Influence of HEMA content on the mechanical and bonding properties of experimental HEMA-added glass ionomer cements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho-Nam Lim

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of incrementally added uncured HEMA in experimental HEMA-added glass ionomer cement (HAGICs on the mechanical and shear bond strength (SBS of these materials. Increasing contents of uncured HEMA (10-50 wt.% were added to a commercial glass ionomer cement liquid (Fuji II, GC, Japan, and the compressive and diametral tensile strengths of the resulting HAGICs were measured. The SBS to non-precious alloy, precious alloy, enamel and dentin was also determined after these surfaces were subjected to either airborne-particle abrasion (Aa or SiC abrasive paper grinding (Sp. Both strength properties of the HAGICs first increased and then decreased as the HEMA content increased, with a maximum value obtained when the HEMA content was 20% for the compressive strength and 40% for the tensile strength. The SBS was influenced by the HEMA content, the surface treatment, and the type of bonding surface (p<0.05. These results suggest that addition of an appropriate amount of HEMA to glass ionomer cement would increase diametral tensile strength as well as bond strength to alloys and teeth. These results also confirm that the optimal HEMA content ranged from 20 to 40% within the limitations of this experimental condition.

Doing the Project and Learning the Content: Designing Project-Based Science Curricula for Meaningful Understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Kanter, David E.

2010-01-01

Project-based science curricula can improve students' usable or meaningful understanding of the science content underlying a project. However, such curricula designed around "performances" wherein students design or make something do not always do this. We researched ways to design performance project-based science curricula (pPBSc) to better…

Understanding primary school science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge: The case of teaching global warming

Science.gov (United States)

Chordnork, Boonliang; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

This aim of this research was to investigate primary school science teachers understanding and teaching practice as well as the influence on teaching and learning a topic like global warming. The participants were four primary science teachers, who were not graduated in science education. Methodology was the case study method, which was under the qualitative research regarded from interpretive paradigm. Data were collected by openended questionnaire, semi-structure interview, and document colleting. The questionnaire examined teachers' background, teachers' understanding of problems and threats of science teaching, desiring of development their PCK, sharing the teaching approaches, and their ideas of strength and weakness. a semi-structured interview was conducted based on the approach for capturing PCK of Loughran [23] content representation (CoRe). And, the document was collected to clarify what evidence which was invented to effect on students' learning. These document included lesson plan, students' task, and painting about global warming, science projects, the picture of activities of science learning, the exercise and test. Data analysis employed multiple approach of evidence looking an issue from each primary science teachers and used triangulation method to analyze the data with aiming to make meaning of teachers' representation of teaching practice. These included descriptive statistics, CoRe interpretation, and document analysis. The results show that teachers had misunderstanding of science teaching practice and they has articulated the pedagogical content knowledge in terms of assessment, goal of teaching and linking to the context of socio cultural. In contrast, knowledge and belief of curriculum, students' understanding of content global warming, and strategies of teaching were articulated indistinct by non-graduate science teacher. Constructing opportunities for personal development, the curiosity of the student learning center, and linking context

Tools for Science Inquiry Learning: Tool Affordances, Experimentation Strategies, and Conceptual Understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Bumbacher, Engin; Salehi, Shima; Wieman, Carl; Blikstein, Paulo

2017-12-01

Manipulative environments play a fundamental role in inquiry-based science learning, yet how they impact learning is not fully understood. In a series of two studies, we develop the argument that manipulative environments (MEs) influence the kind of inquiry behaviors students engage in, and that this influence realizes through the affordances of MEs, independent of whether they are physical or virtual. In particular, we examine how MEs shape college students' experimentation strategies and conceptual understanding. In study 1, students engaged in two consecutive inquiry tasks, first on mass and spring systems and then on electric circuits. They either used virtual or physical MEs. We found that the use of experimentation strategies was strongly related to conceptual understanding across tasks, but that students engaged differently in those strategies depending on what ME they used. More students engaged in productive strategies using the virtual ME for electric circuits, and vice versa using the physical ME for mass and spring systems. In study 2, we isolated the affordance of measurement uncertainty by comparing two versions of the same virtual ME for electric circuits—one with and one without noise—and found that the conditions differed in terms of productive experimentation strategies. These findings indicate that measures of inquiry processes may resolve apparent ambiguities and inconsistencies between studies on MEs that are based on learning outcomes alone.

Working Together: Contributions of Corpus Analyses and Experimental Psycholinguistics to Understanding Conversation.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Antje S; Alday, Phillip M; Decuyper, Caitlin; Knudsen, Birgit

2018-01-01

As conversation is the most important way of using language, linguists and psychologists should combine forces to investigate how interlocutors deal with the cognitive demands arising during conversation. Linguistic analyses of corpora of conversation are needed to understand the structure of conversations, and experimental work is indispensable for understanding the underlying cognitive processes. We argue that joint consideration of corpus and experimental data is most informative when the utterances elicited in a lab experiment match those extracted from a corpus in relevant ways. This requirement to compare like with like seems obvious but is not trivial to achieve. To illustrate this approach, we report two experiments where responses to polar (yes/no) questions were elicited in the lab and the response latencies were compared to gaps between polar questions and answers in a corpus of conversational speech. We found, as expected, that responses were given faster when they were easy to plan and planning could be initiated earlier than when they were harder to plan and planning was initiated later. Overall, in all but one condition, the latencies were longer than one would expect based on the analyses of corpus data. We discuss the implication of this partial match between the data sets and more generally how corpus and experimental data can best be combined in studies of conversation.

Experimental hypothyroidism increases content of collagen and glycosaminoglycans in the heart.

Science.gov (United States)

Drobnik, J; Ciosek, J; Slotwinska, D; Stempniak, B; Zukowska, D; Marczynski, A; Tosik, D; Bartel, H; Dabrowski, R; Szczepanowska, A

2009-09-01

The connective tissue matrix of the heart remains under regulatory influence of the thyroid hormones. Some conflicting data describe the connective tissue changes in subjects with thyroid gland disorders. The aim of the study was to assess the changes of the connective tissue accumulation in the heart of rats in the state of hypothyroidism and to answer the question whether TSH is involved in mechanism of the observed phenomena. Hypothyroidism in rats was induced by methylotiouracil treatment or by thyreoidectomy. The thyroid hormones [freeT3 (fT3), freeT4 (fT4)] and pituitary TSH were measured in plasma with radioimmunological method. The glycosaminoglycans (GAG) and total collagen were measured in heart muscle of both left and right ventricles. Cells from the rat's heart were isolated and cultured. The cells were identified as myofibroblasts by electron microscopy method. The effects of TSH in concentrations ranging from 0.002 to 20 mIU/ml, on connective tissue accumulation in heart myofibroblasts cultures were tested. The primary hypothyroidism was developed both in groups with thyroidectomy and with methylthiouracil. The levels of fT3 and fT4 both in rats with thyreoidectomy and animals treated with methylthiouracil were decreased and TSH level in these two experimental groups was elevated. In the heart of the rats with experimental hypothyroidism increased content of both GAG and collagen was found. Myofibroblast number in culture was increased by TSH. Regardless of the method of its induction, hypothyroidism increased collagen and GAG contents in the heart. TSH is not involved in regulation of collagen and glycosaminoglycans accumulation in the heart of rats affected with primary hypothyroidism.

Determination of Soil Moisture Content using Laboratory Experimental and Field Electrical Resistivity Values

Science.gov (United States)

Hazreek, Z. A. M.; Rosli, S.; Fauziah, A.; Wijeyesekera, D. C.; Ashraf, M. I. M.; Faizal, T. B. M.; Kamarudin, A. F.; Rais, Y.; Dan, M. F. Md; Azhar, A. T. S.; Hafiz, Z. M.

2018-04-01

The efficiency of civil engineering structure require comprehensive geotechnical data obtained from site investigation. In the past, conventional site investigation was heavily related to drilling techniques thus suffer from several limitations such as time consuming, expensive and limited data collection. Consequently, this study presents determination of soil moisture content using laboratory experimental and field electrical resistivity values (ERV). Field and laboratory electrical resistivity (ER) test were performed using ABEM SAS4000 and Nilsson400 soil resistance meter. Soil sample used for resistivity test was tested for characterization test specifically on particle size distribution and moisture content test according to BS1377 (1990). Field ER data was processed using RES2DINV software while laboratory ER data was analyzed using SPSS and Excel software. Correlation of ERV and moisture content shows some medium relationship due to its r = 0.506. Moreover, coefficient of determination, R2 analyzed has demonstrate that the statistical correlation obtain was very good due to its R2 value of 0.9382. In order to determine soil moisture content based on statistical correlation (w = 110.68ρ-0.347), correction factor, C was established through laboratory and field ERV given as 19.27. Finally, this study has shown that soil basic geotechnical properties with particular reference to water content was applicably determined using integration of laboratory and field ERV data analysis thus able to compliment conventional approach due to its economic, fast and wider data coverage.

Spatial distribution of top soil water content in an experimental catchment of Southeast Brazil Distribuição espacial da umidade superficial do solo em uma bacia hidrográfica experimental do Sudeste do Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Rogério de Mello

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Soil water content is essential to understand the hydrological cycle. It controls the surface runoff generation, water infiltration, soil evaporation and plant transpiration. This work aims to analyze the spatial distribution of top soil water content and to characterize the spatial mean and standard deviation of top soil water content over time in an experimental catchment located in the Mantiqueira Range region, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Measurements of top soil water content were carried out every 15 days, between May/2007 and May/2008. Using time-domain reflectometry (TDR equipment, 69 points were sampled in the top 0.2 m of the soil profile. Geostatistical procedures were applied in all steps of the study. First, the spatial continuity was evaluated, and the experimental semi-variogram was modeled. For the development of top soil water content maps over time a co-kriging procedure was used having the slope as a secondary variable. Rainfall regime controlled the top soil water content during the wet season. Land use was also another fundamental local factor. The spatial standard deviation had low values under dry conditions, and high values under wet conditions. Thus, more variability occurs under wet conditions.A umidade do solo é essencial para o entendimento do ciclo hidrológico, uma vez que controla a geração do escoamento superficial, infiltração de água no solo, evaporação do solo e transpiração das plantas. Este trabalho objetivou analisar os padrões espaciais da umidade superficial do solo e caracterizar a média e o desvio padrão espaciais da mesma ao longo do tempo em uma bacia hidrográfica experimental localizada na Serra da Mantiqueira, MG. As medidas da umidade superficial do solo foram conduzidas a cada 15 dias, entre Maio/2007 e Maio/2008, usando um equipamento TDR portátil, em 69 pontos amostrados na camada de 0-20 cm. Procedimentos geoestatísticos foram aplicados em todas as etapas do trabalho

Experimental and analytical combined thermal approach for local tribological understanding in metal cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Artozoul, Julien; Lescalier, Christophe; Dudzinski, Daniel

2015-01-01

Metal cutting is a highly complex thermo-mechanical process. The knowledge of temperature in the chip forming zone is essential to understand it. Conventional experimental methods such as thermocouples only provide global information which is incompatible with the high stress and temperature gradients met in the chip forming zone. Field measurements are essential to understand the localized thermo-mechanical problem. An experimental protocol has been developed using advanced infrared imaging in order to measure temperature distribution in both the tool and the chip during an orthogonal or oblique cutting operation. It also provides several information on the chip formation process such as some geometrical characteristics (tool-chip contact length, chip thickness, primary shear angle) and thermo-mechanical information (heat flux dissipated in deformation zone, local interface heat partition ratio). A study is carried out on the effects of cutting conditions i.e. cutting speed, feed and depth of cut on the temperature distribution along the contact zone for an elementary operation. An analytical thermal model has been developed to process experimental data and access more information i.e. local stress or heat flux distribution. - Highlights: • A thermal analytical model is proposed for orthogonal cutting process. • IR thermography is used during cutting tests. • Combined experimental and modeling approaches are applied. • Heat flux and stress distribution at the tool-chip interface are determined. • The decomposition into sticking and sliding zones is defined.

Adolescent literacy: learning and understanding content.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman, Susan R

2012-01-01

Learning to read--amazing as it is to small children and their parents--is one thing. Reading to learn, explains Susan Goldman of the University of Illinois at Chicago, is quite another. Are today's students able to use reading and writing to acquire knowledge, solve problems, and make decisions in academic, personal, and professional arenas? Do they have the literacy skills necessary to meet the demands of the twenty-first century? To answer these questions, Goldman describes the increasingly complex comprehension, reasoning skills, and knowledge that students need as they progress through school and surveys what researchers and educators know about how to teach those skills. Successfully reading to learn requires the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information from multiple sources, Goldman writes. Effective readers must be able to apply different knowledge, reading, and reasoning processes to different types of content, from fiction to history and science, to news accounts and user manuals. They must assess sources of information for relevance, reliability, impartiality, and completeness. And they must connect information across multiple sources. In short, successful readers must not only use general reading skills but also pay close attention to discipline-specific processes. Goldman reviews the evidence on three different instructional approaches to reading to learn: general comprehension strategies, classroom discussion, and disciplinary content instruction. She argues that building the literacy skills necessary for U.S. students to read comprehensively and critically and to learn content in a variety of disciplines should be a primary responsibility for all of the nation's teachers. But outside of English, few subject-area teachers are aware of the need to teach subject-area reading comprehension skills, nor have they had opportunities to learn them themselves. Building the capacity of all teachers to meet the literacy needs of today's students

Experimental Warming Decreases the Average Size and Nucleic Acid Content of Marine Bacterial Communities

KAUST Repository

Huete-Stauffer, Tamara M.

2016-05-23

Organism size reduction with increasing temperature has been suggested as a universal response to global warming. Since genome size is usually correlated to cell size, reduction of genome size in unicells could be a parallel outcome of warming at ecological and evolutionary time scales. In this study, the short-term response of cell size and nucleic acid content of coastal marine prokaryotic communities to temperature was studied over a full annual cycle at a NE Atlantic temperate site. We used flow cytometry and experimental warming incubations, spanning a 6°C range, to analyze the hypothesized reduction with temperature in the size of the widespread flow cytometric bacterial groups of high and low nucleic acid content (HNA and LNA bacteria, respectively). Our results showed decreases in size in response to experimental warming, which were more marked in 0.8 μm pre-filtered treatment rather than in the whole community treatment, thus excluding the role of protistan grazers in our findings. Interestingly, a significant effect of temperature on reducing the average nucleic acid content (NAC) of prokaryotic cells in the communities was also observed. Cell size and nucleic acid decrease with temperature were correlated, showing a common mean decrease of 0.4% per °C. The usually larger HNA bacteria consistently showed a greater reduction in cell and NAC compared with their LNA counterparts, especially during the spring phytoplankton bloom period associated to maximum bacterial growth rates in response to nutrient availability. Our results show that the already smallest planktonic microbes, yet with key roles in global biogeochemical cycling, are likely undergoing important structural shrinkage in response to rising temperatures.

Experimental Warming Decreases the Average Size and Nucleic Acid Content of Marine Bacterial Communities

KAUST Repository

Huete-Stauffer, Tamara M.; Arandia-Gorostidi, Nestor; Alonso-Sá ez, Laura; Moran, Xose Anxelu G.

2016-01-01

Organism size reduction with increasing temperature has been suggested as a universal response to global warming. Since genome size is usually correlated to cell size, reduction of genome size in unicells could be a parallel outcome of warming at ecological and evolutionary time scales. In this study, the short-term response of cell size and nucleic acid content of coastal marine prokaryotic communities to temperature was studied over a full annual cycle at a NE Atlantic temperate site. We used flow cytometry and experimental warming incubations, spanning a 6°C range, to analyze the hypothesized reduction with temperature in the size of the widespread flow cytometric bacterial groups of high and low nucleic acid content (HNA and LNA bacteria, respectively). Our results showed decreases in size in response to experimental warming, which were more marked in 0.8 μm pre-filtered treatment rather than in the whole community treatment, thus excluding the role of protistan grazers in our findings. Interestingly, a significant effect of temperature on reducing the average nucleic acid content (NAC) of prokaryotic cells in the communities was also observed. Cell size and nucleic acid decrease with temperature were correlated, showing a common mean decrease of 0.4% per °C. The usually larger HNA bacteria consistently showed a greater reduction in cell and NAC compared with their LNA counterparts, especially during the spring phytoplankton bloom period associated to maximum bacterial growth rates in response to nutrient availability. Our results show that the already smallest planktonic microbes, yet with key roles in global biogeochemical cycling, are likely undergoing important structural shrinkage in response to rising temperatures.

Numerical and experimental studies on effects of moisture content on combustion characteristics of simulated municipal solid wastes in a fixed bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Rui; Ismail, Tamer M.; Ren, Xiaohan; Abd El-Salam, M.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The effects of moisture content on the burning process of MSW are investigated. • A two-dimensional mathematical model was built to simulate the combustion process. • Temperature distributions, process rates, gas species were measured and simulated. • The The conversion ratio of C/CO and N/NO in MSW are inverse to moisture content. - Abstract: In order to reveal the features of the combustion process in the porous bed of a waste incinerator, a two-dimensional unsteady state model and experimental study were employed to investigate the combustion process in a fixed bed of municipal solid waste (MSW) on the combustion process in a fixed bed reactor. Conservation equations of the waste bed were implemented to describe the incineration process. The gas phase turbulence was modeled using the k–ε turbulent model and the particle phase was modeled using the kinetic theory of granular flow. The rate of moisture evaporation, devolatilization rate, and char burnout was calculated according to the waste property characters. The simulation results were then compared with experimental data for different moisture content of MSW, which shows that the incineration process of waste in the fixed bed is reasonably simulated. The simulation results of solid temperature, gas species and process rate in the bed are accordant with experimental data. Due to the high moisture content of fuel, moisture evaporation consumes a vast amount of heat, and the evaporation takes up most of the combustion time (about 2/3 of the whole combustion process). The whole bed combustion process reduces greatly as MSW moisture content increases. The experimental and simulation results provide direction for design and optimization of the fixed bed of MSW

Numerical and experimental studies on effects of moisture content on combustion characteristics of simulated municipal solid wastes in a fixed bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Rui, E-mail: Sunsr@hit.edu.cn [School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92, West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001 (China); Ismail, Tamer M., E-mail: temoil@aucegypt.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Suez Canal University, Ismailia (Egypt); Ren, Xiaohan [School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92, West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001 (China); Abd El-Salam, M. [Department of Basic Science, Cairo University, Giza (Egypt)

2015-05-15

Highlights: • The effects of moisture content on the burning process of MSW are investigated. • A two-dimensional mathematical model was built to simulate the combustion process. • Temperature distributions, process rates, gas species were measured and simulated. • The The conversion ratio of C/CO and N/NO in MSW are inverse to moisture content. - Abstract: In order to reveal the features of the combustion process in the porous bed of a waste incinerator, a two-dimensional unsteady state model and experimental study were employed to investigate the combustion process in a fixed bed of municipal solid waste (MSW) on the combustion process in a fixed bed reactor. Conservation equations of the waste bed were implemented to describe the incineration process. The gas phase turbulence was modeled using the k–ε turbulent model and the particle phase was modeled using the kinetic theory of granular flow. The rate of moisture evaporation, devolatilization rate, and char burnout was calculated according to the waste property characters. The simulation results were then compared with experimental data for different moisture content of MSW, which shows that the incineration process of waste in the fixed bed is reasonably simulated. The simulation results of solid temperature, gas species and process rate in the bed are accordant with experimental data. Due to the high moisture content of fuel, moisture evaporation consumes a vast amount of heat, and the evaporation takes up most of the combustion time (about 2/3 of the whole combustion process). The whole bed combustion process reduces greatly as MSW moisture content increases. The experimental and simulation results provide direction for design and optimization of the fixed bed of MSW.

Infusing Mathematics Content into a Methods Course: Impacting Content Knowledge for Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, Megan; Daane, C. J.; Giesen, Judy

2008-01-01

This study compared content knowledge for teaching mathematics differences between elementary pre-service teachers in a traditional versus an experimental mathematics methods course. The experimental course replaced 20 minutes of traditional methods, each class, with an intervention of elementary mathematics content. The difference between groups…

Experimental determination of the empirical formula and energy content of unknown organics in waste streams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shizas, I. [Univ. of Toronto, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Kosmatos, A. [Ontario Power Generation, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Bagley, D.M. [Univ. of Toronto, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2002-06-15

Two experimental methods are described in this paper: one for determining the empirical formula, and one for determining the energy content of unknown organics in waste streams. The empirical formula method requires volatile solids (VS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) to be measured for the waste; the formula can then be calculated from these values. To determine the energy content of the organic waste, bomb calorimetry was used with benzoic acid as a combustion aid. The results for standard compounds (glucose, propionic acid, L-arginine, and benzoic acid) were relatively good. The energy content measurement for wastewater and sludges had good reproducibility (i.e. 1.0 to 3.2% relative standard deviation for triplicate samples). Trouble encountered in the measurement of the empirical formulae of the waste samples was possibly due to difficulties with the TOC test; further analysis of this is required. (author)

Experimental determination of the empirical formula and energy content of unknown organics in waste streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shizas, I.; Kosmatos, A.; Bagley, D.M.

2002-01-01

Two experimental methods are described in this paper: one for determining the empirical formula, and one for determining the energy content of unknown organics in waste streams. The empirical formula method requires volatile solids (VS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) to be measured for the waste; the formula can then be calculated from these values. To determine the energy content of the organic waste, bomb calorimetry was used with benzoic acid as a combustion aid. The results for standard compounds (glucose, propionic acid, L-arginine, and benzoic acid) were relatively good. The energy content measurement for wastewater and sludges had good reproducibility (i.e. 1.0 to 3.2% relative standard deviation for triplicate samples). Trouble encountered in the measurement of the empirical formulae of the waste samples was possibly due to difficulties with the TOC test; further analysis of this is required. (author)

Bringing content understanding into usability testing in complex application domains—a case study in eHealth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Simon Bruntse; Rasmussen, Claire Kirchert; Frøkjær, Erik

2017-01-01

A usability evaluation technique, Cooperative Usability Testing with Questions of Understanding (CUT with QU) intended to illuminate users’ ability to understand the content information of an application is proposed. In complex application domains as for instance the eHealth domain, this issue...... the participation of four physiotherapists and four clients in a period of 3.5 months, it was demonstrated how CUT with QU can complement conventional usability testing and provide insight into users’ challenges with understanding of a new complex eHealth application. More experiments in other complex application...... domains involving different kinds of users and evaluators are needed before we can tell whether CUT with QU is an effective usability testing technique of wider applicability. Performing CUT with QU is very demanding by drawing heavily on the evaluators’ ability to respond effectively to openings...

Understanding the role of representations of human-leopard conflict in Mumbai through media-content analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatia, Saloni; Athreya, Vidya; Grenyer, Richard; MacDonald, David W

2013-06-01

Attempts to minimize the effects of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) on conservation goals require an understanding of the mechanisms by which such conflicts are caused and sustained. This necessitates looking beyond the natural sciences to the human dimensions of wildlife management. Public dissemination of information regarding HWC occurs largely through the mass media. We conducted a content analysis of print media articles on human-leopard conflict in Mumbai, India. We sought to understand the framing of HWC and the changes in media coverage over a 10-year period (2001-2011) during which a large number of attacks on people prior to 2005 were followed by a program of trapping and relocation. After 2005, when there was a decrease in the level of conflict, the tone of English-language media reports changed. The perpetrator framing was over 5 times more likely before 2005, whereas a neutral framing was twice as likely after 2005. English-language and non-English-language print media differed significantly in their framing of HWC and in the kinds of solutions advocated. Our results also suggest the print mass media in Mumbai could be an influential conduit for content that diminishes HWC. These media outlets seem attentive to human-leopard conflict, capable of correcting erroneous perceptions and facilitating mitigation and effective management. We believe better contact and mutual understanding between conservation professionals and the mass media could be an important component of managing HWC. We further suggest that in such interactions conservation professionals need to be aware of cultural and linguistic differences in reporting within the country. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Independent component analysis for understanding multimedia content

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolenda, Thomas; Hansen, Lars Kai; Larsen, Jan

2002-01-01

Independent component analysis of combined text and image data from Web pages has potential for search and retrieval applications by providing more meaningful and context dependent content. It is demonstrated that ICA of combined text and image features has a synergistic effect, i.e., the retrieval...

Education and parental involvement in decision-making about newborn screening: understanding goals to clarify content.

Science.gov (United States)

Potter, Beth K; Etchegary, Holly; Nicholls, Stuart G; Wilson, Brenda J; Craigie, Samantha M; Araia, Makda H

2015-06-01

A challenge in designing effective education for parents about newborn screening (NBS) has been uncertainty about appropriate content. Arguing that the goals of education may be usefully tied to parental decision-making, we sought to: (1) explore how different ways of implementing NBS differ in their approaches to parental engagement in decision-making; (2) map the potential goals of education onto these "implementation models"; and (3) consider the content that may be needed to support these goals. The resulting conceptual framework supports the availability of comprehensive information about NBS for parents, irrespective of the model of implementation. This is largely because we argue that meeting parental expectations and preferences for communication is an important goal regardless of whether or notparents are actively involved in making a decision. Our analysis supports a flexible approach, in which some educational messages are emphasized as important for all parents to understand while others are made available depending on parents' preferences. We have begun to define the content of NBS education for parents needed to support specific goals. Further research and discussion is important to determine the most appropriate strategies for delivering the tailored approach to education that emerged from our analysis.

Understanding Faculty to Improve Content Recruitment for Institutional Repositories

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Nancy Fried.; Gibbons, Susan

2005-01-01

Institutional repositories (IRs) offer many clear benefits yet faculty authors have not demonstrated much interest in depositing their content into them. Without the content, IRs will not succeed, because institutions will sustain IRs for only so long without evidence of success. A yearlong study of faculty members at the University of Rochester…

Comparing Students' and Experts' Understanding of the Content of a Lecture

Science.gov (United States)

Hrepic, Zdeslav; Zollman, Dean A.; Sanjay Rebello, N.

2007-06-01

In spite of advances in physics pedagogy, the lecture is by far the most widely used format of instruction. We investigated students' understanding and perceptions of the content delivered during a physics lecture. A group of experts (physics instructors) also participated in the study as a reference for the comparison. During the study, all participants responded to a written conceptual survey on sound propagation. Next, they looked for answers to the survey questions in a videotaped lecture by a nationally known teacher. As they viewed the lecture, they indicated instances, if any, in which the survey questions were answered during the lecture. They also wrote down (and if needed, later explained) the answer, which they perceived was given by the instructor in the video lecture. Students who participated in the study were enrolled in a conceptual physics course and had already covered the topic in class before the study. We discuss and compare students' and experts' responses to the survey questions before and after the lecture.

Understanding a High School Physics Teacher's Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Argumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jianlan; Buck, Gayle A.

2016-08-01

Scientific argumentation is an important learning objective in science education. It is also an effective instructional approach to constructivist science learning. The implementation of argumentation in school settings requires science teachers, who are pivotal agents of transforming classroom practices, to develop sophisticated knowledge of argumentation. However, there is a lack of understanding about science teachers' knowledge of argumentation, especially the dialogic meaning of argumentation. In this case study, we closely examine a high school physics teacher's argumentation-related pedagogic content knowledge (PCK) in the context of dialogic argumentation. We synthesize the teacher's performed PCK from his argumentation practices and narrated PCK from his reflection on the argumentation practices, from which we summarize his PCK of argumentation from the perspectives of orientation, instructional strategies, students, curriculum, and assessment. Finally, we describe the teacher's perception and adaption of argumentation in his class. We also identity the barriers to argumentation implementation in this particular case and suggest solutions to overcome these barriers.

Understanding the Role of Chemokines and Cytokines in Experimental Models of Herpes Simplex Keratitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tayaba N. Azher

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Herpes simplex keratitis is a disease of the cornea caused by HSV-1. It is a leading cause of corneal blindness in the world. Underlying molecular mechanism is still unknown, but experimental models have helped give a better understanding of the underlying molecular pathology. Cytokines and chemokines are small proteins released by cells that play an important proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory role in modulating the disease process. Cytokines such as IL-17, IL-6, IL-1α, and IFN-γ and chemokines such as MIP-2, MCP-1, MIP-1α, and MIP-1β have proinflammatory role in the destruction caused by HSV including neutrophil infiltration and corneal inflammation, and other chemokines and cytokines such as IL-10 and CCL3 can have a protective role. Most of the damage results from neutrophil infiltration and neovascularization. While many more studies are needed to better understand the role of these molecules in both experimental models and human corneas, current studies indicate that these molecules hold potential to be targets of future therapy.

Understanding Consumer Interaction on Instagram: The Role of Satisfaction, Hedonism, and Content Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Casaló, Luis V; Flavián, Carlos; Ibáñez-Sánchez, Sergio

2017-06-01

The increasing relevance of Instagram and its growing adoption among top brands suggest an effort to better understand consumers' behaviors within this context. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of perceived hedonism and satisfaction in determining consumers' intentions to interact and their actual interaction behaviors (the number of likes, by tapping a heart icon, and comments) in a brand's official Instagram account. Also, we investigate the effect of consumer perceptions about the characteristics of the content generated in the account (perceived originality, quantity, and quality) on their perceived hedonism and satisfaction. Data were collected in two stages from 808 members of a fashion brand's official Instagram account. First, participants answered an online questionnaire to evaluate their perceptions, satisfaction, and interaction intentions. Second, 1 month later, we measure the number of likes and comments done by each participant in the brand's official Instagram account during that month. Using partial least squares to analyze the data, perceived hedonism is found to affect both satisfaction and the intention to interact in Instagram, which in turn influences actual behavior. Besides, perceived originality is the most relevant content characteristic to develop perceived hedonism. These findings offer managers a general vision of consumers' behaviors on Instagram, highlighting the importance of hedonism to create a satisfactory experience.

Experimental verification of neutron emission method for measuring of fissile material content in spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou-Zaid, A.A.; Pytel, K.

1999-01-01

A non-destructive method of measurement of fissile nuclides content remained in spent fuel from research reactor is presented. The method, called the neutron emission one, is based on counting of fission neutrons emitted from fissile isotopes: 235 U, 239 Pu, 241 Pu. Fissions are induced mainly by neutrons supplied by the external neutron source. Another effects contribute also to the measured neutron population, e. g. source neutrons from penetrating the fuel without being captured and scattered, neutrons (α,n) reactions and from spontaneous fissions of actinides. Complexity of phenomena occurring within the measurement facility required the detailed numerical simulation and experimental studies prior design of ultimate measurement stand. In the previous paper, the results of Monte Carlo simulation on optimisation of measuring stand for neutron emission method were presented. On the basis of those results, the experimental stand for Maria reactor fuel investigation has been designed and manufactured. The present paper, being the continuation of previous one, contains the description of experimental facility and the results of measurements for the fresh fuel (without burnup) and the fuel mock-up (without fissile materials). Although some discrepancies were found between Monte Carlo and experimental results, the main conclusions concerning the optimal geometry of measuring facility have been confirmed. (author)

It's not all about moral reasoning: Understanding the content of Moral Case Deliberation.

Science.gov (United States)

Svantesson, Mia; Silén, Marit; James, Inger

2018-03-01

Moral Case Deliberation is one form of clinical ethics support described as a facilitator-led collective moral reasoning by healthcare professionals on a concrete moral question connected to their practice. Evaluation research is needed, but, as human interaction is difficult to standardise, there is a need to capture the content beyond moral reasoning. This allows for a better understanding of Moral Case Deliberation, which may contribute to further development of valid outcome criteria and stimulate the normative discussion of what Moral Case Deliberation should contain. To explore and compare the content beyond moral reasoning in the dialogue in Moral Case Deliberation at Swedish workplaces. A mixed-methods approach was applied for analysing audio-recordings of 70 periodic Moral Case Deliberation meetings at 10 Swedish workplaces. Moral Case Deliberation facilitators and various healthcare professions participated, with registered nurses comprising the majority. Ethical considerations: No objection to the study was made by an Ethical Review Board. After oral and written information was provided, consent to be recorded was assumed by virtue of participation. Other than 'moral reasoning' (median (md): 45% of the spoken time), the Moral Case Deliberations consisted of 'reflections on the psychosocial work environment' to a varying extent (md: 29%). Additional content comprised 'assumptions about the patient's psychosocial situation' (md: 6%), 'facts about the patient's situation' (md: 5%), 'concrete problem-solving' (md: 6%) and 'process' (md: 3%). The findings suggest that a restorative function of staff's wellbeing in Moral Case Deliberation is needed, as this might contribute to good patient care. This supports outcome criteria of improved emotional support, which may include relief of moral distress. However, facilitators need a strategy for how to proceed from the participants' own emotional needs and to develop the use of their emotional knowing to focus on

A study of real-time content marketing : formulating real-time content marketing based on content, search and social media

OpenAIRE

Nguyen, Thi Kim Duyen

2015-01-01

The primary objective of this research is to understand profoundly the new concept of content marketing – real-time content marketing on the aspect of the digital marketing experts. Particularly, the research will focus on the real-time content marketing theories and how to build real-time content marketing strategy based on content, search and social media. It also finds out how marketers measure and keep track of conversion rates of their real-time content marketing plan. Practically, th...

Apatite: A New Tool For Understanding The Temporal Variability Of Magmatic Volatile Contents

Science.gov (United States)

Stock, M. J.; Humphreys, M.; Smith, V.; Pyle, D. M.; Isaia, R.

2015-12-01

The apatite crystal structure is capable of incorporating H2O, F and Cl, as well as trace CO2 and sulphur. These can be related to parental magma compositions through application of a series of pressure and temperature-dependent exchange reactions (Piccoli and Candela, 1994), permitting apatite crystals to preserve a record of all major volatile species in the melt. Furthermore, due to the general incompatibility of P in other rock-forming minerals, apatite is ubiquitous in igneous systems and often begins crystallising early, such that apatite inclusions within phenocrysts record melt volatile contents throughout magmatic differentiation. In this work, we compare the compositions of apatite inclusions and microphenocrysts with pyroxene-hosted melt inclusions from the Astroni 1 eruption of Campi Flegrei, Italy. These data are coupled with magmatic differentiation models (Gualda et al., 2012), experimental volatile solubility data (Webster et al., 2014) and thermodynamic models of apatite compositional variations (Piccoli and Candela, 1994) to determine a time-series of magmatic volatile evolution in the build-up to eruption. We find that apatite halogen/OH ratios decreased through magmatic differentiation, while melt inclusion F and Cl concentrations increased. Melt inclusion H2O contents are constant at ~2.5 wt%. These data are best explained by volatile-undersaturated differentiation over most of the crystallisation history of the Astroni 1 melt, with melt inclusion H2O contents reset during ascent, due to rapid H diffusion through the phenocryst hosts (Woods et al., 2000). Given the rapid diffusivity of volatiles in apatite (Brenan, 1993), preservation of undersaturated compositions in microphenocrysts suggests that saturation was only achieved a few days to months before eruption and that it may have been the transition into a volatile-saturated state that ultimately triggered eruption. Piccoli and Candela, 1994. Am. J. of Sc., 294, 92-135. Gualda et al., 2012

ESTIMATION OF HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY AND CONTENT OF FINES FROM EXPERIMENTAL LAWS THAT CORELATE HYDRAULIC AND ELECTRIC PARAMETERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Héctor José Peinado-Guevara

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic conductivity is a basic element in the advancement of knowledge of a geological environment in both the flow and transport processes of pollutants for conservation projects, managementand environmental management and also for the development of public policies for protection of ecosystems, among others. The aim of this paper is to obtain the hydraulic conductivity (K and the finescontent (C of saturated granular half using two empirical laws. One correlates the electrical conductivity of saturated granular media σo and water saturated σw which depends on the formation factor(F, cation exchange capacity (CEC and the fines content in the saturated soil. Using data obtained from materials of 18 samples from 6 wells the relationships between F-C and CEC-C were obtained,so the equation reduces to a σo function in terms of σw and C, with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.97. A second experimental law is the one that results from the experimental relationship between K and C,being 1.4054 K 0.1804.C with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.96. From both experimental expressions relationships between K and C, a and C,and C are created so from every pair knowing one of them you get to know the other one. Under the scheme outlined electrical conductivity sections for the saturated medium and fines content are obtained,finding that the groundwater in the study area consists of a thin top layer and beneath it there is a predominantly sandy environment.

Middle-School Teachers' Understanding and Teaching of the Engineering Design Process: A Look at Subject Matter and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Hynes, Morgan M.

2012-01-01

This paper reports on research investigating six middle school teachers without engineering degrees as they taught an engineering unit on the engineering design process. Videotaped classroom sessions and teacher interviews were analyzed to understand the subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge the teachers used and developed as they…

Advancing Future Network Science through Content Understanding

Science.gov (United States)

2014-05-01

BitTorrent, PostgreSQL, MySQL , and GRSecurity) and emerging technologies (HadoopDFS, Tokutera, Sector/Sphere, HBase, and other BigTable-like...result. • Multi-Source Network Pulse Analyzer and Correlator provides course of action planning by enhancing the understanding of the complex dynamics

Clearance of 99mTc-DTPA and experimentally increased alveolar surfactant content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bos, J.A.H.; Wollmer, P.; Bakker, W.; Hannappel, E.; Lachmann, B.

1992-01-01

The authors measured clearance of 99m Tc-labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid ( 99m Tc-DTPA) in rabbits with experimentally increased alveolar surfactant content. In one group of animals, surfactant production was increased by treatment with ambroxol, and another group of animals was treated with tracheal instillation of natural surfactant. A group of untreated control animals and animals treated with instillation of saline were also studied. Clearance was measured during standard conditions of mechanical ventilation and during ventilation with large tidal volumes. In ambroxol- and surfactant-treated groups, clearance rate was reduced compared with untreated control animals. In contrast, clearance rate increased after saline instillation. The differences were observed at both modes of ventilation. The findings indicate that the pulmonary surfactant system is a rate-limiting factor for the clearance of 99m Tc-DTPA and that the volume dependence of clearance is not explained by stretching of the alveolar wall only. 28 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

Naturalising Representational Content

Science.gov (United States)

Shea, Nicholas

2014-01-01

This paper sets out a view about the explanatory role of representational content and advocates one approach to naturalising content – to giving a naturalistic account of what makes an entity a representation and in virtue of what it has the content it does. It argues for pluralism about the metaphysics of content and suggests that a good strategy is to ask the content question with respect to a variety of predictively successful information processing models in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience; and hence that data from psychology and cognitive neuroscience should play a greater role in theorising about the nature of content. Finally, the contours of the view are illustrated by drawing out and defending a surprising consequence: that individuation of vehicles of content is partly externalist. PMID:24563661

Elementary student teachers' science content representations

Science.gov (United States)

Zembal-Saul, Carla; Krajcik, Joseph; Blumenfeld, Phyllis

2002-08-01

This purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which three prospective teachers who had early opportunities to teach science would approach representing science content within the context of their student teaching experiences. The study is framed in the literature on pedagogical content knowledge and learning to teach. A situated perspective on cognition is applied to better understand the influence of context and the role of the cooperating teacher. The three participants were enrolled in an experimental teacher preparation program designed to enhance the teaching of science at the elementary level. Qualitative case study design guided the collection, organization, and analysis of data. Multiple forms of data associated with student teachers' content representations were collected, including audiotaped planning and reflection interviews, written lesson plans and reflections, and videotaped teaching experiences. Broad analysis categories were developed and refined around the subconstructs of content representation (i.e., knowledge of instructional strategies that promote learning and knowledge of students and their requirements for meaningful science learning). Findings suggest that when prospective teachers are provided with opportunities to apply and reflect substantively on their developing considerations for supporting children's science learning, they are able to maintain a subject matter emphasis. However, in the absence of such opportunities, student teachers abandon their subject matter emphasis, even when they have had extensive background and experiences addressing subject-specific considerations for teaching and learning.

Children's Understanding of Experimental Contrast and Experimental Control: An Inventory for Primary School

Science.gov (United States)

Osterhaus, Christopher; Koerber, Susanne; Sodian, Beate

2015-01-01

Experimentation skills are a central component of scientific thinking, and many studies have investigated whether and when primary-school children develop adequate experimentation strategies. However, the answers to these questions vary substantially depending on the type of task that is used: while discovery tasks, which require children to…

The social making of educational theory: Unraveling how to understand the content, emergence and transformation of educational theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Øland, Trine; Hansen, Christian Sandbjerg

This article concerns the question of how it is possible to study, understand and explain the content, emergence and transformation of educational theories. Based on a reading of the Danish scene we detect three main positions: 1) A philosophical approach that place focus on the content...... of the ideas and theories put forth by the ‘great’ philosophical-educational thinkers, which is analyzed in terms of logical-coherence and/or moral-ethical value. 2) A historical approach that place focus on the different historical individuals and their changing educational ideas or theories, often vaguely...... expressed as views, and, through detailed archival studies, analyze these as part of a realistic and contextual story of the individuals, their motives and ideas, in time. 3) Approaches that unite in their inspiration from Michel Foucault, and which analyzes educational ideas and theories not through...

Experimental Simulations to Understand the Lunar and Martian Surficial Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Y. Y. S.; Li, X.; Tang, H.; Li, Y.; Zeng, X.; Chang, R.; Li, S.; Zhang, S.; Jin, H.; Mo, B.; Li, R.; Yu, W.; Wang, S.

2016-12-01

In support with China's Lunar and Mars exploration programs and beyond, our center is dedicated to understand the surficial processes and environments of planetary bodies. Over the latest several years, we design, build and optimize experimental simulation facilities and utilize them to test hypotheses and evaluate affecting mechanisms under controlled conditions particularly relevant to the Moon and Mars. Among the fundamental questions to address, we emphasize on five major areas: (1) Micrometeorites bombardment simulation to evaluate the formation mechanisms of np-Fe0 which was found in lunar samples and the possible sources of Fe. (2) Solar wind implantation simulation to evaluate the alteration/amorphization/OH or H2O formation on the surface of target minerals or rocks. (3) Dusts mobility characteristics on the Moon and other planetary bodies by excitation different types of dust particles and measuring their movements. (4) Mars basaltic soil simulant development (e.g., Jining Martian Soil Simulant (JMSS-1)) and applications for scientific/engineering experiments. (5) Halogens (Cl and Br) and life essential elements (C, H, O, N, P, and S) distribution and speciation on Mars during surficial processes such as sedimentary- and photochemical- related processes. Depending on the variables of interest, the simulation systems provide flexibility to vary source of energy, temperature, pressure, and ambient gas composition in the reaction chambers. Also, simulation products can be observed or analyzed in-situ by various analyzer components inside the chamber, without interrupting the experimental conditions. In addition, behavior of elements and isotopes during certain surficial processes (e.g., evaporation, dissolution, etc.) can be theoretically predicted by our theoretical geochemistry group with thermodynamics-kinetics calculation and modeling, which supports experiment design and result interpretation.

Superficial tension: experimental model with simple materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tintori Ferreira, María Alejandra

2012-09-01

Full Text Available In this work appears a didactic offer based on an experimental activity using materials of very low cost, orientated to achieving that the student understand and interpret the phenomenon of superficial tension together with the importance of the modeling in sciences. It has as principal aim of education bring the student over to the mechanics of the static fluids and the intermolecular forces, combining scientific contents with questions near to the student what provides an additional motivation to the reflection of the scientific investigation.

Effects of aging and HEMA content on the translucency, fluorescence, and opalescence properties of experimental HEMA-added glass ionomers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yong-Keun; Yu, Bin; Zhao, Guang-Feng; Lim, Jin Ik

2010-01-01

Changes in the translucency, fluorescence, and opalescence of experimental 10-50% 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-added glass ionomers (HAGIs) after 5,000 cycles of thermocycling were determined and compared with those of commercial resin-modified glass ionomers (RMGIs). Changes in the translucency (TP), fluorescence (FL), and opalescence (OP) parameters were in the range of -3.5 to 0.2, -2.3 to 0.3 and -2.6 to 9.1 units respectively for HAGIs; and -0.9 to 0.3, -0.7 to 0.6, and 1.1 to 2.3 units respectively for RMGIs. Changes in the TP, FL, and OP of HAGIs were influenced by the HEMA content and powder shade, and were generally larger than those of RMGIs. Since the changes in TP, FL, and OP of experimental HAGIs were influenced by the HEMA content, there arises a need to determine the optimal HEMA ratio to attain high stability for these optical properties. In addition, results of this study showed that apart from optimal HEMA ratio, future studies should include other aspects and factors that contribute to age-dependent changes in optical properties.

Social network ties beyond nonredundancy: an experimental investigation of the effect of knowledge content and tie strength on creativity.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry-Smith, Jill E

2014-09-01

Social network research emphasizes the access to nonredundant knowledge content that network ties provide. I suggest that some content is more beneficial than others and that tie strength may affect creativity for reasons other than the associated structure. That is, tie strength may affect how individuals process nonredundant knowledge. I investigate 2 types of knowledge content--information (i.e., facts or data) and frames (i.e., interpretations or impressions)--and explore whether tie strength influences their effect on creativity. Drawing on creativity theory, I employ an experimental design to provide greater theoretical clarity and to isolate causality. According to the results from 2 studies, distinct frames received from contacts facilitate creativity, but the effect of distinct information is more complex. When individuals receive distinct information from strong ties, it constrains creativity compared to distinct frames. Content from weak ties appears to facilitate creativity across all scenarios. The results of mediated moderation analysis indicate the effect of framing versus information for strong ties is driven by decision-making time, as an indicator of cognitive expansion. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Effect of astragalus and dopamine on changes of blood and renal tissue contents of NO, ET in experimental rat models of acute renal failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yajun; Zheng Bingjie; Shi Lan; Fan Yaping

2004-01-01

Objective: To explore the effect of intravenous or intra-renal-capsular administration of astragalus and dopamine on the serum NO and renal tissue NO, ET contents in rat models of acute renal failure. Methods: Experimental rat models of acute renal failure induced by intraperitoneal injection of E. Coli endotoxin (lipo-polysaccharide) were prepared (n=60). Treatment with astragalus and dopamine was administered via either intravenous on intra-renal-capsular route (n=20 in each group). Serum NO and renal tissue NO (with nitric acid reductase method), ET (with RIA) contents were determined at 4, 8, 12, 16h after injection of endotoxin. Twenty shock models were left untreated and additional twenty rats receiving saline injection only served as controls. Results: In the intravenously treated group, the increase of serum NO and renal tissue NO, ET contents were significantly less than those in the untreated group (P<0.05). In the group treated via the intracapsular route , the increase of renal tissue NO and ET contents were much less than those in the intravenous group at 12 and 16h (P<0.05). Conclusion: Combined treatment with astragalus and dopamine could abate the abnormally high renal tissue contents of NO and ET after endotoxin shock in experimental rats and treatment with intra capsular administration seems to be more effective. (authors)

Comparison of calculated and experimentally determined SID of CP and AA in complex diets differing in AA contents for grower finisher pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Büsing, K; Berk, A; Müller, S; Kieckhäven, S; Krüger, K; Zeyner, A

2017-10-01

In practice, the content of standardized ileal digestible AA in complex feeds for pigs is calculated on the basis of tabulated values for individual feedstuffs. It comes into question, however, whether this truly reflects an accurate content based upon the estimate made for the individual feedstuffs. The objective of this study was to compare standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of crude protein (CP) and selected AA in complex feeds for grower and finisher pigs either calculated or experimentally determined. Six diets with increasing AA levels were prepared for grower (BW from 30 to 70 kg) and finisher (BW from 70 to 120 kg) feed. Crystalline L-lys, DL-met and L-thr were added to both diets, L-trp and L-val only to the grower feed. SID of both CP and AA was calculated from feed tables and experimentally determined in six adult minipigs (MINILEWE) with ileorectal anastomosis. With increasing AA levels, experimentally determined SID of supplemented AA increased (p AA via tabulated values for individual feedstuffs, however, seems to be acceptable for practical use. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Exploring one aspect of pedagogical content knowledge of teaching assistants using the test of understanding graphs in kinematics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru Maries

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics (TUG-K is a multiple-choice test developed by Beichner in 1994 to assess students’ understanding of kinematics graphs. Many of the items on the TUG-K have strong distractor choices which correspond to students’ common difficulties with kinematics graphs. Instruction is unlikely to be effective if instructors do not know the common difficulties of introductory physics students and explicitly take them into account in their instructional design. We evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of first-year physics graduate students enrolled in a teaching assistant training course related to topics covered in the TUG-K. In particular, for each item on the TUG-K, the graduate students were asked to identify which incorrect answer choice they thought would be most commonly selected by introductory physics students if they did not know the correct answer after instruction in relevant concepts. We used the graduate student data and the data from Beichner’s original paper for introductory physics students (which was collected from over 500 college and high school students to assess this aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of the graduate students, i.e., knowledge of student difficulties related to kinematics graphs as they are revealed by the TUG-K. We find that, although the graduate students, on average, performed better than random guessing at identifying introductory student difficulties on the TUG-K, they did not identify many common difficulties that introductory students have with graphs in kinematics. In addition, we find that the ability of graduate students to identify the difficulties of introductory students is context dependent and that discussions among the graduate students improved their understanding of student difficulties related to kinematics graphs. Moreover, we find that the ability of American graduate students in identifying common student difficulties is

Learning the 'grammar of science': The influence of a physical science content course on teachers' understanding of the nature of science

Science.gov (United States)

Hanuscin, Deborah L.

This research examined the development of practicing K--8 teachers' views of the nature of science (NOS) within a physical science content course. Reforms in science education have called for the teaching of science as inquiry. In order to achieve the vision of the reforms, teachers must understand science, both a body of knowledge and as a process, but also the very nature of science itself-or the values and assumptions inherent in the construction of scientific knowledge. NOS has been deemed a critical component of scientific literacy, with implications for making informed decisions about scientific claims. Research has indicated that despite the emphasis of reforms, teachers generally do not possess accurate views of NOS. Recent work in science education has led to the recommendation that efforts undertaken within teacher education programs to improve teachers' understanding of NOS can be enhanced through relevant coursework in other academic areas, including the sciences. The purpose of this dissertation was to provide an empirical basis for this recommendation, by examining the development of teachers' views of NOS within a physical science content course. To this end, the researcher employed qualitative methodology including participant observation, interview, document analysis, and questionnaire to assess teacher participants' views of the nature of science and the impact of their experience in the content course on these views. As a result of this research, implications for both the course design and science teacher education have been described. In addition, various aspects of the community of practice that characterizes the classroom that inhibit the development of understandings about the nature of science are identified. It is argued that instruction in NOS should be approached from the perspective that builds bridges between the communities of practice of learners and of scientists.

Experimental public speaking: contributions to the understanding of the serotonergic modulation of fear.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Leal, Cybele; Graeff, Frederico Guilherme; Del-Ben, Cristina Marta

2014-10-01

Public speaking is widely used as a model of experimental fear and anxiety. This review aimed to evaluate the effects of pharmacological challenges on public speaking responses and their implications for the understanding of the neurobiology of normal and pathological anxiety, specifically panic disorder. We also describe methodological features of experimental paradigms using public speaking as an inducer of fear and stress. Public speaking is a potent stressor that can provoke significant subjective and physiological responses. However, variations in the manners in which public speaking is modelled can lead to different responses that need to be considered when interpreting the results. Results from pharmacological studies with healthy volunteers submitted to simulated public speaking tests have similarities with the pharmacological responses of panic patients observed in clinical practice and panic patients differ from controls in the response to the public speaking test. These data are compatible with the Deakin and Graeff hypothesis that serotonin inhibits fear, as accessed by public speaking tasks, and that this inhibition is likely related to the actions of serotonin in the dorsal periaqueductal grey matter. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing student understanding of measurement and uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Jirungnimitsakul, S.; Wattanakasiwich, P.

2017-09-01

The objectives of this study were to develop and assess student understanding of measurement and uncertainty. A test has been adapted and translated from the Laboratory Data Analysis Instrument (LDAI) test, consists of 25 questions focused on three topics including measures of central tendency, experimental errors and uncertainties, and fitting regression lines. The test was evaluated its content validity by three physics experts in teaching physics laboratory. In the pilot study, Thai LDAI was administered to 93 freshmen enrolled in a fundamental physics laboratory course. The final draft of the test was administered to three groups—45 freshmen taking fundamental physics laboratory, 16 sophomores taking intermediated physics laboratory and 21 juniors taking advanced physics laboratory at Chiang Mai University. As results, we found that the freshmen had difficulties in experimental errors and uncertainties. Most students had problems with fitting regression lines. These results will be used to improve teaching and learning physics laboratory for physics students in the department.

Understanding understanding in secondary school science: An interpretive study

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neill, Maureen Gail

This study investigated the teaching of secondary school science with an emphasis on promoting student understanding. In particular, I focused on two research questions: What are the possible meanings of teaching for understanding? And, how might one teach secondary school science for understanding? After semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 secondary school science teachers, grounded theory methodology was used to interpret the data. As a result of the selective coding process, I was able to identify 14 connected components of teaching for understanding (TfU). The process of TfU involves: puzzle-solving, a specific pedagogy and a conscious decision. The teacher must be a reflective practitioner who has some knowledge of the facets of understanding. The teacher comes to a critical incident or crisis in his or her pedagogy and adopts a mindset which highlights TfU as a personal problematic. Teachers operate with student-centred rather than teacher-centred metaphors. TfU requires a firm belief in and passion for the process, a positive attitude and excellent pedagogical content knowledge. It hinges on a performance view of understanding and demands risk-taking in the science classroom. Abstracting these ideas to a theory led me to the notion of Purposive Teaching . In their purposive-driven role as pedagogues, these teachers have placed TfU at the core of their daily practice. Constraints and challenges facing TfU as well as implications of the findings are discussed. Keywords. science teaching, teaching for understanding, purposive teaching, constructivism, understanding, pedagogy, pedagogical content knowledge, memorization, meaningful learning, reflective practice.

Changes in Accounting Education: Improving Principles Content for Better Understanding.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, David T.; Boyd, Sanithia C.; Boyd, William L.

2000-01-01

Offers suggestions for more effective teaching of the first course of accounting in terms of time, content, and process. Suggests the use of visual aids and the concepts approach. (Contains 18 references.) (JOW)

Understanding the bias between moisture content by oven drying and water content by Karl Fischer titration at moisture equilibrium

Science.gov (United States)

Multiple causes of the difference between equilibrium moisture and water content have been found. The errors or biases were traced to the oven drying procedure to determine moisture content. The present paper explains the nature of the biases in oven drying and how it is possible to suppress one ...

EVALUATION OF ENEMAS CONTAINING SUCRALFATE IN TISSUE CONTENT OF MUC-2 PROTEIN IN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF DIVERSION COLITIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Oscar Orlando Araya; Pereira, José Aires; Campos, Fábio Guilherme; Araya, Carolina Mardegan; Marinho, Gabriele Escocia; Novo, Rafaela de Souza; Oliveira, Thais Silva de; Franceschi, Yara Tinoco; Martinez, Carlos Augusto Real

2017-01-01

The effects of topical application of sucralfate (SCF) on the tissue content of MUC-2 protein have not yet been evaluated in experimental models of diversion colitis. To measure the tissue content of MUC-2 protein in the colonic mucosa diverted from fecal stream submitted to the SCF intervention. Thirty-six rats underwent derivation of intestinal transit through proximal colostomy and distal mucous fistula. The animals were divided into three groups which were submitted application of enemas with saline, SCF 1 g/kg/day and SCF 2 g/kg/day. Each group was divided into two subgroups, according to euthanasia was done after two or four weeks. The colitis diagnosis was established by histopathological study and the inflammatory intensity was evaluated by previously validated scale. The MUC-2 protein was identified by immunohistochemistry and the tissue content was measured computerized morphometry). The application of enemas with SCF in the concentration of 2 g/kg/day reduced inflammatory score of the segments that were diverted from fecal stream. The content of MUC-2 in diverted colon of the animals submitted to the intervention with SCF, independently of intervention period and the used concentration, was significantly greater than animals submitted to the application of enemas containing saline (p< 0.01). The content of MUC-2 after the intervention with SCF in the concentration of 2 g/kg/day was significantly higher when compared to the animals submitted to the application containing SCF at concentration of 1.0 g/kg/day (p<0.01). The tissue content of MUC-2 reached the highest values after intervention with SCF in the concentration of 2 g/kg/day for four weeks (p<0.01). Conclusion: The preventive application of enemas containing SCF reduces the inflammatory score and avoids the reduction of tissue content of MUC-2, suggesting that the substance is a valid therapeutic strategy to preserve the mucus layer that covers the intestinal epithelium.

Understanding Alzheimer's

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... Navigation Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Understanding Alzheimer's Past Issues / Fall 2007 Table of Contents For ... and brain scans. No treatment so far stops Alzheimer's. However, for some in the disease's early and ...

Experimental and theoretical investigation of the effect of SiO2 content in gate dielectrics on work function shift induced by nanoscale capping layers

KAUST Repository

Caraveo-Frescas, J. A.; Wang, H.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Alshareef, Husam N.

2012-01-01

The impact of SiO2 content in ultrathin gate dielectrics on the magnitude of the effective work function (EWF) shift induced by nanoscale capping layers has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The magnitude of the effective work function shift for four different capping layers (AlN, Al2O3, La2O3, and Gd2O3) is measured as a function of SiO2 content in the gate dielectric. A nearly linear increase of this shift with SiO2 content is observed for all capping layers. The origin of this dependence is explained using density functional theory simulations.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of the effect of SiO2 content in gate dielectrics on work function shift induced by nanoscale capping layers

KAUST Repository

Caraveo-Frescas, J. A.

2012-09-10

The impact of SiO2 content in ultrathin gate dielectrics on the magnitude of the effective work function (EWF) shift induced by nanoscale capping layers has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The magnitude of the effective work function shift for four different capping layers (AlN, Al2O3, La2O3, and Gd2O3) is measured as a function of SiO2 content in the gate dielectric. A nearly linear increase of this shift with SiO2 content is observed for all capping layers. The origin of this dependence is explained using density functional theory simulations.

Analyzing Public Discourse: Using Media Content Analysis to Understand the Policy Process

Science.gov (United States)

Saraisky, Nancy Green

2016-01-01

One of the most basic and obvious sources of data for education policy analysis is text. This article discusses content analysis as an important part of the methodological toolbox for elucidating patterns and trends about education policy. Focusing specifically on media, I show how media content analysis can produce nuanced insights about the ways…

Understanding trade-offs between development and resources

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Ngwadla, Xolisa

2017-01-01

Full Text Available stream_source_info Ngwadla_CSIR2017.pdf.txt stream_content_type text/plain stream_size 4104 Content-Encoding UTF-8 stream_name Ngwadla_CSIR2017.pdf.txt Content-Type text/plain; charset=UTF-8 UNDERSTANDING TRADE... feedstock + production aspects • Are there limits to growth? WHY UNDERSTAND RESOURCE TRADE-OFFS WITH INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT? UNEMPLOYMENT - 24% in 2011 - 27% in 2016 INEQUALITY - Gini Coefficient: - 0,69 in 2011 - 0,68 in 2015...

The impact of content marketing on attitudes and purchase intentions of online shoppers : the case videos & tutorials and user-generated content

OpenAIRE

Milhinhos, Patrícia Raquel Vasques

2015-01-01

This thesis was written as part of a Double-Degree Masters program in Management, with focus in Marketing. Aligned with the nature of the degree, this study aims to be a useful tool for managers and marketers, which conduct business online. This thesis is a study of Content Marketing in the content of online commercial product pages. Its aim is to understand how to use content marketing to drive conversion, by understanding consumer attitudes and purchase intention towards content. A in...

Assessment of leaf carotenoids content with a new carotenoid index: Development and validation on experimental and model data

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xianfeng; Huang, Wenjiang; Kong, Weiping; Ye, Huichun; Dong, Yingying; Casa, Raffaele

2017-05-01

Leaf carotenoids content (LCar) is an important indicator of plant physiological status. Accurate estimation of LCar provides valuable insight into early detection of stress in vegetation. With spectroscopy techniques, a semi-empirical approach based on spectral indices was extensively used for carotenoids content estimation. However, established spectral indices for carotenoids that generally rely on limited measured data, might lack predictive accuracy for carotenoids estimation in various species and at different growth stages. In this study, we propose a new carotenoid index (CARI) for LCar assessment based on a large synthetic dataset simulated from the leaf radiative transfer model PROSPECT-5, and evaluate its capability with both simulated data from PROSPECT-5 and 4SAIL and extensive experimental datasets: the ANGERS dataset and experimental data acquired in field experiments in China in 2004. Results show that CARI was the index most linearly correlated with carotenoids content at the leaf level using a synthetic dataset (R2 = 0.943, RMSE = 1.196 μg/cm2), compared with published spectral indices. Cross-validation results with CARI using ANGERS data achieved quite an accurate estimation (R2 = 0.545, RMSE = 3.413 μg/cm2), though the RBRI performed as the best index (R2 = 0.727, RMSE = 2.640 μg/cm2). CARI also showed good accuracy (R2 = 0.639, RMSE = 1.520 μg/cm2) for LCar assessment with leaf level field survey data, though PRI performed better (R2 = 0.710, RMSE = 1.369 μg/cm2). Whereas RBRI, PRI and other assessed spectral indices showed a good performance for a given dataset, overall their estimation accuracy was not consistent across all datasets used in this study. Conversely CARI was more robust showing good results in all datasets. Further assessment of LCar with simulated and measured canopy reflectance data indicated that CARI might not be very sensitive to LCar changes at low leaf area index (LAI) value, and in these conditions soil moisture

The everyday lives of video game developers: Experimentally understanding underlying systems/structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Casey O'Donnell

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This essay examines how tensions between work and play for video game developers shape the worlds they create. The worlds of game developers, whose daily activity is linked to larger systems of experimentation and technoscientific practice, provide insights that transcend video game development work. The essay draws on ethnographic material from over 3 years of fieldwork with video game developers in the United States and India. It develops the notion of creative collaborative practice based on work in the fields of science and technology studies, game studies, and media studies. The importance of, the desire for, or the drive to understand underlying systems and structures has become fundamental to creative collaborative practice. I argue that the daily activity of game development embodies skills fundamental to creative collaborative practice and that these capabilities represent fundamental aspects of critical thought. Simultaneously, numerous interests have begun to intervene in ways that endanger these foundations of creative collaborative practice.

Evaluation of material fracture energy by its heat content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frolov, G.A.; Pasichnyj, V.V.; Polezhaev, Yu.V.; Frolov, A.A.; Choba, A.V.

1986-01-01

Based on published and experimental data it is shown that there is a simple relationship between the heat of evaporation and heat content. This allows in some instances the evaluation of a rate of material fracture by its content. Experimental and theoretical data for quartz glass ceramics, and glass-reinforced plastic are presented

Teachers' Understanding of Mathematical Cognition in Childhood: Towards a Shift in Pedagogical Content Knowledge?

Science.gov (United States)

Henning, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

This article about the discourse of pedagogy as related to child cognition in mathematics addresses the issue of what constitutes the main disciplinary content and the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of foundation-phase teachers. I argue that, unless child cognition itself is the primary disciplinary content of foundation-phase teacher's…

Understanding AlN Obtaining Through Computational Thermodynamics Combined with Experimental Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Florea, R. M.

2017-06-01

Basic material concept, technology and some results of studies on aluminum matrix composite with dispersive aluminum nitride reinforcement was shown. Studied composites were manufactured by „in situ” technique. Aluminum nitride (AlN) has attracted large interest recently, because of its high thermal conductivity, good dielectric properties, high flexural strength, thermal expansion coefficient matches that of Si and its non-toxic nature, as a suitable material for hybrid integrated circuit substrates. AlMg alloys are the best matrix for AlN obtaining. Al2O3-AlMg, AlN-Al2O3, and AlN-AlMg binary diagrams were thermodynamically modelled. The obtained Gibbs free energies of components, solution parameters and stoichiometric phases were used to build a thermodynamic database of AlN- Al2O3-AlMg system. Obtaining of AlN with Liquid-phase of AlMg as matrix has been studied and compared with the thermodynamic results. The secondary phase microstructure has a significant effect on the final thermal conductivity of the obtained AlN. Thermodynamic modelling of AlN-Al2O3-AlMg system provided an important basis for understanding the obtaining behavior and interpreting the experimental results.

Numerical and experimental determination of surface temperature and moisture evolution in a field soil

Science.gov (United States)

Akinyemi, Olukayode D.; Mendes, Nathan

2007-03-01

Knowledge about the dynamics of soil moisture and heat, especially at the surface, provides important insights into the physical processes governing their interactions with the atmosphere, thereby improving the understanding of patterns of climate dynamics. In this context the paper presents the numerical and field experimental results of temperature and moisture evolution, which were measured on the surface of a sandy soil at Abeokuta, south-western Nigeria. An unconditionally stable numerical method was used, which linearizes the vapour concentration driving-potential term giving the moisture exchanged at the boundaries in terms of temperature and moisture content, and simultaneously solves the governing equations for each time step. The model avoids stability problems and limitations to low moisture contents and the usual assumption of constant thermal conductivity. Instantaneous temperature measurements were made at the surface using a thermocouple, while the gravimetric method was employed to determine the volumetric water contents at some specific hours of the experimental period. The observed experimental data compared fairly well with the predicted values, with both having correlation coefficients greater than 0.9 and consequently following a common diurnal trend. The sensitivity of the model was very high to the choice of simulation parameters, especially grid size refinement and time step. While the model underestimated the soil moisture content at 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., the measured temperatures were however overestimated. When compared to moisture content, average errors for temperature were low resulting in a minimal absolute difference in amplitude of 0.81 °C.

Magnesium content in jaws and teeth of rats with experimental caries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djulgerova, E.; Bakyrdshiev, P. (Meditsinska Akademiya, Sofia (Bulgaria)); Kuleff, I. (Sofia Univ. (Bulgaria). Khimicheski Fakultet); Apostolov, D. (Bylgarska Akademiya na Naukite, Sofia. Inst. za Yadrena Izsledvaniya i Yadrena Energetika)

1983-09-26

The content of Mg is determined in the teeth and maxillary bones of rats by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). The rats are fed with carbohydrate diet to which MgCl/sub 2/, NaF and methylene blue are added. An opposite influence of F ions and methylene blue on magnesium content in bones and teeth is found, while both additives reduce the caries.

Evaluating the Gifted Students' Understanding Related to Plasma State Using Plasma Experimental System and Two-Tier Diagnostic Test

Science.gov (United States)

Korkmaz, Saadet Deniz; Ayas, Bahadir; Aybek, Eren Can; Pat, Suat

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the experimental system design related to plasma state on the gifted students' understanding on the subject of the plasma state. To test the research hypothesis, one group pretest-posttest research model was carried out with 18 eighth-grade (4 girls and 14 boys) gifted students in…

The role of content marketing in social media content communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charmaine du Plessis

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Content marketing has become a leading marketing technique in digital marketing communication and uses the point of view of consumers to build relationships by creating and sharing engaging content in social media that enhance their daily lives. Existing research on social media communities has focused mainly on social media marketing and virtual brand community perspectives while content marketing’s valuable and unobtrusive role in social media content communities has largely been overlooked. Objective: The purpose of this article was to investigate content marketing’s role in social media content communities to engage with the target audience in an innate manner. Method: This study made use of a directed, inductive content analysis of 51 practitioner documents relating to business-to-consumer content marketing practices to add another perspective to existing research on communities in social media. The content analysis was facilitated by using QDA Miner, a widely adopted and reliable qualitative data analysis software programme. Results: Three categories emerged from the data namely building content communities, platform-specific content and understanding channels. These categories provide sufficient evidence of how brands make use of social media content communities to connect with the target audience in an unobtrusive manner, in addition to being present in virtual brand communities. Conclusion: The findings make several contributions to the existing literature. Firstly, it provides a clearer distinction between brand and social media content communities. Secondly, it extends conceptions about social media communities to include content communities and, thirdly, it provides sufficient evidence of how content marketing could benefit a brand by naturally becoming part of social media conversations.

Understanding and control of optical performance from ceramic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbour, J.C.; Knapp, J.A.; Potter, B.G.; Jennison, D.R.; Verdozzi, C.A.; Follstaedt, D.M.; Bendale, R.D.; Simmons, J.H.

1998-06-01

This report summarizes a two-year Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program to gain understanding and control of the important parameters which govern the optical performance of rare-earth (RE) doped ceramics. This LDRD developed the capability to determine stable atomic arrangements in RE doped alumina using local density functional theory, and to model the luminescence from RE-doped alumina using molecular dynamic simulations combined with crystal-field calculations. Local structural features for different phases of alumina were examined experimentally by comparing their photoluminescence spectra and the atomic arrangement of the amorphous phase was determined to be similar to that of the gamma phase. The luminescence lifetimes were correlated to these differences in the local structure. The design of both high and low-phonon energy host materials was demonstrated through the growth of Er-doped aluminum oxide and lanthanum oxide. Multicomponent structures of rare-earth doped telluride glass in an alumina and silica matrix were also prepared. Finally, the optical performance of Er-doped alumina was determined as a function of hydrogen content in the host matrix. This LDRD is the groundwork for future experimentation to understand the effects of ionizing radiation on the optical properties of RE-doped ceramic materials used in space and other radiation environments

Understanding Medical Words

Science.gov (United States)

... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Understanding Medical Words Past Issues / Summer 2009 Table of Contents For ... Medicine that teaches you about many of the words related to your health care Do you have ...

Understanding political behavior: Essays in experimental political economy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gago Guerreiro de Brito Robalo, P.M.

2014-01-01

Explaining individual political behavior is one of the big challenges in the social sciences. The work contained in this thesis uses the tools of experimental economics, game theory and decision theory to shed light on political choices. Relaxing the neoclassical assumptions of self-interested

The impact of content marketing on attitudes and purchase intentions of online shoppers : the case of videos & tutorials and user-generated content

OpenAIRE

Milhinhos, Patrícia Raquel Vasques

2016-01-01

This thesis was written as part of a Double-Degree Masters program in Management, with focus in Marketing. Aligned with the nature of the degree, this study aims to be a useful tool for managers and marketers, which conduct business online. This thesis is a study of Content Marketing in the content of online commercial product pages. Its aim is to understand how to use content marketing to drive conversion, by understanding consumer attitudes and purchase intention towards cont...

Changes of bronchoalveolar cell pattern and lecithin content in experimental interstitial pneumonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manabe, Hideki; Yasuoka, Susumu; Tsubura, Eiro

1978-01-01

The pathogenesis of diffuse interstitial fibrosing pneumonitis (DIFP) was studied by histological observations and analysis of the cells and lecithin content of bronchoalveolar lavage of rats with cyclophosphamide (CY)-induced pneumonitis or irradiation pneumonitis. The rats developed diffuse interstitial pneumonitis one week after the last of 5 intraperitoneal injections of 50 mg/kg of CY and gradually recovered in the next 14 weeks. The number of alveolar macrophages and the lecithin content in the bronchoalveolar lavage from these rats corresponded to the degree of inflammatory change of the lung tissue. The results of cell counts and analysis of the bronchoalveolar lavage from rats with irradiated pneumonitis were similar to those on rats with CY-induced pneumonitis, except that in irradiated rats the lecithin content of the lavage decreased with increase in severity of pulmonary fibrosis. These results indicate that the cell number and lecithin content of bronchoalveolar lavage are good parameters for use in diagnosis of DIFP. (auth.)

Content Area Literacy in the Mathematics Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, Abbigail; Ming, Kavin; Helf, Shawnna

2018-01-01

Content area literacy has an important role in helping students understand content in specific disciplines, such as mathematics. Although the strategies are not unique to each individual content area, they are often adapted for use in a specific discipline. For example, mathematicians use mathematical language to make sense of new ideas and…

Child's understanding of television programmes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina Peštaj

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In the last decade, we have witnessed an unimaginable progress of the electronic media. The television takes the first place by its availability, importance and popularity, both with adults and with children. It has become the focal point of family interaction and is progressively taking on a key role in the process of children's socialization. Various research has proven that children begin watching television as babies and that toddlers are already accustomed and constant viewers. During their development, they become increasingly competent to understand and to use the television media, while the differences in the perception of television contents are mainly conditioned by the period of early childhood. The process of preschool child's understanding of media information goes from concrete to abstract and on two levels at the same time: understanding of formal features and understanding of content. Both levels have important role in child's understanding of the world, what could be observed in forming of gender stereotypes, where, as researches show, the television has a special influence.

Wave liquefaction in soils with clay content

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirca, Özgür; Sumer, B. Mutlu; Fredsøe, Jørgen

2012-01-01

The paper presents the results of an experimental study of the influence of clay content (in silt-clay and sand-clay mixtures) on liquefaction beneath progressive waves. The experiments showed that the influence of clay content is very significant. Susceptibility of silt to liquefaction is increa...

Correlation between spermatogenesis disorders and rat testes CYP2E1 mRNA contents under experimental alcoholism or type I diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shayakhmetova, Ganna M; Bondarenko, Larysa B; Matvienko, Anatoliy V; Kovalenko, Valentina M

2014-09-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between spermatogenesis disorders and CYP2E1 mRNA contents in testes of rats with experimental alcoholism or type I diabetes. Two pathological states characterized by CYP2E1 induction were simulated on Wistar male rats: experimental alcoholism and type I diabetes. As controls for each state, equal number of animals (of the same age and weight) were used. Morphological evaluation of rat testes was carried out. The spermatogenic epithelium state was estimated by four points system. CYP2E1 mRNA expression was rated by method of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Pearson correlation coefficients were used for describing relationships between variables. The presence of alcoholism and diabetes-mediated quantitative and qualitative changes in male rat spermatogenic epithelium in comparison with norm has been demonstrated. The increased levels of testes CYP2E1 have been fixed simultaneously. CYP2E1 mRNA content negatively strongly correlated with spermatogenic index value (r=-0.99; Palcoholism. The strong correlation between CYP2E1 mRNA content and number of spermatogonia (r=0.99; P<0.001) and "windows" occurrence (r=0.96; P<0.001) has been fixed in diabetic rats testes. Present investigation has demonstrated that the testicular failure following chronic ethanol consumption and diabetes type I in male rats accompanied CYP2E1 mRNA over-expression in testes. The correlation between the levels of CYP2E1 mRNA in testes and spermatogenesis disorders allow supposing the involvement of CYP2E1 into the non-specific pathogenetic mechanisms of male infertility under above-mentioned pathologies. Copyright © 2014 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Preschoolers' Recall of Science Content From Educational Videos Presented With and Without Songs

Science.gov (United States)

Schechter, Rachel L.

This experimental investigation evaluated the impact of educational songs on a child's ability to recall scientific content from an educational television program. Preschoolers' comprehension of the educational content was examined by measuring children's ability to recall the featured science content (the function of a pulley and its parts) and their use of the precise scientific terms presented in the episode. A total of 91 preschoolers were included (3-5 years old). Clusters of children were randomly assigned to a control group or one of three video groups: (a) Dialogue Only, which did not include a song; (b) Dialogue Plus Lyrics, which included a song; or (c) Lyrics Only, which consisted of a song, played twice. Results from interviews suggested that children from all video groups (lyrics and/or dialogue) were able to explain the form and function of a pulley better than the control group. The data suggested that children from the Lyrics Only group understood the science content because of the visual imagery, not through the information provided in the lyrics. In terms of precise vocabulary terms, significantly more children in the Dialogue Only group recalled at least one precise term from the program compared to the Lyrics Only group. Looking at the interview as a whole, the children's responses suggested different levels of scientific understanding. Children would require additional teacher-led instruction to deepen their scientific understanding and to clarify any misconceptions. This paper discusses implications of these findings for teachers using multi-media tools in the science classroom and producers creating new educational programming for television and other platforms.

Change of striatum dopaminergic transporter and content of dopamine in rats with experimental hyperthyroidism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Yansong; Wang Huicheng; Zhao Zhiying; Zhu Li; Zhang Yingqiang; Chen Zhengping

2009-01-01

Objective: The central dopamine system plays an important role in regulating movement and mood. In our routine clinical practice,we found that patients with hyperthyroidism often show tremor of their hands or legs. Meanwhile they also experienced emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. These reminded us that there might be close relationship between thyroid hormone and dopamine system. Based on our previous works, in this study we evaluated the change of striatum dopamine transporter (DAT) by using 99 Tc m -2β- [N, N'-bis (2-merecaptoethyl) ethylenediamino]methyl, 3β- (4-chlorophenyl) tropane (TRODAT-1) brain biodistribution, and the content of striatum dopamine and its metabolites 3.4-di-hydroxyphenylacetic (DOPAC) by high performace liquid chromatograph-electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) in rats with experimental hyperthyroidism. Methods: All 24 rats were randomly divided into two groups, thyroxin group were induced by daily thyroxin infusion for 14 d to be experimental hyperthyroidism, the others were control group which received saline infusion. The blood samples were randomly taken from thyroxine group and control group, and the concentration of TT 3 and TT 4 were detected by radioimmunoassay. After 14 d,both experimental (thyroxine group) and control group were further divided into 2 sub-groups. One was for evaluation of the function of striatum DAT by 99 Tc m -TRODAT-1 biodistribution study and the other was for HPIJC-ECD measurement of the concentration of dopamine and its metabolites DOPAC. Results: Significantly hyperactivity and weight loss [(223.90 ± 8.40) VS (261.60 ± 14.20)g, t=6.98. P 3 and TT 4 after thyroxin infusion was significantly elevated than that of before thyroxin infusion [(2.72 ± 0.29) V8(1.46 ± 0.17) nmol/L, t=10.51, P 3 , and TT 4 after saline infusion showed no statistical significance as compared with before saline infusion [(1.71 ± 0.20) vs (1.54 ± O.09) nmol/L, t=1.68. P>0.05 and (88.38 ± 6.76) vs (98.38 ± 9

Improved Understanding of Implosion Symmetry through New Experimental Techniques Connecting Hohlraum Dynamics with Laser Beam Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Ralph, Joseph; Salmonson, Jay; Dewald, Eduard; Bachmann, Benjamin; Edwards, John; Graziani, Frank; Hurricane, Omar; Landen, Otto; Ma, Tammy; Masse, Laurent; MacLaren, Stephen; Meezan, Nathan; Moody, John; Parrilla, Nicholas; Pino, Jesse; Sacks, Ryan; Tipton, Robert

2017-10-01

Understanding what affects implosion symmetry has been a challenge for scientists designing indirect drive inertial confinement fusion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). New experimental techniques and data analysis have been employed aimed at improving our understanding of the relationship between hohlraum dynamics and implosion symmetry. Thin wall imaging data allows for time-resolved imaging of 10 keV Au l-band x-rays providing for the first time on the NIF, a spatially resolved measurement of laser deposition with time. In the work described here, we combine measurements from the thin wall imaging with time resolved views of the interior of the hohlraum. The measurements presented are compared to hydrodynamic simulations as well as simplified physics models. The goal of this work is to form a physical picture that better explains the relationship of the hohlraum dynamics and capsule ablator on laser beam propagation and implosion symmetry. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Is animal experimentation fundamental?

Science.gov (United States)

d'Acampora, Armando José; Rossi, Lucas Félix; Ely, Jorge Bins; de Vasconcellos, Zulmar Acciolli

2009-01-01

The understanding about the utilization of experimental animals in scientific research and in teaching is many times a complex issue. Special attention needs to be paid to attain the understanding by the general public of the importance of animal experimentation in experimental research and in undergraduate medical teaching. Experimental teaching and research based on the availability of animals for experimentation is important and necessary for the personal and scientific development of the physician-to-be. The technological arsenal which intends to mimic experimentation animals and thus fully replace their use many times does not prove to be compatible with the reality of the living animal. The purpose of this paper is to discuss aspects concerning this topic, bringing up an issue which is complex and likely to arouse in-depth reflections.

The magnesium content in jaws and teeth of rats with experimental caries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djulgerova, E.; Bakyrdshiev, P.; Kuleff, I.; Apostolov, D.

1983-01-01

The content of Mg is determined in the teeth and maxillary bones of rats by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). The rats are fed with carbohydrate diet to which MgCl 2 , NaF and methylene blue are added. An opposite influence of F ions and methylene blue on magnesium content in bones and teeth is found, while both additives reduce the caries. (author)

Understanding the influence of biofilm accumulation on the hydraulic properties of soils: a mechanistic approach based on experimental data

Science.gov (United States)

Carles Brangarí, Albert; Sanchez-Vila, Xavier; Freixa, Anna; Romaní, Anna M.; Fernàndez-Garcia, Daniel

2017-04-01

The distribution, amount, and characteristics of biofilms and its components govern the capacity of soils to let water through, to transport solutes, and the reactions occurring. Therefore, unraveling the relationship between microbial dynamics and the hydraulic properties of soils is of concern for the management of natural systems and many technological applications. However, the increased complexity of both the microbial communities and the geochemical processes entailed by them causes that the phenomenon of bioclogging remains poorly understood. This highlights the need for a better understanding of the microbial components such as live and dead bacteria and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), as well as of their spatial distribution. This work tries to shed some light on these issues, providing experimental data and a new mechanistic model that predicts the variably saturated hydraulic properties of bio-amended soils based on these data. We first present a long-term laboratory infiltration experiment that aims at studying the temporal variation of selected biogeochemical parameters along the infiltration path. The setup consists of a 120-cm-high soil tank instrumented with an array of sensors plus soil and liquid samplers. Sensors measured a wide range of parameters in continuous, such as volumetric water content, electrical conductivity, temperature, water pressure, soil suction, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Samples were kept for chemical and biological analyses. Results indicate that: i) biofilm is present at all depths, denoting the potential for deep bioclogging, ii) the redox conditions profile shows different stages, indicating that the community was adapted to changing redox conditions, iii) bacterial activity, richness and diversity also exhibit zonation with depth, and iv) the hydraulic properties of the soil experienced significant changes as biofilm proliferated. Based on experimental evidences, we propose a tool to predict changes in the

The Confusion of Content Marketing : a study to clarify the key dimensions of content marketing

OpenAIRE

Claesson, Amanda; Jonsson, Albin

2017-01-01

Content marketing is a popular marketing strategy, which has increased significantly during the last years. The term content marketing is new but companies have been working with parts of the strategy for decades. The new digital era changed the communication from a one-way to a two-way communica- tion. Customers now have a demand for relevant content that is valuable for them. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop an understanding of this marketing strategy, and clarify the key dime...

Contribution of Ash Content Related to Methane Adsorption Behaviors of Bituminous Coals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanyan Feng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Methane adsorption isotherms on coals with varying ash contents were investigated. The textural properties were characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm at 77 K, and methane adsorption characteristics were measured at pressures up to 4.0 MPa at 298 K, 313 K, and 328 K, respectively. The Dubinin-Astakhov model and the Polanyi potential theory were employed to fit the experimental data. As a result, ash content correlated strongly to methane adsorption capacity. Over the ash range studied, 9.35% to 21.24%, the average increase in methane adsorption capacity was 0.021 mmol/g for each 1.0% rise in ash content. With the increasing ash content range of 21.24%~43.47%, a reduction in the maximum adsorption capacities of coals was observed. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the saturated adsorption capacity and the specific surface area and micropore volume of samples. Further, this study presented the heat of adsorption, the isosteric heat of adsorption, and the adsorbed phase specific heat capacity for methane adsorption on various coals. Employing the proposed thermodynamic approaches, the thermodynamic maps of the adsorption processes of coalbed methane were conducive to the understanding of the coal and gas simultaneous extraction.

ShapeShop: Towards Understanding Deep Learning Representations via Interactive Experimentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hohman, Fred; Hodas, Nathan; Chau, Duen Horng

2017-05-01

Deep learning is the driving force behind many recent technologies; however, deep neural networks are often viewed as "black-boxes" due to their internal complexity that is hard to understand. Little research focuses on helping people explore and understand the relationship between a user's data and the learned representations in deep learning models. We present our ongoing work, ShapeShop, an interactive system for visualizing and understanding what semantics a neural network model has learned. Built using standard web technologies, ShapeShop allows users to experiment with and compare deep learning models to help explore the robustness of image classifiers.

ShapeShop: Towards Understanding Deep Learning Representations via Interactive Experimentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hohman, Frederick M.; Hodas, Nathan O.; Chau, Duen Horng

2017-05-30

Deep learning is the driving force behind many recent technologies; however, deep neural networks are often viewed as “black-boxes” due to their internal complexity that is hard to understand. Little research focuses on helping people explore and understand the relationship between a user’s data and the learned representations in deep learning models. We present our ongoing work, ShapeShop, an interactive system for visualizing and understanding what semantics a neural network model has learned. Built using standard web technologies, ShapeShop allows users to experiment with and compare deep learning models to help explore the robustness of image classifiers.

To grip or not to grip: An experimental approach for understanding the use of prehensile areas in mousterian tools

OpenAIRE

Baena Preysler, Javier; Torres Navas, Concepción; Pérez Díaz, Sara; Bustos-Pérez, Guillermo; Romagnoli, Francesca

2016-01-01

The existence of a more or less complex handling technology with the lithic tools during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic is an interesting topic for understanding aspects of the human behavior during these periods. In this work we present a preliminary experimental evaluation of the possible functionality of prehensile area in some of the most representative lithic types of the Mousterian assemblages (dorsal elements and levallois chapeau de gendarme proximal area), in which t...

Qualitative Content Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satu Elo

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Qualitative content analysis is commonly used for analyzing qualitative data. However, few articles have examined the trustworthiness of its use in nursing science studies. The trustworthiness of qualitative content analysis is often presented by using terms such as credibility, dependability, conformability, transferability, and authenticity. This article focuses on trustworthiness based on a review of previous studies, our own experiences, and methodological textbooks. Trustworthiness was described for the main qualitative content analysis phases from data collection to reporting of the results. We concluded that it is important to scrutinize the trustworthiness of every phase of the analysis process, including the preparation, organization, and reporting of results. Together, these phases should give a reader a clear indication of the overall trustworthiness of the study. Based on our findings, we compiled a checklist for researchers attempting to improve the trustworthiness of a content analysis study. The discussion in this article helps to clarify how content analysis should be reported in a valid and understandable manner, which would be of particular benefit to reviewers of scientific articles. Furthermore, we discuss that it is often difficult to evaluate the trustworthiness of qualitative content analysis studies because of defective data collection method description and/or analysis description.

Robust, Reliable Low Emission Gas Turbine Combustion of High Hydrogen Content Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wooldridge, Margaret Stacy [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Im, Hong Geum [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2016-12-16

The effects of high hydrogen content fuels were studied using experimental, computational and theoretical approaches to understand the effects of mixture and state conditions on the ignition behavior of the fuels. A rapid compression facility (RCF) was used to measure the ignition delay time of hydrogen and carbon monoxide mixtures. The data were combined with results of previous studies to develop ignition regime criteria. Analytical theory and direct numerical simulation were used to validate and interpret the RCF ignition data. Based on the integrated information the ignition regime criteria were extended to non-dimensional metrics which enable application of the results to practical gas turbine combustion systems.

Found in translation: understanding the biology and behavior of experimental traumatic brain injury

Science.gov (United States)

Bondi, Corina O.; Semple, Bridgette D.; Noble-Haeusslein, Linda J.; Osier, Nicole D.; Carlson, Shaun W.; Dixon, C. Edward; Giza, Christopher C.; Kline, Anthony E.

2014-01-01

BONDI, C.O., B.D. Semple, L.J. Noble-Haeusslein, N.D. Osier, S.W. Carlson, C.E. Dixon, C.C. Giza and A.E. Kline. Found in translation: understanding the biology and behavior of experimental traumatic brain injury. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV. The aim of this review is to discuss in greater detail the topics covered in the recent symposium entitled “Traumatic brain injury: laboratory and clinical perspectives,” presented at the 2014 International Behavioral Neuroscience Society annual meeting. Herein we review contemporary laboratory models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) including common assays for sensorimotor and cognitive behavior. New modalities to evaluate social behavior after injury to the developing brain, as well as the attentional set-shifting test (AST) as a measure of executive function in TBI, will be highlighted. Environmental enrichment (EE) will be discussed as a preclinical model of neurorehabilitation, and finally, an evidence-based approach to sports-related concussion will be considered. The review consists predominantly of published data, but some discussion of ongoing or future directions is provided. PMID:25496906

A Fuzzy Color-Based Approach for Understanding Animated Movies Content in the Indexing Task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasile Buzuloiu

2008-04-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a method for detecting and analyzing the color techniques used in the animated movies. Each animated movie uses a specific color palette which makes its color distribution one major feature in analyzing the movie content. The color palette is specially tuned by the author in order to convey certain feelings or to express artistic concepts. Deriving semantic or symbolic information from the color concepts or the visual impression induced by the movie should be an ideal way of accessing its content in a content-based retrieval system. The proposed approach is carried out in two steps. The first processing step is the low-level analysis. The movie color content gets represented with several global statistical parameters computed from the movie global weighted color histogram. The second step is the symbolic representation of the movie content. The numerical parameters obtained from the first step are converted into meaningful linguistic concepts through a fuzzy system. They concern mainly the predominant hues of the movie, some of Itten’s color contrasts and harmony schemes, color relationships and color richness. We use the proposed linguistic concepts to link to given animated movies according to their color techniques. In order to make the retrieval task easier, we also propose to represent color properties in a graphical manner which is similar to the color gamut representation. Several tests have been conducted on an animated movie database.

Ideas and Approaches on “Construction of High Level Simulation Experimental Teaching Center of Virtual Chemical Laboratory”

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yunshen

2017-11-01

With the spiritual guidance of the Circular on the Construction of National Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching Center by the National Department of Education, according to the requirements of construction task and work content, and based on the reality of the simulation experimental teaching center of virtual chemical laboratory at Tianjin University, this paper mainly strengthens the understanding of virtual simulation experimental teaching center from three aspects, and on this basis, this article puts forward specific construction ideas, which refer to the “four combinations, five in one, the optimization of the resources and school-enterprise cooperation”, and on this basis, this article has made effective explorations. It also shows the powerful functions of the virtual simulation experimental teaching platform in all aspects by taking the synthesis and analysis of organic compounds as an example.

Biases in the experimental annotations of protein function and their effect on our understanding of protein function space.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra M Schnoes

Full Text Available The ongoing functional annotation of proteins relies upon the work of curators to capture experimental findings from scientific literature and apply them to protein sequence and structure data. However, with the increasing use of high-throughput experimental assays, a small number of experimental studies dominate the functional protein annotations collected in databases. Here, we investigate just how prevalent is the "few articles - many proteins" phenomenon. We examine the experimentally validated annotation of proteins provided by several groups in the GO Consortium, and show that the distribution of proteins per published study is exponential, with 0.14% of articles providing the source of annotations for 25% of the proteins in the UniProt-GOA compilation. Since each of the dominant articles describes the use of an assay that can find only one function or a small group of functions, this leads to substantial biases in what we know about the function of many proteins. Mass-spectrometry, microscopy and RNAi experiments dominate high throughput experiments. Consequently, the functional information derived from these experiments is mostly of the subcellular location of proteins, and of the participation of proteins in embryonic developmental pathways. For some organisms, the information provided by different studies overlap by a large amount. We also show that the information provided by high throughput experiments is less specific than those provided by low throughput experiments. Given the experimental techniques available, certain biases in protein function annotation due to high-throughput experiments are unavoidable. Knowing that these biases exist and understanding their characteristics and extent is important for database curators, developers of function annotation programs, and anyone who uses protein function annotation data to plan experiments.

Biases in the Experimental Annotations of Protein Function and Their Effect on Our Understanding of Protein Function Space

Science.gov (United States)

Schnoes, Alexandra M.; Ream, David C.; Thorman, Alexander W.; Babbitt, Patricia C.; Friedberg, Iddo

2013-01-01

The ongoing functional annotation of proteins relies upon the work of curators to capture experimental findings from scientific literature and apply them to protein sequence and structure data. However, with the increasing use of high-throughput experimental assays, a small number of experimental studies dominate the functional protein annotations collected in databases. Here, we investigate just how prevalent is the “few articles - many proteins” phenomenon. We examine the experimentally validated annotation of proteins provided by several groups in the GO Consortium, and show that the distribution of proteins per published study is exponential, with 0.14% of articles providing the source of annotations for 25% of the proteins in the UniProt-GOA compilation. Since each of the dominant articles describes the use of an assay that can find only one function or a small group of functions, this leads to substantial biases in what we know about the function of many proteins. Mass-spectrometry, microscopy and RNAi experiments dominate high throughput experiments. Consequently, the functional information derived from these experiments is mostly of the subcellular location of proteins, and of the participation of proteins in embryonic developmental pathways. For some organisms, the information provided by different studies overlap by a large amount. We also show that the information provided by high throughput experiments is less specific than those provided by low throughput experiments. Given the experimental techniques available, certain biases in protein function annotation due to high-throughput experiments are unavoidable. Knowing that these biases exist and understanding their characteristics and extent is important for database curators, developers of function annotation programs, and anyone who uses protein function annotation data to plan experiments. PMID:23737737

Mind over matter: The intellectual content of experimental physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Telegdi, V.L.

1990-01-01

The author presents a new way of teaching experimental physics using Selenyi's experiment on dipole radiation, Michelson's optical demonstration of the earth rotation, the direct measurement of the helicity of the electron neutrino by Goldhaber, grodzins, and Sunyar and the determination of the helicity of the muonic neutrino by Grenas et al. (HSI)

Probing Student Understanding of Scientific Thinking in the Context of Introductory Astrophysics

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, Richard N.; Cormier, Sebastien; Fernandez, Adiel

2009-01-01

Common forms of testing of student understanding of science content can be misleading about their understanding of the nature of scientific thinking. Observational astronomy integrated with related ideas of force and motion is a rich context to explore the correlation between student content knowledge and student understanding of the scientific…

Emergence of psychotic content in psychotherapy: An exploratory qualitative analysis of content, process, and therapist variables in a single case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, Bethany L; Kukla, Marina; Belanger, Elizabeth; Chaudoin-Patzoldt, Kelly A; Buck, Kelly D; Minor, Kyle S; Vohs, Jenifer L; Hamm, Jay A; Lysaker, Paul H

2018-03-01

Emerging integrative metacognitive therapies for schizophrenia seek to promote subjective aspects of recovery. Beyond symptom remission, they are concerned with shared meaning-making and intersubjective processes. It is unclear, however, how such therapies should understand and respond to psychotic content that threatens meaning-making in therapeutic contexts. Accordingly, we sought to understand what factors precede and potentially trigger psychotic content within psychotherapy and what aids in resolution and return to meaning-making. Forty-eight transcripts from a single psychotherapy case were analyzed with thematic analysis. Passages of delusional or disorganized content were identified and themes present prior to the emergence and resolution of such material were identified and coded. Themes that preceded the emergence of psychotic content varied across early, middle, and late phases of therapy. Material related to the patient's experience of inadequacy and potential vulnerability, therapist setting boundaries within the therapeutic relationship and making challenges appeared to trigger psychotic content, especially early in treatment. Psychotic content may emerge in session following identifiable antecedents which change over phases of therapy. Attending to psychotic content by assuming a non-hierarchical stance and not dismissing psychotic content may aid in maintaining intersubjectivity and support patient's movements toward recovery in integrative metacognitive therapies.

Plutonium content in uranium minerals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garzon Ruiperez, L.

1975-01-01

Starting from a ore model constituted by a uniformily dispersed UO 2 into a granite matrix, the Pu/U ratio as a function of UO 2 concentration in the ore have been deduced. The calculated values are roughly one or two orders of magnitude less than the experimental ones carried out in several types of ores. However, taking into account the H content in the matrix (as a water component) the obtained values agree satisfactorili with the experimental ones. (author) [es

User-generated content? Get Serious! Understanding the interactions between organizations and customers on social media

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moser, C.; van Eijkeren, A

2016-01-01

This study examines interactions between customers and organisations on social media by investigating how user-generated content influences interactions between organisations and customers on social media. In compliance with existing perspectives on user-generated content, a total of seven

Relative permeability of fractured wellbore cement: an experimental investigation using electrical resistivity monitoring for moisture content

Science.gov (United States)

Um, W.; Rod, K. A.; Strickland, C. E.

2016-12-01

Permeability is a critical parameter needed to understand flow in subsurface environments; it is particularly important in deep subsurface reservoirs where multiphase fluid flow is common, such as carbon sequestration and geothermal reservoirs. Cement is used in the annulus of wellbores due to its low permeable properties to seal aquifers, reducing leaks to adjacent strata. Extreme subsurface environments of CO2 storage and geothermal production conditions will eventually reduce the cement integrity, propagating fracture networks and increasing the permeability for air and/or water. To date, there have been no reproducible experimental investigations of relative permeability in fractured wellbore cement published. To address this gap, we conducted a series of experiments using fractured Portland cement monoliths with increasing fracture networks. The monolith cylinder sides were jacketed with heavy-duty moisture-seal heat-shrink tubing, then fractured using shear force applied via a hydraulic press. Fractures were generated with different severity for each of three monoliths. Stainless steel endcaps were fixed to the monoliths using the same shrink-wrapped jacket. Fracture characteristics were determined using X-ray microtomography and image analysis. Flow controllers were used to control flow of water and air to supply continuous water or water plus air, both of which were delivered through the influent end cap. Effluent air flow was monitored using a flow meter, and water flow was measured gravimetrically. To monitor the effective saturation of the fractures, a RCON2 concrete bulk electrical resistivity test device was attached across both endcaps and a 0.1M NaNO3 brine was used as the transport fluid to improve resistivity measurements. Water content correlated to resistivity measurements with a r2 > 0.96. Data from the experiments was evaluated using two relative permeability models, the Corey-curve, often used for modeling relative permeability in porous media

How Augmented Reality Enables Conceptual Understanding of Challenging Science Content

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Susan; Anderson, Emma; Lin, Joyce; Elinich, Karen

2017-01-01

Research on learning about science has revealed that students often hold robust misconceptions about a number of scientific ideas. Digital simulation and dynamic visualization tools have helped to ameliorate these learning challenges by providing scaffolding to understand various aspects of the phenomenon. In this study we hypothesize that…

Electrical resistivity tomography to quantify in situ liquid content in a full-scale dry anaerobic digestion reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

André, L; Lamy, E; Lutz, P; Pernier, M; Lespinard, O; Pauss, A; Ribeiro, T

2016-02-01

The electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method is a non-intrusive method widely used in landfills to detect and locate liquid content. An experimental set-up was performed on a dry batch anaerobic digestion reactor to investigate liquid repartition in process and to map spatial distribution of inoculum. Two array electrodes were used: pole-dipole and gradient arrays. A technical adaptation of ERT method was necessary. Measured resistivity data were inverted and modeled by RES2DINV software to get resistivity sections. Continuous calibration along resistivity section was necessary to understand data involving sampling and physicochemical analysis. Samples were analyzed performing both biochemical methane potential and fiber quantification. Correlations were established between the protocol of reactor preparation, resistivity values, liquid content, methane potential and fiber content representing liquid repartition, high methane potential zones and degradations zones. ERT method showed a strong relevance to monitor and to optimize the dry batch anaerobic digestion process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new dietary model to study colorectal carcinogenesis: experimental design, food preparation, and experimental findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Rozen, P; Liberman, V; Lubin, F; Angel, S; Owen, R; Trostler, N; Shkolnik, T; Kritchevsky, D

1996-01-01

Experimental dietary studies of human colorectal carcinogenesis are usually based on the AIN-76A diet, which is dissimilar to human food in source, preparation, and content. The aims of this study were to examine the feasibility of preparing and feeding rats the diet of a specific human population at risk for colorectal neoplasia and to determine whether changes in the colonic morphology and metabolic contents would differ from those resulting from a standard rat diet. The mean daily food intake composition of a previously evaluated adenoma patient case-control study was used for the "human adenoma" (HA) experimental diet. Foods were prepared as for usual human consumption and processed by dehydration to the physical characteristics of an animal diet. Sixty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized and fed ad libitum the HA or the AIN-76A diet. Every eight weeks, eight rats from each group were sacrificed, and the colons and contents were examined. Analysis of the prepared food showed no significant deleterious changes; food intake and weight gain were similar in both groups. Compared with the controls, the colonic contents of rats fed the HA diet contained significantly less calcium, concentrations of neutral sterols, total lipids, and cholic and deoxycholic acids were increased, and there were no colonic histological changes other than significant epithelial hyperproliferation. This initial study demonstrated that the HA diet can be successfully processed for feeding to experimental animals and is acceptable and adequate for growth but induces significant metabolic and hyperproliferative changes in the rat colon. This dietary model may be useful for studies of human food, narrowing the gap between animal experimentation and human nutritional research.

Learning About Semi Conductors for Teaching—the Role Played by Content Knowledge in Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Development

Science.gov (United States)

Rollnick, Marissa

2017-08-01

This study focuses on how teachers learn to teach a new topic and the role played by their developing content knowledge as they teach. The paper is based on seven high school science teachers' studies on the teaching of semiconductors, at the time a new topic in the curriculum. Analysis of artefacts such as teacher concept maps, video recordings of lessons, journals and other classroom-based evidence shows how the extent and type of teachers' content knowledge informed their choice of teaching approaches and how their learning of content took place alongside the development of teaching strategies. The development of content knowledge was combined with increased understanding of how to teach the topic in almost all cases. Evidence of development of teachers' PCK was found in their increased ability to design teaching strategies, and their use of representations and suitable assessment tasks for their lessons. Some specific common teaching strategies were identified across the teachers. These strategies could add to the canon of teachers' topic - specific professional knowledge for semiconductors. The study provides increased understanding of how teachers simultaneously master content and its teaching and how mediated self-reflection is a fruitful approach for assisting teachers to learn to teach a new topic.

Recent Experimental Results Related to Ejector Mode Studies of Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Cramer, J. M.; Pal, S.; Marshall, W. M.; Santoro, R. J.

2003-01-01

Contents include the folloving: 1. Motivation. Support NASA's 3d generation launch vehicle technology program. RBCC is promising candidate for 3d generation propulsion system. 2. Approach. Focus on ejector mode p3erformance (Mach 0-3). Perform testing on established flowpath geometry. Use conventional propulsion measurement techniques. Use advanced optical diagnostic techniques to measure local combustion gas properties. 3. Objectives. Gain physical understanding of detailing mixing and combustion phenomena. Establish an experimental data set for CFD code development and validation.

Evaluation of bisphenol A content in food from lacquered cans ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Evaluation of bisphenol A content in food from lacquered cans. ... This study describes the migration of bisphenol A from the cans to the food content through experimental tests using ... EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT

Data content standards in Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Cooper, Antony K

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Data content standards tend to be more accessible. Easier to understand. Used directly by many end users. Immediately applicable to Africa. More susceptible to culture and language – Hence, more important to have local standards...

Understanding Food Allergy | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

Science.gov (United States)

... contents Understanding Food Allergy Follow us Understanding Food Allergy Latest Updates from NIH Food allergies are often ... to diagnose, prevent, and treat the disease.” Food allergy studies With so many unanswered questions surrounding food ...

Understanding Information Sharing Among Scientists Through a Professional Online Community: Analyses on Interaction Patterns and Contents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shin, Eun-Ja

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Even through many professional organizations increasingly use Q&A sites in their online communities for information sharing, there are few studies which examine what is really going on in the Q&A activities in professional online communities (POC. This study aims to examine the interaction patterns and contents posted in the Q&A site of a POC, KOSEN, a science and technology online community in South Korea, focusing on how actively scientific information and knowledge are shared. The interaction patterns among the participants were identified through social network analysis (SNA and the contents in the Q&As were examined by content analysis. The results show that the overall network indicated a moderate level of participation and connection and answerers especially tended to be active. Also, there are different interaction patterns depending on academic fields. Relatively few participants were posting leaders who seemed to steer the overall interactions. Furthermore, some content related to manipulation and explanation for experiments, which are in urgent need, seem to be posted in the sites more frequently with more amounts. Combining both SNA and content analysis, this study demonstrated how actively information and knowledge is shared and what types of contents are exchanged. The findings have practical implications for POC managers and practitioners.

Correlation between magnetic resonance image and content of water and fat in experimental tumor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Tachio; Yamada, Kenji; Yamada, Susumu; Yoshioka, Seiro; Ono, Shuichi; Hishinuma, Takashi; Abe, Yoshinao; Matsuzawa, Taiju; Ogata, Yuko.

1987-01-01

Water and fat are considered to be major protons contributing to magnetic resonance (MR) signals in living tissues. This study compared proton density and T1 and T2 relaxation times with content of water and fat in tumor bearing rabbits. MR scans were performed using a Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill pulse sequence with short and long repetition times. There was a strong correlation between proton density and the content of water and fat. The correlation of the content of water and fat to T1 and T2 relaxation times was not so strong as that to proton density. Viable tumor tissues had significantly shorter T2 relaxation time than the surrounding edematous tissues (p < 0.005), although the content of water and fat did not differ in the two types of tissues. T1 relaxation time did not differ in viable tumorous and edematous tissues. (Namekawa, K.)

Experimental evidences for reducing Mg activation energy in high Al-content AlGaN alloy by MgGa δ doping in (AlN)m/(GaN)n superlattice

OpenAIRE

Xiao Wang; Wei Wang; Jingli Wang; Hao Wu; Chang Liu

2017-01-01

P-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN alloys is a main challenge for realizing AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronics devices. According to the first-principles calculations, Mg activation energy may be reduced so that a high hole concentration can be obtained by introducing nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL) in Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy. In this work, experimental evidences were achieved by analyzing Mg doped high Al-content AlGaN alloys and Mg doped AlGaN SLs as well as MgG...

Visual analytics for semantic queries of TerraSAR-X image content

Science.gov (United States)

Espinoza-Molina, Daniela; Alonso, Kevin; Datcu, Mihai

2015-10-01

With the continuous image product acquisition of satellite missions, the size of the image archives is considerably increasing every day as well as the variety and complexity of their content, surpassing the end-user capacity to analyse and exploit them. Advances in the image retrieval field have contributed to the development of tools for interactive exploration and extraction of the images from huge archives using different parameters like metadata, key-words, and basic image descriptors. Even though we count on more powerful tools for automated image retrieval and data analysis, we still face the problem of understanding and analyzing the results. Thus, a systematic computational analysis of these results is required in order to provide to the end-user a summary of the archive content in comprehensible terms. In this context, visual analytics combines automated analysis with interactive visualizations analysis techniques for an effective understanding, reasoning and decision making on the basis of very large and complex datasets. Moreover, currently several researches are focused on associating the content of the images with semantic definitions for describing the data in a format to be easily understood by the end-user. In this paper, we present our approach for computing visual analytics and semantically querying the TerraSAR-X archive. Our approach is mainly composed of four steps: 1) the generation of a data model that explains the information contained in a TerraSAR-X product. The model is formed by primitive descriptors and metadata entries, 2) the storage of this model in a database system, 3) the semantic definition of the image content based on machine learning algorithms and relevance feedback, and 4) querying the image archive using semantic descriptors as query parameters and computing the statistical analysis of the query results. The experimental results shows that with the help of visual analytics and semantic definitions we are able to explain

Online Community and User-Generated Content: Understanding the Role of Social Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Jeong Ha

2010-01-01

Models of user generated content (UGC) creation such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube are facing robust growth accelerated by the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies and standards. These business models offer a fascinating avenue for exploring the role of social influence online. This dissertation is motivated by the success of YouTube, which is…

Developing test for experimental study: the effectiveness of hedwig strategy in english education department universitas brawijaya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Devinta Puspita Ratri

2017-04-01

Having a big number of students in content subject of a language class is a challenge for teacher since it is quite difficult to accommodate students’ critical thinking and active participation at the same time. Therefore, Hedwig strategy is aimed to give room for students to explore themselves and get involved in the materials delivered in the class. Furthermore, by having group and regroup to deliver message in Hedwig strategy, students are forced to be active participated in classroom activities. The idea of Hedwig strategy is inspired by Jigsaw and Think-Pair-Share which have existed before. To know whether Hedwig strategy is effectively applied in content subject in large language class, it is proposed to do quasi experimental study with one class as an experimental group and one class as a control group. The experimental group is treated by using Hedwig strategy. Prior to the experimental study, it is performed research and development to develop the test for pre-test and post-test. For that reason, the research problem is what test is valid and reliable for an experimental study on the effectiveness of Hedwig strategy for the 4th semester students in Language Teaching Methodology class in English Education Department Universitas Brawijaya. This research reports half of the whole plan where the researchers developed test for pre-test and posttest to measure students’ improvement in understanding Language Teaching Methodology. In short, the test developed in this study will be used to carry out experimental study as pre-test and post-test

Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children

Science.gov (United States)

... content Experts Careers Contracting Contact Search form Search American Institutes for Research About Us Our Topics Client Services News & Events You are here Home 22 Apr 2013 Report Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children Supporting Children and Families After Traumatic ...

Water solubility in monzogranite melts: experimental and calculated water contents at 6 kbar

OpenAIRE

García Moreno, Olga; Castro Dorado, Antonio; Corretgé, Luis Guillermo

2002-01-01

Several piston-cylinder crystallisation experiments have been performed with a synthetic monzogranitic glass with different initial water contents at 6 kbar. Comparison with calculated water contents shows: 1) some differences of the order of 10% of XH2Q; 2) "non-linear" behaviour in XH2C/T curves; and 3) similar pattern in the XH2JT curves in both measured and calculated data. Resumen Se han realizado varios experimentos de cristalización en aparatos "piston-cylinder" a 6 kbar, u...

Effect of alloy content on microstructure and microchemistry of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the microstructural evolution in 9Cr reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels during short term thermal exposures. Since the microstructure is strongly influenced by the alloying additions, mainly W, Ta and C contents, the effect of varying W and Ta contents on ...

Understanding the role of fast electrons in the heating of dense matter: experimental techniques and recent results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, R.; Anderson, C.; Hill, J.M.; King, J.; Snavely, R.; Hatchett, S.; Key, M.; Koch, J.; MacKinnon, A.; Stephens, R.; Cowan, T.

2003-01-01

An intense laser impinging upon dense matter converts a large fraction of its energy into fast electrons. (Here we take 'fast' to mean electrons that are much more energetic than the normal Boltzmann-like distribution measured in the tens to hundreds of eV.) Upon transiting the interior of the dense matter, these electrons are responsible for isochoric heating of the material. Just how these electrons traverse the material, and various interfaces within the material, is a subject of substantial amounts of computation and theory, and recently, experiments. Here we outline the nature of the heating mechanisms, and the current level of understanding of the complex physical processes. In particular we discuss new experimental techniques to record essential features of this transport problem

THE ROLE OF USER GENERATED CONTENT IN «NEW» MEDIA RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmitry Igorevich Kaminchenko

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose/subjectInvestigation of the role of user generated content in understanding of «new» media.Method/methodologyStructural and functional method is in the base.Results of workThe «new» media technologies meaning is considerated from the position of user created content. The concrete features of this content that display in functioning of «new» media are noticed in the article.Application of resultsResearch results may be useful in the future investigation of a phenomenon of «new» media.ConclusionsUnderstanding of the phenomenon of new media was deepened in the base of this features of user generated content. The author draws attention to the process of this content features showing in the political meaning of new media.

Application of summative content analysis to a postal questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Thomas Howard

2016-01-01

Content analysis of replies to closed questions in questionnaires can be undertaken to understand remarks that may explain the responses, provide illustrative examples of issues raised in the questionnaire, define new issues or issues of importance that were not covered in the questionnaire and inform the design of new questions in future surveys. To discuss the usefulness of summative content analysis to free text in postal questionnaires. Content analysis provides useful comparative insights between two respondent groups in the case example provided. Five themes emerged: poor understanding of the concept of 'patient lateral transfer work technique' and the direct instrument nursing observation (DINO) instrument's key directions; outcomes of patient transfer; positive responses; manual handling risk; and poor translation into English of DINO. Respondents need an opportunity to clarify their responses to questionnaires using free text, to provide insight into their understanding of the question being asked, understanding of the concept or construct being discussed, and data triangulation through the confirmation of item responses and free-text comments. Responses to questions in a postal questionnaire and the opportunity for free-text commentary by respondents enable the identification of hidden meanings behind tickbox responses to questions.

Experimental and Modeling Approaches for Understanding the Effect of Gene Expression Noise in Biological Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David M. Holloway

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Biological development involves numerous chemical and physical processes which must act in concert to reliably produce a cell, a tissue, or a body. To be successful, the developing organism must be robust to variability at many levels, such as the environment (e.g., temperature, moisture, upstream information (such as long-range positional information gradients, or intrinsic noise due to the stochastic nature of low concentration chemical kinetics. The latter is especially relevant to the regulation of gene expression in cell differentiation. The temporal stochasticity of gene expression has been studied in single celled organisms for nearly two decades, but only recently have techniques become available to gather temporally-resolved data across spatially-distributed gene expression patterns in developing multicellular organisms. These demonstrate temporal noisy “bursting” in the number of gene transcripts per cell, raising the question of how the transcript number defining a particular cell type is produced, such that one cell type can reliably be distinguished from a neighboring cell of different type along a tissue boundary. Stochastic spatio-temporal modeling of tissue-wide expression patterns can identify signatures for specific types of gene regulation, which can be used to extract regulatory mechanism information from experimental time series. This Perspective focuses on using this type of approach to study gene expression noise during the anterior-posterior segmentation of the fruit fly embryo. Advances in experimental and theoretical techniques will lead to an increasing quantification of expression noise that can be used to understand how regulatory mechanisms contribute to embryonic robustness across a range of developmental processes.

Experimental Seminar on Nuclear Energy for Teachers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-02-01

`Experimental Seminar on Nuclear Energy for Teachers` was conducted and sponsored by the Science and Technology Agency. And in order to understand nuclear energy properly through lectures and experiments with good results inclass, the seminar carried out for teachers of high schools and junior high schools by the Nuclear Technology and Education Center (NuTEC), Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute in 1990 FY to 1997 FY. In this report, details of the seminars in the above period are described and No.1 to 17 of Communication Letters of Experimental Seminar on Nuclear Energy` started at 1992 FY are described also. These letters were prepared for attendant follow-up program. And programs of recent seminars, future`s seminars, impressions and comments from attendants, reports from actual classes and others are described in these letters and they are very useful for educational classes on nuclear energy by other teachers. Therefore contents of the letters are listed and easy to refer. A part of this educational task was transferred to the Radiation Application Development Association in 1997 FY and other parts were transferred in 1998 FY. (author)

Experimental simulation: using generative modelling and palaeoecological data to understand human-environment interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Perry

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The amount of palaeoecological information available continues to grow rapidly, providing improved descriptions of the dynamics of past ecosystems and enabling them to be seen from new perspectives. At the same time, there has been concern over whether palaeoecological enquiry needs to move beyond descriptive inference to a more hypothesis-focussed or experimental approach; however, the extent to which conventional hypothesis-driven scientific frameworks can be applied to historical contexts (i.e., the past is the subject of ongoing debate. In other disciplines concerned with human-environment interactions, including physical geography and archaeology, there has been growing use of generative simulation models, typified by agent-based approaches. Generative modelling encourages counter-factual questioning (what if…?, a mode of argument that is particularly important in systems and time-periods, such as the Holocene and now the Anthropocene, where the effects of humans and other biophysical processes are deeply intertwined. However, palaeoecologically focused simulation of the dynamics of the ecosystems of the past either seems to be conducted to assess the applicability of some model to the future or treats humans simplistically as external forcing factors. In this review we consider how generative simulation-modelling approaches could contribute to our understanding of past human-environment interactions. We consider two key issues: the need for null models for understanding past dynamics and the need to be able learn more from pattern-based analysis. In this light, we argue that there is considerable scope for palaeocology to benefit from developments in generative models and their evaluation. We discuss the view that simulation is a form of experiment and, by using case studies, consider how the many patterns available to palaeoecologists can support model evaluation in a way that moves beyond simplistic pattern-matching and how such models

Non-destructive determination of moisture content and micro-fibril angle of wood using a poly-chromatic X-ray beam theoretical and experimental approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baettig, R.

2005-07-01

Non-destructive determination of moisture content and micro-fibril angle are important stakes for the sciences of the wood because these two parameters influence strongly the macroscopic behavior of the wood. For example, the shrinkage, the mechanical properties, the thermal and acoustic conductivity are dependent on the moisture content and their anisotropic character is largely governed by the micro-fibril angle. We used the light difference between X-ray mass attenuation coefficient for the water and for the wood in transmission. Regrettably, the results show that this difference between X-ray mass attenuation coefficient is insufficient to allow the precise measurement of the moisture content.In spite of this, the coherent scattering shows sensitive effects. So, by using a poly-energetic beam and a spectrometric system, we were able to discriminate between the crystalline constituent (cellulose) of the amorphous constituent (water) in a sample of wet wood, because for a given angle these phases scatter in different energy. Besides, the device created allowed us to study the crystalline phase of the wood. We were able to confront experimental profiles of diffraction with theoretical profiles of diffraction, obtained by means of a rigorous simulation, in the objective to estimate the average micro-fibril angle and its standard deviation. (author)

[Effect of components and some protocols of anti-ulcer therapy on content and activity of monooxigenase system enzymes of the stomach mucosa in experimental stomach ulcer].

Science.gov (United States)

Iakubov, A V; Pattakhova, M Kh

2009-01-01

The influence of components and some schemata of antiulcerous therapy on content and activity of monooxigenase system's enzymes in mucous membrane of stomach are studied on the model of experimental stomach ulcer in rats. It is established, that among components of antiulcerous therapy such as omeprazole, clarithromycin and metronidazole inhibit content and activity of MOS enzymes. Tinidazol, amoxicillin and azithromycin do not affect the function of MOS. Rifampicin and pantoprazole induce enzyme system of monooxigenase. In triple therapy with omeprazole, clarithromycin and metronidazole the inhibit effect of preparations to system of MOS is exponentiated and it leads to suppression of mucous cytoprotaction of gastro duodenal zone. Triple therapy of ulcerous disease with pantoprazole, rifampicin and azithromycin is effective planning to stimulate defense mechanisms of the organism.

USER GENERATED CONTENT IN TOURISM MARKETING

OpenAIRE

ALİKILIÇ, Dr. Özlem

2008-01-01

This article is based on the idea that user generated content is of fundamental importance in tourism and travel industry to understand the role of consumer generated messages. This paper also describes interpersonal influences mean for user generated content and also word of mouth (WOM) which reflect cost effective for tourism and travel industry but as well as the real crisis lead by the customer and discusses the new technological and ethical considerations facing tourism and travel industry

Experimental analysis of humidification process by air passing through seawater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Agouz, S.A.; Abugderah, M.

2008-01-01

An experimental investigation of humidification process by air passing through seawater is presented. The main objective of this work was to determine the humid air behaviour through single-stage of heating-humidifying processes. This experimental work studied the influence of the operating conditions such as the water temperature, the headwater difference, the air velocity and the inlet air temperature to evaporator chamber on the vapour content difference and humidification efficiency. Two cases of different inlet conditions of ambient and heated air cases are studied. The experimental results show that, the vapour content difference and the humidification efficiency of the system is strongly affected by the saline water temperature in the evaporator chamber, headwater difference and the air velocity. The inlet air temperature to evaporator chamber variation was found to have a small affect on the vapour content difference. The obtained maximum vapour content difference of the air was about 222 gr w /kg a at 75 deg. C for water and air. The obtained vapour content is high compared to that obtained in literature for single-stage and very similar for multi-stage

Evaluation of photon-absorptiometry for determination of bone mineral content in experimental animals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krasznai, I.; Szathmary, M.; Horvath, Cs.; Hollo, G.; Fabu, G.

1994-01-01

Instruments commonly used for determination of bone mineral content in human were evaluated for their use in small laboratory animals. By measuring bone phantoms and rat femurs in vitro, authors found 0.015 and 0.034 g/cm sensitivity for (SPA) and (DEXA) methods, respectively. High reproducibility was obtained, with values of relative standard deviations being <2 and approximately 4% for SPA and DEXA, respectively. Both techniques were found suitable for determination of bone mineral content of laboratory animals, but DEXA is suggested as the preferred method for evaluations under in vivo circumstances. (N.T.)

The Role of Content in Inquiry-Based Elementary Science Lessons: An Analysis of Teacher Beliefs and Enactment

Science.gov (United States)

Furtak, Erin Marie; Alonzo, Alicia C.

2010-05-01

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Video Study explored instructional practices in the United States (US) in comparison with other countries that ranked higher on the 1999 TIMSS assessment, and revealed that 8th grade science teachers in the US emphasize activities over content during lessons (Roth et al. 2006). This study applies the content framework from the TIMSS Video Study to a sample of 28 3rd grade teachers enacting an inquiry-based unit on floating and sinking, and seeks a deeper understanding of teachers’ practices through analysis of interviews with those teachers. Transcripts of observed lessons were coded according to the TIMSS framework for types of content, and transcripts of teacher interviews were coded to capture the ways in which teachers described their role in and purposes for teaching science, particularly with respect to the floating and sinking unit. Results indicate that teachers focused more on canonical, procedural and experimental knowledge during lessons than on real-world connections and the nature of science; however, none of the types of content received major emphasis in a majority of the classrooms in the sample. During interviews, teachers described their practice in ways that prioritized helping students to like science over specific content outcomes. The study suggests that elementary school teachers’ emphasis on doing and feeling during inquiry-based lessons may interfere with teaching of content.

Understanding organometallic reaction mechanisms and catalysis experimental and computational tools computational and experimental tools

CERN Document Server

Ananikov, Valentin P

2014-01-01

Exploring and highlighting the new horizons in the studies of reaction mechanisms that open joint application of experimental studies and theoretical calculations is the goal of this book. The latest insights and developments in the mechanistic studies of organometallic reactions and catalytic processes are presented and reviewed. The book adopts a unique approach, exemplifying how to use experiments, spectroscopy measurements, and computational methods to reveal reaction pathways and molecular structures of catalysts, rather than concentrating solely on one discipline. The result is a deeper

Modelling the influence of water content on the mechanical behaviour of Callovo-Oxfordian argillite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Y.; Zhang, F.; Shao, J.F.

2010-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. The clay formation provides the geological background to many industrial and engineering applications. Especially in recent years, these types of material have been largely studied because they can be considered as potential host geological barrier for the underground storage of high level radioactive wastes. In view of this, several underground laboratories have been constructed in different countries. For instance: the Meuse/Haute Marne underground research laboratory (France), excavated in Callovo-Oxfordian argillite; the Mont Terri underground rock laboratory (Switzerland), constructed in Opalinus clay; the HADES Underground Research Laboratory (Belgium), located in Boom clay; the AECL underground research laboratory (Canada), achieved in the Lac du Bonnet granite batholith. The research realised in the underground laboratories allows us to obtain extensive experimental measurements and helps us to get a good understanding of the generalised behaviour of theses clays when subjected to complex solicitations (thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical). In the underground storage, the experimental investigation and numerical prediction show that coupled hydro-mechanical processes will occur in the geological barrier for a very long time due to excavation/ ventilation and subsequence backfilling/sealing. In the excavation and exploitation stage, the unloading of host rock creates an EDZ zone and induces an increase local of permeability by several orders of magnitude around the galleries. Moreover, additional damage may be induced by the desaturation/re-saturation processes during ventilation/backfilling phase. On the other hand, the behaviour of clay formation is affected also by the presence of water and the pore pressure evolution. It is necessary to achieve a good understanding of the coupled hydro-mechanical behaviour to of clay formation for the designer of an underground storage. This paper focus on the

Monitoring water content in Opalinus Clay within the FE-Experiment: Test application of dielectric water content sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Sakaki, T.; Vogt, T.; Komatsu, M.; Müller, H. R.

2013-12-01

The spatiotemporal variation of water content in the near field rock around repository tunnels for radioactive waste in clay formations is one of the essential quantities to be monitored for safety assessment in many waste disposal programs. Reliable measurements of water content are important not only for the understanding and prediction of coupled hydraulic-mechanic processes that occur during tunnel construction and ventilation phase, but also for the understanding of coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) processes that take place in the host rock during the post closure phase of a repository tunnel for spent fuel and high level radioactive waste (SF/HLW). The host rock of the Swiss disposal concept for SF/HLW is the Opalinus Clay formation (age of approx. 175 Million years). To better understand the THM effects in a full-scale heater-engineered barrier-rock system in Opalinus Clay, a full-scale heater test, namely the Full-Scale Emplacement (FE) experiment, was initiated in 2010 at the Mont Terri underground rock laboratory in north-western Switzerland. The experiment is designed to simulate the THM evolution of a SF/HLW repository tunnel based on the Swiss disposal concept in a realistic manner during the construction, emplacement, backfilling, and post-closure phases. The entire experiment implementation (in a 50 m long gallery with approx. 3 m diameter) as well as the post-closure THM evolution will be monitored using a network of several hundred sensors. The sensors will be distributed in the host rock, the tunnel lining, the engineered barrier, which consists of bentonite pellets and blocks, and on the heaters. The excavation is completed and the tunnel is currently being ventilated. Measuring water content in partially saturated clay-rich high-salinity rock with a deformable grain skeleton is challenging. Therefore, we use the ventilation phase (before backfilling and heating) to examine the applicability of commercial water content sensors and to

CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING (CLIL: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON CLIL COMPATIBILITY WITH THE MODERN GREEK EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catherine Georgopoulou Theodosiou

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL method for (foreign language teaching. The CLIL approach is rapidly gaining momentum across Europe and all over the world. It is the result of recent European Union efforts to develop and apply innovative educational practices of interdisciplinary character in order to bridge the gap between foreign language education and optimum learning outcomes. In order to investigate the compatibility of CLIL with the contemporary Greek educational reality, a small-scale experimental research study was set up, including the development of original e-learning material, a pilot class instruction based on this material and the evaluation of the results. The class instruction was based on Project-Based Learning whereas Collaborative Learning was supported by the Edmodo e-learning platform. Information on the progress of the pilot class instruction and the learning outcomes achieved was disseminated through a wiki set up for this task.

Making Sense of Principal Leadership in Content Areas: The Case of Secondary Math and Science Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Lochmiller, Chad R.; Acker-Hocevar, Michele

2016-01-01

We drew upon sense making and leadership content knowledge to explore how high school administrators' understanding of content areas informed their leadership. We used math and science to illustrate our interpretations, noting that other content areas may pose different challenges. We found that principals' limited understanding of these content…

Understanding the Use-wears on Non-retouched Shells Mytilus galloprovincialis. and Ruditapes decussatus by Performing Wood Working Experiment: An Experimental Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tumung, Laxmi; Bazgir, Behrouz; Ahmadi, Kamran; Shadmehr, Abdolkarim

2012-01-01

This paper is an experimental attempt to understand the use-wear comes on non-retouched shells Ruditapes decussatus and Mytilus galloprovincialis. These species have been selected due to their variation in shape, size and edge type. In wood working experiment Celtus australis wood is used to perform the activities like scrapping and cutting wood. The ESEM results show the usewears in the form of linear marks, edge rounding, edge facture, polish and micro-pitting. Experiments also showed some macro-fractures.

Probing student understanding of scientific thinking in the context of introductory astrophysics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard N. Steinberg

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Common forms of testing of student understanding of science content can be misleading about their understanding of the nature of scientific thinking. Observational astronomy integrated with related ideas of force and motion is a rich context to explore the correlation between student content knowledge and student understanding of the scientific thinking about that content. In this paper, we describe this correlation in detail with a focus on a question about the relative motion of the Sun and the Earth. We find that high achieving high school students throughout New York City struggle with what constitutes scientific justification and thought processes, but can improve these skills tremendously in an inquiry-oriented summer astronomy-physics program.

"Understanding" medical school curriculum content using KnowledgeMap.

Science.gov (United States)

Denny, Joshua C; Smithers, Jeffrey D; Miller, Randolph A; Spickard, Anderson

2003-01-01

To describe the development and evaluation of computational tools to identify concepts within medical curricular documents, using information derived from the National Library of Medicine's Unified Medical Language System (UMLS). The long-term goal of the KnowledgeMap (KM) project is to provide faculty and students with an improved ability to develop, review, and integrate components of the medical school curriculum. The KM concept identifier uses lexical resources partially derived from the UMLS (SPECIALIST lexicon and Metathesaurus), heuristic language processing techniques, and an empirical scoring algorithm. KM differentiates among potentially matching Metathesaurus concepts within a source document. The authors manually identified important "gold standard" biomedical concepts within selected medical school full-content lecture documents and used these documents to compare KM concept recognition with that of a known state-of-the-art "standard"-the National Library of Medicine's MetaMap program. The number of "gold standard" concepts in each lecture document identified by either KM or MetaMap, and the cause of each failure or relative success in a random subset of documents. For 4,281 "gold standard" concepts, MetaMap matched 78% and KM 82%. Precision for "gold standard" concepts was 85% for MetaMap and 89% for KM. The heuristics of KM accurately matched acronyms, concepts underspecified in the document, and ambiguous matches. The most frequent cause of matching failures was absence of target concepts from the UMLS Metathesaurus. The prototypic KM system provided an encouraging rate of concept extraction for representative medical curricular texts. Future versions of KM should be evaluated for their ability to allow administrators, lecturers, and students to navigate through the medical curriculum to locate redundancies, find interrelated information, and identify omissions. In addition, the ability of KM to meet specific, personal information needs should be

Contagious Content: Viral Video Ads Identification of Content Characteristics that Help Online Video Advertisements Go Viral

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yentl Knossenburg

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Why do some online video advertisements go viral while others remain unnoticed? What kind of video content keeps the viewer interested and motivated to share? Many companies have realized the need to innovate their marketing strategies and have embraced the newest ways of using technology, as the Internet, to their advantage as in the example of virality. Yet few marketers actually understand how, and academic literature on this topic is still in development. This study investigated which content characteristics distinguish successful from non-successful online viral video advertisements by analyzing 641 cases using Structural Equation Modeling. Results show that Engagement and Surprise are two main content characteristics that significantly increase the chance of online video advertisements to go viral.  

Low Nicotine Content Descriptors Reduce Perceived Health Risks and Positive Cigarette Ratings in Participants Using Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes.

Science.gov (United States)

Denlinger-Apte, Rachel L; Joel, Danielle L; Strasser, Andrew A; Donny, Eric C

2017-10-01

Understanding how smokers perceive reduced nicotine content cigarettes will be important if the FDA and global regulatory agencies implement reduced nicotine product standards for cigarettes. Prior research has shown that some smokers incorrectly believe "light" cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes. Similar misunderstandings of health risk could also apply to reduced nicotine cigarettes. To date, most studies of reduced nicotine cigarettes have blinded subjects to the nicotine content. Therefore, little is known about how smokers experience reduced nicotine content cigarettes when they are aware of the reduced content, and how use may be impacted. The present study was a within-subjects experiment with 68 adult daily smokers who smoked two identical very low nicotine content Quest 3 (0.05 mg nicotine yield) cigarettes. Subjects were told that one cigarette contained "average" nicotine content, and the other contained "very low" nicotine content. After smoking each cigarette, subjects completed subjective measures about their smoking experience. Subjects rated the "very low" nicotine cigarette as less harmful to their health overall compared to the "average" nicotine cigarette; this effect held true for specific smoking-related diseases. Additionally, they rated the "very low" nicotine cigarette as having less desirable subjective effects than the "average" nicotine cigarette and predicted having greater interest in quitting smoking in the future if only the "very low" nicotine cigarette was available. Explicit knowledge of very low nicotine content changes smokers' perceptions of very low nicotine content cigarettes, resulting in reduced predicted harm, subjective ratings and predicted future use. Before a reduced nicotine product standard for cigarettes can be implemented, it is important to understand how product information impacts how smokers think about and experience very low nicotine content cigarettes. Prior research has shown that smokers

A study of quantitative radiography for moisture content distributions in plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawabata, Y.; Hino, M.; Horie, T.

2003-01-01

Vacuum pre-cooling in cut flower or perishable vegetables industry are used for protecting from the deterioration of the perishables during transportation. Some improvements of the pre-cooling way, however, are required for a bruise in plant on the way of handling. Neutron radiography is suitable to detect and observe the bruise in plant, especially, moisture content distributions in leaves, flowers and stalks. Neutron spectrum in irradiation neutron beams is required for obtaining quantitative moisture contents in plant. The neutron spectrum measurements for determination of effective cross-section of water are carried out at CN-3 experimental hole of Kyoto University Reactor (KUR) by time of flight method. Moisture content distributions in leaves of chrysanthemum, before and after the vacuum pre-cooling are measured by cold neutron radiography at the experimental hole. The local decreases of moisture contents caused by a bruise on the surface of the leaves are measured quantitatively by the cold neutron radiography. The quantitative changes of the moisture content in the leaves are able to read out from the cold neutron radiography image. (M. Suetake)

An experimental study of electrical and dielectric properties of consolidated clayey materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Comparon, L.

2005-06-01

This study is devoted to the electrical and dielectric properties of consolidated clays. A better understanding of the conduction and polarization phenomena in clays is necessary to better interpret in situ measurements in terms of water saturation and texture. An experimental study was carried out on synthetic clay samples (kaolinite and smectite) compacted with various water contents, porosities and mineralogical compositions, on a large frequency range, using three laboratory setups. The electrical properties of natural argillites (from ANDRA) were then investigated. We found that the response of the synthetic samples is mainly controlled by water content on the whole frequency range; two polarization phenomena were observed, which were related to the Maxwell-Wagner polarization and the electrical double layer polarization around the clay particles. The electrical response of argillites is more complex; it is controlled by water content but also by the microstructure of the rock. In these rocks, the electrical and dielectric anisotropies are high; anisotropy was also measured for the synthetic clays. The existing models explain the high frequency limit of the dielectric permittivity of the clayey materials, but the low frequency part of the spectra (≤1 MHz) needs theoretical developments. (author)

Method Determining the Contents of the Contract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agus Yudha Hernoko

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The contents of the contract are primarily determined by what the real mutually agreed upon by the parties. By interpreting some certain statements, in this case to determine its meaning, to be clear based on what the parties committed themselves. Why is the interpretation required? In facts, on the many cases provided a valuable lesson, how many commercial disputes arise when the performance of the contract. The dispute begins when the parties have a different understanding of the statement that they use in the contract. Indeed, businesses are very familiar with the business processes that they do, but at the time of the business process are set forth in the contract language and designed by those who do not understand the legal aspects of the contract, the contract can be ascertained open possibility for disputes. The power of contract binding (the contents of the agreement toward to the characteristic and the wide spectrum of the rights and obligations contractually, basically a contract represents the power of performance among others in order implementing the rights and obligations of the parties. As an instrument to understand the contract, the method of determining the content of the contract (e.g., through interpretation, autonomous and heteronomous factors, further can be used to assess the reciprocation of rights and obligations in a meaningful and proportional contractual relationship.

Content addressable memories in scientific instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lotto, I. de; Golinelli, S.

1975-01-01

The content-addressable-memory feature of a new system designed in these laboratories for non-destructive testing of nuclear reactor pressure vessels based on acoustic emission analysis is presented. The content addressable memory is divided into two parts: the first selects the most frequent events among incoming ones (FES: Frequent Event Selection memory), the second stores the frequent events singled out (FEM: Frequent Event Memory). The statistical behaviour of FES is analyzed, and experimental results are compared with theoretical ones; the model presented proved to be a useful tool in dimensioning the instrument store capacity. (Auth.)

Automatic Content Creation for Games to Train Students Distinguishing Similar Chinese Characters

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Kwong-Hung; Leung, Howard; Tang, Jeff K. T.

In learning Chinese, many students often have the problem of mixing up similar characters. This can cause misunderstanding and miscommunication in daily life. It is thus important for students learning the Chinese language to be able to distinguish similar characters and understand their proper usage. In this paper, we propose a game style framework in which the game content in identifying similar Chinese characters in idioms and words is created automatically. Our prior work on analyzing students’ Chinese handwriting can be applied in the similarity measure of Chinese characters. We extend this work by adding the component of radical extraction to speed up the search process. Experimental results show that the proposed method is more accurate and faster in finding more similar Chinese characters compared with the baseline method without considering the radical information.

AN INVESTIGATION OF TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL SKILLS AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN A CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION CONTEXT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tengku Nor Rizan Tengku Mohamad Maasum

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Advocates of the content-based approach believed that a language can be learnt effectively when it is the medium of instruction rather than just a subject. Integrating English and content as part of instruction has become one of the cornerstones of second language pedagogy. Researchers claimed that there are many benefits of integrating English and content instruction. Among the benefits are the increase in students’ interest with content themes, meaningful input and understanding. In 2003, the Malaysian Ministry of Education introduced the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English for Year One, Form One and Lower Six Form in all government public schools. This paper describes the challenges faced by teachers when they are required to teach content subjects such as science and mathematics in English. The focus of the paper is on the teachers’ pedagogical skills and content knowldge which comprises subject matter content, pedagogical approach, classroom management, use of resources, assessment, preparation of teaching materials, managing students, teachers’ compensatory communication strategies, use of first language and teachers’ perspectives of teaching content subjects in English. Data were obtained from a self-report questionnaire administered to 495 secondary school teachers in West Malaysia. Results from the study provide implications for school administrators in making decisions in assignment of capable teachers to teach the various levels of classes. Suggestions for teacher self-development and life-long learning efforts are also provided.

Capturing and portraying science student teachers' pedagogical content knowledge through CoRe construction

Science.gov (United States)

Thongnoppakun, Warangkana; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an essential kind of knowledge that teacher have for teaching particular content to particular students for enhance students' understanding, therefore, teachers with adequate PCK can give content to their students in an understandable way rather than transfer subject matter knowledge to learner. This study explored science student teachers' PCK for teaching science using Content representation base methodology. Research participants were 68 4th year science student teachers from department of General Science, faculty of Education, Phuket Rajabhat University. PCK conceptualization for teaching science by Magnusson et al. (1999) was applied as a theoretical framework in this study. In this study, Content representation (CoRe) by Loughran et al. (2004) was employed as research methodology in the lesson preparation process. In addition, CoRe consisted of eight questions (CoRe prompts) that designed to elicit and portray teacher's PCK for teaching science. Data were collected from science student teachers' CoRes design for teaching a given topic and student grade. Science student teachers asked to create CoRes design for teaching in topic `Motion in one direction' for 7th grade student and further class discussion. Science student teachers mostly created a same group of science concepts according to subunits of school science textbook rather than planned and arranged content to support students' understanding. Furthermore, they described about the effect of student's prior knowledge and learning difficulties such as students' knowledge of Scalar and Vector quantity; and calculating skill. These responses portrayed science student teacher's knowledge of students' understanding of science and their content knowledge. However, they still have inadequate knowledge of instructional strategies and activities for enhance student learning. In summary, CoRes design can represented holistic overviews of science student teachers' PCK related

Taxonomic structure and population level of colon microbial contents in white rats with experimental thyrotoxicosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.I. Sydorchuk

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background. Production of numerous biologically active compounds and their metabolites by intestinal microflora, interaction with the immune and other systems is of great importance while studying its changes in various diseases, one of which is thyrotoxicosis. So, the purpose of this study was to determine the severity of intestine microbioma disorder in white rats with experimental thyrotoxicosis (ET. Materials and methods. Studies were carried out on 25 mature male white rats (15 — control group, 10 — research group. ET was simulated by intragastric administration of L-thyroxine for 14 days. Under sterile conditions a laparotomy was performed, a section (2–3 cm of the large intestine with its contents was taken. Sterile 0.9% NaCl solution was added to the content. Series of ten-fold dilutions with a concentration of the initial mixture of 10–2 to 10–11 was prepared. From each test tube 0.01 ml was seeded on solid nutrient media with subsequent isolation and identification of microbes according to morphological, tinctorial, cultural and biochemical properties. Results. The results of the study demonstrated that in ET animals the main microbioma is represented by bacteria Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, and also opportunistic enterobacteria (Escherichia, Proteus, Klebsiella, peptococcus, staphylococci and clostridia. This is accompanied by the elimination of Peptostreptococcus, Enterococcus from bacterial biotope and the contamination of K. oxytoca and staphylococci. There was a pronounced deficit of bifidobacteria by 42.81 %, lactobacillus by 22.57 %, normal intestinal bacillus by 16.48 %. By the population level, the coefficient of quantitative dominance and the significance factor, the leading place is occupied by bacteroids, role of which is increased by 21.72 %, and lactobacillus role decreases by 39.31 %, bifidobacteria decreases by 51.48 % and E. coli decreases by 57.49 %. In this case, the role of peptococcus 3

Understanding the behaviour of the actinides under disposal conditions: A comparison between calculated and experimental solubilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pryke, D.C.; Rees, J.H.

1986-01-01

The solubilities of plutonium, americium and neptunium measured in simulated near-field waters have compared with those predicted using the simple thermodynamic model NearSol. The dependence of solubility on pH and redox potential is examined in an effort to understand the behaviour of actinides in disposal. The agreement was variable. Differences could be appreciable, in particular for neptunium under oxidizing conditions; conversly, the model successfully predicted the behaviour of neptunium under reducing conditions. Such comparisons pinpointed deficiences in the thermodynamic data base and showed the sensitivity of solubilities to certain experimental parameters such as Eh and the concentration of carbonate ions. A comparison between NearSol and the reaction pathway program PHREEQE gave generally good agreement. NearSol was quicker and easier to use, requiring only limited preselection of participating species; however it did not account for the behaviour of bulk inactive species in solution; like feature will be built into an updated version. (orig.)

AN INVESTIGATION OF TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL SKILLS AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN A CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION CONTEXT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tengku Nor Rizan Tengku Mohamad Maasum

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract: Advocates of the content-based approach believed that a language can be learnt effectively when it is the medium of instruction rather than just a subject.  Integrating English and content as part of instruction has become one of the cornerstones of second language pedagogy. Researchers claimed that there are many benefits of integrating English and content instruction.  Among the benefits are the increase in students’ interest with content themes, meaningful input and understanding. In 2003, the Malaysian Ministry of Education introduced the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English for Year One, Form One and Lower Six Form in all government public schools. This paper describes the challenges faced by teachers when they are required to teach content subjects such as science and mathematics in English.  The focus of the paper is on the teachers’ pedagogical skills  and content knowldge which comprises subject matter content, pedagogical approach, classroom management, use of resources, assessment, preparation of teaching materials, managing students, teachers’ compensatory communication strategies, use of first language and teachers’ perspectives of teaching content subjects in English. Data were obtained from a self-report questionnaire administered to 495 secondary school teachers in West Malaysia. Results from the study provide implications for school administrators in making decisions in assignment of  capable teachers to teach the various levels of classes. Suggestions for teacher self-development and life-long learning efforts are also provided.   Key words: Content-based instruction, ESL instruction, second language, first language and second language pedagogy

Web content adaptation for mobile device: A fuzzy-based approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank C.C. Wu

2012-03-01

Full Text Available While HTML will continue to be used to develop Web content, how to effectively and efficiently transform HTML-based content automatically into formats suitable for mobile devices remains a challenge. In this paper, we introduce a concept of coherence set and propose an algorithm to automatically identify and detect coherence sets based on quantified similarity between adjacent presentation groups. Experimental results demonstrate that our method enhances Web content analysis and adaptation on the mobile Internet.

Design Issues and Information Contents of the Provincial Government Websites of Indonesia: A Content Analysis on Visual Messages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Achmad Syarief

2009-07-01

Full Text Available A website is not just merely act as an object of displaying information, but it also represents a contextual medium of communication through visuals and contents. The interplay of website design elements builds up meanings that affect users beyond what previous communication practices have uncovered. Previous research acknowledges that visuals and contents have significant effects in attracting users’ attention and trust. Thus, the ability of a website to provide credible information through visuals and contents to target users is therefore plays great importance in the success of a website. However, although a considerable number of researches on website design have been performed, study in understanding the characteristics of site’s visual appearances and information contents for the purpose of promoting local investment in Indonesia has been very limited. This paper addresses visual design issues and information contents of eighteen provincial government websites of Indonesia. Through content analysis, the paper comparatively examines visual appearances, information contents, and functions of each website, in order to determine visual characteristics and contents that suit the purpose of promoting local potencies. The paper focuses on commonality, discrepancy, and pattern of contents, provide suggestions to improve the use of provincial government website design of Indonesia.

Understanding the historical institutional context by using content analysis of local policy and planning documents : Assessing the interactions between tourism and landscape on the Island of Terschelling in the Wadden Sea Region

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heslinga, Jasper; Groote, Peter; Vanclay, Frank

2018-01-01

Content analysis is a valuable tool to identify changes in policy. By analysing historical documents, policymakers and planners can improve their understanding of the institutional context in which decisions were made. Using the Island of Terschelling in the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden region of

Experimental evidences for reducing Mg activation energy in high Al-content AlGaN alloy by MgGa δ doping in (AlN)m/(GaN)n superlattice

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiao; Wang, Wei; Wang, Jingli; Wu, Hao; Liu, Chang

2017-03-01

P-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN alloys is a main challenge for realizing AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronics devices. According to the first-principles calculations, Mg activation energy may be reduced so that a high hole concentration can be obtained by introducing nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL) in Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy. In this work, experimental evidences were achieved by analyzing Mg doped high Al-content AlGaN alloys and Mg doped AlGaN SLs as well as MgGa δ doped AlGaN SLs. Mg acceptor activation energy was significantly reduced from 0.378 to 0.331 eV by using MgGa δ doping in SLs instead of traditional doping in alloys. This new process was confirmed to be able to realize high p-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN.

Experimental Volcanology: 2010 and 2020

Science.gov (United States)

Dingwell, D. B.

2010-12-01

The advent of an experimental approach to volcanology has its roots in decades-old laboratory based approaches to characterising the properties of magmas and analog materials, together with the attempts at simulating volcanic processes in the lab. A little over ten years ago many new thrusts of experimental advance led to a new dawn for experimental science applied to volcanic eruptions. Along with that, new expectations, new goals and new strategies emerged about ten years ago. Ten years later, in 2010, many fruits have been born of this labour, and new frontiers are being unfolded as we meet here. Here are some of the youngest captivating themes being explored in experimental programs today: 1) interfacing volcanic monitoring systems to experimentally generated eruptions. 2) elucidating the physicochemical behavior of experimentally generated volcanic ash as an agent in the earth system. 3) blending experimental rock deformation and magmatology studies to understand the strength and stability of volcanic materials and volcanic structures 4) exploiting the kinematics of experimentally-generated versus natural volcanic products to understand flow style and strain history. The past ten years of experimental developments in volcanology have prepared us for great advances in the future, most of which were not perceived as likely avenues of investigation as little as ten years ago! The situation is likely to repeat itself in 2020.

Dexterous robotic manipulation of alert adult Drosophila for high-content experimentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Savall, Joan; Ho, Eric Tatt Wei; Huang, Cheng; Maxey, Jessica R; Schnitzer, Mark J

2015-07-01

We present a robot that enables high-content studies of alert adult Drosophila by combining operations including gentle picking; translations and rotations; characterizations of fly phenotypes and behaviors; microdissection; or release. To illustrate, we assessed fly morphology, tracked odor-evoked locomotion, sorted flies by sex, and dissected the cuticle to image neural activity. The robot's tireless capacity for precise manipulations enables a scalable platform for screening flies' complex attributes and behavioral patterns.

Practical guide to content delivery networks

CERN Document Server

Held, Gilbert

2005-01-01

With a practical and organized approach to learning and implementation, A Practical Guide to Content Delivery Networks presents a step-by-step process for building a highly available and highly scalable content delivery network (CDN). CDN refers to the infrastructure behind any service that provides utility or access to data to an end user. This book offers terminology, tactics, potential problems to avoid, and individual layers of design, providing clear understanding of the framework for CDNs using a structural and visual approach. The text emphasizes a best-of-breed strategy, allowing a tec

A neuromathematical model of human information processing and its application to science content acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, O. Roger

The rate of information processing during science learning and the efficiency of the learner in mobilizing relevant information in long-term memory as an aid in transmitting newly acquired information to stable storage in long-term memory are fundamental aspects of science content acquisition. These cognitive processes, moreover, may be substantially related in tempo and quality of organization to the efficiency of higher thought processes such as divergent thinking and problem-solving ability that characterize scientific thought. As a contribution to our quantitative understanding of these fundamental information processes, a mathematical model of information acquisition is presented and empirically evaluated in comparison to evidence obtained from experimental studies of science content acquisition. Computer-based models are used to simulate variations in learning parameters and to generate the theoretical predictions to be empirically tested. The initial tests of the predictive accuracy of the model show close agreement between predicted and actual mean recall scores in short-term learning tasks. Implications of the model for human information acquisition and possible future research are discussed in the context of the unique theoretical framework of the model.

[Understanding and intervention: a dimension of collaboration of anthropology and epidemiology].

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lei-Ming; Wang, Ning

2012-10-01

'Epidemiological intervention' involves many social and cultural contents and can be recognized as a social cultural practice. If we know more about the relevant social cultural background of the objects on intervention measures and intervention, the goals would more successful and effective be reached. Since anthropology is specialized in understanding relevant social and cultural contents, the understanding of anthropology should be viewed both as important prerequisite and foundation of the epidemiological intervention programs.

The woodrat gut microbiota as an experimental system for understanding microbial metabolism of dietary toxins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kevin D. Kohl

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The microbial communities inhabiting the alimentary tracts of mammals, particularly those of herbivores, are estimated to be one of the densest microbial reservoirs on Earth. The significance of these gut microbes in influencing the physiology, ecology and evolution of their hosts is only beginning to be realized. To understand the microbiome of herbivores with a focus on nutritional ecology, while evaluating the roles of host evolution and environment in sculpting microbial diversity, we have developed an experimental system consisting of the microbial communities of several species of herbivorous woodrats (genus Neotoma that naturally feed on a variety of dietary toxins. We designed this system to investigate the long-standing, but experimentally neglected hypothesis that ingestion of toxic diets by herbivores is facilitated by the gut microbiota. Like several other rodent species, the woodrat stomach has a sacculated, nongastric foregut portion. We have documented a dense and diverse community of microbes in the woodrat foregut, with several genera potentially capable of degrading dietary toxins and/or playing a role in stimulating hepatic detoxification enzymes of the host. The biodiversity of these gut microbes appears to be a function of host evolution, ecological experience and diet, such that dietary toxins increase microbial diversity in hosts with experience with these toxins while novel toxins depress microbial diversity. These microbial communities are critical to the ingestion of a toxic diet as reducing the microbial community with antibiotics impairs the host’s ability to feed on dietary toxins. Furthermore, the detoxification capacity of gut microbes can be transferred from Neotoma both intra and interspecifically to naïve animals that lack ecological and evolutionary history with these toxins. In addition to advancing our knowledge of complex host-microbes interactions, this system holds promise for identifying microbes that

Quantification of Cannabinoid Content in Cannabis

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Y.; Zhang, F.; Jia, K.; Wen, M.; Yuan, Ch.

2015-09-01

Cannabis is an economically important plant that is used in many fields, in addition to being the most commonly consumed illicit drug worldwide. Monitoring the spatial distribution of cannabis cultivation and judging whether it is drug- or fiber-type cannabis is critical for governments and international communities to understand the scale of the illegal drug trade. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the cannabinoids content in cannabis could be spectrally quantified using a spectrometer and to identify the optimal wavebands for quantifying the cannabinoid content. Spectral reflectance data of dried cannabis leaf samples and the cannabis canopy were measured in the laboratory and in the field, respectively. Correlation analysis and the stepwise multivariate regression method were used to select the optimal wavebands for cannabinoid content quantification based on the laboratory-measured spectral data. The results indicated that the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in cannabis leaves could be quantified using laboratory-measured spectral reflectance data and that the 695 nm band is the optimal band for THC content quantification. This study provides prerequisite information for designing spectral equipment to enable immediate quantification of THC content in cannabis and to discriminate drug- from fiber-type cannabis based on THC content quantification in the field.

Content-Based Image Retrial Based on Hadoop

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DongSheng Yin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Generally, time complexity of algorithms for content-based image retrial is extremely high. In order to retrieve images on large-scale databases efficiently, a new way for retrieving based on Hadoop distributed framework is proposed. Firstly, a database of images features is built by using Speeded Up Robust Features algorithm and Locality-Sensitive Hashing and then perform the search on Hadoop platform in a parallel way specially designed. Considerable experimental results show that it is able to retrieve images based on content on large-scale cluster and image sets effectively.

Soil volumetric water content measurements using TDR technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Vincenzi

1996-06-01

Full Text Available A physical model to measure some hydrological and thermal parameters in soils will to be set up. The vertical profiles of: volumetric water content, matric potential and temperature will be monitored in different soils. The volumetric soil water content is measured by means of the Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR technique. The result of a test to determine experimentally the reproducibility of the volumetric water content measurements is reported together with the methodology and the results of the analysis of the TDR wave forms. The analysis is based on the calculation of the travel time of the TDR signal in the wave guide embedded in the soil.

Development of Prediction Model and Experimental Validation in Predicting the Curcumin Content of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Akbar, Abdul; Kuanar, Ananya; Joshi, Raj K; Sandeep, I S; Mohanty, Sujata; Naik, Pradeep K; Mishra, Antaryami; Nayak, Sanghamitra

2016-01-01

The drug yielding potential of turmeric ( Curcuma longa L.) is largely due to the presence of phyto-constituent 'curcumin.' Curcumin has been found to possess a myriad of therapeutic activities ranging from anti-inflammatory to neuroprotective. Lack of requisite high curcumin containing genotypes and variation in the curcumin content of turmeric at different agro climatic regions are the major stumbling blocks in commercial production of turmeric. Curcumin content of turmeric is greatly influenced by environmental factors. Hence, a prediction model based on artificial neural network (ANN) was developed to map genome environment interaction basing on curcumin content, soli and climatic factors from different agroclimatic regions for prediction of maximum curcumin content at various sites to facilitate the selection of suitable region for commercial cultivation of turmeric. The ANN model was developed and tested using a data set of 119 generated by collecting samples from 8 different agroclimatic regions of Odisha. The curcumin content from these samples was measured that varied from 7.2% to 0.4%. The ANN model was trained with 11 parameters of soil and climatic factors as input and curcumin content as output. The results showed that feed-forward ANN model with 8 nodes (MLFN-8) was the most suitable one with R 2 value of 0.91. Sensitivity analysis revealed that minimum relative humidity, altitude, soil nitrogen content and soil pH had greater effect on curcumin content. This ANN model has shown proven efficiency for predicting and optimizing the curcumin content at a specific site.

Development of prediction model and experimental validation in predicting the curcumin content of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Akbar

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The drug yielding potential of turmeric (Curcuma longa L. is largely due to the presence of phyto-constituent ‘curcumin’. Curcumin has been found to possess a myriad of therapeutic activities ranging from anti-inflammatory to neuroprotective. Lack of requisite high curcumin containing genotypes and variation in the curcumin content of turmeric at different agro climatic regions are the major stumbling blocks in commercial production of turmeric. Curcumin content of turmeric is greatly influenced by environmental factors. Hence, a prediction model based on artificial neural network (ANN was developed to map genome environment interaction basing on curcumin content, soli and climatic factors from different agroclimatic regions for prediction of maximum curcumin content at various sites to facilitate the selection of suitable region for commercial cultivation of turmeric. The ANN model was developed and tested using a data set of 119 generated by collecting samples from 8 different agroclimatic regions of Odisha. The curcumin content from these samples was measured that varied from 7.2% to 0.4%. The ANN model was trained with 11 parameters of soil and climatic factors as input and curcumin content as output. The results showed that feed-forward ANN model with 8 nodes (MLFN-8 was the most suitable one with R2 value of 0.91. Sensitivity analysis revealed that minimum relative humidity, altitude, soil nitrogen content and soil pH had greater effect on curcumin content. This ANN model has shown proven efficiency for predicting and optimizing the curcumin content at a specific site.

Organic matter and soil moisture content and double cropping with organic matter sourceplants

OpenAIRE

John Bako Baon; Aris Wibawa

2005-01-01

Double cropping of coffee with organic matter source plants is thought to increase organic matter content of soil. This study examined the effect of double cropping of coffee and organic matter source plants on soil organic matter content and yield of coffee plants. Arabica coffee trees in Andungsari Experimental Station (Bondowoso district), 1400 m asl. and climate type C; and Robusta coffee trees in Sumberasin Experimental Station (Malang district), 550 m asl. and climate type C, were used ...

The Power of the Provocative: Exploring World History Content

Science.gov (United States)

Ashkettle, Bryan L.

2013-01-01

This study addresses how my freshman world history students come to understand controversial issues as provocative within the secondary social studies classroom, and in what ways does their engagement with provocative issues influence their understanding of the content and the world around them. In addition, this research study seeks to discover…

Developing pre-service science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge by using training program

Science.gov (United States)

Udomkan, Watinee; Suwannoi, Paisan

2018-01-01

A training program was developed for enhancing pre-service science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The pre-service science teachers are able to: understand science curriculum, knowledge of assessment in science, knowledge of students' understanding of science, instructional strategies and orientations towards science teaching, which is conceptualized as PCK [5]. This study examined the preservice science teachers' understandings and their practices which include five pre-service science teachers' PCK. In this study, the participants demonstrated their PCK through the process of the training program by writing content representations (CoRes), preparing the lesson plans, micro-teaching, and actual teaching respectively. All pre-service science teachers' performs were collected by classroom observations. Then, they were interviewed. The results showed that the pre-service science teachers progressively developed knowledge components of PCK. Micro-teaching is the key activities for developing PCK. However, they had some difficulties in their classroom teaching. They required of sufficient ability to design appropriate instructional strategies and assessment activities for teaching. Blending content and pedagogy is also a matter of great concern. The implication of this study was that science educators can enhance pre-service science teachers' PCK by fostering their better understandings of the instructional strategies, assessment activities and blending between content and pedagogy in their classroom.

Experimental Study on Artificial Cemented Sand Prepared with Ordinary Portland Cement with Different Contents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongliang Li

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Artificial cemented sand test samples were prepared by using ordinary Portland cement (OPC as the cementing agent. Through uniaxial compression tests and consolidated drained triaxial compression tests, the stress-strain curves of the artificial cemented sand with different cementing agent contents (0.01, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.08 under various confining pressures (0.00 MPa, 0.25 MPa, 0.50 MPa and 1.00 MPa were obtained. Based on the test results, the effect of the cementing agent content (Cv on the physical and mechanical properties of the artificial cemented sand were analyzed and the Mohr-Coulomb strength theory was modified by using Cv. The research reveals that when Cv is high (e.g., Cv = 0.03, 0.05 or 0.08, the stress-strain curves of the samples indicate a strain softening behavior; under the same confining pressure, as Cv increases, both the peak strength and residual strength of the samples show a significant increase. When Cv is low (e.g., Cv = 0.01, the stress-strain curves of the samples indicate strain hardening behavior. From the test data, a function of Cv (the cementing agent content with c′ (the cohesion force of the sample and Δϕ′ (the increment of the angle of shearing resistance is obtained. Furthermore, through modification of the Mohr-Coulomb strength theory, the effect of cementing agent content on the strength of the cemented sand is demonstrated.

Experimental Study on Artificial Cemented Sand Prepared with Ordinary Portland Cement with Different Contents.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dongliang; Liu, Xinrong; Liu, Xianshan

2015-07-02

Artificial cemented sand test samples were prepared by using ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as the cementing agent. Through uniaxial compression tests and consolidated drained triaxial compression tests, the stress-strain curves of the artificial cemented sand with different cementing agent contents (0.01, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.08) under various confining pressures (0.00 MPa, 0.25 MPa, 0.50 MPa and 1.00 MPa) were obtained. Based on the test results, the effect of the cementing agent content ( C v ) on the physical and mechanical properties of the artificial cemented sand were analyzed and the Mohr-Coulomb strength theory was modified by using C v . The research reveals that when C v is high (e.g., C v = 0.03, 0.05 or 0.08), the stress-strain curves of the samples indicate a strain softening behavior; under the same confining pressure, as C v increases, both the peak strength and residual strength of the samples show a significant increase. When C v is low (e.g., C v = 0.01), the stress-strain curves of the samples indicate strain hardening behavior. From the test data, a function of C v (the cementing agent content) with c ' (the cohesion force of the sample) and Δϕ' (the increment of the angle of shearing resistance) is obtained. Furthermore, through modification of the Mohr-Coulomb strength theory, the effect of cementing agent content on the strength of the cemented sand is demonstrated.

Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Treatment and Causes

Science.gov (United States)

... this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Treatment and Causes Past Issues / Summer 2014 Table of Contents How Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated? Doctors have many ways to treat this ...

Understanding pressure: didactical transpositions and pupils' conceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Kariotogloy, P.; Psillos, D.; Vallassiades, O.

1990-03-01

Using the concept of pressure two research trends-content analysis and pupils' conceptions of subject matter-are drawn together, in an attempt to understand the issues in teaching and learning specific domains of physics.

Magnetism as indirect tool for carbon content assessment in nickel nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Oumellal, Y.; Magnin, Y.; Martínez de Yuso, A.; Aguiar Hualde, J. M.; Amara, H.; Paul-Boncour, V.; Matei Ghimbeu, C.; Malouche, A.; Bichara, C.; Pellenq, R.; Zlotea, C.

2017-12-01

We report a combined experimental and theoretical study to ascertain carbon solubility in nickel nanoparticles embedded into a carbon matrix via the one-pot method. This original approach is based on the experimental characterization of the magnetic properties of Ni at room temperature and Monte Carlo simulations used to calculate the magnetization as a function of C content in Ni nanoparticles. Other commonly used experimental methods fail to accurately determine the chemical analysis of these types of nanoparticles. Thus, we could assess the C content within Ni nanoparticles and it decreases from 8 to around 4 at. % with increasing temperature during the synthesis. This behavior could be related to the catalytic transformation of dissolved C in the Ni particles into graphite layers surrounding the particles at high temperature. The proposed approach is original and easy to implement experimentally since only magnetization measurements at room temperature are needed. Moreover, it can be extended to other types of magnetic nanoparticles dissolving carbon.

Experimental Design Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

This book presents a new, multidisciplinary perspective on and paradigm for integrative experimental design research. It addresses various perspectives on methods, analysis and overall research approach, and how they can be synthesized to advance understanding of design. It explores the foundations...... of experimental approaches and their utility in this domain, and brings together analytical approaches to promote an integrated understanding. The book also investigates where these approaches lead to and how they link design research more fully with other disciplines (e.g. psychology, cognition, sociology......, computer science, management). Above all, the book emphasizes the integrative nature of design research in terms of the methods, theories, and units of study—from the individual to the organizational level. Although this approach offers many advantages, it has inherently led to a situation in current...

From Global Sustainability to Inclusive Education: Understanding urban children's ideas about the food system

Science.gov (United States)

Calabrese Barton, Angela; Koch, Pamela D.; Contento, Isobel R.; Hagiwara, Sumi

2005-08-01

The purpose of this paper is to report our findings from a qualitative study intended to develop our understandings of: what high-poverty urban children understand and believe about food and food systems; and how such children transform and use that knowledge in their everyday lives (i.e. how do they express their scientific literacies including content understandings, process understandings, habits of mind in these content areas). This qualitative study is part of a larger study focused on understanding and developing science and nutritional literacies among high-poverty urban fourth-grade through sixth-grade students and their teachers and caregivers.

Portlandite content and ionic transport properties of hydrated C3S pastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henocq, P.; Samson, E.; Marchand, J.

2012-01-01

This paper presents the results of a C 3 S paste characterization study. The objective was to determine the parameters needed to model the process of degradation. The experimental study focused on determining the portlandite content and the ionic diffusion coefficients of C 3 S paste. The molar C/S ratio of C–S–H in hydrated C 3 S pastes was also investigated. The portlandite content was determined with an experimental method based on an electron microprobe analysis. This method leads to a portlandite mass content of 24.4 ± 2.3%. The diffusion coefficient of each ionic species was determined by inverse analysis of diffusion test data performed on hydrated C 3 S samples using a multiionic transport model.

An Experimental and Chemical Kinetics Study of the Combustion of Syngas and High Hydrogen Content Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santoro, Robers [Pennsylvania State Univ., State College, PA (United States); Dryer, Frederick [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States); Ju, Yiguang [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)

2013-09-30

An integrated and collaborative effort involving experiments and complementary chemical kinetic modeling investigated the effects of significant concentrations of water and CO2 and minor contaminant species (methane [CH4], ethane [C2H6], NOX, etc.) on the ignition and combustion of HHC fuels. The research effort specifically addressed broadening the experimental data base for ignition delay, burning rate, and oxidation kinetics at high pressures, and further refinement of chemical kinetic models so as to develop compositional specifications related to the above major and minor species. The foundation for the chemical kinetic modeling was the well validated mechanism for hydrogen and carbon monoxide developed over the last 25 years by Professor Frederick Dryer and his co-workers at Princeton University. This research furthered advance the understanding needed to develop practical guidelines for realistic composition limits and operating characteristics for HHC fuels. A suite of experiments was utilized that that involved a high-pressure laminar flow reactor, a pressure-release type high-pressure combustion chamber and a high-pressure turbulent flow reactor.

Learning Design of Problem Based Learning Model Based on Recommendations of Sintax Study and Contents Issues on Physics Impulse Materials with Experimental Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristia Agustina

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study aims to design learning Problem Based Learning Model based on syntax study recommendations and content issues on Physics Impulse materials through experiments. This research is a development research with Kemp model. The reference for making the learning design is the result of the syntax study and the content of existing PBL implementation problems from Agustina research. This instructional design is applied to the physics material about Impulse done through experimental activity. Limited trials were conducted on the SWCU Physics Education Study Program students group Salatiga, while the validity test was conducted by high school teachers and physics education lecturers. The results of the trial evaluation are limited and the validity test is used to improve the designs that have been made. The conclusion of this research is the design of learning by using PBL model on Impuls material by referring the result of syntax study and the problem content of existing PBL implementation can be produced by learning activity designed in laboratory experiment activity. The actual problem for Impuls material can be used car crash test video at factory. The results of validation tests and limited trials conducted by researchers assessed that the design of learning made by researchers can be used with small revisions. Suggestions from this research are in making learning design by using PBL model to get actual problem can by collecting news that come from newspaper, YouTube, internet, and television.

Educators' Understanding of Workplace Bullying

Science.gov (United States)

de Wet, Corene

2014-01-01

This article looks at educators' understanding of workplace bullying through the lens of a two- dimensional model of bullying. Educators, who were furthering their studies at the University of the Free State, were invited to take part in a study on different types of bullying. Deductive, directed content analysis was used to analyse 59…

Improving uptake and engagement with child body image interventions delivered to mothers: Understanding mother and daughter preferences for intervention content.

Science.gov (United States)

Garbett, Kirsty M; Diedrichs, Phillippa C

2016-12-01

Mothers are a key influence on adolescent girls' body image. This study aimed to improve understanding of mothers' and daughters' preferences for content in body image interventions designed to assist mothers to promote positive body image among their daughters. British mother-daughter dyads (N=190) viewed descriptions of five evidence-based influences on body image (family, friends, and relationships; appearance-based teasing; media and celebrities; appearance conversations; body acceptance and care). Mothers and daughters each selected the two most important influences to learn about in these interventions. Overall, both mothers and daughters most frequently opted for family, friends, and relationships and body acceptance and care, whereas media and celebrities was their least preferred topic. While the overall sample of mothers and daughters agreed on preferences, Fisher's exact tests showed that within-dyad agreement was low. Recommendations for improving parent and child engagement with, and effectiveness of, child body image interventions delivered to parents are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Concept of Slope: Comparing Teachers' Concept Images and Instructional Content

Science.gov (United States)

Nagle, Courtney; Moore-Russo, Deborah

2013-01-01

In the field of mathematics education, understanding teachers' content knowledge (Grossman, 1995; Hill, Sleep, Lewis, & Ball, 2007; Munby, Russell, & Martin, 2001) and studying the relationship between content knowledge and instructional decisions (Fennema & Franke, 1992; Raymond, 1997) are both crucial. Teachers need a robust…

Texture evolution of experimental silicon steel grades. Part I: Hot rolling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sandoval Robles, J.A., E-mail: jsandoval.uanl@yahoo.com [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, Ave. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León C.P. 66450 (Mexico); Salas Zamarripa, A.; Guerrero Mata, M.P. [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, Ave. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León C.P. 66450 (Mexico); Cabrera, J. [Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Departament de Ciència dels Materials I Enginyeria Metal-lúrgica, Av. Diagonal 647, Barcelona 08028 (Spain)

2017-05-01

The metallurgical understanding of the deformation processes during the fabrication of non-oriented electrical steels plays a key role in improving their final properties. Texture control and optimization is critical in these steels for the enhancement of their magnetic properties. The aim of the present work is to study the texture evolution of six non-oriented experimental silicon steel grades during hot rolling. These steels were low carbon steel with a silicon content from 0.5 to 3.0 wt%. The first rolling schedule was performed in the austenitic (γ-Fe) region for the steel with a 0.5 wt% of silicon content, while the 1.0 wt% silicon steel was rolled in the two-phase (α+γ) region. Steels with higher silicon content were rolled in the ferritic (α-Fe) region. The second rolling schedule was performed in the α-Fe region. Samples of each stage were analyzed by means of Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). Findings showed that the texture was random and heterogeneous in all samples after 60% of rolling reduction, which is due to the low deformation applied during rolling. After the second rolling program, localized deformation and substructured grains near to surface were observed in all samples. The Goss {110}<001>texture-component was found in the 0.5 and 1.0 wt.-%silicon steels. This is due to the thermomechanical conditions and the corresponding hot band microstructure obtained after the first program. Moreover, the α<110>//RD and the γ <111>//ND fiber components of the texture presented a considerable increment as the silicon content increases. Future research to be published soon will be related to the texture evolution during the cold-work rolling process. - Highlights: • We analyze six silicon steel experimental grades alloys trough the rolling process. • Material was subjected to a hot deformation process in the α-γ region. • No recrystalization was observed during-after the rolling schedules. • Rise of the magnetic texture components

The Effect of Screen Size on Mobile Phone User Comprehension of Health Information and Application Structure: An Experimental Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Al Ghamdi, Ebtisam; Yunus, Faisal; Da'ar, Omar; El-Metwally, Ashraf; Khalifa, Mohamed; Aldossari, Bakheet; Househ, Mowafa

2016-01-01

This research analyzes the impact of mobile phone screen size on user comprehension of health information and application structure. Applying experimental approach, we asked randomly selected users to read content and conduct tasks on a commonly used diabetes mobile application using three different mobile phone screen sizes. We timed and tracked a number of parameters, including correctness, effectiveness of completing tasks, content ease of reading, clarity of information organization, and comprehension. The impact of screen size on user comprehension/retention, clarity of information organization, and reading time were mixed. It is assumed on first glance that mobile screen size would affect all qualities of information reading and comprehension, including clarity of displayed information organization, reading time and user comprehension/retention of displayed information, but actually the screen size, in this experimental research, did not have significant impact on user comprehension/retention of the content or on understanding the application structure. However, it did have significant impact on clarity of information organization and reading time. Participants with larger screen size took shorter time reading the content with a significant difference in the ease of reading. While there was no significant difference in the comprehension of information or the application structures, there were a higher task completion rate and a lower number of errors with the bigger screen size. Screen size does not directly affect user comprehension of health information. However, it does affect clarity of information organization, reading time and user's ability to recall information.

Preschoolers' Recall of Science Content from Educational Videos Presented with and without Songs

Science.gov (United States)

Schechter, Rachel L.

2013-01-01

This experimental investigation evaluated the impact of educational songs on a child's ability to recall scientific content from an educational television program. Preschoolers' comprehension of the educational content was examined by measuring children's ability to recall the featured science content (the function of a pulley and…

Reform of experimental teaching based on quality cultivation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Yan, Xingwei; Liu, Wei; Yao, Tianfu; Shi, Jianhua; Lei, Bing; Hu, Haojun

2017-08-01

Experimental teaching plays an import part in quality education which devotes to cultivating students with innovative spirit, strong technological talents and practical ability. However, in the traditional experimental teaching mode, the experiments are treated as a vassal or supplementary mean of theoretical teaching, and students prefer focus on theory to practice. Therefore, the traditional experimental teaching mode is difficult to meet the requirements of quality education. To address this issue, the reform of experimental teaching is introduced in this paper taking the photoelectric detector experiment as the example. The new experimental teaching mode is designed from such aspects as experimental content, teaching method and experimental evaluation. With the purpose of cultivating students' practical ability, two different-level experimental content is designed. Not only the basic experiments used to verify the theory are set to consolidate the students' learned theoretical knowledge, but also comprehensive experiments are designed to encourage the students to apply their learned knowledge to solve practical problems. In the teaching process, heuristic teaching thought is adopt and the traditional `teacher-centered' teaching form is replaced by `student-centered' form, which aims to encourage students to design the experimental systems by their own with the teacher's guidance. In addition to depending on stimulating the students' interest of science research, experimental evaluation is necessary to urge students to complete the experiments efficiently. Multifaceted evaluation method is proposed to test the students' mastery of theoretical knowledge, practice ability, troubleshooting and problem solving skills, and innovation capability comprehensively. Practices demonstrated the satisfying effect of our experimental teaching mode.

Soil clay content underlies prion infection odds

Science.gov (United States)

David, Walter W.; Walsh, D.P.; Farnsworth, Matthew L.; Winkelman, D.L.; Miller, M.W.

2011-01-01

Environmental factors-especially soil properties-have been suggested as potentially important in the transmission of infectious prion diseases. Because binding to montmorillonite (an aluminosilicate clay mineral) or clay-enriched soils had been shown to enhance experimental prion transmissibility, we hypothesized that prion transmission among mule deer might also be enhanced in ranges with relatively high soil clay content. In this study, we report apparent influences of soil clay content on the odds of prion infection in free-ranging deer. Analysis of data from prion-infected deer herds in northern Colorado, USA, revealed that a 1% increase in the clay-sized particle content in soils within the approximate home range of an individual deer increased its odds of infection by up to 8.9%. Our findings suggest that soil clay content and related environmental properties deserve greater attention in assessing risks of prion disease outbreaks and prospects for their control in both natural and production settings. ?? 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Influence of Water Content on Pullout Behaviour of Geogrid

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Rong; Song, Yang-yang; Hao, Dong-xue; Gao, Yu-cong

2017-06-01

The interaction between geogrid and soil is fundamental and crucial factor on safety and stability of geogrid-reinforced earth structure. Therefore, the interface index between geogrid and soil is of vital importance in the design of reinforced earth structures. The pullout behaviour of geogrid in soil is studied, an experimental investigation is conducted using geogrid in four groups of soil with 20%, 24%, 28%, 32% water contents, which correspond to normal stresses of 50, 100, 200 and 300 kPa respectively. The results indicate that the geogrid embedded in soil mainly represents pullout failure, and the ultimate pullout force is sensitive to water content. It decreases with the increase of the water content firstly. Besides, the water content influences the process of the pullout behaviour. The increase of water content leads to the ultimate pullout force soon.

PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN 92 ENGLISH FOR MATHS LECTURE IN CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION TEACHING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayu Fitrianingsih

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study was intended to find the pedagogical strategies applied by the teacher in the teaching learning process and to know teacher‘s content knowledge, how teacher need to understand the subject matter taught. This study was carried out in English for Math lecture of Mathematics education study program IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro which involved the teacher and the students as the respondent. This study is under qualitative case study. In collecting the data, questionnaire, observation and interview were conducted to get detail information of the issues. The result reveals: 1 the teacher combines some methods such as cooperative learning, problem-based learning and task-based learning to get the students enthusiasm; 2 based on teacher‘s educational background, although the teacher graduated from Bachelor Degree of Mathematics Education but she was able to combine English teaching through mathematics content very well. It can be concluded that Teacher‘s pedagogical strategy and content knowledge is very important in the application of content-based instruction teaching and learning.

Organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents of some tea soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, M.S.; Zamir, M.R.; Sanauallah, A.F.M.

2005-01-01

Soil samples were collected from Rungicherra Tea-Estate of Moulvibazar district, Bangladesh. Organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen and available phosphorus content of the collected soil of different topographic positions have been determined. The experimental data have been analyzed statistically and plotted against topography and soil depth. Organic carbon and organic matter content varied from 0.79 to 1.24% and 1.37 to 2.14%. respectively. Total nitrogen and available phosphorus content of these soils varied respectively from 0.095 to 0.13% and 2.31 to 4.02 ppm. (author)

Increased mitochondrial content in remyelinated axons: implications for multiple sclerosis

Science.gov (United States)

Zambonin, Jessica L.; Zhao, Chao; Ohno, Nobuhiko; Campbell, Graham R.; Engeham, Sarah; Ziabreva, Iryna; Schwarz, Nadine; Lee, Sok Ee; Frischer, Josa M.; Turnbull, Doug M.; Trapp, Bruce D.; Lassmann, Hans; Franklin, Robin J. M.

2011-01-01

Mitochondrial content within axons increases following demyelination in the central nervous system, presumably as a response to the changes in energy needs of axons imposed by redistribution of sodium channels. Myelin sheaths can be restored in demyelinated axons and remyelination in some multiple sclerosis lesions is extensive, while in others it is incomplete or absent. The effects of remyelination on axonal mitochondrial content in multiple sclerosis, particularly whether remyelination completely reverses the mitochondrial changes that follow demyelination, are currently unknown. In this study, we analysed axonal mitochondria within demyelinated, remyelinated and myelinated axons in post-mortem tissue from patients with multiple sclerosis and controls, as well as in experimental models of demyelination and remyelination, in vivo and in vitro. Immunofluorescent labelling of mitochondria (porin, a voltage-dependent anion channel expressed on all mitochondria) and axons (neurofilament), and ultrastructural imaging showed that in both multiple sclerosis and experimental demyelination, mitochondrial content within remyelinated axons was significantly less than in acutely and chronically demyelinated axons but more numerous than in myelinated axons. The greater mitochondrial content within remyelinated, compared with myelinated, axons was due to an increase in density of porin elements whereas increase in size accounted for the change observed in demyelinated axons. The increase in mitochondrial content in remyelinated axons was associated with an increase in mitochondrial respiratory chain complex IV activity. In vitro studies showed a significant increase in the number of stationary mitochondria in remyelinated compared with myelinated and demyelinated axons. The number of mobile mitochondria in remyelinated axons did not significantly differ from myelinated axons, although significantly greater than in demyelinated axons. Our neuropathological data and findings in

Impact of an engineering design-based curriculum compared to an inquiry-based curriculum on fifth graders' content learning of simple machines

Science.gov (United States)

Marulcu, Ismail; Barnett, Michael

2016-01-01

Background: Elementary Science Education is struggling with multiple challenges. National and State test results confirm the need for deeper understanding in elementary science education. Moreover, national policy statements and researchers call for increased exposure to engineering and technology in elementary science education. The basic motivation of this study is to suggest a solution to both improving elementary science education and increasing exposure to engineering and technology in it. Purpose/Hypothesis: This mixed-method study examined the impact of an engineering design-based curriculum compared to an inquiry-based curriculum on fifth graders' content learning of simple machines. We hypothesize that the LEGO-engineering design unit is as successful as the inquiry-based unit in terms of students' science content learning of simple machines. Design/Method: We used a mixed-methods approach to investigate our research questions; we compared the control and the experimental groups' scores from the tests and interviews by using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and compared each group's pre- and post-scores by using paired t-tests. Results: Our findings from the paired t-tests show that both the experimental and comparison groups significantly improved their scores from the pre-test to post-test on the multiple-choice, open-ended, and interview items. Moreover, ANCOVA results show that students in the experimental group, who learned simple machines with the design-based unit, performed significantly better on the interview questions. Conclusions: Our analyses revealed that the design-based Design a people mover: Simple machines unit was, if not better, as successful as the inquiry-based FOSS Levers and pulleys unit in terms of students' science content learning.

Water and deuterium content of chondrites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robert, Francois

1978-01-01

The main objective of this research thesis which deals with meteorite study, is to develop an experimental technique to measure the hydrogen isotopic rate in the case of very low quantities of hydrogen, notably in samples in which water content is hundred or thousand times less than in reported experiments, in order to study mechanisms of alteration of chondrites. The author reports an attempt to reconcile obtained results for isotopic rates as well as for water contents with those of the main existing models of chondrite formation. He proposes a detailed description of isotopic exchange mechanisms at low temperature, and shows that this mechanism is not in disagreement with literature published on chondrites

Understanding small biomolecule-biomaterial interactions: a review of fundamental theoretical and experimental approaches for biomolecule interactions with inorganic surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Dominique; Garrain, Pierre-Alain; Baaden, Marc

2013-04-01

Interactions between biomolecules and inorganic surfaces play an important role in natural environments and in industry, including a wide variety of conditions: marine environment, ship hulls (fouling), water treatment, heat exchange, membrane separation, soils, mineral particles at the earth's surface, hospitals (hygiene), art and buildings (degradation and biocorrosion), paper industry (fouling) and more. To better control the first steps leading to adsorption of a biomolecule on an inorganic surface, it is mandatory to understand the adsorption mechanisms of biomolecules of several sizes at the atomic scale, that is, the nature of the chemical interaction between the biomolecule and the surface and the resulting biomolecule conformations once adsorbed at the surface. This remains a challenging and unsolved problem. Here, we review the state of art in experimental and theoretical approaches. We focus on metallic biomaterial surfaces such as TiO(2) and stainless steel, mentioning some remarkable results on hydroxyapatite. Experimental techniques include atomic force microscopy, surface plasmon resonance, quartz crystal microbalance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, sum frequency generation and time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy. Theoretical models range from detailed quantum mechanical representations to classical forcefield-based approaches. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Intermediate-Scale Experimental Study to Improve Fundamental Understanding of Attenuation Capacity for Leaking CO2 in Heterogeneous Shallow Aquifers

Science.gov (United States)

Plampin, Michael R.; Porter, Mark L.; Pawar, Rajesh J.; Illangasekare, Tissa H.

2017-12-01

To assess the risks of Geologic Carbon Sequestration (GCS), it is crucial to understand the fundamental physicochemical processes that may occur if and when stored CO2 leaks upward from a deep storage reservoir into the shallow subsurface. Intermediate-scale experiments allow for improved understanding of the multiphase evolution processes that control CO2 migration behavior in the subsurface, because the boundary conditions, initial conditions, and porous media parameters can be better controlled and monitored in the laboratory than in field settings. For this study, a large experimental test bed was designed to mimic a cross section of a shallow aquifer with layered geologic heterogeneity. As water with aqueous CO2 was injected into the system to mimic a CO2-charged water leakage scenario, the spatiotemporal evolution of the multiphase CO2 plume was monitored. Similar experiments were performed with two different sand combinations to assess the relative effects of different types of geologic facies transitions on the CO2 evolution processes. Significant CO2 attenuation was observed in both scenarios, but by fundamentally different mechanisms. When the porous media layers had very different permeabilities, attenuation was caused by local accumulation (structural trapping) and slow redissolution of gas phase CO2. When the permeability difference between the layers was relatively small, on the other hand, gas phase continually evolved over widespread areas near the leading edge of the aqueous plume, which also attenuated CO2 migration. This improved process understanding will aid in the development of models that could be used for effective risk assessment and monitoring programs for GCS projects.

The Cultural Content of Business Spanish Texts.

Science.gov (United States)

Grosse, Christine Uber; Uber, David

A study examined eight business Spanish textbooks for cultural content by looking at commonly appearing cultural topics and themes, presentation of cultural information, activities and techniques used to promote cultural understanding, and incorporation of authentic materials. The texts were evenly divided among beginning, intermediate, and…

Experimental intrauterine growth retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

van Marthens, E; Harel, S; Zamenshof, S

1975-01-01

The effects of experimental intrauterine growth retardation on subsequent fetal development, especially with respect to brain development, were studied in a new animal model. The rabbit was chosen since it has a perinatal pattern of brain development similar to that of the human. Experimental ischemia was induced during the last trimester by ligation of spiral arterioles and the differential effects on fetal development at term (30th gestational day) are reported. Specific brain regions were examined for wet weight, total cell number (DNA) and total protein content. Highly significant decreases in all these parameters were found in both the cortex and cerebellum following experimental intrauterine growth retardation; these two organs were differentially affected. The prospects and advantages of using this animal model for the study of the postnatal "catch-up growth" are discussed.

Influence of long-term fertilization on the selenium content of calcareous chernozem soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Blagojević, S; Jakovljević, M; Zarković, B

1998-01-01

Available data on the selenium (Se) content in Yugoslavian soils indicate that the element is present in small amounts (chernozem soil. The experiment of the Maize Research Institute in Belgrade was set up in 1971 and soil samples were examined by chemical analysis after 23 years. The following important conclusions can be drawn based on the analytical data obtained. The total content of Se in the investigated experimental variants in calcareous chernozem soil ranges from 166 to 593 microg/kg. All the variants had a higher content of Se than soil samples taken before the experiment was set up. Comparison with the control (variant without fertilizers) indicated that the Se content increased in the experimental variants where farmyard manure had been applied. This effect was noticed to a depth of 80 cm. Application of farmyard manure should be considered as a means of increasing the levels of Se in Se-deficient soil. Correlation coefficients between total Se content in the soil and some important agrochemical properties of the investigated soils are presented in this paper.

EFFORT INCREASING STARCH’S CONTENT OF ARROWROOT WITH BOKHASI AND SOIL PROCESSING TREATMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bambang Rudianto W

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective this experiment knows: (1 Effect bokashi on growth and yield arrowroot,(2 optimal dosage bokashi to increase arrowroot production,(3 effect planting depth on growth and yield arrowroot , and (4 interactions between planting depth and bokashi's manure dose on arrowroot. Research carried at field experimental Agriculture Faculty of Jenderal Soedirman University, October 2010 until March 2011. Experiment used inceptisol soil and 110 meters above sea level. Experimental design was Completely Randomized Block Design with four replicates, tried factors were planting depth and bokashi's fertilizer addition. Result: bokashi increase starch's content of arrowroot from 17,38 percent to 19,63 percent. Addition of bokashi at three percent of organic matter content soil, indicated by starch content of 19,634 percent. Planting depth at 20 cm affected increasing tubber volume per plant, tubber fresh weight, and production per extends, meanwhile planting depth at 30 cm affected increasing starch's contents tubber arrowroot. Interaction between planting depth and bokashi's fertilizer on starch's content yielded 19,898 percent at addition of bokashi at amount of three percent and planting depth 30 cm.

Princess Picture Books: Content and Messages

Science.gov (United States)

Dale, Lourdes P.; Higgins, Brittany E.; Pinkerton, Nick; Couto, Michelle; Mansolillo, Victoria; Weisinger, Nica; Flores, Marci

2016-01-01

Because many girls develop their understanding of what it means to be a girl from books about princesses, the researchers coded the messages and content in 58 princess books (picture, fairy tales, and fractured fairy tales). Results indicate that gender stereotypes are present in the books--the princesses were more likely to be nurturing, in…

Determination of hydrogen content of Jatropha biodiesel oil using neutron reflection technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okunade, I. O.; Jonah, S. A.; Omede, M.

2014-01-01

Biofuel is an environmental-friendly alternative to fossil fuel and holds immense potential for the future energy needs of the country. Non-edible jatropha biodiesel oil has been identified as one of the suitable bio-fuel options. In this work, experimental measurements were performed to determine the total hydrogen content of jatropha oil and jatropha-synthetic diesel oil mixture. The work was carried out using a neutron reflection facility at the Centre for Energy Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Jatropha oil and jatropha-synthetic diesel mixture were subjected to experimental measurements for the purpose of determining bulk hydrogen content using neutron reflection facility that had been previously calibrated using various hydrocarbon materials of known hydrogen content. The hydrogen content of the sample were subsequently determined using their measured neutron reflection coefficient values and calibration data. In general, results obtained indicate high hydrogen content range of 10.68-12.16wt% for jatropha oil and the various jatropha-synthetic diesel mixtures. The implication of this is that jatropha oil or jatrophal-synthetic diesel mixture can be used as alternative fuel to mitigate high carbon monoxide emission.

Extraction of Information of Audio-Visual Contents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Aguilar

2011-10-01

Full Text Available In this article we show how it is possible to use Channel Theory (Barwise and Seligman, 1997 for modeling the process of information extraction realized by audiences of audio-visual contents. To do this, we rely on the concepts pro- posed by Channel Theory and, especially, its treatment of representational systems. We then show how the information that an agent is capable of extracting from the content depends on the number of channels he is able to establish between the content and the set of classifications he is able to discriminate. The agent can endeavor the extraction of information through these channels from the totality of content; however, we discuss the advantages of extracting from its constituents in order to obtain a greater number of informational items that represent it. After showing how the extraction process is endeavored for each channel, we propose a method of representation of all the informative values an agent can obtain from a content using a matrix constituted by the channels the agent is able to establish on the content (source classifications, and the ones he can understand as individual (destination classifications. We finally show how this representation allows reflecting the evolution of the informative items through the evolution of audio-visual content.

Understanding the aerosol information content in multi-spectral reflectance measurements using a synergetic retrieval algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Martynenko

2010-11-01

Full Text Available An information content analysis for multi-wavelength SYNergetic AErosol Retrieval algorithm SYNAER was performed to quantify the number of independent pieces of information that can be retrieved. In particular, the capability of SYNAER to discern various aerosol types is assessed. This information content depends on the aerosol optical depth, the surface albedo spectrum and the observation geometry. The theoretical analysis is performed for a large number of scenarios with various geometries and surface albedo spectra for ocean, soil and vegetation. When the surface albedo spectrum and its accuracy is known under cloud-free conditions, reflectance measurements used in SYNAER is able to provide for 2–4° of freedom that can be attributed to retrieval parameters: aerosol optical depth, aerosol type and surface albedo.

The focus of this work is placed on an information content analysis with emphasis to the aerosol type classification. This analysis is applied to synthetic reflectance measurements for 40 predefined aerosol mixtures of different basic components, given by sea salt, mineral dust, biomass burning and diesel aerosols, water soluble and water insoluble aerosols. The range of aerosol parameters considered through the 40 mixtures covers the natural variability of tropospheric aerosols. After the information content analysis performed in Holzer-Popp et al. (2008 there was a necessity to compare derived degrees of freedom with retrieved aerosol optical depth for different aerosol types, which is the main focus of this paper.

The principle component analysis was used to determine the correspondence between degrees of freedom for signal in the retrieval and derived aerosol types. The main results of the analysis indicate correspondence between the major groups of the aerosol types, which are: water soluble aerosol, soot, mineral dust and sea salt and degrees of freedom in the algorithm and show the ability of the SYNAER to

Psychological and neural mechanisms of experimental extinction: a selective review.

Science.gov (United States)

Delamater, Andrew R; Westbrook, R Frederick

2014-02-01

The present review examines key psychological concepts in the study of experimental extinction and implications these have for an understanding of the underlying neurobiology of extinction learning. We suggest that many of the signature characteristics of extinction learning (spontaneous recovery, renewal, reinstatement, rapid reacquisition) can be accommodated by the standard associative learning theory assumption that extinction results in partial erasure of the original learning together with new inhibitory learning. Moreover, we consider recent behavioral and neural evidence that supports the partial erasure view of extinction, but also note shortcomings in our understanding of extinction circuits as these relate to the negative prediction error concept. Recent work suggests that common prediction error and stimulus-specific prediction error terms both may be required to explain neural plasticity both in acquisition and extinction learning. In addition, we suggest that many issues in the content of extinction learning have not been fully addressed in current research, but that neurobiological approaches should be especially helpful in addressing such issues. These include questions about the nature of extinction learning (excitatory CS-No US, inhibitory CS-US learning, occasion setting processes), especially as this relates to studies of the micro-circuitry of extinction, as well as its representational content (sensory, motivational, response). An additional understudied problem in extinction research is the role played by attention processes and their underlying neural networks, although some research and theory converge on the idea that extinction is accompanied by attention decrements (i.e., habituation-like processes). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimizing cementious content in concrete mixtures for required performance.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

"This research investigated the effects of changing the cementitious content required at a given water-to-cement ratio (w/c) on workability, strength, and durability of a concrete mixture. : An experimental program was conducted in which 64 concrete ...

Astronomical Content in Rongorongo Tablet Keiti

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wieczorek, Rafal

2011-01-01

Th e fi eld of rongorongo research: the study of Easter Island’s native script is in a peculiar state at the moment. While relative progress has been made in structural and statistical analysis in the last decades, at the level of both single glyphs as well as entire texts, little to no advanceme...... has been achieved in the actual decipherment. To shed new light on rongorongo research, a hypothesis regarding the contents of tablet Keiti, one of the 25 obtained artifacts, is proposed. Th e content, as well as the meaning, of all but one of these 25 rongorongo texts is still unknown....... In this publication, an interpretation for the recto side of tablet Keiti is presented. It is argued that the tablet contains astronomical observations or instructions regarding the Rapa Nui lunar calendar, and is similar in content to the only other rongorongo text whose function has been partially ascertained......: tablet Mamari. If the calendrical contents of this artifact were confi rmed, this would be a major boost to our understanding of Oceania’s only native script....

Bursting strength and collagen content changes in esophageal anastomoses. Comparative experimental study in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kovács, T; Köves, I; Pandi, E; Németh, T; Kralovánszky, J

2001-01-01

The Biofragmentable Anastomosis Ring (BAR) is a mechanical device composed of absorbable material, performs an inverted anastomosis by atraumatic compression. It is a safe method recommended for bowel ends covered by serosal layer. The feasibility for esophageal surgery hasn't been proved. In our study we compared the healing of transsected intrathoracic esophagus anastomosed with BAR versus Stapler on an experimental dog model by evaluating the bursting strength (BS) and collagen (Hydroxyproline (HP)) concentration and content in different sites and defined time points after surgery (4th, 7th, 14th, 28th day). Forty-six mongrel dogs were randomly separated into two groups (28 BAR, 18 Stapler) and parameters of surgical repair evaluated after sacrification on certain days. Although we had a total of 4 leaks (14,3%) only in the BAR group (2 were clinically relevant and fatal), there was no significant difference in the leakage rate between the two groups. BS was significantly higher in the BAR group during the first week with values almost equal from the 14th day, in both groups. BS measurement reflects anastomotic strength only during the first two postoperative weeks. After this rupture is often produced outside the anastomotic line. HP concentration showed no significant differences from samples taken next to and far from the anastomotic line. The HP rate showed a significant reduction in the 4th and 7th day subgroups, and values close to the reference from the 14th day with both techniques. BS and HP changes proved a normal tissue repair with no significant difference, showing that both methods are suitable to perform anastomoses on the intrathoracic esophagus in mongrel dogs. The higher mechanical stability of the BAR anastomosis could suggest the feasibility of the method in conditions where higher mechanical strength is requested.

Comparison of experimental slant electron content and IRI model for moderate solar activity conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabrera, M.A.; Ezquer, R.G.; Mosert, M.; Jadur, C.A.

2002-01-01

The International Reference Ionosphere model only gives the vertical electron content (VTEC). In this paper the slant electron content (SEC) for the ATS 6 satellite - Palehua (21.4 deg. N, 201.9 deg. E) radio signal path for a middle solar activity year is calculated. To this end, IRI model is used to obtain the electron density at different points of the signal path. Equinoxes and solstices are considered. Measurements obtained with Faraday rotation technique at Palehua are compared with the modelled values. Although overestimation was observed for night hours, the results show good SEC predictions for several hours at period of maximum ionisation, suggesting that would be possible to model the STEC using IRI. (author)

Experimental Investigation and Theoretical Modeling of Nanosilica Activity in Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han-Seung Lee

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents experimental investigations and theoretical modeling of the hydration reaction of nanosilica blended concrete with different water-to-binder ratios and different nanosilica replacement ratios. The developments of chemically bound water contents, calcium hydroxide contents, and compressive strength of Portland cement control specimens and nanosilica blended specimens were measured at different ages: 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days. Due to the pozzolanic reaction of nanosilica, the contents of calcium hydroxide in nanosilica blended pastes are considerably lower than those in the control specimens. Compared with the control specimens, the extent of compressive strength enhancement in the nanosilica blended specimens is much higher at early ages. Additionally, a blended cement hydration model that considers both the hydration reaction of cement and the pozzolanic reaction of nanosilica is proposed. The properties of nanosilica blended concrete during hardening were evaluated using the degree of hydration of cement and the reaction degree of nanosilica. The calculated chemically bound water contents, calcium hydroxide contents, and compressive strength were generally consistent with the experimental results.

Low-energy nuclear fission and our understanding of the nucleus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, H.L.; Hoffman, D.C.

1990-01-01

The interactions between experimental discoveries in low-energy nuclear fission and the theoretical understanding of the structure of the nucleus are reviewed. The history of this synergistic relationship begins with the discovery of fission, the development of the liquid-drop model and the experimental evidence for magic numbers, continues through the development of the shell model, the experimental discovery of shape isomerism, the double-humped fission barrier the spontaneous fission half-life disaster, the discovery of symmetric mass division in spontaneous fission and theoretical treatments based on different paths to scission. It concludes with a brief review of current experimental and theoretical understanding of low-energy fission and the prospects for future developments. (author) 150 refs.; 5 figs.; 1 tab

The Impact of Content, Context, and Creator on User Engagement in Social Media Marketing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jaakonmäki, Roope; Müller, Oliver; vom Brocke, Jan

2017-01-01

this challenge is to use analytics on user-generated social media content to understand the relationship between content features and user engagement. In this paper we report on a quantitative study that applies machine learning algorithms to extract textual and visual content features from Instagram posts...

Experimental fertilization increases amino acid content in floral nectar, fruit set and degree of selfing in the orchid Gymnadenia conopsea.

Science.gov (United States)

Gijbels, Pieter; Ceulemans, Tobias; Van den Ende, Wim; Honnay, Olivier

2015-11-01

Floral traits have evolved to maximize reproductive success by attracting pollinators and facilitating pollination. Highly attractive floral traits may, however, also increase the degree of self-pollination, which could become detrimental for plant fitness through inbreeding depression. Floral nectar is a trait that is known to strongly mediate pollinator attraction and plant reproductive success, but the particular role of the nectar amino acid (AA) composition is poorly understood. Therefore, we experimentally manipulated the nectar AA composition and abundance of the Lepidoptera-pollinated orchid Gymnadenia conopsea through soil fertilization, and we quantified AA content and AA composition through high performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Mixed models were then used to evaluate differences in pollinia removal, fruit set, seed set and degree of selfing between fertilized and control individuals. Selfing rates were estimated using microsatellite markers. We found that fertilized individuals had a significantly higher nectar AA content and an altered AA composition, whereas plant height, number of flowers, nectar volume and sugar concentration remained unchanged. Fertilized individuals also had significantly more pollinia removed and a higher fruit set, whereas control plants that did not receive the fertilization treatment had significantly fewer selfed seeds, and more viable seeds. Although we cannot exclude a role of changes in floral scent following the fertilization treatment, our results strongly suggest a relation among nectar AA composition, fruiting success and selfing rates. Our results also indicate potential consequences of nutrient pollution for plant reproductive success, through the induced changes in nectar AA composition.

Can Experimental Scientists, Data Evaluators and Compilers, and Nuclear Data Users Understand One Another?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Usachev, L. N. [Institute of Physics and Energetics, Obninsk, USSR (Russian Federation)

1966-07-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency organizes conferences on a wide variety of scientific subjects, all of which are of fundamental importance for the development of nuclear power. These include the technology of fuel elements, their stability in neutron fields, and chemical reprocessing as well as reactor physics, mathematical computational methods and the problems of protection and dosimetry. The problem of microscopic nuclear data, an essential aspect of reactor work, is just one of these many subjects. On the other hand, it should be remembered that the possibility of releasing nuclear energy was established in the first place by obtaining nuclear data on the fission process occurring in the uranium nucleus following the capture of a neutron and on the escape of the 2-3 secondary fission neutrons. In early nuclear power work the information provided by nuclear data was of considerable, even of decisive, importance. For example, the information available on the neutron balance in fast reactors showed that such reactors could operate as breeders and thus that it was worth while developing them. Strictly speaking, it is of course difficult to speak of a knowledge of nuclear data at this early period. It is perhaps more accurate to speak of the understanding of and the feeling for such data which grew up on the basis of the existing physical ideas on the fission of the nucleus, radiative capture and neutron scattering. Experimental data were very scanty but for that reason they were particularly valuable.

Can Experimental Scientists, Data Evaluators and Compilers, and Nuclear Data Users Understand One Another?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usachev, L.N.

1966-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency organizes conferences on a wide variety of scientific subjects, all of which are of fundamental importance for the development of nuclear power. These include the technology of fuel elements, their stability in neutron fields, and chemical reprocessing as well as reactor physics, mathematical computational methods and the problems of protection and dosimetry. The problem of microscopic nuclear data, an essential aspect of reactor work, is just one of these many subjects. On the other hand, it should be remembered that the possibility of releasing nuclear energy was established in the first place by obtaining nuclear data on the fission process occurring in the uranium nucleus following the capture of a neutron and on the escape of the 2-3 secondary fission neutrons. In early nuclear power work the information provided by nuclear data was of considerable, even of decisive, importance. For example, the information available on the neutron balance in fast reactors showed that such reactors could operate as breeders and thus that it was worth while developing them. Strictly speaking, it is of course difficult to speak of a knowledge of nuclear data at this early period. It is perhaps more accurate to speak of the understanding of and the feeling for such data which grew up on the basis of the existing physical ideas on the fission of the nucleus, radiative capture and neutron scattering. Experimental data were very scanty but for that reason they were particularly valuable

Understanding metastable phase transformation during crystallization of RDX, HMX and CL-20: experimental and DFT studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Mrinal; Banerjee, Shaibal; Shafeeuulla Khan, Md Abdul; Sikder, Nirmala; Sikder, Arun Kanti

2016-09-14

Multiphase growth during crystallization severely affects deliverable output of explosive materials. Appearance and incomplete transformation of metastable phases are a major source of polymorphic impurities. This article presents a methodical and molecular level understanding of the metastable phase transformation mechanism during crystallization of cyclic nitramine explosives, viz. RDX, HMX and CL-20. Instantaneous reverse precipitation yielded metastable γ-HMX and β-CL-20 which undergo solution mediated transformation to the respective thermodynamic forms, β-HMX and ε-CL-20, following 'Ostwald's rule of stages'. However, no metastable phase, anticipated as β-RDX, was evidenced during precipitation of RDX, which rather directly yielded the thermodynamically stable α-phase. The γ→β-HMX and β→ε-CL-20 transformations took 20 and 60 minutes respectively, whereas formation of α-RDX was instantaneous. Density functional calculations were employed to identify the possible transition state conformations and to obtain activation barriers for transformations at wB97XD/6-311++G(d,p)(IEFPCM)//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. The computed activation barriers and lattice energies responsible for transformation of RDX, HMX and CL-20 metastable phases to thermodynamic ones conspicuously supported the experimentally observed order of phase stability. This precise result facilitated an understanding of the occurrence of a relatively more sensitive and less dense β-CL-20 phase in TNT based melt-cast explosive compositions, a persistent and critical problem unanswered in the literature. The crystalline material recovered from such compositions revealed a mixture of β- and ε-CL-20. However, similar compositions of RDX and HMX never showed any metastable phase. The relatively long stability with the highest activation barrier is believed to restrict complete β→ε-CL-20 transformation during processing. Therefore a method is suggested to overcome this issue.

Utilizing LiDAR Datasets From Experimental Watersheds to Advance Ecohydrological Understanding in Seasonally Snow-Covered Forests

Science.gov (United States)

Harpold, A. A.; Broxton, P. D.; Guo, Q.; Barlage, M. J.; Gochis, D. J.

2014-12-01

The Western U.S. is strongly reliant on snowmelt from forested areas for ecosystem services and downstream populations. The ability to manage water resources from snow-covered forests faces major challenges from drought, disturbance, and regional changes in climate. An exciting avenue for improving ecohydrological process understanding is Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) because the technology simultaneously observes topography, forest properties, and snow/ice at high-resolution (100 km2). The availability and quality of LiDAR datasets is increasing rapidly, however they remain under-utilized for process-based ecohydrology investigations. This presentation will illustrate how LiDAR datasets from the Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) network have been applied to advance ecohydrological understanding through direct empirical analysis, as well as model parameterization and verification. Direct analysis of the datasets has proved fruitful for pre- and post-disturbance snow distribution estimates and interpreting in-situ snow depth measurements across sites. In addition, we illustrate the potential value of LiDAR to parameterize and verify of physical models with two examples. First, we use LiDAR to parameterize a land surface model, Noah multi-parameterization (Noah-MP), to investigate the sensitivity of modeled water and energy fluxes to high-resolution forest information. Second, we present a Snow Physics and Laser Mapping (SnowPALM) model that is parameterized with LiDAR information at its native 1-m scale. Both modeling studies demonstrate the value of LiDAR for representing processes with greater fidelity. More importantly, the increased model fidelity led to different estimates of water and energy fluxes at larger, watershed scales. Creating a network of experimental watersheds with LiDAR datasets offers the potential to test theories and models in previously unexplored ways.

Audio scene segmentation for video with generic content

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Feng; Goela, Naveen; Divakaran, Ajay; Abdel-Mottaleb, Mohamed

2008-01-01

In this paper, we present a content-adaptive audio texture based method to segment video into audio scenes. The audio scene is modeled as a semantically consistent chunk of audio data. Our algorithm is based on "semantic audio texture analysis." At first, we train GMM models for basic audio classes such as speech, music, etc. Then we define the semantic audio texture based on those classes. We study and present two types of scene changes, those corresponding to an overall audio texture change and those corresponding to a special "transition marker" used by the content creator, such as a short stretch of music in a sitcom or silence in dramatic content. Unlike prior work using genre specific heuristics, such as some methods presented for detecting commercials, we adaptively find out if such special transition markers are being used and if so, which of the base classes are being used as markers without any prior knowledge about the content. Our experimental results show that our proposed audio scene segmentation works well across a wide variety of broadcast content genres.

Lay understanding of common medical terminology in oncology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pieterse, Arwen H.; Jager, Nienke A.; Smets, Ellen M. A.; Henselmans, Inge

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend an earlier study carried out in the UK of lay understanding of cancer-related terms in a Dutch sample, by (i) examining understanding of common terms relating to diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment and (ii) experimentally exploring the effect of

The Effects of Design Strength, Fly Ash Content and Curing Method on Compressive Strength of High Volume Fly Ash Concrete: A Design of Experimental

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Solikin Mochamad

2017-01-01

Full Text Available High volume fly ash concrete becomes one of alternatives to produce green concrete as it uses waste material and significantly reduces the utilization of Portland cement in concrete production. Although using less cement, its compressive strength is comparable to ordinary Portland cement (hereafter OPC and the its durability increases significantly. This paper reports investigation on the effect of design strength, fly ash content and curing method on compressive strength of High Volume Fly Ash Concrete. The experiment and data analysis were prepared using minitab, a statistic software for design of experimental. The specimens were concrete cylinder with diameter of 15 cm and height of 30 cm, tested for its compressive strength at 56 days. The result of the research demonstrates that high volume fly ash concrete can produce comparable compressive strength which meets the strength of OPC design strength especially for high strength concrete. In addition, the best mix proportion to achieve the design strength is the combination of high strength concrete and 50% content of fly ash. Moreover, the use of spraying method for curing method of concrete on site is still recommended as it would not significantly reduce the compressive strength result.

The dependence of human reliability upon task information content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermanson, E.M.; Golay, M.W.

1994-09-01

The role of human error in safety mishaps is an important factor in system design. As systems become increasingly complex the capacity of the human to deal with the added complexity is diminished. It is therefore crucial to understand the relationship between system complexity and human reliability so that systems may be built in such a way as to minimize human error. One way of understanding this relationship is to quantify system complexity and then measure the human reaction in response to situations of varying complexity. The quantification of system complexity may be performed by determining the information content present in the tasks that the human must execute. The purpose of this work is therefore to build and perform a consistent experiment which will determine the extent to which human reliability depends upon task information content. Two main conclusions may be drawn from this work. The first is that human reliability depends upon task information content. Specifically, as the information content contained in a task increases, the capacity of a human to deal successfully with the task decreases monotonically. Here the definition of total success is the ability to complete the task at hand fully and correctly. Furthermore, there exists a value of information content below which a human can deal with the task successfully, but above which the success of an individual decreases monotonically with increasing information. These ideas should be generalizable to any model where system complexity can be clearly and consistently defined

Understanding standard drinks and drinking guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerr, William C; Stockwell, Tim

2012-03-01

For consumers to follow drinking guidelines and limit their risk of negative consequences they need to track their ethanol consumption. This paper reviews published research on the ability of consumers to utilise information about the alcohol content of beverages when expressed in different forms, for example in standard drinks or units versus percentage alcohol content. A review of the literature on standard drink definitions and consumer understanding of these, actual drink pouring, use of standard drinks in guidelines and consumer understanding and use of these. Standard drink definitions vary across countries and typically contain less alcohol than actual drinks. Drinkers have difficulty defining and pouring standard drinks with over-pouring being the norm such that intake volume is typically underestimated. Drinkers have difficulty using percentage alcohol by volume and pour size information in calculating intake but can effectively utilise standard drink labelling to track intake. Standard drink labelling is an effective but little used strategy for enabling drinkers to track their alcohol intake and potentially conform to safe or low-risk drinking guidelines. © 2011 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Socio-functional dynamics of the mathematical contents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel Alonso-Berenguer

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents a model of the socio-functional dynamics of the mathematical contents that offers a novel theoretical-methodological basement for the development of the process of teaching-learning of the mathematical one. The investigation, of theoretical character, used the methods of analysis-synthesis, inductive-deductive and historical-logical to elaborate the one mentioned model that leaves of considering that the future professors have appropriated previously of the mathematical contents, foreseen in the curriculum, and they are, therefore, under conditions of understanding the potentialities of the same ones to facilitate the formation of socio-functional values.   

Understanding Memory Loss | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

Science.gov (United States)

... of this page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Memory & Forgetfulness Understanding Memory Loss Past Issues / Summer 2013 Table of Contents ... weeks at a time. Some Treatable Causes of Memory Loss As we age, our bodies change, including ...

Los Alamos Experimental Engineering Waste Burial Facility: design considerations and preliminary experimental plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DePoorter, G.L.

1981-01-01

The Experimental Engineered Waste Burial Facility is a field test site where generic experiments can be performed on several scales to get the basic information necessary to understand the processes occurring in low-level waste disposal facilities. The experiments include hydrological, chemical, mechanical, and biological factors. In order to separate these various factors in the experiments and to extrapolate the experimental results to actual facilities, experiments will be performed on several different scales

EVALUATION OF BISPHENOL A CONTENT IN FOOD FROM ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Preferred Customer

2009-12-01

Dec 1, 2009 ... ABSTRACT. ABSTRACT. This study describes the migration of bisphenol A from the cans to the food content through experimental tests using internal lacquered cans full of distilled water. Bisphenol A concentrations ranged between 3 and 320 µg.L-1 and increased with the increment of the storage ...

Experimental teaching reforms of optical fiber communication based on general education

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, L.; Liu, S.; Zhou, J. H.; Peng, Z. M.

2017-08-01

It's necessary that higher education experimental teaching reforms on the basis of general education. This paper put forward the experimental teaching reform mode of optical fiber communication in the context of general education. With some reform measures such as improving the experimental content, enriching the experimental style, modifying the experimental teaching method, and adjusting the evaluation method of experimental teaching, the concept of general education is put throughout the experimental teaching of optical fiber communication. In this way, it facilitates the development of students and improvement of experimental teaching quality.

Determination of the hydrogen content of fuel elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soare, M.; Petriu, F.; Toma, V.

1995-01-01

A new method and apparatus are reported for determination of the total hydrogen content by measurements on as-manufactured fuel elements, heated at prescribed temperature values between 200 degrees C and 600 degrees C. The method is based on the catalytic oxidation of the organic compounds and transformation of the hydrogen in the equivalent water quantity which is analysed by a special infrared detector. Different types of measurements for determination of the hydrogen content from graphite coating, UO 2 pellets and filling gas are presented. Also, experimental observation regarding water release and graphite thermal decomposition kinetic are discussed. (author)

Standards-based Content Resources: A Prerequisite for Content Integration and Content Interoperability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Galinski

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: to show how standards-based approaches for content standardization, content management, content related services and tools as well as the respective certification systems not only guarantee reliable content integration and content interoperability, but also are of particular benefit to people with special needs in eAccessibility/eInclusion. Method: document MoU/MG/05 N0221 ''Semantic Interoperability and the need for a coherent policy for a framework of distributed, possibly federated repositories for all kinds of content items on a world-wide scale''2, which was adopted in 2005, was a first step towards the formulation of global interoperability requirements for structured content. These requirements -based on advanced terminological principles- were taken up in EU-projects such as IN-SAFETY (INfrastructure and SAFETY and OASIS (Open architecture for Accessible Services Integration and Standardization. Results: Content integration and content interoperability are key concepts in connection with the emergence of state-of-the-art distributed and federated databases/repositories of structured content. Given the fact that linguistic content items are increasingly combined with or embedded in non-linguistic content items (and vice versa, a systemic and generic approach to data modelling and content management has become the order of the day. Fulfilling the requirements of capability for multilinguality and multimodality, based on open standards makes software and database design fit for eAccessibility/eInclusion from the outset. It also makes structured content capable for global content integration and content interoperability, because it enhances its potential for being re-used and re-purposed in totally different eApplications. Such content as well as the methods, tools and services applied can be subject to new kinds of certification schemes which also should be based on standards. Conclusions: Content must be totally reliable in some

Experimental dehydration of natural obsidian and estimation of DH2O at low water contents

Science.gov (United States)

Jambon, A.; Zhang, Y.; Stolper, E. M.

1992-01-01

Water diffusion experiments were carried out by dehydrating rhyolitic obsidian from Valles Caldera (New Mexico, USA) at 510-980 degrees C. The starting glass wafers contained approximately 0.114 wt% total water, lower than any glasses previously investigated for water diffusion. Weight loss due to dehydration was measured as a function of experiment duration, which permits determination of mean bulk water diffusivity, mean Dw. These diffusivities are in the range of 2.6 to 18 X 10(-14) m2/s and can be fit with the following Arrhenius equation: ln mean Dw (m2/s) = -(25.10 +/- 1.29) - (46,480 +/- 11,400) (J/mol) / RT, except for two replicate runs at 510 degrees C which give mean Dw values much lower than that defined by the above equation. When interpreted according to a model of water speciation in which molecular H2O is the diffusing species with concentration-independent diffusivity while OH units do not contribute to the transport but react to provide H2O, the data (except for the 510 degrees C data) are in agreement with extrapolation from previous results and hence extend the previous data base and provide a test of the applicability of the model to very low water contents. Mean bulk water diffusivities are about two orders of magnitude less than molecular H2O diffusivities because the fraction of molecular H2O out of total water is very small at 0.114 wt% total water and less. The 510 degrees C experimental results can be interpreted as due to slow kinetics of OH to H2O interconversion at low temperatures.

An XAS experimental approach to study low Pt content electrocatalysts operating in PEM fuel cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Principi, Emiliano; Witkowska, Agnieszka; Dsoke, Sonia; Marassi, Roberto; Di Cicco, Andrea

2009-11-21

We present an X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) study of a low Pt content catalyst layer (Pt loading 0.1 mg cm(-2)) operating at the cathode of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). This catalyst is based on the use of a mesoporous inorganic matrix as a support for the catalyst Pt nanoparticles. Due to the high Pt dilution, in situ measurements of its structural properties by XAS are challenging and suitable experimental strategies must be devised for this purpose. In particular, we show that accurate XAS in situ fluorescence measurements can be obtained using an optimized fuel cell, suitable protocols for alignment of a focused X-ray beam and an appropriate filter for the background signal of the other atomic species contained in the electrodes. Details, advantages and limitations of the XAS technique for in situ measurements are discussed. Analysis of the near-edge XAS and EXAFS (extended X-ray absorption fine structure) data, corroborated by a HRTEM (high-resolution transmission electron microscopy) study, shows that the Pt particles have a local structure compatible with that of bulk Pt (fcc) and coordination numbers match those expected for particles with typical sizes in the 1.5-2.0 nm range. Substantial changes in the oxidation state and in local atomic arrangement of the Pt particles are found for different applied potentials. The catalyst support, containing W atoms, exhibits a partial reduction upon PEMFC activation, thus mimicking the catalyst behavior. This indicates a possible role of the mesoporous matrix in favouring the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and stimulates further research on active catalyst supports.

Diets of introduced predators using stable isotopes and stomach contents

Science.gov (United States)

Meckstroth, A.M.; Miles, A.K.; Chandra, S.

2007-01-01

In a study of predation on ground-nesting birds at South San Francisco Bay (South Bay), California, USA, we analyzed stomach contents and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen to identify commonly consumed prey. We obtained the stomach contents from 206 nonnative red foxes (Vulpes vulpes regalis) collected in the South Bay area and Monterey County during 1995-2001 and from 68 feral cats (Felis silvestris) from the South Bay area during 2001-2002. We determined prey identity, biomass, and frequency, described seasonal diet trends, and derived an Index of Relative Importance. Avian species were the most frequent prey we found in the stomachs of red foxes from South Bay (61%), whereas small rodents were most frequent for red foxes from Monterey County (62%). Small rodents were the most frequent prey we found in feral cats (63%). Carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures for foxes supported stomach content findings. However, isotope results indicated that cats received a majority of their energy from a source other than rodents and outside the natural system, which differed from the stomach content analysis. We demonstrated the utility of both stable isotope and stomach content analyses to establish a more complete understanding of predators' diets. This information aids natural resource managers in planning and evaluating future predator-removal programs and increases our understanding of the impacts of nonnative foxes and cats on native species.

The experimental watersheds in Slovenia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sraj, M; Rusjan, S; Petan, S; Vidmar, A; Mikos, M; Globevnik, L; Brilly, M

2008-01-01

Experimental watersheds are critical to the advancement of hydrological science. By setting up three experimental watersheds, Slovenia also obtained its grounds for further development of the science and discipline. In the Dragonja experimental watershed the studies are focused on the afforestation of the watershed in a mediterranean climate, on the Reka river the water balance in a partly karstic area is examined, and on the case of the Glinscica stream the implications of the urban environment are studied. We have obtained valuable experience and tested new measuring equipment on all three experimental watersheds. Measurements and analysis on the experimental watersheds improved the current understanding of hydrological processes. They resulted in several PhD Theses, Master Theses and scientific articles. At the same time the experimental watersheds provide support to the teaching and studying process.

Content Validity and Acceptability of a Developed Worktext in Basic Mathematics 2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mae Joy F. Tan-Espinar

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Teaching tertiary mathematics entails the use of instructional materials which lead to independent learning. The study evaluated the content validity and level of acceptability of a developed worktext in Basic Mathematics 2. It also found the significant difference between the respondents’ evaluation. Likewise, the study found the significant difference in the pretest and posttest performance between experimental and the control group and the difference between the posttest of the experimental and control groups. The study utilized the descriptive comparative method in determining the validity and acceptability of the developed worktext and the difference between the evaluation of experts/teachers and the student respondents. Quasi-experimental design was also used to find out if the worktext is effective in teaching the course employing t-test for correlated samples and t-test for independent samples. The result showed that the content validity and acceptability is very much valid and very much acceptable. The difference in the post-test between the experimental and the control groups was significant. It is concluded that the worktext is effective to be used in teaching the course.

Characterization of soil water content variability and soil texture using GPR groundwave techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grote, K.; Anger, C.; Kelly, B.; Hubbard, S.; Rubin, Y.

2010-08-15

Accurate characterization of near-surface soil water content is vital for guiding agricultural management decisions and for reducing the potential negative environmental impacts of agriculture. Characterizing the near-surface soil water content can be difficult, as this parameter is often both spatially and temporally variable, and obtaining sufficient measurements to describe the heterogeneity can be prohibitively expensive. Understanding the spatial correlation of near-surface soil water content can help optimize data acquisition and improve understanding of the processes controlling soil water content at the field scale. In this study, ground penetrating radar (GPR) methods were used to characterize the spatial correlation of water content in a three acre field as a function of sampling depth, season, vegetation, and soil texture. GPR data were acquired with 450 MHz and 900 MHz antennas, and measurements of the GPR groundwave were used to estimate soil water content at four different times. Additional water content estimates were obtained using time domain reflectometry measurements, and soil texture measurements were also acquired. Variograms were calculated for each set of measurements, and comparison of these variograms showed that the horizontal spatial correlation was greater for deeper water content measurements than for shallower measurements. Precipitation and irrigation were both shown to increase the spatial variability of water content, while shallowly-rooted vegetation decreased the variability. Comparison of the variograms of water content and soil texture showed that soil texture generally had greater small-scale spatial correlation than water content, and that the variability of water content in deeper soil layers was more closely correlated to soil texture than were shallower water content measurements. Lastly, cross-variograms of soil texture and water content were calculated, and co-kriging of water content estimates and soil texture

Understanding the Abstract Role of Speech in Communication at 12 Months

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Alia; Onishi, Kristine H.; Vouloumanos, Athena

2012-01-01

Adult humans recognize that even unfamiliar speech can communicate information between third parties, demonstrating an ability to separate communicative function from linguistic content. We examined whether 12-month-old infants understand that speech can communicate before they understand the meanings of specific words. Specifically, we test the…

Content Analysis as a Foundation for Programmatic Research in Communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, Michael D

2013-06-01

Previous arguments that content analyses provide the descriptive foundation for media effects research (McLeod & Reeves, 1980) are extended to include that content analyses can provide a sound and useful foundation for programmatic research by individual communication scientists. I discuss examples from my own work and from that of colleagues in communication and related disciplines. Use of messages sampled and coded in a content analysis in combination with survey data sets or as stimuli in experiments are highlighted. The particular potential for employing larger numbers of randomly sampled messages in experimental designs, and, with use of appropriate statistical methods, being able to generalize to populations of messages, is described.

Know your data: understanding implicit usage versus explicit action in video content classification

Science.gov (United States)

Yew, Jude; Shamma, David A.

2011-02-01

In this paper, we present a method for video category classification using only social metadata from websites like YouTube. In place of content analysis, we utilize communicative and social contexts surrounding videos as a means to determine a categorical genre, e.g. Comedy, Music. We hypothesize that video clips belonging to different genre categories would have distinct signatures and patterns that are reflected in their collected metadata. In particular, we define and describe social metadata as usage or action to aid in classification. We trained a Naive Bayes classifier to predict categories from a sample of 1,740 YouTube videos representing the top five genre categories. Using just a small number of the available metadata features, we compare the classifications produced by our Naive Bayes classifier with those provided by the uploader of that particular video. Compared to random predictions with the YouTube data (21% accurate), our classifier attained a mediocre 33% accuracy in predicting video genres. However, we found that the accuracy of our classifier significantly improves by nominal factoring of the explicit data features. By factoring the ratings of the videos in the dataset, the classifier was able to accurately predict the genres of 75% of the videos. We argue that the patterns of social activity found in the metadata are not just meaningful in their own right, but are indicative of the meaning of the shared video content. The results presented by this project represents a first step in investigating the potential meaning and significance of social metadata and its relation to the media experience.

Absolute measurement method of environment radon content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Changsong

1989-11-01

A portable environment radon content device with a 40 liter decay chamber based on the method of Thomas double filter radon content absolute measurement has been developed. The correctness of the method of Thomas double filter absolute measurement has been verified by the experiments to measure the sampling gas density of radon that the theoretical density has been known. In addition, the intrinsic uncertainty of this method is also determined in the experiments. The confidence of this device is about 95%, the sensitivity is better than 0.37 Bqm -3 and the intrinsic uncertainty is less than 10%. The results show that the selected measuring and structure parameters are reasonable and the experimental methods are acceptable. In this method, the influence on the measured values from the radioactive equilibrium of radon and its daughters, the ratio of combination daughters to the total daughters and the fraction of charged particles has been excluded in the theory and experimental methods. The formula of Thomas double filter absolute measuring radon is applicable to the cylinder decay chamber, and the applicability is also verified when the diameter of exit filter is much smaller than the diameter of inlet filter

Experimentally induced distraction impacts cognitive but not emotional processes in think-aloud cognitive assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kean J. Hsu

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Studies have examined the impact of distraction on basic task performance (e.g., working memory, motor responses, yet research is lacking regarding its impact in the domain of think-aloud cognitive assessment, where the threat to assessment validity is high. The Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations think-aloud cognitive assessment paradigm was employed to address this issue. Participants listened to scenarios under three conditions (i.e., while answering trivia questions, playing a visual puzzle game, or with no experimental distractor. Their articulated thoughts were then content-analyzed both by the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC program and by content analysis of emotion and cognitive processes conducted by trained coders. Distraction did not impact indices of emotion but did affect cognitive processes. Specifically, with the LIWC system, the trivia questions distraction condition resulted in significantly higher proportions of insight and causal words, and higher frequencies of non-fluencies (e.g., uh or umm and filler words (e.g., like or you know. Coder-rated content analysis found more disengagement and more misunderstanding particularly in the trivia questions distraction condition. A better understanding of how distraction disrupts the amount and type of cognitive engagement holds important implications for future studies employing cognitive assessment methods.

Understanding of Technical Terms and Contents of Informed Consent Forms for Sedative Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Procedures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ihnsook Jeong, RN, PhD

2013-03-01

Conclusion: The understanding of the terms and knowledge about the procedures were disappointing. Therefore, sufficient explanations should be provided to the patients. While the informed consent was taken by doctors, the level of understanding should be monitored by nurses. In particular, subjects who did not have any previous experience with endoscopy procedures showed relatively lower level of understanding. We recommend that medical terms should be replaced with more common and nontechnical words in consent forms.

Understanding user intents in online health forums.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Thomas; Cho, Jason H D; Zhai, Chengxiang

2015-07-01

Online health forums provide a convenient way for patients to obtain medical information and connect with physicians and peers outside of clinical settings. However, large quantities of unstructured and diversified content generated on these forums make it difficult for users to digest and extract useful information. Understanding user intents would enable forums to find and recommend relevant information to users by filtering out threads that do not match particular intents. In this paper, we derive a taxonomy of intents to capture user information needs in online health forums and propose novel pattern-based features for use with a multiclass support vector machine (SVM) classifier to classify original thread posts according to their underlying intents. Since no dataset existed for this task, we employ three annotators to manually label a dataset of 1192 HealthBoards posts spanning four forum topics. Experimental results show that a SVM using pattern-based features is highly capable of identifying user intents in forum posts, reaching a maximum precision of 75%, and that a SVM-based hierarchical classifier using both pattern and word features outperforms its SVM counterpart that uses only word features. Furthermore, comparable classification performance can be achieved by training and testing on posts from different forum topics.

The Third Edition of the Test of Understanding in College Economics.

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, Phillip

1991-01-01

Discusses the content and cognitive specification of the third edition of the Test of Understanding in College Economics. Presents examples of the construction and sampling criteria employed in the latest and previous versions of the test. Explains that the test emphasizes recognition and understanding of basic terms, concepts, and principles with…

Atmospheric Spray Freeze-Drying: Numerical Modeling and Comparison With Experimental Measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Borges Sebastião, Israel; Robinson, Thomas D; Alexeenko, Alina

2017-01-01

Atmospheric spray freeze-drying (ASFD) represents a novel approach to dry thermosensitive solutions via sublimation. Tests conducted with a second-generation ASFD equipment, developed for pharmaceutical applications, have focused initially on producing a light, fine, high-grade powder consistently and reliably. To better understand the heat and mass transfer physics and drying dynamics taking place within the ASFD chamber, 3 analytical models describing the key processes are developed and validated. First, by coupling the dynamics and heat transfer of single droplets sprayed into the chamber, the velocity, temperature, and phase change evolutions of these droplets are estimated for actual operational conditions. This model reveals that, under typical operational conditions, the sprayed droplets require less than 100 ms to freeze. Second, because understanding the heat transfer throughout the entire freeze-drying process is so important, a theoretical model is proposed to predict the time evolution of the chamber gas temperature. Finally, a drying model, calibrated with hygrometer measurements, is used to estimate the total time required to achieve a predefined final moisture content. Results from these models are compared with experimental data. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deconstructing Content Knowledge: Coping Strategies and Their Underlying Influencers for Beginning Agriculture Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Amber H.; Kitchel, Tracy

2016-01-01

The purpose of this grounded theory qualitative study was to explore how beginning agriculture teachers break down content knowledge for student understanding. The overarching theme that emerged during data collection and analysis was beginning teachers' self-perceived content knowledge deficiency in various subjects within agriculture. This…

Differences between cholesterol content and fatty acids composition ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Inep

2013-05-26

May 26, 2013 ... enough for production of its high-quality and tasty products. .... Initial muscle pH in SBM pigs had lower values than WM and SL (P <0.01). ... Since our experimental pigs were kept in the same conditions, the initial and ... research, WM pigs had a lower protein content in MLLT compared with the results ...

Relationship between soil contents and plasma levels of selenium ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The soil contents of trace elements selenium, chromium and manganese were measured to determine their impact on the plasma levels of 160 healthy adult Nigerians in five different experimental locations in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, South - South Nigeria. The mean (±SD) soil selenium, chromium and ...

Determinants of consumer understanding of health claims

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G; Scholderer, Joachim; Rogeaux, Michel

2011-01-01

as safe, risky or other. In addition to the open questions on claim understanding, respondents rated a number of statements on claim interpretation for agreement and completed scales on interest in healthy eating, attitude to functional foods, and subjective knowledge on food and health. Results showed......The new EU regulation on nutrition and health claims states that claims can be permitted only if they can be expected to be understood by consumers. Investigating determinants of consumer understanding of health claims has therefore become an important topic. Understanding of a health claim...... on a yoghurt product was investigated with a sample of 720 category users in Germany. Health claim understanding was measured using open answers, which were subsequently content analysed and classified by comparison with the scientific dossier of the health claim. Based on this respondents were classified...

Content-aware network storage system supporting metadata retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ke; Qin, Leihua; Zhou, Jingli; Nie, Xuejun

2008-12-01

Nowadays, content-based network storage has become the hot research spot of academy and corporation[1]. In order to solve the problem of hit rate decline causing by migration and achieve the content-based query, we exploit a new content-aware storage system which supports metadata retrieval to improve the query performance. Firstly, we extend the SCSI command descriptor block to enable system understand those self-defined query requests. Secondly, the extracted metadata is encoded by extensible markup language to improve the universality. Thirdly, according to the demand of information lifecycle management (ILM), we store those data in different storage level and use corresponding query strategy to retrieval them. Fourthly, as the file content identifier plays an important role in locating data and calculating block correlation, we use it to fetch files and sort query results through friendly user interface. Finally, the experiments indicate that the retrieval strategy and sort algorithm have enhanced the retrieval efficiency and precision.

Understanding Behaviors in Videos through Behavior-Specific Dictionaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ren, Huamin; Liu, Weifeng; Olsen, Søren Ingvor

2018-01-01

Understanding behaviors is the core of video content analysis, which is highly related to two important applications: abnormal event detection and action recognition. Dictionary learning, as one of the mid-level representations, is an important step to process a video. It has achieved state...

Content metamorphosis in synthetic holography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desbiens, Jacques

2013-01-01

A synthetic hologram is an optical system made of hundreds of images amalgamated in a structure of holographic cells. Each of these images represents a point of view on a three-dimensional space which makes us consider synthetic holography as a multiple points of view perspective system. In the composition of a computer graphics scene for a synthetic hologram, the field of view of the holographic image can be divided into several viewing zones. We can attribute these divisions to any object or image feature independently and operate different transformations on image content. In computer generated holography, we tend to consider content variations as a continuous animation much like a short movie. However, by composing sequential variations of image features in relation with spatial divisions, we can build new narrative forms distinct from linear cinematographic narration. When observers move freely and change their viewing positions, they travel from one field of view division to another. In synthetic holography, metamorphoses of image content are within the observer's path. In all imaging Medias, the transformation of image features in synchronisation with the observer's position is a rare occurrence. However, this is a predominant characteristic of synthetic holography. This paper describes some of my experimental works in the development of metamorphic holographic images.

The Influence of Different Processing Methods on Component Content of Sophora japonica

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Y. B.; Zhu, H. J.; Xin, G. S.; Wei, C.

2017-12-01

The purpose of this experiment is to understand the effect of different processing methods on the content of active ingredients in Sophora japonica, and to determine the content of rutin and quercetin in Sophora japonica under different processing methods by UV spectrophotometry of the content determination. So as to compare the effect of different processing methods on the active ingredient content of Sophora japonica. Experiments can be seen in the rutin content: Fried Sophora japonica>Vinegar sunburn Sophora> Health products Sophora japonica> Charred sophora flower, Vinegar sunburn Sophora and Fried Sophora japonica difference is not obvious; Quercetin content: Charred sophora flower> Fried Sophora japonica> Vinegar sunburn Sophora>Health products Sophora japonica. It is proved that there are some differences in the content of active ingredients in Sophora japonica in different processing methods. The content of rutin increased with the increase of the processing temperature, but the content decreased after a certain temperature; Quercetin content will increase gradually with time.

On the metaphysics of experimental physics

CERN Document Server

Rogers, K

2005-01-01

This provocative and critical work addresses the question of why scientific realists and positivists consider experimental physics to be a natural and empirical science. Taking insights from contemporary science studies, continental philosophy, and the history of physics, this book describes and analyses the metaphysical presuppositions that underwrite the technological use of experimental apparatus and instruments to explore, model, and understand nature. By revealing this metaphysical foundation, the author questions whether experimental physics is a natural and empirical science at all.

Enrichment of provitamin A content in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by introduction of the bacterial carotenoid biosynthetic genes CrtB and CrtI.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Cheng; Zeng, Jian; Li, Yin; Hu, Wei; Chen, Ling; Miao, Yingjie; Deng, Pengyi; Yuan, Cuihong; Ma, Cheng; Chen, Xi; Zang, Mingli; Wang, Qiong; Li, Kexiu; Chang, Junli; Wang, Yuesheng; Yang, Guangxiao; He, Guangyuan

2014-06-01

Carotenoid content is a primary determinant of wheat nutritional value and affects its end-use quality. Wheat grains contain very low carotenoid levels and trace amounts of provitamin A content. In order to enrich the carotenoid content in wheat grains, the bacterial phytoene synthase gene (CrtB) and carotene desaturase gene (CrtI) were transformed into the common wheat cultivar Bobwhite. Expression of CrtB or CrtI alone slightly increased the carotenoid content in the grains of transgenic wheat, while co-expression of both genes resulted in a darker red/yellow grain phenotype, accompanied by a total carotenoid content increase of approximately 8-fold achieving 4.76 μg g(-1) of seed dry weight, a β-carotene increase of 65-fold to 3.21 μg g(-1) of seed dry weight, and a provitamin A content (sum of α-carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin) increase of 76-fold to 3.82 μg g(-1) of seed dry weight. The high provitamin A content in the transgenic wheat was stably inherited over four generations. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that enhancement of provitamin A content in transgenic wheat was also a result of the highly coordinated regulation of endogenous carotenoid biosynthetic genes, suggesting a metabolic feedback regulation in the wheat carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. These transgenic wheat lines are not only valuable for breeding wheat varieties with nutritional benefits for human health but also for understanding the mechanism regulating carotenoid biosynthesis in wheat endosperm. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

A content analysis of thinspiration images and text posts on Tumblr.

Science.gov (United States)

Wick, Madeline R; Harriger, Jennifer A

2018-03-01

Thinspiration is content advocating extreme weight loss by means of images and/or text posts. While past content analyses have examined thinspiration content on social media and other websites, no research to date has examined thinspiration content on Tumblr. Over the course of a week, 222 images and text posts were collected after entering the keyword 'thinspiration' into the Tumblr search bar. These images were then rated on a variety of characteristics. The majority of thinspiration images included a thin woman adhering to culturally based beauty, often posing in a manner that accentuated her thinness or sexuality. The most common themes for thinspiration text posts included dieting/restraint, weight loss, food guilt, and body guilt. The thinspiration content on Tumblr appears to be consistent with that on other mediums. Future research should utilize experimental methods to examine the potential effects of consuming thinspiration content on Tumblr. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding the cancer cell phenotype beyond the limitations of current omics analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno-Sánchez, Rafael; Saavedra, Emma; Gallardo-Pérez, Juan Carlos; Rumjanek, Franklin D; Rodríguez-Enríquez, Sara

2016-01-01

Efforts to understand the mechanistic principles driving cancer metabolism and proliferation have been lately governed by genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic studies. This paper analyzes the caveats of these approaches. As molecular biology's central dogma proposes a unidirectional flux of information from genes to mRNA to proteins, it has frequently been assumed that monitoring the changes in the gene sequences and in mRNA and protein contents is sufficient to explain complex cellular processes. Such a stance commonly disregards that post-translational modifications can alter the protein function/activity and also that regulatory mechanisms enter into action, to coordinate the protein activities of pathways/cellular processes, in order to keep the cellular homeostasis. Hence, the actual protein activities (as enzymes/transporters/receptors) and their regulatory mechanisms ultimately dictate the final outcomes of a pathway/cellular process. In this regard, it is here documented that the mRNA levels of many metabolic enzymes and transcriptional factors have no correlation with the respective protein contents and activities. The validity of current clinical mRNA-based tests and proposed metabolite biomarkers for cancer detection/prognosis is also discussed. Therefore, it is proposed that, to achieve a thorough understanding of the modifications undergone by proliferating cancer cells, it is mandatory to experimentally analyze the cellular processes at the functional level. This could be achieved (a) locally, by examining the actual protein activities in the cell and their kinetic properties (or at least kinetically characterize the most controlling steps of the pathway/cellular process); (b) systemically, by analyzing the main fluxes of the pathway/cellular process, and how they are modulated by metabolites, all which should contribute to comprehending the regulatory mechanisms that have been altered in cancer cells. By adopting a more holistic approach it may

Correlation between Teacher's PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) and Student's Motivation in Primary School

Science.gov (United States)

Maryani, Ika; Martaningsih, Sri Tutur

2015-01-01

Various learning problems occur due to the teachers' inability in managing the learning process. Teacher's learning skill is influenced by their understanding in the curriculum components which are including pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge. The aims of this research were to determine: 1) the condition of Pedagogical Content Knowledge…

Dynamic Tensile Experimental Techniques for Geomaterials: A Comprehensive Review

Science.gov (United States)

Heard, W.; Song, B.; Williams, B.; Martin, B.; Sparks, P.; Nie, X.

2018-01-01

This review article is dedicated to the Dynamic Behavior of Materials Technical Division for celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM). Understanding dynamic behavior of geomaterials is critical for analyzing and solving engineering problems of various applications related to underground explosions, seismic, airblast, and penetration events. Determining the dynamic tensile response of geomaterials has been a great challenge in experiments due to the nature of relatively low tensile strength and high brittleness. Various experimental approaches have been made in the past century, especially in the most recent half century, to understand the dynamic behavior of geomaterials in tension. In this review paper, we summarized the dynamic tensile experimental techniques for geomaterials that have been developed. The major dynamic tensile experimental techniques include dynamic direct tension, dynamic split tension, and spall tension. All three of the experimental techniques are based on Hopkinson or split Hopkinson (also known as Kolsky) bar techniques and principles. Uniqueness and limitations for each experimental technique are also discussed.

Japanese Children's Understanding of Notational Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Noboru

2012-01-01

This study examined Japanese children's understanding of two Japanese notational systems: "hiragana" and "kanji". In three experiments, 126 3- to 6-year-olds were asked to name words written in hiragana or kanji as they appeared with different pictures. Consistent with Bialystok ("Journal of Experimental Child…

Experimental studies of electron capture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedersen, E.H.

1983-01-01

This thesis discusses the main results of recent experimental studies of electron capture in asymmetric collisions. Most of the results have been published, but the thesis also contains yet unpublished data, or data presented only in unrefereed conference proceedings. The thesis aims at giving a coherent discussion of the understanding of the experimental results, based first on simple qualitative considerations and subsequently on quantitative comparisons with the best theoretical calculations currently available. (Auth.)

American Newspaper Editorials on the Vietnam War: An Experimental Approach to Editorial Content Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Elias, Stephen N.

The editorials about four Vietnam War news events that appeared in five newspapers were examined for content, tone, page placement, and length to discover what trends in editorial coverage occurred. The 131 editorials that were examined appeared in the "New York Times," the "Los Angeles Times," the "Wall Street…

EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF JUNG MODULE FOR POLYMER MATERIALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. N. Savin

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In the article the method of calculation-experimental determination of the Jung module is offered for standards from materials of different types in form plates long from 40 to 200 mm, width from 5 to 50 mm and in thick 0,5 to 20 mm. For measuring the experimental setting, consisting of hard steel frame was used, set of loads to 4 kg and horizontal microscope. Solution of task of calculation of deformations and tensions in the loaded cantilever plate the finite elements method is offered. For verification of exactness of measurings standards were used from pure metals: aluminium, zinc, copper, and, also, polymethylmethacrylate. For all control standards the certain is experimental value of the Jung module at the small and middle loadings exactly corresponds reference data. For the estimation of influence of contents of powder phisico-mechanical properties of polymeric composites the values of the module were certain Jung module for an epoxypolymers and epoxycomposites with a 50% filling with powder of nickel. It is rotined that conduct 50% metallic contents promotes inflexibility of material more than in 2 times. The offered method does not require the strict sizes of standards, that comfortably for determination of the Jung module of experimental materials, above all things oriented polymeric composites.

Foods with increased protein content: A qualitative study on European consumer preferences and perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Banovic, Marija; Arvola, Anne; Pennanen, Kyösti; Duta, Denisa E; Brückner-Gühmann, Monika; Lähteenmäki, Liisa; Grunert, Klaus G

2018-06-01

Foods with increased protein content have rapidly become one of the fastest-growing product categories targeting image- and health-focused consumers. However, it is not clear whether consumers really understand the difference between 'inherently rich in protein' and 'artificially increased protein'. This study used a qualitative focus group approach to investigate the consumer preferences and perceptions of foods with increased protein content among mixed-age and older population in four European countries. In total fifty-two participants were involved in the study. Understanding of the concept of foods with 'increased protein' content was limited. Both older and mixed-age participants could not differentiate between natural sources of protein and foods with increased protein content, no matter whether foods with animal or plant proteins were mentioned. Older participants expressed more scepticism towards foods with increased protein content than mixed-age participants. The combination of protein type and food carrier closer to conventional foods received more acceptance among both older and mixed-age participants. Future use and acceptance of foods with increased protein content will depend on the extent to which consumer concerns about incorporating additional protein into a diet can be responded. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anomalous quark and gluon contents of light hadrons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hatsuda, T. (Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (United States). Inst. for Nuclear Theory); Kunihiro, T. (Ryukoku Univ., Otsu-City (Japan). Faculty of Science and Technology)

1992-09-14

The sea-quark contents such as anti ss, anti cc, anti bb... of the low-lying baryons in the octet and decuplet are calculated with a combined use of the trace anomaly of QCD and a chiral quark model. We find (i) the empirical value of the [pi]-N sigma term ([proportional to] 45 MeV) can be reproduced with a rather small anti ss content of nucleon consistently with the Gell-Mann-Okubo mass formula, (ii) the probability to find a charm quark in nucleon is found to be 0.5% which is consistent with the experimental analysis of the charm structure function of the proton and is necessary to account for the J/[psi]-production in proton-nucleous collisions and (iii) both strange and heavy quarks are equally important for the Higgs-nucleon coupling. The heavy-quark and gluon contents of pion and kaon are briefly mentioned. (orig.).

Consumer understanding of sugars claims on food and drink products.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, N J; Sadler, M J; Cooper, J M

2012-06-01

Consumer understanding of nutrition and health claims is a key aspect of current regulations in the European Union (EU). In view of this, qualitative and quantitative research techniques were used to investigate consumer awareness and understanding of product claims in the UK, focusing particularly on nutrition claims relating to sugars. Both research methods identified a good awareness of product claims. No added sugars claims were generally preferred to reduced sugars claims, and there was a general assumption that sweeteners and other ingredients would be added in place of sugars. However, there was little awareness of the level of sugar reduction and the associated calorie reduction in products when reduced sugars claims were made on pack. In focus groups, participants felt deceived if sugar reduction claims were being made without a significant reduction in calories. This was reinforced in the quantitative research which showed that respondents expected a similar and meaningful level of calorie reduction to the level of sugar reduction. The research also identified consumer confusion around the calorie content of different nutrients, including over-estimation of the calorie content of sugars. This is crucial to consumers' expectations as they clearly link sugar to calories and therefore expect a reduction in sugar content to deliver a reduction in calorie content.

A System for the Semantic Multimodal Analysis of News Audio-Visual Content

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael G. Strintzis

2010-01-01

Full Text Available News-related content is nowadays among the most popular types of content for users in everyday applications. Although the generation and distribution of news content has become commonplace, due to the availability of inexpensive media capturing devices and the development of media sharing services targeting both professional and user-generated news content, the automatic analysis and annotation that is required for supporting intelligent search and delivery of this content remains an open issue. In this paper, a complete architecture for knowledge-assisted multimodal analysis of news-related multimedia content is presented, along with its constituent components. The proposed analysis architecture employs state-of-the-art methods for the analysis of each individual modality (visual, audio, text separately and proposes a novel fusion technique based on the particular characteristics of news-related content for the combination of the individual modality analysis results. Experimental results on news broadcast video illustrate the usefulness of the proposed techniques in the automatic generation of semantic annotations.

Understanding Health Care Social Media Use From Different Stakeholder Perspectives: A Content Analysis of an Online Health Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yingjie; Wu, Yang; Liu, Jingfang; Li, Jia; Zhang, Pengzhu

2017-04-07

Health care social media used for health information exchange and emotional communication involves different types of users, including patients, caregivers, and health professionals. However, it is difficult to identify different stakeholders because user identification data are lacking due to privacy protection and proprietary interests. Therefore, identifying the concerns of different stakeholders and how they use health care social media when confronted with huge amounts of health-related messages posted by users is a critical problem. We aimed to develop a new content analysis method using text mining techniques applied in health care social media to (1) identify different health care stakeholders, (2) determine hot topics of concern, and (3) measure sentiment expression by different stakeholders. We collected 138,161 messages posted by 39,606 members in lung cancer, diabetes, and breast cancer forums in the online community MedHelp.org over 10 years (January 2007 to October 2016) as experimental data. We used text mining techniques to process text data to identify different stakeholders and determine health-related hot topics, and then analyzed sentiment expression. We identified 3 significantly different stakeholder groups using expectation maximization clustering (3 performance metrics: Rand=0.802, Jaccard=0.393, Fowlkes-Mallows=0.537; Phealth-related topics: symptom, examination, drug, procedure, and complication (Rand=0.783, Jaccard=0.369, Fowlkes-Mallows=0.495; Psocial media services to facilitate diverse stakeholder engagement for health information sharing and social interaction more effectively. ©Yingjie Lu, Yang Wu, Jingfang Liu, Jia Li, Pengzhu Zhang. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 07.04.2017.

Experimental status of the E/ι puzzle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanaro, A.

1996-11-01

Despite the prolonged experimental effort devoted to the spectroscopy of the E/ι mesons, and the intense theoretical debate around this subject, many puzzling issues still prevent from a full understanding of the true scenario. The advent of new and more precise experimental measurements motivates a review on this topic

From Socialisation to Internalisation: Cultivating Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge through Problem-Based Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Tee, Meng Yew; Lee, Shuh Shing

2011-01-01

Recent studies on technology have shifted from the emphasis on technology skills alone to integrating pedagogy and content with technology--what Mishra and Koehler (2005) call technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Deeper understanding on how TPACK can be cultivated is needed. This design-based research explored how an improvised,…

Effect of water content on dispersion of transferred solute in unsaturated porous media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Latrille, C. [CEA Saclay, DEN/DANS/DPC/SECR/L3MR, 91191 Gif sur Yvette (France)

2013-07-01

Estimating contaminant migration in the context of waste disposal and/or environmental remediation of polluted soils requires a complete understanding of the underlying transport processes. In unsaturated porous media, water content impacts directly on porous solute transfer. Depending on the spatial distribution of water content, the flow pathway is more complex than in water saturated media. Dispersivity is consequently dependent on water content. Non-reactive tracer experiments performed using unsaturated sand columns confirm the dependence of dispersivity with pore velocity; moreover, a power law relationship between dispersivity and water content is evidenced. (authors)

Non-destructive radio-frequency and microwave measurement of moisture content in agricultural commodities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, S.O.

1994-01-01

The importance of moisture content in agricultural commodities, the usefulness of the dielectric properties of such products for sensing moisture content by radiofrequency and microwave measurements, and factors affecting these properties are briefly discussed. Recent developments in the understanding of principles for online moisture sensing and the sensing of individual kernel, seed, nut and fruit moisture contents by radiofrequency and microwave techniques are reviewed. A brief discussion is included on aspects of practical application

Influence of Heat Treatments on Carotenoid Content of Cherry Tomatoes

OpenAIRE

D'Evoli, Laura; Lombardi-Boccia, Ginevra; Lucarini, Massimo

2013-01-01

Tomatoes and tomato products are rich sources of carotenoids—principally lycopene, followed by β-carotene and lutein. The aim of this work was to study the effect of heat treatment on carotenoid content in cherry tomatoes. Raw and canned products were sampled and analysed; furthermore whole, skin and pulp fractions of cherry tomatoes were analysed when raw and home-processed, in order to better understand heat treatment effects. Lycopene content in canned tomatoes was two-fold higher than in ...

Information management for high content live cell imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

White Michael RH

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background High content live cell imaging experiments are able to track the cellular localisation of labelled proteins in multiple live cells over a time course. Experiments using high content live cell imaging will generate multiple large datasets that are often stored in an ad-hoc manner. This hinders identification of previously gathered data that may be relevant to current analyses. Whilst solutions exist for managing image data, they are primarily concerned with storage and retrieval of the images themselves and not the data derived from the images. There is therefore a requirement for an information management solution that facilitates the indexing of experimental metadata and results of high content live cell imaging experiments. Results We have designed and implemented a data model and information management solution for the data gathered through high content live cell imaging experiments. Many of the experiments to be stored measure the translocation of fluorescently labelled proteins from cytoplasm to nucleus in individual cells. The functionality of this database has been enhanced by the addition of an algorithm that automatically annotates results of these experiments with the timings of translocations and periods of any oscillatory translocations as they are uploaded to the repository. Testing has shown the algorithm to perform well with a variety of previously unseen data. Conclusion Our repository is a fully functional example of how high throughput imaging data may be effectively indexed and managed to address the requirements of end users. By implementing the automated analysis of experimental results, we have provided a clear impetus for individuals to ensure that their data forms part of that which is stored in the repository. Although focused on imaging, the solution provided is sufficiently generic to be applied to other functional proteomics and genomics experiments. The software is available from: fhttp://code.google.com/p/livecellim/

Estimation of hydraulic conductivity on clay content in soil determined from resistivity data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shevnin, Vladimir; Delgado-Rodriguez, Omar; Mousatov, Aleksandr [Mexican Petroleum Institute, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Ryjov, Albert [Moscow State Geological Prospecting Academy, Geophysical Faculty, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2006-07-15

The influence of clay content in sandy and clayey soils on hydraulic conductivity (filtration coefficient) is considered. A review of published experimental data on the relationship of hydraulic conductivity with soil lithology and grain size, as dependent on clay content is presented. Theoretical calculations include clay content. Experimental and calculated data agree, and several approximation formulas for filtration coefficient vs clay content are presented. Clay content in soil is estimated from electric resistivity data obtained from 2D VES interpretation. A two-step method is proposed, the first step including clay content calculating from soil resistivity and groundwater salinity, and the second step including filtration coefficient estimating from clay content. Two applications are presented. [Spanish] El contenido de arcilla en suelos areno-arcillosos influye sobre la permeabilidad hidraulica (coeficiente de filtracion). Se presenta una revision de datos experimentales publicados que relacionan el coeficiente de filtracion con el tipo litologico del suelo y el tamano de las particulas. A partir de calculos teoricos, se modifican las conocidas formulas que relacionan el coeficiente de filtracion con el contenido de arcilla. Se estima el contenido de arcilla a partir de los datos interpretados por el metodo SEV, y se propone un procedimiento para la estimacion del coeficiente de filtracion: (a) calculo del contenido de arcilla a partir de la resistividad del suelo y de la salinidad del agua subterranea, (b) estimacion del coeficiente de filtracion a partir del contenido de arcilla. Se presentan algunos ejemplos de la aplicacion de esta metodologia.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge-Guided Lesson Study: Effects on Teacher Competence and Students’ Achievement in Chemistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Lou S. Lucenario

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Pedagogical Content Knowledge-Guided Lesson Study (PCKLS as an intervention to develop PCK competencies among teachers and consequently enhance student achievement in terms of conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. Using quasi-experimental design, teacher competencies and student achievement in the PCKLS group and the conventional group were compared. In the PCKLS group, the intervention involved planning the lesson by the research team, teaching the planned lesson while PCK observations were made by the researcher and another teacher from the group, including a feedback meeting, implementing the improvements in the reteach stage of the lesson study cycle by another teacher from the research team, and, finally, revising lesson plans based on the consolidated suggestions for improvement. Analyses of data showed that there was a significant difference in the science teacher competencies of the PCKLS group teacher respondents compared to those of the conventional group. Also, student respondents showed a significant increase on mean scores in terms of conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. Therefore, it was concluded that PCKLS was an effective method to develop the teachers’ PCK competencies and student achievement in terms of conceptual understanding and problem solving. This study recommends that this intervention be used across chemistry topics and in other science classes such as Biology, Earth and Environmental Science, Physics, and Mathematics.

Content-rich biological network constructed by mining PubMed abstracts

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Sharp Burt M

2004-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The integration of the rapidly expanding corpus of information about the genome, transcriptome, and proteome, engendered by powerful technological advances, such as microarrays, and the availability of genomic sequence from multiple species, challenges the grasp and comprehension of the scientific community. Despite the existence of text-mining methods that identify biological relationships based on the textual co-occurrence of gene/protein terms or similarities in abstract texts, knowledge of the underlying molecular connections on a large scale, which is prerequisite to understanding novel biological processes, lags far behind the accumulation of data. While computationally efficient, the co-occurrence-based approaches fail to characterize (e.g., inhibition or stimulation, directionality biological interactions. Programs with natural language processing (NLP capability have been created to address these limitations, however, they are in general not readily accessible to the public. Results We present a NLP-based text-mining approach, Chilibot, which constructs content-rich relationship networks among biological concepts, genes, proteins, or drugs. Amongst its features, suggestions for new hypotheses can be generated. Lastly, we provide evidence that the connectivity of molecular networks extracted from the biological literature follows the power-law distribution, indicating scale-free topologies consistent with the results of previous experimental analyses. Conclusions Chilibot distills scientific relationships from knowledge available throughout a wide range of biological domains and presents these in a content-rich graphical format, thus integrating general biomedical knowledge with the specialized knowledge and interests of the user. Chilibot http://www.chilibot.net can be accessed free of charge to academic users.

Seed Burial Depth and Soil Water Content Affect Seedling Emergence and Growth of Ulmus pumila var. sabulosa in the Horqin Sandy Land

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Jiao Tang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We investigated the effects of seed burial depth and soil water content on seedling emergence and growth of Ulmus pumila var. sabulosa (sandy elm, an important native tree species distributed over the European-Asian steppe. Experimental sand burial depths in the soil were 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 cm, and soil water contents were 4%, 8%, 12% and 16% of field capacity. All two-way ANOVA (five sand burial depths and four soil water contents results showed that seed burial depths, soil water content and their interactions significantly affected all the studied plant variables. Most of the times, seedling emergence conditions were greater at the lower sand burial depths (less than 1.0 cm than at the higher (more than 1.0 cm seed burial depths, and at the lower water content (less than 12% than at the higher soil water content. However, high seed burial depths (more than 1.5 cm or low soil water content (less than 12% reduced seedling growth or change in the root/shoot biomass ratios. In conclusion, the most suitable range of sand burial was from 0.5 to 1.0 cm soil depth and soil water content was about 12%, respectively, for the processes of seedling emergence and growth. These findings indicate that seeds of the sandy elm should be kept at rather shallow soil depths, and water should be added up to 12% of soil capacity when conducting elm planting and management. Our findings could help to create a more appropriate sandy elm cultivation and understand sparse elm woodland recruitment failures in arid and semi-arid regions.

Experimental Paper. Intrapopulation variability of flavonoid content in roots of Baikal skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi

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Kosakowska Olga

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Baikal skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is an important medicinal plant, indigenous to Asia. Due to a wide range of pharmacological activities, its roots has been used for ages in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Recently, the species has become an object of interest of Western medicine, as well. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the variability of Baikal skullcap population originated from Mongolia and cultivated in Poland, in terms of content and composition of flavonoids in the roots. Methods: The objects of the study were 15 individual plants, selected within examined population and cloned in order to obtain a sufficient amount of raw material. The total content of flavonoids in roots was determined according to Polish Pharmacopeia 6th. The qualitative analysis of flavonoids was carried out using HPLC, Shimadzu chromatograph. Results: The dry mass of roots ranged from 25.88 to 56.14 g × plant-1. The total content of flavonoids (expressed as a quercetin equivalent varied between 0.17 and 0.52% dry matter (DM. Nine compounds were detected within the group, with oroxylin A 7-Oglucuronide (346.90-1063.00 mg × 100 g-1 DM as a dominant, which differentiated investigated clones at the highest degree (CV=0.27. Baicalin (391.40-942.00 mg × 100 g-1 DM, wogonoside (324.00-641.10 mg × 100 g-1 DM and hesperetine 7-O-glucoside (163.00-346.32 mg × 100 g-1 DM were also present in a considerable amounts. Clone 7 was distinguished by the highest content of all investigated compounds, except wogonin and oroxylin A 7-O-glucuronide. Conclusions: Results obtained in present study show a high variability within Baical skullcap investigated population in respect of flavonoid compounds detected in roots. Thus, the results may be used in future investigations concerning the selection and breeding of this species.

Exploring Content Schemata Influence on L2 Reading: The Hunted Fox and Twelve and Not Stupid

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Amizura Hanadi Mohd Radzi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper will discuss the aspects of content schemata in second language reading among diploma level students who were taking a reading course in Universiti Teknologi MARA Perlis. In this qualitative case study, the researcher had selected two short stories that are categorized as content-familiar texts, i.e. The Hunted Fox and Twelve and Not Stupid. Six participants were asked to write a 150-word entry response on the short story and a grading criteria was used to assess the participants’ level of comprehension. An in-depth interview was also conducted on each participant. The entry responses and the interview patterns were analyzed to determine whether content schemata had contributed to the learners’ understanding of the text. This study discovered that content schemata had contributed to the learners’ understanding of the text because the learners’ comprehension was facilitated by their background knowledge on the content-familiar texts.

Molecular regulation and genetic improvement of seed oil content in Brassica napus L.

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Wei HUA,Jing LIU,Hanzhong WANG

2016-09-01

Full Text Available As an important oil crop and a potential bioenergy crop, Brassica napus L. is becoming a model plant for basic research on seed lipid biosynthesis as well as seed oil content, which has always been the key breeding objective. In this review, we present current progress in understanding of the regulation of oil content in B. napus, including genetics, biosynthesis pathway, transcriptional regulation, maternal effects and QTL analysis. Furthermore, the history of breeding for high oil content in B. napus is summarized and the progress in breeding ultra-high oil content lines is described. Finally, prospects for breeding high oil content B. napus cultivars are outlined.

Cold spraying SiC/Al metal matrix composites: effects of SiC contents and heat treatment on microstructure, thermophysical and flexural properties

Science.gov (United States)

Gyansah, L.; Tariq, N. H.; Tang, J. R.; Qiu, X.; Feng, B.; Huang, J.; Du, H.; Wang, J. Q.; Xiong, T. Y.

2018-02-01

In this paper, cold spray was used as an additive manufacturing method to fabricate 5 mm thick SiC/Al metal matrix composites with various SiC contents. The effects of SiC contents and heat treatment on the microstructure, thermophysical and flexural properties were investigated. Additionally, the composites were characterized for retention of SiC particulates, splat size, surface roughness and the progressive understanding of strengthening, toughening and cracking mechanisms. Mechanical properties were investigated via three-point bending test, thermophysical analysis, and hardness test. In the as-sprayed state, flexural strength increased from 95.3 MPa to 133.5 MPa, an appreciation of 40% as the SiC contents increased, and the main toughening and strengthening mechanisms were zigzag crack propagation and high retention of SiC particulates respectively. In the heat treatment conditions, flexural strength appreciated significantly compared to the as-sprayed condition and this was as a result of coarsening of pure Al splat. Crack branching, crack deflection and interface delamination were considered as the main toughening mechanisms at the heat treatment conditions. Experimental results were consistent with the measured CTE, hardness, porosity and flexural modulus.

Understanding Plant Nitrogen Metabolism through Metabolomics and Computational Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perrin H. Beatty

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A comprehensive understanding of plant metabolism could provide a direct mechanism for improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE in crops. One of the major barriers to achieving this outcome is our poor understanding of the complex metabolic networks, physiological factors, and signaling mechanisms that affect NUE in agricultural settings. However, an exciting collection of computational and experimental approaches has begun to elucidate whole-plant nitrogen usage and provides an avenue for connecting nitrogen-related phenotypes to genes. Herein, we describe how metabolomics, computational models of metabolism, and flux balance analysis have been harnessed to advance our understanding of plant nitrogen metabolism. We introduce a model describing the complex flow of nitrogen through crops in a real-world agricultural setting and describe how experimental metabolomics data, such as isotope labeling rates and analyses of nutrient uptake, can be used to refine these models. In summary, the metabolomics/computational approach offers an exciting mechanism for understanding NUE that may ultimately lead to more effective crop management and engineered plants with higher yields.

Emotional state talk and emotion understanding: a training study with preschool children.

Science.gov (United States)

Gavazzi, Ilaria Grazzani; Ornaghi, Veronica

2011-11-01

ABSTRACTThe present study investigates whether training preschool children in the active use of emotional state talk plays a significant role in bringing about greater understanding of emotion terms and improved emotion comprehension. Participants were 100 preschool children (M=52 months; SD=9·9; range: 35-70 months), randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions. They were pre- and post-tested to assess their language comprehension, metacognitive language comprehension and emotion understanding. Analyses of pre-test data did not show any significant differences between experimental and control groups. During the intervention phase, the children were read stories enriched with emotional lexicon. After listening to the stories, children in the experimental group took part in conversational language games designed to stimulate use of the selected emotional terms. In contrast, the control group children did not take part in any special linguistic activities after the story readings. Analyses revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the understanding of inner state language and in the comprehension of emotion.

Using near infrared spectrum analysis to predict water and chlorophyll content in tomato leaves

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Huanyu; Ying, Yibin; Liu, Yande

2004-11-01

In this study, we developed a nondestructive way to analyze water and chlorophyll content in tomato leaves. A total of 200 leaves were collected as experimental materials, 120 of them were used to form a calibration data set. Drying chest, SPAD meter and NIR spectrometer were used to get water content, chlorophyll content and spectrums of tomato leaves respectively. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTNIR) method with a smart Near-IR Updrift was used to test spectrums, and partial least squares (PLS) technique was used to analyze the data we get by normal experimentation and near infrared spectrometer, set up a calibration model to predict the leaf water and chlorophyll content based on the characteristics of diffuse reflectance spectrums of tomato leaves. Three different mathematical treatments were used in spectrums processing: different wavelength range, different smoothing points, first and second derivative. We can get best prediction model when we select full range (800-2500nm), 3 points for spectrums smoothing and spectrums by baseline correction, the best model of chlorophyll content has a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 8.16 and a calibration correlation coefficient (R2) value of 0.89452 and the best model of water content has a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.0214 and a calibration correlation coefficient (R2) value of 0.91043.

Nuclear Test-Experimental Science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Struble, G.L.; Donohue, M.L.; Bucciarelli, G.; Hymer, J.D.; Kirvel, R.D.; Middleton, C.; Prono, J.; Reid, S.; Strack, B.

1988-01-01

Fiscal year 1988 has been a significant, rewarding, and exciting period for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's nuclear testing program. It was significant in that the Laboratory's new director chose to focus strongly on the program's activities and to commit to a revitalized emphasis on testing and the experimental science that underlies it. It was rewarding in that revolutionary new measurement techniques were fielded on recent important and highly complicated underground nuclear tests with truly incredible results. And it was exciting in that the sophisticated and fundamental problems of weapons science that are now being addressed experimentally are yielding new challenges and understanding in ways that stimulate and reward the brightest and best of scientists. During FY88 the program was reorganized to emphasize our commitment to experimental science. The name of the program was changed to reflect this commitment, becoming the Nuclear Test-Experimental Science (NTES) Program

Content dependent selection of image enhancement parameters for mobile displays

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yoon-Gyoo; Kang, Yoo-Jin; Kim, Han-Eol; Kim, Ka-Hee; Kim, Choon-Woo

2011-01-01

Mobile devices such as cellular phones and portable multimedia player with capability of playing terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) contents have been introduced into consumer market. In this paper, content dependent image quality enhancement method for sharpness and colorfulness and noise reduction is presented to improve perceived image quality on mobile displays. Human visual experiments are performed to analyze viewers' preference. Relationship between the objective measures and the optimal values of image control parameters are modeled by simple lookup tables based on the results of human visual experiments. Content dependent values of image control parameters are determined based on the calculated measures and predetermined lookup tables. Experimental results indicate that dynamic selection of image control parameters yields better image quality.

[The concept of "understanding" (Verstehen) in Karl Jaspers].

Science.gov (United States)

Villareal, Helena; Aragona, Massimiliano

2014-01-01

This article explores the relationship between empathy and psychopathology. It deals with the concept of "understanding" in Jaspers' General Psychopathology, 100 years after the publication of its first edition. The Jaspersian proposal has the person and his/her experience as its primary object of study, just as in Ortegas' vital reason. Jaspers' understanding is not rational but empathetic, based on the co-presence of emotional content and detailed descriptions. Jaspers' methodology is essentially pluralistic, considering both explanation and understanding, necessary for psychopathology. Despite certain limits, the concept of understanding is the backbone of the psychopathological reasoning, and has proven useful over a century of clinical practice. However, it needs a review covering the recent epistemological and clinical findings. "To be understandable" is a relational property that emerges from a semiotic process. Therefore, an effective psychology should encompass an inter-subjective process, and get away from strict rationalism.

Engaging adolescents with LD in higher order thinking about history concepts using integrated content enhancement routines.

Science.gov (United States)

Bulgren, Janis; Deshler, Donald D; Lenz, B Keith

2007-01-01

The understanding and use of historical concepts specified in national history standards pose many challenges to students. These challenges include both the acquisition of content knowledge and the use of that knowledge in ways that require higher order thinking. All students, including adolescents with learning disabilities (LD), are expected to understand and use concepts of history to pass high-stakes assessments and to participate meaningfully in a democratic society. This article describes Content Enhancement Routines (CERs) to illustrate instructional planning, teaching, and assessing for higher order thinking with examples from an American history unit. Research on the individual components of Content Enhancement Routines will be illustrated with data from 1 of the routines. The potential use of integrated sets of materials and procedures across grade levels and content areas will be discussed.

Students' Hands-on Experimental Work vs Lecture Demonstration in Teaching Elementary School Chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Logar, Ana; Ferk-Savec, Vesna

2011-12-01

Science educators have suggested many benefits that accrue from engaging students in experimental activities, therefore, experimental work has a long and distinctive role in chemistry curriculum since. The presented empirical study focuses on the valuation of effectiveness of different forms of experimental work - students' hands-on experimental work vs teacher's lecture demonstration - from the viewpoint of the quality of content knowledge acquisition and knowledge retention in teaching primary school chemistry. 106 primary school students (age 14-15 years) participated in the study. The data was collected via pre- and post- test protocol and two delayed post tests. Additionally 16 students selected from the sample were interviewed. The results indicate that students' content knowledge gained through teacher's demonstration of experiment is better and better knowledge retention takes place in comparison to students' knowledge gained through students' hands-on experimental work. However, most of the inteviewed students stated that they prefered conducting of experiments by themselves in comparison to observation of teacher's demonstration.

Influence of salinity and water content on soil microorganisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nan Yan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Salinization is one of the most serious land degradation problems facing world. Salinity results in poor plant growth and low soil microbial activity due to osmotic stress and toxic ions. Soil microorganisms play a pivotal role in soils through mineralization of organic matter into plant available nutrients. Therefore it is important to maintain high microbial activity in soils. Salinity tolerant soil microbes counteract osmotic stress by synthesizing osmolytes which allows them to maintain their cell turgor and metabolism. Osmotic potential is a function of the salt concentration in the soil solution and therefore affected by both salinity (measured as electrical conductivity at a certain water content and soil water content. Soil salinity and water content vary in time and space. Understanding the effect of changes in salinity and water content on soil microorganisms is important for crop production, sustainable land use and rehabilitation of saline soils. In this review, the effects of soil salinity and water content on microbes are discussed to guide future research into management of saline soils.

Development of Prediction Model and Experimental Validation in Predicting the Curcumin Content of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)

OpenAIRE

Akbar, Abdul; Kuanar, Ananya; Joshi, Raj K.; Sandeep, I. S.; Mohanty, Sujata; Naik, Pradeep K.; Mishra, Antaryami; Nayak, Sanghamitra

2016-01-01

The drug yielding potential of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is largely due to the presence of phyto-constituent ‘curcumin’. Curcumin has been found to possess a myriad of therapeutic activities ranging from anti-inflammatory to neuroprotective. Lack of requisite high curcumin containing genotypes and variation in the curcumin content of turmeric at different agro climatic regions are the major stumbling blocks in commercial production of turmeric. Curcumin content of turmeric is greatly influe...

Development for equipment of the milk macromolecules content detection

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Guochao; Li, Weimin; Shang, Tingyi; Xi, Yang; Gao, Yunli; Zhou, Zhen

Developed an experimental device for rapid and accurate detection of milk macromolecular content. This device developed based on laser scattered through principle, the principle use of the ingredients of the scattered light and transmitted light ratio characterization of macromolecules. Peristaltic pump to achieve automatic input and output of the milk samples, designing weak signal detection amplifier circuit for detecting the ratio with ICL7650. Real-time operating system μC / OS-II is the core design of the software part of the whole system. The experimental data prove that the device can achieve a fast real-time measurement of milk macromolecules.

Non-professional user`s understanding of Geographic Information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arleth, Mette

2003-01-01

of digital media, including online access to a variety of GI-based services; maps, online Geographic information systems, interactive 3D models etc. However, can we expect that a citizen, who has no relevant professional basis for understanding the concept geographic information, be able to use GI......-based online services and comprehend the information contents? Using the Gi-based online services qualitatively in the participatory process obviously requires knowledge of the non-professional user`s understanding and use of GI. This paper discusses the needs for research into this field as well as relevant...

Content Analysis of Assessment Data in Marketing Education

Science.gov (United States)

Vowles, Nicole; Hutto, Alexandra; Miller, Peter Max M.

2017-01-01

This study analyzes a sample of students' writing to assess their understanding of marketing concepts in the context of a Principles of Marketing course. Content analysis of pre- and post-essays was used to assess student knowledge of marketing concepts. The data was collected in Principles of Marketing classes. and highlight that many students…

Examining item content and structure in health status and health outcomes instruments: toward the development of a grammar for better understanding of the concepts being measured.

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Pennifer; Willke, Richard J

2013-06-01

Health outcomes instruments assess diverse health concepts. Although item-level concepts are considered fundamental elements, the field lacks structures for evaluating and organizing them for decision making. This article proposes a grammar using item stems, response options, and recall periods to systematically identify item-level concepts. The grammar uses "core concept," "evaluative component," and "recall period" as intuitive terms for communicating with stakeholders. Better characterization of concepts is necessary for classifying instrument content and linking it to treatment benefit. Items in 2 generic and 21 disease-specific instruments were evaluated to develop and illustrate the use of the grammar. Concepts were assigned International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health codes for exploring the value that the grammar and a classification system add to the understanding of content across instruments. The 23 instruments include many core concepts; emotional function is the only concept assessed in all instruments. Concepts in disease-specific instruments show obvious patterns; for example, arthritis instruments focus on physical function. The majority of instruments used the same response options across all items, with five-point scales being the most common. Most instruments used one recall period for all items. Shorter recall periods were used for conditions associated with "flares," such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and "skin disease." Every diagnosis, however, showed variation across instruments in the recall period used. This analysis indicates the proposed grammar's potential for discerning the conceptual content within and between health outcomes instruments and illustrates its value for improving communication between stakeholders and for making decisions related to treatment benefit. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Linking Student Achievement and Teacher Science Content Knowledge about Climate Change: Ensuring the Nations 3 Million Teachers Understand the Science through an Electronic Professional Development System

Science.gov (United States)

Niepold, F.; Byers, A.

2009-12-01

The scientific complexities of global climate change, with wide-ranging economic and social significance, create an intellectual challenge that mandates greater public understanding of climate change research and the concurrent ability to make informed decisions. The critical need for an engaged, science literate public has been repeatedly emphasized by multi-disciplinary entities like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the National Academies (Rising Above the Gathering Storm report), and the interagency group responsible for the recently updated Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science. There is a clear need for an American public that is climate literate and for K-12 teachers confident in teaching relevant science content. A key goal in the creation of a climate literate society is to enhance teachers’ knowledge of global climate change through a national, scalable, and sustainable professional development system, using compelling climate science data and resources to stimulate inquiry-based student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This session will explore innovative e-learning technologies to address the limitations of one-time, face-to-face workshops, thereby adding significant sustainability and scalability. The resources developed will help teachers sift through the vast volume of global climate change information and provide research-based, high-quality science content and pedagogical information to help teachers effectively teach their students about the complex issues surrounding global climate change. The Learning Center is NSTA's e-professional development portal to help the nations teachers and informal educators learn about the scientific complexities of global climate change through research-based techniques and is proven to significantly improve teacher science content knowledge.

EXPERIMENTAL LIPOSOMAL VIRAL VACCINE SAFETY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romanova OA

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction. With the transport links development there is rather important issue respiratory viral infections spread, especially influenza. The only method controlling influenza is vaccination. Search and development effective and safe vaccines is important. Material and methods. In base SO "Mechnikov Institute Microbiology and Immunology National Ukrainian Academy Medical Sciences" in the scientific theme "Developing new approaches to creating viral vaccines and study specific activity depending of type and degree component`s modification" was created several experimental influenza vaccine with subsequent component`s modification for selecting the most optimal pattern of safety and immunogenicity. In assessing the influenza vaccine safety is using a few criteria, including, reactivity, as measured by the frequency of local and systemic adverse (negative effects, which due to its introduction, and for lipid content drugs, ability to influence oxidation processes. At present study phase was determined: a systemic reaction and local reaction of delayed-type hypersensitivity (foot pad swelling assay;b lipids and proteins peroxidation processes after administration officinal and experimental vaccines (content protein’s carbonyl groups, lipid’s hydroperoxides, activity of glutathione-peroxidase.Study objects were trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine, "Vaxigrip" (Sanofi Pasteur, S.A., France, "Inflexal V" (Biotech Ltd. Berne, Switzerland and experimental vaccine samples. Highest immunogenicity vaccines had undergone improvements and modifications using adjuvant systems and acylation influenza proteins. Liposomes 2 – the experimental influenza vaccine with a liposome negative charge and antigenic composition like split vaccines "Vaksihryp". Liposomes 2.1 - the adjuvantexperimental influenza vaccine with modifications liposomal components (etoniy and chlorophyllipt molecules embedded in liposomal membrane. Liposomes 2.2 - the adjuvant

Content

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keiding, Tina Bering

secondary levels. In subject matter didactics, the question of content is more developed, but it is still mostly confined to teaching on lower levels. As for higher education didactics, discussions on selection of content are almost non-existent on the programmatic level. Nevertheless, teachers are forced...... curriculum, in higher education, and to generate analytical categories and criteria for selection of content, which can be used for systematic didactical reflection. The larger project also concerns reflection on and clarification of the concept of content, including the relation between content at the level......Aim, content and methods are fundamental categories of both theoretical and practical general didactics. A quick glance in recent pedagogical literature on higher education, however, reveals a strong preoccupation with methods, i.e. how teaching should be organized socially (Biggs & Tang, 2007...

Leaf Chlorophyll Content Estimation of Winter Wheat Based on Visible and Near-Infrared Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jianfeng; Han, Wenting; Huang, Lvwen; Zhang, Zhiyong; Ma, Yimian; Hu, Yamin

2016-03-25

The leaf chlorophyll content is one of the most important factors for the growth of winter wheat. Visual and near-infrared sensors are a quick and non-destructive testing technology for the estimation of crop leaf chlorophyll content. In this paper, a new approach is developed for leaf chlorophyll content estimation of winter wheat based on visible and near-infrared sensors. First, the sliding window smoothing (SWS) was integrated with the multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) or the standard normal variable transformation (SNV) to preprocess the reflectance spectra images of wheat leaves. Then, a model for the relationship between the leaf relative chlorophyll content and the reflectance spectra was developed using the partial least squares (PLS) and the back propagation neural network. A total of 300 samples from areas surrounding Yangling, China, were used for the experimental studies. The samples of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy at the wavelength of 450,900 nm were preprocessed using SWS, MSC and SNV. The experimental results indicate that the preprocessing using SWS and SNV and then modeling using PLS can achieve the most accurate estimation, with the correlation coefficient at 0.8492 and the root mean square error at 1.7216. Thus, the proposed approach can be widely used for winter wheat chlorophyll content analysis.

Children's Perceptions of Tests: A Content Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Bulgan, Gokce

2018-01-01

Anxiety that students experience during test taking negatively influences their academic achievement. Understanding how students perceive tests and how they feel during test taking could help in taking effective preventive measures. Hence, the current study focused on assessing children's perceptions of tests using content analysis. The sample…

Influence of the temperature on materials electric behaviour: Understanding and students’ learning difficulties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio García Carmona

2006-03-01

Full Text Available In this article, we defend that in the teaching/learning of the electricity, its contents must be associa ted with contents concerning the structure and behaviour of the matter. Thus, it is possible to understand some electricity topics as the influence of the temperature on electric behaviour of materials. In this sense, we propose a conceptual framework for its teaching, coherent with the Spanish Physics and Chemistry curriculum of Secondary Education. Likewise, we show the results of a research carried out with 60 pupils (age 14-15, about theirs understanding levels and theirs learning difficulties regarding considered topic.

The effects of moisture content, particle size and binding agent content on oil palm shell pellet quality parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelson Arzola

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Waste-to-energy represents a challenge for the oil palm industry worldwide. Bio-pellet production is an alternative way of adding value to oil palm biomass. This would mean that a product having major energy density becomes more mechanically stable and achieves better performance during combustion. This paper deals with oil palm shell pelleting; using binding agents having up to 25% mass keeping average particle size less than 1mm and moisture content up to 18.7% (d.b. were evaluated. An experimental factorial design used binding agent mass percentage, milled shell particle size and moisture content as factors. Pellet density response surfaces and durability index were obtained. Pellet performance during thermal-chemical transformation was also evaluated by using thermogravimetry equipment. The results led to technical evaluation of scale-up at industrial production level.

The Effect of Scaffolded Strategies on Content Learning in a Designed Science Cyberlearning Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Kern, Cynthia Lee

2013-01-01

Scientific inscriptions--graphs, diagrams, and data--and argumentation are integral to generating and communicating scientific understanding. Scientific inscriptions and argumentation are also important to learning science. However, previous research has indicated that learners struggle to understand and learn science content represented in…

A Categorical Content Analysis of Highly Cited Literature Related to Trends and Issues in Special Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Arden, Sarah V; Pentimonti, Jill M; Cooray, Rochana; Jackson, Stephanie

2017-07-01

This investigation employs categorical content analysis processes as a mechanism to examine trends and issues in a sampling of highly cited (100+) literature in special education journals. The authors had two goals: (a) broadly identifying trends across publication type, content area, and methodology and (b) specifically identifying articles with disaggregated outcomes for students with learning disabilities (LD). Content analyses were conducted across highly cited (100+) articles published during a 20-year period (1992-2013) in a sample ( n = 3) of journals focused primarily on LD, and in one broad, cross-categorical journal recognized for its impact in the field. Results indicated trends in the article type (i.e., commentary and position papers), content (i.e., reading and behavior), and methodology (i.e., small proportions of experimental and quasi-experimental designs). Results also revealed stability in the proportion of intervention research studies when compared to previous analyses and a decline in the proportion of those that disaggregated data specifically for students with LD.

Supporting User Generated Content for Mobile News Services: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christos K. Georgiadis

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Web 2.0 applications encourage users to contribute to the production of richer content. In this context, our work mainly focuses on providing mobile users the ability to share content and to support user generated content production. Specifically, in our case study, features both for a mobile Web and for a mobile native application are implemented, capable of providing news services enriched with indicative social networking elements. The results of our work are largely related to the understanding of the required proper solutions, based on the investigation of serious technical challenges: the XML‐RPC library for the Android platform is exploited, as well as a specific Backend Joomla! component is built (Rsstoa to handle consistently external content sources, such as feeds and multipart emails.

An approach to breeding for higher protein content in bread wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jain, H.K.; Singhal, N.C.; Singh, M.P.; Austin, A.

1975-01-01

This study deals with the development of a suitable experimental approach for improving the protein content of seeds in bread wheat. It has been found that scoring of protein content on a per seed basis rather than as a percentage of seed weight gives better results. In the first place, the heritability of protein content increases nearly three times when scoring is done on the basis of seed number. Also, protein content scored in this way showed a significant positive correlation with seed size. Correlation between seed size and percentage of protein in the seed is negative. An important implication of these findings is that scoring of protein content on the basis of seed number should help to avoid selection of genotypes showing reduced starch synthesis and, therefore, a lower yield of grains as well as protein on a per acre basis. Also, the observations suggest that selection for larger seed size may be an important means of improving the protein content of wheat. These and other implications are discussed. (author)

Chlorophyll meter reading and total nitrogen content applied as ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The present study was aimed to assess the relationship between the reading of the chlorophyll meter and the total nitrogen (N) content in the leaf in different parts of the crambe plant, depending on the doses of nitrogen applied to the canopy. Randomized block design in a split plot experimental design was used. The plots ...

Application of acoustical methods to the measurement of water content in sand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazarov, V.E.; Radostin, A.V.; Stepanyants, Y.A.

2000-10-01

Results of laboratory experiments on the propagation of high-frequency acoustic waves (f = 100 kHz) in a glass tube, filled with river sand are presented. Several sand samples have been used with different water content: dry, unsaturated and completely water saturated. It is shown that the dissipative coefficient of acoustic waves decreases with increasing wave amplitude. This 'self-brightening' phenomenon takes place over the whole range of moisture content, from zero to 100%, but its degree of manifestation depends on the moisture content. The exponent of the dissipative nonlinearity α, is found to be the most sensitive parameter to the moisture content and is determined on the basis of measurements. It is considered to be a good indicator of water content in porous media and provides an opportunity to measure water content in such materials indirectly by means of an acoustic method. A simple phenomenological model is presented to explain the experimental results

Fast crawling methods of exploring content distributed over large graphs

KAUST Repository

Wang, Pinghui

2018-03-15

Despite recent effort to estimate topology characteristics of large graphs (e.g., online social networks and peer-to-peer networks), little attention has been given to develop a formal crawling methodology to characterize the vast amount of content distributed over these networks. Due to the large-scale nature of these networks and a limited query rate imposed by network service providers, exhaustively crawling and enumerating content maintained by each vertex is computationally prohibitive. In this paper, we show how one can obtain content properties by crawling only a small fraction of vertices and collecting their content. We first show that when sampling is naively applied, this can produce a huge bias in content statistics (i.e., average number of content replicas). To remove this bias, one may use maximum likelihood estimation to estimate content characteristics. However, our experimental results show that this straightforward method requires to sample most vertices to obtain accurate estimates. To address this challenge, we propose two efficient estimators: special copy estimator (SCE) and weighted copy estimator (WCE) to estimate content characteristics using available information in sampled content. SCE uses the special content copy indicator to compute the estimate, while WCE derives the estimate based on meta-information in sampled vertices. We conduct experiments on a variety of real-word and synthetic datasets, and the results show that WCE and SCE are cost effective and also “asymptotically unbiased”. Our methodology provides a new tool for researchers to efficiently query content distributed in large-scale networks.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for determining the functional content of organic aerosols: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chalbot, Marie-Cecile G.; Kavouras, Ilias G.

2014-01-01

The knowledge deficit of organic aerosol (OA) composition has been identified as the most important factor limiting our understanding of the atmospheric fate and implications of aerosol. The efforts to chemically characterize OA include the increasing utilization of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Since 1998, the functional composition of different types, sizes and fractions of OA has been studied with one-dimensional, two-dimensional and solid state proton and carbon-13 NMR. This led to the use of functional group ratios to reconcile the most important sources of OA, including secondary organic aerosol and initial source apportionment using positive matrix factorization. Future research efforts may be directed towards the optimization of experimental parameters, detailed NMR experiments and analysis by pattern recognition methods to identify the chemical components, determination of the NMR fingerprints of OA sources and solid state NMR to study the content of OA as a whole. - Highlights: • Organic aerosol composition by 1 H- and 13 C-NMR spectroscopy. • NMR fingerprints of specific sources, types and sizes of organic aerosol. • Source reconciliation and apportionment using NMR spectroscopy. • Research priorities towards understanding organic aerosol composition and origin. - This review presents the recent advances on the characterization of organic aerosol composition using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Enterprise content management in the cloud

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaroslava Klegová

2013-01-01

Full Text Available At present the attention of many organizations concentrates to the Enterprise Content Management system (ECM. Unstructured content grows exponentially, and Enterprise Content Management system helps to capture, store, manage, integrate and deliver all forms of content across the company. Today, decision makers have possibility to move ECM systems to the cloud and take advantages of cloud computing. Cloud solution can provide a crucial competitive advantage. For example, it can reduce fixed IT department cost and ensure faster ECM implementation.To achieve the maximum level of benefits from implementation of ECM in the cloud it is important to understand all possibilities and actions during the implementation. In this paper, the general model of the ECM implementation in the cloud is proposed and described. The risk may relate to all aspects of the implementation, such as cost, schedule or quality. This is the reason why the introduced model places emphasize on risk. The aim of the article is to identify risks of the ECM implementation in the cloud and quantify the impact of risk. The article is focused on the Monte Carlo method. Monte Carlo method is a technique that uses random numbers and probability to solve problems. Based on interviews with an IT managers there is created an example of possible scenarios and the risk is evaluated using the Monte Carlo method.

Conducting qualitative research in mental health: Thematic and content analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Crowe, Marie; Inder, Maree; Porter, Richard

2015-07-01

The objective of this paper is to describe two methods of qualitative analysis - thematic analysis and content analysis - and to examine their use in a mental health context. A description of the processes of thematic analysis and content analysis is provided. These processes are then illustrated by conducting two analyses of the same qualitative data. Transcripts of qualitative interviews are analysed using each method to illustrate these processes. The illustration of the processes highlights the different outcomes from the same set of data. Thematic and content analyses are qualitative methods that serve different research purposes. Thematic analysis provides an interpretation of participants' meanings, while content analysis is a direct representation of participants' responses. These methods provide two ways of understanding meanings and experiences and provide important knowledge in a mental health context. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Ruby, Perrine M.

2011-01-01

Dreaming is still a mystery of human cognition, although it has been studied experimentally for more than a century. Experimental psychology first investigated dream content and frequency. The neuroscientific approach to dreaming arose at the end of the 1950s and soon proposed a physiological substrate of dreaming: rapid eye movement sleep. Fifty years later, this hypothesis was challenged because it could not explain all of the characteristics of dream reports. Therefore, the neurophysiological correlates of dreaming are still unclear, and many questions remain unresolved. Do the representations that constitute the dream emerge randomly from the brain, or do they surface according to certain parameters? Is the organization of the dream’s representations chaotic or is it determined by rules? Does dreaming have a meaning? What is/are the function(s) of dreaming? Psychoanalysis provides hypotheses to address these questions. Until now, these hypotheses have received minimal attention in cognitive neuroscience, but the recent development of neuropsychoanalysis brings new hopes of interaction between the two fields. Considering the psychoanalytical perspective in cognitive neuroscience would provide new directions and leads for dream research and would help to achieve a comprehensive understanding of dreaming. Notably, several subjective issues at the core of the psychoanalytic approach, such as the concept of personal meaning, the concept of unconscious episodic memory and the subject’s history, are not addressed or considered in cognitive neuroscience. This paper argues that the focus on singularity and personal meaning in psychoanalysis is needed to successfully address these issues in cognitive neuroscience and to progress in the understanding of dreaming and the psyche. PMID:22121353

Educators' understanding of workplace bullying | de Wet | South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article looks at educators' understanding of workplace bullying through the lens of a twodimensional model of bullying. Educators, who were furthering their studies at the University of the Free State, were invited to take part in a study on different types of bullying. Deductive, directed content analysis was used to ...

Development and Experimental Validation of Large Eddy Simulation Techniques for the Prediction of Combustion-Dynamic Process in Syngas Combustion: Characterization of Autoignition, Flashback, and Flame-Liftoff at Gas-Turbine Relevant Operating Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ihme, Matthias [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Driscoll, James [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2015-08-31

The objective of this closely coordinated experimental and computational research effort is the development of simulation techniques for the prediction of combustion processes, relevant to the oxidation of syngas and high hydrogen content (HHC) fuels at gas-turbine relevant operating conditions. Specifically, the research goals are (i) the characterization of the sensitivity of syngas ignition processes to hydrodynamic processes and perturbations in temperature and mixture composition in rapid compression machines and ow-reactors and (ii) to conduct comprehensive experimental investigations in a swirl-stabilized gas turbine (GT) combustor under realistic high-pressure operating conditions in order (iii) to obtain fundamental understanding about mechanisms controlling unstable flame regimes in HHC-combustion.

Understanding IPTV churning behaviors: focus on users in South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myung-Joong Kim

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose - This study aims to investigate customers’ churning out of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV service, one of the most prevalent forms of IT convergence. Design/methodology/approach - Based on the review of current literature, a research model is introduced to depict the effects of select independent variables on customer churning behavior. First of all, the two groups are compared in terms of predictor variables, including switching barriers, voice of customer (VOC, membership period and degree of contents usage. Then, a curvilinear regression was applied to understand the association relationship between the level of IPTV contents usage and variables of switching barriers, VOC and membership period. Third, a logit regression was performed to predict customer churning through the variables of switching barriers, VOC, membership period and level of IPTV contents usage. Findings - Through the empirical analysis, this study analyzed the factors affecting customer churning behavior of IPTV service providers based on switching barriers, VOC and contents usage. Originality/value - Although several studies on IPTV have been undertaken globally, they have largely depended on self-reporting surveys to examine dynamics between antecedent variables and IPTV performance in terms of customer satisfaction, usage intension and customer retention. This empirical study is performed to understand influential factors of IPTV service defection through the weblog analysis of 3,906 service users, who represented both service defectors and non-defectors during a specific month.

An experimental study on barium peritonitis in rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Heung Sik; Han, Man Chung; Kim, Chu Wan

1985-01-01

Barium sulfate is universally used contrast media in gastrointestinal roentgenology, and spillage of barium into peritoneal cavity can occur. The references on effect of barium sulfate in the peritoneal cavity have been scattered and the results are varied. In 80 rats, body weight of 130 gm to 150 gm, sterile pure barium, sterile commercial barium, intestinal content, and mixed pure barium and intestinal content were experimentally injected into the peritoneal cavity. Consecutive weekly laparotomy and microscopic examination were done for 4 weeks. The results are as followings: 1. Mind inflammatory reaction and mild adhesion after sterile pure barium injection. 2. Mild inflammatory reaction and moderate adhesion after sterile commercial barium injection. 3. Acute peritonitis and abscess formation after intestinal content injection. 4. High mortality due to severe acute peritonitis, and severe adhesion in survivors after injection of both pure barium and intestinal content.

Academics' Perspectives on the Challenges and Opportunities for Student-Generated Mobile Content in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Ariffin, Shamsul Arrieya; Malim, Tanjong

2016-01-01

In Malaysian universities, there is a scarcity of local content to support student learning. Mobile content is predominantly supplied by the United States and the United Kingdom. This research aims to understand the situation from the academic perspective, particularly in the field of local cultural studies. Student-generated multimedia is…

Experimental Modeling of Dynamic Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Morten Haack

2006-01-01

An engineering course, Simulation and Experimental Modeling, has been developed that is based on a method for direct estimation of physical parameters in dynamic systems. Compared with classical system identification, the method appears to be easier to understand, apply, and combine with physical...

Radioactive implant induced x-ray emission technique for noninvasive determination of iodine content in thyroid: experimental study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amano, R; Ando, A; Hiraki, T [Kanazawa Univ. (Japan). School of Allied Medical Professions; Tonami, N; Hisada, K [Kanazawa Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

1984-02-01

A new technique, radioactive implant x-ray emission spectrometry to determine the in vivo iodine content of the human thyroid is proposed. The variations of counting rate and effective excitation efficiencies of I Ksub(..cap alpha..) (28.6 keV) with iodine content, thyroid volume and skin-thyroid distance were studied for the /sup 201/Tl source to examine the properties of excitation and photon attenuation. As a result, the gland depth and volume could be estimated from the peak ratios of 30.7 keV/167.6 keV and 28.6 keV/167.6 keV. Using a 1 MBq /sup 201/Tl implant source, the detectable minimum iodine concentration found was approximately 70 ..mu..g/g for 2000 s measuring time in the phantom experiment. The effectiveness of the RIXE technique is discussed. It was concluded that the /sup 201/Tl RIXE spectrometry might serve to determine the in vivo iodine content of the human thyroid.

Radioactive implant induced x-ray emission technique for noninvasive determination of iodine content in thyroid: experimental study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amano, R; Tonami, N; Ando, A; Hiraki, T; Hisada, K

1984-02-01

A new technique, radioactive implant x-ray emission spectrometry to determine the in vivo iodine content of the human thyroid is proposed. The variations of counting rate and effective excitation efficiencies of I K alpha (28.6 keV) with iodine content, thyroid volume and skin-thyroid distance were studied for the /sup 201/Tl source to examine the properties of excitation and photon attenuation. As a result, the gland depth and volume could be estimated from the peak ratios of 30.7 keV/167.6 keV and 28.6 keV/167.6 keV. Using a 1 MBq /sup 201/Tl implant source, the detectable minimum iodine concentration found was approximately 70 micrograms/g for 2000 s measuring time in the phantom experiment. The effectiveness of the RIXE technique is discussed. It was concluded that the /sup 201/Tl RIXE spectrometry might serve to determine the in vivo iodine content of the human thyroid.

Upgrading geometry conceptual understanding and strategic competence through implementing rigorous mathematical thinking (RMT)

Science.gov (United States)

Nugraheni, Z.; Budiyono, B.; Slamet, I.

2018-03-01

To reach higher order thinking skill, needed to be mastered the conceptual understanding and strategic competence as they are two basic parts of high order thinking skill (HOTS). RMT is a unique realization of the cognitive conceptual construction approach based on Feurstein with his theory of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. This was quasi-experimental research which compared the experimental class that was given Rigorous Mathematical Thinking (RMT) as learning method and the control class that was given Direct Learning (DL) as the conventional learning activity. This study examined whether there was different effect of two learning model toward conceptual understanding and strategic competence of Junior High School Students. The data was analyzed by using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and obtained a significant difference between experimental and control class when considered jointly on the mathematics conceptual understanding and strategic competence (shown by Wilk’s Λ = 0.84). Further, by independent t-test is known that there was significant difference between two classes both on mathematical conceptual understanding and strategic competence. By this result is known that Rigorous Mathematical Thinking (RMT) had positive impact toward Mathematics conceptual understanding and strategic competence.

G+C content dominates intrinsic nucleosome occupancy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hughes Timothy R

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The relative preference of nucleosomes to form on individual DNA sequences plays a major role in genome packaging. A wide variety of DNA sequence features are believed to influence nucleosome formation, including periodic dinucleotide signals, poly-A stretches and other short motifs, and sequence properties that influence DNA structure, including base content. It was recently shown by Kaplan et al. that a probabilistic model using composition of all 5-mers within a nucleosome-sized tiling window accurately predicts intrinsic nucleosome occupancy across an entire genome in vitro. However, the model is complicated, and it is not clear which specific DNA sequence properties are most important for intrinsic nucleosome-forming preferences. Results We find that a simple linear combination of only 14 simple DNA sequence attributes (G+C content, two transformations of dinucleotide composition, and the frequency of eleven 4-bp sequences explains nucleosome occupancy in vitro and in vivo in a manner comparable to the Kaplan model. G+C content and frequency of AAAA are the most important features. G+C content is dominant, alone explaining ~50% of the variation in nucleosome occupancy in vitro. Conclusions Our findings provide a dramatically simplified means to predict and understand intrinsic nucleosome occupancy. G+C content may dominate because it both reduces frequency of poly-A-like stretches and correlates with many other DNA structural characteristics. Since G+C content is enriched or depleted at many types of features in diverse eukaryotic genomes, our results suggest that variation in nucleotide composition may have a widespread and direct influence on chromatin structure.

Experimental Determination of Hydraulic Properties of Unsaturated Calcarenites

Science.gov (United States)

Turturro, Antonietta Celeste; Andriani, Gioacchino Francesco; Clementina Caputo, Maria; Maggi, Sabino

2013-04-01

Understanding hydraulic properties is essential in the modeling of flow and solute transport through the vadose zone, to which problems of soil and groundwater pollution are related. The vadose zone, in fact, is of great importance in controlling groundwater recharge and transport of contaminants into and through the subsoil. The aim of this work is to determine experimentally in laboratory the hydraulic properties of unsaturated calcarenites using an approach including petrophysical determinations and methods for measuring water retention. For this purpose, samples of calcarenites belonging to the Calcarenite di Gravina Fm.(Pliocene-early Pleistocene), came from two different quarry districts located in Southern Italy (Canosa di Puglia and Massafra), were utilized. The water retention function, θ(h), which binds the water content, θ, to water potential, h, was determined in the laboratory by means two different experimental methods: the WP4-T psychrometer and the suction table. At last, a simple mathematical equation represented by van Genuchten's model is fitted to the experimental data and the unknown empirical parameters of this model are determined. Textural analysis on thin sections using optical petrographic microscopy and evaluation of total and effective porosity by means of standard geotechnical laboratory tests, mercury intrusion porosimetry and image analysis were also performed. In particular, a comparison between mercury porosimetry data and results of photomicrograph computer analysis through the methods of quantitative stereology was employed for providing pore size distributions. The results of this study identify the relationship between the hydraulic behavior, described by the water retention function, and pore size distribution for the calcarenites that are not easy to hydraulically characterize. This relationship could represent a useful tool to infer the unsaturated hydraulic properties of calcarenites and in general this approach could be

Content-Based Image Retrieval Benchmarking: Utilizing color categories and color distributions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Broek, Egon; Kisters, Peter M.F.; Vuurpijl, Louis G.

From a human centered perspective three ingredients for Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) were developed. First, with their existence confirmed by experimental data, 11 color categories were utilized for CBIR and used as input for a new color space segmentation technique. The complete HSI color

Making comparative performance information more comprehensible: an experimental evaluation of the impact of formats on consumer understanding.

Science.gov (United States)

Damman, Olga C; De Jong, Anco; Hibbard, Judith H; Timmermans, Danielle R M

2016-11-01

We aimed to investigate how different presentation formats influence comprehension and use of comparative performance information (CPI) among consumers. An experimental between-subjects and within-subjects design with manipulations of CPI presentation formats. We enrolled both consumers with lower socioeconomic status (SES)/cognitive skills and consumers with higher SES/cognitive skills, recruited through an online access panel. Respondents received fictitious CPI and completed questions about interpretation and information use. Between subjects, we tested (1) displaying an overall performance score (yes/no); (2) displaying a small number of quality indicators (5 vs 9); and (3) displaying different types of evaluative symbols (star ratings, coloured dots and word icons vs numbers and bar graphs). Within subjects, we tested the effect of a reduced number of healthcare providers (5 vs 20). Data were analysed using descriptive analysis, analyses of variance and paired-sampled t tests. A total of 902 (43%) respondents participated. Displaying an overall performance score and the use of coloured dots and word icons particularly enhanced consumer understanding. Importantly, respondents provided with coloured dots most often correctly selected the top three healthcare providers (84.3%), compared with word icons (76.6% correct), star ratings (70.6% correct), numbers (62.0%) and bars (54.2%) when viewing performance scores of 20 providers. Furthermore, a reduced number of healthcare providers appeared to support consumers, for example, when provided with 20 providers, 69.5% correctly selected the top three, compared with 80.2% with five providers. Particular presentation formats enhanced consumer understanding of CPI, most importantly the use of overall performance scores, word icons and coloured dots, and a reduced number of providers displayed. Public report efforts should use these formats to maximise impact on consumers. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited

Pairing experimentation and computational modelling to understand the role of tissue inducer cells in the development of lymphoid organs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kieran eAlden

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The use of genetic tools, imaging technologies and ex vivo culture systems has provided significant insights into the role of tissue inducer cells and associated signalling pathways in the formation and function of lymphoid organs. Despite advances in experimental technologies, the molecular and cellular process orchestrating the formation of a complex 3-dimensional tissue is difficult to dissect using current approaches. Therefore, a robust set of simulation tools have been developed to model the processes involved in lymphoid tissue development. Specifically the role of different tissue inducer cell populations in the dynamic formation of Peyer's Patches has been examined. Utilising approaches from critical systems engineering an unbiased model of lymphoid tissue inducer cell function has been developed, that permits the development of emerging behaviours that are statistically not different from that observed in vivo. These results provide the confidence to utilise statistical methods to explore how the simulator predicts cellular behaviour and outcomes under different physiological conditions. Such methods, known as sensitivity analysis techniques, can provide insight into when a component part of the system (such as a particular cell type, adhesion molecule, or chemokine begins to have an influence on observed behaviour, and quantifies the effect a component part has on the end result: the formation of lymphoid tissue. Through use of such a principled approach in the design, calibration, and analysis of a computer simulation, a robust in silico tool can be developed which can both further the understanding of a biological system being explored, and act as a tool for the generation of hypotheses which can be tested utilising experimental approaches.

Content Analysis of a Computer-Based Faculty Activity Repository

Science.gov (United States)

Baker-Eveleth, Lori; Stone, Robert W.

2013-01-01

The research presents an analysis of faculty opinions regarding the introduction of a new computer-based faculty activity repository (FAR) in a university setting. The qualitative study employs content analysis to better understand the phenomenon underlying these faculty opinions and to augment the findings from a quantitative study. A web-based…

The effect of learning multimedia on students’ understanding of macroscopic, sub-microscopic, and symbolic levels in electrolyte and nonelectrolyte

Science.gov (United States)

Eliyawati; Rohman, I.; Kadarohman, A.

2018-05-01

This research aims to investigate the effect of learning multimedia on students’ understanding of macroscopic, sub-microscopic, and symbolic levels in electrolyte and nonelectrolyte topic. The quasi-experimental with one group pre-test post-test design was used. Thirty-five students were experimental class and another thirty-five were control class. The instrument was used is three representation levels. The t-test was performed on average level of 95% to identify the significant difference between experimental class and control class. The results show that the normalized gain average of experimental class is 0.75 (high) and the normalized gain average of control class is 0.45 (moderate). There is significant difference in students’ understanding in sub-microscopic and symbolic levels and there is not significant difference of students’ understanding in macroscopic level between experimental class and control class. The normalized gain of students’ understanding of macroscopic, sub-microscopic and symbolic in experimental class are 0.6 (moderate), 0.75 (high), and 0.64 (moderate), while the normalized gain of students’ understanding of macroscopic, sub-microscopic and symbolic in control class are 0.49 (moderate), 0.39 (high), and 0.3 (moderate). Therefore, it can be concluded that learning multimedia can help in improving students’ understanding especially in sub-microscopic and symbolic levels.

Computational Experimentation to Understand C2 for Teams of Autonomous Systems and People

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-12

Muller, J. 9/26/2012. With Driverless Cars, Once Again It Is California Leading The Way. Forbes; http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2012/09...26/with- driverless -cars- once-again-it-is-california-leading-the-way/; retrieved 09/19/2013. Nissen, M.E. 2007. Computational Experimentation on New

Multimedia content classification metrics for content adaptation

OpenAIRE

Fernandes, Rui; Andrade, M.T.

2015-01-01

Multimedia content consumption is very popular nowadays. However, not every content can be consumed in its original format: the combination of content, transport and access networks, consumption device and usage environment characteristics may all pose restrictions to that purpose. One way to provide the best possible quality to the user is to adapt the content according to these restrictions as well as user preferences. This adaptation stage can be best executed if knowledge about the conten...

Multimedia content classification metrics for content adaptation

OpenAIRE

Fernandes, Rui; Andrade, M.T.

2016-01-01

Multimedia content consumption is very popular nowadays. However, not every content can be consumed in its original format: the combination of content, transport and access networks, consumption device and usage environment characteristics may all pose restrictions to that purpose. One way to provide the best possible quality to the user is to adapt the content according to these restrictions as well as user preferences. This adaptation stage can be best executed if knowledge about the conten...

Supporting the development of shared understanding in distributed design teams

OpenAIRE

Cash, Philip; Dekoninck, Elies; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema

2017-01-01

Distributed teams are an increasingly common feature of engineering design work. One key factor in the success of these teams is the development of short- and longer-term shared understanding. A lack of shared understanding has been recognized as a significant challenge, particularly in the context of globally distributed engineering activities. A major antecedent for shared understanding is question asking and feedback. Building on question-asking theory this work uses a quasi-experimental s...

Sub-barrier fusion: An experimental review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Betts, R.R.

1991-01-01

This paper contains a review of the current status of the experimental study of heavy-ion fusion at sub-barrier energies. Emphasis is placed on the comparison of the experimentally observed quantities with theoretical expectations. Results of measurements of the spin distributions of the composite systems formed following fusion are critically examined with a view to understanding the large discrepancies between theory and experiment which exist for some systems. 20 refs., 14 figs

A content analysis of thinspiration, fitspiration, and bonespiration imagery on social media.

Science.gov (United States)

Talbot, Catherine Victoria; Gavin, Jeffrey; van Steen, Tommy; Morey, Yvette

2017-01-01

On social media, images such as thinspiration, fitspiration, and bonespiration, are shared to inspire certain body ideals. Previous research has demonstrated that exposure to these groups of content is associated with increased body dissatisfaction and decreased self-esteem. It is therefore important that the bodies featured within these groups of content are more fully understood so that effective interventions and preventative measures can be informed, developed, and implemented. A content analysis was conducted on a sample of body-focussed images with the hashtags thinspiration, fitspiration, and bonespiration from three social media platforms. The analyses showed that thinspiration and bonespiration content contained more thin and objectified bodies, compared to fitspiration which featured a greater prevalence of muscles and muscular bodies. In addition, bonespiration content contained more bone protrusions and fewer muscles than thinspiration content. The findings suggest fitspiration may be a less unhealthy type of content; however, a subgroup of imagery was identified which idealised the extremely thin body type and as such this content should also be approached with caution. Future research should utilise qualitative methods to further develop understandings of the body ideals that are constructed within these groups of content and the motivations behind posting this content.

Toward a Strategic Management Perspective on Local Content in African Extractives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Michael W.

understanding of MNC strategy and interests. Hence, the aim of this paper is to characterize and conceptually develop the strategic management perspective on local content. The paper outlines generic strategies that MNCs may adopt to balance the often conflicting pressures for local content and global......Local content requirements - i.e. government backed requirements that extractive MNCs must procure inputs locally - are fast becoming a major issue in MNC-host country bargaining in Africa. Across Africa, governments are seeking to mobilize MNCs for sustainable development through increasingly......, this literature is predominantly informed by economic and political perspectives, and strategic management perspectives are virtually absent. This is problematic as one of the main reasons why local content interventions in Africa fail to produce the expected results is that they often are based on an inadequate...

GC-Content Normalization for RNA-Seq Data

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) has become the assay of choice for high-throughput studies of gene expression. However, as is the case with microarrays, major technology-related artifacts and biases affect the resulting expression measures. Normalization is therefore essential to ensure accurate inference of expression levels and subsequent analyses thereof. Results We focus on biases related to GC-content and demonstrate the existence of strong sample-specific GC-content effects on RNA-Seq read counts, which can substantially bias differential expression analysis. We propose three simple within-lane gene-level GC-content normalization approaches and assess their performance on two different RNA-Seq datasets, involving different species and experimental designs. Our methods are compared to state-of-the-art normalization procedures in terms of bias and mean squared error for expression fold-change estimation and in terms of Type I error and p-value distributions for tests of differential expression. The exploratory data analysis and normalization methods proposed in this article are implemented in the open-source Bioconductor R package EDASeq. Conclusions Our within-lane normalization procedures, followed by between-lane normalization, reduce GC-content bias and lead to more accurate estimates of expression fold-changes and tests of differential expression. Such results are crucial for the biological interpretation of RNA-Seq experiments, where downstream analyses can be sensitive to the supplied lists of genes. PMID:22177264

Calculation of steam content in a draught section of a tank-type boiling water cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panajotov, D.P.; Gorburov, V.I.

1989-01-01

Structural and hydrodynamic features of a two-phase flow in a draught section of a tank-type boiling water cooled reactor are considered. A calculated model of the steady flow and methods for determining steam content and phase rate profiles under the maximum steam content at the section axis and at some distance from it are proposed. Steam content distribution by height quantitatively agrees with experimental data for the VK-50 reactor. Calculation technique allows one to obtain steam content and phase rate profiles at the section outlet

Can experimental data in humans verify the finite element-based bone remodeling algorithm?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wong, C.; Gehrchen, P.M.; Kiaer, T.

2008-01-01

STUDY DESIGN: A finite element analysis-based bone remodeling study in human was conducted in the lumbar spine operated on with pedicle screws. Bone remodeling results were compared to prospective experimental bone mineral content data of patients operated on with pedicle screws. OBJECTIVE......: The validity of 2 bone remodeling algorithms was evaluated by comparing against prospective bone mineral content measurements. Also, the potential stress shielding effect was examined using the 2 bone remodeling algorithms and the experimental bone mineral data. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: In previous studies...... operated on with pedicle screws between L4 and L5. The stress shielding effect was also examined. The bone remodeling results were compared with prospective bone mineral content measurements of 4 patients. They were measured after surgery, 3-, 6- and 12-months postoperatively. RESULTS: After 1 year...

Effects of different substrates on the yield and protein content of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effects of seven substrates for the cultivation, yield and protein content of the mushroom, Pleurotus tuberregium (Fries) Singer were investigated. The experimental design used was completely randomized design (CRD) of 7 treatments and 10 replicates. The highest fresh weight yield was obtained from mushrooms ...

Influence of the C content on the permeation of hydrogen in Fe alloys with low contents of C

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Peñalva

2016-12-01

The experimental permeation results were analyzed using a non-linear least square fitting. The final resulting values of the permeability were paired off in order to determine the effect of the C content: pure Fe versus FeC, FeP versus FePC and Fe10%Cr versus Fe10%CrC. According to the results, the influence of the metallurgical composition of C in Fe alloys on the permeability of hydrogen is discussed together with the synergistic effects caused by the presence of P and Cr.

Structure and property relationships of amorphous CN sub x a joint experimental and theoretical study

CERN Document Server

Santos, M C D

2000-01-01

Amorphous CN sub x and CN sub x :H have been prepared by the ion beam assisted deposition technique. Samples were characterized through X-ray and UV photoemission, IR absorption and Raman spectroscopies. These spectra have been interpreted with the aid of quantum chemical calculations based upon the Hartree-Fock theory on several molecular models. The understanding of the electronic and structural properties of the amorphous alloy as a function of nitrogen content could help in the task of synthesizing the metastable silicon-nitride like-phase beta-C sub 3 N sub 4 , a solid which has been predicted to be as hard as diamond. The physical picture emerging from the present study helps to clarify the difficulties in obtaining the crystalline phase of the material, suggesting new experimental directions for syntheses.

Characterization of seeds with different moisture content by photoacoustic microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dominguez Pacheco, Arturo; Hernandez Aguilar, Claudia; Marinez Ortiz, Efrain [Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Sepi-Esime, Zacatenco. Unidad Profesional ' Adolfo Lopez Mateos' . Col. Lindavista. Mexico D.F., CP 07738 (Mexico); Cruz-Orea, Alfredo; Ayala-Maycotte, Esther, E-mail: fartur@hotmail.co [Departamento de Fisica, CINVESTAV - IPN, A. P. 14-740, Mexico D.F., C.P. 07360 (Mexico)

2010-03-01

Photoacoustic (PA) technique has important applications for material characterization and nondestructive evaluation of opaque solid materials. PA microscopy allows the acquisition of information of samples with inhomogeneous structures as agricultural seeds. A determining factor for seed safe storage is their moisture content. Seeds stored at high moisture content exhibit increased respiration, heating, and fungal invasion resulting in poor seed vigor and viability. Low moisture content, in the seed to be stored, is the best prevention for these problems. In this study, Photoacoustic Microscopy (PAM) was used to characterize seeds with different moisture content. In the PAM experimental setup the photoacoustic cell and its sensor, an electret microphone, are mounted on an x-y stage of mobile axes, with spatial resolution of 70 {mu}m. The excitation light source is a fiber coupled laser diode, at 650 nm wavelength, modulated in intensity at 1 Hz of frequency, by the reference oscillator of a lock-in amplifier. By using a microscope objective the laser beam was focused on the seed surface. The resolution was enough to obtain differences in the obtained images, which are dependent on the moisture content. This method, to study differences in the seed moisture content, is nondestructive and could be useful for a sustainable Agriculture.

Content-based TV sports video retrieval using multimodal analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yiqing; Liu, Huayong; Wang, Hongbin; Zhou, Dongru

2003-09-01

In this paper, we propose content-based video retrieval, which is a kind of retrieval by its semantical contents. Because video data is composed of multimodal information streams such as video, auditory and textual streams, we describe a strategy of using multimodal analysis for automatic parsing sports video. The paper first defines the basic structure of sports video database system, and then introduces a new approach that integrates visual stream analysis, speech recognition, speech signal processing and text extraction to realize video retrieval. The experimental results for TV sports video of football games indicate that the multimodal analysis is effective for video retrieval by quickly browsing tree-like video clips or inputting keywords within predefined domain.

NIR spectroscopy for the quality control of Moringa oleifera (Lam.) leaf powders: Prediction of minerals, protein and moisture contents.

Science.gov (United States)

Rébufa, Catherine; Pany, Inès; Bombarda, Isabelle

2018-09-30

A rapid methodology was developed to simultaneously predict water content and activity values (a w ) of Moringa oleifera leaf powders (MOLP) using near infrared (NIR) signatures and experimental sorption isotherms. NIR spectra of MOLP samples (n = 181) were recorded. A Partial Least Square Regression model (PLS2) was obtained with low standard errors of prediction (SEP of 1.8% and 0.07 for water content and a w respectively). Experimental sorption isotherms obtained at 20, 30 and 40 °C showed similar profiles. This result is particularly important to use MOLP in food industry. In fact, a temperature variation of the drying process will not affect their available water content (self-life). Nutrient contents based on protein and selected minerals (Ca, Fe, K) were also predicted from PLS1 models. Protein contents were well predicted (SEP of 2.3%). This methodology allowed for an improvement in MOLP safety, quality control and traceability. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Optimization Method of a Low Cost, High Performance Ceramic Proppant by Orthogonal Experimental Design

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Y.; Tian, Y. M.; Wang, K. Y.; Li, G.; Zou, X. W.; Chai, Y. S.

2017-09-01

This study focused on optimization method of a ceramic proppant material with both low cost and high performance that met the requirements of Chinese Petroleum and Gas Industry Standard (SY/T 5108-2006). The orthogonal experimental design of L9(34) was employed to study the significance sequence of three factors, including weight ratio of white clay to bauxite, dolomite content and sintering temperature. For the crush resistance, both the range analysis and variance analysis reflected the optimally experimental condition was weight ratio of white clay to bauxite=3/7, dolomite content=3 wt.%, temperature=1350°C. For the bulk density, the most important factor was the sintering temperature, followed by the dolomite content, and then the ratio of white clay to bauxite.

Understanding Ebola Virus Transmission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seth Judson

2015-02-01

Full Text Available An unprecedented number of Ebola virus infections among healthcare workers and patients have raised questions about our understanding of Ebola virus transmission. Here, we explore different routes of Ebola virus transmission between people, summarizing the known epidemiological and experimental data. From this data, we expose important gaps in Ebola virus research pertinent to outbreak situations. We further propose experiments and methods of data collection that will enable scientists to fill these voids in our knowledge about the transmission of Ebola virus.

The perception of animal experimentation ethics among Indian teenage school pupils.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Justin Namuk; Choi, Eun Hee; Kim, Soo-Ki

2017-03-01

To promote awareness of animal experimentation ethics among teenagers, we created an educational pamphlet and an accompanying questionnaire. One hundred Indian teenage school pupils were given the pamphlet and subsequently surveyed with the questionnaire, to evaluate: a) their perception of animal experimentation ethics; and b) their opinion on the effectiveness of the pamphlet, according to gender and school grade/age. There was a significant correlation between grade/age and support for animal experimentation, i.e. senior students were more inclined to show support for animal experimentation. There was also a significant correlation between gender and perception of the need to learn about animal experimentation ethics, with girls more likely to feel the need to learn about ethics than boys. In addition, the four questions relating to the usefulness of the pamphlet, and student satisfaction with its content, received positive responses from the majority of the students. Even though the pamphlet was concise, it was apparent that three quarters of the students were satisfied with its content. Gender and age did not influence this level of satisfaction. Overall, our study shows that there is a significant correlation between a pupil`s school grade/age and their support for animal experimentation, and that there is also a significant correlation between gender and the perceived need to learn about animal experimentation ethics. This pilot scheme involving an educational pamphlet and questionnaire could be beneficial in helping to formulate basic strategies for educating teenage school pupils about animal ethics. 2017 FRAME.

Influence of the P content on the transport parameters of hydrogen in Fe alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peñalva, I., E-mail: igor.penalva@ehu.es [University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Department of Nuclear Engineering & Fluid Mechanics, Faculty of Engineering, Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Alberro, G.; Legarda, F. [University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Department of Nuclear Engineering & Fluid Mechanics, Faculty of Engineering, Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Ortiz, C.J.; Vila, R. [CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Gas permeation technique was used to study hydrogen diffusive transport parameters. • Four Fe alloys were analyzed to study the influence of the P content. • Increase in the P content leads to smaller values of permeability and diffusivity. • Trapping effects were observed at temperatures below 473 K for alloys containing P. - Abstract: In this work, the hydrogen transport parameters of permeability (ϕ), diffusivity (D) and Sieverts’ constant (K{sub S}) were experimentally measured in four Fe alloys supplied by the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA), by means of the gas evolution permeation technique. The samples had controlled chemical alloying element contents and microstructure. The experimental temperature range explored was from 423 K to 823 K and the high purity hydrogen loading pressures from 10{sup 3} Pa to 1.5·10{sup 5} Pa. The main objective of this work was to determine the influence of the P content of the alloy in the transport parameters of hydrogen. Two of the samples, pure Fe and FeC, contained negligible quantities of P (less than 5 ppm in weight), whereas the other two, FeP and FeCP, had the same metallurgical composition as their corresponding pair, with the only difference in the phosphorus content (89 ppm in weight and 88 ppm in weight, respectively). The experimental permeation results were analyzed using a non-linear least square fitting. The final resulting values of the aforementioned transport parameters were paired off in order to determine the effect of the P content: pure Fe versus FeP and FeC versus FeCP. We observed that the permeability obtained for all the samples follows an Arrhenius law in each case. In general terms, the increase of the P content in the alloy leads to smaller values of the permeability showing a decrease in the permeation activation energy. Regarding diffusivity and Sieverts’ constant, trapping effects have been observed for the alloys containing P. This phenomenon was

Visualization and understanding of the granulation liquid mixing and distribution during continuous twin screw granulation using NIR chemical imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Vercruysse, Jurgen; Toiviainen, Maunu; Fonteyne, Margot; Helkimo, Niko; Ketolainen, Jarkko; Juuti, Mikko; Delaet, Urbain; Van Assche, Ivo; Remon, Jean Paul; Vervaet, Chris; De Beer, Thomas

2014-04-01

Over the last decade, there has been increased interest in the application of twin screw granulation as a continuous wet granulation technique for pharmaceutical drug formulations. However, the mixing of granulation liquid and powder material during the short residence time inside the screw chamber and the atypical particle size distribution (PSD) of granules produced by twin screw granulation is not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study aims at visualizing the granulation liquid mixing and distribution during continuous twin screw granulation using NIR chemical imaging. In first instance, the residence time of material inside the barrel was investigated as function of screw speed and moisture content followed by the visualization of the granulation liquid distribution as function of different formulation and process parameters (liquid feed rate, liquid addition method, screw configuration, moisture content and barrel filling degree). The link between moisture uniformity and granule size distributions was also studied. For residence time analysis, increased screw speed and lower moisture content resulted to a shorter mean residence time and narrower residence time distribution. Besides, the distribution of granulation liquid was more homogenous at higher moisture content and with more kneading zones on the granulator screws. After optimization of the screw configuration, a two-level full factorial experimental design was performed to evaluate the influence of moisture content, screw speed and powder feed rate on the mixing efficiency of the powder and liquid phase. From these results, it was concluded that only increasing the moisture content significantly improved the granulation liquid distribution. This study demonstrates that NIR chemical imaging is a fast and adequate measurement tool for allowing process visualization and hence for providing better process understanding of a continuous twin screw granulation system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All

Engineering Potato Starch with a Higher Phosphate Content.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuan Xu

Full Text Available Phosphate esters are responsible for valuable and unique functionalities of starch for industrial applications. Also in the cell phosphate esters play a role in starch metabolism, which so far has not been well characterized in storage starch. Laforin, a human enzyme composed of a carbohydrate-binding module and a dual-specificity phosphatase domain, is involved in the dephosphorylation of glycogen. To modify phosphate content and better understand starch (dephosphorylation in storage starch, laforin was engineered and introduced into potato (cultivar Kardal. Interestingly, expression of an (engineered laforin in potato resulted in significantly higher phosphate content of starch, and this result was confirmed in amylose-free potato genetic background (amf. Modified starches exhibited altered granule morphology and size compared to the control. About 20-30% of the transgenic lines of each series showed red-staining granules upon incubation with iodine, and contained higher phosphate content than the blue-stained starch granules. Moreover, low amylose content and altered gelatinization properties were observed in these red-stained starches. Principle component and correlation analysis disclosed a complex correlation between starch composition and starch physico-chemical properties. Ultimately, the expression level of endogenous genes involved in starch metabolism was analysed, revealing a compensatory response to the decrease of phosphate content in potato starch. This study provides a new perspective for engineering starch phosphate content in planta by making use of the compensatory mechanism in the plant itself.

[The catecholamine content of the hypothalamus during the modelling of the ulcer process in the gastroduodenal area].

Science.gov (United States)

Iemel'ianenko, I V; Sultanova, I D; Voronych, N M

1995-01-01

The content of catecholamines in rat hypothalamus in experimental ulcer process in gastroduodenal region has been studied in experiments on rats. It was determined that under these conditions the content of hypothalamus adrenalin increases and the content of noradrenalin decreases. The level of dofamin and DOFA in this brain structure changes in phases. The mentioned shifts depended on the duration and character of the pathological process in the gastroduodenal region.

Analysis of Neurotransmitter Tissue Content of Drosophila melanogaster in Different Life Stages

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster is a widely used model organism for studying neurological diseases with similar neurotransmission to mammals. While both larva and adult Drosophila have central nervous systems, not much is known about how neurotransmitter tissue content changes through development. In this study, we quantified tyramine, serotonin, octopamine, and dopamine in larval, pupal, and adult fly brains using capillary electrophoresis coupled to fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. Tyramine and octopamine content varied between life stages, with almost no octopamine being present in the pupa, while tyramine levels in the pupa were very high. Adult females had significantly higher dopamine content than males, but no other neurotransmitters were dependent on sex in the adult. Understanding the tissue content of different life stages will be beneficial for future work comparing the effects of diseases on tissue content throughout development. PMID:25437353

Understanding Editing Behaviors in Multilingual Wikipedia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Suin; Park, Sungjoon; Hale, Scott A; Kim, Sooyoung; Byun, Jeongmin; Oh, Alice H

2016-01-01

Multilingualism is common offline, but we have a more limited understanding of the ways multilingualism is displayed online and the roles that multilinguals play in the spread of content between speakers of different languages. We take a computational approach to studying multilingualism using one of the largest user-generated content platforms, Wikipedia. We study multilingualism by collecting and analyzing a large dataset of the content written by multilingual editors of the English, German, and Spanish editions of Wikipedia. This dataset contains over two million paragraphs edited by over 15,000 multilingual users from July 8 to August 9, 2013. We analyze these multilingual editors in terms of their engagement, interests, and language proficiency in their primary and non-primary (secondary) languages and find that the English edition of Wikipedia displays different dynamics from the Spanish and German editions. Users primarily editing the Spanish and German editions make more complex edits than users who edit these editions as a second language. In contrast, users editing the English edition as a second language make edits that are just as complex as the edits by users who primarily edit the English edition. In this way, English serves a special role bringing together content written by multilinguals from many language editions. Nonetheless, language remains a formidable hurdle to the spread of content: we find evidence for a complexity barrier whereby editors are less likely to edit complex content in a second language. In addition, we find that multilinguals are less engaged and show lower levels of language proficiency in their second languages. We also examine the topical interests of multilingual editors and find that there is no significant difference between primary and non-primary editors in each language.

Understanding Editing Behaviors in Multilingual Wikipedia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suin Kim

Full Text Available Multilingualism is common offline, but we have a more limited understanding of the ways multilingualism is displayed online and the roles that multilinguals play in the spread of content between speakers of different languages. We take a computational approach to studying multilingualism using one of the largest user-generated content platforms, Wikipedia. We study multilingualism by collecting and analyzing a large dataset of the content written by multilingual editors of the English, German, and Spanish editions of Wikipedia. This dataset contains over two million paragraphs edited by over 15,000 multilingual users from July 8 to August 9, 2013. We analyze these multilingual editors in terms of their engagement, interests, and language proficiency in their primary and non-primary (secondary languages and find that the English edition of Wikipedia displays different dynamics from the Spanish and German editions. Users primarily editing the Spanish and German editions make more complex edits than users who edit these editions as a second language. In contrast, users editing the English edition as a second language make edits that are just as complex as the edits by users who primarily edit the English edition. In this way, English serves a special role bringing together content written by multilinguals from many language editions. Nonetheless, language remains a formidable hurdle to the spread of content: we find evidence for a complexity barrier whereby editors are less likely to edit complex content in a second language. In addition, we find that multilinguals are less engaged and show lower levels of language proficiency in their second languages. We also examine the topical interests of multilingual editors and find that there is no significant difference between primary and non-primary editors in each language.

Understanding the degradation of ascorbic acid and glutathione in relation to the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. italica cv. Bellstar) during storage and mechanical processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Raseetha, Siva; Leong, Sze Ying; Burritt, David John; Oey, Indrawati

2013-06-01

The purpose of this research was to understand the degradation of ascorbic acid and glutathione content in broccoli florets (Brassica oleracea L. italica cv. Bellstar) during prolonged storage and subsequent mechanical processing. The initial content of total ascorbic acid and glutathione in broccoli florets averaged at 5.18 ± 0.23 and 0.70 ± 0.03 μmol/g fresh weight, respectively. Results showed that the content of ascorbic acid and glutathione in broccoli degraded during storage at 23°C, for at least 4.5-fold after 6 days of storage. On each day of storage, broccoli florets were mechanically processed, but the content of total ascorbic acid and glutathione was not significantly affected. When the mechanically processed broccoli florets were further incubated for up to 6h, the amount of ascorbic acid was greatly reduced as compared to glutathione. To obtain an in-depth understanding on the degradation of ascorbic acid and glutathione, the activity of enzymes involved in plant antioxidative system via ascorbate-glutathione cycle, as a response towards oxidative stress that took place during storage was determined in this study. The content of total ascorbic acid and glutathione in broccoli florets before and after mechanical processing were found to decrease concurrently with the activity of ascorbic acid peroxidase and glutathione reductase over the experimental storage duration. Meanwhile, the effect of oxidative stress on the content of ascorbic acid and glutathione was apparent during the 6h of incubation after mechanical processing. This phenomenon was demonstrated by the level of oxidative stress biomarkers examined, in which the formation of lipid peroxides, protein carbonyls and DNA oxidised products was positively associated with the degradation of total ascorbic acid and glutathione. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What Combinations of Contents is Driving Popularity in IPTV-based Social Networks?

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, Rajen

IPTV-based Social Networks are gaining popularity with TV programs coming over IP connection and internet like applications available on home TV. One such application is rating TV programs over some predefined genres. In this paper, we suggest an approach for building a recommender system to be used by content distributors, publishers, and motion pictures producers-directors to decide on what combinations of contents may drive popularity or unpopularity. This may be used then for creating a proper mixture of media contents which can drive high popularity. This may also be used for the purpose of catering customized contents for group of users whose taste is similar and thus combinations of contents driving popularity for a certain group is also similar. We use a novel approach for this formulation utilizing fuzzy decision trees. Computational experiments performed over real-world program review database shows that the proposed approach is very efficient towards understanding of the content combinations.

Do 6-Month-Olds Understand That Speech Can Communicate?

Science.gov (United States)

Vouloumanos, Athena; Martin, Alia; Onishi, Kristine H.

2014-01-01

Adults and 12-month-old infants recognize that even unfamiliar speech can communicate information between third parties, suggesting that they can separate the communicative function of speech from its lexical content. But do infants recognize that speech can communicate due to their experience understanding and producing language, or do they…

Effect of salt stress on growth and contents of organic and inorganic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effect of salt stress on growth and contents of organic and inorganic compounds in noni ( Morinda citrifolia L.) ... seedlings at 1, 10, 20, 30 and 40 days of salt stress in a 5 x 2 completely randomized experimental design. ... from 32 Countries:.

Teaching the content and context of science: The effect of using historical narratives to teach the nature of science and science content in an undergraduate introductory geology course

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderlinden, David Winston

This study reports the use of historically accurate narratives (short stories) to simultaneously teach geology content and the nature of science in an introductory, undergraduate geology course. The stories describe key events involved in the development of geologists' ideas about continental drift/plate tectonics and deep time/the age of the Earth. The design of the stories provides a highly contextualized setting which is designed to promote NOS and geology understanding by explicitly attending students to fundamental concepts and requiring students to reflect on the short story content. Evidence is reported to support the conclusion that students using these short stories constructed a better understanding of (1) the variety of processes involved in the construction of scientific knowledge, (2) the subjective nature of data that allows it to be interpreted differently by different scientists, and (3) the roles that culture and society play in determining the way in which scientific work is conducted and scientific ideas are constructed, while maintaining equal levels of understanding of geology content when compared to students who did not use the short stories. In some cases, students' preconceptions about objectivity in science, the degree to which scientific ideas can be considered as "proven" or "true," and the role of discovery in science appear to have adversely affected their ability to interpret the short story content in the ways intended. In addition, students' misconceptions about differences in how oceanic and continental plates were formed and geologists' use of relative and absolute dating techniques, especially the appropriate uses of radio-isotopic dating, are described. This study has implications for science instructors as they make efforts to efficiently use class time and curriculum resources to teach about the both the content and context of science and for geology instructors as they consider students' misconceptions about plate tectonics

Characterizing the structure and content of nurse handoffs: A Sequential Conversational Analysis approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham, Joanna; Kannampallil, Thomas; Brenner, Corinne; Lopez, Karen D; Almoosa, Khalid F; Patel, Bela; Patel, Vimla L

2016-02-01

Effective communication during nurse handoffs is instrumental in ensuring safe and quality patient care. Much of the prior research on nurse handoffs has utilized retrospective methods such as interviews, surveys and questionnaires. While extremely useful, an in-depth understanding of the structure and content of conversations, and the inherent relationships within the content is paramount to designing effective nurse handoff interventions. In this paper, we present a methodological framework-Sequential Conversational Analysis (SCA)-a mixed-method approach that integrates qualitative conversational analysis with quantitative sequential pattern analysis. We describe the SCA approach and provide a detailed example as a proof of concept of its use for the analysis of nurse handoff communication in a medical intensive care unit. This novel approach allows us to characterize the conversational structure, clinical content, disruptions in the conversation, and the inherently phasic nature of nurse handoff communication. The characterization of communication patterns highlights the relationships underlying the verbal content of nurse handoffs with specific emphasis on: the interactive nature of conversation, relevance of role-based (incoming, outgoing) communication requirements, clinical content focus on critical patient-related events, and discussion of pending patient management tasks. We also discuss the applicability of the SCA approach as a method for providing in-depth understanding of the dynamics of communication in other settings and domains. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simulation and experimental analysis of nanoindentation and mechanical properties of amorphous NiAl alloys.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chih-Hao; Fang, Te-Hua; Cheng, Po-Chien; Chiang, Chia-Chin; Chao, Kuan-Chi

2015-06-01

This paper used numerical and experimental methods to investigate the mechanical properties of amorphous NiAl alloys during the nanoindentation process. A simulation was performed using the many-body tight-binding potential method. Temperature, plastic deformation, elastic recovery, and hardness were evaluated. The experimental method was based on nanoindentation measurements, allowing a precise prediction of Young's modulus and hardness values for comparison with the simulation results. The indentation simulation results showed a significant increase of NiAl hardness and elastic recovery with increasing Ni content. Furthermore, the results showed that hardness and Young's modulus increase with increasing Ni content. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Adhesion test of amorphous NiAl alloys at room temperature is also described in this study.

Chemical composition and enzymatic digestibility of sugarcane clones selected for varied lignin content

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masarin Fernando

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The recalcitrance of lignocellulosic materials is a major limitation for their conversion into fermentable sugars. Lignin depletion in new cultivars or transgenic plants has been identified as a way to diminish this recalcitrance. In this study, we assessed the success of a sugarcane breeding program in selecting sugarcane plants with low lignin content, and report the chemical composition and agronomic characteristics of eleven experimental hybrids and two reference samples. The enzymatic digestion of untreated and chemically delignified samples was evaluated to advance the performance of the sugarcane residue (bagasse in cellulosic-ethanol production processes. Results The ranges for the percentages of glucan, hemicellulose, lignin, and extractive (based on oven-dry biomass of the experimental hybrids and reference samples were 38% to 43%, 25% to 32%, 17% to 24%, and 1.6% to 7.5%, respectively. The samples with the smallest amounts of lignin did not produce the largest amounts of total polysaccharides. Instead, a variable increase in the mass of a number of components, including extractives, seemed to compensate for the reduction in lignin content. Hydroxycinnamic acids accounted for a significant part of the aromatic compounds in the samples, with p-coumaric acid predominating, whereas ferulic acid was present only in low amounts. Hydroxycinnamic acids with ester linkage to the hemicelluloses varied from 2.3% to 3.6%. The percentage of total hydroxycinnamic acids (including the fraction linked to lignin through ether linkages varied from 5.0% to 9.2%, and correlated to some extent with the lignin content. These clones released up to 31% of glucose after 72 hours of digestion with commercial cellulases, whereas chemically delignified samples led to cellulose conversion values of more than 80%. However, plants with lower lignin content required less delignification to reach higher efficiencies of cellulose conversion during

The effects of academic literacy instruction on engagement and conceptual understanding of biology of ninth-grade students

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Susan C.

Academic language, discourse, vocabulary, motivation, and comprehension of complex texts and concepts are keys to learning subject-area content. The need for a disciplinary literacy approach in high school classrooms accelerates as students become increasing disengaged in school and as content complexity increases. In the present quasi-experimental mixed-method study, a ninth-grade biology unit was designed with an emphasis on promoting academic literacy skills, discourse, meaningful constructivist learning, interest development, and positive learning experiences in order to learn science content. Quantitative and qualitative analyses on a variety of measures completed by 222 students in two high schools revealed that those who received academic literacy instruction in science class performed at significantly higher levels of conceptual understanding of biology content, academic language and vocabulary use, reasoned thought, engagement, and quality of learning experience than control-group students receiving traditionally-organized instruction. Academic literacy was embedded into biology instruction to engage students in meaning-making discourses of science to promote learning. Academic literacy activities were organized according the phases of interest development to trigger and sustain interest and goal-oriented engagement throughout the unit. Specific methods included the Generative Vocabulary Matrix (GVM), scenario-based writing, and involvement in a variety of strategically-placed discourse activities to sustain or "boost" engagement for learning. Traditional instruction for the control group included teacher lecture, whole-group discussion, a conceptual organizer, and textbook reading. Theoretical foundations include flow theory, sociocultural learning theory, and interest theory. Qualitative data were obtained from field notes and participants' journals. Quantitative survey data were collected and analyzed using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to

Thermodynamic analysis of chromium solubility data in liquid lithium containing nitrogen: Comparison between experimental data and computer simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krasin, Valery P.; Soyustova, Svetlana I.

2015-01-01

The mathematical formalism for description of solute interactions in dilute solution of chromium and nitrogen in liquid lithium have been applied for calculating of the temperature dependence of the solubility of chromium in liquid lithium with the various nitrogen contents. It is shown that the derived equations are useful to provide understanding of a relationship between thermodynamic properties and local ordering in the Li–Cr–N melt. Comparison between theory and data reported in the literature for solubility of chromium in nitrogen-contaminated liquid lithium, was allowed to explain the reasons of the deviation of the experimental semi-logarithmic plot of chromium content in liquid lithium as a function of the reciprocal temperature from a straight line. - Highlights: • The activity coefficient of chromium in ternary melt can be obtained by means of integrating the Gibbs–Duhem equation. • In lithium with the high nitrogen content, the dependence of a logarithm of chromium solubility as a function of the reciprocal temperature has essentially nonlinear character. • At temperatures below a certain threshold, the process of dissolution of chromium in lithium will be controlled by the equilibrium concentration of nitrogen required for the formation of ternary nitride Li_9CrN_5at a given temperature.

Understanding metal–insulator transition in sodium tungsten bronze

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2015-05-20

May 20, 2015 ... We have carried out angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and spectromicroscopy studies to understand the metal–insulator transition (MIT) observed in sodium tungsten bronzes, NaWO3. The experimentally determined band structure is compared with the theoretical calculation based ...

Effects of nutrient content claims, sports celebrity endorsements and premium offers on pre-adolescent children's food preferences: experimental research.

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, H; Scully, M; Niven, P; Kelly, B; Chapman, K; Donovan, R; Martin, J; Baur, L A; Crawford, D; Wakefield, M

2014-04-01

To assess pre-adolescent children's responses to common child-oriented front-of-pack food promotions. Between-subjects, web-based experiment with four front-of-pack promotion conditions on energy-dense and nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods: no promotion [control]; nutrient content claims; sports celebrity endorsements (male athletes) and premium offers. Participants were 1302 grade 5 and 6 children (mean age 11 years) from Melbourne, Australia. Participants chose their preferred product from a randomly assigned EDNP food pack and comparable healthier food pack then completed detailed product ratings. Child-oriented pack designs with colourful, cartooned graphics, fonts and promotions were used. Compared to the control condition, children were more likely to choose EDNP products featuring nutrient content claims (both genders) and sports celebrity endorsements (boys only). Perceptions of nutritional content were enhanced by nutrient content claims. Effects of promotions on some product ratings (but not choice) were negated when children referred to the nutrition information panel. Premium offers did not enhance children's product ratings or choice. Nutrient content claims and sports celebrity endorsements influence pre-adolescent children's preferences towards EDNP food products displaying them. Policy interventions to reduce the impact of unhealthy food marketing to children should limit the use of these promotions. © 2013 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity © 2013 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Experimental RA reactor operation with 80% enriched fuel - Program of experimental operation: a) Program of experimental operation with 80% enriched fuel at low power, b) contents of the experimental operation with 80% enriched fuel at higher power levels; Program probnog rada: a) Program probnog rada reaktora sa 80% obogacenim gorivom na malim snagama, b) sadrzaj programa probnog rada reaktora RA sa 80% obogacenim gorivom na vecim snagama

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinc, R; Sotic, O; Skoric, M; Cupac, S; Bulovic, V; Maric, I; Marinkov, L [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Serbia and Montenegro)

1980-10-15

Highly enriched (80%) uranium oxide fuel was regularly used in the mixed reactor core with the 2% enriched fuel since 1976. The most important changes related to reactor operation, in comparison with the original design project were related to reactor core fuelling schemes. At the end of 1979 reactor was shutdown due to the corrosion coating noticed on some fuel elements and due to decrease quality of the heavy water. Subsequently the Sanitary inspector of Serbia has prohibited further reactor operation. Restart of the reactor will not be a simple continuation of operation. It is indispensable to perform complete experimental program including measurements of critical parameters at different power levels for the core with fresh 80% enriched fuel. The aim of this document is to obtain working permission and its contents are in agreement with the procedure demanded by the Safety Committee of the Institute. It includes results of optimization and safety analysis for the initial reactor core. Since the permission for restart is not obtained, a separate RA reactor safety report is prepared in addition to the program for experimental operation. This report includes: detailed program for reactor experimental operation with 80% enriched fuel in the core at low power levels, and contents of the experimental operation with 80% enriched fuel in the core at higher power levels. [Serbo-Croat] Od decembra 1976. godine redovno je korisceno 80% obogaceno gorivo u mesanoj resetki reaktorskog jezgra sa 2% obogacenim gorivom. Najvece izmene na reaktoru u odnosu na originalni projekat izvrsene su u nacinu rukovanja gorivom. Krajem marta 1979. godine obustavljen je rad reaktora usled naslaga na gorivnim elementima i loseg stanja teske vode. Naknadno je izdata zabrana za rad reaktora od strane Sanitarnog inspektora SR Srbije. Ponovno pustanje reaktora u rad nece biti jednostavan nastavak rada. Neophodno je da se izvede kompletan program merenja kriticnih parametara i drugih

Absolute measurement of environmental radon content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Changsong

1987-01-01

A transportable meter for environmental radon measurement with a 40 liter decay chamber is designed on the principle of Thomas two-filter radon content absolute measurement. The sensitivity is 0.37 Bq·m -3 with 95% confidence level. This paper describes the experimental method of measuremment and it's intrinsic uncertainty. The typical intrinsic uncertainty (for n x 3.7 Bq·m -3 radon concentration) is <10%. The parameter of exit filter effeciency is introduced into the formula, and the verification is done for the case when the diameter of the exit filter is much less than the inlet one

Thermo physical properties of lateritic soil bricks: Influence of water content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meukam, P.; Noumowe, A.; Kofane, T.C.

2002-11-01

This paper presents an experimental study carried out in order to determine the properties of local materials used as construction materials. Cement stabilized compressed bricks were tested. The thermal properties of lateritic soil based materials were determined. The objectives of work reported in this paper are to determine the effect of addition of pozzolan or sawdust in lateritic soil brick on the thermal properties. It was shown that the effect of the incorporation of pozzolan or sawdust is the decreasing of the thermal conductivity and density. The moisture content of these materials can modify their thermal performance. Thus a study of the influence of the water content on the thermal conductivity k and the thermal diffusivity a is presented. The thermal conductivity, as a function of water content, increases rapidly between O% and 12% for lateritic soil. The thermal diffusivity curve presents a maximum for values of water content of 15% for lateritic soil and 8% for lateritic soil-pozzolan or lateritic soil- sawdust. (author)

Pharmacologic and radioimmunologic studies on some endocrine functions in experimental hypothyreosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyadzhieva, N.; Visheva, N.; Milanov, S.; Krysteva, S.

1990-01-01

The study was performed on two groups of rats: 1) sexually mature males with experimental hypothyreosis produced with methisol 2) progeny of female rats with hypothyreosis. Prolactin and growth hormone levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. Changes were found in rats with experimental hypothyreosis. In the progeny there were changes only in prolactin level. The content of dopamine and serotonine in the brain of the progeny were also determined. Changes were found in the dopamine content, which correlated with the elevated prolactin level. The hypothesis is advanced that disturbances exist in the central neuro-mediatory mechanisms during the pre-and postnatal life, controlling the functions of the pituitary-thyroid axis and the production and release of prolactin and growth hormone. 3 tabs., 7 refs

Phase 3 Oncology Clinical Trials in South Africa: Experimentation or Therapeutic Misconception?

Science.gov (United States)

Malan, Tina; Moodley, Keymanthri

2016-02-01

Although clinical research in oncology is vital to improve current understanding of cancer and to validate new treatment options, voluntary informed consent is a critical component. Oncology research participants are a particularly vulnerable population; hence, therapeutic misconception often leads to ethical and legal challenges. We conducted a qualitative study administering semi-structured questionnaires on 29 adult, Phase 3, oncology clinical trial participants at three different private oncology clinical trial sites in South Africa. A descriptive content analysis was performed to identify perceptions of these participants regarding Phase 3 clinical trials. We found that most participants provided consent to be included in the trial for self-benefit. More than half of the participants had a poor understanding of Phase 3 clinical trials, and almost half the participants believed the clinical trial did not pose any significant risk to them. The word "hope" was used frequently by participants, displaying clear optimism with regard to the clinical trial and its outcome. This indicated that therapeutic misconception does occur in the South African oncology research setting and has the potential to lead to underestimation of the risks of a Phase 3 clinical trial. Emphasizing the experimental nature of a clinical trial during the consent process is critical to address therapeutic misconception in oncology research. © The Author(s) 2016.

Knowledge Retention of Exercise Physiology Content between Athletes and Nonathletes

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Brian; Webster, Collin; Druger, Marvin

2006-01-01

Based on the idea that learning is linked to personal relevance, this study examined knowledge retention of exercise physiology content between college athletes and nonathletes. No differences were observed between the groups. These findings have implications on understanding the relationship between personal relevance and memory. (Contains 1…

Content-based Image Hiding Method for Secure Network Biometric Verification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangjiu Che

2011-08-01

Full Text Available For secure biometric verification, most existing methods embed biometric information directly into the cover image, but content correlation analysis between the biometric image and the cover image is often ignored. In this paper, we propose a novel biometric image hiding approach based on the content correlation analysis to protect the network-based transmitted image. By using principal component analysis (PCA, the content correlation between the biometric image and the cover image is firstly analyzed. Then based on particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm, some regions of the cover image are selected to represent the biometric image, in which the cover image can carry partial content of the biometric image. As a result of the correlation analysis, the unrepresented part of the biometric image is embedded into the cover image by using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT. Combined with human visual system (HVS model, this approach makes the hiding result perceptually invisible. The extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed hiding approach is robust against some common frequency and geometric attacks; it also provides an effective protection for the secure biometric verification.

New approach for cognitive analysis and understanding of medical patterns and visualizations

Science.gov (United States)

Ogiela, Marek R.; Tadeusiewicz, Ryszard

2003-11-01

This paper presents new opportunities for applying linguistic description of the picture merit content and AI methods to undertake tasks of the automatic understanding of images semantics in intelligent medical information systems. A successful obtaining of the crucial semantic content of the medical image may contribute considerably to the creation of new intelligent multimedia cognitive medical systems. Thanks to the new idea of cognitive resonance between stream of the data extracted from the image using linguistic methods and expectations taken from the representaion of the medical knowledge, it is possible to understand the merit content of the image even if teh form of the image is very different from any known pattern. This article proves that structural techniques of artificial intelligence may be applied in the case of tasks related to automatic classification and machine perception based on semantic pattern content in order to determine the semantic meaning of the patterns. In the paper are described some examples presenting ways of applying such techniques in the creation of cognitive vision systems for selected classes of medical images. On the base of scientific research described in the paper we try to build some new systems for collecting, storing, retrieving and intelligent interpreting selected medical images especially obtained in radiological and MRI examinations.

Experimental Induction of Genome Chaos.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Christine J; Liu, Guo; Heng, Henry H

2018-01-01

Genome chaos, or karyotype chaos, represents a powerful survival strategy for somatic cells under high levels of stress/selection. Since the genome context, not the gene content, encodes the genomic blueprint of the cell, stress-induced rapid and massive reorganization of genome topology functions as a very important mechanism for genome (karyotype) evolution. In recent years, the phenomenon of genome chaos has been confirmed by various sequencing efforts, and many different terms have been coined to describe different subtypes of the chaotic genome including "chromothripsis," "chromoplexy," and "structural mutations." To advance this exciting field, we need an effective experimental system to induce and characterize the karyotype reorganization process. In this chapter, an experimental protocol to induce chaotic genomes is described, following a brief discussion of the mechanism and implication of genome chaos in cancer evolution.

The metal/water explosion phenomenon - a review of present understanding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaughan, G.J.

1980-05-01

The metal/water explosion phenomenon has led to deaths and damage in several industrial incidents. This paper reviews the current understanding (up to 1978) of the phenomenon in terms of both the experimental evidence and the theoretical models that have been proposed. Complete understanding of the phenomenon has not been achieved and some recommendations are given for future work. (author)

Experimental Evaluations of Selected Immersion Hypothermia Protection Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-10-12

the research were Jim Strawhorn, Tom Horseman and Jay Smith. ii Srb "Peeat~loj 0",___e_____._______ . TABLE OF CONTENTS EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATIONS OF...In death . Insulating the body will decrease the amount of heat removed. The thickness of an Insulation layer and the type of material from which it is

Content-based image retrieval with ontological ranking

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Shen-Fu; Tsai, Min-Hsuan; Huang, Thomas S.

2010-02-01

Images are a much more powerful medium of expression than text, as the adage says: "One picture is worth a thousand words." It is because compared with text consisting of an array of words, an image has more degrees of freedom and therefore a more complicated structure. However, the less limited structure of images presents researchers in the computer vision community a tough task of teaching machines to understand and organize images, especially when a limit number of learning examples and background knowledge are given. The advance of internet and web technology in the past decade has changed the way human gain knowledge. People, hence, can exchange knowledge with others by discussing and contributing information on the web. As a result, the web pages in the internet have become a living and growing source of information. One is therefore tempted to wonder whether machines can learn from the web knowledge base as well. Indeed, it is possible to make computer learn from the internet and provide human with more meaningful knowledge. In this work, we explore this novel possibility on image understanding applied to semantic image search. We exploit web resources to obtain links from images to keywords and a semantic ontology constituting human's general knowledge. The former maps visual content to related text in contrast to the traditional way of associating images with surrounding text; the latter provides relations between concepts for machines to understand to what extent and in what sense an image is close to the image search query. With the aid of these two tools, the resulting image search system is thus content-based and moreover, organized. The returned images are ranked and organized such that semantically similar images are grouped together and given a rank based on the semantic closeness to the input query. The novelty of the system is twofold: first, images are retrieved not only based on text cues but their actual contents as well; second, the grouping

Unit mechanisms of fission gas release: Current understanding and future needs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tonks, Michael; Andersson, David; Devanathan, Ram; Dubourg, Roland; El-Azab, Anter; Freyss, Michel; Iglesias, Fernando; Kulacsy, Katalin; Pastore, Giovanni; Phillpot, Simon R.; Welland, Michael

2018-06-01

Gaseous fission product transport and release has a large impact on fuel performance, degrading fuel properties and, once the gas is released into the gap between the fuel and cladding, lowering gap thermal conductivity and increasing gap pressure. While gaseous fission product behavior has been investigated with bulk reactor experiments and simplified analytical models, recent improvements in experimental and modeling approaches at the atomistic and mesoscales are being applied to provide unprecedented understanding of the unit mechanisms that define the fission product behavior. In this article, existing research on the basic mechanisms behind the various stages of fission gas release during normal reactor operation are summarized and critical areas where experimental and simulation work is needed are identified. This basic understanding of the fission gas behavior mechanisms has the potential to revolutionize our ability to predict fission product behavior during reactor operation and to design fuels that have improved fission product retention. In addition, this work can serve as a model on how a coupled experimental and modeling approach can be applied to understand the unit mechanisms behind other critical behaviors in reactor materials.

Hygienic assessment of using rocks with high content of natural radionuclides in road construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kornilov, A.N.; Ryabchikov, S.G.

1983-01-01

Experimental investigations on radiation hygienic assessment of the possibilities of using rocks with an increased content of natural radionuclides (NRN) are carried out. At experimental road portions constructed using such rocks, γ-radiation levels have been measured and radioactive contamination of the ad-- jacent territory has been determined. The danger presented by such roads for highway engineering workers and population also has been assessed. The results obtained permit to express a possitive opinion on the use of solid wastes with an increased NRN content for construction of roads with asphalt coating. Rocks with specific α-activity 3 Bq/kg are recommended to be used for any types of road construction, whereas wastes with specific α-activity 3 Bq/kg - only for road construction in an industrial zone, between populated areas and for thoroughfares and highways. The use of wastes with a higher NRN content is unreasonable as it leads to a growth of annular dose to population and excessive exposure of construction workers engaged in highway engineering operations

Undergraduate Nursing Students' Understandings of Mental Health: A Review of the Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Barry, Sinead; Ward, Louise

2017-02-01

The purpose of this literature review was to identify research and current literature surrounding nursing students' understandings of mental health. The aim is to share findings from an extensive international and national literature review exploring undergraduate nurse education specific to mental health content. Data were collected utilising a comprehensive search of electronic databases including CINAHL (EBSCO), MEDLINE, and PsycINFO 1987-(Ovid) from 2008 to 2016. The initial search terms were altered to include undergraduate, mental health, nursing, education, experience, and knowledge. Three content themes emerged which included: 1. Undergraduate nursing students' knowledge has been considered compromised due to concerns relating to the variation and inconsistencies within the comprehensive nursing curriculums representation of mental health, 2. Undergraduate nursing students knowledge of mental health is thought to be compromised due to the quality of mental health theoretical and experiential learning opportunities, and 3. Research indicates that nursing students' knowledge of mental health was influenced by their experience of undertaking mental health content. Based on these findings greater consideration of students' understandings of mental health is required.

Collada sailing the gulf of 3D digital content creation

CERN Document Server

Arnaud, Remi

2006-01-01

Collada contains everything you need to get up and running to build your game, game engine or content pipeline tool. If you are a manager or decision maker, you get the added comfort of knowing that - finally - you just might be able to write that tool once and not over and over again."""" -Tony Parisi, Slashdot.org, December 2006 [The Authors] provide insight into the design of COLLADA so that readers can understand how design decisions were made and how this standard may evolve. The book will be useful to content developers interested in exchanging data between several tools, to application

Magneto-Rheological Damper - An Experimental Study

OpenAIRE

Lozoya-Santos , Jorge De-Jesus; Morales-Menéndez , Rubén; Ramirez-Mendoza , Ricardo; Tudon-Martınez , Juan ,; Sename , Olivier; Dugard , Luc

2012-01-01

International audience; A Magneto-Rheological (MR) damper is evaluated under exhaustive experimental scenarios, generating a complete database. The obtained database includes classical tests and new proposals emphasizing the frequency contents. It also includes the impact of the electric current fluctuations. The variety of the performed experiments allows to study the MR damper force dynamics. A brief description of the damper behavior and a categorization of experiments based on driving con...

Recent Stirling engine loss - understanding results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tew, R.C.; Thieme, L.G.; Dudenhoefer, J.E.

1994-01-01

For several years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other US Government agencies have been funding experimental and analytical efforts to improve the understanding of Stirling thermodynamic losses. NASA's objective is to improve Stirling engine design capability to support the development of new engines for space power. An overview of these efforts was last given at the 1988 IECEC. Recent results of this research are reviewed

Understanding computer and information technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yun Cheol; Han, Tack Don; Im, Sun Beom

2009-01-01

This book consists of four parts. The first part describes IT technology and information community understanding of computer system, constitution of software system and information system and application of software. The second part is about computer network, information and communication, application and internet service. The third part contains application and multi media, application of mobile computer, ubiquitous computing and ubiquitous environment and computer and digital life. The last part explains information security and ethics of information-oriented society, information industry and IT venture, digital contents technology and industry and the future and development of information-oriented society.

Burnout syndrome: understanding of medical teaching professionals

OpenAIRE

Jaqueline Brito Vidal Batista; Thaíza Ferreira Costa; Jocerlânia Maria Dias de Morais; Eveline de Oliveira Barros; Patrícia Serpa de Souza Batista; Márcia Adriana Dias Meirelles Moreira; Jessyka Cibelly Minervina da Costa Silva; Débora Rodrigues Alves de Lima; Ana Hévila Marinho Bezerra; Irany Carvalho da Silva

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the understanding of medical teaching professionals about Burnout Syndrome. This is a qualitative, exploratory study, consisting of ten teaching physicians, who work at the hospital of a higher education institution. The data were collected from May to June 2013, through a form with questions pertinent to the proposed research objective, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee (Protocol No. 84022), and analyzed qualitatively, through the content analysi...

Experimental study of the process of cutting of sugarcane bagasse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arzolaa, Nelson; Garcia, Joyner

2015-01-01

Biomass densification has encouraged significant interest around the world as a technique for utilization of agro and forest residues as an energy source, and pellets/briquettes production has grown rapidly in last few years. The cutting process is one of the most important steps for biomass preparation prior densification. This stage helps to homogenize the raw material and therefore facilitate handling, feeding and filling in the briquetting equipment. The aim of this work was to study the behavior of sugarcane bagasse submitted to cutting, as a function of its moisture content, angle of the blade edge and cutting speed. The specific cutting energy and peak cutting force were measure using an experimental facility developed for this series of experiments. An analysis of the results of the full factorial experimental design using a statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. The response surfaces and empirical models for the specific cutting energy and peak cutting force were obtained using statistical analysis system software. Low angle of the blade edge and low moisture content are, in this order, the most important experimental factors in determining a low specific cutting energy and a low peak cutting force respectively. The best cutting conditions are achieved for an angle of blade edge of 20.8° and a moisture content of 10% w. b. The results of this work could contribute to the optimal design of sugarcane bagasse pre-treatment systems. (full text)

Understanding AL-PAM assisted oil sands tailings treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, L.; Maham, Y.; Masliyah, J.; Xu, Z. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical and Materials Engineering

2010-07-01

Technologies currently used to treat oil sands tailings include the composite tailings (CT) process and the thickened tailings (TT) or paste technology process. This PowerPoint presentation discussed a flocculation and filtration method used to produce stackable tailings deposits. Magnafloc 1011 and AL-PAM additions were used as part of the filtration technique to produce very dry filter cakes. The effect of AL-PAM molecular weight and aluminum content on tailings treatments was investigated as well as the effect of tailings characteristics on the performance of flocculant-assisted tailings filtration processes. The AL-PAM molecular structure was studied. An experimental study was conducted to determine the effect of various polymer additions on fresh tailings from an oil sands plant. The study showed that the optimum dosage for settling and filtration was lower for higher molecular weight AL-PAM. A higher aluminum content was beneficial for settling. Increases in the aluminum content did not improve filtration rates, but reduced optimal dosages. Step-by-step details of the supernatant filtration process were provided, as well as photographs of the laboratory study. tabs., figs.

Enhancing Content Knowledge in Essay Writing Classes: A Multimedia Package for Iranian EFL Learners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marziyeh Tahmouresi Majelan

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this study was to investigate empirically if promoting a multimedia package enhances content knowledge in essay writing of 80 junior English translation students at a University in Karaj, Iran; plus, whether the learners’ writing content improve due to the presence of the multimedia package or not. The multimedia was considered to be a CD, containing recordings both in first language (L1=Farsi and in second language (L2=English along with manipulative and task-based activities. A homogenizing test, the pre-posttests, and the material in a form of a CD (treatment including forty of the most common TOEFL essays both in L1 and L2 plus manipulative tasks to fulfill provided by the researcher, were the instruments in the study.  After 14 weeks, both the experimental and control groups sat for the posttest with exactly the same characteristics of pretest except for the topics. When the collected data was analyzed, a mean difference of t-test along with a paired t-test showed a significant difference between the performance of the control and the experimental groups, regarding the content. Consequently, the statistics proved that enhancing content knowledge by means of a multimedia package containing recordings plus manipulative and task-based activities would improve students’ writing ability while the control group in which a current traditional rhetoric approach was used, the placebo, did not show any statistically significant improvement regarding content.

Optical Method for Estimating the Chlorophyll Contents in Plant Leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Patricio, Madaín; Camas-Anzueto, Jorge Luis; Sanchez-Alegría, Avisaí; Aguilar-González, Abiel; Gutiérrez-Miceli, Federico; Escobar-Gómez, Elías; Voisin, Yvon; Rios-Rojas, Carlos; Grajales-Coutiño, Ruben

2018-02-22

This work introduces a new vision-based approach for estimating chlorophyll contents in a plant leaf using reflectance and transmittance as base parameters. Images of the top and underside of the leaf are captured. To estimate the base parameters (reflectance/transmittance), a novel optical arrangement is proposed. The chlorophyll content is then estimated by using linear regression where the inputs are the reflectance and transmittance of the leaf. Performance of the proposed method for chlorophyll content estimation was compared with a spectrophotometer and a Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) meter. Chlorophyll content estimation was realized for Lactuca sativa L., Azadirachta indica , Canavalia ensiforme , and Lycopersicon esculentum . Experimental results showed that-in terms of accuracy and processing speed-the proposed algorithm outperformed many of the previous vision-based approach methods that have used SPAD as a reference device. On the other hand, the accuracy reached is 91% for crops such as Azadirachta indica , where the chlorophyll value was obtained using the spectrophotometer. Additionally, it was possible to achieve an estimation of the chlorophyll content in the leaf every 200 ms with a low-cost camera and a simple optical arrangement. This non-destructive method increased accuracy in the chlorophyll content estimation by using an optical arrangement that yielded both the reflectance and transmittance information, while the required hardware is cheap.

Optical Method for Estimating the Chlorophyll Contents in Plant Leaves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madaín Pérez-Patricio

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This work introduces a new vision-based approach for estimating chlorophyll contents in a plant leaf using reflectance and transmittance as base parameters. Images of the top and underside of the leaf are captured. To estimate the base parameters (reflectance/transmittance, a novel optical arrangement is proposed. The chlorophyll content is then estimated by using linear regression where the inputs are the reflectance and transmittance of the leaf. Performance of the proposed method for chlorophyll content estimation was compared with a spectrophotometer and a Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD meter. Chlorophyll content estimation was realized for Lactuca sativa L., Azadirachta indica, Canavalia ensiforme, and Lycopersicon esculentum. Experimental results showed that—in terms of accuracy and processing speed—the proposed algorithm outperformed many of the previous vision-based approach methods that have used SPAD as a reference device. On the other hand, the accuracy reached is 91% for crops such as Azadirachta indica, where the chlorophyll value was obtained using the spectrophotometer. Additionally, it was possible to achieve an estimation of the chlorophyll content in the leaf every 200 ms with a low-cost camera and a simple optical arrangement. This non-destructive method increased accuracy in the chlorophyll content estimation by using an optical arrangement that yielded both the reflectance and transmittance information, while the required hardware is cheap.

CacheCard : Caching static and dynamic content on the NIC

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, Herbert; Huang, Kaiming

2009-01-01

CacheCard is a NIC-based cache for static and dynamic web content in a way that allows for implementation on simple devices like NICs. It requires neither understanding of the way dynamic data is generated, nor execution of scripts on the cache. By monitoring file system activity and potential

Experimental plasma physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dreicer, H.; Banton, M.E.; Ingraham, J.C.; Wittman, F.; Wright, B.L.

1976-01-01

The Experimental Plasma Physics group's main efforts continue to be directed toward the understanding of the mechanisms of electromagnetic energy absorption in a plasma, and the resultant plasma heating and energy transport. The high-frequency spectrum of plasma waves parametrically excited by the microwave signal at high powers has been measured. The absorption of a small test microwave signal in a plasma made parametrically unstable by a separate high-power driver microwave signal was also studied

Captioned Instructional Video: Effects on Content Comprehension, Vocabulary Acquisition and Language Proficiency

Science.gov (United States)

BavaHarji, Madhubala; Alavi, Zhinoos Kamal; Letchumanan, Krishnaveni

2014-01-01

This experimental design study examined the effects of viewing captioned instructional videos on EFL learners' content comprehension, vocabulary acquisition and language proficiency. It also examined the participants' perception of viewing the captioned instructional videos. The 92 EFL students in two classes, who were undertaking the "Tape…

Student Content Knowledge Increases after Participation in a Hands-on Biotechnology Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Bigler, Amber M.; Hanegan, Nikki L.

2011-01-01

Implementing biotechnology education through hands-on teaching methods should be considered by secondary biology teachers. This study is an experimental research design to examine increased student content knowledge in biotechnology after a hands-on biotechnology intervention. The teachers from both school groups participated in, Project Crawfish,…

The kinetics of the methanol synthesis on a copper catalyst: An experimental study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, A.N.R.; Borman, P.C.; Kuczynski, M.; Westerterp, K.R.

1989-01-01

The kinetics of the low pressure of methanol from feed gases containing solely CO and H2 were studied in an internally recycled gradientless reactor. As experimental accuracy impeded the application of high CO contents, the experimental range of mole fraction of CO was limited to 0.04 to 0.22. The

Experimental design research approaches, perspectives, applications

CERN Document Server

Stanković, Tino; Štorga, Mario

2016-01-01

This book presents a new, multidisciplinary perspective on and paradigm for integrative experimental design research. It addresses various perspectives on methods, analysis and overall research approach, and how they can be synthesized to advance understanding of design. It explores the foundations of experimental approaches and their utility in this domain, and brings together analytical approaches to promote an integrated understanding. The book also investigates where these approaches lead to and how they link design research more fully with other disciplines (e.g. psychology, cognition, sociology, computer science, management). Above all, the book emphasizes the integrative nature of design research in terms of the methods, theories, and units of study—from the individual to the organizational level. Although this approach offers many advantages, it has inherently led to a situation in current research practice where methods are diverging and integration between individual, team and organizational under...

Postharvest changes in glycoalkaloid content of potatoes.

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman, M; McDonald, G M

1999-01-01

Potatoes contain antinutritional and potentially toxic compounds including inhibitors of digestive enzymes, hemagglutinins, and glycoalkaloids. Solanum glycoalkaloids are reported to inhibit cholinesterase, disrupt cell membranes, and induce teratogenicity. In this overview, we describe the role of potatoes in the human diet, reported changes in glycoalkaloid content of fresh and processed potatoes during storage, under the influence of light and radiation, following mechanical damage, and as a result of food processing. Also covered are safety aspects and suggested research needs to develop a protocol that can be adopted by the potato producers and processors to minimize post-harvest synthesis of glycoalkaloids in potatoes. Reducing the glycoalkaloid content of potatoes will provide a variety of benefits extending from the farm to processing, shipping, marketing, and consumption of potatoes and potato products. A commercially available ELISA kit is described which permits rapid assay of glycoalkaloid content of parts of the potato plant including leaves, tubers, and peel, as well as processed potato products including french fries, chips, and skins. Understanding the multiple overlapping aspects of glycoalkaloids in the plant and in the diet will permit controlling postharvest glycoalkaloid production for the benefit of the producer and consumer.

Experimental and Numerical Study of the Effect of Gas-Shrouded Plasma Spraying on Cathode Coating of Alkaline Electrolysis Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, T.; Reißner, R.; Schiller, G.; Ansar, A.

2018-01-01

The aim of this work is to improve the performance of electrodes prepared via atmospheric plasma spray by means of gas shrouding which is expected to apparently reduce the oxygen content of the plasma plume and subsequently improve the coating quality. Electrodes with dual-layer coating for alkaline water electrolysis were deposited on Ni-coated perforated substrates. Microstructure and morphology were studied by SEM. Element content was measured by EDS. Enthalpy probe was employed for measuring plasma temperature and velocity as well as the gas composition. For verifying and better understanding the shrouding effect numerical calculation was carried out according to the experimental settings. Electrochemical test was carried out to validate the shrouding effect. The results showed slight protecting effect of gas shrouding on plasma plume and the final coating. Over the dual-layer section, the measured oxygen fraction was 3.46 and 3.15% for the case without gas shrouding and with gas shrouding, respectively. With gas shrouding the coating exhibited similar element contents as the coating sprayed by VPS, while no obvious improvement was observed in the microstructure or the morphology. Evident electrochemical improvement was nevertheless achieved that with gas shrouding the electrode exhibited similar performance as that of the VPS-sprayed electrode.

Diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS of soybean seed oil content

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfredo Castamann

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS can improve interpretations of leaf analysis to determine the nutrient status. Diagnoses by this method require DRIS norms, which are however not known for oil content of soybean seeds. The aims of this study were to establish and test the DRIS method for oil content of soybean seed (maturity group II cultivars. Soybean leaves (207 samples in the full flowering stage were analyzed for macro and micro-nutrients, and the DRIS was applied to assess the relationship between nutrient ratios and the seed oil content. Samples from experimental and farm field sites of the southernmost Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul (28° - 29° southern latitude; 52° -53° western longitude were assessed in two growing seasons (2007/2008 and 2008/2009. The DRIS norms related to seed oil content differed between the studied years. A unique DRIS norm was established for seed oil content higher than 18.68 % based on data of the 2007/2008 growing season. Higher DRIS indices of B, Ca, Mg and S were associated with a higher oil content, while the opposite was found for K, N and P. The DRIS can be used to evaluate the leaf nutrient status of soybean to improve the seed oil content of the crop.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK): The Development and Validation of an Assessment Instrument for Preservice Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Denise A.; Baran, Evrim; Thompson, Ann D.; Mishra, Punya; Koehler, Matthew J.; Shin, Tae S.

2009-01-01

Based in Shulman's idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) has emerged as a useful frame for describing and understanding the goals for technology use in preservice teacher education. This paper addresses the need for a survey instrument designed to assess TPACK for preservice teachers. The paper…

Effects of Radiofrequency Waves on the Catalase Content in Triticum Aestivum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goiceanu, C.; Artenie, A.; Artenie, V.; Creanga, D.E.

2001-01-01

Full text: The aim of the present study is to investigate the possible effects on enzyme biosynthesis in Triticum aestivum cariopsydes due to exposure to traveling radiofrequency (RF) waves. Triticum cariopsydes have been exposed to traveling RF waves inside a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cell fed by a RF Power Generator. The frequency of the exposure field was 400 MHz. The TEM cell was excited with 2W RF power in order to obtain a power density of about 1 mW/cm2. Four sets of Triticum aestivum samples were placed in four Petri dishes. For each set of Triticum cariopsydes there has been chosen a daily exposure duration of 1, 2, 4 and 8 hours respectively. Experimental exposure was carried out for five consecutive days. After the electromagnetic treatment cariopsydes were let to germinate in Petri dishes on porous filter paper support. A couple of days later the catalase assay was performed. In comparison to the control samples, exposed samples revealed modified catalase content, significantly over the error level (five replays of every sample were assayed in identical experimental conditions in order to provide a reliable statistic result). All exposed samples presented higher catalase levels in comparison to the control samples. However, the experimental data do not suggest an evident analytical dependence between the catalase content and the exposure time duration. We presume that exposure to traveling RF waves seems to be a stimulatory factor of the enzyme biosynthesis being able to improve Triticum capacity of enzyme biosynthesis in the described experimental conditions. (author)

The Challenges in Developing E-Content

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jowati Juhary

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Malaysia is considered an active key player in information communication technologies (ICTs especially in education. In fact, in the National Higher Education Strategic Plan, one of the Critical Agenda Projects (CAPs of the Minister of Higher Education is e-learning. It goes without saying that all higher learning providers in Malaysia must be prepared to provide state-of-the-art facilities for the students. One critical aspect of e-learning is the quality and quantity of the content, or what will be referred by many scholars as e-content. This paper attempts to identify the challenges of content development for e-learning practice at the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM. It is crucial to investigate this issue since the university just purchased its Learning Management System (LMS. It is expected that resistance will be present as the academics at the defence university is a mixture of junior and senior lecturers, as well as civilian and military lecturers; and some of these academics have been teaching without the assistance of e-learning. In so doing, the methodology of this paper will mainly be content analysis of various reports, governmental documents, as well as semi-structured interviews with lecturers at the NDUM. As this paper acts as a preliminary investigation into the issue of e-content at the university, only seven lecturers were interviewed. Initial findings suggest that there are basically five challenges of developing e-content at the NDUM. These include the lack of ICT and e-learning policy that can provide guidelines to academics; the uncertainty of ownership for e-learning initiatives; the lack of understanding of the roles of e-learning; the lack of awareness on e-learning; and the difficulties to develop military based content due to confidentiality issues. Two possible solutions for these challenges are also examined which take into consideration the urgent need to set up an e-Learning Unit and to provide

Experimental phantom verification studies for simulations of light interactions with skin: liquid phantoms

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Karsten, A

2010-09-01

Full Text Available stream_source_info Karsten_2010_P.pdf.txt stream_content_type text/plain stream_size 5080 Content-Encoding UTF-8 stream_name Karsten_2010_P.pdf.txt Content-Type text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Experimental phantom verification... studies for simulations of light interactions with skin: Solid Phantoms Aletta E Karsten, A Singh Presented by: J E Smit National Laser Center CSIR South Africa akarsten@csir.co.za Slide 2 © CSIR 2009 www.csir.co.za Where...

A regional distributed hydrological modelling approach for flash-flood understanding and experimental design

Science.gov (United States)

Braud, Isabelle; Anquetin, Sandrine; Roux, Hélène; Vannier, Olivier; Maubourguet, Marie-Madeleine; Viallet, Pierre; Boudevillain, Brice; Dartus, Denis; Creutin, Jean-Dominique

2010-05-01

resolution spatial and temporal data are required in order to properly simulate peak discharge and flow dynamics for a range of scales. The river bed roughness also influences the peak intensity and time. Soil spatial representation is shown to have a significant role on runoff coefficients and on the spatial variability of saturation dynamics. For some catchments, the impact of soil properties on the simulated discharges was of the same order of magnitude as the impact of the rainfall estimation. The results were very similar for the two distributed models, despite their difference in structure. They show that the poor knowledge of soil properties, mainly soil depth, initial soil water content and saturated hydraulic conductivity is detrimental to robust estimation of discharge. A better knowledge of these variables is therefore recommended. In particular soil depth is required. Post field estimation of peak discharge were very valuable for the regional assessment of the methodology, but must be complemented with data of the whole hydrographs to reduce the uncertainty in flow dynamics and runoff production. Effort towards improved quantitative rainfall estimation using a network of radars must also be continued. The results of the study are used in the design of the future HyMeX experiment, aiming at improving the Mediterranean water balance and the knowledge of extreme events. A strategy based on gauged nested catchments is set up. Detailed measurements of the water balance (discharge, soil moisture, evapotranspiration) are proposed on small catchments of about 1 km2 in order to improve the process understanding. An intermediate scale is defined for catchments of about 100 km2 with distributed hydrometry, based on Large Scale Image Velocimetry to tackle the change of scale problem. Finally, operational data are used at larger scale of about 1000 km2. These data will also be useful to propose improved modelling tools applicable on ungauged catchments.

TEACHING SIMULATION: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY ON MRP CONTENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiano Henrique Antonelli da Veiga

2014-06-01

the presentation of the scientific content and the second, mediated experiences. The  development of the proposal was investigated using action research methodology through an exercise prepared by the teacher of the subject. Upon completion of the didactic activity, it was found that students improved their understanding of the concepts and logic of calculation and operationalization in mrp I.

Grasshoppers regulate N:p stoichiometric homeostasis by changing phosphorus contents in their frass.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zijia; Elser, James J; Cease, Arianne J; Zhang, Ximei; Yu, Qiang; Han, Xingguo; Zhang, Guangming

2014-01-01

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are important limiting nutrients for plant production and consumer performance in a variety of ecosystems. As a result, the N:P stoichiometry of herbivores has received increased attention in ecology. However, the mechanisms by which herbivores maintain N:P stoichiometric homeostasis are poorly understood. Here, using a field manipulation experiment we show that the grasshopper Oedaleus asiaticus maintains strong N:P stoichiometric homeostasis regardless of whether grasshoppers were reared at low or high density. Grasshoppers maintained homeostasis by increasing P excretion when eating plants with higher P contents. However, while grasshoppers also maintained constant body N contents, we found no changes in N excretion in response to changing plant N content over the range measured. These results suggest that O. asiaticus maintains P homeostasis primarily by changing P absorption and excretion rates, but that other mechanisms may be more important for regulating N homeostasis. Our findings improve our understanding of consumer-driven P recycling and may help in understanding the factors affecting plant-herbivore interactions and ecosystem processes in grasslands.

Unit mechanisms of fission gas release: Current understanding and future needs

Science.gov (United States)

Tonks, Michael; Andersson, David; Devanathan, Ram; Dubourg, Roland; El-Azab, Anter; Freyss, Michel; Iglesias, Fernando; Kulacsy, Katalin; Pastore, Giovanni; Phillpot, Simon R.; Welland, Michael

2018-06-01

Gaseous fission product transport and release has a large impact on fuel performance, degrading fuel and gap properties. While gaseous fission product behavior has been investigated with bulk reactor experiments and simplified analytical models, recent improvements in experimental and modeling approaches at the atomistic and mesoscales are beginning to reveal new understanding of the unit mechanisms that define fission product behavior. Here, existing research on the basic mechanisms of fission gas release during normal reactor operation are summarized and critical areas where work is needed are identified. This basic understanding of the fission gas behavior mechanisms has the potential to revolutionize our ability to predict fission product behavior and to design fuels with improved performance. In addition, this work can serve as a model on how a coupled experimental and modeling approach can be applied to understand the unit mechanisms behind other critical behaviors in reactor materials.

Prevalence of Behavior Changing Strategies in Fitness Video Games: Theory-Based Content Analysis

OpenAIRE

Lyons, Elizabeth Jane; Hatkevich, Claire

2013-01-01

Background Fitness video games are popular, but little is known about their content. Because many contain interactive tools that mimic behavioral strategies from weight loss intervention programs, it is possible that differences in content could affect player physical activity and/or weight outcomes. There is a need for a better understanding of what behavioral strategies are currently available in fitness games and how they are implemented. Objective The purpose of this study was to investig...

Biofunctional Understanding and Conceptual Control: Searching for Systematic Consensus in Systemic Cohesion.

Science.gov (United States)

Iran-Nejad, Asghar; Bordbar, Fareed

2017-01-01

For first generation scientists after the cognitive revolution, knowers were in active control over all (stages of) information processing. Then, following a decade of transition shaped by intense controversy, embodied cognition emerged and suggested sources of control other than those implied by metaphysical information processing. With a thematic focus on embodiment science and an eye toward systematic consensus in systemic cohesion, the present study explores the roles of biofunctional and conceptual control processes in the wholetheme spiral of biofunctional understanding (see Iran-Nejad and Irannejad, 2017b, Figure 1). According to this spiral, each of the two kinds of understanding has its own unique set of knower control processes. For conceptual understanding (CU), knowers have deliberate attention-allocation control over their first-person "knowthat" and "knowhow" content combined as mutually coherent corequisites. For biofunctional understanding (BU), knowers have attention-allocation control only over their knowthat content but knowhow control content is ordinarily conspicuously absent. To test the hypothesis of differences in the manner of control between CU and BU, participants in two experiments read identical-format statements for internal consistency, as response time was recorded. The results of Experiment 1 supported the hypothesis of differences in the manner of control between the two types of control processes; and Experiment 2 confirmed the results of Experiment 1. These findings are discussed in terms of the predicted differences between BU and CU control processes, their roles in regulating the physically unobservable flow of systemic cohesion in the wholetheme spiral, and a proposal for systematic consensus in systemic cohesion to serve as the second guiding principle in biofunctional embodiment science next to physical science's first guiding principle of systematic observation.

Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Understanding of the Relational Structure of Physics Concepts: Organising Subject Contents for Purposes of Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Koponen, Ismo; Nousiainen, Maija

2013-01-01

Good conceptual understanding of physics is based on understanding what the key concepts are and how they are related. This kind of understanding is especially important for physics teachers in planning how and in what order to introduce concepts in teaching; connections which tie concepts to each other give direction of progress--there is "flux…

Shape understanding system machine understanding and human understanding

CERN Document Server

Les, Zbigniew

2015-01-01

This is the third book presenting selected results of research on the further development of the shape understanding system (SUS) carried out by authors in the newly founded Queen Jadwiga Research Institute of Understanding. In this book the new term Machine Understanding is introduced referring to a new area of research aiming to investigate the possibility of building machines with the ability to understand. It is presented that SUS needs to some extent mimic human understanding and for this reason machines are evaluated according to the rules applied for the evaluation of human understanding. The book shows how to formulate problems and how it can be tested if the machine is able to solve these problems.    

Mobile Phones in the Classroom: Examining the Effects of Texting, Twitter, and Message Content on Student Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Kuznekoff, Jeffrey H.; Munz, Stevie; Titsworth, Scott

2015-01-01

This study examined mobile phone use in the classroom by using an experimental design to study how message content (related or unrelated to class lecture) and message creation (responding to or creating a message) impact student learning. Participants in eight experimental groups and a control group watched a video lecture, took notes, and…

Social Change in a School: A Computer Content Analysis of Administrative Notices

Science.gov (United States)

Gettentag, Marcia

1971-01-01

The content of administrative notices, a non-reactive measure, was used to examine the impact of organizational changes in schools. Compared with control schools, the experimental school showed increases in categories of Cooperation," Participation," and Skills." The control school notices had greater emphasis on good-bad" evaluations. (Author)

The use of quasi-experiments in the social sciences : A content analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aussems, M.E.; Boomsma, A.; Snijders, T.A.B.

This article examines the use of various research designs in the social sciences as well as the choices that are made when a quasi-experimental design is used. A content analysis was carried out on articles published in 18 social science journals with various impact factors. The presence of

Content-Adaptive Packetization and Streaming of Wavelet Video over IP Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chien-Peng Ho

2007-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a framework of content-adaptive packetization scheme for streaming of 3D wavelet-based video content over lossy IP networks. The tradeoff between rate and distortion is controlled by jointly adapting scalable source coding rate and level of forward error correction (FEC protection. A content dependent packetization mechanism with data-interleaving and Reed-Solomon protection for wavelet-based video codecs is proposed to provide unequal error protection. This paper also tries to answer an important question for scalable video streaming systems: given extra bandwidth, should one increase the level of channel protection for the most important packets, or transmit more scalable source data? Experimental results show that the proposed framework achieves good balance between quality of the received video and level of error protection under bandwidth-varying lossy IP networks.

The Subject of Mentoring: Towards a Knowledge and Practice Base for Content-Focused Mentoring of New Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Achinstein, Betty; Davis, Emily

2014-01-01

While new teacher mentoring has traditionally focused on socio-emotional support and professional socialization, understanding mentors' role in developing novices' content teaching is needed given new educational reforms. Few researchers have explored a knowledge/practice base for content-focused mentoring. Therefore, we ask: what do content…

Effect of MgSO4 on the contents of Ca2+ in brain cell and NO in brain tissue of rats with radiation-induced acute brain injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Wenjia; Cui Fengmei; Liu Ping; He Chao; Tu Yu; Wang Lili

2009-01-01

The work is to explore the protection of magnesium sulfate(MgSO 4 ) on radiation-induced acute brain injury. Thirty six mature Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups of control, experimental control and experimental therapy group. The whole brains of SD rats of experimental control and experimental therapy group were irradiated with a dose of 20 Gy using 6 MeV electron beam. MgSO 4 was injected into the abdomen of experimental therapy rats group 1 day before, immediately and continue for 5 days after irradiation respectively. The brain tissues were taken on 3, 10, 17 and 24 d after irradiation. Ca 2+ content in brain cell was measured by laser scanning confocal microscopy, and the NO content in brain tissue was detected by the method of nitric acid reductase. Compared with the blank control group, the contents of Ca 2+ in brain cell and NO in brain tissue of the experimental control group increase (P 4 used in early stage can inhibit the contents of Ca 2+ in brain cell and NO in brain tissue after radiation-induced acute brain injury. It means that MgSO 4 has a protective effect on radiation-induced acute brain injury. (authors)

Systematic Assessment Reveals Lack of Understandability for Prostate Biopsy Online Patient Education Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Maciolek, Kimberly A; Jarrard, David F; Abel, E Jason; Best, Sara L

2017-11-01

To evaluate the accuracy, readability, understandability, and actionability of Internet patient education materials (PEM) about transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. A comprehensive Internet search was performed to find PEM with pre- or postbiopsy instructions. PEM that were duplicates, government affiliated, international, or video based were excluded. Biopsy instructions were evaluated for accuracy and presence of essential topics. Readability was assessed via word count and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Understandability and actionability were measured using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). Effects of authorship and geographical variation were determined using Fischer exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests. We identified 148 unique PEM. Only 31 (21%) sites adhered to the recommended reading level. Most PEM did not contain recommended graphics (14%), checklists (2%), or summaries (6%). The PEMAT understandability score for academic PEM was higher than private (P = .02) and unaffiliated PEM (P = .01). No websites had inaccurate content. Only 2 PEM sites (1%) included all essential content (stop anticoagulants, antibiotics, need for urinalysis, biopsy pain, when to resume activity, and bleeding complications). Few significant differences based on geographic region were observed for word count, readability, PEMAT scores, or content. Transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy PEM adhere poorly to guidelines for easy-to-understand materials. Most PEM lack vital information and are written at a reading level that is too complex for patient comprehension. The urology community can construct better websites by consulting PEM advisory materials and providing nontechnical language, figures, and specific instructions. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Argumentation Practices in Classroom: Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Ebru

2013-01-01

This study examines the impact of argumentation practices on pre-service teachers' understanding of chemical equilibrium. The sample consisted of 100 pre-service teachers in two classes of a public university. One of these classes was assigned as experimental and the other as control group, randomly. In the experimental group, the subject of…

Growth Mechanism and Origin of High s p3 Content in Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, Miguel A.; Deringer, Volker L.; Koskinen, Jari; Laurila, Tomi; Csányi, Gábor

2018-04-01

We study the deposition of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films from molecular dynamics simulations based on a machine-learned interatomic potential trained from density-functional theory data. For the first time, the high s p3 fractions in excess of 85% observed experimentally are reproduced by means of computational simulation, and the deposition energy dependence of the film's characteristics is also accurately described. High confidence in the potential and direct access to the atomic interactions allow us to infer the microscopic growth mechanism in this material. While the widespread view is that ta-C grows by "subplantation," we show that the so-called "peening" model is actually the dominant mechanism responsible for the high s p3 content. We show that pressure waves lead to bond rearrangement away from the impact site of the incident ion, and high s p3 fractions arise from a delicate balance of transitions between three- and fourfold coordinated carbon atoms. These results open the door for a microscopic understanding of carbon nanostructure formation with an unprecedented level of predictive power.

Influence of Magnesium Content on the Local Structure of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate (ACC): Real Time Determination by In Situ PDF Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Mergelsberg, S. T.; Ulrich, R. N.; Michel, F. M.; Dove, P. M.

2016-12-01

Calcium carbonate minerals are an essential component in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and mollusks. The onset of exoskeleton mineralization includes the precipitation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) as a reactive intermediate that later transforms to produce diverse structures. Despite the importance of ACC as a critical phase during skeleton formation, the chemical and physical properties are not well characterized at conditions that approximate biological environments. Of particular interest are the solubility of ACC, the short-range structure at the time of formation, and the evolution of ACC structure to final products. Recent advances showing the widespread occurrence of multistep pathways to mineralization in biological and geological settings (De Yoreo et al., 2015) underline the importance of understanding amorphous intermediates. Using quantitative laboratory techniques developed by our research group (Blue et al., 2013; Blue and Dove, 2015; Blue et al., in press), this experimental study quantifies the solubility of ACC in parallel with the physical characterization of the corresponding structure. We measured ACC solubility at specific time points during the precipitation and during its subsequent evolution under the mild pH conditions that approximate biological and environmental conditions. In parallel experiments, structural data were collected from in situ pair distribution function (PDF) analyses were conducted to follow the evolution of individual samples from initial precipitation to final product. The measurements are leading to a quantitative solubility function for ACC with variable Mg contents and an x-ray based understanding of ACC structure in the same particles. We are also finding temporal changes in the short-range order of ACC after precipitation and this order is dependent upon Mg content. Moreover, the data show Mg distribution through the ACC particles is dependent upon total alkalinity. Insights from this study hold promise

Effects of Xe Gas Content and Total Gas Pressure on the Discharge Characteristics of Colour Plasma Display Panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Wenbo; Han Mengju; Liang Zhihu

2006-01-01

The effects of the Xe gas content and total gas pressure on the discharge characteristics of colour plasma display panels including the sustaining voltage margin, white-field chromaticity, discharge time lag (DTL), discharge current peak, and full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) of the discharge current pulse, are experimentally studied. The results indicate that as the Xe gas content in the He-Ne-Xe gas mixture or total pressure increases, the sustaining voltage margin increases, the white-field chromaticity improves, and the discharge current peak has a maximum value, while DTL and FWHM have a minimum value. The mean electron energy in the gas mixture discharge is also calculated through a numerical solution of Boltzmann equation. The experimental results are explained from a view of the mean electron energy variations with the Xe gas content and total gas pressure

Senecio grisebachii Baker: Pyrrolizidine alkaloids and experimental poisoning in calves

Science.gov (United States)

The main objectives of this study were to determine the 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid (DHPA) content in Senecio grisebachii Baker (Compositae), to experimentally demonstrate its toxicity in calves and to describe the main clinical and pathological findings of this toxicity. S. grisebachii plants...

Has Group Work Education Lost Its Social Group Work Essence? A Content Analysis of MSW Course Syllabi in Search of Mutual Aid and Group Conflict Content

Science.gov (United States)

Sweifach, Jay Stephen

2015-01-01

This article presents the results of a content analysis of MSW group work course syllabi in an effort to better understand the extent to which mutual aid and group conflict, two important dimensions of social group work, are included and featured as prominent elements in MSW-level group work instruction.

Development and validation of the goal content for exercise questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Sebire, Simon J; Standage, Martyn; Vansteenkiste, Maarten

2008-08-01

Self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) proposes that intrinsic, relative to extrinsic, goal content is a critical predictor of the quality of an individual's behavior and psychological well-being. Through three studies, we developed and psychometrically tested a measure of intrinsic and extrinsic goal content in the exercise context: the Goal Content for Exercise Questionnaire (GCEQ). In adults, exploratory (N = 354; Study 1) and confirmatory factor analyses (N = 312; Study 2) supported a 20-item solution consisting of 5 lower order factors (i.e., social affiliation, health management, skill development, image and social recognition) that could be subsumed within a 2-factor higher order structure (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic). Evidence for external validity, temporal stability, gender invariance, and internal consistency of the GCEQ was found. An independent sample (N = 475; Study 3) provided further support for the lower order structure of the GCEQ and some support for the higher order structure. The GCEQ was supported as a measure of exercise-based goal content, which may help understand how intrinsic and extrinsic goals can motivate exercise behavior.

What Are We Teaching in Diversity and Social Justice Courses? A Qualitative Content Analysis of MSW Syllabi

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrotra, Gita R.; Hudson, Kimberly D.; Self, Jen M.

2017-01-01

Diversity and social justice are central to social work and related curricular content is mandated by accreditation standards. However, research regarding diversity and social justice courses remains limited. This study aimed to better understand how these courses are conceptualized through a qualitative content analysis of course descriptions and…

Developing Children's Understanding of Fractions: An Intervention Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gabriel, Florence; Coche, Frederic; Szucs, Denes; Carette, Vincent; Rey, Bernard; Content, Alain

2012-01-01

Fractions constitute a stumbling block in mathematics education. To improve children's understanding of fractions, we designed an intervention based on learning-by-doing activities, which focused on the representation of the magnitude of fractions. Participants were 292 Grade 4 and 5 children. Half of the classes received experimental instruction,…

Teachers' Understanding of Algebraic Generalization

Science.gov (United States)

Hawthorne, Casey Wayne

Generalization has been identified as a cornerstone of algebraic thinking (e.g., Lee, 1996; Sfard, 1995) and is at the center of a rich conceptualization of K-8 algebra (Kaput, 2008; Smith, 2003). Moreover, mathematics teachers are being encouraged to use figural-pattern generalizing tasks as a basis of student-centered instruction, whereby teachers respond to and build upon the ideas that arise from students' explorations of these activities. Although more and more teachers are engaging their students in such generalizing tasks, little is known about teachers' understanding of generalization and their understanding of students' mathematical thinking in this domain. In this work, I addressed this gap, exploring the understanding of algebraic generalization of 4 exemplary 8th-grade teachers from multiple perspectives. A significant feature of this investigation is an examination of teachers' understanding of the generalization process, including the use of algebraic symbols. The research consisted of two phases. Phase I was an examination of the teachers' understandings of the underlying quantities and quantitative relationships represented by algebraic notation. In Phase II, I observed the instruction of 2 of these teachers. Using the lens of professional noticing of students' mathematical thinking, I explored the teachers' enacted knowledge of algebraic generalization, characterizing how it supported them to effectively respond to the needs and queries of their students. Results indicated that teachers predominantly see these figural patterns as enrichment activities, disconnected from course content. Furthermore, in my analysis, I identified conceptual difficulties teachers experienced when solving generalization tasks, in particular, connecting multiple symbolic representations with the quantities in the figures. Moreover, while the teachers strived to overcome the challenges of connecting different representations, they invoked both productive and unproductive

Ecotoxicoparasitology: Understanding mercury concentrations in gut contents, intestinal helminths and host tissues of Alaskan gray wolves (Canis lupus)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGrew, Ashley K. [Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1619 (United States); O' Hara, Todd M. [Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1619 (United States); Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (United States); Stricker, Craig A. [U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Denver, CO 80225 (United States); Margaret Castellini, J. [Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (United States); Beckmen, Kimberlee B. [Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Fairbanks, AK (United States); Salman, Mo D. [Animal Population Health Institute, Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1644 (United States); Ballweber, Lora R. [Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1619 (United States)

2015-12-01

Some gastrointestinal helminths acquire nutrients from the lumen contents in which they live; thus, they may be exposed to non-essential elements, such as mercury (Hg), during feeding. The objectives of this study were: 1) determine the total mercury concentrations ([THg]) in Gray wolves (Canis lupus) and their parasites, and 2) use stable isotopes to evaluate the trophic relationships within the host. [THg] and stable isotopes (C and N) were determined for helminths, host tissues, and lumen contents from 88 wolves. Sixty-three wolves contained grossly visible helminths (71.5%). The prevalence of taeniids and ascarids was 63.6% (56/88) and 20.5% (18/88), respectively. Nine of these 63 wolves contained both taeniids and ascarids (14.3%). All ascarids were determined to be Toxascaris leonina. Taenia species present included T. krabbei and T. hydatigena. Within the GI tract, [THg] in the lumen contents of the proximal small intestine were significantly lower than in the distal small intestine. There was a significant positive association between hepatic and taeniid [THg]. Bioaccumulation factors (BAF) ranged from < 1 to 22.9 in taeniids, and 1.1 to 12.3 in T. leonina. Taeniid and ascarid BAF were significantly higher than 1, suggesting that both groups are capable of THg accumulation in their wolf host. δ{sup 13}C in taeniids was significantly lower than in host liver and skeletal muscle. [THg] in helminths and host tissues, in conjunction with stable isotope (C and N) values, provides insight into food-web dynamics of the host GI tract, and aids in elucidating ecotoxicoparasitologic relationships. Variation of [THg] throughout the GI tract, and between parasitic groups, underscores the need to further evaluate the effect(s) of feeding niche, and the nutritional needs of parasites, as they relate to toxicant exposure and distribution within the host. - Highlights: • [THg] and stable isotopes together provide insight on host-parasite-Hg interactions. • A

Ecotoxicoparasitology: Understanding mercury concentrations in gut contents, intestinal helminths and host tissues of Alaskan gray wolves (Canis lupus)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGrew, Ashley K.; O'Hara, Todd M.; Stricker, Craig A.; Margaret Castellini, J.; Beckmen, Kimberlee B.; Salman, Mo D.; Ballweber, Lora R.

2015-01-01

Some gastrointestinal helminths acquire nutrients from the lumen contents in which they live; thus, they may be exposed to non-essential elements, such as mercury (Hg), during feeding. The objectives of this study were: 1) determine the total mercury concentrations ([THg]) in Gray wolves (Canis lupus) and their parasites, and 2) use stable isotopes to evaluate the trophic relationships within the host. [THg] and stable isotopes (C and N) were determined for helminths, host tissues, and lumen contents from 88 wolves. Sixty-three wolves contained grossly visible helminths (71.5%). The prevalence of taeniids and ascarids was 63.6% (56/88) and 20.5% (18/88), respectively. Nine of these 63 wolves contained both taeniids and ascarids (14.3%). All ascarids were determined to be Toxascaris leonina. Taenia species present included T. krabbei and T. hydatigena. Within the GI tract, [THg] in the lumen contents of the proximal small intestine were significantly lower than in the distal small intestine. There was a significant positive association between hepatic and taeniid [THg]. Bioaccumulation factors (BAF) ranged from < 1 to 22.9 in taeniids, and 1.1 to 12.3 in T. leonina. Taeniid and ascarid BAF were significantly higher than 1, suggesting that both groups are capable of THg accumulation in their wolf host. δ 13 C in taeniids was significantly lower than in host liver and skeletal muscle. [THg] in helminths and host tissues, in conjunction with stable isotope (C and N) values, provides insight into food-web dynamics of the host GI tract, and aids in elucidating ecotoxicoparasitologic relationships. Variation of [THg] throughout the GI tract, and between parasitic groups, underscores the need to further evaluate the effect(s) of feeding niche, and the nutritional needs of parasites, as they relate to toxicant exposure and distribution within the host. - Highlights: • [THg] and stable isotopes together provide insight on host-parasite-Hg interactions. • A significant

Educator Perspectives on Indigenous Cultural Content in an Occupational Therapy Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Melchert, Belinda; Gray, Marion; Miller, Adrian

2016-01-01

Health professionals must understand Indigenous perspectives to deliver effective health services. This study set out to determine the amount, type and effectiveness of current Indigenous content in an occupational therapy curriculum at an Australian regional university and the progress in meeting the National Aboriginal Health Strategy (NAHS)…

Disability Research in Counseling Psychology Journals: A 20-Year Content Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Lee, Sharon

2012-01-01

We conducted an exploratory content analysis of disability research in 5 major counseling psychology journals between 1990 and 2010. The goal was to review the counseling psychology literature to better understand the prevalence of disability research, identify research methods most often conducted, and elucidate the types of concerns most…

The Next Generation of Psychological Autopsy Studies: Part I. Interview Content

Science.gov (United States)

Conner, Kenneth R.; Beautrais, Annette L.; Brent, David A.; Conwell, Yeates; Phillips, Michael R.; Schneider, Barbara

2011-01-01

The psychological autopsy (PA) is a systematic method to understand the psychological and contextual circumstances preceding suicide. The method requires interviews with one or more proxy respondents (i.e., informants) of decedents. The methodological challenges that need to be addressed when determining the content of these research interviews…

The Concept Lens Diagram: A New Mechanism for Presenting Biochemistry Content in Terms of "Big Ideas"

Science.gov (United States)

Rowland, Susan L.; Smith, Christopher A.; Gillam, Elizabeth M. A.; Wright, Tony

2011-01-01

A strong, recent movement in tertiary education is the development of conceptual, or "big idea" teaching. The emphasis in course design is now on promoting key understandings, core competencies, and an understanding of connections between different fields. In biochemistry teaching, this radical shift from the content-based tradition is…

Multidisciplinary education in geriatrics: an experimental course at the Middlesex Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Beynon, G P; Wedgwood, J; Newman, J; Hutt, A

1978-11-01

For two years mixed groups of medical, nursing and physiotherapy students have taken part in an experimental course in geriatric medicine. The course organization and content are described and the students' evaluation of the course is discussed.

An experimental study of electrical and dielectric properties of consolidated clayey materials; Etude experimentale des proprietes electriques et dielectriques des materiaux argileux consolides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Comparon, L

2005-06-15

This study is devoted to the electrical and dielectric properties of consolidated clays. A better understanding of the conduction and polarization phenomena in clays is necessary to better interpret in situ measurements in terms of water saturation and texture. An experimental study was carried out on synthetic clay samples (kaolinite and smectite) compacted with various water contents, porosities and mineralogical compositions, on a large frequency range, using three laboratory setups. The electrical properties of natural argillites (from ANDRA) were then investigated. We found that the response of the synthetic samples is mainly controlled by water content on the whole frequency range; two polarization phenomena were observed, which were related to the Maxwell-Wagner polarization and the electrical double layer polarization around the clay particles. The electrical response of argillites is more complex; it is controlled by water content but also by the microstructure of the rock. In these rocks, the electrical and dielectric anisotropies are high; anisotropy was also measured for the synthetic clays. The existing models explain the high frequency limit of the dielectric permittivity of the clayey materials, but the low frequency part of the spectra ({<=}1 MHz) needs theoretical developments. (author)

Does Knowing More Advanced Mathematics Ensure Effectiveness of Working towards Demonstrating Specialised Mathematical Content Knowledge of Second-Year Pre-Service Teachers?

Science.gov (United States)

Livy, Sharyn

2012-01-01

The theoretical understanding that underpins a teacher's foundation knowledge draws on their common content knowledge (CCK) and influences their mathematics' teaching (Rowland, Turner, Thwaites, & Huckstep, 2009). Teachers who have specialised content knowledge (SCK) demonstrate a unique kind of content knowledge which is more than knowing the…

Understanding the paradox of selenium contamination in mercury mining areas: high soil content and low accumulation in rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hua; Feng, Xinbin; Jiang, Chengxin; Li, Qiuhua; Liu, Yi; Gu, Chunhao; Shang, Lihai; Li, Ping; Lin, Yan; Larssen, Thorjørn

2014-05-01

Rice is an important source of Se for billions of people throughout the world. The Wanshan area can be categorized as a seleniferous region due to its high soil Se content, but the Se content in the rice in Wanshan is much lower than that from typical seleniferous regions with an equivalent soil Se level. To investigate why the Se bioaccumulation in Wanshan is low, we measured the soil Se speciation using a sequential partial dissolution technique. The results demonstrated that the bioavailable species only accounted for a small proportion of the total Se in the soils from Wanshan, a much lower quantity than that found in the seleniferous regions. The potential mechanisms may be associated with the existence of Hg contamination, which is likely related to the formation of an inert Hg-Se insoluble precipitate in soils in Wanshan. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) in the media - a qualitative content analysis of Norwegian newspapers.

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Huiberts, Ashild; Hjørnevik, Mari; Mykletun, Arnstein; Skogen, Jens C

2013-01-01

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a condition characterized by experiencing symptoms after perceived exposure to weak electromagnetic fields (EMFs). There is substantial debate concerning the aetiology of EHS, but experimental data indicate no association between EHS and actual presence of EMFs. Newspapers play a key role in shaping peoples' understanding of health-related issues. The aim of this study was to describe the content of newspaper articles concerning aetiology and treatment of EHS. Qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles. Norwegian newspaper articles were identified using a comprehensive electronic media archive. Norwegian newspaper articles published between 1 February 2006 and 11 August 2010. Statements coded according to source of information, whether it was pro or con scientific evidence on EHS aetiology, and type of intervention presented as treatment option for EHS. Of the statements concerning EHS aetiology (n = 196), 35% (n = 69) were categorized as pro evidence, 65% (n = 127) as con evidence. Of the statements about EHS interventions assessed, 78% (n = 99) were categorized as 'radiance reduction', 4% (n = 5) as 'complementary medicine', and 18% (n = 23) as 'other'. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and psychotropic drugs were never presented as possible treatment options for EHS. The newspaper media discourse of EHS aetiology and recommended treatment interventions is much in conflict with the current evidence in the field. The majority of statements concerning aetiology convey that EHS is related to the presence of weak EMFs, and radiance reduction as the most frequently conveyed measure to reduce EHS-related symptoms.

Experimental Research in School Psychology Internationally: An Assessment of Journal Publications and Implications for Internationalization

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Begeny, John C.; Levy, Rebecca A.; Hida, Rahma; Norwalk, Kate

2018-01-01

Past studies have examined the contents of journal articles in school psychology, and more recently there has been increased interest in examining the frequency and characteristics of experimental studies appearing in school psychology journals. However, no prior studies have examined the international representation of experimental and…

Research goes to School: understanding the content and the procedures of Science through a new dialogue among students, teachers and scientists

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L'Astorina, Alba; Tomasoni, Irene

2015-04-01

The Education system is increasingly interested in a more interactive dialogue with scientists in order to make science taught at school more aware of the models and the ways in which knowledge is produced, revised and discussed within the scientific community. Not always, in fact, the ministerial programs, the media, and the textbooks adopted by schools seem to be able to grasp the content and the procedures of the scientific knowledge as it is today being developed, sometimes spreading the idea of a monolithic and static science, with no reference to revisions, uncertainties, errors and disputes that, on the opposite, characterize the debate about science. On the other side, scientists, that in several surveys define students and teachers as one of the key groups that are most important to communicate with, often do not seem to be aware that scientific knowledge is continuously revised by the school and its protagonists. Science teaching, in all classes, has a highly educational role, as it offers the opportunity to value individual differences, to make students acquire specific tools and methods that enable them understand the world and critically interact with it. In this process of conscious learning, in which teachers play the role of tutors, the student participates actively bringing his tacit knowledge and beliefs. In this context, an educational proposal has recently been developed by the Italian National Research Council (CNR), aimed at starting a new dialogue between Education and Research. It's a way to encourage the technical and scientific culture among young people and a mutual exchange between the two main actors of the scientific production and promotion, considering weaknesses and strengths of the relationship between these two systems. In this proposal, students and teachers follow side by side a group of CNR scientists involved in an ongoing research project based on the use of innovative methodologies of aerospace Earth Observation (EO) for

Content Maps: A Teaching and Assessment Tool for Content Knowledge

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Ward, Phillip; Lehwald, Harry; Lee, Yun Soo

2015-01-01

Developing content knowledge in teachers presents a constant challenge for teacher educators. This article introduces a teaching and assessment tool called a "content map," which allows teacher educators, teachers, and coaches to conceptualize the scope, sequence, and relational characteristics of the content being taught. Content maps…

Cancer Patients' Informational Needs: Qualitative Content Analysis.

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Heidari, Haydeh; Mardani-Hamooleh, Marjan

2016-12-01

Understanding the informational needs of cancer patients is a requirement to plan any educative care program for them. The aim of this study was to identify Iranian cancer patients' perceptions of informational needs. The study took a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were held with 25 cancer patients in two teaching hospitals in Iran. Transcripts of the interviews underwent conventional content analysis, and categories were extracted. The results came under two main categories: disease-related informational needs and information needs related to daily life. Disease-related informational needs had two subcategories: obtaining information about the nature of disease and obtaining information about disease prognosis. Information needs related to daily life also had two subcategories: obtaining information about healthy lifestyle and obtaining information about regular activities of daily life. The findings provide deep understanding of cancer patients' informational needs in Iran.

Using Content-Aligned Assessments to Identify Weaknesses in Students' Understanding of Fundamental Weather and Climate Ideas

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Wertheim, J.; Willard, S.

2011-12-01

There is growing interest in ensuring that citizens understand weather and climate sufficiently to make informed decisions, and these topics are gaining increased attention in K-12 education. The National Research Council recently released A Framework for K-12 Science Education with the expectation that U.S. 12th graders must have a sophisticated knowledge of climate change, including the role of deep time, variability, and computer modeling in the prediction of climate impacts on the planet and human activity. This requirement demands that students extend their understanding of climate change to the past and future, but it is important to recognize that many students know little about prerequisite ideas, such as daily and annual weather and climate processes, and this problem must be addressed prior to introducing the complexities of the climate system. In order to diagnose weaknesses in students' foundational understanding of the complex climate system, we primarily assessed a middle school (MS)-level understanding of the core elements of the system, in addition to a high school (HS)-level understanding of seasons. We described grade appropriate, coherent, functioning conceptual models for each targeted idea, and decomposed them into explicit learning goals. We then applied Project 2061's rigorous item development procedure to produce 235 high-quality, misconception-based multiple choice test items. These items were tested with a national sample of approximately 20,000 students, grades 6-12, in two phases (Spring 2010 & 2011). Here we report results from the second phase, including items targeting knowledge about convection, daily and annual air temperature patterns, factors that influence air temperature, and seasons. Overall, HS students outperformed MS students on these items by an average of only 3% (MS:31% correct; HS:34% correct). These data show a few strong misconceptions (e.g., 47% of students think that the North Pole is always angled toward the Sun

An intelligent content discovery technique for health portal content management.

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De Silva, Daswin; Burstein, Frada

2014-04-23

Continuous content management of health information portals is a feature vital for its sustainability and widespread acceptance. Knowledge and experience of a domain expert is essential for content management in the health domain. The rate of generation of online health resources is exponential and thereby manual examination for relevance to a specific topic and audience is a formidable challenge for domain experts. Intelligent content discovery for effective content management is a less researched topic. An existing expert-endorsed content repository can provide the necessary leverage to automatically identify relevant resources and evaluate qualitative metrics. This paper reports on the design research towards an intelligent technique for automated content discovery and ranking for health information portals. The proposed technique aims to improve efficiency of the current mostly manual process of portal content management by utilising an existing expert-endorsed content repository as a supporting base and a benchmark to evaluate the suitability of new content A model for content management was established based on a field study of potential users. The proposed technique is integral to this content management model and executes in several phases (ie, query construction, content search, text analytics and fuzzy multi-criteria ranking). The construction of multi-dimensional search queries with input from Wordnet, the use of multi-word and single-word terms as representative semantics for text analytics and the use of fuzzy multi-criteria ranking for subjective evaluation of quality metrics are original contributions reported in this paper. The feasibility of the proposed technique was examined with experiments conducted on an actual health information portal, the BCKOnline portal. Both intermediary and final results generated by the technique are presented in the paper and these help to establish benefits of the technique and its contribution towards effective

Modulating mimicry: Exploring the roles of inhibitory control and social understanding in 5-year-olds' behavioral mimicry.

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van Schaik, Johanna E; Hunnius, Sabine

2018-01-01

During adult interactions, behavioral mimicry, the implicit copying of an interaction partner's postures and mannerisms, communicates liking and affiliation. While this social behavior likely develops during early childhood, it is unclear which factors contribute to its emergence. Here, the roles of inhibitory control and social understanding on 5-year-olds' behavioral mimicry were investigated. Following a social manipulation in which one experimenter shared a sticker with the child and the other experimenter kept two stickers for herself, children watched a video in which these experimenters each told a story. During this story session, children in the experimental group (n = 28) observed the experimenters perform face and hand rubbing behaviors whereas the control group (n = 23) did not see these behaviors. Children's inhibitory control was assessed using the day-night task and their social understanding was measured through a parental questionnaire. Surprisingly, group-level analyses revealed that the experimental group performed the behaviors significantly less than the control group (i.e. a negative mimicry effect) for both the sticker-sharer and sticker-keeper. Yet, the hypothesized effects of inhibitory control and social understanding were found. Inhibitory control predicted children's selective mimicry of the sticker-keeper versus sticker-sharer and children's overall mimicry was correlated with social understanding. These results provide the first indications to suggest that factors of social and cognitive development dynamically influence the emergence and specificity of behavioral mimicry during early childhood.

Informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues: The influence of morality and content knowledge

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Sadler, Troy Dow

This study focused on informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues. It explored how morality and content knowledge influenced the negotiation and resolution of contentious and complex scenarios based on genetic engineering. Two hundred and sixty-nine undergraduate students completed a quantitative test of genetics concepts. A sub-set of the students (n = 30) who completed this instrument and represented divergent levels of content knowledge participated in two individual interviews, during which they discussed their ideas, reactions, and solutions to three gene therapy scenarios and three cloning scenarios. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine patterns of informal reasoning and the influence of morality, the effects of content knowledge on the use of informal reasoning patterns, and the effects of content knowledge on the quality of informal reasoning. Students demonstrated evidence of rationalistic, emotive, and intuitive forms of informal reasoning. Rationalistic informal reasoning described reason-based considerations; emotive informal reasoning described care-based considerations; and intuitive reasoning described considerations based on immediate reactions to the context of a scenario. Participants frequently relied on combinations of these reasoning patterns as they worked to resolve individual socioscientific scenarios. Most of the participants appreciated at least some of the moral implications of their decisions, and these considerations were typically interwoven within an overall pattern of informal reasoning. Although differences in content knowledge were not found to be related to modes of informal reasoning (rationalistic, emotive, and informal), data did indicate that differences in content knowledge were related to variations in informal reasoning quality. Participants, with more advanced understandings of genetics, demonstrated fewer instances of reasoning flaws, as defined by a priori criteria (intra-scenario coherence, inter

Measurements of volatile compound contents in resins using a moisture analyzer.

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Hashimoto, Masanori; Nagano, Futami; Endo, Kazuhiko; Ohno, Hiroki

2010-02-01

The contents of volatile adhesive compounds, such as water, solvents, and residual unpolymerized monomers, affect the integrity and durability of adhesive bonding. However, there is no method available that can be used to rapidly assess the residual solvent or water contents of adhesive resins. This study examined the effectiveness of a digital moisture analyzer to measure the volatile compound contents of resins. Five self-etching adhesives and seven experimental light-cured resins prepared with different contents (0, 10, and 20% by weight) of water or solvents (acetone and ethanol) were examined in this study. The resins were prepared using different methods (with and without air blast or light-curing) to simulate the clinical conditions of adhesive application. Resin weight changes (% of weight loss) were determined as the residual volatile compound contents, using the moisture analyzer. After the measurements, the resin films were examined using a scanning electron microscope. The weight changes of the resins were found to depend on the amount of water or solvents evaporating from the resin. Water and solvents were evaporated by air blast or light-curing, but some of the water and solvents remained in the cured resin. The moisture analyzer is easy to operate and is a useful instrument for using to measure the residual volatile compound contents of adhesive resin.

Use of Code-Switching in Multilingual Content Subject and Language Classrooms

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Gwee, Susan; Saravanan, Vanithamani

2018-01-01

Research literature has shown that teachers code-switched to a language which is not the medium of instruction to help students understand subject matter and establish interpersonal relations with them. However, little is known about the extent to which teachers code-switch in content subject classrooms compared to language classrooms. Using…

Exploring science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge in the teaching of genetics in Swaziland

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Mthethwa-Kunene, Khetsiwe Eunice Faith

Recent trends show that learners' enrolment and performance in science at secondary school level is dwindling. Some science topics including genetics in biology are said to be difficult for learners to learn and thus they perform poorly in examinations. Teacher knowledge base, particularly topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), has been identified by many researchers as an important factor that is linked with learner understanding and achievement in science. This qualitative study was an attempt to explore the PCK of four successful biology teachers and how they developed it in the context of teaching genetics. The purposive sampling technique was employed to select the participating teachers based on their schools' performance in biology public examinations and recommendations by science specialists and school principals. Pedagogical content knowledge was used as a theoretical framework for the study, which guided the inquiry in data collection, analysis and discussion of the research findings. The study adopted the case study method and various sources of evidence including concept maps, lesson plans, pre-lesson interviews, lesson observations, post-teaching teacher questionnaire, post-lesson interviews and document analysis were used to collect data on teachers' PCK as well as how PCK was assumed to have developed. The data were analysed in an attempt to determine the individual teachers' school genetics' content knowledge, related knowledge of instructional strategies and knowledge of learners' preconceptions and learning difficulties. The analysis involved an iterative process of coding data into PCK categories of content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of learners' preconceptions and learning difficulties. The findings of the study indicate that the four successful biology teachers generally have the necessary content knowledge of school genetics, used certain topic-specific instructional strategies, but lacked knowledge of

Experimental design techniques in statistical practice a practical software-based approach